Marune Nakamori

**Marune Nakamori** (中森丸根, *Nakamori Marune)* is an Associate Special Class Ghoul Investigator and the investigator in charge of the 8th Ward. She is the only leader of Nakamori Squad.

## Appearance

Marune is a young, elegant woman standing at a height of 5'4" and having a very lean frame. Her hair is black and is typically pulled into two thin white tubes near the back while the hair near the front of her head frames her face. On occasion, she has pinned it up using a golden hairpiece dotted with tiny flowers. Her eyes are lavender, and her expression is often depicted as very soft and gentle.

She wears a standard white Dove uniform as well as a light mouse-colored turtleneck during missions. In more casual situations, she can be found wearing dresses or other formal attire.

## Personality

Marune is a very forgetful young lady, often wandering off in the middle of conversations or forgetting the names of her own subordinates. Because of this, she has a habit of using notes when presenting. It is unknown whether or not this is only a trait of her careless personality, as her memory seems to at least be good enough to remember mission details and traits of her opponents in combat. She seems to be easy flustered and she appears to be shy and caring, often avoiding conflict with her colleagues. She's shown to blame herself for the loss of any of her subordinates, consequently preferring to work alone when possible.

She bears an extreme, muted hatred for ghouls that is uncommon even within the CCG. Because of this, she is especially conflicted about her associations with the Inquisitors and willingly identifies herself as a criminal fit for execution under Article 117 of the Ghoul Countermeasures Law.

## Plot

### Background

Marune was kidnapped at a young age and brought to a ghoul restaurant for consumption. When she was brought onto the stage, the show was interrupted and she was rescued by an intelligent and influential ghoul known as the **Gardener** (園丁, *Entei*), a regular member of the restaurants who was known for rescuing younger victims from 'the faults of adults'. While most of the children the Gardener saved were later turned into scrappers and servants, Marune's fragility caused the Gardener and her servants to decide upon saving her from a gruesome fate as an executioner, and instead she was raised to be the Gardener's heir since the lady was unable to have children of her own.

Because of the young age at which she had been kidnapped, Marune was unable to remember her kidnapping nor her life before it. Her earliest memory was of her in the Gardener's manor with the servants and the Gardener herself, who took on the role of a mother and treated Marune as though she were her own daughter. Following the tradition of giving each of those she rescued the name of a type of flora, Marune was given the name **Lotus** (蓮, *Hasu*)*,* to represent her pure bloom in the midst of a field of mud.

## Powers and Abilities

With her rank as an Associate Special Class Ghoul Investigator, it is implied that Marune is on par with many S-rated ghouls.

* **Bannouchi:** Marune's Quinque is a koukaku-type consisting of multiple coverts that all attach to one grip. The strength of the Quinque itself is able to make up for any strength deficiencies in its wielder, but the weapon is also hard to control and difficult to wield properly. Because of the multiple layers on each of the coverts, the surfaces end up serrated and gradually damage weapons which strike against them.

## Quotes

* To Ren: "The information I've been obtaining these past years was all for the CCG...! I tried to lie for the sake of that organization, but... I'm still a ghoul investigator. It was never a facade..."
* To Kouta: "I'm sorry for forcing this onto you so suddenly, but I appreciate your willingness to take it on. Your... your trust in me, too. I have no doubt that you'll be an investigator admired by many others someday. That you'll do great things. That you'll become a great person... (laughs and smiles) ... you already are one."
* To Maki: "As for leaving the CCG... I... I don't really know what I'd do or where I'd go after that. I-It's all I really know. If you've been lucky, you might not have ever encountered any ghouls in your life, but we as humans should hate them since they're our natural predators."

## Trivia

* Both of her names (Marune and Nakamori) may be used as family names, alluding to the multiple homes in her past.
* Her primary quinque 'Bannouchi', consists of the characters meaning 'to take along' and 'home'.
* Her official theme is「envy」by 古川P:
	+ *The dead days are fluctuating again*
	+ *Speaking of which, yes... those days are also over*
	+ *You've become distant, you'll disappear at this rate*
	+ *You said, "The day when you forget will come someday"*
	+ *Surrendering ourselves to the wind, and just like this becoming adults*
	+ *I forget them.*
	+ *Today seems to be gradually falling to night*
	+ *The tears would wash away, isn't that what you thought?*
	+ *You looked back and waved with your small hand*
	+ *It's as if you're bidding farewell to yesterday, to regret*
	+ *Holding in pain, I cast my eyes down*
	+ *Forget, forget it.*
	+ *You've become distant, you'll disappear at this rate*
	+ *You said, "Someday you'll remember this day"*
	+ *Those with their shoes pointed down, just like a setting sun dyed red*
	+ *I forget them.*