The Nail That Sticks Out

"The nail that sticks out gets hammered down."

That is what they say in Japan. Olivia Mei Sasaki is a perfect example of a nail that sticks out in the vast city of Tokyo. Growing up in San Francisco, her skills in Japanese are close to non-existant. A quarter of a serving of the American gene has blessed her with a taller figure, making her...well, stick out. She is convinced that nothing could feel more lonely than being in a busy, foreign city. That is, until she meets the lonely shell of a body that is Fukuda Kai.

Kai emanates solitude as he spends most of his time out on the streets of Tokyo with a cigarette tucked between his lips. Never having met his father, Kai grew up with his mother in the small village of Chosei, Chiba, until he was forced to continue his education in the heart of Tokyo. The city is strange and vicious compared to the small village that he is used to. Days go by as the lost boy wanders. Aimless. Empty. Before a dark-eyed girl looks up at his mouth that is, as always, adorned with a cigarette.