From The Journal of Kairi Hirata

[A sparkly notebook lays open on the desk, its owner having been temporarily called to help her mother in the kitchen downstairs. While we can't see it, "Property of Kairi Hirata" is inside the front cover. The page it is open to is a questionnaire, filled out in sparkly gel pen and loopy cursive writing.]

1. What's your go-to snack?

Koala's March. The chocolate ones are good, but my favorites are the ones with the strawberry filling.

2. Who do you go to when you need help and why?

I try not to need help if I can avoid it. I don't want to seem like I can't handle things myself. But if I do need help, it depends on the situation. I do to Mom for stuff around the house, Sora for school and social stuff, and Kei and Mitsuki for any weird magic stuff we're caught up in. I used to go to Mitsuki for more, but since she doesn't seem to like me as much anymore, that might be weird now...

3. How do other people know when you're nervous?

Hopefully, they don't. Again, I'd rather people not see me struggling. But I guess I start stumbling over my words more when nervous. Or I'll fidget or slouch more.

4. Do you consider yourself the soldier, the mage, or the rogue?

This seems more up my brother's alley than mine. I'm not sure what those terms are supposed to mean fully, but mages are supposed to be more social though, right? If so, I guess I'm that. I prefer to talk my way through things.

5. What is something (material, not a person!) you couldn't live without?

I guess my makeup. I enjoy playing with different colours and styles, and it feels a bit weird when I'm not wearing any. Plus, I've come up with some creative ways to use it in unconventional situations. Lipstick can be great for drawing path markers if you're lost in a tunnel system, though I hope I never have to do that again...

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A/N: This was written for the August 2024 Author Avengers prompt. This is a group I'm in on Ko-Fi where we attempt to write a piece responding to a prompt selected by one of the members each month. This prompt challenged us to answer a series of character-building questions, so I chose to tie it into my character journals for my Kids on Bikes character, Kairi Hirata. (Yes, we stole one of her friends' names from Kingdom Hearts as well. I promise that's the only connection).

If you want to read more from Kairi, I'm currently releasing her in-character journal entries as a membership award on ko-fi! You can find the first entry here.

If you enjoyed this, please let me know with your likes/comments/insights!