Nao Murakami

Nao Murakami is a character in the dangan ronpa fan game Historic Pause. They are currently alive and are participating in The Overarching Project Of Mutual Killing.

Appearance
Nao is easily one of the shortest people in Historic Pause. Along with having tan skin and pale blonde hair, they have a pair of heterochromatic eyes - one blue and one red. However, they are hardly ever seen opening them. They don a pastel purple sweater that has a heart sewn near the chest area and pastel red sleeves over a pair of white shorts. Their knee high socks they were under their brown shoes also follow this red and purple scheme. To finish off the look, they have Ofuda (Paper tags used for Exorcism or Purification) stuck on their cheek, arms, and thigh, and a small bell tied around their neck with a red string.

As it was revealed to Jun Orozco, underneath the Ofuda is a sinister red tattoo that is extends from their cheek to other parts of their body.

Personality
Despite the dark nature of their career, Nao is noted to be a rather bubbly and optimistic child. They are often seen in a relaxed state, almost too calm in situations where they shouldn’t be. They don’t seem to take a lot of things too seriously, brushing it off simply with an innocent and childish mindset. At the same time however, because of their laidback attitude, they don’t seem to mind dropping a few morbid thoughts here and there. They often don’t like discussing really serious topics, but wouldn’t mind giving a few thoughts of their own on the matter. For the most part however, they would look for a playmate, and just wants to enjoy life like a regular kid.

Ultimate Exorcist
As an Exorcist, Nao possesses a vast knowledge on the supernatural and other religious artifacts or rituals. They are able to cast out demons and other evil spirits from a host.

The first ever demonstration of them doing anything remotely related to their talent is seen in the Prologue, whereas after blessing salt from the cafeteria, they began using it to purify the first area.

Supernatural Aura
Nao has mentioned in passing a few times that they are able to sense if there is an entity of sorts within the area. This is to the work of a rather mystical, yet powerful aura that they hold which can detect supernatural presence.

Prior to the Overarching Project
Being the youngest exorcist in all of Japan, Nao Murakami is the talk of most Shinto shrines. With their unusually strong aura, Nao is able to exorcise all kinds of Yokai and Yurei. Having been taught the practice of Harae since the tender age of 5, it was no surprise that they were able to master the skill earlier than the others.

Prologue
For majority of the Prologue, Nao was seen going around purifying the first area by scattering salt, all the while meeting the rest of the class. Nao constantly expressed their love for playing children's games as well, even managed to have a round of Hide and Seek with Star Ozu right before the official launch of the project.

Chapter 1
During Monokuma's first appearance, Nao had mistaken him for a yokai due to his unusual and almost animated appearance. It was only when they had thrown salt at the him that they had realized that he was merely an mechanical stuffed bear and not a supernatural apparition. After initially being oriented about the The Overarching Project of Mutual Killing, Nao appeared to be upset despite their attempts to remain positive. After being given some time for a bit of reflection, they managed to recover quickly and return to their usual optimistic self.

Relationships

 * Class 81-A:  Nao trusts a good majority of Class 81-A. They don't appear to dislike anyone just yet.

Jun Orozco
From the way he plays along with Nao's antics to assuming a parental or guardian role for them, Jun Orozco is someone who Nao enjoys spending time with, and someone who has earned their trust. Although a bit too serious when it comes to playing games with them, as seen as the time they roleplayed the  'Mystery of the Jun's Missing Shadow ', Nao doesn't seem to mind. The only thing they have to say about it is that it doesn't matter if Jun's good at playing or not as long as he's having fun. Despite the accusations thrown at him during the first trial, Nao believed in Jun to the very end.

Star Ozu
Star is one of Nao's very first playmates. One of the notable points in their friendship is the development of their make-believe secret agent universe. In their first game of Hide and Seek, Star had suggested the word 'triangle' as a codeword for ending the game. Later, it turns out that the reason why she chose that word is due to the delta (∆) symbol on her wrist. This prompts the two to start calling each other agents after comparing the symbols they had on their wrists to the ones used in spy movies.

Etsuko Shinki
After a bit of a dry start with how seemingly different the two are, Etsuko Shinki is someone that Nao considers as a friend. Although Nao initially didn't know anything about the type of music Etsuko makes, they've expressed that they would gladly like to hear it some day regardless. The friendship they had with the musician truly started to kick off after they received two of her items from the monomachine. It was through then that Nao really started to get to know Etsuko on a deeper level.

Kaguya Nakauchi
Although Nao does hold respect for her talent, they think that she's too focused on her work, too serious for her age. They wish to help her loosen up. However, interaction between these two seem to be pretty scarce.

Knife    infant

Coco Mara
The third member of Nao and Star's Secret Agent Team. Nao and Coco have a humble friendship. They support each other when they both need it and relatively care about each other's wellbeing.

Monomono Items

 * 1) Teru Teru Bōzu - A traditional handmade doll made of white paper or cloth that can be hung using a string. Meant to ward off bad weather.
 * 2) Ofuda bundle - A stack of paper that holds symbols to ward off evil that you probably don’t understand. Commonly used in Shinto and Onmyodo for exorcisms and purification.
 * 3) Oversized Sweater - A really big sweater made of soft wool. Makes you just want to pop your head into it and embrace the comfiness.
 * 4) Ghost Plushie - A cute plushie in the shape of a smiling purple ghost.
 * 5) Haraigushi - A purification wand. It consists of a stick with streamers composed of white paper attached to one end. Often waved over by a person, place, or object to be purified.

Quotes

 * "The gods will not abandon us."
 * "Exorcism is a really tough and serious job, but that doesn't mean it can't be fun! Now that I think about it, I think that works for about anything really as long as you have a positive attitude towards it!"
 * "Begone Demon!" - Nao at Monokuma's first appearance.
 * "Protecting everyone spiritually is just as important as protecting everyone physically!"

Trivia

 * facts