POSITIVE TRAITS — Adventerous, Observant, Considerate, Decisive, and Optimistic
NEGATIVE TRAITS — Calculating, Obvious, Willful, Single-minded, and Forgetful

PERSONALITY — Tachibana Mikio was a child that always loved adventure. He would convince his sister to play a damsel in distress so he could save her. They'd even convince their mother to play a dragon sometimes. He grew up and kept the sense of adventure with him just without slaying dragons or rescuing damsels. He always wants to try new things and go new places. He loves to try new food, take challenging classes, and traveling. While his studies are the priority he tries to add a little action in his life. He has learned that at times making a new friend is its own kind of adventure. They're ones that change life suddenly but permanently. Just don't tell anyone he thinks that. He'd never hear the end of it.

He also tended to be rather observant. He would always be the first to compliment someone of their new haircut. As he started to interact more with others he found that it was easier to read them and get the reaction he wanted. There were times when he could charm the socks right off of a teacher and still there are others when he couldn't charm his way out of a paper bag. Just because he notices a certain reaction doesn't mean he knows how to fix it. This can cause trouble because he tends to get stuck in his own head. He's always calculating the best way to do things. He thinks about the best way to get projects done or the best way to interact with people. His mind is always working. Sometimes he gets too caught up in the way to do things that he doesn't actually get them done, but when he does it's thoroughly thought out. It's always helpful to have someone that will help him remember that things are happening around him.

He tries to put others before himself. He's always been rather considerate. Since he's able to read people and calculate what they need it can be easy to see when to step in and help out. He finds it difficult to sit back and watch as people go through their problems alone even if they aren't close. He's just not sure if they always want his help. He's the weird foreign student that just wandered into their lives at the beginning of the year. He can't just step in and offer advice to The Victim. He tends to be rather obvious about how he feels. It's clear how earnest and eager to help he is, but it's also clear when he doesn't like people. It's not hard to gauge his reaction to things by simply looking at his face. One doesn't have to look too hard to know how he feels. It can get him into trouble especially when he has to deal with Ms. Min. If only he could use what he's learned from observing other people and apply it to himself.

He also tends to be willful. He doesn't like to be told what to do. He's usually easy going until people push. Then his stubbornness starts to show. He will push back against someone pushing their views on him even if it gets him into trouble. This isn't a big problem for him in daily life. It only arises in regards to his father and Song Academy's counselor Ms. Min. They have their own agendas when it comes to dealing with him. Mr. Tachibana has his company in mind while Ms. Min has her own plan in mind. If only she would keep him out of it. It's hard enough to watch her go after his classmates. When she involves him it's hard to keep his mouth shut.

He's always found it easy to make up his mind. He is able to weigh the choices quickly before making a decision. Sometimes it's as easy as picky the option he's never tried before. He's rather decisive and it takes a rather good reason to change his mind. He wants to listen to the other point of view, but when it's something he cares deeply about it's hard for him to back down. Unfortunately, he also tends to be single-minded as well. When he's made a decision he focuses on that. At times he focuses solely on it. The problem arises when he's unable to focus on anything else. He gets lost in his project without any thought for anything else. He's used to a more studious lifestyle so it's hard for him to remember that social obligations still exist.

When he's so focused on one task he tends to forget everything else around him. He's one of those people that never remembers birthdays or special events. He's never been more grateful that he can store things on a digital calender. Still he'll forget supplies for his classes, his umbrella, and anything else he could misplace. Packing always takes him several tries. He's also bad at last minute plan changes. He often needs to be reminded so he doesn't try to carry out the previous plan.

Mikio is optimistic despite some of his personality traits and his secrets. He pushes himself to believe the best in people and the world. He knows that there are bad things and people in the world, but he chooses to believe that the good outweighs the bad. What he has to offer matters. What others have to offer matters. In the end a person is able to decide what outcome they have on the world.

BACKGROUND — Yori had always been the type of person that wanted to help others. She chose to go pursue teaching instead of simply becoming part of her family's business. Her family didn't object much since she had older brothers to take over the family business, but her parents wanted to make sure that she met a nice man and was able to have a respectable family. They insisted on setting up blind dates for her and she agreed most of the time. She hadn't expected to fall for any of them but Genzo Tachibana caught her eye. They hit it off and married not long after. They seemed to have the perfect life. Genzo and Yori had jobs that they loved and they later had two fairly well behaved children. Everything was great until Genzo was caught with his mistress.

