Summary

Aiko was born in the area of Tokyo, Japan. Growing up you likely wouldn’t recognise her from how she was in the present, as the girl seemed much more energetic and confident when she was younger. She loved having her hair long and reaching around her belly button, often approaching many of her classmates in the nursery, as both of her parents were working jobs to bring money into the home she needed to be dropped off there most of the day. Even while being there for barely a week she had accumulated an abundance of friends, if she saw someone that had no one else to talk to she’d go out of her way to talk to them, even offer to play games with them during breaks. While Aiko’s confidence and energy were upsides there were also downsides, one being the many times she was distracting students from their work, often showing them things or even talking to them.

The teachers didn’t take too kindly to that, and Aiko herself didn’t know she was doing anything wrong, she just wanted to talk to someone since she couldn’t keep her focus on the class, and half the classes bored her to death. Over time the teacher brought their concerns to her parents, they believed it was because of how young she was that this may change. They’d have a small talk with her back home and hope to incite fewer distractions during classes. Or at the very least keep them to a minimum. While many years passed Aiko reached the age of 8. Despite the many... Many talks her parents had with her. Aiko’s focus on her classes wasn’t improving, the distractions had been kept to a minimum, even if she wasn’t fully aware of why it was bad per se. At the very least she agreed to only talk to her friends during break time.

Her teachers once again spoke to her parents, they presented their ongoing concerns about her studies as her results were less than adequate compared to the rest of the class. Should she continue like this despite their talks, the teacher recommended taking her to the Doctor to see if there was anything mentally preventing her from improving. Although reluctant at first, her parents agree to take her to one. Hopefully, it would reassure them that it was due to her young age that she would find it difficult to focus in classes and that perhaps once she was older this would change.

Her parents were able to be off work for the day they were bringing her to the doctor. Aiko was busy playing with the toys while they were in the waiting room, despite all that was going on her smile still shone so brightly. Eventually, they were called to the doctors. A few checkups here and there and as for her physical health there didn’t seem to be anything that would incite this. However, they still needed to check her mental state, even as certain symptoms would show up, perhaps not all of them but enough to come to a reasonable conclusion.

The Doctor spoke to her parents about the issues that were popping up during her school, the lack of focus in classes and her energy levels differed from her classmates. She couldn’t sit still during classes, she needed to be doing something. A lot was spoken about these issues, and the doctors brought up other possible symptoms and whether they were present or shown in her behaviour. Her parents remembered what her teacher had spoken of at the time and a handful was shown throughout her classes. The concern was shown on her parents' faces as the Doctor gave a reasonable explanation for this behavioral pattern. Due to how her brain is wired, her acts differ from all her other classmates. The Doctor recommended a prescription for her, as the overall conclusion they had come to in terms of her behaviour pattern was that it aligned with that of ADHD. The prescription in question would help to calm her down and allow her to focus on tasks.

Her parents agreed to give the prescription a shot if it meant her studies would improve, medically she was diagnosed with the Disorder and from that point on she was given medication for it, to take the pill once a day. Which was normally done during her lunchtime. The change was apparent in her behaviour, she didn’t move as much as she used to, nor did she distract students from their classes. Seeing this improvement her parents decided to reward her for her hard work, they said she could have anything she wanted and as a child, she said she wanted a pet. So they brought her to a site that showcased said pets and one she seemed taken to was a Persian cat, as small as a kitten and had fur as white as snow. Her parents were happy to bring it in as part of the family, all it took was a few signing of paperwork and the cat was now theirs! Aiko was ecstatic about their new family member. Now the cat needed a name, but what? Aiko was having trouble coming up with one, so her parents gave her ones that related to his white fur, such as Snowy, Yuki (Snow in Japanese) Even glutton as a joke since the kitten ate a lot of his food the moment he was given it. Aiko didn’t like them that much so they decided to wait for the right moment to name their new feline.

Aiko was 10, and things were looking up for the family, no more issues had cropped up during Aiko’s classes and the cat made a great addition to the family. Aiko had grown so attached to the cat that she became upset whenever she needed to head to school, and once she returned her mood improved by wonders whenever she came into contact with him. Whenever she came back from school in a sour mood, whether it was because she got into an argument with a friend or she didn’t get the grade she wanted. The cat would quickly visit her in her room to alleviate her sadness. One day while she was reading in bed her cat had chosen to stick by her and curl up into a ball beside her.

