Seishiro Katagiri

Seishiro Katagiri (片霧 清四郎, Katagiri Seishirō) is the main antagonist of Harukanaru Toki no Naka de 6. He serves as the main avatar for the narrative's main threat.

Background Story
Seishiro began his life as an impoverished commoner in Tokyo. Swept in by idea of Japanese racial superiority, he enlisted into the military at a young age. His early activities are not detailed, but it's hinted that he at least served in the parallel world's First Sino-Japanese War. When Seishiro finished his service, he returned to his hometown.

About twenty-seven years before the main narrative, the patrolling Seishiro caught the eye of a noblewoman named Mayuko. She confessed her infatuation to him. Although he didn't want a family, Seishiro agreed to their marriage. Shuhei believes for most of his life that the marriage was a sham and his father was exploiting his mother's wealth for his own benefit. In reality, Seishiro loved Mayuko but felt unworthy of her affections due to his lowly origins. He also worried that his military career –which he swore to never abandon– would cause her relentless hardship. Mayuko's charm and dreamlike optimism likely hushed his discomforts enough to reconsider. They lived together in her mansion within the Kanda district.

Seishiro stayed with his family until he was called away to enlist in what is implied to be the parallel world's First World War. He served as a lieutenant and his exceptional leadership led to his rise to his current rank. Seishiro returned home with dozens of scars and high honors; he learned then that Mayuko passed away from illness nearly a year before his arrival. Unable to cope with his grief and believing Mayuko to have died with hatred, Seishiro shifted the blame to the foreigners who kept him from her. His discrimination strengthened and mixed with his military experiences, turning into a mad resolve to start a world war in the pretense of national security. Well aware that his secret doctrine would be inevitably frowned upon if it were exposed, Seishiro abandoned his humanity. He swore to use anything and anyone for his anti-foreigner hostilities, including his own son.

Using his position to meet these ends, he organized a search unit for the Demon Clan's nearest hidden village. His group found them three years before the main story. Seishiro personally approached Darius with a proposal: guide the military to the clan's forbidden flowers and become government spies for foreign countries in exchange for the village's peaceful coexistence. Darius was enticed with the promise and agreed. Seishiro told the demon he only meant to observe and study the flowers, but he ordered many flowers to be smuggled back to the capital. With his scientific know-how, Seishiro set up a laboratory. He ordered scientific researchers to extract the flower's essence for human experiments on new recruits. Due to the experiment's spiritual defilements and Kagutsuchi's growing influence, vengeful spirits and the spiritually possessed began to emerge within the capital.

Sometime after the first set of experiments, Darius became suspicious and confronted Seishiro on the matter. He reacted with horror upon learning of the mechanical contraptions Seishiro had built and immediately annulled their partnership. In retaliation, Seishiro called for his conspirators and exposed Darius's demon origins to them. He laid the blame for every spiritual pestilence entirely on the Demon Clan. Racial discrimination against the demon overruled Darius's protest. With Darius's retreat, Seishiro ordered for a public notice repeating his accusations in the capital. He announced that the spiritually possessed were the result of a disease spread by the Demon Clan. His baseless claims were swallowed up as the truth and acted as military propaganda. During this time, Kagutsuchi tempted Seishiro to act as its host and he accepted on his own will.

Kudan pestered Seishiro to form a military unit to combat the vengeful spirit threat two years before the main narrative. Seishiro initially dismissed the Star Clan as a capricious hindrance. Kudan's perseverance led to Seishiro giving in to the concept. In an unprecedented turn, ranks within this new military unit were decided solely on a person's spiritual capabilities. During the recruitment training phase, Seishiro sensed Arima's connection to Kagutsuchi. He immediately dubbed the country boy the squad's captain and made Shuhei the vice captain of the unorthodox Elite Squad. Seishiro ordered Kudan to repay his debt to him by creating a seal around Ryounkaku with the Four God talismans. Lying that the barrier was necessary for protecting central operations, it actually shielded the renovated adabana laboratory within the skyscraper's basement from spiritual detection. It kept the Demon Clan and anyone else with spiritual capabilities at bay.

Through Kudan, Seishiro was informed of the legends surrounding the Dragon Gods. His interests were instinctively focused on the Black Dragon Priestess who had the potential to hasten Kagutsuchi's rejuvenation. With the interest of using them for his plans, he coolly arranges for their summoning rituals. When he isn't busy keeping his civil image, Seishiro is demanding for his son to take an arranged marriage within the nobility.

Story Events
Foiled when the Demon Clan kidnap Azusa, a bored Seishiro leaves the search for her to the Elite Squad. He continues authorizing the media's misinformation of the vengeful spirits and spiritually possessed. Seishiro permits propaganda for the Dragon Priestesses, making them out to be divine matriarchs. When both priestesses are under military control, he assigns them to the Elite Squad. He orders them to patrol the streets for vengeful spirits to strengthen their credibility and lower negativity for Azusa's past association with the Demon Clan. With their positive reputation established, it appears to the public that the priestesses sanctify the country's military.

Throughout the main narrative, Seishiro states he is dealing with foreign operations during his absence from the Elite Squad. He is really intensifying the adabana experiments. Once he has enough "successful" subjects, he issues a public notice of the Force Protection Squad, a military unit which purportedly uses the power of the gods to protect the nation. His conspirators inform him one day that Tomobe could have overheard the scientists talking about the laboratory. After he personally tests the ensign's knowledge, Seishiro silences him by having him sent to the adabana experiments. His sudden disappearance from the Elite Squad is covered up with an honorary transfer out of country.

Unaffected by the civil riot that ensues, Seishiro orders the Force Protection Squad to deal with it. During his nightly rounds at Ryounkaku's laboratory, he finds an exhausted Chiyo. Her local celebrity prevents her disappearance so he arranges for her to be sent to the local hospital under the watchful eye of his agents. He lies to a concerned Azusa about the circumstances of her collapse to avoid further questioning.

Seeking to build public support for the Force Protection Squad, Seishiro dubs Azusa a captain. He stages a military ball for her promotion, announcing to the nobility that the Black Dragon Priestess can tame the multiple gods used by the new questionable squad. The results are mixed, as some people still fear the soldiers.

Kagutsuchi alerts Seishiro to the Demon Clan's infiltration of Ryounkaku. He halts his late night meeting to organize a task force to the skyscraper's basement. In many story lines, he also orders the Elite Squad to arms. Seishiro expects his men to detain the intruders, but they change their mind upon seeing the laboratory. With the truth in the open and Seishiro defeated by Azusa and company, Kagutsuchi emerges from his host. Surviving the pain of the evil god's resurrection, Seishiro falls into a deep slumber due to his soul's extended corruption. His final act in the story is altered during Shuhei's route.

Development
Seishiro was developed after his son. The two major goals for his design were to make him resemble Shuhei and to present prim-and-proper military attire from the Taishō period. His earlier concepts followed these ideas too closely, as his facial expressions and uniform were deemed "too gentle" for approval. Ruby Party altered his stately image by striving to make even his idle silhouette appear intimidating. They increased the black on his uniform and later added a cloak to make him stand out from the other military characters.

Fighting Style
His battle AI is a watered down Kagutsuchi with high health and attack. Face him with any Water talisman and avoid using Metal against him. If the levels for these elements are too low, try to have Arima or Darius absorb hits for the party. Summon Genbu if he is still too difficult.