EXTRA 3: Notes on the Monk Spirit

The Monk spirit is a being that exists solely to exorcise what it deems “evil,” without ever exchanging words.

This “evil” is judged entirely by the Monk spirit’s own standards. What others consider good or evil is irrelevant; anything recognized as “evil” according to the Monk spirit’s values is, without exception, subject to judgment.

For example, the supernatural being in the white dress was an entity that preyed upon others, and that very nature was regarded as “evil” by the Monk spirit.

The Monk spirit sometimes carries out exorcism directly, and at other times executes judgment through tools imbued with its power. At the beginning of the story, it directly exorcised the black haze that was assailing Sayuri, while later in the story, the necklace given to Sayuri automatically exorcised the supernatural being in the white dress.

This necklace is not meant to “protect its owner.” Its sole purpose is to exorcise evil itself, and in the process, there is even the possibility that others may be caught up in it. Even the owner is no exception—if the Monk spirit judges them to be “evil” by its standards, they will be exorcised without mercy.

The necklace changes its appearance depending on who receives it. To Sayuri, it appeared as a charming nekomata motif, because that form was what she herself found appealing.
How it appeared to the supernatural being in the white dress is not depicted in the story and therefore remains unknown; however, it is assumed that it was perceived in a similarly different form.

What matters to the Monk spirit is only one thing: the exorcism of evil itself.
That is precisely why he says nothing, and instead, quietly and unfailingly—he exorcises evil.