Reiji Kirihara

**Reiji Kirihara** (桐原 零司, *Kirihara Reiji*) is a rookie agent from the Bureau of Espionage. Heir to the prestigious Kirihara onmitsu clan, which specializes in sword arts. He lost his father and older brother to a mononoke attack.

## Plot

There’s a new squad at the Bureau of Espionage—code name: Black Torch. The squad, run by Shiba, consists of Jiro, Ichika, Hana and one more rookie named Reiji. However, Reiji refuses to work with a guy who has fused with a demon and almost immediately comes to blows with Jiro!

Their first mission leads them to the place where Rago had been sealed. They successfully fight off the mononoke there, but it leaves them with a cryptic message about Jiro's birth father.

Days later, the squad is brought together for some anti-mononoke training. Forced into an illusion courtesy of the human-friendly mononoke Fuyo, each member of the group confronts their own individual trials. Reiji faces his late elder brother Shinji, who was consumed by the sword Yamakaze. He manage to surpass his challenges, safely emerging from Fuyo's illusion.

Days later, a string of mysterious murders is revealed to be the work of mononoke, and Black Torch is given the order to act. Sent alone into the haunted town, the three members of Black Torch quickly run across the mononoke responsible and the battle begins!

Ichika handily defeats the mononoke Roren, but Reiji is forced to fight the monster that his brother has become nad is gravely wounded.

## Afterwards

The once proud and honorable name of the Kirihara family has fallen into disgrace as Shinji killed his father. Even in the Bureau, Reiji is treated as a pariah. Thus Division 2, where no one (except Shiba) knows what happened, has become a rare place where he can be himself around others.

During his encounter with Shinji in Hirasaka Town, Reiji was made painfully aware of both what his older brother felt and his own powerlessness. Though on the surface he remains as easygoing as always, on the inside he just can't forget what happened.

It's unclear whether Shiba was aware of Reiji's secret concern, but one day he gives the young man a mission to request a certain mononoke assist the Bureau. On this solo mission, Reiji heads deep into the mountains, where he meets the one-armed tengu crow demono, Tarobo. Tarobo, a human hater, obviously turns down Reiji's request. Reiji refuses to give up, however, and when Tarobo discovers he is a swordsman he jokingly offers to consider the request if Reiji can score a point on him in a sparring match. Reiji accepts the offer. And so the two spar, time and again. Each time Reiji loses without scoring a point, and each time Tarobo gives him some harsh but fair advice. Reiji grows more skilled, and eventually scores a point. It happens when he manages to tap into the latent talent he had unconsciously smothered as child.

In the end, Tarobo still refuses the request (he only promised to consider it), but he does gift Reiji with a special sword. This sword, a legendary blade that e certain ancient warrior used to cut off Tarobo's arm, is named Higekiri.

His new sword at his belt, Reiji continues his journey toward a final showdown with his brother...

## Etymology

* The name **Reiji** means "zero, nought, spill, overflow, nothing, cipher" (零) (**rei**) and "officer, boss" (司) (**ji**).
* Reiji's surname **Kirihara** means "paulownia" (桐) (**kiri**) and "field, plain" (原) (**hara**).