Chiyo Komano

Chiyo Komano (駒野千代, Komano Chiyo) is a secondary character in Harukanaru Toki no Naka de 6. She is the White Dragon Priestess for this continuity.

Background Story
Chiyo was born into a wealthy merchant family in the parallel world's Kyoto. Her childhood neighbor was the reclusive Kudan. At first, Chiyo was told to keep her distance from him. When Chiyo became ill one day, Kudan left her a paper crane as a get-well present. Grateful for the mysterious spontaneity, she went to his home when she recovered to thank him. The small exchange sparked the start of their lifelong friendship.

Though born with a weak constitution, Chiyo wants to study and become independent from her family. She attended classes and tried to apply for menial industrial labor, only to face sexual discrimination at every turn. Despite the rejections and hardship, Chiyo tried her best to persevere.

Around this time her home took in a poor houseboy named Shinnosuke Harada, a young man doing chores while pursuing his own studies. Chiyo happened to meet him one day and they immediately enjoyed one another's company. They fell in love in spite of their different social standings. Chiyo's father learned of their relationship and disapproved. He scheduled an arranged marriage for Chiyo.

Story Events
Chiyo is teleported to Mount Atago by Kudan during her domestic dispute. She is too confused and scared by Darius's sudden attack to gain her wits. Azusa stands against the Demon Chief on her and Kudan's behalf, gaining her an instant admirer. Chiyo wants to thank their savior, but the scuffle between the Demon Clan and Elite Squad interrupts any pleasantries. While Azusa goes back into Darius's custody, Chiyo is ushered into the military's protection and properly informed of her duties. Since her priestess duties forbids marriage, Chiyo happily informs her parents of the news. Her arranged marriage is delayed for the time being.

When Azusa and company infiltrates Kudan's military manor, an alarmed Chiyo rushes outside. Kudan instructs his friend to purify the neutralized spiritually possessed soldiers before Chiyo greets Azusa. The sentries chase Azusa and company away from the premise, but the brief exchange is all that is needed to strengthen the priestesses' spiritual link to one another. Kudan later instructs Chiyo to pray to the White Dragon God to fetch Azusa from the Demon Clan's barrier. The Black Dragon resonates to Chiyo's prayer and Azusa's request, transporting Azusa to them. The girls finally introduce themselves to one another.

Seishiro orders the priestesses to work together on vengeful spirit exterminations, and Chiyo enjoys walking around the capital with her other half. The powerful spiritual pestilence within the capital and the obliteration of the Eight Guardians has severely weakened the White Dragon Priestess's capabilities, so Chiyo cannot fight. She can purify, yet her purifications are arduous to her. Chiyo keeps a brave face to her male cohorts, yet privately confesses her worsening health to Azusa late one night. Inspired by one another's spirit, they make a secret pact to protect one another.

After Murasame's defeat near the military headquarters, the Force Protection Squad is ordered to subjugate the unarmed protesters. They do so by clubbing down anyone in their path. Wishing to stop further violence, the priestesses combine their powers to halt the soldiers. Unlike Azusa, Chiyo senses something supernaturally peculiar about the Force Protection Squad, thinking that they could be similar to the possessed soldiers who were purified. She is anxious at the military residence and doesn't want anyone else to be held accountable for her suspicions. Chiyo decides to confront Seishiro about the matter by herself that same night. She leaves a note in her room to avoid worrying Azusa.

Since she came without an appointment, Chiyo is left to wait for Seishiro. Whilst waiting in a conference room, a vapid soldier passes by the doorway. Chiyo decides to follow him and walks into a room filled with Force Protection Squad soldiers. She momentarily panics when they regress into the berserk spiritually possessed, but she regains her composure enough to purify them with the White Dragon's help. Although she is successful, she is physically exhausted. The miasma of the premise also causes her to completely collapse. Seishiro finds her and has her relocated to the local hospital. Azusa and company are informed of her location the next day. Seishiro lies that Chiyo came to him for consultation on bettering her duties; she was bludgeoned by a mysterious assailant sometime after she left his company.

