until Chizu is dead. Kimi – A young genin and one of the few in the Neko Clan who still remain loyal to Chizu after her violent ousting. Nezumi – Nezumi ("Rat") is a cheeky master thief and acrobat, and Inspector Ishida's particular nemesis. He steals from the rich and gives part of his loot to the poor, which has rendered him a popular folk hero. He also prides himself as a thief and not a murderer, and is careful not to leave anyone injured or dead; a factor which has earned him Ishida's grudging respect. In turn, Nezumi respects Ishida for his sense of justice, and has even assisted him several times, although he will not allow himself to be taken into custody even by him. For weapons, Nezumi uses a tanto and hanafuda cards, which he can use as thrown projectiles. Nezumi is patterned after the legendary Japanese thief Nezumi Kozo. Junior Inspector Nii – Inspector Ishida's deputy, who lacks the insight of his superior, but is still a dedicated and capable policeman. Noriko – The disguised sister of Tomoe Ame who considers herself a superior fighter to her sibling, yet for a time, she claimed to be her cousin rather than her sister (Both are technically true. Noriko's parents are Tomoe's father and Tomoe's maternal aunt). She grew away from her family to become a warrior notorious for her murderously sadistic viciousness. She eventually led a plot of mining a secret gold mine with slave labor in Geishu territory to provide a pretext for another clan to invade. She enslaved Tomoe and Usagi in her plot, but they later escaped with the slaves to foil her plans. She apparently died when she deliberately fled into the mine with a gunpowder cache which exploded. However, Tomoe later had a disturbing dream where she witnessed Noriko escaping the cave with considered effort and vowing revenge. The question of whether that vision actually depicted an actual event is unanswered for now. Noriyuki – Noriyuki is the current daimyō of the Geishu Clan's province. Although still a young panda cub, he has proven extraordinarily capable in his position for his age for the intricate task of rule while still keeping his innocent spirit. This includes some developing physical skills such as being able to sense an intruder in his chambers even when asleep and to wake up quickly and yet subtly