Mikako is a little bit short, ending up around five feet even, or 152cm. Her blonde hair, usually tied back in either pigtails tied with black and white bows, or a ponytail tied with both, has just enough droop in the front to frame her bright smile and her bright green eyes. Also, that hair is long, falling comfortably to the small of her back even when tied up. She takes impeccable care of it; or at least she tries to, sometimes she's busy enough that it's not viable and it ends up frizzy and out of pocket. But most of the time it's smooth and shiny (and smells nice, too). It had better be; she wakes up an hour early every morning to make sure, after all. She keeps a comb, a hairbrush, and a small bottle of hair product in her bookbag at all times.

She has a typical enough build for a high schooler at the moment; however, her mom is a pretty curvaceous person, and she's starting to develop in that direction as well. It's all a bit embarrassing for her, really. Consequently, when she gets changed for gym classes she does her best to do so a little bit out of the way, and get it done with as fast as possible. Her skin is at least tanned enough not to be pallid, by and large because she just ends up being outside a lot by happenstance; bikes to and from school every day, walks to the supermarket to buy stuff for dinner, spends time in the nearby park with her siblings...

When she's not wearing her uniform, she tends to wear comfy, but feminine, clothing. Jeans, sweats, floofy oversize sweaters, sundresses, midi skirts, when it's really hot out she'll rock a sports bra and shorts, and so on and so forth. If she can, she gets them in shades of blue, green, and white. They're her favorite colors, and she thinks they go the best with her hair and her eyes.

A special mention, though, has to go out to the thing that she can most often be seen wearing outside of school. Brought back by her mom from London, the Malibu blue newsboy cap is something that she treasures deeply. She's pinned a white and a pink star on the brim, and basically any time she can wear her hat, she does. It makes her feel closer to her parents, and on those infrequent nights where she lies in bed, staring at the ceiling and missing mom and dad, she clutches it to her chest and it chases away the cold.

She carries herself with something almost like a bounce, a cheerful spring to her step that doesn't quite intercede on the strange aura of maturity that she bears. Of course, she's not always happy, as discussed, and when she's not feeling super jazzed that bounce morphs into a much more typical stride, usually with purpose, because if something is bothering her then she's probably trying to do something about it.

It was difficult for Isshiki Akiko, née Tanaka, to leave her career as an airline pilot alongside her husband to raise their child. But leave it she did, because that child--a girl that they named Mikako--was as important to her as the whole world. She was a kind, helpful child from the very beginning. Even when she was a toddler clinging to Akiko's skirts, she was still babbling that she wanted to help her in the kitchen, because 'mommy is always so busy!" Akiko thought it was the CUTEST thing. Whenever Jun came home, he would lavish attention on her too. This went on until she was five, at which point her mom told her: "Mi-chan, you're going to be an older sister!"

And everything changed when Kaede was born.

With six years between them, the jealousy that kind of takes over kids when siblings are born was absent in Mikako. Indeed, she went the opposite direction, and became incredibly fond of her kid sister. Of course, she couldn't do much; she was still only six, after all, just starting elementary school. But after a few years, when she started growing more capable--and when Rin came along--she finally got her wish to help her mom around the house. While her mother was busy with feeding and taking care of an infant, she threw her whole ten-year-old self into cooking, doing laundry, cleaning, organizing, making every bed in the house...and the list went on. At first she didn't figure out how to balance things and isolated herself from her friends; but a few months of it was all it took for her to figure it out.

She was popular in elementary school. She liked everyone (with maybe a few exceptions), and everyone seemed to like her too. Her favorite people were Ei-kun, and the girl he'd introduced her to, Suzuka. She really liked Ryuu-kun as well, when he'd come to visit in the summer, even if he didn't want to spend time with Ei-kun or Suzuka. She spent more time with Suzuka, really; she even started to get a little jealous of Eikichi, because Suzuka seemed to like spending time with him more than she did spending time with Mikako. So she tried to spend time with her ten times as hard, especially as Ryuu-kun just...stopped coming, one year. The four, then five, then six-year old Kaede adored her. She thought she was SO cool, and Mikako firmly agreed. She had three siblings that she adored. She was well-liked at school, and had some very good friends. Everything seemed to be coming up Mikako! It was about this time that she started being...a little too helpful. It got her coming home from school late sometimes, because she'd spend her time helping someone after school. Her mother was worried about it, but she seemed, happy, so she figured it was fine.

