Higan Meinokawa

Higan Meinokawa
Name in Japanese	冥乃河 彼岸
Rōmaji Translation	Meinokawa Higan
Debut (Light Novel)	Volume 1
Appears in	Light Novels
Gender	Female
Occupation	Vessel
Affiliation/s	Freedom
Summoning Partner	Renge Meinokawa, Kyousuke Shiroyama (Temporarily)

Higan Meinokawa (冥乃河 彼岸 Meinokawa Higan) is the vessel of Renge Meinokawa and a member of Freedom.

Appearance

Higan has smooth skin and long, straight and glossy hair. She wears the scarlet hakama of a Shinto shrine maiden, but her blond hair and clear blue eyes stray from the stereotypical image of a Japanese shrine maiden. Her hair and eyes were originally black, but they were altered when her family tried to medically remove her talent as a vessel.

Personality

Higan is the meeker of the two Meinokawa twins, usually following her sister's instructions. However, Higan deeply loves her sister and is willing to risk her life to protect Renge, just like Renge does for her.

Despite her innocent and quiet demeanor, Higan can sometimes be a bit too honest about her opinions and desires. She can also be somewhat mischievous.

Background

Higan was born as a vessel, greatly disappointing her family who wanted to pair up a human summoner with a Joruri Method vessel. Because of this, they tried medically removing her talent as a vessel, and when that failed, they made Renge Meinokawa as the "ideal Higan Meinokawa".

At some point before the events of the series, Renge and Higan's shrine was taken away. They had fallen into debt, and with their parents in a rehab clinic being treated for a gambling addiction, it fell to them to pay the debt. Higan was almost sold as a vessel, but Renge punched the buyer and made a contract with her.

Chronology

Light Novel Volume 01

Higan and her sister Renge came to Toy Dream 35 for a job dealing with the extermination of a "white ghost" seen in the city's harbor, a job they got through a Government middleman. However, she and the other freelance summoners that had taken the job were attacked by a group of summoners from a mysterious organization called Guard of Honor. Renge and Higan managed to defeat some of their enemies as they tried to flee from the harbor, but during their escape they were attacked by an Unexplored-class summon, the Lady of Purple Lightning, and the twins were separated, with Higan being rescued and carried to safety by Kyousuke Shiroyama. Upon regaining consciousness Higan explained her situation to Kyousuke and Aika, and after Aika revealed who Kyousuke was, Higan asked for his help. However, Kyousuke refused to help her search for her sister. Higan chased Kyousuke into the streets when he left and tried to use a tactic Aika had suggested to her to no effect. Higan once more expressed her desire to save her sister, revealing their current family situation, but Kyosuke continued to refuse to help her. He asked her to cool her head and not rush in to help her sister, as that would only get both of them killed. Ignoring Kyousuke's advice, Higan didn't return to Aika's apartment and instead started searching for her sister on the streets, becoming a target for Government. She was cornered near a high school in R Block by a group of summoners and Pilot Soldiers, but Kyousuke arrived to help her. The two then made a summoner-vessel contract.

Higan and Kyousuke easily defeated the Government group and managed to flee before they were caught by Azalea Magentarain, an ace Government summoner. The duo arrived at Lu Niang-Lan's used good store to resupply. While there Lu explained her doubts about Guard of Honor's true nature- She also helped them search information about Renge, who had been trying to keep their pursuers away from Higan by making some appearances throughout Toy Dream 35 in a specific pattern, all the while dodging the members of Guard of Honor who were chasing her. Lu used the pattern to predict that Renge would appear the next day in G Block. As Higan and Kyousuke were leaving, Lu handed over a trick knife to Higan, also revealing her past as a vessel. After spending the night at Kyousuke's boat, Higan and Kyousuke arrived at G Block's monorail station, where they were forced into a fight with Azalea Magentarain, who actually was a member of Guard of Honor. The two were struggling against Azalea's White Thorn juggling technique, so Renge, who was watching the fight, decided to intervene, synchronizing with Higan and overwriting her contract with Kyousuke. Renge then used Azalea's setup to summon the White Queen. However, the White Queen instantly focused on Kyousuke, and when Renge tried to talk she was nearly killed by the Queen, who inverted her protective circle.

Higan was knocked out after the White Queen left. Not only that, the White Queen had left some shards of herself inside Higan that threatened to kill her in a few hours. Unaware of all the events that had transpired as she was unconscious, Higan remade her contract with Kyousuke and accompanied him to stop Guard of Honor's plan in the underground staff-only tunnels. The two used a trick to get past most of Guard of Honor's forces, but they still had to face Azalea Magentarain near the cocoon that was being used by the organization to create a body for the White Queen. After a tough battle Higan and Kyousuke emerged as the winners, but the White Queen appeared from within the cocoon, forcing them into a desperate fight to stop her. None of the Divine-class Materials they summoned had enough will to even try fighting the White Queen. The White Queen let them summon an Unexplored-class Material, and Kyousuke summoned the Lady of Purple Lightning. However, even an Unexplored-class Material was easily defeated by the Queen in one blow. Out of options, Kyousuke intentionally summoned the Black Maw, the White Queen's other side, causing them to start fighting over him. After the Black Maw barely won the fight, Kyousuke changed it to a normal Material before it could kill him. Higan was later carried by Kyousuke out of Guard of Honor's territory.

Kyousuke later broke his contract with Higan while she was still unconscious. This made both Higan and Renge angry and, according to Aika, made them start a search for Kyousuke all over Toy Dream 35.

Light Novel Volume 02

Renge and Higan were hired to investigate the rumors surrounding Toy Dream 35's last trains, such as people going missing after falling asleep with the disappearance not showing up in the news, meeting your first love you haven’t seen in forever, your long-dead pet being returned to you, or finding a treasure you had lost. Suspecting the incidents to be related to their business, Higan and Renge boarded the train to check what would happen in person. However, Higan pointed out the camera they prepared would not record them if an Artificial Sacred Ground was established; and she revealed that she had mixed an allergy medicine with their tea to make them drowsy, and the two fell asleep. Higan was later woken up by one of the workers, with Renge not on sight. She suddenly heard her sister calling her, and turned around.

Renge and Higan later managed to escape from the strange place they had been drawn into and returned to the real world just as Kyousuke and Ryouko Umie were about the purify the Rainy Girl. Their appearance revealed the White Queen's lie and the true nature of the Rainy Girl, who was not a ghost, but was the living Shouko Umie who had been drawn from the past.

Light Novel Volume 03

Renge and Higan were hired by Government to investigate Youji Makihara, a new transfer student in Kyousuke's class. The two visited Kyousuke's school during lunch to warn him of Youji. Unbeknownst to them, Kyousuke had already beaten Youji and taken away his Girl's Backdoor.

Light Novel Volume 04

Higan and Renge were some of the summoners attending the D.R.O.K, where they ran into Kyousuke and the White Queen. The two twins were shocked and disappointed by Kyousuke having apparently given into the Queen and decided to leave.

Abilities

Higan is an excellent vessel despite having had her talent partially removed by her family, which made Kyousuke wonder how great a vessel she originally was. As a symbol of bondage Higan carries a blindfold on her forehead that connects around her neck.

Gallery

Higan's Design