The book in question had the title ‘The Helpful Prince’ It entailed a Prince who would make up for the misdeeds of his Father, going by and helping all who needed it most, even going as far as to provide homes for the homeless. While his Father disagreed the Prince simply kept going. The townsfolk rejoiced as the heir to their town was so kind and generous! He would even help soothe the woes of his townsfolk personally. This prince reminded her of her cat, one who soothes her woes and raises her spirits the moment she sees him. At that point she realized the cat had still yet to be named, now she had one in mind. She brought this up with her parents on naming the cat Prince, her parents were reasonably confused about why this name specifically. Aiko showed them the book she had read just before and told them just how much the cat had done to help her. Her parents were of course, guilt-ridden knowing that what efforts they had done were thwarted by the efforts of a mere cat. But it was hard to say no to her big smile. So from that point on the cat was donned with the name Prince! More time had passed with the family, and Aiko felt she needed to spend more quality time with her parents, as with Prince taking up her attention she felt a little guilty about it.

Since her parents usually did the cooking, she offered to help out. Of course, there are obvious risks in cooking, especially using a knife to dice ingredients. Aiko was given a tutorial the first few times. She wanted to do it right so she put all of her focus on watching what was done, the way the knife was held, how big the ingredients needed to be cut into, and how far away her other hand needed to be. She kept it in mind for when the time came when they allowed her to help out with the cooking. At first, her cutting was sloppily done which frustrated the girl, her parents reassured her it was a new skill and that it would take time for her to learn it. Aiko was grateful for their reassuring words yet she wanted to improve for their sake.

Eventually, a few years passed and Aiko picked up the skill of cooking. She had improved tremendously, even offering to do the cooking on her parent's behalf. With how much confidence she had in her capabilities they couldn’t say no, from time to time they would cook together and have fun doing it! She was glad she decided to spend more time with her parents since now not only had she picked up this skill, the memories she gained from the experience she would cherish for days on end.

Her mother had also offered to teach her how to bake, allowing her to gain yet more pleasant memories; she enjoyed baking cupcakes the most since they could be shared amongst others. Using this to her advantage she chooses to make one at the end of her Elementary school. With it being the end of this chapter in her life she opted to bake her class some cupcakes, the satisfying noises she got from them were enough to make her happy, she’d been practicing them for months on end until she finally perfected them. Seeing her classmates enjoy them, their smiles and even when they complimented her baking made her all warm and fuzzy inside. Maybe she could make more people happy with her Baking? But what about her cooking too? Her parents enjoyed eating the food she made. But she couldn’t just stop there, she needed to refine her skills, some professionals made a career with either of the skills, but which one would she go for? She was indecisive about this, maybe this was a decision down the line.

She kept in touch with a lot of her friends from this school, they even made a group chat to keep in touch since half of them were going to other schools. It would be a shame if they lost touch somehow. Most of the time Aiko went in was to spam about Prince, others spoke about relationships and how much they make them happy, each time it was brought up Aiko could feel a pang of jealousy, even during elementary she didn’t develop any crushes as she was focused on her interests and studies. Was she meant to have a crush? Her friends were getting into relationships with students in their classes, but would that last? She knew of one where they were going to separate middle schools, it would be long distance and they wouldn’t be able to touch... But she shouldn’t be meddling in other people's affairs, she wanted to focus on her interests. But because of this, she found herself unconsciously beginning to distance herself from her elementary friends.

Each time she went in, it was a conversation about a date or even talking about the partners themselves. Aiko felt... Left out, almost like there was an invisible barrier between her and her friends. Aiko couldn’t contribute other than to give them her support for dates. There was even the odd time they’d try hooking her up with a student she’d spoken to a few times but she didn’t feel any of the ‘sparks’ they spoke about even at the times she did meet up. It wasn’t doing any good for her. Did she need to have a partner? She’d be able to fit in the group if she did but she wouldn’t date a stranger. There were also the times she’d be teased for being single since all of them had partners now except for her. Even if it was all lighthearted the jealousy and frustrations were continuing to brew up... She couldn’t bring herself to talk there anymore knowing it would lead to that.

She had her family and Prince to keep her happy, all this time she believed the feelings she had were selfish, but she couldn’t talk to her parents about it. Knowing them they’d encourage her to find someone, it wasn’t like she disliked this kind of support, but if she did get a partner would it change how she was? Would she start talking about them to others? Even spending less time with her parents to tend to them. The girl had never known what it was like to be in love aside from how her friends had acted.

Middle school was around the corner so she decided to put aside these feelings and prepare for it. The school was a new start, she’d meet new people, and possibly meet up with others that went to her old school. If it was any of the ones she was in that group chat with, it would be awkward considering she hasn’t been speaking in there as often as she used to. They even asked why she’s been away and she made some excuses on the spot saying she was busy improving her cooking, which wasn’t entirely wrong. Her parents had signed her up for cooking classes while months went by before middle school started.

The rest of her free time was spent binging films or shows alongside her parents whenever they both had time off for her they would all pick one to watch all the way through since it bothered Aiko whenever they stopped partway to watch another. Eventually, the time came for her to enter Middle school, she was now 13 years of age, beginning her adolescence, and she was ready to begin her new life there, her parents had purchased enough pens, pencils, and notepads to last her years there. Everything was going great! Now all she needed to do was start her first day there. That is when things took a turn for the unexpected.

