Today I want to talk about Umika and her hair. Umika has wavy gray hair that goes down to her shoudlers, and becomes blacker at the tips. She has a maid headband, likely worn at Shizuko's request to have Momoyoudou be a Hyakkiyako-style maid cafe. Something inferred in her memolobby but proven in the chibi is that she also wears small hairbands to have some of her hair go in front of her, adding some depth to the hairstyle. She has dog ears, too. I feel like her and Hibiki could get together to make a truly special festival, with Kanna making sure it runs smoothly.
Umika's passion for festivals is very cute and she wears it well. But I'm getting distracted by the winning smile. At a glance, it's obvious that Umika works in Momoyoudou because of the maid apron + kimono combo. Hers has shades of cool blue, the upper half being a mundane blue, while her lower half is a black. The pattern on her kimono is like the sky at the cloudline. Below, you have the clouds with mighty turbulence, broken by the fluffy texture to reveal a night sky, with stars on the horizon. It could also be indicative of sea level, with the black being the waters, unknown and powerful they are, and the blue being the sky, with distant yellow lights possibly representing festival lanterns, or lights on a horizon. The ambiguity is very charming, and can tell a bit about a person depending on what they see. Her maid apron is an interesting piece and has a decidedly Hyakkiyako flair to it, with rope being tied at the top, and sashed with a black and sky blue ribbon as well as a white and black floral ribbon. Said floral pattern appears on her geta(?)'s sandals, the wood itself reminiscent of her hair, being somewhat plain. That might be intentional from Umika's perspective, though. She is the type to wear something a bit more mundane so as not to steal the show of the festival itself, which could arguably be seen in how she holds a simple plate of dango and green tea. The tea kettle shows her incredible diligence.
Umika's halo is a fascinating piece. It's like a tornado, yet there's a tranquility to it, reminiscent of the phrase "method to the madness". Though that might not be accurate, it definitely fits Umika to be something of a whirlwind, yet graceful like there is no rubble caught in it.
Umika's hair is definitely well-groomed, as being part of Momoyoudou would entail that, but being a big festival-maker would also do that. The scent of it is noticable, but not overpowering. She doesn't strike me as the type to use cherry blossoms as the main ingredient of her hair... But that also feels incorrect. That contradiction would be because Umika definitely changes it up depending on the festival, so as not to have her presence go against the feeling and spirit of it. Some days it will have a light scent, others sweet, and others still warm. It depends.
With Umika, I think about that 4koma where she declares a "hugging festival". I think she'd take it in stride if I asked about any "hair-brushing festivals".
Link to previous entries (assuming I don't forget):
https://rentry.org/hair_archive