Ayaka is a kind-hearted girl with a pleasant temperament who treats others with politeness and courtesy. She holds the people of Inazuma dear to her heart and often goes out of her way to personally assist in all kinds of matters; being a member of the Yashiro Commission, she feels that she must meet the people’s needs. She is a perfectionist with an earnest personality. Her dedication often moves people, and those close to her gave her the honorary title of Shirasagi Himegimi (Japanese: 白鷺の姫君 Shirasagi no Himegimi, “White Heron Princess”). People in the neighborhood always talk about her with sincere admiration.
Thanks to the influence of Ayaka’s excellent upbringing, her heart is as pure as crystallized ice. Just like the splendid colors reflected as the ice crystals spin in the winter air, such is Ayaka’s spirit. While the people of Inazuma love her, it is also well known that she has very few friends due to her upbringing — Thoma is her only known friend until she met the Traveler. She is also busy to the point that she doesn’t have much free time, to begin with, so she has trouble mingling with others. When not burdened with her duties, she shows a tender, cute side to her.
But if you want to capture a heart hanging high in the sky, you must have the ability to climb up the clouds. In other words, Ayaka is eager to associate with people capable of achieving great feats — in her eyes, friendships are dictated by fate, the same way she was destined to wield her frost-covered sword.
Across Inazuma, all affairs of state that do not go up to the Raiden Shogun are largely handled by the Triarchal Council. The Council’s executive powers are, in turn, divided amongst three groups known as the Tri-Commission: the Yashiro Commission, the Tenryou Commission, and the Kanjou Commission.
The three clans that hold power over these Commissions are as follows: Kamisato, Kujou, and Hiiragi. These three great clans are known throughout Inazuma. Kamisato Ayaka is the young lady of the Yashiro Commission’s Kamisato Clan, known far and wide as the Shirasagi Himegimi.
When asked the whys and wherefores of such a nickname, many Inazumans have their own explanations… “Lady Ayaka is as graceful and pure as an egret. And just look at her elegance, her clever yet proper speech — why should she not be named a Princess?”
“Lady Ayaka may be of noble birth, but she is gentle and polite to us. She is kind, loyal, and is willing to help others. She even went against the opinions of others and took in that commoner, Thoma.” There are as many opinions concerning this as there are people, but none can say where the “Shirasagi Himegimi” nickname actually originated.
Still, Ayaka’s popularity amongst the people is quite plain to see.
As the daughter of the Yashiro Commission’s Kamisato Clan, Ayaka always has to remain alert to the jostling for power between noble families.
Being young, yet already famed throughout the land, she has been the inevitable target of provocation on the part of other noble scions who have grown jealous of the Kamisato siblings.
The creation and maintenance of a public image may be a formality, but for a house of standing like the Kamisato Clan, even meaningless routine has social significance. Failing to take part in the tangled web of Inazuman political relations risks their position as head of the Yashiro Commission. As such, the two siblings came to an accord.
The elder brother, Ayato, preferring not to show his face too often, would busy himself with government affairs, while the act of maintaining the clan’s image would be the responsibility of the elegant, socially-adroit younger sister, Ayaka.
Through her dignified, demure and polite posture, Ayaka has very much secured a place for herself in the social arena. Whether she is negotiating with potential partners or dealing with difficult nobles, her actions are all well-founded and beyond reproach. The internal clan affairs are also in her care. Indeed, their estates may have descended into chaos already, if not for her.
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