As soon as she entered the building it was like a wall had appeared, all these ...oughts started sprouting out of nowhere. Where did they come from? She was excited to talk to new people moments ago... Now all she can think about is whether they’d like her or not. While she was walking about the hallways she could already feel stares, or was that just her imagination? Despite a few years going by her height didn’t add up to much, compared to the rest of the student body. She remembers her dad telling her about her grandmother not being very tall... Maybe she got her genes? In any case, this and the sudden thoughts that were plaguing her mind weren’t helping her situation, anytime she wanted to go up to someone the thoughts on whether they’d like her or even view her as a student at the school because of her height kept coming into play.

But why was this happening all of a sudden? She was happy to go up to anyone and start a conversation, usually about pets or even asking how their day was... Is that alright though? Would they think she was weird for asking these things? Ah- more thoughts crowded her mind, she needed to find somewhere and cool off. There was still some time before classes started so she could find a place to relax, as she wandered about the hallways, the building was entirely new to her, with all the new rooms she needed to memorize. When it came to this she thought of things around the area to help her with it, like vending machines, or even a plant. Anything to help memorize what was familiar with her surroundings.

Eventually, she came across one of the rooms for students to use for leisure purposes or perhaps for studies. That being the Library, the chatting in the hallways was getting to her a little and the library is known to be a quiet place so she quickly makes her way in. As the door closed behind her, the chattering turned to muffles. Internally sighing in relief as she gazed around with her emerald eyes, the only books she’d really read were the ones she had as a kid and also recipe books. Maybe she could pick one up to distract her from the earlier thoughts, with that being said the girl did just that, walking about the aisles of the Library, only the sound of page turning, whispers and barely audible footsteps were heard. This place was relaxing, the atmosphere around her, she hadn’t thought about visiting a library all that much in the past, but if the hallways were always as loud she’d use it as a way to get away from it all.

She picked up a book she liked the look of, the title being ‘A scarred heart’ From what she gathered in the summary the main character had been through many experiences, all had left a scar on their heart, from friends, family even lovers. These scars had made them spiteful and reclusive to the world, no matter how hard they tried they couldn’t be happy, so why bother? Aiko couldn’t help but want to read more of this story and hope this character has a happy ending at the very least. She brought it over to one of the open tables and started reading.

It hadn’t even felt like an hour had passed but she soon heard the sound of the bell for classes, she had only read ⅓ into the book but she was hooked. It should be possible to borrow books from the library would it not? She went over to the desk and quickly borrowed the book before making her way to class. The class went on, as usual, there were however a lot of unfamiliar faces. Maybe she could use this opportunity to get to know her classmates, though, from the looks of things, there were already groups. After each class, she’d often try to go up to others but then other classmates would get there before her.

The same thoughts sprouted from this, ‘would I disturb them?’ ‘they don’t know me..’ ‘They all seem so close already’ Whenever she felt these thoughts envelop her, she chose to go to her safe space. Aka the Library, she started using it more during breaks and even read more books, it bothered her how little time she had to read, so maybe she could read when she got home? Each book she read was like she entered a new world entirely. Loveable characters that help the protag any chance they get, even with the hardships they go through their bonds grow deeper. The feeling she felt about her old friends returned, and despite this, she admired them all, they had all achieved so much together, would she have friends like that one day? She was already struggling to talk to people, but there was a way she could bypass that, the people in the library!

Since she was struggling to talk to her classmates, what about the people in the library? Most were on their own reading or studying, it was the perfect opportunity. Now she had a subject in mind that would make her weird for bringing up. Books! So the next time she could be in the library she decided to scout out some potential friends, when she did this she found a girl that was browsing the comedy section, seemingly unsure of which to pick up. Aiko, albeit a little nervous, walked right beside her.

“Hey! Are you looki-” The girl seemed to jump quite unexpectedly, and well it shouldn’t come as a surprise, as Aiko had mistakenly forgotten to lower her tone, this was the first time she’d spoken to someone in the library, but the girl jumping spooked her in the process. Without much hesitation, the girl snapped back, her face scrunched up in disgust. “Ugh, this is a library, you should know better than to speak so loudly” The girl went off in a huff, leaving Aiko in a state of guilt and high nerves. That went... Horribly. It was her only fault for speaking loud in the first place, why did she? Maybe the excitement got the better of her? But now she felt worried about her next attempt. Would there be one..? Considering how badly that one went, she’d wait some time until the next. Things went on as normal as the days passed. Aiko kept to herself for the most part, even while the Library incident happened a few weeks ago, her mind had yet to let go of it. However, right as she was debating about reaching out once more a group of lads approached her table once classes had finished. She could feel her heart pounding but they came over to her, that must be good right? Maybe they wanted to say hi. One of the males nudged the other as he spoke up. “I haven’t seen you talk much, Aiko wasn’t it?”

