Tsubaki Honda

History

Early Life

Tsubaki was born the only daughter, and therefore heiress, of Takatora and Nō Honda, and immediately from birth she became first in line to the Honda Family Oil Company. Thus, for much of her early life, she was moulded and raised to be a good heiress, and uphold the status of the family in noble society. Great expectations were placed upon her as the heiress to the Honda family, and a lot of money was invested in her education and upbringing to be sure that she would be fit to take over the company when she came of age. Tsubaki was sent to the best girls’ school in Tokyo, and no effort was spared in enrolling her in a number of extra-curricular activities and clubs that would help to broaden her horizons and educational and business prospects. It was also hoped that she would make a fine wife one day with this varied and well-rounded upbringing.

However, efforts to raise Tsubaki proved to be extremely difficult as from early childhood she stubbornly resisted her parents', servants', and tutors' attempts to bring her under control and teach her to be a proper lady. She would often lash out and hide, disliking the sterile, forced nature of the aristocracy and landed classes. She disliked her teachers, who would beat her and scold her when she was impolite, and grew wary of rich companions of her parents for their shady behaviour behind masks of etiquette. She quickly began to resent terms such as "good girl" and "ladylike" as she was increasingly punished and beaten for being neither of those things. Her parents despaired of her, furious that she would not act the way that they wished her, and she was often compared to her more obedient cousin, Mitsunari Honda.

Tsubaki hated the clubs and hobbies that were forced upon her by her parents. Not just because they were boring, but because she was “expected” to enjoy them as a rich young lady and that was a concept she hated upon principle. Determined to educate herself in her own interests, Tsubaki took up a number of secret hobbies (easily as her parents left her alone in the care of her teachers and servants) including lockpicking, climbing, drinking (and alcohol making) and smoking. Many of these acts would be considered scandalous to the family, and that gave her a huge sense of thrill and excitement, the start of her growing rebellious nature. To hide her less acceptable skills, Tsubaki also practiced her added interests in sewing, dressmaking and art that provided her with an approved cover when it came to her family. Her cover skills proved extremely useful to her rebellious antics as well. She became fascinated with making clothes in particular, and modified all of her outfits with extra deep and hidden pockets, allowing her to learn to steal with greater ease.

For many reasons, including her bad behaviour, Tsubaki didn't have any friends her own age in childhood, and her only company was her cousin. Six years her senior, Mitsunari was everything Tsubaki was not when it came to the family - but out of desperation she clung to him for the attention and interest in her skills that he gave her. She trusted him wholeheartedly, and despite the two disagreeing on their views on the family and the nobility they got along extremely well. Tsubaki would attend all of Mitsunari's horse riding events to cheer him on, and he would help her with her sewing and outfit designs. The two shared a strong mutual interest in fashion which helped. Since he was older, Mitsunari was already at boarding school and they would often only see each other when he came home during holidays and certain weekends. Thus, much of Tsubaki's childhood was very lonely, and she would act out with her rebellion to garner attention.

Young Tsubaki and Mitsunari

At 11, Tsubaki was sent to the International School of the Sacred Heart, an all girls’ school on the outskirts of Tokyo and one of the best schools in the country. It, too, was a boarding school and it meant she and Mitsunari rarely saw each other. Tsubaki loathed boarding school with a passion, and her rebellious hobbies intensified as she fought against the school's rigorous system and strict rules. At school, she began operating an underground gambling ring, mostly among fellow students but soon gaining the attention of various underground, shady groups in and around Tokyo. Tsubaki's influence as a rebellious leader gained her powerful connections and she began to enjoy how much she was flouting the school with her actions. Though she was mostly known for minor rule breaking, such as flouting uniform rules and starting fights with other girls, these were merely the tip of the iceberg when it came to her in school rebellion.

However, she was naive, and her long separation from Mitsunari meant that she was unaware that he had been pressured into working to undermine her position. To Tsubaki, he was still a supportive friend and her cousin, the only family member who actually liked her. As such, on one of their joint holidays home she gleefully told him all of her rebellious secrets, giving him sufficient evidence to carry out his own plan against her. Tsubaki returned to school completely naive to what was about to befall her.

Mitsunari disclosed all her confessions to his parents, who quickly told Tsubaki’s parents and the police. She was arrested not long after she returned to boarding school and dragged back home to face charges. Seeing her cousin watching her being lead away in cuffs, Tsubaki knew he had been the one to betray her. Heartbreaker Honda hadn’t needed to be romantic to break her heart - he just needed to shatter their friendship. Tsubaki lost all her trust in her cousin and in her family, realising she could only look out for herself. Her actions gained her the title of "Ultimate Rebel" but she was also sentenced to four years in Tokyo High Security Juvenile Detention Centre.