...And then Suzuka announced that she was moving away.

It deeply upset the then-thirteen year old Mikako; right before middle school, one of her best friends went poof into thin air. Ei-kun changed himself too, turned...weird. She still liked him, but without Suzu-chan tying them together they didn't really spend time together anymore, and eventually drifted apart. Still, her life was good. Hiro was starting to grow up a little bit, Rin was stringing together sentences a little bit better, and Kaede--her favorite, but don't tell anyone!--started to really come into her own personality!

...Which was really similar to Ei-kun's new one, which was...a lot to deal with at home.

And then came the biggest bomb to be dropped on her. When she was fifteen years old, in her last year of middle school, her mom informed her: she was going back to working full-time with dad. She was in charge of the house now. They trusted her to take care of the house and her siblings, to make sure they were happy, clean, and fed. It was up to her now.

It was a TECTONIC shift for her. Instead of taking an assistant role, she was now the caretaker-in-chief. A year later was when she truly came into her own as the substitute mom, just as she was going into her first year of high school. Her grades dipped at first; her first trimester, she got slapped with nothing but Cs. But as she figured the balance out, her honor-student grades returned, her siblings were happy, and everyone at school seemed to like her.

It's been two years now since she took on the household, and she's thriving, but she's also starting to...burn herself out just a little bit. She's still popular at school, people really like her, but she's taking on more work that she's really able to keep up with. Secretary of student council; a constant member of broadcasting club (and kendo club, oddly enough), a tutor for students who are struggling, and always willing to help clubs that are short somehow--all that alongside her working in her household--she's not sleeping as much as she should, and she's starting to get a little bit tired.

But her friends are back, she has friends all over, her siblings love her, she gets good grades, she's athletic...so of course she doesn't complain. What more could she want?

182 centimeters. 100 kilograms.

By all metrics, Junko is huge. Not just tall, but wide, muscle and fat packed up unreservedly in a society where there were grown women half her weight. She eats well, exercises well, and sleeps well, building herself up with her own image in mind.

Her hands are callused, her nails cut short. Her silver hair is fine but dull, treated with the same unblemished vigor that she treats the rest of her body. Her eyes were burnt out from her studies, thick glasses hanging from her bent, pudgy nose. Her jaw is square, decidedly mannish. Her body itself was ill-suited for the fine dresses and fanciful lace that a young lady like her was expected to wear, and a teacup looked like a toy in her grip.

Perhaps to the delinquents at school, she was a pig, a bear, some ungainly, beastly thing that only attracted her followers due to gravitational pull.

Perhaps if she cut half her weight, quit the judo club, and went through a 25 step nightly skincare routine, Junko would become a model-esque beauty with a foreign charm.

Perhaps.

But to those who know her, she is a mountain. A broad back and warm hands. A thick neck and a motherly voice. A queen without wiles, who made clear exactly what she wanted and always pursued those desires honestly and ardently.

A superficial queen could never aspire to the peaks she's trodden upon.

She had always been something of a spoiled child.

It had just reached her heart instead of her head. She loved her mother, a ballerina who could balance on the very tip of her toes. She loved her father, a judoka who competed not for medals but rather against his own present self, never yielding to the weight of that solitary path. They were amazing people, people so out of the ordinary that she decided that if this wasn't ordinary, she didn't want ordinary.

Those grand heights. The sights that her parents had seen. All that they have accomplished, their flames burning so bright that it had undoubtedly touched so many others!

...

She had always been something of a lonely child.

Her father was absent by nature, drawn to his obsessions towards perfecting his art. Her mother was constantly visiting doctors and surgeons and therapists for one reason or the other, body too hurt by that gossamer brilliance to ever stand on the stage again.

Her most tender memories were massaging her mother's feet when it ached too much for her mother to accompany her to the playground. Camping out in the forest with her father, even as he slipped out the tent at night to continue his exercises. Standing in the parlor room on her sixth birthday, as her father fumbled over the piano keys and her mother danced with nothing but the gestures of her hands.

Fleeting moments, bundled in her small hands like sparkling rocks or pretty marbles, held tight until they chased away that loneliness.

