Ayu

Ayu (, Ayu) is one of Tenjin's current shinki. She's part of a group of four female shinki who present themselves as "The Tenjin Sisters" (now consisting of only three members).

Appearance
Ayu is, like most of Tenjin's shinki, a young woman. She has long, straight auburn hair tied in a high ponytail, with some short locks resting on her forehead and two thin long ones on both sides of her face. Her eyes are a shade of dark blue similar to indigo.

Ayu is dressed in a white kimono with a red hakama over it - the common set of clothing for shrine maidens worn by Tenjin's other female shinki, as well as Tsuyu.

Volume 1 (4)
Chapter 4: Ayu first introduces herself when Yato and Yukine, along with Hiyori, come to accept Tenjin's request to eliminate a phantom that has settled in a certain railroad crossing.

Volume 3 (11 - 12)
Chapter 11: Sometime later, when Daikoku visits various shrines to find a shinki who would agree to take part in Yukine's purification ceremony, Ayu is once again seen along with the other "Tenjin Sisters", expressing unease over the possible consequences of a failed ceremony.

Chapter 12: After Miyu blights Tenjin for cutting her wrist, Ayu takes part in performing an Ablution on her before her banishment.

Volume 20 (79)
Chapter 79: Tenjin is carrying Ayu in her vessel form while he runs into Hiyori Iki. Shortly after meeting Hiyori, he transforms Ayu into a human.

Skills & Abilities

 * Vessel Transformation: As Tenjin's vessel, Ayu's name is Hoki (, Hoki). takes the form of a wooden box of purification salt. The front of the box has a flower symbol, much like that which Tsuyu has on her forehead, but with the addition of a sixth circle in the center. Tenjin sometimes travels the country to scatter her salt on the houses of school children.

Trivia

 * The character used for Ayu's true name, 歩 (chosen reading unknown), means "a step" or "to walk". The character added for her given name, 喩 yu, means "metaphor".