Hachi

Available During Chapter 1:

1st Event

Hachi: Ah, I'm kind of thirsty. Hmm... why is lemonade the first thing people think of when they talk about summer drinks? I wonder.

What should I do? Should I invite Hachi to hang out?

Invite Hachi to hang out

See who else is around

Hachi: Like, we could've picked iced tea, soda, orange juice... Like those amazingly bad Capri-Suns!

Hachi and I spent some time discussing our favorite beverages.

Looks like Hachi and I drew a little closer today.

Would you like to give Hachi a present?

Definitely!

Not really...

#76 Indiviblooms— A bouquet of flowers that, when open, smell like the favorite scent of the person who last saw them. They're said to grow only in deep caverns despite minimal access to the sun.

Hachi: Huh? How did you know my exact taste? You're definitely a mind-reader. I would say to stay out of my head, but if it means getting gifts like this, I guess it's okay.

...

Gou: So, Hachi, how do you feel like you're getting along with everyone?

Hachi: Hmm... okay, I think. Some people probably don't like me much... like Keiji. And some people maybe do. But I don't have telepathy, so I can't really tell. Do you think telepathy would be cool? I don't really know if I'd like it. It could be helpful to better understand people, but an anime I watched once showed me the possible downfalls of it.

Gou: I don't think I'd need it. It's important to learn about people on your own, simply by spending time with them. Knowing their thoughts sounds like a cheat.

Hachi: I like my thoughts perfectly well. That probably comes across as selfish, but I don't always feel the need to learn too much about people. My own head is enough to manage. There's always some other bit of it to explore. Like... the part of my brain that holds thoughts about food, or ninjas, or fireworks, or flowers. Especially flowers. Did you know that tulips are part of the onion family? And that you can actually substitute fresh tulip bulbs for onions in recipes and stuff? But you should make sure they're organic and that your body is okay with it, cause they might occasionally cause digestive problems.

Gou: Wow, I didn't know that! Do you know much about biofuels and stuff like that, or is that out of your general wheelhouse?

Hachi: Wait! Do you think Tozen could cook with tulips? Wouldn't that be super cool?

Gou: He probably could!

Hachi: Y'know, my mum and I have been told that sometimes our imaginations are "overactive." Sometimes she tells me this story where she says one time I ran away from home and hopped a whole lot of buses until I made it all the way from Aomori to Miyagi. She said that when I was found, I was midway through farmhand training and going by the name Sora Yamamoto. I always think it's funny when she tells that story! She always says it so seriously even though it's a really wild one. Stone faced. Like meeeeeeeee. But my mum is usually more expressive than me.

Gou: Yeah, you do seem pretty impassive at times.

Hachi: Why... do we call it stone faced? Like, I assume it's cause rocks don't change... but they do. We can smash 'em and they can break sometimes, or, like, the water can smooth 'em out. And each one is different from one another.

Gou: That's very true. Have you ever considered talking to Sayuri?

Hachi: I'm gonna touch your face. Unless you don't want me touching your face.

I laugh out loud, and she merely quirks her head in curiosity.

Gou: Alright, Hachi. Go for it.

She reaches up to run a hand along my face.

Hachi: I heard that blind people don't actually do this. Except for like a sign of intimacy. Rarely.

Gou: Is that what this is?

Hachi: I don't know what this is. I don't always understand myself. That's okay.

I let her go on until she stopped talking to gather her own thoughts. By the time she was done, I couldn't even begin to follow how we'd gotten to the current topic. Sensing my confusion, she sent me off.

Hachi's Report Card has been updated based on your experience with her.

2nd Event

Hachi: If I had a helmet like yours, mine would be... lilac, I guess. And covered with magenta verbena patterns.

What should I do? Should I invite Hachi to hang out?

Invite Hachi to hang out

See who else is around

Hachi: Verbenas... or bellflowers? That's a tough choice.

I spent time helping Hachi design a hypothetical racing helmet.

Looks like Hachi and I drew a little closer today.

Would you like to give Hachi a present?

Definitely!

Not really...

#20 Hanahaki Blouse— A limited edition item from an animation company. It's a black blouse with a picture of a cherry blossom branch shaped to look like lungs.

Hachi: Oooh, a present. A really rare one, too. I love this. I'll have to give you something from my collection. Ooh, but I don't wanna get rid of anything, they're all so good.

...

Hachi: I think, if I had to pick a form of physical affection, it'd be crush damage. I can only sleep with weighted blankets, so maybe it's the same with people.

Gou: Physical affection? You mean, like... you'd rather be sat on then hugged? Isn't that kind of weird?

Hachi: Yeah, but I don't like hugs very much. Physical affection in general is weird. At least with crush damage, there's the element of comedy.

Gou: It doesn't hurt you? You're really small.

Hachi: Umm... maybe a little I guess. But the pressure feels kind of nice. It's like... getting a massage but it doesn't stop or move. How on Earth did we come to create massages, anyway? Someone just rubbed someone's shoulders or back for some random reason and they decided it felt nice? And wouldn't it be kind of awkward?

Gou: Less awkward than "crush damage?"

Hachi: I'm telling you, the element of comedy totally evaporates any awkwardness. No other type of physical affection can do that. If you get an unwanted hug or if someone grabs your hand, you either have to deal with it and feel awkward yourself, or you try to pull away and you both feel awkward. Now, if someone just plops down and sits on you or sprawls themselves out on top of you, you both get a laugh. My friends have learned that I prefer it that way. I don't like being touchy-feely, and I don't think I'll ever want romance, so this is better.

She lays down on her stomach on the floor and looks up at me expectantly.

Gou: Wait, now?