...

She had always been something of a self-assured child.

Certain in the strength and possibility she held, from the dozens of love stories her mother had told her. Certain that the blood in her veins was special enough to set her apart from the rest. Certain that because of who she was born to, how perfect her environment was, there was nothing out of her reach, so long as she desired it, so long as she was willing to struggle for it. And that, because of all this, she ought to share her blessings with all others.

She had caught herself in the mirror once, when she was ten years old. A short, scrawny, delicate thing, with over-sized eyes and silky, voluminous hair. Like a fairy out of a storybook, having gained more from her mother than her father.

Junko could not let this stand.

So long as she wished it, she could have it.

So she wished to become like her father. Pure, proper, and powerful. How else could she give her parents the peace of mind that no matter what storm hits, their daughter would withstand it? How else could she give her classmates the sense that hers was a back that they could trust? How else, how else?

...

And thus, she became who she is by discarding who she was.

She ate what she needed to eat, packing three lunches to others one. She trained both her body and her mind in alternating cycles so one could work while the other rested. She forced her will upon her body, adding pounds of fat and muscle, guzzling down cartons of milk to build bones and gain height, seeking strength down the same path her father did. A single punch could not slay a bear, but a single throw? That was a different question.

As her distance between her friends grew, so too did the number of admirers. There was a point where she had developed a truly princely form, tall and handsome, strong yet still slender. And then, she blew past that point. One hundred and eighty two centimeters. A whole solid one hundred kilograms. No makeup, no pretense. Her hair thinned, frayed. Her eyes, dulled and set to a perpetual squint without her glasses. Fingers always wrapped one way or the other.

There was nothing beautiful about her.

There was everything beautiful about her.

For it was a self-evident truth.

"Ho? You wish to be like me? Then there's only one way to do it. Eat well and live well! Nothing else can compare to the sight of one pursuing their own way of life!"

...

Sweat beads off her shoulders and back.

In the light of the rising sun, she shines, bejeweled in her lifelong efforts.

Junko Arashiyama, Third Year.

The Diamond of Aogumo.

In all honesty, Ryuu wouldn't need to stand out as much as he does. He's only a little taller than average, and doesn't have any particular features that would notably stick out, were he to conform to dress code and lose the garnish. He is athletic, sure, but not to the extent it'd turn heads in a casual setting — especially with absolute units like Junko around.

Add in the offensively red hair, red contacts, cap, earrings, and the tattoo his father almost disowned him over and the tendency to try and skirt dress code whenever and wherever possible, though, and suddenly you have a dude that very much sticks out. Part of it is just his personal preference; the way he dressed when he felt part of a group for the first time back in Tokyo. In part, though, it's a deliberate choice, a blaring middle finger, a warning not to stray too close.

At least, at school. At home, he dresses much more traditionally, quite liking his grandmother's handmade samue and jinbei in summer in particular. He loses the contacts too, even if he still refuses to tame his hair — though that might be more inability than anything else.

Ever since young, Ryuu has been a troublemaker — especially if you were to ask his no-nonsense, self-made parents, who hoped their son might not only inherit their successful tech firm, but their good business sense and ambition as well. A futile hope, they realized early on, when Ryuu clearly lacked both the patience and the smarts to keep up with his peers, let alone rise above them.

What he did have in spades was curiosity and boldness. He was always the one to go first when exploring new — admittedly, often dangerous — places, and he was the first to speak up for himself and others when he saw the need arise — be it against bullies or teachers. Sometimes his meddling came from a good place; the will to help out other kids who couldn't help themselves. Sometimes, though, he really did it because, quite frankly, he rather enjoyed the rush, the feeling of something happening in a life that his parents did their best to make dull. Reasons hardly mattered to his parents, however. A kid who stood out was a kid in need of stricter rules and boundaries, even punishment if necessary, lest rumours start to spread.

For as long as Ryuu can remember, the most notable part of his year were always the summers. His family used to vacation on Kumoriyama Island, where his paternal grandparents lived. Ryuu loved the island. He used to sneak out come every opportunity to explore, and had quite a few interesting encounters there over the years. Every year, upon returning, he seemed to be more well-behaved for a time after, almost as if the clean island air had soothed him, or chased away whatever yokai must've possessed him for the rest of the year.

