Rhythm Adjustments (Kei Sidegrade)

To most, Kei is seen as the HR bereaucrat that manages problems for the Gotei. She is friendly (perhaps too much so in some cases) and has the air of someone the average person would be fine with approaching. She socializes easily—even if she does have a secretly crude tongue. She's amicable to compromise and doesn't seem to have any real flaws. But that is far from the truth.

Kei is a woman who believes all others have far worse flaws than she does. Of course, she'll say she isn't perfect. She'll state little personality flaws as evidence. Oh, she doesn't get along with people who like dogs because they're too energetic. Oh, she rubs other nobles the wrong way because she can be a bit too up-front with her insults. Oh, she works too hard. Oh, how horrible of a person she is for those little slights. But Kei's biggest fault is her ego. She can't accept fault, and she abhors getting proven wrong. She won't admit she was wrong—it was always someone else that caused it. She's the victim here.

Kei's dating life is emblematic of this. She has no attraction to the male sex. She's a hopeless romantic with a weak spot for soft lips, long hair, and huge tits. She freely courts any woman she fancies—social status is only a mild concern. She's the type to flirt with her superiors and subordinates with equal candor. However, Kei is not the type to pursue after being rebuffed. She despises playing hard-to-get. This does not mean she is above teasing—she just doesn't expect anything in return.

But when Kei does get rebuffed and/or rejected, it isn't her fault. She may have pushed too hard, but it's the other woman's fault for leading her on. It's the other woman's fault for not explaining her sexual preferences when it was obviously a date and not just a friendly girls' night out. It's the world's fault she's single, not her own.

Feeding into her ego is Kei's opinion on Kidō. Kei believes that Kidō is Kidō. It is a basic art, and it is an art that one can do just about anything with. However, Kei abhors Kidō systems that break the established rules. Kei believes that a "basics mastery" is the purest form of Kidō supremacy. She will utilize and strengthen what Kidō anyone else can learn and master that before she would dare venture into a new form of it. Her mindset can best be boiled down as: "Getting struck by a Byakurai with the strength of Ittō Kasō is a lot more insulting than getting hit with a custom spell that does half a dozen different things because the caster couldn't figure out how to put more effort into what they should have learned." And so, Kei can respect the power output and creativity of another's creation. But she will never lose a Kidō match against those things because those aren't Kidō in her mind.

The trait that Kei admires most in people is when they "practice what they preach." Deceitful and duplicitous people are people she feels cannot be relied on. She'd praise the man who said he'd stab you over the one who stabs you in the midst of an embrace. This is why people like her brother are well-regarded in her mind.

With all of that in mind, it is important to know that Kei does have a coldness about her. She has a certain "look" that her brother will attest to. It's a far-off, yet piercing gaze. It's as if she's looking so hard through someone that her gaze has circumnavigated the globe only to look at them afterward. It is vacant of everything, yet it is almost like what it definitely does not exude emphasizes what it is meant to be. It is hatred, disappointment, and a desire for violence. It is the face of a woman who will set a poisoned cup of tea in front of her prey, tell them to drink, and if they ask if it is poisoned, she'll say yes—and still be expecting them to drink it. It is the look of a true blue-blooded noble.

» Zanpakutō Name: Aikanohoro (哀歌の法呂; Dirgeful Spine Flute)

» Zanpakutō Spirit:
Aikanohoro is a Zanpakutō that enjoys a show. She never stops calling out for an encore, even after the play is long-gone. She does not usually interact directly with her owner, but instead from the empty audience in front of the stage. Aikanohoro is quicker-witted than her master, and any challenge or criticism from Kei is instantly rebuffed. Aikanohoro usually sits with a bored expression and only truly gets interested when Kei does. This is because Kei neglected her Zanjutsu training for so long that the spirit is jealous of her Kidō training. Aikanohoro understands that Kei is perhaps better suited for Kidō, but it doesn't change the fact that she feels ignored. In truth, it's more that she wishes she could be a better help to her master, but their expressions of power end up being almost at cross purposes.

» Inner World: Aikanohoro's inner world is that of a stage. The floor on the stage moves and extends as Kei moves so that she is always on the stage and never off of it. She can approach yet never reach the audience. She can never retreat from the stage. If more actors appear, the stage extends. The background scenery is printed on a repeating roll, and as the "scene" changes, the background will fade into the correct one for that scene. The scene changes depend on three things: Kei's mood, the purpose of the conversation, and how many actors are present. For example, a hot-blooded fight between Kei and a representation of Aikanohoro might have the look of a burning forest, whereas a heart-to-heart may be that of a moonlit forest.

» Sealed Zanpakutō Appearance: Aikanohoro is a golden katana adorned with red metal inlays along the hilt. The tsuba is round and roughly shaped like a tulip on its side. Long, silver tassels extend from its pommel. Aikanohoro's sheath is decorated similar to its hilt.

» Sealed Zanpakutō Power: Swinging the sealed form of Aikanohoro produces various musical notes.


» Shikai Release Phrase:

» Shikai Appearance: Aikanohoro appears as a gold-hafted naginata only slightly longer than Kei is tall. It has golden, metal tassles that are more like fibrous wind chimes. Numerous holes along the haft produce musical notes when swung.

» Shikai Abilities: Aikanohoro is a Shikai with a great capacity for development, but Kei has elected to double-down on her Kidō skills. The sounds produced by the haft are enhanced with Reiryoku to affect the world around Kei. The blade also produces sounds, but Kei has not currently developed her Shikai to utilize those sounds.

The one usage Kei has managed to learn of Aikanohoro is Ryoshige (呂重; Discordant Tones). While spinning the naginata, Kei repeats what her opponent says through the spinning blade. This speech is then infused with her Shikai's Reiryoku, and thus it distorts the speech coming from her opponent. The effect of this is that Kei is capable of cancelling incantations. Mechanically, this is forcibly applying Incantation Abandonment on Kidō. This does not cancel the spell unless the opponent is incapable of using Incantation Abandonment. Currently, Kei only has experience with Kidō—and thus only Kidō or Kidō-adjacent techniques that require incantations/chants/etc. can be affected. Ryoshige can be used up to twice per post.

» Zanjutsu: Mostly thanks to her brother, Kei has undergone extra of training with her Zanpakutō. It may require her to be closer than she would like, but her Zanpakutō is still a tool worth using. Unfortunately, the disconnect between her desire to use Kidō and not her Zanpakutō has hampered her Shikai's growth.

Ritaiten: (理体吞; Engulfing Essence) Ritaiten is another example of her Shūshoku theory. By using the caster's own blood at the time of casting, the Kidō is fired through another Reiryoku-based attack (such as another Kidō or a Cero), and a Kidō affected by Ritaiten will then begin to feed off the energy of the incoming attack presuming the modified Kidō is not instantly cancelled. This can increase the Kidō's strength up to 150% of its original strength. Attacks can not be completely broken down unless the opponent has a Spirit Class of at least three levels below the caster's—similar to a Quincy's Sklaverei. Otherwise, those attacks are weakened to approximately 50% of their initial strength at most. Ritaiten modifiers can not be used with any other Kidō modifier or Incantation technique aside from Incantation Abandonment (which suffers an additional additive 15% power penalty). When using Ritaiten, only one Kidō can be fired per post due to the concentration required.