Mine Sugiyama

n/a || female || bi-curious || 16

APPEARANCE

PERSONALITY

HISTORY

The protagonist of a story tends to be a unique figure whose special powers, circumstances, or something else elevates them above the rest of the cast. The protagonist of this story, however, is nothing exceptional.

Born Mine Sugiyama to parents Azusa and Nori in the small town of Karakura, located in western Tokyo, Japan, no special events surrounded her birth. There was no Hollow attacking her mother, no special race either of the two belonged to, nothing. Mine's childhood memories revolve around her parents scraping by just to raise her, her mother staying home while her father worked in the field of construction. Rather than working for a big company, Nori was self-employed, performing small jobs around Karakura that revolved around repairing people's homes or, whenever money was really tight, organizing friends of his to tackle a big job where each man got a cut. Apart from being showered in love from her parents, Mine lived an ordinary Japanese child's life in her early years. Nothing extraordinary happened, and she met her childhood friends that she still has today who all lived within the same small town.

It wasn't until Mine entered junior high school at the age of thirteen that her life began to deviate from the life of an ordinary teenager. She began to see the spirits of the deceased, with chains attaching them to different locations. She thought nothing of them and chalked what she was seeing up to being tired or just "seeing things", but the next time she started seeing these spirits she promptly freaked out and ran home. She contemplated telling her parents or her friends about it, but immediately discarded that idea, feeling people would think she's crazy and no one would believe her. When she finally worked up the courage to talk to the spirit, they were no longer there and, because of this, she affirmed to herself that the stress of entering the seventh grade caused her to hallucinate. After this event, Mine did not see another spirit for another year.

Due to constant exposure through the news and the music her friends were listening to, as well as a few trips to karaoke bars despite her not singing once, Mine began to show an intense interest in the world of idol culture. Singing, dancing, acting as well as voice acting, Mine was completely blown away as she began to do more research into the topic using the family's computer. When she found out how much idols made she was floored, and immediately started singing in front of a mirror located within her bathroom to try and improve her voice. When she finally worked up the courage to sing during one of the karaoke bar outings with her friends they applauded her and it was the euphoria of singing for a "crowd" as well as the excitement and enjoyment she got out of the applause that cemented things for her: She was going to be an idol no matter what, for the fame she desperately desired, and the fortune to help her struggling family.

As Mine entered her fifteenth year of life and her ninth, final year of junior high school, she came across another spirit. This spirit was tied down by a chain as well but appeared to be a boy around her own age. Though initially worried, Mine slowly came to befriend the spirit though she never got his name, instead referring to him with the moniker of "Yuurei." (affectionately dubbing him "Yuu-kun" after a while) She eventually told her friends about him, but due to constant misunderstandings and an attempt to cover up the truth out of fear of being outcasted, "Yuu-kun" ended up being thought of by her friends as a boy from another school she was friends with. The day that Mine graduated junior high school should have been one of the happiest days of her life, and initially it started that way. After her and her friends parted way for the break before entering senior high school, Mine decided to visit "Yuurei" and celebrate. What she came across, however, was something entirely different.

"Yuurei" was backing away, scared, from a large black skinned creature with what looked to be a tribal mask over it's face. Mine was immediately frozen in place out of fear and was only able to shout out her spirit friend's name before he was consumed by the creature. Shocked, hurt, and overcome with fear, all Mine could do was run away. The next day she tried to tell her parents what happened, but they reacted the exact same way she expected they would when she had the idea of telling them about the spirit: Confusion and worry. She realized that no one was going to believe her at that point, and ended up crying herself to sleep that night over having lost one of her closest friends. A week or two passed before Mine had another encounter with the very same black skinned creature, and things started out the exact same way: Paralyzed by fear. Only this time, the creature spoke.

It addressed itself as a "Hollow" and claimed that it was very, very hungry, and that the "boy hadn't been enough." Next thing she knew, Mine was struck by the Hollow's large left arm and knocked sideways into a tree. Her spine screamed out in immense pain and her entire body felt hot. The fear in her body was stopping her from doing much besides getting to her knees and staring up at the Hollow. The mask that made up the Hollow's head was smiling, as it claimed it was going to "play with it's food" and "baste his human meal with fear because it made human's souls tastier." It intentionally missed with it's next attack, snapping the light in two as Mine covered her head and shrieked out in terror. A voice began to call out to her from within, informing her to dodge the next strike. Fear took a backseat to adrenaline, and even though Mine swears she hadn't consciously moved her body was thrown to the side and she avoided an overhead smash from the Hollow's large palm. Not only that, but she was on her feet.

The next time she looked at the Hollow, the fear that was once on her face was immediately replaced by a scrunched up facial expression of rage. She couldn't explain how she knew, but instinctively she could tell this was fight or flight. If she tried to run, something told her this beast would chase her down. And if the Hollow chased her, it would come across her friends or her parents and probably attack them too. She couldn't let that happen, she wouldn't let that happen. When the Hollow went to perform the same palm smashing attack, Mine dodged this one as well by consciously leaping to the side. She wasn't and still isn't exceptionally fit, but she took (and still takes) care of her body enough to be fairly agile. She traded strength for agility and it was showing here. The voice that was calling out to her grew louder, overtaking the adrenaline and fear running through her body. Another attack gets dodged, and Mine looks in surprise down at her hands once she finally realizes that her body is glowing with a pink colored light.

You'd think this would have worried the Hollow, but it only laughed with joy. It had been expecting an ordinary human soul to devour, but it proclaimed that this human girl was "special" and that she would be "far more filling than the spirit." This sparked an intense rage within Mine, provoking a loud, uncontrollable scream that caused the energy around her body to flare. She had no choice. She abhorred violence, but if she didn't take care of this "Hollow" now she would regret it in the future. Not only that, but this monster had caused one of her best friends' lives to end. Even though she didn't understand all of the specifics, and the very idea of vengeance caused her stomach to twist, she wasn't going to put up with this monster talking about "Yuurei." Swearing that she would do everything she could to destroy the Hollow, it just laughed and swung tentacles that sprouted out of it's back at her. Mine was quicker than those tentacles, however, and avoided them almost effortlessly. The voice inside of her told her that she was ready to go on the offensive, and her mind was flooded with detailed instructions on what to do.

The pink glowing energy around her body gathered in her hands and she pointed them toward the ground. A pink colored blast of the energy propelled her into the air and, with the force behind her launch as well as the energy that gathered in her fist, she was able to collide with the monster's mask. The attack of the energy in her fist, which the voice called "reiryoku", was rough enough to cause the Hollow's mask to splinter. It wasn't enough to kill it, however, and when Mine landed down on the ground the Hollow swore that things weren't over and ran away. As the energy began to subside, Mine lost consciousness and wouldn't wake up again until she was back in her room. Her father said he had found her, worried when she hadn't come home, and asked what happened. All Mine could do was apologize and say she had stayed out late with her friends, passing out on the way home due to being too tired.

At the current point in time, Mine has entered Karakura High School as a freshman, in her sixteenth year of life. Though she is still fairly green to the ways of the spiritual world, she has trained as much as possible in the usage of her mysterious "reiryoku" and the powers granted to her. She has come across numerous Hollow since her interaction with the one who devoured "Yuurei", and has made it her mission to defend her friends and family from these black skinned creatures. Deciding to go out during the night, sneaking behind her parents' backs, Mine purchased a uniform from an online cosplay website to try and help in both hiding her identity and assisting her in fitting the part of a "superheroine." Juggling her "Hollow hunting" with her school and home life, Mine still clings to her future dreams of being an idol, and protecting the ones she loves from these "Hollow" menaces.