Unfortunately, while still in elementary school, their island vacationing tradition came to an abrupt halt, as Ryuu broke the nose of another boy local to the island. He insisted he'd done it to save a girl, but his parents were decidedly not interested in his reasons and, fearing backlash towards them or his father's parents, decided to no longer take him with them.

And so, deprived of not only the one thing that made him happy, but forced to spend his summers thereafter with his uncle in the heart of bustling Tokyo, Ryuu's behaviour worsened. Only, in the big city, he wasn't the only troublemaking kid around — and so, as he reached his preteen and eventually teenage years, he managed to eventually find his own crew. People who understood him and accepted him, without question. Delinquents, many of whom had done way worse things than Ryuu could ever imagine getting involved in. For the first time, Ryuu really cared about fitting in however, and so instead of trying to shed his issues, he cultivated them into a proper tough guy persona.

Until, once again, his parents'd had enough. Remembering that the rural island had helped at least somewhat all those years ago, they the teenager back to Kumoriyama, this time to live with his paternal grandfather. He had made a man out of his son in his youth — surely, he could do the same for his unruly grandson.

He could not. He did make Ryuu behave for a time, granted, but out of fear rather than respect, and only by forcing him to suppress all the feelings and thoughts his grandfather deemed bothersome or unmanly. So, the boy who used to wear his emotions on his sleeve, crying when sad, shouting when angry, became a ticking timebomb, calm until the dam burst, and then came the fists and the violence and the plethora of rumours and tales and whispers shared between the locals. A truly troublesome kid, that Ryuu.

Troublesome to a point, some said, that he even drove a good man to an early grave out of sheer stress! Never mind that his grandfather had already been old as time when Ryuu had moved in, let alone when he'd passed at almost ninety. By then, Ryuu had already been in trouble with the law more than once, and considering he was now a minor without a guardian, a move back to the mainland seemed to be in order.

At least, were it not for Grandma, living on the other side of the island.

Grandma was not truly Ryuu's grandmother, their blood connection distant at best, but to Ryuu she quickly became the closest family he'd ever had. She took him in, and the year or so he spent with her was— if not calm, at least calmer. Until she, too, had to leave. Her daughter overseas needed her, living alone after a grave accident. Grandma promised, however, that she would be back as soon as she was able, and that she would send postcards regularly. She's kept that promise, and Ryuu's learned patience waiting for her return and taking care of her house, garden, and the many cats she used to feed.

In the few months since her leaving, Ryuu has managed to keep out of trouble for the most part — except that one time he assaulted a police officer, who came to check the premises with no regard for his Grandma's beloved flowers. He ended up locked up for a few nights for that.

And he'd do it again, goddamnit.

Koharu's "Japanese chubby", which just means she's got healthy curves and isn't stick-thin. She's a gyaru but not a hardcore one - pink hair with a quirky side ponytail, coloured contacts, cute earrings, and flashy nail art are the usual for her. The cute protruding canine is all natural though. She's a hot mess most days, but on the rare occasions when she dresses up properly she can be a knockout.
This is all quite different from how she appeared six years ago, when she was a slender, mousy little thing. Most people wouldn't guess that this is the same girl from back then.

Back in elementary school, Koharu was a nobody. Her parents were busy with work and their own lives, and she learned early on not to make too many demands on them. Nothing seemed to make an impression on them, and they were happiest - or at least not overly angry or upset - when she spent her time quietly and raised no fuss. This was the Koharu that most of the gang knew back then: meek, easygoing, studious, helpful, pleasant enough to be around even if she didn't bring much of her own energy.
Then her parents died in a car crash, and she had to move to go live with her grandmother over in Minamikawa. Despite her frailty and incipient senility, Obaa-san was kind and warm where her parents had been distant, and Koharu blossomed. Helping out at Obaa-san's shokudo (diner) whenever she could, she developed her character and confidence, as well as a quirky personal style. Hanging out with the gruff rural clientele also taught her to give as good as she got. Good food and hearty living filled her out, both physically and emotionally.
Unfortunately, this happiness wouldn't last long. Obaa-san had a fall one day and broke her hip, and her other son decided she couldn't run the shokudo any more. This uncle didn't have the werewithal to take Koharu in either, so he was pleasantly surprised when the young girl came to him with a proposal - she'd already been accepted at Kumoriyama High, and got a partial scholarship. If he'd act as her guarantor, and help her a bit with the remaining fees, she'd pay for her own rent and living expenses. He hemmed and hawed a little for form's sake, but gave permission in the end.
So Koharu finds herself back in Kumoriyama, juggling her studies with regular school life and several part-time jobs that she cycles through with the seasons. She's held positions as a cleaner, waitress, delivery person, even beer vendor at a ballpark, so her days are pretty full. She's technically not supposed to be doing all this, but the school authorities have turned a blind eye given her circumstances, and a couple of teachers keep a particular eye on her, so she's not doing too badly. She managed to get the eighth ranking in the first year, so everyone's concerns were alleviated - in fact, some of the staff think she could have been the top student if she'd been in a better situation. She's currently living in a share house with a varied group of other tenants, but she has her own room and free use of the living area and kitchen, so it's not bad at all in her books.

