Misao

Misao (操) is a young member of Night Troop who does not like fighting and she spends most of her time either playing on her own or watching over Akira.

Appearance
Misao is a young girl with brown hair.

She is typically seen wearing a simple dark dress (changed to bright colors in the anime) and seems to prefer going barefoot at all times.

Personality
Misao is a serious-minded but kind girl. She has respect for all living things, and quite a few nonliving ones, as well. Rather than viewing her power to bring inanimate objects to life as giving life, she prefers to see it as asking strangers to be her friend: if her attempt is successful, then she has a new friend to play with. She dislikes the idea of hurting anyone, but Masamori Sumimura reminds her that training is necessary, if only so she can protect herself and her friends. In the Night Troop, Misao is closest to Akira, who she generally takes responsibility for: scolding him when he misbehaves, and protecting him when he is threatened. Though she is rarely seen with Masamori, Misao and the other Night Troop trainees seem to largely view him as a protective father figure.

Meeting Yoshimori
Misao appears briefly in the anime, where she forces Akira to apologize to Yoshimori for kicking a soccer ball in his face and then insulting him.

The Box Plot
A mysterious box with a demonic aura is delivered to Night Troop Headquarters with a note for Masamori. Some of the younger members are playing with Akira's soccer ball nearby, and when Misao goes to retrieve it, she vanishes into the box. Misao later wakes up, bound and gagged, inside a cell. She uses her power on the ropes, freeing herself and creating a small companion. She tries to use her power on the steel bars of her cell, but fails. Using her former gagn, Misao makes a bow tie for Nawata and slips it through the bars, sending it off to find something useful. Nawata returns shortly with even more rope, which Misao shapes into a humanoid form and uses to bend the bars apart. Misao escapes the cell and explores her prison, finding a chamber with several marked papers on the wall. As she watches, her captor, the elder Kakushino twin, enters through a tunnel beneath the paper. She recognizes him as the one who pulled her into the box, and hides as he passes by. He mentions the possibility of killing his hostage, which alarms Misao into trying to find another escape route. During her search, she finds Akira, bound and gagged, in another cell. Misao frees him and sets a trap for their captor: when Kakushino arrives and finds the cell empty, they bind him with rope (which Akira makes invisible) and run away. They pass another cell, which holds a powerful demon, held in by numerous charms. They return to the chamber where Misao tries to use the marked papers, but Kakushino appears and tells her that only he is able to use them. He threatens them with a knife, and while they struggle, Nawata (made invisible by Akira) doubles back to the demon's cell and rips off the charms, allowing the demon to break free. The demon enters the chamber, and unable to reseal it, Kakushino activates one of the papers so he can escape. Akira provides a distraction, allowing him and Misao to enter the tunnel. Kakushino catches Misao as she enters, but Nawata returns and strikes him, escaping with Misao, and leaving Kakushino to be devoured by the demon. Misao and Akira emerge from another box, ending up in a forest. Hakota finally spots them, and Masamori, along with Yukimasa, Mukade, and Makio, go to pick them up.

Treats for Rokurou
While Rokurou Ougi is recovering from his injures at Night Troop Headquarters, Misao, Akira, and another boy prepare a basket of treats for him. Afraid to approach him directly, Misao sends Nawata to deliver the basket (which Akira conceals with his invisibility, until Nawata is directly in front of Rokurou). Rokurou takes only one of the treats and tosses the rest of them back to the children, saying he doesn't need so many, so they can have the rest.

Equipment
Misao is usually seen carrying or playing with various dolls (some that she clearly makes with her power, such as a walking sandman), but her most loyal and often seen companion is a small length of walking rope with a bow around its neck, which she names Nawata (縄太, Ropey). Though it appears harmless, Nawata is capable of acting as a scout, or defending Misao if necessary.

Powers & Abilities
Life to Inanimate Objects: Misao can literally give life to inanimate objects, manipulating them into roughly humanoid forms, and imbuing them with far more power than they normally would have in some cases. She is able to give a length of rope enough power to bend steel bars repeatedly.

Keen Intellect: Misao, even at her young age, has proven to be a capable strategist, developing effective ways of escape even when faced with dangerous situations. She can plan by taking into account what she has observed in others, or in her environment.

Etymology

 * The name Misao means "manipulation, chastity, fidelity, faith" (操).