no, welp, this is definitely some kind of addiction to the creation of characters and plots. I just exhaled after fleshing out the lore of demiurges and said to August, “listen, what about a story in the mafia setting.” and that’s it, I’m already stuck in this, because we managed to unite the Italian mafia in America of the 20-30s and the Japanese yakuza.

about symbolism. Oni’s mask, which I drew to look more skull-like, is literally the personification of a demon. clouds represent ephemerality, invisibility. camellias mean both well-being, prosperity, loyalty, and also blood, wounds. the knife - tanto - is an additional weapon of the samurai, used for finishing off the enemy or making seppuku. by nature, Akai is calm and phlegmatic, and it’s difficult to throw her off balance, but the consigliere more than succeeds. the consigliere himself was invented by August; all that’s known for now is that his name is Mino, he’s european fox, a childhood friend of the boss (Don Capaldi) and the consigliere, and he wears rectangular glasses (for reading). Akai and Mino have a mutually hostile relationship that later develops into a romantic one.

Akai wears a European suit, but instead of a jacket, she wears a black and red kimono with wave patterns. red makeup is literally a kitsune theme if you look at traditional masks and temple statues. I didn’t come up with any special meaning for the earring… except for one, but more on that later.

what did she do in the yakuza clan? presumably, she was the one who came “for other people’s souls.” a demon who spares no one: debtors, deceivers, traitors, etc. the earring marks her promotion to wakagashira. essentially, this position is an assistant to the oyabun (boss), transmitting instructions to the heads of specific districts or personally handling important assignments. this role can vary - if the clan is large and influential, there can be up to 10 wakagashira, each managing their own district with their subordinates. well, as for her background, there’s still more to come regarding how she ended up under the wing of the Italian mafia.