Eiji Ichijo

**Eiji Ichijō** (一条 瑛二, Ichijō Eiji) is the son of the Ichijou family, Eiji, is later revealed to be the lost triplet brother of Dali and Migi, the middle of the three. Eiji also appears to be the central antagonist of the first half of the series.

## Appearance

Eiji is a 13 year old boy of average height and build with blue eyes and short, dark, wavy hair.

## Personality

Early in the series, Eiji appears to be his mother's perfect child; perfectionist and looking down on classmates who are lesser ranked than him. As the story progresses, he becomes fearful of others seeing his imperfections, which is how he is able to be blackmailed by Sali. Later, he becomes depressed and selfless, accepting injury to save Hitori Sonoyama.

## History

Eiji was the second of the triplets that Metry gave birth to, and the only one having dark hair, like his father, Akira Ichijo. At birth, he was taken away by Reiko Ichijo to be raised as the Ichijo's son. At Christmas in 1982, Metry came to Eiji's bedroom window hoping to have him join her and his brothers. Frightened, he pushed the unknown woman causing her to fall down and die. As she began to fall, she grabbed Eiji's nightshirt, the button ripping off and remaining in her hand after she had fallen. Eiji brought his mother, Reiko, to see what had happened, but by the time she arrived, the body had been removed by Migi and Dali. Reiko told him that there is no such woman in Oregon village who has long blonde hair and said that she was a ghost.

During much of the story that takes place, Eiji behaves as the perfect son in the Ichijo family. He appears to become more fearful after seeing Migi dressed as Metry, having reawakened memories of the fact that he had killed her. He becomes more depressed after Dali hypnotizes him to reveal more about how she died. He becomes more selfless, as exemplified when he saves Migi from the pumpkin crashing onto his head, accepting injury himself. He later reveals that he did this to atone for his sins.

After Eiji defends Migi from being attacked by Reiko, he is taken to the re-education room, being put in diapers and made to behave as a baby. Upon Migi and Dali rescuing him and using him as a hostage to make Reiko confess to her crimes, Eiji recalls what Metry told him just before she died, which was her statement of desire for him to be reunited with his brothers. From this, Eiji realizes that he, Migi, and Dali must all be brothers.

After Reiko locks the others in the hidden room, Eiji stabs Reiko and starts the Ichijo home on fire. He brings her body to his parent's bedroom, where he lies next to her accepting that he will die with her. He states that he had once hoped to become a doctor, like his father, so that he could heal her broken heart, but he later determined that the only way to bring peace to her heart was to kill her.

Upon being rescued by Dali and Migi from the burning house, Eiji reveals himself to the police and confesses to having committed the arson as well as having killed Reiko and Mrs. Mitsuyama. He accepts his sentence to juvenile detention. By the end of the series, he has been released from detention and is brought to the Sonoyama house by his father so that he can eat cherry pie with his brothers.

## Etymology

一条, Ichijō: **一** mean one. **条** means article.

瑛二, Eiji: **瑛** means "excellent" or "fine". **二** means two, as he is the middle triplet.

## Trivia

* Eiji is possibly the middle triplet, as depicted in the middle of his triplet siblings at birth. His name, which means 'excellent second child.'