Mio Tachibana

"The Gentle Giant"

"The Girl Who Has to Look Down at Everyone"

"I-I know I'm ridiculously tall... you don't have to stare..."

General Information

Name: Mio Tachibana (橘 美緒)

Age: 18 - (Had to change.)

Gender: Female

Nationality: Japanese

Occupation: High School Student

School Year: Second Year

Class: 2-B

Height: 6'7" (201 cm)

Overview

Mio Tachibana isn't merely tall.

She's freakishly tall.

At 201 centimeters, Mio towers over practically everyone at her school. Even most adult men have to look upward to meet her eyes.

Walking through the school corridors, she is almost impossible to miss.

Unfortunately for Mio...

She absolutely hates attention.

Despite looking like someone who could effortlessly intimidate an entire classroom, she's one of the gentlest and most timid students in her year.

She's quiet.

Sensitive.

Soft-spoken.

Extremely feminine.

And painfully shy.

Her height makes people assume she's athletic, confident, or intimidating.

The reality is almost comically different.

Mio gets nervous when someone compliments her.

She blushes when someone looks at her for too long.

She apologizes when someone else bumps into her.

And whenever she feels embarrassed, she instinctively hunches her shoulders and lowers her head, desperately attempting to make herself smaller.

It doesn't work.

She's still 6'7".

Appearance

Mio has a remarkably tall, slender figure with extremely long limbs.

Her height gives her an almost surreal presence among her classmates.

She has:

Long, slightly messy black hair reaching around her shoulders.

Soft, large dark eyes.

Delicate facial features.

A small nose and gentle expression.

Long arms and legs.

Narrow shoulders and a naturally graceful posture.

A slim but healthy physique.

Her appearance is strikingly elegant rather than muscular.

She looks almost like someone who was accidentally scaled up several sizes.

Her school uniform has to be specially altered because standard sizes rarely fit her properly.

Her skirts are lengthened.

Her sleeves are extended.

Her shoes require custom sizing.

She often wears oversized cardigans, hoping they'll make her look less enormous.

They don't.

If anything, the oversized clothing makes her look even taller.

Her Height

Mio's height is the defining feature of her life.

At 6'7", she's taller than virtually every student and most teachers.

When she stands beside her classmates, the difference is almost absurd.

She can easily rest her chin above many people's heads.

She has to bend down slightly whenever someone shorter speaks quietly to her.

Photographs are especially awkward.

Whenever the class takes a group photo, everyone argues about where Mio should stand.

She usually ends up in the back.

Even then...

Her head is still noticeably above everyone else's.

Personality

Mio is almost the complete opposite of what her appearance suggests.

She's timid, gentle, sensitive, and incredibly soft-hearted.

She rarely speaks unless spoken to.

Her voice is quiet and feminine.

She hates arguing.

She hates confrontation.

And she becomes visibly nervous when someone raises their voice.

She's also extremely polite.

She bows frequently.

She says "thank you" constantly.

She apologizes far more than necessary.

"S-Sorry... I didn't mean to block the hallway..."

The irony is that she's usually blocking the hallway simply because she's so tall.

Extremely Girly

Mio's personality is remarkably feminine despite her unusual stature.

She loves:

Plush animals.

Cute accessories.

Ribbons.

Flowers.

Skirts.

Perfume.

Romantic novels.

Baking.

Cute stationery.

Pastel-colored clothing.

Romantic movies.

Her bedroom looks like it belongs to a much smaller girl.

Her bed is surrounded by plush rabbits.

Her shelves are decorated with little figurines.

She keeps cute hair clips in a small box.

Her favorite pajamas have tiny rabbit patterns.

She becomes embarrassed whenever someone discovers how cute her tastes are.

Clothing Problems

Finding clothes is one of Mio's biggest daily struggles.

Normal school uniforms don't fit her properly.

Normal trousers are often too short.

Normal sleeves end above her wrists.

Normal shoes don't come in her size.

She has learned to order custom clothing whenever possible.

Outside school, she prefers oversized sweaters and long skirts.

