Ran-Mao

Ran-Mao (, Ranmao; Chinese Pinyin: Lán-Māo) is Lau's personal assassin.
==Appearance==
Ran-Mao is an attractive young woman of Chinese descent with large golden eyes and long jet-black hair with square bangs. Her hair is arranged in thin braids and twin buns shaped like cat ears, and ornamented with a pink peony and a golden tassel on the left bun.
Ran-Mao often wears a short lavender and black cheongsam, which is decorated with dark pink petals, with a dark blue cropped jacket and a Western corsetRan-Mao's character sheet on Minitokyo"- wears Western corset which is the only 'British style' thing about her outfit""- when she goes out, she wears black overknee socks" over it. She also wears thick black stockings when she goes out, black ballet shoes, and gold anklets with bells.
When performing her duties as Lau's personal assassin, Ran-Mao wields two chuí (hammers or maces); the chuí are gold, blue, and maroon in color, and adorned with a blue tassel on top. A single swing of the chuí can break pavement.Kuroshitsuji manga; Chapter 22, page 29
==Personality==
Ran-Mao is a mostly emotionless, taciturn individual who hardly ever engages in conversation. She is deeply loyal to Lau; she accompanies him wherever he goes and generally acts only when instructed by him.Kuroshitsuji manga; Chapter 147, page 6 Although she is not related to Lau, he refers to her as his sister, given that they have known each other since they were very young;Kuroshitsuji manga; Chapter 21, page 5 he once described her as a "pampered child."Kuroshitsuji manga; Chapter 39, page 14
Ran-Mao is flirtatious. At Lau's behest or suggestion, she will attempt to seduce others, such as when she flirted with Georg von Siemens at one of Ciel Phantomhive's parties and Baldroy.Kuroshitsuji manga; Chapter 147, pages 8-9
Ran-Mao, a highly skilled martial artist, possesses formidable strength and speed.Kuroshitsuji manga; Chapter 147, pages 6-7 She has no qualms about using violence to extract information or to defend herself.Kuroshitsuji manga; Chapter 167, pages 2-4 
==Plot==
===Indian Butler Arc===
Upon Ciel Phantomhive's and Sebastian Michaelis' arrival at Lau's opium den, Ran-Mao is sitting on Lau's lap, along with several other women. She observes in silence at Lau's exchange with the guests.Kuroshitsuji manga; Chapter 15, pages 12-15
Later, Lau decides to take Ran-Mao to the curry fair as a treat, which surprises Ciel due to the fact that he could nonchalantly have one of his girls in front of his clients. Lau claims that Ran-Mao is his sister, although they are not related by blood.Kuroshitsuji manga; Chapter 21, page 5 Throughout the competition, she silently spectates the event, while standing in Lau's arms.Kuroshitsuji manga; Chapter 21, page 23
Afterward, Ran-Mao and Lau approach an upset Harold West Jeb and his wife Mina, who are plotting to try another scandalous act. Lau says that while Ciel would not take out the "small fries," he has to exterminate the bad rats infesting his city; thus, he keeps a "cat," referring to Ran-Mao. She swings one of her clubs onto the ground, with enough force to crack the cement. Harold and Mina scream and they are, implicitly, killed by Ran-Mao.Kuroshitsuji manga; Chapter 22, pages 28-29
===Phantomhive Manor Murders Arc===
Ran-Mao and Lau are invited to a party thrown by Ciel Phantomhive. She stands quietly while Lau makes small talk with Arthur Conan Doyle, and when later introduced to Georg von Siemens, she immediately clings to him. Lau apologizes in her place, attributing her bold action to her supposedly pampered nature.Kuroshitsuji manga; Chapter 39, pages 13-16
In the midst of the festivities, Ran-Mao and the other guests hear a loud scream from Georg. They rush to his bedroom; inside, they discover, to their unanimous horror, that Georg has been killed.Kuroshitsuji manga; Chapter 39, pages 33-37 They contemplate the details of the murder, and Lau suggests that Georg's death was a locked room murder. Everyone is, then, asked for his or her alibi. When it is Lau's turn, he says that he and Ran-Mao were drinking in the lounge with Karl Woodley. Ciel is the only one without an alibi, and thus, Arthur is told to watch over him in his confinement. Afterward, Lau and the other guests are escorted to their respective rooms.Kuroshitsuji manga; Chapter 40, pages 5-6Kuroshitsuji manga; Chapter 40, pages 10-24
The next morning, Ran-Mao and the other guests discover the brutal murder of Sebastian Michaelis.Kuroshitsuji manga; Chapter 41, pages 26-28 Eventually, they resolve to move Sebastian's body to the cellar for the meanwhile, and plan to continue the topic over breakfast.Kuroshitsuji manga; Chapter 42, pages 9-11
