Makino, Hanabi

A small being in a small home in a small village out in the big world is how Hanabi would describe her childhood. Despite being from a large family, Hanabi was actually on her own as soon as her parent’s deemed her old enough to fend for herself. She has four siblings all an entire generation older than her, with their own lives and families away from their childhood home, which was nestled snug in a shrine village in remote Hokkaido. At home, there is only Hanabi and her two retired parents. Being as old as they are, they gave Hanabi all the freedom in the world to save on their own energy.

Growing up, if there was no new game to play or book to read she’d venture out into the forests she lived near, gravitating immediately toward the sounds of life near the ponds. The trees, the frogs, and the water were her first friends. On one hand, she was easily entertained and low maintenance. On the other, she never took that formal step in communicating as society expects of one.

At school in her early years, she expressed herself with little words. Instead she opted for wide smiles and an innate inability to sit still. Her biggest misdemeanors were her attempts at escaping the classroom to be outside and bringing in the occasional critter. She got along well with other kids easily, even some of the other kids didn’t get along well with her, dubbing her the ‘weird’ girl often. She never minded them and would instead observe her classmates when she had nothing to add or was told to stay away.

In a shrine village, where the population was mostly elderly, small children, and the handful of dutiful shrine maidens and visitors, it was common for kids to go off to another school as they grew. It was no different for Hanabi, who, as soon as she reached high school age, was sent off to one of her elder siblings, a brother named Hanae. He would then enroll her into the STEM track at Hikarimachi High School to start anew with more people her age. Her cute but clutzy appearance made her approachable, but still branded a little ‘odd’. Sometimes she was too approachable in the way she’d accidentally joined a couple clubs before fully knowing, but doesn’t really mind. She has adjusted better now in her second year, as she continues to socialize and learn the ways of the Kyoto high school experience.