Kaya-chan wa Kowakunai Ep.06 - Aunt Nana, enemy or friend? Also Osamu's mentor?

Episode 6 of Kaya-chan wa Kowakunai (カヤちゃんはコワくない) is slowly but surely deepening the mystery surrounding Kaya's identity following last week's encounter with her grandmother, Ebisumori Mutsu. This time, it is time to add another member of her family in the form of her aunt, Ebisumori Nana.

She appears at the end of the first short story, in which Osamu is trapped by a wraith puppet impersonating Kaya, and she bears an uncanny resemblance to Kaya's mother, Mirai. She appears to be investigating Kaya's environment following the events with the grandmother last week. Apparently, Mutsu is no longer able to reason after meeting Kaya and simply repeats the same line over and over again.

Sure, but why would you go to such lengths to meet Kaya? Like, that's not normal Nana...chill...

Also Kaya, can you stop switching to those eyes every time? I'm trying to sleep at night you know?

Nana seems capable of perceiving supernatural events and sees a dark aura surrounding Kaya. The issue is that she does not seem friendly toward Kaya and doesn't even consider her a niece; in fact, she is ready to harm her to protect Mirai. It is also strange that no information ever reached her family regarding Mirai marrying and having a child.

What exactly is Kaya's real situation? While I have no doubt that she is a caring and adorable child, as seen in her desire to protect her classmate, I wonder if she is also under the influence of another power, perhaps a god. It would explain how a five-year-old is able to fight wraiths with such ease despite having no training whatsoever.

Their surname, Ebisumori, translates to "Forest of Ebisu", and Ebisu is one of the Seven Lucky Gods, specifically the only one who originated purely in Japan. This could explain why Kaya's personality changed when she met Mutsu and why she completely forgot about the meeting afterward.

We also get a brief scene (see the attached video) featuring the young man from the opening animation, who seems to be Osamu's mentor regarding the occult. He is worried that Osamu is reaching for something far beyond his abilities, and he is likely preparing to enter the fray himself. He is listed as one of the main characters in the anime, so I assume he will become more important later on.

Chie is probably the most motherly character that Kaya ever experienced. Hopefully she can keep grounding Kaya into the normal world.

Why do everyone in the Ebisumori family have these tendencies? Is it a natural thing or a result of something their relatives did?

The next episode will likely continue this plotline, with Nana and the mysterious young man getting closer to the house to investigate the situation further. Will Chie be able to protect Kaya from all these dangerous individuals? Will Kaya ever find peace in her own household?