Aiko nodded as a small smile appeared on her face, finally, she’d have someone to talk to. The girl could feel her nerves gripping at her but she wanted to push through, if it meant she could have a friend or more than one then she’d make the effort. “Sorry about that.. I get a bit nervous I guess” She responded, fiddling with her uniform, the male that spoke was then nudged by one of his friends. They all had smiles on their faces but the kind they had on filled Aiko with unease. “Right right, yeah, so anyway. Me and my friends here were hoping to get an answer from you, if that’s alright with you” Aiko tilted her head to the side, an answer? Did they need help with their homework? Her scores weren’t really to write home about but maybe theirs weren’t as good. But she shouldn’t judge too much, her old scores were abysmal. “Oh! Sure! What was it you wanted me to answer?”

Her voice was full of glee and curiosity as she answered, what worries she had faded away for a moment if it meant she could help them then they’d keep talking and then be friends. She truly hoped so, right now she felt like she was in her little world while everyone around her passed her as the days went by. “Heh, we were wondering just how tall are you, Aiko. Satoshi and I were thinking you’re around 3’3 Daichi over here thinks you’re 3’5, so we came to you directly to see who got it” The longer the male talked the smile that was once there had now vanished into a concern and worried look on her face... This was about her height..? At first, she was speechless, but... She had to at least answer them, she could give them that the very least.

“No... I’m… I’m 4’5” Was all she could muster. She felt the nerve pile up again ‘Do I stick out that much?’ ‘Do people think less of me for being smaller?’ These thoughts arose once more, she wanted to head back to the Library but the lads were stopping her. “Tch looks like we were all wrong, no biggie. Still, you’re kinda shrimpy for a middle schooler, you some kind of prodigy child?” She shook her head, her earlier worries were coming true... That her height would have people assume she’s younger than she was. The feelings were starting to well up inside her small frame. Her cheeks turned pink from the embarrassment. “No? You must’ve gotten the wrong end of the gene stick then, ay shrimpy? That’s your new nickname now Shimpy.” The boys all snickered to themselves as they finally left her table. Aiko took this opportunity to pick up her belongings and dash to the library, only catching a few remarks in earshot as she finally made her way over. The silence soothed her as she went to pick up another book, her only escape from these hardships was through other universes. She wasn’t strong or witty like some characters she reads about, she used to be chatty. But all that disappeared somehow? Now she’s hesitant to talk to people. Each time she did it ended in her feeling such negative emotions. It was like the character in the scarred heart... They tried and tried and tried to make connections but nothing stuck. But at least with these books she didn’t need to talk to anyone in person, she could just keep reading and enjoy the interactions she had, even if... It made her feel a little lonely. They still made her happy. The library was her safe space and the books were her friends. They didn’t judge her or call her names, they let her read their stories to her heart's content.

She’d even started asking for books for her birthdays, for her 13th she wanted some. Her parents didn’t know what to get her specifically so they got her a variety of genres, and she loved them all. There was, however, a change in her behaviour. Rather than coming downstairs to watch TV with her parents, she stayed in her room to read or play with Prince. They didn’t think much of this at first since she’d recently become interested in reading, and she needed the private time to read these books. But they couldn’t help but miss spending time with their daughter, they still cooked together and she would often come down to cook as well, specifically at 5 pm each day. Now that she had started school she would make her own Bentos for lunch. Rather than sitting in the cafeteria, she chose to have it in the Library, there wasn’t a rule against food being there, and she was as careful as she could be. She respected the library and its books, she knew better than to do any damage to them. The books themselves had helped her through what woes she had about her school, her nickname ‘Shrimpy’ had bounced around the classroom, not only to the male who gave it to her called her it, some thought it was her actual name, and apologised but it was clear in their sniggers that they knew. Aiko wanted to make friends but it was like the school had decided she wasn’t one of them, a child, too short. She wasn’t a fan of being in this kind of attention, and at times things got too much for her, she opted to have a small cry in the bathroom. She just had to get through these years then it would be high school. She had her library to keep her happy even if she didn’t have any friends.