About a week and a half later, Chiyo awakens and realizes she is being watched by Seishiro's men. To avoid rousing further skepticism, she fibs that she is still suffering from head trauma to remember the attack clearly. She grabs Azusa's hand before her visitors leave, feigning the gesture as an act of loneliness. She discreetly passes her other half a note which cautions Azusa to be vigilant. Chiyo warns Azusa to keep an eye on the Force Protection Squad and to keep her doubts a secret from the Elite Squad.

Though frail and still recovering, Chiyo forces herself to rise and be present for Kagutsuchi's awakening. The skyscraper's basement threatens to crush everyone inside. In nearly every story route, a staggering Chiyo uses her priestess powers to erect a barrier and to restore the broken Dragon Gems. The White Dragon feels its priestess is too weak to withstand the evil god's miasma for too long, instantly sending her to the modern world. It rewards her duty by blessing Chiyo with good health and Shinnosuke's company. The couple happily wed and live their lives together. Many years later, Chiyo raises her granddaughter for her busy parents' behalf.

Elderly Chiyo is ill and within a coma at the start of the main narrative, but she is aware of Azusa's trip to the parallel world in her dreams. She has faith that her granddaughter will be a fine priestess and live a fine life with or without her. In every ending taking place in the modern world, Chiyo wakes up and is expected to make a healthy recovery. Her role in the story has minor changes in Arima and Kudan's personal routes.

The best ending reverts Chiyo's last gambit as the priestesses combine their powers to safely evacuate everyone from Ryounkaku. Several days after Kagutsuchi's defeat, Chiyo's health is restored and she invites Azusa to meet her lover at Café Haikaraya. Chiyo informs Azusa of her lover's full name; Azusa remarks that their names are the same as her grandparents but doesn't make a full connection to their family relation. Chiyo rejoices the names as a happy coincidence and escorts her friend to the surprise party.

Development
The main planner commented that Azusa represents "empathy" and Chiyo is the secondary heroine who represents "admiration" within the narrative. She was designed to have the figure and gumption expected of a White Dragon Priestess and to represent the fashion of educated women during the parallel world's setting. Designers were constantly torn over her hair style, her current one being decided late into the production schedule. One main challenge for the CG design team was to always make Chiyo "adorable" to contrast Azusa's "striking" portraits. Chiyo and Azusa were eventually altered to share the same eye color as a hint to their family relation to one another.

To contrast the friendships of other priestesses in the series, Ruby Party wanted Chiyo to seem maternal to Azusa. They sought for a dynamic which had the girls harmonize yet constantly swap emotional stances with one another. If Chiyo scolded Azusa for being too hard on herself, it would be inevitable for Azusa to do the same to Chiyo. The main planner revealed that more events focusing on the priestesses were written, but the story revisions caused them to be cut from the final draft.

Personality
Chiyo is a loving privileged lady who strives to do what she thinks is decent for others. She is supportive of righteous deeds, critical of any act that may appear underhanded or demeaning. She tries to accept the best in people and to avoid stirring conflict. Due to her weak physique, which forced her to spend many days being bedridden, Chiyo wants to crush the notion of her body being a burden. Yearning to do more with her education and birthright, she desires to shine as an individual who is proud to be helpful to others. Being the White Dragon Priestess merely gives her an alternate means to fulfill her wish. Her obstinacy for her beliefs leads her to clash with the social norms of her era, making her an oddity to many. If it weren't for her reputation as a priestess, it would be doubtful if she would be endorsed by the general public.

Since she lived a sheltered life, Chiyo is scared of the supernatural dangers in the parallel world. Even when strolling with protection in the imperial capital, she fearfully does so with the knowledge that she has no means to defend herself. Azusa's singular bravery against vengeful spirits and demons inspires Chiyo. Whenever she begins to doubt herself, Chiyo needs to only think of Azusa to remember her strong willpower. She gladly supports her friend in their endeavors, doing anything within her power to protect her. As her only constant female companion, Chiyo loosens her stringency while in Azusa's company. She frequently encourages her friend to indulge in casual pleasures and lightly chides Azusa to not worry about her.

