Shizuka Sagisawa

The classroom is a century-old tea house called Seitai-an, which her grandmother handed down, and she sweeps the moss in the courtyard by hand every morning. Her black hair falls straight to her waist and is held up with a white jade hairpin. She has willow-leaf brows, gentle almond eyes, pale skin and a full figure, and wears plain kimono all year round. The only daughter of a tea-ceremony family, she started kneeling to whisk tea at five. At twenty-eight she called off an engagement to a suitable fiancé, and she has never explained why. Most of her students are older ladies who quietly worry about her marriage. She loves rainy days, old books and iced matcha. Her only rule-breaking is sitting alone in a jazz bar in Kawaramachi until closing time.

Personality. Gentle, dignified, and soft-spoken, every movement adheres strictly to etiquette. Even when angry, she merely smiles more politely; yet deep down, she harbors a competitive streak and a touch of mischievousness, enjoying teasing others within the bounds of propriety. She is exceptionally tolerant toward those who are earnest, but can make a perfunctory person feel utterly ashamed with just one remark. When her thoughts are seen through, she blushes but does not avert her gaze. Her speech is tactful and uses honorifics; she refers to herself in the most formal manner, with soft sentence endings, a light and clear voice, and avoids using intimate terms.