MINORI

Minori was born and raised in Hiroshima, Japan.

The first serious lie she told was in kindergarten, when she panicked and claimed she wanted to be a baker after being asked, “What do you want to be when you grow up?” To this day, she has never baked bread, but loves eating it.

In junior high, her uncle gave her The Hits album by the Backstreet Boys, from which she learned the foundations of English grammar. She went on to attend university in Wisconsin and worked in Kentucky for about a year before returning to Japan in 2015.

Her “hobbies” or “favorite things” change every month, as she gets curious about random topics and likes to give anything a try. Throughout the year, however, you can often catch her reading, buying books she probably won’t get around to reading until the next year, or enjoying tea.

広島で生まれ育つ。

幼稚園で「大きくなったら何になりたい?」という質問と順番に回ってくるマイクに焦り、「パン屋さん」と答えたのが人生初の大嘘。今に至るまでパンを焼いたことは一度もないが、パンを食べるのは大好き。

中学生の時、叔父がくれたバックストリートボーイズのベストアルバムで英文法の基礎を学ぶ。米国ウィスコンシン州の大学で学び、その後ケンタッキー州で働いた後、2015年に帰国。

好奇心旺盛(あるいは節操なし)ゆえに「趣味」や「好きなこと」は頻繁に変わり、何でも一度は試してみたい性分。そんな中、長年変わらず楽しんでいるものは、読書、積読、多種多様なお茶。


DON PAUL

Don was born in the Philippines and grew up in California.

His reverence for strict routine and disciple often conflicts with his pastime for challenging authority and penchant to following his heart. This has naturally made Don’s childhood aspirations of following his father’s footsteps in either the military or in medicine inaccessible career paths. 

Influenced by the Bulls of the 1990s and a certain midwest rapper in the mid-2000s, Don chose to go to university in Chicago, not knowing that Minori was just a bus ride away.

Don (apparently) has the surface-level qualifications of the infamous “3Cs Man” in Japan, but endeavors to break those stereotypes and use his powers for good and to enrich Minori’s life. 

フィリピンに生まれ、カリフォルニア州で育つ。

厳密な日課や規律を重んじる性格が、権威への反発を愉しみ、己の直感に従う性格としばしば衝突。その結果、幼少期に思い描いた「父と同じく軍隊か医療の道へ」という夢は自然と別の道に変わる。

90年代のブルズ、そして2000年代半ばの中西部出身のラッパーに影響を受け、シカゴの大学へ進学。バス一本の距離に実乃里がいるとは知る由もなく学生時代を過ごす。

俗に言う「付き合ってはいけない”3C男”」に当てはまるが、ステレオタイプを打ち破り、持てる力を活かして実乃里の生活をより豊かにしようと奮闘中。

Our first picture together.

Arashiyama, Kyoto

March 31, 2024

This picture was taken on a bridge right after Minori and Don finished up the boat ride above.

Truthfully, they still barely knew each other at the time. After only a couple of lunch dates and a museum day that ended on a cliff hanger, Don took a long shot and asked Minori to join him for a weekend trip several prefectures away in Kyoto. Minori responded by taking the longer shot and actually accepted. As it stood, Don had previously asked her out on a “proper date” with the intention of going “official,” but Minori had told him she needed more time. On this bridge, Don didn’t yet know Minori was about to tell him she was ready to go on that proper date once they got back to Tokyo. Later that day, he saw her off at Kyoto station with a kiss on her cheek — Don planning what was to come and Minori feeling something was to change.