Kochou Eightport

Kochou Eightport (エイトポート 胡蝶 Eitopōto Kochō), real name Kochou Yatsu (八津 胡蝶 Yatsu Kochō), is a journalist for the Weekly Dry tabloid who covers stories on everything from politics to art. Though only a junior reporter, she has penned a number of "fine exposés" and is reputed as capable, though those who stand to lose from her investigations are liable to consider her a potential thorn in their sides.

Appearance
Eightport is a short young woman with shoulder-length hair and big eyes. She often wears a short-sleeved light hoodie, knee-length shorts, and short boots, and always brings a backpack with her when out on a job.

Personality
Spirited and headstrong, Eightport possesses much in the way of enthusiasm and ambitious drive when it comes to investigating a good story. As one in the habit of conducting research on potential interviewees, article subjects, and associates before making contact, she will use such information to her advantage in most ways she can get away with—whether using that information as leverage when negotiating a deal, or when selecting individuals to participate as fortunetelling clients.

Though Eightport is usually as capable and "without fear" as her reputation belies, even she has felt that she might be 'in over her head' on a story or two and a subsequent accompanying chill. Such feelings are ones she nevertheless conquers, determined to see her stories through.

Chronology
Eightport joins the Weekly Dry tabloid's employee ranks three years before the start of the series, and by the third year has become a capable junior reporter with several "fine exposés" under her belt.

During her third year with the company, she is assigned or is one of the reporters assigned to the "Solitaire" case. She subsequently follows the movements of two detectives assigned to the case—Tsubaki Iwanome and Kōzaburō Arase—movements including their investigation of the Shinoyama estate fire and later visit to a new fortunetelling shop in Shinjuku. Intrigued, Eightport makes a few inquiries of her own and learns from a few sources that the "Corpse God" fortuneteller visited is Polka Shinoyama.

In reviewing Solitaire's escape, the arson, and the popularity of the mysterious new fortuneteller, Eightport concludes not only that all three incidents are connected but posits that the police may have truly been involved in the attempted assassination of Solitaire. She then raises both possibilities to her chief editor after she requests a whole page in the tabloid's occult corner for a story on 'Corpse God'; once her chief editor agrees, she either begins or resumes ongoing research into Polka Shinoyama and his associates, including Takumi Kuruya. She also learns at some point that Clarissa Kuraki owns the fortunetelling shop's building and looks into Clarissa's associates as well.

Two days after Eightport's meeting with the chief editor, Eightport reads the morning's breaking news on midnight sightings of Solitaire and a bizarre "flock of hands" on the rooftop of the fortunetelling shop's building; excited, she hurries to the scene, joins a crowd of rubberneckers, and soon pushes her way through them and into the building. Misaki Sakimiya encounters her during this time; finding the prospect of being on the news exciting, she brings Eightport to where Polka (Corpse God), Takumi, and Sayo Shinoyama are holding down the fort in their common area.

Eightport takes a photo of "Polka" without his consent and introduces herself, explaining that she has put her own curiosity about the headlining incident for the sake of a story covering Shinjuku's newest fortuneteller. When Takumi asks why they ought to trust someone who takes photographs without consent, Eightport blithely replies she will simply do another story on the illegal drones spotted flying around the area—knowing full well via her research that the drones belong to Takumi.

"Polka" agrees to be covered so long as Eightport limits the story to his fortunetelling business, a provision she agrees to without hesitation. She then asks if he would be comfortable reading the fortunes of a few clients she would bring by half an hour before the shop opens tomorrow; "Polka" agrees to this as well, and begins preparing for today's business.

While "Polka" dresses, Eightport inwardly celebrates how well 'this ticket' is paying off so far—but her elation is tempered by the English words "This world is a buggy program. Are you a termite? Or are you a bird eating the bug?" burned into the wall behind her. That the line echoes Fire-Breathing Bug's own calling card is a bit too on the nose even by Eightport's standards; nervous despite herself, and unable to continue ignoring the word's presence, she asks those present for an explanation.

Takumi dismisses the words as graffiti from before their time that they could not wash off, a claim Eightport doubts given that the words look fresh. Still, she is not yet ready to connect the Shinoyamas to Fire-Breathing Bug as she has already done Solitaire, and so she drops the matter for the time being. Once she has taken her leave and is back on the streets, she calls her chief editor to report on her progress.