She yawns before nodding. Nervously, I lay across her so that we're making an "x" with our bodies. She's right, we both do get a bit of a laugh.

Gou: I think that's the first time you've laughed since you got here!

Hachi: I don't laugh too much. I do find things funny. Like, yesterday, Nari accidentally crept up behind Tozen cause she walks kinda quiet, and he was so startled that he threw a bunch of paprika at her. He was super apologetic and she kept telling him to stop apologizing, but he wouldn't, so she took a whole container of salt, dumped it on him, and apologized once before saying they were even.

I burst out laughing.

Gou: Yeah! Yeah, that sounds like them!

Hachi: I made you laugh the other day. Am I funny?

Gou: I would say so!

Hachi: I've been called odd before. That's okay. I don't have too much trouble making friends even if I am. Just have to meet the right people. Sometimes, they put makeup on me. The brushes feel tingly.

Gou: Ah, I see.

She yawns once again under my weight.

Hachi: Goodnight.

Gou: Hachi, if people see us, they're gonna think we're dead!

Hachi: I hope I dream of playgrounds and noodles.

Despite my better judgement, we take a nap on the floor.

Hachi's Report Card has been updated based on your experience with her.

3rd Event

Hachi: Y'know, I think it would be cool if there were slinkies in this place. I'm easy to entertain. I could probably spend a couple hours just slinking and thinking. Slink and think.

What should I do? Should I invite Hachi to hang out?

Invite Hachi to hang out

See who else is around

Hachi: Do you think they have one in the game room?

We spent time silently playing with slinkies.

Looks like Hachi and I drew a little closer today.

Would you like to give Hachi a present?

Definitely!

Not really...

#39 Chosen One's Diary— A book containing detailed journal entries written from the perspective of a protagonist from a popular RPG. It's written entirely in the language from the game, so it's only for the truly dedicated.

Hachi: Oh, I like this a lot. I'll be thinking about this for quite a long time. Thank you.

...

Gou: So, what's your family like, Hachi?

Hachi: It's just me and my mum. We own a florist's shop. My dad died when I was a baby, and mum's dated people since then. One seemed serious but then he just stopped coming one day.

Her eyebrows furrow slightly, but aside from that, she hardly looks mad. I can't help but grimace sympathetically.

Hachi: Our house is tiny, but our yard is big because we have a giant greenhouse. Like... 20 mes long, I always think it's funny when the joke is measuring things in people. Like... an American football field would be... at least ten Gous long.

Gou: Definitely longer than that! But anyway, what do you grow in your garden?

Hachi: Any flower you could possibly think of. It's like a fairy world! Mum believes in fairies and fairy folklore and whatnot. So we have a lot of flowers that are related to that. Do you know which flower is considered THE fairy flower?

Foxgloves

Bouvardias

Marigolds

Gou: Is it Bouvardia?

Hachi: Mm-mm. Not that. But I'm surprised you knew those. Bouvardias were named after Guy de la Brosse, Louis XIII's personal physician and the founder of the Jardin du Roi. They're important to—

Gou: Sorry to interrupt, but can we stick to the fairy topic?

Hachi: Ooooh, okay.

Foxgloves

Bouvardias

Marigolds

Hachi: Those ones are actually linked more to ghosts and spirits than fairies due to their ties to Dia De Los Muertos. The botanical name, Tagetes, was named after the Roman Deity Tages, who—

Gou: Not that I'm not fascinated by this, but can we stay on the fairy track?

Hachi: Right. Sorry.

Foxgloves

Bouvardias

Marigolds

Hachi: Exactly. They're used in spells for communicating with fairies, and in the Scottish Borders, they were used to protect children from bewitchment. I don't really know if I believe in all that. But they sure are cute flowers. They've held associations with pretty much everything: the goddess Flora, white witches, the Virgin Mary, and of course, foxes and some other fox-like creatures.

Gou: That's all really interesting, but that doesn't really tell me about you or your mom.

Hachi: Oh. Well, that's because I don't know a whole lot about Mum. She and I were close when I was small, but she's much quieter now. We're both pretty spacey. So when we talk, we mostly talk about flowers.

Gou: ...Thanks for sharing that with me.

Hachi: Yep yep. Ask a different question now.

Gou: O-Okay. What exactly makes you the Ultimate florist?

Hachi: Mum and I have made lots of new flowers.

Gou: New flowers?

Hachi: Hybrids. We crossbreed flowers. Mum says I'm owed most of the credit but I dunno.

Gou: That's ridiculously impressive!

Hachi: Mm. I'm smart with flowers but nothing else. And that's okay. I just know it's the thing I can do with her. She gives a lot of the money we make to a charity. Not sure which one. But she also saves up for my college fund. Between those two things, we live comfortably but modestly. And that's okay.

Gou: You say that about a lot of things.

Hachi: Mm?

Gou: You say "That's okay," a lot.

Hachi: Cause it's true. Most things are okay. Some things are better than okay... like flowers... and anime... and my friends... but a lot of "bad" things don't bother me much. I get annoyed, but I don't even remember the last time I was really angry. And I get sad, but it's a distant, blurry kind of sadness. Mum calls me mild, and my friends call me mellow. I feel foggy most of the time. And that's okay. Oop. I said it again.

Gou: It's... okay.

Hachi: It's okay.

Gou: I know you said that hugs aren't your thing, but...

She sighs.

Hachi: It's okay...

I hug her. She's so tiny, and more comforting than you'd expect.

Hachi: Gotta go work on my costume. Soon it'll be the witching hour.

She wiggles her fingers around and gives a half-hearted witchy cackle before leaving.

Hachi's Report Card has been updated based on your experience with her.