Reishi always suffered from the kind of loneliness that comes with a big house and a small family. A family so small that it was only her and her mom living in that house. To make matters worse, her mom was always busy advancing her career and never spent much time at home or even communicating by phone. All of those years without a parent figure began to make her feel insecure and believe that she's an unwanted child.

One day when she was walking through the city on her way home from middle school, she bumped into a middle aged man on the street. The man looked somewhat depressed and asked her if she would be willing to spend some time with him at a family restaurant. Reishi was somewhat scared, but decided that at least someone wanted to spend time with her. Little did she know that the man's idea of 'spending time' was quite different from hers. They sat down side by side and spent a short while at the family restaurant before things took an unexpected turn. The man started to scoot closer and closer to Reishi to the point where she felt like they were uncomfortably close. Suddenly the man put his hand on her lap which resulted in a knee jerk reaction to swipe it away, all flustered. She immediately felt bad about the dejected look on the man's face and started to apologize, but was interrupted by him apologizing for not having asked beforehand. He mentioned that he didn't know that she was 'no-touch', left some money on the table, and exited the restaurant

It was a thrilling experience. She felt more during those few hours than she had felt her entire life, and she wanted more. Reishi's inferiority complex is not outwardly apparent, but it drivers her innermost feelings, insecurities, and actions. The weight that her mother unknowingly bequest onto her has changed how she has lived her life from a very early age and has shaped her persona.

Illustration by Harutaka(dA)