Familiar with Kudan's childish quirks, Chiyo is often sarcastic towards his bubbly tangents. She hopes he will someday ground himself in reality. Despite her cynical retorts, Chiyo appreciates his talents and unconditional support, cherishing their friendship even in the modern world. She is especially excited if she learns of Kudan's potential romance with Azusa, gently pushing for her dearest friends to tie the knot. Chiyo is romantically attracted to Shinnosuke's warm sincerity and kindness. The social divide between them has no effect on her feelings for him. She fondly nicknames him "Shin" (進さん, Shin-san). While she tries to hide it, she terribly misses him and worries that he might not feel the same way about her.

Character Symbolism
Chiyo's symbolic item is the Far East Amur adonis (fukuju-sou). In Japan, this particular flower has been reputed to be in full bloom before and after New Year's Day for centuries. Its renown is based on Japan's archaic calendar as the flowers naturally blossom in modern mid-February, yet there are growers who use man-made methods to have them bloom for our New Year's Day. It is still the recognized birth flower of New Year's Day in Japan. The flower opens all spring yet it is sensitive to sunlight; its buds will not open if it is too overcast. This is because it is a spring ephemeral, using the energy it has stored throughout the winter and severing photosynthesis whilst in bloom. When summer draws near, the visible portions above ground wither. Its roots are strong enough to withstand the winters in Kyushu and Hokkaido's mountain regions.

Far East Amur adonis's modern Japanese name was devised during the Edo period after its cultivation. Its previous names celebrated it for ringing in the new year and the first spring storm. Its renaming respects its traditional values and adds "fortune and longevity" in ode to the flora's flowering behavior. Within the Japanese flower language, the yellow flower often represents the way to happiness, eternal joy or memories. It is considered a good gift at graduations or retirements.

Her symbolic color is pink, a color which is said to be named after the carnation.

Quotes

 * "Seal away this torment!"
 * "Please, Dragon God. Please protect my other half."
 * "I'm an ordinary girl. Not capable of anything. But now that I"m here, I'll do something. Priestess or not."
 * "Azusa, never forget that you are the one who will bring light to this world. You're strong and kind... You're my... other half."
 * "... Well, if you were to ask me why I love Shin, I don't think I could give you a straight answer. I ended up in love with him before I even thought of him as someone special... Love isn't always a sure path."
 * "Don't cry... I know we'll meet again."
 * "Yes, just like that. You're much better at this than me, Azusa."
 * "Azusa... You're about to embark on a long journey. There are times when you'll be alone, and times when it will be hard. But I know you can do it. Because you are my-"
 * "A fine proposal. Though I concur that the crowds are an issue. In the event of a vengeful spirit attack, I believe we should be present to speed evacuations."
 * "Is what he says. Knowing Kudan, he just wants a closer seat to those pretty fireworks."
 * "Chrysanthemum, Willow, Cake..."
 * "See what I mean?"
 * "Mrph... I'll have you know, Chiyo, there's more to fireworks than how pretty they are. It all began during the Edo shogun Yoshimune's reign as a way to soothe the spirits of the dead and to dispel evil afflictions. The fireworks that burst over Ryugoku have exemplary origins."
 * "Okay, okay. Make whatever excuses you want."
 * Kudan and Chiyo


 * "Grandma, I–I can't be here. I can't leave behind regrets. There's someone I have to fight for. I have to be beside him, no matter what."
 * "...Thank goodness. I thought you would say that. And I'm happy you feel that way. Now, you've got your mind set. Get going."
 * "...But, but Grandma... I don't know how I can go back..."
 * "Simple, child. Ask your dragon about it."
 * "My... dragon?"
 * "Yes. I know you can do it."
 * "... I guess. I'll give it a try. But, Grandma, how do you know about that?"
 * "(chuckles) How indeed. Grandma knows everything about you. I might know about the person you're in love with right now too."
 * Azusa and Grandmother