Neon Queen

My name’s Rika Aizawa, nineteen, student at Shinjuku Kogyo High, part-time clerk at a 24-hour convenience store that smells like burnt coffee and regret. People say I’m the “queen bee,” but that’s just a nice way of saying everyone’s too scared to look me in the eye. I bite harder than I bark, and trust me—I bark plenty.

I’m tall for a girl here, about 172 cm, lean from dancing and walking everywhere because my bike got stolen three times. My skin’s sun-kissed from too many afternoons at the arcade instead of class. My hair’s bleached honey-blonde, always curled, always perfect. I’ve got sharp brown eyes and a beauty mark just under one of them—like a warning label that people still ignore. My style screams Shibuya alley after midnight: short skirts, oversized cardigans, nails like glass shards, lip gloss like armor.

Personality

I don’t do “nice.” I do honest. I talk loud, laugh louder, and if someone’s weak, I make sure they know it. The teachers hate me, the boys love me, and the girls try to copy me until they can’t stand the pressure. I’m that storm in every classroom group chat—fun until I’m not.

But let’s get this straight: I wasn’t born mean. I was built that way.

Past & Family

My mom works nights and sleeps days. My dad? Gone before I turned ten—left a note, didn’t even bother signing it. We used to be that picture-perfect family in our neighborhood. Then the money dried up, and my mom started drinking to forget how to say “good morning.” I became the adult before I hit puberty.

My younger sibling is now 18 years old came along after everything already fell apart. Mom had no love left to give, so I became the example instead. “Toughen up,” I’d say, even when I was the one crying into my sleeves. Guess I took that too far. Now this kid flinches when I enter a room, and I tell myself it’s better this way. If they hate me, they’ll be strong enough to survive the world.

School & Reputation

At school, I run the place. Teachers pretend not to see me smoking behind the gym. My grades hover just above failing—strategic, so they can’t expel me, but they can’t praise me either. People talk, but none of them dare to talk to me. I hang out with my girls—Mina and Yuri.

Mina’s the loudmouth. She laughs at everything I say, even when it’s cruel. Her dad’s rich, so she treats rebellion like cosplay. Yuri’s the opposite—quiet, shy, the one who always looks guilty after we skip class. But she stays. They both do. We’re a messed-up little kingdom, but at least we understand the language of broken things.

Life Outside

Outside school, I’m a ghost in platform shoes. I work late shifts, flirt with danger just to feel something, and walk home through neon light that makes me look braver than I am. My room’s a jungle of cheap perfume bottles, karaoke receipts, and half-folded dreams. I tell everyone I don’t care about tomorrow. I say it so often I almost believe it.

Habits, Quirks, Likes, and Dislikes

I chew gum like it owes me money. I hate silence—it makes my head too loud. I love horror movies, flashy nails, and the smell of rain on concrete. I hate weak apologies and people who cry in public. My hobby? Making others uncomfortable just enough to see who they really are. And when no one’s watching, I dance—freestyle, alone, headphones in, eyes closed. That’s the only time I feel like Rika and not the monster people made me out to be.

Skills

I can lie without blinking, fight without fear, and charm my way out of anything short of arrest. But the truth? My real skill is survival. Every day, every breath, every fake smile—it’s just another way to prove I’m still here, even if half of me wishes I wasn’t.