Determined - 7

No matter how hard I try, I can't stop thinking about Nanako.

It probably doesn't help that my classmates talk about them a lot.

"Have you read Nanako's latest story?"

"Did you buy their book?"

"A youtuber I like says there is reason to believe that Nanako is Canadian."

"A blogger I like says there is reason to believe that Nanako is Chinese."

"A book reviewer I like says there is reason to believe that Nanako is Japanese."

Even though most of their chatter overlaps and blends into an incomprehensible cloud of words, the last sentence stands out to me.

Nanako is a Japanese name...

Many of Nanako's stories take place in Japan...

Those facts are coincidental.

I know I shouldn't hope, but I do.

I oh so desperately hope that Nanako is Japanese like me.

If they were Japanese, it would make me one step closer to them.