CR
Canon
Unzan
Timid Nyūdō
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Ichirin has had Unzan for as long as she can remember. As a child, only a few days old, she found a golden ring that had been tossed out by some travelers. Upon picking it up, she realized that it was not just a ring but a mikoshi-nyūdō, a giant that grows in size the more one looks at him. She was the only person he ever spoke to directly, recognizing that she was a wanyūdō and therefore someone who could be trusted. She dutifully watched after him, taking him everywhere, and they became friends in no time at all. However, as long as she had Unzan, it meant she couldn't have any other friends. Because he was shy, he tended to try to stop people from looking at him, but he used force to do this - possibly because he didn't realize what he was doing would hurt people. At any rate, associating with Unzan left Ichirin with a social dilemma, and she chose to side with her lifelong friend over the people who feared him.
She and Unzan killed a great number of people who looked at him for too long, and eventually Ichirin came to stop caring, and Unzan deeply regretted the change he'd inflicted on the once-cheerful child. When Byakuren intervened, he was just as grateful to her as Ichirin was, not just for helping him cope with his crippling shyness but also for saving Ichirin from becoming a monster. Even now, Ichirin and Unzan are inseparable, and he's an important part of her life. He acts as a strict grandfather to her, attempting to give her guidance when she can't turn to Byakuren for it.
Byakuren Hijiri
Savior of Youkai
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While Ichirin was still very young, she was shunned because of her close relationship with Unzan, who in his extreme shyness lashed out physically at people who looked at him for too long. Byakuren, a notable youkai hunter (who in actuality simply relocated youkai instead of hunting them), was dispatched to take care of her, since she'd become a fairly large problem. And Byakuren treated her and Unzan with nothing but kindness, the only thing that she'd ever wanted. She became a follower of her unique form of Buddhism and devoted the rest of her life to Byakuren.
She's entirely loyal to Byakuren, because to Ichirin, her life only really started after Byakuren took her in. She would do anything for the monk without question, and considers her the closest thing to a real family she's ever had. She refers to Byakuren as "Ane-san," which can be translated as "big sister," or as an affectionate term for someone like a gang boss, both of which could apply to her.
Minamitsu Murasa
Captain of the Palanquin Ship
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Ichirin and Murasa have known each other for an extremely long time. They're both followers of Byakuren Hijiri and crew members on the Palanquin Ship. Ichirin is very fond of Murasa, and she feels like she owes the ship ghost a great debt. When she first arrived on the ship, she tried to isolate herself, and it was Murasa who worked hardest to integrate her into the group. She feels a sort of kinship in that they were both saved by Byakuren, as well. Aside from Byakuren (her savior) and Unzan (her lifelong companion), Murasa is the person Ichirin considers her closest friend. She would willingly put herself in danger or even die for her captain, and that's a risk that she takes every day without even blinking.
Nazrin
Treasure Hunter
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Nazrin was responsible for seeking out the shards of magic necessary for Byakuren's release, and Ichirin is endlessly grateful for her efforts. Nazrin is a responsible and hardworking youkai, something that Ichirin greatly respects and admires. She's the one Ichirin speaks to the least, because Nazrin doesn't particularly have any reason to free Byakuren and because Nazrin is instead a follower of Shou. There's less that she feels connects the two of them, but she doesn't dislike Nazrin by any means. She thinks very highly of Nazrin and considers her just as much a part of the family as Byakuren's followers, it's just that they have less common ground and so less to talk about.
Shou Toramaru
Disciple of Bishamonten
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Shou is another youkai who decided to free Byakuren, and she has more in common with Ichirin than any of the other crew members. Despite this, Shou isn't the family member closest to Ichirin, because Shou spent the years she was underground working at Bishamonten's temple, rather than being trapped with the rest of the crew. Much like Ichirin is devoted to Byakuren, Shou is devoted to Bishamonten, and though the religions they follow are slightly different because of this, it still inspires lots of stimulating conversation. Ichirin appreciates her presence whenever she's around (because as a disciple of Bishamonten, she can't always be around like everybody else) because while she does appreciate Murasa's company, there are...certain activities she partakes of that Ichirin disapproves of, and it's refreshing to get away from that for even a little while.
Nue Houjuu
Heian Alien
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Ichirin doesn't quite know what to think of Nue. Byakuren has allowed her to stay at the temple of Myouren, and she earns points for fessing up and apologizing for what she did, so she tolerates her presence, but she's still upset at the nue for meddling with Byakuren's return. In the end, she maintains a carefully neutral attitude toward Nue, but she also makes it clear that she doesn't entirely trust her yet.