Prison

Tsubaki entered prison determined not to let it destroy her rebellious streak, and even though she was frightened at first by the high walls and barred cells, she set her mind upon breaking as many rules as possible without being caught. Prison also turned out to be a lucky break for her, as it introduced her to two other young inmates who would go on to become her best friends. The drug-addled and eccentric Ultimate Chemist Fawkes Catesby and manipulative but adorable Ultimate Linguist Yui Mori. The three soon became inseparable, forming what they called "The Anarchy Squad" to survive the tough conditions of juvie. Tsubaki's family disowned her after she was arrested and sent to prison, and already she felt freer without the weight of the family and expectations that they placed on her shoulders. In prison she, Yui and Fawkes, began working together on seeing how much they could stretch and bend the rules of the prison system without being caught.

Fawkes, Tsubaki and Yui in Prison

It started small, with Fawkes using his chemistry knowledge to teach Tsubaki and Yui how to brew safe to consume vodka and other alcohol illegally, but after they discovered how good Yui was at charming the guards they began to sell and distribute it too. Tsubaki also brought her gambling knowledge in and they began a successful prison gambling and racketeering enterprise. Amazingly, although there were times where the three came close, they were never caught for the entire four years that Tsubaki served in juvie. At the end of which, she was put up for parole for supposed "good behaviour" as the guards knew nothing, or said nothing, of the things she had actually done. She was granted her parole, and tearfully bid farewell to her Anarchy Squad with the promise that the three would reunite.

D.I.C.E

Upon her release from Juvie, since she had been disowned, Tsubaki was left homeless and wandering the streets. Not that she cared too much for this. She simply saw it as more ways to experiment and thrill seek while she was still young. Her drinking and smoking habits worsened and she even began experimenting with drugs for an escape from living in the cold. The illusion soon wore off, however, as winter closed in and she found herself succumbing to the cold nights. They, combined with her smoking, triggered her asthma to the point where she was left with a persistent cough. Tsubaki sought shelter and food, trying to break into the nearest building to find somewhere to squat for the night. Inadvertently choosing to try and break into D.I.C.E Headquarters.

Tsubaki was caught breaking into D.I.C.E HQ (Though at the time she didn't know that's what the warehouse was) by Manabugetsu. Tsubaki was initially hostile towards him, prompting him to invite her inside to seeKokichi and Jun’ichi, thinking she would try to attack them. However, Kokichi gave Tsubaki a deal that she realised she couldn't turn down given her situation. D.I.C.E would provide her a roof over her head, allow her to continue all her hobbies without worry of interference, and generally protect her. In return she simply had to pledge her loyalty to the gang. For some, this might seem a bad thing as it meant pledging allegiance to a criminal gang, for Tsubaki it was a lifeline. She accepted, and was more than happy to follow Kokichi's few rules in D.I.C.E in exchange for being able to act as wild and free as she wanted.

D.I.C.E

Though she didn’t get along with all of the members of D.I.C.E (most notably her fierce dislike of Manabugetsu) Tsubaki settled in and adjusted to life at D.I.C.E with incredible ease. She adored her new life and the friends it has brought her and enjoyed going out on crazy antics with the other members. Tsubaki also remained fiercely loyal to Kokichi for giving her a new family and a new chance, and she remained close to both Hotaru and Hideaki as well. The three of them became especially close, as they worked to keep themselves safe from Manabugetsu's incresingly more malicious plans against them. Though she could tell Hideaki and Hotaru had a stronger bond that she could not fathom, Tsubaki knew that they both cared for her, and she would move heaven and earth to ensure that they were safe and with her.

A sudden hospital visit with Manabugetsu , who would then get Tsubaki admitted as well with a broken wrist after yet another one of their fights, brought Mitsunari back into Tsubaki's life. Understandably, given their parting, she was furious to see him again. She swore she'd get revenge, knowing he still planned to eliminate her as well in case she came back for her fortune. Their fight came to a head when Manabugetsu, with the help of Mitsunari and Risa, kidnapped and tortured Hotaru. They forced Tsubaki and Hideaki to watch helplessly, with no way to fight back. The explosion, caused by Hotaru, at the Honda mansion left them both fearing that Hotaru was dead, and after Manabu was captured and executed, Tsubaki feared there would be nothing left for her at D.I.C.E.

Later Life

Making Amends

Tsubaki fled and left D.I.C.E behind, and by sheer chance ended up seeing a girl being attacked by a group of bullies. Tsubaki sent them packing with her needles, doing her best to comfort the girl despite being upset herself. As it would turn out, this was Ray Hunter, a young fisherwoman. Homeless and hopeless, Tsubaki offered her friendship and help to Ray, especially as she thought Ray's fish hat was super adorable. She hoped it was one nice thing she could do for a kind stranger, even while feeling despair. Ray was overcome with happiness at someone treating her with kindness and offered Tsubaki a place to stay with her and her father. Finally, Tsubaki was feeling a little hopeful.

Tsubaki’s presence, however, was a beacon to her cousin. He had miraculously survived the explosion and was still out for revenge against his cousin and to ensure he secured his position as heir to the Honda family. Infuriated and heavily injured, he had come to kill Tsubaki, but Ray intervened, landing Mitsunari in hospital to treat his burns and insisting that the two look past their feud. Ray's influence was healing for both Tsubaki and Mitsunari, and this marked the start of the two of them mending their relations between each other. Tsubaki could see that Mitsunari planned to manipulate Ray, and tried to warn her, but Ray was determined to change him. To Tsubaki's shock, she was actually successful, and Mitsunari apologised to both of them for his actions. Tsubaki was beyond happy to see him change.

