Shinobu Karasawa

Shinobu Karasawa (空澤 しのぶ) is Shizu's great-grandfather and was one of the spirits inside her body that protected her. He was also the first head of the Karasawa family who passed away more than 20 years ago. He was calm and enjoyed gardening.

History
Shinobu became the head of the Karasawa family at an unknown point and married a woman named Shihoko, who kept a positive attitude even when his family was poor and struggling. He made her a promise on the same kanji "Shi" they share in their name: to make sure that their descendants who inherit their symbol never go hungry, to make sure they live in health and happiness. However, Shinobu was soon drafted to the war and when he came back, his wife had died, only leaving behind their son and their promise.

Although Shinobu's financial situation became much better and he built a good life for himself and his relatives, he was desperate to leave behind some proof that Shihoko had lived. He decided to adopt his distant relative, Takashi, as his own grandson. Shinobu's reason for doing so was that Takashi, like himself and his wife, shared the kanji "Shi" in his name. Moreover, Shinobu's son and his wife couldn't produce an heir, so Shinobu decided to make Takashi the heir of the Karasawa family instead. However, this caused resentment from Takashi as his parents had sold him to Shinobu in exchange for a good amount of money.

Although Shinobu accomplished raising the perfect heir, he saw how it had affected Takashi psychologically. But he was confident that together with Sanae, Takashi would be able to, for the first in his life, achieve genuine happiness and form a circle of happiness with her. On his deathbed when he was in his 80s, Shinobu claimed that despite his financial hardships and sad partings when he was young, he felt like he didn't have any regrets or any unfinished business concerning his own life. He was able to raise a child with the woman he loved and left behind enough money to make sure his family was taken care of. He died loved by many, but the only thing holding him back was when he was dying: Takashi had claimed that he would never forgive him. It wasn't until then that Shinobu understood the pain he had caused Takashi because of his obsession.

Shinobu couldn't move on, so he became a wandering spirit. When Shizu first got prone to possession of the dead, Shinobu's spirit found its way to her body and he decided that he would protect her from any harm or other spirits possessing her. Over the years, he formed pacts with other spirits willing to protect her, kept Shizu's condition in check, and did his best to raise her.

Appearance
Shinobu was an elderly man with wrinkles around his forehead, cheek, and mouth and light-colored (presumably white or grey) slicked-back hair. He also wore oval-shaped glasses which he wore over his light-colored eyes. Shinobu was seen dressing in traditional clothes and occasionally wearing hats.

When possessing Shizu's body, Shinobu wore Shizu's black hair loose but with a piece of her tied into a ponytail at the back and bangs framing her face. Shinobu liked to dress as to make Shizu look as feminine as possible, but his fashion sense came from the 40s; he wore expensive, high-quality clothes such as simple blouses and long skirts. Additionally, he felt restless without his glasses, so he wore a pair with no prescription.

Personality
Shinobu was very calm, quiet and kind― he did not pester Tetsu as much as the others. He was the wisest, most level-headed, mature and responsible out of the spirits. Generally, he was seen in the garden and taking care of his plants, or reading a book. Occasionally, he showed small gestures of kindness, such as praising Tetsu's for his hardworking personality and offering him sweets or gifts.

Shinobu loved his family above all when he was alive, and when he became a spirit inside of Shizu's body, he prioritized her over anything and acted like a father-figure to her. Although he was overprotective of Shizu and against the idea of going outside for the sake of nobody finding out of her condition and therefore sparing her from heartbreak and sadness, he is very proud over her accomplishments and overcoming obstacles she faced in connection to meeting Tetsu.

Trivia

 * Shinobu, his wife Shihoko, his adoptive grandson Takashi, and his great-granddaughter Shizu all share the kanji Shi (信) in their names.
 * His full outfit price range is from 50,000 yen (450$) to infinity.
 * Contrary to his appearance, Shinobu is actually very competitive.