Chapter 232: White Tulips

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I wanna delve into a background for Reiko. Why is she said to be emotionless and verbose in her words?

Well my backstory for her is kinda sad.
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Reiko sniffed and wiped her eyes as she closed the lunchroom door. She leaned against it with a sad frown. "Why do I feel like this?"

She placed her hand within her hair and groaned in frustration as she pulled her fringe of hair up and behind her ear. "God we aren't even dating?!"

She started walking towards the teachers lounge where Eri spends her day playing in the small room within the lounge. The room was where the little girl slept in before staying in class 1-A's dormitory with the Aizawa family. The teachers converted it into a playroom and mini children's classroom.

Reiko sighed as she slowly climbed the stairs.

*Huh...I guess I never thought he'd see me as anything other than a friend. Despite everyone teasing us both. I never thought I'd feel like this green monster was clawing at my throat. Especially not after all my past crushes didn't even notice me. After all...I'm just the creepy Yūrei girl that nobody ever understands...*

She sighed softly and sat down on the stairs with tears in her eyes as the voices were haunting her like a restless spirit.
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Reiko wasn't always so emotionally reserved. Once upon a time she was just like any other four year old girl... happy and innocent of responsibilities... at least until the day she got her quirk.

All her life she lived in a well to do family. The descendant of famed Japanese scholar Kunio Yanagita who is considered to be the father of Japanese native folk-stories. 

He wrote Tōno Monogatari (遠野物語) - a record of folk legends (as opposed to a folk tale) gathered in Tōno, Iwate Prefecture. Famous yōkai in the stories include the kappa and zashiki-warashi.

Through the writing of Momotarō no Tanjō (桃太郎の誕生) - He depicted some facets of Japanese society by analyzing the famous Japanese folk tale Momotaro.

He wrote the book Nihon mukashi-banashi meii (日本昔話名彙) in English it's the Guide to the Japanese Folk Tales - (The same book Akemi reads during her time at U.A. in between her time spent helping Shota pass his math class!)

Despite Reiko's family background she wasn't as overly wealthy as Yaoyorozu, but close enough in respect to be taken seriously in a crowd of higher status businesses.

Despite the fact that her father left the family after her mother became pregnant with her before the wedding. Thankfully her mother had a loving home to live in with her twin brother and sister-in-law...only to later die tragically in childbirth from complications.

Reiko was raised by her aunt and uncle. They had their hands buried deep within the facets of the tourist businesses. The Yokai Parade was always a huge boost in the revenue for the companies that her family were sponsors over.

Her uncle however wasn't the typical businessman of high society. He was a rather down to earth man, like how her mother Rumi had once been according to him. He said her mother had his same eye color but hers were more beautiful than any lapis lazuli gemstone. Eyes that shined with the brightness of her smile and overly caring heart.

Reiko liked her uncle's view of the world and he was always kind to her.

He never scolded her for getting dirt on the fancy rugs, or if she accidentally broke something. He never denied her the chance to be herself.

To be a child.

Her aunt however was the opposite. She was a strict, uptight, high society woman that valued the name of the family and keeping the business afloat for the future of her niece. She was always disapproving on the way her husband was treating his dead sisters only daughter like a innocent child and not a soon to be lady in training.

Continuation Shota Aizawa x Akemi Yuriemoto (Aizawa)Where stories live. Discover now