It took a while, but she and Mitsunari began to slowly repair their damaged relationship. Whilst she could not bring herself to completely forgive him, Tsubaki could see why Mitsunari acted against her. She also realised how much he had been manipulated by their family and the pressure and stress he had been under at the time. Equally, she knew her cousin was beginning to understand why she had acted the way she had as well. Soon, their shared love of fashion and clothing drew them back together again and they began to see one another more often. Ray was instrumental in facilitating this - and Tsubaki was a huge supporter of her cousin’s relationship with her.

Unfortunately, things wouldn't remain peaceful for long, as the Honda family turned on both Tsubaki and Mitsunari, and it took all of Tsubaki's efforts to help Mitsunari and Ray flee to safety together. She reunited with D.I.C.E, which was trying to rebuild in the wake of Manabu's death and their split, and did her best to support Maebara with Hideaki, who was hospitalised after a suicide attempt. The Honda family were merciless in hunting down the two disowned heirs, and Tsubaki and Mitsunari both took this as their chance to finally stand up united against their parents. They both refused to rejoin their family, and swore that they would lead their own lives free of the expectations of inheritance. It cost them heavy sacrifices, including Ray’s father being killed, but they eventually got themselves to safety. Tsubaki helped her cousin and Ray flee to the countryside, and she herself returned to the now reunited D.I.C.E

Things would turn for the better soon after D.I.C.E reunited, as Hotaru returned to them alive again. D.I.C.E was back and better than ever before now they no longer had the threat of Manabugetsu hanging over them. Even more amazingly, by chance Tsubaki was reunited with her best friend from prison, Fawkes, who had survived both prison and a killing game. She was overjoyed at being reunited with one of her old friends, and happy to support him and Hotaru getting together. It felt like all of the pain she had gone through was finally over and she was happier than ever before.

The Honda

The Honda family did not stop in their attempts to take down Tsubaki and Mitsunari, however, as they remained determined that they would secure some kind of heir to the family. They bided their time, letting Tsubaki and the others settle and live peacefully for several years before deciding to strike once more. By this point, Tsubaki had become an Aunty to Timothy "Timmy" Hunter and Mariabelle "Mari" Hunter, the twin son and daughter of Ray and Mitsunari. She took the role of Aunty Baki in her stride and loved spoiling her neice and nephew. She also took to teaching them important life skills such as lockpicking and pickpocketing. She was absolutely responsible for their confidence in pulling off multiple pranks on their father, and she absolutely instigated many of them herself. The Honda saw the twins as potential new heirs for the family, who could be taken in and moulded to suit their needs whilst they were still young.

As such, they plotted to kidnap the twins by manipulating a young man named Michio Hunter. He was, by pure coincidence, an illegitimate child of Tsubaki's Uncle with Ray Hunter's mother, making him the half brother of both Ray and Mitsunari - and thus Tsubaki's half-cousin. It was confusing, and extremely concerning at first, but what was more pressing was how tight the Honda had him wrapped up in their shady business. Tsubaki broke into the Honda household to rescue the twins after Michio allowed them to be kidnapped - and she confronted her half-cousin with threats of violence should he ever try something like that again. Thankfully the twins were unharmed and returned to life with their parents - and the Honda family made no further threats against any of them. Michio returned to his mother, apologetic and understanding that he did not deserve to be forgiven for his actions but still wishing to atone for them. Tsubaki did not forgive him at first, but eventually came to get along with him.

Adult Life

With peace restored, Tsubaki decided it was time to focus upon her own career, as there was only so much being a master thief and rebel could achieve. She "borrowed" money and founded her own clothing and haberdashery shop where she would make her own clothing and offer alterations and mending to clients. Thanks to her friends' recommendations and influence her business boomed quickly and she soon had many customers after her cute accessories and outfits. Tsubaki also became an Aunt to even more nieces and nephews. Her cousin fathered another child with Ray, baby Aoi, and planned to have a big family. Hotaru, who had married Fawkes after a whirlwind of misadventure, had three children who Tsubaki immediately named herself the Aunty of as well: Hanabi "Hana-Chan" Catesby, Hideaki "Bab" Catesby and Kaori "Ka-Chan" Catesby. Then, to her delight, Tsubaki also became Aunty to Hideaki and Shogo's adopted daughter: Sayuri Tachibana.

Presents

Preferences

Tsubaki prefers the following presents from the MonoMono Machine:

	Loves:	Boba Tea, Bubble Gum Bomb, Candy Cigarettes, Sewing Kit, Jelly Balls
	Likes:	Maple Fudge, Bondage Boots, Ladybug Brooch, Teddy Bear, Bear Ears

Present Reactions

When you give Tsubaki a present, she will give you a different reaction depending on how much she likes it.

Rewards

Tsubaki gives you the following rewards upon completion their Free Time Events:

Tsubaki Honda's Underwear Reward for Completing Tsubaki's Free Time Events