The following rainy morning, Eightport 'happens' to encounter a man named Urai on Shinjuku's streets—a man whom she knows via her research is affiliated with Clarissa. Urai easily caves to her request that he participate in a 'minor story' on her behalf—though she neglects to clarify what the story is on or what his participation will entail—and follows her to the fortunetelling shop, where she presents him to "Polka" as the first of two clients whose fortunes she wants to witness being read. By this time she has also convinced her chief editor to be her guinea pig second client, so he either meets her at the building, accompanies her there, or arrives later; in any event, he is not present for Urai's private reading.

Eightport is eager to see how either Urai or "Polka" or both will react to each other, but neither appear to recognize the other and act as strangers. When "Polka" asks if anything troubles Urai, Urai first stutters that his neck has been stiff—then, he suddenly asks if "Polka" can divine where his coworker went when he skipped his work shift. After a pause, the Corpse God says Urai's friend may be in serious trouble.

Such a direct, potentially consequential response is not one Eightport had expected so early on in the session, especially since neither client nor fortuneteller seem to know each other. Already confused, she experiences further surprise when a policeman by the name of Ikeuchi enters the room and requests everyone present evacuate while his men conduct a full investigation of the premises; procuring a photograph, he claims to "Polka" that the photographed subject is a mugger suspected to have taken refuge in the building and asks if "Polka" recognizes the man in question.

Full of curiosity as to who the mugger is and whether he has any connection to Solitaire's appearance, Eightport claims she is affiliated with the shop and asks to see the photograph as well. Ikeuchi allows her to take a look while one of his subordinates enters the room, though she and Corpse God's entourage are soon escorted outside the building to wait with an officer while the investigation continues.

Eightport cheerfully waits until Ikeuchi wraps up the investigation and eventually is allowed to leave the area. She reconvenes with the chief editor and, on another street, sheepishly apologizes for having dragged him along without managing to get his fortune read, in the end. Her chief editor is more concerned with the situation she has found herself in—especially given what just happened with the police—and he asks her to drop the case and let her more experienced colleague Himura Atari take it over.

Eightport refuses, insisting that the story is hers, but she reluctantly agrees to a compromise wherein she keeps her focus solely on the fortunetelling story and nothing more. Though disappointed, she reaffirms her strong belief that Polka Shinoyama is at the center of the case with vigor and that she will make him the case's center if necessary.

By the time Eightport and the chief editor resume work at the office, rain has resumed its downpour over Shinjuku. With the question of whether the Shinoyamas have a connection to the torture building on her mind, Eightport decides to investigate the building's owner—Clarissa Kuraki—and finds an old Weekly Dry article about Clarissa's kidnapping when a teenager. By this time, she has also researched the building's past and learned an inspector named Miyabi Hosorogi disappeared inside it five years ago.

Upon learning the chief editor covered the story, she approaches the chief to ask if he recalls any connection between the Shinoyamas and the kidnapping case. Although the chief does not, he reminds Eightport what he said about the building "having a past" and admits there was one connection he deliberately left out of the article: the person who rescued Clarissa from her abductors was Hosorogi, prior to becoming an inspector.

The chief also informs Eightport that a sole officer received a rather suspicious promotion after Hosorogi's death: an officer named Habaki, who now serves as the Tokyo Metropolitan police's Chief Superintendent. This spurs Eightport back to her desk, where she attempts to call her brother Ranmaru Yatsu—a Shinjuku police officer—despite knowing he is likely still at work. Her first attempts to get through fail, but, never one to give up, she continues ringing him incessantly until he finally answers the call.

Ranmaru reminds Eightport to never call him at work, given her tabloid writer profession; nevertheless, Eightport passes along what she has just heard about Habaki's promotion. Although Ranmaru is reluctant to suspect Iwanome's former mentor of wrongdoing, he acknowledges he cannot dismiss information from the tabloid's chief editor and says he will call Iwanome directly.

Trivia

 * Her pseudonym surname Eightport (エイトポート) compounds the English definitions for the individual kanji in her real surname Yatsu (八津): 八 (hachi) is the kanji for the number 'eight', while 津 is a noun commonly meaning 'port' or 'harbor' or 'ferry'.