• Kind and gentle soul
  
• ... whose field of research happens to be D̵͔̭̯͖̘͓̲̮̓̈̓̽̾̒̕͜ͅë̵̡̮̗̲̫̝̲̈͊m̸͕͈͕͖̅͜ó̶͉͚̄̈̒n̷͇͈̣̰̟̅̋̈̓͝o̶͔͚̫͑͆͆ͅl̵̡̪͔̺̫̗͊̈̊͊͆ö̵̧̧̬̣͓͙̙̫́̂ģ̸͉̞̪͚̲̯͈̗̤̀͒͊̌̈́̈́̃̑ȳ̷̗͔
  
• Patient
  
• Modest
  
• Altruistic and Empathetic
  
• Highly intelligent, but a scatterbrain
  
• ⮩ (i.e. lowkey eccentric academic)
  
• Takes care of sick animals and stray people
  
• Stepford Smiler vibes
  
• Anxious
  
• Kind of depressed and tired, actually
  
• Chronic pain
  
• Mild PTSD surrounding (human) death
  
• At the same time, death fascinates him
  
• Haunted by failure :)
  
• Needs reassurance that his best is enough

A personable and soft-spoken, and yet sometimes aloof, man who outwardly appears so calm and collected - no matter the situation! - that it almost (definitely) seems like an act. In fact, Murakami is very deliberate about keeping tight control over his emotion, lest the powerful demon he has sealed away within him find sustenance in his feelings of anger, jealousy, fear, and bitterness. Despite that outward appearance of perfect serenity, however, he is in fact terrified of the possibility that he any slip in his composure will allow the beast to flip their relationship from master and sealed familiar to one of outright demonic possession. It doesn't help that the longer they stay joined, the more these intrusive negative thoughts plague his inner narrative. He copes by directing the majority of that negativity inward, constantly searching for the silver linings in every situation.

Perhaps by refusing to healthily express his emotions, he is only cultivating a weakness within himself that the demon may someday use as a foothold to claw its way closer to the surface of Murakami's personality. That is one of his many fears for his future. For that reason, he is increasingly dedicated to his research into Demonology and exorcism - keeping alive the hope that he will someday discover a way to separate this dark being from his soul without killing himself or it...

• Teaches summoning and conjuration at an elite magic school (HS through college)
  
• Childhood trauma leads to him (mostly) repress his summoning skills
  
• Trained as a healer-adventurer
  
• Retired after disaster struck his party
  
• Big guilt, does not advertise himself as a healer anymore
  
• Made peace with his magic,
  
• Reinvented himself as a researcher and a teacher
  
• Potentially possessed by a demon
  
• He's fine
  
• (He's not fine)

As a relatively unassuming teacher of magic at an elite school dedicated to training the next generation of mages and monster fighters, there is relatively little about Murakami-sensei to suggest that he is as remarkable as his more boisterous and eccentric colleagues. Despite his meek appearance, however, rumors swirl that he was once a very accomplished adventurer who retired abruptly from adventuring after the rest of his party was killed in active duty.

While this is true, what most don't know is that Murakami was only able to survive not by defeating the creature, but by sealing the beast away as one of his familiars.

Murakami's unique brand of magic surfaced early, and in a remarkable - some may even say frightening - manner. He is exquisitely sensitive to spiritual plane; even as a toddler, earthbound ghosts would seek him out as a playmate. Unlike others with the Sight, however, he had little to no ability to communicate with these spirits, nor is he capable of guiding them to the light. In fact, his "gift" is much the opposite: he has the rare ability to bind dying souls to his own. If he touches a dying creature, there is a chance that their soul will be prevented from passing on; instead, that soul exists in a liminal reality, bound inseparably to his. (The only way to prevent this is to prepare a vessel with a portion of his spirit, which can be used to perform exorcisms but cumulatively impacts his health.)

In addition to his significant survivor's guilt, keeping the beast at bay day after day is a constant drain on Murakami's magical resources. He suffers from daily pain and fatigue, and his summoning abilities are only a fraction of what they once were - but Murakami's dedication to helping the powerless against the supernatural evils of this world and the realm beyond led him to teaching.

He hopes to inspire his students to accomplish great things in his stead, and his heartfelt instruction comes from a place of both authority, hope for the future, and genuine kindness. He can, however, be a little envious of young people who have their entire future ahead of them, while Murakami feels as if his own was cut short at its prime.

Unfortunately, of those who do know of the events of Murakami's past, there are many who regard the man with wariness and mistrust - they do not have faith that any human can truly maintain control over the caliber of demon that Murakami has sealed away within himself. They watch him closely, ever vigilant for any sign that the beast may be emerging through Murakami's typically patient and collected personality. As such, Murakami must keep a tight lid on his true emotions, careful to never display any show of temper or upset in public.

The result is a man who is outwardly soft-spoken and kind, but highly repressed, with no one he can truly trust to share his struggles - or even a more genuine side of himself.