Azul Ashengrotto

Azul Ashengrotto is a second-year student and the head of the Octavinelle Dormitory. He manages the Mostro Lounge, a café located in the Octavinelle dormitory building. Though he claims to help others out, the wishes he grants often come at a price.

Appearance
Azul has wavy hair that is a silver-blue hue. It is parted to the right and has one lock of long hair along the left side of his face. His eyes are a darker color than his hair and are of a sky-blue hue. He wears eyeliner in his dormitory outfit and ceremonial robes. In the former, he wears thin purple eyeliner while in the latter, he wears thick black eyeliner. He usually wears rectangular glasses with a silver frame (which are removed if wearing goggles, such as in his labwear outfit or Beans Day outfit).

He has a beauty mark below his lip on the left side of his face. He wears a black fedora with a grey bow around it and a purple seashell on the bow. His outfit consists of a white dress shirt, a grey coat over an unbuttoned black double-breasted suit, a cool-toned grey scarf, and white gloves. He also wears a pair of black slacks and purple socks accompanied by black dress shoes. His scarf has the Octavinelle logo on it, and he carries a black cane with a silver handle resembling an octopus.

Personality
Azul is very well known around NRC not only for his status as dorm leader of Octavinelle, but also for the rumors that float around about him being capable of granting any wish one desires with the exchange for a price. Upon first seeing Azul, he comes off as 'friendly' and willing to 'help' others by offering them what they want. However, in reality, the way his deals work only benefits him while leaving the other party fruitless. He is also intelligent in choosing his words so that a deal may seem to align with the client's wish, when in reality those words were arranged to have 'grey areas', which usually ends in him scamming the client. Azul is also known to be sly, being able to convince almost anyone to sign a contract with him. He is also seen to be skilled in every aspect.

However, Azul has actually been very insecure about himself, especially his octopus form (which, according to Floyd, is chubby) as a result of being bullied and socially isolated by the other mermaids. Although Azul was bullied for his sluggishness and ink-spewing tendencies as an octopus mermaid, he also realized the perks of his octopus-mer form at a young age. Using his many limbs and ability to spew ink to aid him, he studied magic non-stop and managed to form his unique magic at a young age. Using his unique magic, he is able to steal one's magical ability or physical quality (but is not known to have used it against anyone prior to enrolling at NRC).

After the incident in Episode 3, Azul utilizes a point-card system where customers can purchase food and drinks to earn points and exchange these points for a consultation with Azul (where he offers the same wish-granting services as in his contract system). This reflects Azul's fondness for making money.

Background
Azul is from the far north of the Coral Seas

Signature Spell
His signature spell is called "It's A Deal" (, Ittsu a Diiru; lit. "Golden contract"). As long as someone signs a contract with him, he will be able to confiscate one of the target’s abilities. This can be a magical ability or a physical capability, such as a beautiful singing voice or the ability to swim fast. The consequences for not fulfilling the conditions of the contract depend on the terms listed down in a contract one makes with Azul. For example, in episode 3, the contract that Azul made with several students for his test notes required them to aim for the top 50 in the exams. Should they fail to fulfill that condition, they would be made to work in the Mostro Lounge until graduation.

Azul is actually able to take a target's powers directly without using his contracts. However, this would result in the rapid accumulation of blot as well as cause pain for the targets. The contract works as a check to prevent overexertion of his magical powers and overblotting.

Trivia

 * His family runs a very famous restaurant back in the Coral Sea. However, Azul dislikes it.
 * He knows how to play the piano and was in a band with Jade (contrabass) and Floyd (drums) in middle school.
 * According to Floyd, his octopus form looks very squishy and delicious.
 * During the Happy Beans Day Event, Ruggie mentions that Azul's flight technique was so desperate that he couldn’t look at it.
 * He and the Leech twins didn't go home during the winter holidays in Episode 4 because the ice that drifts in the Coral Sea makes it hard to swim.
 * According to Jade, the Coral Sea is in the north and could be a reference to the original story of The Little Mermaid (1989), which was written by Hans Christian Andersen and the story took place in Denmark (a country which lies at the north).
 * Azul was chubby in the past and was also a crybaby.
 * He can utilize all 8 of his tentacles in addition to his hands to write.
 * Azul is based on Ursula, a villainous cecaelia sea witch, in The Little Mermaid (1989).
 * "Azul" is the Spanish and Portuguese word for the color blue. "Ashen" of his surname refers to being pale grey in color; "grotto", a word for cave, references Ariel's secret grotto where she kept human artifacts and/or Ursula's cave where she conducted her business.
 * Azul has a better relationship with his stepfather than his biological father. He met him after dealing with the aftermath of his mother's own divorce from Azul's biological father.
 * Azul has a habit of collecting coins. He discovered his hobby when he was a child, and he used to pick up some coins near a sunken ship.
 * According to Floyd, Azul is bigger than him and Jade in his merform.