Hishiya Tahei

Hishiya Tahei is a merchant who uses Ume to collect his store's unpaid debts. He makes a brief appearance in Volume 3.

Hishiya Tahei claims to be in love with Ume, but is really just using her charm and beauty in an attempt to seduce any customers that owe him money, the most recent victim being Serizawa Kamo, who instantly falls madly in love with her.

While out collecting money, Ume claims to be his wife, so as not to arouse suspicion, though Tahei eventually tells her that he has no intention of ever leaving his real wife. Both Soji and Sei overhear this conversation and although Soji orders Sei not to tell Serizawa, she does anyway after seeing that Tahei has other mistresses (Tahei does so far as to call both his wife and Ume "ugly hags").

When Ume comes by later that day to collect Serizawa's debt, he begs her to leave Tahei, telling her that he doesn't love her and is only using her to get his debts. Ume claims to know this already, and breaks down in tears before Serizawa forces himself upon her.

When Soji and Sei arrive later, they see a disheveled and upset Ume fleeing from Serizawa, who sits in a daze, fully aware that he has lost Ume forever. Serizawa goes on a drunken ramage before finally being calmed down by Sei. Meanwhile, Ume returns to Tahei's, who tells her to go an apologize to Serizawa, more worried about his store and knowing full well what Serizawa did to her.

Sei manages to settle Serizawa, and as the group walks home, they come across Ume, who informs him that she has left Tahei.