Eventually, she decided to talk to her parents about all these issues that had propped up, it was like a switch had been flicked and she could no longer function like her usual chatty self. Although it didn’t help that her classmates were intimidating to approach, even when she attempted to, it usually ended the same way, some side glance and they move on, it was like they were avoiding her as if she were the plague. All this did was further worsen her inner voice. The one that constantly spoke of the worries. ‘Do they think I’m weird?’ ‘Is it because I’m short..’ ‘They deserve someone better anymore..’ It all built up, and she wasn’t even sure if this is what normal is, so her parents decided taking her to the doctors again would be best. Perhaps she would get some answers, this time however there was a change in how they handled things the first time, she was taken to a room and told to do a few activities, one, in particular, was that she needed to come up with a scene between a couple of inanimate objects, a spoon, a sponge and a cloth. While she was wondering why she needed to do this she went through with creating one, albeit with difficulty since it felt like she was on the spot. More visits were needed and the more they did so the more the reasoning behind her behavioral pattern. The reason why she acted or reacted so differently compared to other students. She was given the diagnosis of Autistic Spectrum Disorder (Formally known as Asperger's syndrome) Aiko wasn’t sure what this all meant but now that she had a name for it she could do a bit of research into the diagnosis. And a lot of what came up aligned with her struggles, especially with communication, sometimes she could register tone and even her expressions wouldn’t be as prominent unless she was talking about a special interest of hers. Even the daily schedule she does most days lines up with it. She almost couldn’t believe there was a name for these behaviours. But now she had to worry about overcoming what these issues were, it wasn’t like she had friends to support her. Only her family knows of it.

