Chapter Text
Kitajima Shouhei
First appearance: Convergence arc, Kyoto (I)
Age: 29 at the start of Consequence.
Physical appearance: Black hair, brown eyes, wears glasses, slightly taller and bulkier than Subaru. Tends to dress conservatively or in traditional clothing.
Occupation: Onmyouji (Consequence arc), former university student (Convergence arc). Has a university degree in psychology.
Personality: Reserved, rational, sensible, loyal, with a strong sense of responsibility and wanting to do the right thing. Doesn’t seek the spotlight, although capable of holding it when he needs to. The kind of person who is most comfortable working for a respected leader or for an ideal.
Powers/abilities: Onmyoujitsu. Not as strong as Subaru/Seishirou, but still powerful and talented, particularly when it comes to going Within and mind magics. Is not a natural fighter, but can and will if he really has to. Has a cormorant shikigami.
Family: Kitajima Mieko (mother). Sumeragi Shinichi (grandfather, deceased). Lady Sumeragi (grand-aunt); rest of the Sumeragi clan. Father is unnamed/deceased.
Key relationships:
- Lady Sumeragi (teacher/matriarch/co-conspirator)
- Sumeragi Subaru (cousin/clan-head/patient)
- Sumeragi Hokuto (cousin/crush object)
- Ishikuro Yoshirou (senpai/university friend)
- Kitajima Mieko (mother)
Hometown: Born in Tohoku (Sendai), but now calls Kyoto home.
Other notes:
It's fair to say that had Shouhei not been born with onmyoujitsu powers, he would have never known that he was related to the Sumeragi clan. Since he was, his mother took him to Kyoto to meet her estranged aunt, Lady Sumeragi, and go for training. Lady Sumeragi welcomed them both, but never offered to officially recognise them as Sumeragi.
Shouhei is a sensible, responsible man, traits he inherited from his mother who brought him up as a single parent while running her own small business in Sendai. He never knew his father personally, only that his father and his mother had a relationship, didn’t marry but parted on civil terms, and that his father died in an accident when he was very young. He knows more about his grandfather, Kitajima Shinichi, formerly Sumeragi Shinichi, who although long dead left a long shadow and legacy. It's to Shouhei's mother's credit that although she doesn't have an easy relationship with her Sumeragi relatives, she didn't inherit her father's bitterness towards them either.
For Shouhei, being an onmyouji, and a Sumeragi-connected one at that, is both incredibly thrilling and humbling. Thrilling, because it gives him a purpose in life; humbling, because it means immense responsibility. To him, onmyoujitsu isn’t just power, it’s a means to help others that makes him part of something bigger than himself, a long and ancient tradition that he is keen to honour to the best of his abilities.
In this context, Shouhei greatly admires and respects Lady Sumeragi as his teacher and matriarch. Lady Sumeragi in turn cares for him deeply as her estranged brother’s grandson, though until the events of Consequence never had any intention to name him as a Sumeragi. Shouhei was actually completely comfortable with this for most of his younger years, on the basis that while his Sumeragi blood gave him certain privileges in life his illegitimacy meant he wasn't weighed down by the family name. (It's unclear whether Lady Sumeragi never named him as kin because she understood this sentiment, or because of her adherence to tradition and reputation.) However, after five years living on the family estate in Kyoto, enduring his extended relative's remarks, and working so closely with Lady Sumeragi, Shouhei's feelings on being part of the Sumeragi clan have changed.
Shouhei is close to his mother, who would describe him as the kind of quiet child who acted older than his years and didn’t often ask for help. She has been there through all his life decisions—study, becoming an onmyouji, leaving Sendai—and trusts his choices, even ones she might not personally understand. She herself doesn’t want to have much to do with the Sumeragi clan, although she appreciates that Shouhei has always wanted to be part of something larger than himself, and doesn’t object to his efforts towards their extended family. Although both Shouhei and his mother appreciate that he has grown up and has his own life (and she has hers, running her business back in Sendai), Shouhei does make an effort to call her every few weeks.
Shouhei has always had a crush on Hokuto. He's drawn to her vibrancy, her strength of will, and it doesn't hurt that she’s gorgeous. At the time of Convergence, Hokuto is one of the only Sumeragi who openly welcomes Shouhei as part of her family, and she and Shouhei have a great relationship: Hokuto understands his complicated feelings being/not being Sumeragi, Shouhei helps convince Lady Sumeragi to let her go out for New Years' Eve, Hokuto even flirts with Shouhei a bit at the festival, and he in turn wins her a plush cat. All this has changed in the Consequence arc, yet for all of Hokuto's hurt and contempt, Shouhei still hopes that one day the two of them can reconcile.
Shouhei also has great respect for Subaru, although the two of them have never been close. It's not that they don't like each other, they do, but they're both too polite and reserved for any bond to really grow. This has obviously changed after the end of the Convergence arc: Shouhei is Subaru's primary carer, the one who shores up and refines the blocks in Subaru's mind, and Shouhei now knows his cousin on an invasive level that makes him feel guilty, even dirty. Shouhei has seen much of Subaru's memories regarding the Sakurazukamori, yet out of respect for Subaru’s privacy he tries, as much as possible, not to linger on them or delve any more than absolutely necessary. Now Shouhei's feelings towards Subaru are a mix of pity, horror, protectiveness and guilt. Shouhei agrees with Lady Sumeragi that Subaru was abused and manipulated, he believes that Subaru's obsession with the Sakurazukamori is unhealthy, and that on the whole the mind-blocking spell is a necessary evil. At the same time, Shouhei isn't blind to what the spell is doing to Subaru, and questions whether what he's doing is right.
Shouhei went to Tohoku University studying psychology. This is where he met Ishikuro Yoshirou, a senior student being haunted by a girl who had committed suicide, and who Shouhei offered to help. Yoshirou was genuinely curious about Shouhei's onmyoujitsu abilities, and from there the two of them bonded over doing the same university course, single parent background, and desire to get out of make something of themselves. Shouhei defers to and greatly respects Yoshirou, though his affection makes him a little blind to some of aspects of Yoshirou's personality. The two of them fell out of touch after university due to different paths in life, but have touched base due to events in Consequence.
Shouhei and the Sakurazukamori. They've met once. It's not an encounter Shouhei wants to repeat. He also knows way too much about Seishirou from Subaru's memories, including all the ways Seishirou has treated Subaru in a manner most people would describe as abusive and violent. At the same time, he's also seen enough of Seishirou to see why Subaru finds the man so compelling. As much as Shouhei is certain that Seishirou is bad for Subaru, there's niggling doubt that not all is what it seems to be.