Yori gave her husband the chance to explain himself, but after he made it clear he would choose his mistress over her Yori decided to divorce him. She let him keep most of their stuff and he didn't fight very hard for the children. She moved herself and their two children to Tokyo to stay with her family for a while. Mikio was just entering middle school when his half sister was born. Her appearance put even further strain on the family. Not only had their father found a new wife, but he was starting a new family as well. Gossip and rumors seemed to follow them even in Tokyo. Even when that started to quiet down they were confronted with Mikio's secret as well. Yori decided that it would best for her family if they start over somewhere further from home. She took a temporary teaching position in England and the family moved there not long after.

England was a chance for recovery and growth. On top of receiving therapy Mikio threw himself into his English studies. He had studied English intently due to his mothers profession, but it didn't quite prepare him for living in an English speaking country. Being surrounded by another language helped him master is a little faster. These changes helped him open up in a way he hadn't expected. He was able to interact with people more freely. He wasn't simply an observer any more. He was able to interact with people with the confidence his father had always wanted him to have. He was able to embrace new opportunities and experiences. He attended his first concert and developed a love for baking. If only his pastries would taste as good as one bought in a bakery.

The next year Risa went off to University in China while Mikio and Yori went to America. Mikio hadn't realized how much he relied on his sister up until then. She understood him and their situation better than anyone else. It was hard to be without her even though they emailed constantly. It was a year of smaller adventures, but Mikio made sure to go out of his way to find them. He continued to go to therapy and he tried to grow as a person. For a year abroad it was fairly unexciting. Their stay in America only lasted a year before they were ready to move on again. Yori decided that she wanted her son to be able to focus more on his studies since he needed to get into a good university so she accepted a job in South Korea. After Yori made the announcement Mikio dedicated his free time to studying Korean. Once he got the hang of it he found himself studying every free moment. It was a new challenge to focus on, and he certainly didn't want to make a fool of himself when he got there. It wasn't long before they packed up and moved on to their biggest adventure yet.

Mikio was excited to see what South Korea had in store for him, but he should have known that Yori wasn't kidding when she said she wanted him to focus on his studies. He had expected the language to be the biggest complication, but Yori had him try to get into Song Academy. Their reputation alone made Mikio sure he wouldn't get in, but to his surprise they accepted him. That wasn't the only surprise the academy had in store for him. Now he has to share a single room with a boy he barely knows surrounded by people that have know each other for years. He's still not sure why Ms. Go didn't seem all that sorry about the housing mix up, but that's the least of his worries.

Mikio has settled in fairly well. He's managed to find a spot amongst his new peers and he's also joined the art club as well. At times he feels like he's intruding on his roommate's territory, but he tries to be friendly. At this point he knows how long to pause to give the other time to answer, but not seem like he's expecting one. He'll try to leave peace offerings in the form of pastries. He probably spends too much time in the art room or floating around the language department. He wants to be able to master the Korean language. Maybe he'll be able to find the right thing to say to his roommate, but...probably not. No amount of Korean can make him less awkward. While his roommate is shy Mikio is...a dork. His flirting comes in the form of really bad jokes. It doesn't help that he thinks Junsu is cute when he blushes. He might be in a bit of trouble.

"Well I can offer a fresh perspective. I'm sure things can get tense when you see the same people every day for a few years. I want to offer something new. I want to bring some adventure to this class....I mean adventure in a good way. "

"Communication" Mikio smiled brightly at the interviewer. "I'm good at communicating with people not only with words but with body language as well. The language doesn't matter. When I need to connect with someone I will. It doesn't matter how different we are."

"Women." He blushed at the look on the interviewer's face. "The women in my family that is. They've given up  lot for me. I've seen them spend a lot of time worrying about others and not themselves. I don't know if I can measure up to them." 

"It's hard to think of a way that I wouldn't grow here. It's a completely new experience for me. I know I have a lot to learn from others. The education would be good from the teachers and my classmates. I really want to continue to grow. I want to be able to form a connection with my classmates like I haven't been able to. I want to feel a sense of community here." He blushed darkly as he made eye contact with the interviewer.

"How wonderful is it that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world."

"At times it's easy to forget that what we do matters. There's always a chance for us to change and help the world change along with us. Nothing is hopeless. I want to continue to grow and try to make the world a better place even if it's in a little way."