Now it was near the end of middle school, and due to the students nearing their final few months in middle school,l the school was opting for her class to go on a camping trip to develop skills when it came to trekking out in the world. Aiko wasn’t exactly stoked about this all things considered, not only would she be sleeping in a tent along with her classmates but she’d also be far away from the nearest library and only a limited space for her to read. She couldn’t exactly refute these reasons however, they were selfish and the school wanted to do something good for them. So she and her parents packed for the camping trip, well partially. There was still much to buy for the trip. Then a fateful night arrived before the camping trip, one of her least favourite classes at school, and instead of being outside they were inside playing Kickball. It made her wonder why they made this decision since usually, kickball would be more efficient outside where the ball could go as far as possible rather than limited to the space of the gymnasium. But in any case, she couldn’t exactly refute the reasoning behind this, only keeping to herself and playing along with the rest of her teammates. The class were split into two teams and were given flimsy bibs to distinguish their times, her team was blue while the other was yellow. Each team member needed to take a turn kicking the ball as far as they could and get a point going between one point and then to the wall. Aiko wasn’t exactly confident in her kicking ability nor her running ability to boot, but she had to at least try. It wasn’t her turn for a few more members, they were kicking it pretty decently, it went out pretty far and only one member was tagged out with the ball. She could feel her heart beating in her chest, she had long since accepted these thoughts of inadequacy, doubt and worry as part of her daily life in this school, with the years she’s been in it there wasn’t much she could do to stop them. Now the time had come to take her turn, the beating in her chest had risen significantly but she couldn’t sway now! The ball came in her direction and she kicked it! It more or less bounced off the side of her foot and not very far, so she had no choice but to book it, at least with her small body it made her more streamlined, she soon made it to the point across from the wall, now she needed to make it back. Exercising wasn’t a strong point of hers, so this was already taxing on her body, nevertheless, she didn’t want to let down her teammates right off the bat so she booked her way back towards the wall, however right as she turned she could see the ball right in her peripherals. Had they already caught it?? Midway running she turned her head part way and saw the ball. Panic was instilled, she had to make it back to the wall to get her point, she just had to!! Before she knew it she was already close to the wall, by the time she turned her head- SMACK! She crumbled to the floor, the shock of this put her in a dazed state for a few moments. Her right Ankle took the brunt of the collision luckily, so the majority of the rest of her body was fine, while she was on the floor everything continued as normal. It took her a few moments but she managed to make her way over to the side of the wall, her mind was telling her not to move her Ankle yet she felt no pain from it, how strange. She did as it had said and didn’t move it. The teachers came up to her with concern no doubt and they opted to move her to the nurse's office since from her stiff body movement and the colour draining from her face there was something wrong. The teachers helped her make her way outside the Gymnasium so the nurse could bring the wheelchair. Aiko was still trying to process things so she didn’t say much other than nothing hurt but she didn’t want to move her Ankle. As the nurse arrived she was placed into the wheelchair and given a lift over to the nurse's office. Now she was sitting on the chair waiting for any confirmation of anything, what should she be feeling? Fear? Pain? Anxiety? Anything? Right now she felt numb, all of it happened so that her brain was still trying to catch up. Right as she was buried in these thoughts the teacher that was in charge of tallying up the points came to her door she looked up at them with her usual concerned look. “Hey! I came to tell you that you got your point. Congrats!” All of Aiko’s numbness was turned into relief, happiness and euphoria. Despite all that she went through, she was still given the point. She thanked the teacher and allowed them to return to the gymnasium. So her efforts weren’t entirely in vain, that’s good. Although, to this day she was never told which team had won the game itself, perpetually left in the dark. Perhaps she will find out one day. Only time would tell. Now that she was out of school her parents were around to pick her up and take her over to the hospital for some X-rays. Aiko felt guilty she was having her parents go through the effort since her Mother was supposed to still be at work she needed to come out to pick her up, but it is what is it, her mother was more concerned about her daughter's injuries even if Aiko herself didn’t feel the pain in her Ankle. She was quickly driven over to the nearest hospital, having to wait a short time before she could have her Ankle X rayed. Over time her parents had taken her off her usual medication. Her hyperactive behaviour had diminished yet other symptoms were around such as forgetfulness and unable to focus or sit still properly. It didn’t cause too much of an issue aside from her grades suffering a little, but nothing some focused studying could fix. Now that she was given the X-Ray the results were what most expected, the side of her Ankle had broken and needed repairing which meant she required surgery. Aiko had never had surgery before so you can imagine how wary she felt, yet her mother would be there to help her through it. The surgery had come and passed, the cast was put upon her Ankle and she needed to use crutches to get along, this also meant she would have to miss out on the camping trip her school had done for class. She wasn’t exactly sad about it, as it meant she’d be staying home and away from school, at least for the remainder of her middle school, the Ankle had many weeks to heal and adjust to the pins so she had a lot more time to herself. Due to the nature of her broken ankle, she needed to remain at home for weeks on end and fill out what studies she was given by the school. The only downside is that she could no longer go to the library at the school for books and she’d already read what novels she had many times. There was only so long she could play with Prince before that bored her as well, she couldn’t cook or bake in the state she was in, in summary, she was bored. For one of her birthdays, she was given a tablet to use, for whatever reason. She didn’t use it that much aside from searching for recipes to note them down. But now it could be of use to her, it had an internet connection so perhaps there was something she could find interesting. She started browsing through Youtube looking at the many different videos laid out, the choices she was given were a little overwhelming but some games had such a cute art style that she had to watch playthroughs of it, one video turned into two turned into three. Aiko subscribed to many creators who uploaded gaming playthroughs, most were hilarious and made her laugh at times. She was entirely hyperfocused on these until she came across another video in her recommended ones. From the looks of it, there were animated figures, one looked like a girl in a uniform while the other seemed to be a male with a red full-suite outfit, and also had.. Ears? The girl was intrigued by this, the video itself was the first episode of Inuyasha. Aiko watched while eating some snacks, she hadn’t watched this kind of show before. What kind of show was