Sangonomiya Kokomi

The inhabitants of Watatsumi Island once lived in Enkanomiya, at the bottom of the sea.

It was only by the grace of the god Orobaxi bringing them up to the surface that the civilization of Watatsumi Island exists today.

When Orobaxi was slain by the Electro Archon, its body was left as a skeleton and its resentment permeated the land, giving rise to Tatarigami.

Yet its desire to protect Watatsumi Island never faded. This will lives on in the bloodline of the Sangonomiya Clan, and follows them from generation to generation.

The current heir to this bloodline is known as the Divine Priestess.

The meaning behind this is as such: to inherit the will of a god in a mortal's body, and to defend this land and its people in that god's stead.

The day Kokomi ascended to the role of Divine Priestess, countless inhabitants of Watatsumi Island came to Sangonomiya Shrine of their own accord to see her.

Surprise, suspicion, confusion, chuckles... Their expressions were strange, all on account of her overly-young appearance in their eyes.

Plots were hatched and questions were endless. The ambitious planned to make their move. The storm was approaching, and all was not at peace on Watatsumi Island.

Yet all went back to business as usual not long after Kokomi ascended to her position.

She was fair in distributing rewards and punishments alike, appreciated the contributions of the people, and was militarily skilled. Her many abilities quickly won the hearts of most of the people.

"Things will be alright as long as Her Excellency is here" soon became the most widespread saying on the island.

There are many factors involved in deciding victory or defeat.

Terrain, weather, differences in military strength and equipment quality... All of these require careful consideration.

Those who study the details too closely tend to miss changes on the field, and most who speak of strategy speak of it in a vacuum.

Only those who can grasp both the big picture and the small details can create miracles on the battlefield.

And behind all this lies countless hours of hard work delving into the reasons behind one's failures.

Few if any ever persevere to the end, but Kokomi was not only good at this but also possessed a unique tactical style.

"Manipulate the larger strategic situation to force the other side to give up, and to win wars with the least amount of cost possible."

Whether on the battlefield or off it, Kokomi tries to "know thy enemy" as much as possible.

She tends to predict all possible scenarios beforehand and devise strategies to address them, which are then delivered as directives to those who enforce her will.

This has given rise to the issue of some of these directives being rather thick and heavy, but this method has guaranteed the stable development of Watatsumi Island.

Today, Watatsumi Island moves each day towards greater prosperity, and as more talented people have been appointed to office, the directives that Kokomi has to deliver have decreased.

As far as she is concerned, that is something worth celebrating.

When Kokomi has the time to spare, she will go on walks on Watatsumi Island alone.

She often tries to avoid crowds, pacing slowly through the violet forests, sometimes sitting by the seaside and looking out into the distance.

The sun and the moon rise over the sea, the stars shine in their skies, and the sound of the waves is pleasing to the ear, relaxing the soul.

Sometimes she will even place a seashell on her head, only to put it back where she found it when she leaves.

In her mind, perhaps some wandering crab will burrow its way inside and call this shell home.

Sometimes, Kokomi will also go diving, enjoying the calm atmosphere by herself, her worries sinking into the ocean depths as schools of fish swim all around her.

Kokomi treasures every sight there is to be seen on Watatsumi Island, and she remembers the name of every person.

Sadly, while scenery remains, people's hearts are complex and changeable.

Victory is simple enough to attain compared to the mammoth task of making sure that everyone lives happily.

This dilemma has always troubled her.

Kokomi has been well-read since she was young, and has a particular love for military treatises.

As such, Kokomi has a broad store of knowledge to be used in every field.

But another result of her constantly being buried in such treatises of war and illustrated military texts is that Kokomi lacks skill in social interaction. She does not know when it started, but interacting with people eventually became tiresome to her.

Having ascended to the role of Divine Priestess, Kokomi had no choice but to learn many things that she wasn't any good at before, whether it was dealing with people or performing duties that she had little interest in.

However, forcing herself to do things she holds little love for is a serious drain on her energy reserves, leaving her feeling quite exhausted.

As such, Kokomi set up an "energy" system of measurement for herself. When she does things she enjoys, her energy levels will increase, and the reverse is true when she trudges through unenjoyable slogs.

When she runs out of this energy, Kokomi will temporarily put her duties as the Divine Priestess aside and resume being an ordinary homebody.

Engrossing herself in the close reading of a book on military strategy, walling herself off from the rest of the world — thus does Kokomi reclaim a temporary respite from her busy existence.

These moments are of utmost value to her.

"As the ruler is, so shall the people be."

This precept was something Kokomi heard from her mother a long time ago.

The Divine Priestess' role is one of utmost importance to Watatsumi Island, and its people's eyes are always upon her every move.

The things she loves will be in fashion, and the things she dislikes, the people will also distance themselves from.

Kokomi, in truth, has no wish to affect the people's lives, and as such has rarely ever revealed much of her personal likes or dislikes.

She treats all things with an egalitarian manner, and holds "fairness of judgment" and "justice in dispensing rewards and punishment" to be her guiding principles.

However, these are not necessarily her true feelings, and so she prepared a book of secret notes for herself.

Here, she records the fluctuations in both her energy levels and mood.

When the night deepens and the world falls silent, Kokomi will open this book and write the day's experiences, whether they be joyous, sad, or frustrating.

...Of course, this object is for her eyes only — and so it must remain.

A leader with a strong will can lead those around them in a clear direction.

However, Kokomi lacks such strong ideals. Instead, she respects the will of the people and wishes that they can each find their own way.

Just as the vast ocean can accommodate countless souls and their individual desires, so does Kokomi wish her rule could be.

When the Vision Hunt Decree came about, the resentment of the people turned into cries of revolt, and so Kokomi led them in raising the banner of resistance.

And once the war was over, the hearts of the people turned towards peace and stability, and so did Kokomi direct her energies towards governance and economics.

But what was the source of this toil? Was this the role of the Divine Priestess speaking? Or was this a product of her own sense of duty? Or perhaps... it was a bit of both?

As the Divine Priestess, Kokomi naturally has her own Vision. And ever since the day she looked out at the sea outside Sangonomiya Shrine, her wish has never once changed—

"I wish to protect all of Watatsumi Island and allow its people to lead happy lives."