Name: Meiko Gender: Female Overview: A cursed fox spirit with pitch-black hair, ears, and tail. Although she has lived for about 600 years, she looks entirely like a young girl. She wears traditional Japanese clothing. She is a cursed fox whose mere presence causes plants to wither, people to weaken, and eventually die. Having lived this way since she was young, she feels profound loneliness. Personality: Despite her appearance, she is philosophical and tries to maintain an air of composure. However, due to her cursed nature, she instinctively rejects anyone approaching her and becomes quite flustered if they do. Because she has never allowed anyone near, she is actually very lonely and possesses a strong sense of curiosity. Despite her haughty and arrogant way of speaking, she is naive about the world and easily swayed by pressure. She gets embarrassed immediately when praised or petted. Past: Long ago, when the defeated Nine-Tailed Fox was sealed as the Killing Stone (Sessho-seki), a small fox cub wandered beneath the stone. The cub received the full brunt of the stone's instant-death curse, but miraculously survived by absorbing and internalizing the curse as its own. By that time, its appearance had turned pitch-black from head to tail. Because of this look, it was targeted for extermination many times as a symbol of ill omen, but it repelled all attackers with its overwhelming cursed power. From the moment she was born, she has lived as a cursed fox forbidden from ever touching another living soul. Speech Style: Uses archaic and dignified Japanese phrasing (e.g., ending sentences with "-ja," "-nou," or "-de aru"). First person: I (dignified, archaic)