Later, at the breakfast table, they realize that Patrick Phelps is absent. They head to Ciel's bedroom, where Patrick was assigned to stay in. When they find that the door is locked, Charles Grey swiftly cuts it down. They hurry inside, and discover Patrick's corpse.Kuroshitsuji manga; Chapter 42, pages 17-26 While everyone else is concentrating on Patrick, Ran-Mao and Lau rummage through Ciel's wardrobe, much to Ciel's annoyance. Soon after, they have dessert at the drawing room, where Ran-Mao silently observes as the other guests discuss the three murders.Kuroshitsuji manga; Chapter 43, pages 4-15 Ultimately, the group allows Arthur to dictate their actions from that time on, as through deductive reasoning, he is the only one who could not have committed any of the crimes.Kuroshitsuji manga; Chapter 43, page 27 They decide to investigate Sebastian's body in the cellar, but Lau asks to stay behind to enjoy tea with Ran-Mao.Kuroshitsuji manga; Chapter 44, page 3 Subsequently, Arthur explains to all the guests that their rooms and belongings must be checked, and they give their consent. Ran-Mao and Mey-Rin search Irene Diaz's room. A distressed Mey-Rin notes that Ran-Mao tends to leave things open after she is finished looking through them. She takes the liberty to sift through Irene's trunks as well, and puts a pair of her undergarments on her head, much to Irene's and Mey-Rin's alarm.Kuroshitsuji manga; Chapter 44, pages 17-20
In due course, the group gathers at the drawing room once again. Soon after Lau suggests the existence of a "thirteenth person," Jeremy Rathbone appears.Kuroshitsuji manga; Chapter 45, pages 5-6 After they verify that Jeremy is not involved in the murders, Jeremy is allowed to lead the investigation.Kuroshitsuji manga; Chapter 45, page 15 For dinner, the group eats scrumptious steak meat the Phantomhive servants have prepared. Lau presses for the truth behind the incidents, but Jeremy advises them to not be hasty.Kuroshitsuji manga; Chapter 46, pages 26-27
In order to catch Patrick's killer, Ran-Mao agrees to be used as a decoy dressed in Ciel's clothes. Upon Jeremy's call, Ran-Mao kicks off the murderer, and Charles Grey steps in to kill it, but Jeremy stops him.Kuroshitsuji manga; Chapter 46, pages 32-34 They later reveal it to the other occupants of Phantomhive Manor that Patrick's murderer is an African snake, who has aimed to kill Ciel based on his scent; therefore, when Ran-Mao was dressed in Ciel's clothes, it came directly to her. Ran-Mao remarks that his clothes are tight on her. Lau comments that should Ciel have died, they would have been in trouble. She agrees, saying she is glad Ciel is safe and hugs him tightly; Ciel begs her to at least put on proper clothing, and manages to escape from her grasp.Kuroshitsuji manga; Chapter 47, pages 5-10
Afterward, Jeremy shows enough evidence supporting the idea that Karl Woodley is the murderer.Kuroshitsuji manga; Chapter 47, pages 11-27 Subsequently, Karl is detained, and the rest of them celebrate the solving of the case. Ran-Mao and the other guests later leave Ciel's manor.Kuroshitsuji manga; Chapter 47, pages 30-31
===Luxury Liner Arc===
One morning, Ran-Mao accompanies Lau, as he goes to visit Ciel Phantomhive at Phantomhive Manor. She is served food along with Lau, and she leaves with him when he is done discussing the questionable nature of the Karnstein Hospital with Ciel.Kuroshitsuji manga; Chapter 51, pages 10-14
===Public School Arc===
Sebastian Michaelis asks Ran-Mao and Lau to attend Weston College's annual cricket tournament, along with Lau's collection of women, so that said women can distract the other cricket players for Ciel Phantomhive's sake. As a result, Ran-Mao, Lau, and the other women arrive at Weston College on June 4th, the day of the tournament. There, Ran-Mao holds up a betting board while Lau attempts to persuade other spectators of the tournament to place bets on whether Red House or Blue House will win the match.Kuroshitsuji manga; Chapter 78, pages 11-12Kuroshitsuji manga; Chapter 76, page 19
Later, Ran-Mao sits on Lau's lap, and she and the other women flaunt their bare legs, which distracts the Green House players, as planned.Kuroshitsuji manga; Chapter 78, pages 14-16 After a certain informer reports them to the officials, Ran-Mao, Lau, and the others are forcibly taken away from the venue.Kuroshitsuji manga; Chapter 78, page 17 Despite this, they are later able to witness Ciel's victory and the birth of the second "Miracle of the Sapphires."Kuroshitsuji manga; Chapter 80, page 20
==Quotes==
==Trivia==
===Etymology===
* Ran-Mao's name translates to "blue cat" in Chinese, and Lau refers to her as his cat.
===Out of Universe===
* According to the official Kuroshitsuji character popularity poll, Ran-Mao is the twentieth most popular character in the series, with 74 votes.June 2015 Issue of Square Enix's GFantasy Magazine
* With her appearance on the cover of Volume 29, Ran-Mao is the fourth female character to be featured on a volume cover. The other three are Elizabeth Midford, Sieglinde Sullivan, and Mey-Rin.
* Yana Toboso and her assistants call her "Ramen's Kid Sister" in accordance with Lau's nickname, "Ramen."Downstairs with Kuroshitsuji, Volume VIII
* In a bonus booklet, Ran-Mao's height was mistakenly given as 154 cm (5'1").
==References==
==Navigation==
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Category:Characters
Category:Female characters
Category:Heathfield Household
Category:Indian Butler Arc
Category:Phantomhive Manor Murders Arc
Category:Luxury Liner Arc
Category:Public School Arc
Category:Blue Memory Arc
Category:Blue Revenge Arc
Category:Houndsworth Arc
Category:Shard of Hope Arc
Category:Conspiracy and Revenge Arc
Category:Kuroshitsuji II