Menou Kurashina (倉科瑪瑙, Kurashina Menō) is a human girl whose soul got trapped in an artwork, the Agate Links, for 40 years. Her first name, Menou, means "agate" in japanese.
Appearance
Menou is a frail girl with blue eyes and long, blonde hair that reaches her waist. She is mainly depicted in a frilly red dress with a jabot, her hair tied in a ponytail with a matching ribbon. In the museum, she wears the Agate Links as a necklace.
Personality
Timid and frail, Menou is also a sensitive and honest girl who easily shows her emotions.
History
Daiki Niwa, who was 14 years old and Dark's host at the time, notices that light on heist nights and finally introduces himself to her. They get closer and the boy falls in love with her. They promise to meet again and Daiki decides to confess and give her a present, the Agate Links, the next time he'll visit.
Sadly, Menou dies right before they get a chance to see each other again. Daiki leaves the Agate Links in her hands.
40 years later, the Agate Links is given to the Lagalith Art Museum. After 3 days, Daiki Niwa, who is now a grandfather, sends a warning in Dark's name: the Phantom Thief will steal the necklace. Amongst the journalists going to the museum to take a picture of the target is Takeshi Saehara, who notices a mysterious girl on the picture, a girl who is none other than Menou, whose spirit got trapped in the artwork.
The boy immediately grows feelings for her, but can't find out who she is and where she comes from despite Satoshi Hiwatari researching for him the following day.
Menou Kurashina as she appears for the second time before Takeshi Saehara.
The following evening, Takeshi sneaks in the museum in hopes of meeting the mysterious girl again. When she appears before him, he questions her and she explains she's been waiting for someone important to her and keeping the Agate Links as her most important treasure. Takeshi promises he'll protect her and the necklace from Dark, going as far as taking it from her to escape with it.
Unfortunately, he breaks one of the Agate Links' wing after falling from the museum's roof. Apologizing, he gives it back to Menou, who had rushed outside the museum. The girl thanks him and gives him her name before he faints.
Ultimately, Daisuke takes Dark's place, and hands the necklace back to Menou who mistakes him for Daiki when he was young and is able to depart in peace, full of gratitude for her "little Phantom Thief", 40 years to the day after her death[1].In the anime
The 8th episode, that is dedicated to Menou's story, follows the manga closely, except for a few details. Indeed, Daiki is shown spending many evenings with Menou, playing cards, reading, laughing with her... He also leaves the Agate Links, a family present, on her window the day before she dies[2].
Relationships
Daiki Niwa
Menou was one of Daiki's love interests when he was 14, and he was ready to confess to her before her health declined, leading to her death. With Dark, he stole the Agate Links in his free time to give it to her.
40 years later, he sends Daisuke to meet her in his place, guessing that Menou's soul had been attached to the necklace. When Daisuke confronts him, saying that he should have gone himself, Daiki answers that making people dream is part of their job, and that he had to lie to Menou to make her happy, as she was expecting a 14-year old Daiki[1].
In the anime, Daiki doesn't mention wanting to confess to Menou, and he solely gives her the Agate Links to make her happy[2].
Dark
Menou Kurashina in the Sage of Sleep world.
In Daiki's version of Menou's past, Dark isn't shown interacting with Menou, but the old man says both he and Dark had stolen the Agate Links to give it to her. She doesn't recognize the thief when he appears to steal the necklace 40 years later.
When she asks him to wait another day before stealing her necklace, he agrees, seductively touching her hair and saying he can't say no to pretty ladies.
Dark expresses his inability to steal a heart that already beats for someone else as he watches Daisuke sleep[1]. Menou is also one of the persons who appears in the Sage of Sleep's reflection of Dark's dreams and finds one of his black feathers, implying that she's one of his 10 "most important persons"[3].
Takeshi Saehara
Takeshi sees Menou for the first time in the Lagalith Art Museum and immediately starts liking her. He is ready to defend her against Dark and threatens his life to protect the Agate Links for her. Helping Menou fills him with pride and he boasts to his friends the following day[1].
Trivia
- When Satoshi explains to Daisuke that the Hikari artworks are alive[4], Menou appears in the panel as an illustration, despite the Agate Links not being a Hikari artwork.
- As she is disappearing, Menou reminisces of Daiki giving her the Agate Links, even though the old man indicates later that he only gave it to her after her death[1].
- Daiki chose the Agate Links as a present because of Menou's name, that means "agate" in japanese[1].