Zashiki Warashi

Zashiki Warashi

Zashiki-warashi (Vestal Sprite) is a spirit girl who lives in a sacred mountain with pure spiritual energy along with the karasu tengu. Zashiki-warashis are prone to mischievous thoughts, though this humanoid spirit is extremely shy to the point of blushing madly and crying out of joy, but she's sweet. She develops a crush onKimihiro Watanuki as his exploits become known among spirits, and she first meets him when she accidentally steals Dōmeki's soul while attempting to get a good Valentine's Day gift for Watanuki. She usually acts without thinking, though -like grabbing Doumeki's soul accidentally when removing food from his stomach, Watanuki later sees her while giving her a White Day present, and rescues her from Jorougumo that captures her after a failed attempt to recover Watanuki's eye.

She is based on a spirit from Japanese folklore, the zashiki-warashi, accounting for her childlike naiveté and innocence.

Evil auras are poisonous for her.

In the manga, Zashiki-warashi first appears at Valentine's Day determined to give the perfect chocolate to Watanuki, which nearly results in the death of Dōmeki. She next appears when Watanuki is sent by Yūko to a place of pure chi to return the Kudakitsune to its normal small size. While there ("there" being a mountain namedreisan), he finds the Zashiki-warashi on a small rock where he gives her a White Day present (a pair of hairpins with an angel wing design) as a token of appreciation for the Valentine's Day chocolate (even though he couldn't eat it). Her third appearance is when Watanuki agrees to go rescue her from the evil Jorō-gumo. She was captured when she attempted to recover Watanuki's eye from the Jorō-gumo. Her fourth appearance is when she and the Ame-warashi come to visit Watanuki, who'd recently been severely injured.

In the anime, Zashiki-warashi's first appearance was during Ochugen (a Japanese festival), which she misunderstood for Valentine's Day. Events similar to Zashiki-warashi's first appearance in the manga with Dōmeki nearly dying ensue and at the end it is revealed the sprite confused the festival for Valentines day (as so politely pointed out by the Rain Sprite). her second appearance is when Watanuki visits her to thank her for the aburage(deep-fried tofu) which she gave to him to help him with the Kudakitsune.

Later in the manga Watanuki notices the change in her voice, identifying it as more grown up. The Ame-warashi explained that this was the effect of the Zashiki-warashi's feelings for Watanuki, causing her to change and grow-up.