The oversized sweaters are partly practical...

And partly psychological.

They make her feel less exposed.

She sometimes jokes:

"If I wear something big enough, maybe I'll disappear."

Her friends usually respond:

"Mio, you're six foot seven."

She immediately becomes embarrassed.

School Life

Mio is an above-average student.

She excels in:

Literature

Home Economics

English

She struggles more with:

Physical Education

Not because she's incapable of athletics.

Quite the opposite.

Her height gives her enormous reach and stride length.

The problem is that everyone assumes she'll automatically dominate sports.

Volleyball?

Everyone expects her to spike.

Basketball?

Everyone expects her to block.

Track?

Everyone expects her to win.

Mio hates the attention.

She'd rather sit quietly and read.

Coordination

Despite being extremely tall, Mio is surprisingly clumsy.

Her limbs are so long that she sometimes misjudges distances.

She bumps into desks.

Hits her head on low door frames.

Knocks things over with her elbows.

Accidentally kicks chairs.

Once, she tried to sit down in a classroom chair without looking and completely missed it.

She wanted to transfer schools afterward.

Social Life

Mio is recognizable to almost everyone at school.

But being recognizable isn't the same as being popular.

Most students know of her.

Very few actually know her.

Many assume she's confident because of her appearance.

Some are intimidated by her.

Others simply don't know how to approach someone so much taller than themselves.

Her closest friends know the truth.

She's incredibly easy to embarrass.

She loves being included.

And she secretly appreciates anyone who treats her completely normally.

Romantic Side

Mio is hopelessly romantic.

She reads romance novels constantly.

She dreams about having someone who doesn't see her height as something strange.

Someone who talks to her normally.

Someone who doesn't make her feel like an attraction.

Because of her shyness, she has never been particularly good at expressing romantic feelings.

If she develops a crush, she'll probably:

Avoid eye contact.

Become unusually quiet.

Fidget with her sleeves.

Remember tiny details about the person.

Make excuses to spend time near them.

Blush whenever they're close.

Her friends notice almost immediately.

Mio does not.

Strengths

Extremely empathetic.

Gentle.

Patient.

Intelligent.

Excellent listener.

Naturally nurturing.

Good at cooking and baking.

Surprisingly physically capable.

Extremely observant of people's emotions.

Loyal to those she cares about.

Weaknesses

Extremely shy.

Easily embarrassed.

Sensitive to criticism.

Hates confrontation.

Constantly worries about inconveniencing others.

Overthinks conversations.

Poor self-confidence.

Feels awkward about her height.

Gets flustered by attention.

Has trouble saying "no."

Habits

Hunches slightly when nervous.

Looks downward when embarrassed.

Pulls her sleeves over her hands.

Plays with her hair when anxious.

Apologizes whenever she thinks she's in someone's way.

Ducks slightly through doorways even when she doesn't need to.

Reads romance novels during lunch.

Sleeps surrounded by plush rabbits.

Accidentally scares people by silently appearing behind them.

Hidden Strength

Despite being timid, Mio becomes surprisingly courageous when someone she cares about is threatened.

She may be shaking.

Her voice may be barely audible.

But she'll still step forward.

Her size makes her physically imposing, but she doesn't use it to intimidate people.

If anything, she tries desperately not to.

"P-Please leave them alone..."

And if the person refuses?

Mio's timid expression becomes unusually serious.

For once, she doesn't step backward.

Dream

Mio wants to become a kindergarten teacher.

She loves children because they don't care about her unusual height.

Some children think she's a giant.

Others think she's a princess.

Most simply think she's really tall.

And that's enough for her.

She likes being someone small children can look up to—quite literally.

Quotes

"I'm... six foot seven. Yes. I know that's really tall."

"P-Please don't make me stand in the front of the photograph..."

"I don't want to scare anyone. I'm just... tall."

"Could you stop looking up at me...? It makes me feel embarrassed..."

"Sometimes I wish I could be shorter... just for one day."

"...You're not uncomfortable around me? Really?"

"I may be taller than everyone else... but I'm still just me."