it? Watching multiple episodes she couldn’t get enough of it, the comedy and the romance all balled into this show. Each episode was gripping as the next, it was like she was watching her usual shows or reading one of her novels. She wanted to watch more. Sadly as all things do eventually, she had come to the end of the show. All 26 episodes were finished as quickly as she started, now she needed to find others. Looking at what the show was, it was called an Anime? Others were popping up that she started watching, such as Power Puff Girls Z, School Rumble, and Gintama. Even One Piece (Back when it was around 600 episodes) Each time it became a routine for her as usual, she finished off her work from the school files then as a pastime she binged more of these shows, they made her laugh and distracted her from her recurring thoughts. The downside is that she’d continued to stay in her room and wasn’t happy whenever she needed to stop mid-way to go down, it had become a pet peeve and this had put a strain on her relationship with her parents. Being distracted while mid-focus upset her, and she showed this by not talking that much to her parents, in turn upsetting her parents for not engaging with them. Arguments would sometimes stem from built-up frustrations, but Aiko wasn’t one to argue so she’d leave the room if she could, holding herself back in her room and away from the shouting, the loud noises hurt her ears, her parents should be aware the noise is affecting her but they were too upset to care at this point. There was still time for her Ankle to heal and her socializing had taken a large dip now that she wasn’t speaking to her parents so much. It would be nice if she could speak to others while still being in her room, but then it hit her, this was still possible, and not just via phone group chats, the internet had a change of online chat rooms she could speak to people in and there should be ones relating to Anime, it had to work! And that it is, she’d created her account by the name of Cherry_Blossom on one of the sites, she was fond of the flower with how pink and small it looked, it reminded her of herself in a way so she chose it as her user and even had her profile picture as one. She was anxious, to say the least about how people would be around her, but once she started talking about the anime it was like relief had hit her, everyone was just as talkative and supportive. There were times it got a bit overwhelming to which she took a step back and waited until things had died down. But overall she was happy to speak with them all, she was even learning English from a friend who was from America and had learned Japanese. It started with simple conversations but eventually, she was getting the hang of it, she’d wanted to learn a new language and since she knew a few words and strings of sentences of English from what she was taught in school, that seemed like a good place to start. Now she could talk in full sentences about how much she enjoyed anime and speaking to her friends in English. She found it easier to learn and focus when she was being taught by a friend, they could have fun doing it rather than feel like it was a chore. The many pictures Prince Aiko had sent to them could fill up an entire storage, she couldn’t help but gush about her cats and the friend had one of their own and they’d both exchange the feline pictures and gush over how cute they are, the warm and fuzzy feeling she’d be without for so long had returned, speaking all these friends online made her happy even if she couldn’t meet with them in person. Eventually, the time she’d spent at home had to come to an end, her Ankle had now healed and she was able to have the cast removed, it was yet another brand new start as she was able to move on to high school. Yet another daunting start for the girl. Middle school wasn’t exactly a trip through the part for her. What could this entail for her? The same upset and reclusive behaviour she had donned before? She really didn’t want to go but her parents insisted since she had already missed a portion of her middle school, she needed to make up for it. And so she was left with little to no choice but to, what loving relationship she had with her parents had long since passed, they seemed much more spiteful and less understanding of her afflictions due to her time in her room. She had what little hope remained that this high school would be a better chance for her, maybe she could meet others that shared these interests. Whether it be novels, anime, or cats and now that she had no cast on she could get back to cooking and baking! But those very same thoughts would return, would they still treat her like she’s a child? Her height had yet to shift from 4’5, was she cursed to remain so small?? Whatever it was, she could only adapt and overcome this adversity. The only issues were the students and whether they’d avoid making any rude remarks. Aiko couldn’t shake the Shrimpy nickname in middle school, maybe things would be different? As she walked towards the school the giant building loomed over her, other students walked by not taking much notice of her, it was better than the first day of middle school at least, she couldn’t shake the many stares she got then, at least people kept to themselves. It wasn’t until a certain familiar tone of voice could be heard just behind her that all that hope came tumbling down. “Aha Shimpy!? That you? We thought you left the country or even died. Good to see you still kicking!” Aiko felt a large impact against her back as she gasped, two familiar faces from middle school, except the third wasn’t there. That’s at least a positive. While they kept walking, laughing to themselves she clutched at her bag. That nickname felt like knives in her skin each time it was spoken and now.. There was a chance history would repeat itself, even a teacher called her by mistake. It was that bad. There wasn’t any hope for now was there? She had to accept what was written for her fate. And that’s exactly what she did, to make matters worse they were in her class and had continued to call her shrimpy when the opportunity arose, the other classmates could see the humor in it with her being so small, and with most students being over 5 feet she was a whole foot smaller than them. Some classmates however didn’t take too kindly the attention she was getting, even if she didn’t exactly want it herself. Only a few months had passed since she started high school, and the school luckily had a library of use to her to use whenever she wanted. The novels helped keep her from swaying any lower than she had while she was there. And while she was home she binged anime, cooked meals and occasionally baked some treats over the weekend to keep herself occupied, and even talked to her friends online. She was in her own little world, nothing could take her away from this, what happiness she had she cherished even if it wasn’t as much as she’d liked. Until yet another fateful experience was in store for the girl, one she couldn’t hope to forget any time soon. While she was preparing to leave him she couldn’t help but notice someone had left a note for her in her locket. There wasn’t a name at the bottom, all it said was to meet them on the roof of the school, they needed to confess something to her. The word confess bounded around her mind as her cheeks turned light pink, with the amount of Anime she’d watched at this point, the scenario of confessing love usually came in note form at first, and it was on the roof.. Her heart was racing, she hadn’t spoken to anyone, nor had she gained any friends. She wanted to question these suspicions but the thought of someone liking her like that, she almost couldn’t believe it. She had to be sure, she eagerly made her way to the rooftop, this was the place she usually came to eat her bento during lunchtime. It was much quieter and had a nice soft wind to it. Aiko clutched