There is nothing particularly interesting about how Takaya looks. He stands around 172cm tall, which is decidedly average among his male peers. His brown hair and eyes are a little lighter than usual, but not striking at all when compared to bleached blondes and redheads. He is not an athlete, but he eats well - which makes his body type pretty average too. He wears a pair of simple glasses, but so does about 20% of his class.

Once, in middle school, a group of girls stole his glasses to see if he would have a shoujo-style transformation and actually turn out to be handsome. The results were inconclusive.

Takaya does not stand out, and he is more than fine with that.

Even outside of school it is very clear that Takaya is a student in the way he dresses. His parents still insist on buying his clothing for him, and so his free days are spent in slacks, sweaters, and button downs. He really likes sweat pants, but would never be caught outside of the house in them. If it was up to him, he might choose something different... maybe a graphic tee shirt for once.

The Chiharas have always been a rather traditional family of well-mannered and meticulous people. Strict, but not to the point of abuse. Both of Takaya's parents are like that, and their own parents, and so on. Takashi and Narumi had no complaints when they were arranged to be married, moved to Kumoriyama when Takashi was promoted to be manager of new department store branches opening on the island, and bore a single son. They were very particular in choosing a name for their son, hoping to raise him to be a confident, proud, and successful person.

...so far it hasn't worked out exactly like that, but not for lack of trying on any of their parts. Takaya's included.

Takaya was an introverted child, but he didn't have much trouble making friends for the simple fact that he loved what most other kids did. Games, television, movies, manga. Connecting with others was as simple as talking about what happened on Sunday morning's episode of Super Sentai. It was only the growing up part that made things difficult. Where was that mysterious line that everyone else could see but him, that cut off point where it was no longer acceptable to have hobbies like anime and online games? What made a deck of Vanguard cards so much more immature than standard French-suit playing cards? Why was manga more juvenile than a novel?

Takaya grew up early not out of necessity, but obligation. If his parents told him to abandon those childish things and focus on the future instead, then as a humble only son what else could he do but oblige? It seemed he lost a lot of the things that really made him happy. His interests tossed to the side, and his friends from back then fading out from each other's lives for one reason or another. Part of the latter was surely his fault, as he was left with a lot less time for getting together and hanging out.

Since then, Takaya has focused on his studies and -as his parents put it- his potential. Throughout middle school and his first year of high school, he was consistently at or near the top of his year's academic rankings. After being pushed by his family to be part of student councils since his first year in middle school (it looks good on university applications), he's continued the trend and has now taken up the position of student council treasurer going into his second year of high school. For two nights a week he attends a cram school in the city's center, and on Saturday mornings he takes a ferry to the mainland to attend yet another cram school.

...although what his parents and peers don't know is that those Saturday classes are only three hours long at best, and he spends more time in the bigger city using his allowance on playing games at internet cafes, reading comics at book stores, and participating in matches at card shops. He doesn't intend anyone to find out, and since he's still on track to be able to attend some of Japan's more prestigious universities, it should be fine to indulge a little bit... right? He already regrets not joining Kumoriyama Private High's gaming club in his first year, especially after the club's disbanding when the mostly third year members graduated.

The rest of his high school career is looking to be the same humdrum. He's seemed to have convinced himself that he's fine with it, but really, he'd be lying if he said he wouldn't welcome something to shake things up just a little bit...