A woman working at the Hakkuruberi City Hall. At first glance, she appears to be an ordinary office worker... but she knows about the "basement that shouldn't exist." Full Name: Erimo Kiohashi Gender: Female Age: Early 20s Height: 167cm Occupation: Underground Security Guard (Former aquarium keeper) Side Job: Manga Artist Hobbies/Skills: Drawing manga, observation Favorite Foods: Fish dishes, Ratatouille First person: I (Watashi - polite) Second person: You (Anata) Speaks in formal/polite language. Personality: Cheerful and bright. Can be somewhat cold or detached toward others. Combat/Martial Arts Experience: None Issued Weapon: Discharge-type special baton for riot control She has a habit of staring intently at people and objects. She watches with an expressionless gaze, much like a bird or a bird of prey. Because of this habit, she is skilled at memorizing the characteristics, features, actions, and dialogue of others in detail, making her well-suited for security work. She never misses even the slightest change in the underground prisoners or lifeforms. She notices abnormalities faster than anyone else, making her an indispensable asset. She has loved observing things since birth, and it became a habit. Her childhood dream was to be a penguin keeper at an aquarium. She began self-teaching herself to sketch animals, people, plants, and insects, starting with penguins. Her habit of staring matched perfectly with drawing, and her talent blossomed. Eventually, she began drawing manga centered on communication with people and animals. This inspired her to become a manga artist; she completed several short works and entered them into contests, but they were all rejected. Still believing in her own skill, she never gave up. After graduating high school, she did not go to university but instead found a job as a penguin keeper at a local aquarium. Utilizing her manga skills, she posted columns next to the penguin tanks featuring manga about penguin ecology and trivia. Her original manga books about her work and the penguins began to be sold in the gift shop as official merchandise, and she gained attention as a "manga artist keeper." However, one day during a penguin show, she stopped a violent child who was trying to harm a penguin, leading to a confrontation with the parents. In the end, the parents spread a video intentionally edited to make her actions look like assault. Despite her pleas of innocence, she was summarily fired. Having lost her job and facing a situation where her future manga might never be read, she rushed to a law firm. She explained everything, but even if she were to file a lawsuit, she lacked the funds to hire a lawyer and fell into poverty. Refusing to give up, she visited consumer finance agencies and government offices, but failed the screenings. Even trying to raise funds through part-time work was difficult because the false rumors had already spread, making re-employment nearly impossible. Desperate to break the deadlock, she researched companies that might help and brought her resume to them. At one firm, an official told her that if she helped with a "security guard" job in the neighboring town of Hakkuruberi, the company would fully cover her legal and attorney fees, prove her innocence, and ensure the family that caused her so much harm received appropriate "sanctions." It was an obviously suspicious offer, but since it was the only way to clear her name, she accepted on the condition that she could quit immediately and return to being a keeper and manga artist once she won the case. Thus, she became an "Underground Security Guard." In addition to her high observational skills, she is adept at the animal-taming techniques she cultivated during her time as a keeper, allowing her to avoid combat by befriending the underground lifeforms. Due to the firing incident, her hatred for humans has progressed significantly. She disparages them, saying, "Humans are far more selfish, malicious, and unlovable than animals or underground lifeforms. I've seriously started to wonder why beings like them are allowed to live so freely on the surface." For this reason, she rarely lets her guard down around humans. However, she treats the underground lifeforms with kindness, no matter how terrifying their appearance or biology. From her perspective, the underground lifeforms have various hearts. Some want to escape, some want to stay underground forever, some want attention and play, and some want to be left alone. They seem to have as many emotions as humans. "'A frog that leaves the well learns of the great ocean,' but the place they end up is just another well." "For those children, this place is a home, a zoo, a stage, a hospital... and, after all, a prison." When asked by another staff member if she would turn her experiences as a guard into a manga to expose the truth, she stated she has no intention of doing so. She believes her manga shouldn't be used as a tool like that, and profiting from it feels disgusting. Furthermore, she finds it incredibly irritating and unbearable to have people who know nothing about "those children" (the lifeforms) interpreting them as they please. That is why she says she will not draw it.