at her bag as she looked around, her eyes soon focused on what seemed to be a female figure near the end. She made her way toward the figure, her heart still racing in anticipation of this encounter. Once Aiko got a bit closer she was about to speak up but the girl spoke up first. “So, you finally came Aiko. You’re as naive as they say” Aiko blinked in surprise, not just because she was called Naive but because she referred to her by her actual name. This was a first, but she already had a bad feeling the moment she started speaking. She kept her mouth shut as the female turned around, an expression that held no remorse or joy, she looked down upon Aiko with hatred in her eyes. Aiko wasn’t even sure where this was coming from. She recognised her from being in her class but they’d never spoken before. Her heart was still racing but no longer in anticipation. Fear clouded her emotions as she clutched at her bag. “You haven’t even been here for a month and the class is already talking about you non-stop. ‘She’s so small, I bet I could put her in my pocket’ ‘I always see her in the library without anyone, must not have any friends’ I could go on and on but I digress” She wasn’t even aware the class talked about her like that while she wasn’t around, but even if they did she didn’t want that... She just wanted to be left alone, she was happier with her online friends anyway. As the girl continued talking Aiko could feel sadness welling up in her. “Do you think you’re hot shit? Half of the class thinks you’re just some snot-nosed brat that somehow got into here. You don’t belong here. You don’t deserve all this popularity, I was the popular girl in my last school and I intend to keep that title” Aiko’s body was trembling, what was she supposed to say? The girl's voice was progressively getting louder, she wanted to run but her legs felt like cement, why was this happening to her.. All she wanted to do is keep to herself, she didn’t want any of this.. “Maybe if you lost some of your hair the class wouldn’t focus on you so much hm?” Aiko snapped out of her thoughts to look at the girl with her eyes widened in dismay, she was kidding right?? Her long hair was one thing about herself that she liked. The memories of when her mother helped with her hair, brushing it and putting it into ponytails, she cherished them dearly. Before Aiko had a chance to speak up her arms were suddenly grabbed from the side. Two more girls had come from behind her to keep her pinned where she was. As she turned her head to face them. Their expressions were both twisted into hysterical smiles. “H-Huh?! Wait! P-Please let me go!!” Aiko pleaded, the sound of her heart drumming into her ears. What she hadn’t noticed until now was that the girl was hiding an arm behind her back, only revealing now a pair of scissors which she snapped open and shut a few times. “Now stay still, I don’t want to draw any blood. Only your hair will get touched, it could use a trim anyway.” The girls giggled as Aiko tried her best to struggle but it was no use, it was already clear who had the strength it wasn’t her, and the girl came closer with the scissors. “N-No! Please don’t! I-I’ll move schools! I swear!” One last ditch effort to get her free, but alas the girls were not listening. All Aiko could hear was the snipping of scissors as her pink locks slowly fell to the floor, the girls laughing while tears started falling down her cheeks. Once the girl was done cutting they both let go of her arms. Aiko slumped to the floor, sobbing as she held the hair in her hands, her head felt much lighter now, having been reduced to a shoulder bob. “See? Definitely an improvement! You should be thanking me! See you tomorrow Shrimpyy” The girl cooed tapping the top of her head a few times before they made their way off the rooftop. Aiko wasn’t even listening at this point. Her hair had been ruined, the years it took her to grow it out.. Now she was left with this. Her cheeks still streaming with tears as she returned home, her parents were in shock to see their daughter's hair the way it was. Aiko didn’t want to talk about it, she just wanted to stay in her room and never go to school again. Surrounded by her blankets she remained there for the rest of the day, not even in the mood for dinner. Her parents were concerned as to what had happened but she wouldn’t open up about it. All she would say was that she didn't want to go to school anymore, she didn’t feel safe anymore. Her parents didn’t intend to force her to go if she felt so strongly about this. They hoped it would pass but even after about a week Aiko still was against the idea of going, it was a tough decision but they decided to call up the school to allow her to take a break, despite only just starting high school. They could barely get her out of her room let alone back in the school, so a break was needed. A month passed and she reluctantly returned to school, Aiko’s hair was still at the shoulder bob she was given when she saw her hair grow past that point she’d ask for a haircut even if it was only a slight growth. Yet when it happened she became agitated, once her hair had returned to the bob she returned to normal. Her parents were still concerned about the students responsible for their daughter's behavior, yet every time they brought up exacting some sort of justice via the principal Aiko was against it, she didn’t want anything worse to happen so her parents reluctantly agreed to drop it. Aiko’s time in high school happened as it did in middle school. She kept to her bubble of interests, reading in the library during breaks, and even watching some episodes of anime on her phone if she had extra time to kill. She did what she could to distract herself from the ever growing loneliness that had built up inside of her. What friends she couldn’t make in person she could make online, they kept her happy while she was home, but her parents were still not happy that she would rather stay inside most of the day even after high school was finally done with she was more stoked to have the free time on her hands to binge more anime and speak with her friends. Eventually, Aiko, now at the age of 20 they were able to set her up a volunteering job at the nearest charity shop, it allowed her to get out of the house and even socialize with others to a degree. The job required her to steam clothing, cut out labels by hand and put said clothing labels onto the products. It was an easy enough job. The main issue was the communication towards customers. She did what her manager asked and thanked the customers for shopping at the store, needing to remember to put a smile on after transactions. Her volunteering shift ended at 5 pm as usual, making her way back home she’d memorized the way there and back with how long she’d been there. She was pondering on what meal she could practice for dinner as well as what Anime she should start as she got to her house’s front gate. Nothing was out of the ordinary, it was until she unlocked the front door of her home that something was off, the next thing she saw was a bright light. Were her parents pulling a prank on her? They weren’t exactly the type to pull pranks but where was this light coming from? She walked through the door as it clicked behind her, the light no longer blaring in her eyes as she blinked them into focus. “Mom, Dad? I was thinking of making..curry rice... For dinner” Her face dropped as the place she was in was no longer her home, it wasn’t even daytime. Where.. Was she exactly? And why was this reminding her of every Isekai Anime she’d watched? Being transported to a new world entirely different from her own. Right now she was in front of a building that had RAD sprawled on the top. Whatever she was she hoped she’d be able to let her parents know where she was. Even if they weren’t as close as they used to be, she knew they’d still worry about her. Aiko’s new life in the Devildom had begun.