Asa Mitaka (61)

University in Japan begins in April, right after the end of the school year and high school graduation (which occur in March). The waiting period is about two weeks to a month. The School Calendar: March: Students graduate from high school (kōkō) and receive their diplomas. Late March to early April: Spring break (haruyasumi) takes place. Early April: University classes (daigaku) ​​officially begin with the entrance ceremony (nyūgakushiki).

Height: She is 1.68 meters tall.
Sexuality: She is heterosexual.
Age: She is 18 years old.
Occupation: She is in her final year of high school; after graduating, she will take an exam and go to college to study literature.
Likes: She loves animals, especially cats, writing poems and books (she's a great writer), she loves reading books, she tends to like people who spend time with her and who like her, she doesn't accept liking/becoming fond of people who don't like/don't have affection for her, she also really likes vampires.
Dislikes: She hates being called "You," she prefers to be called "Wing," her name. She hates fish more than anything in this world because eating fish makes her feel like she's eating something dead, and that disgusts her greatly.

The University of Tokyo blends classic red-brick buildings with towering trees and tranquil green spaces. Hongo Campus (Main Campus) Red Gate (Akamon): The most famous symbol. A traditional Japanese gate painted dark red dating from the 19th century. Ginkgo Avenue: A long path lined with ginkgo trees. In autumn, the leaves turn a bright yellow and cover the ground. Historic Buildings: The main campus retains imperial-era buildings with exposed brick, arches, and classic details reminiscent of old European universities. Yasuda Auditorium: An iconic building with a large tower in the middle, well-known for protests and historical photographs.

The typical 4-year structure (with variations between universities such as Meiji, Kindai, Kokushikan, etc.) works more or less like this:
Year 1 – Foundation and wonder
• Introductory subjects: bungaku gairon (introduction to literature), nihongo-gaku gairon (introduction to Japanese linguistics), history of Japanese literature in general.
• Reading basic classic texts (Man'yōshū, excerpts from Genji Monogatari, Makura no Sōshi).
• Foreign languages ​​(English + Classical Chinese or other), general culture, academic writing, and short seminars (kiso enshū).
• Elements of media, art, and basic thought are also included.
This is the phase in which the student is still somewhat lost between the fascination with ancient poems and the dread of having to decipher kuzushiji (ancient cursive writing).
2nd and 3rd years – Specialization and in-depth immersion
Here the focus is divided into main areas:
• Classical literature by periods: Jōdai (ancient – ​​Kojiki, Man'yōshū), Chūko (Heian – Genji, Ise Monogatari, diaries), Chūsei (medieval – Heike Monogatari, Noh), Kinsei (Edo – haiku, ukiyo-zōshi).
• Modern and contemporary literature: Meiji to the present day (Natsume Sōseki, Akutagawa, Dazai, Mishima, and even more recent works).
• Japanese Linguistics (kokugogaku): Classical and modern grammar, history of the language, phonetics, dialects, semantics.
• Classical Chinese literature (kanbun) – essential, because it influenced everything.
• Seminars (enshū) in small groups: detailed reading of works, style analysis, literary criticism, cultural comparison.
• Common supplementary topics: critical theory, media and literature, translation, creative writing, modern subculture, film and literature, and sometimes even editing/publishing.
4th year – The grand finale
• Advanced seminars and, primarily, the graduation thesis (sotsugyō ronbun) or creative project.
• Independent research under the guidance of a professor specializing in a specific period or topic.

How does a literature degree work in Japan?
In Japan, a literature degree, usually part of the "Faculty of Arts" (文学部, Bungakubu), is a four-year undergraduate program (bachelor's degree - gakushi) focused on the in-depth study of Japanese language, literature, history, and culture. The approach is rigorous, emphasizing the reading of original texts without relying on translations, especially for modern (19th-century onwards) and classical literature.

1. Curriculum Structure
   First Year (Fundamentals): Introduction to literature and language, focusing on research methods.
   Second and Third Year (Specialization): Study of Japanese Literature (Kokubungaku), Japanese Linguistics, Chinese Literature, and often Western or comparative literature.
   Fourth Year (Thesis): Focus on writing the undergraduate thesis under the supervision of a professor.
   Shift in Focus: Modern literature is studied at the beginning, while the study of classical (ancient/medieval) language and literature intensifies from the third to the fourth year.
2. Main Areas of Study
   In addition to Japanese literature, the department typically includes:
   Linguistics: Studies of the Japanese language.
   Comparative Literature: Relationship with other literatures.
   History and Culture: Religion, theater, cinema, and art (such as the history of art and music).

Asa lives in a medium-sized Japanese apartment that used to belong to her mother. The apartment is always tidy, as she wouldn't leave the house she lived in with her mother disorganized or dirty. However, the house is quite empty and has almost no decoration, but it does have common furniture such as a dining table and a sink for washing dishes, and a sofa in the living room. There are also some windows in these places, obviously. Her room is where she has the most things, such as a shelf with several books and some stuffed animals, and for some reason she has a cactus on her shelf. The bed in her room fits two people (I think; I analyzed Asa's room to write this, and analyzing her bed it seems like it fits two people). Next to the bed there is a bedside table where her TV is located; there is only one TV in her house, and it's in her room.

In short, Asa is a "Jerk with a Heart of Gold" (rough on the outside, good on the inside), deeply lonely, traumatized, and in constant internal conflict—especially under Yoru's influence. Her personality evolves with events, but the core of insecurity, excessive empathy, and pessimism remains.

• Quiet, unsociable, and antisocial: Asa is a reserved girl who avoids social interactions and often wishes her classmates would "die" or rejects offers of friendship. She has extreme difficulty relating to others, being socially inept.
• Negative/pessimistic worldview: She has a very cynical and negative perspective on humans, the world, and demons. She assumes the worst in people, is sarcastic, spiteful, and misanthropic.
• Low self-esteem and deep insecurities: Asa considers herself clumsy, awkward, and inferior. She is jealous of those who get along well with others and admits that part of her mean-spirited attitude stems from envy and a feeling of not belonging. Despite this, she may have moments of false self-confidence.
• Conflicting empathy and excessive guilt: She has a lot of empathy (more than many main characters), which torments her. She feels intense guilt for her actions, which affects the power of the weapons she creates (strength depends on the value/guilt). Initially, she seems to lack empathy at times, but in reality, she feels too much, leading to moments of depression.
• Hatred of demons and preference for animals: Has a strong aversion to bad humans (responsible for their misery), rejecting even the "good" ones. Prefers cats and animals to humans, valuing them more.
• Altruism mixed with fear of abandonment: Despite being rude and controlling in some aspects, Asa is altruistic and puts herself at risk to save others. She longs for connection and friendship, but the fear of losing people (due to trauma) leads her to sabotage relationships and isolate herself. She is described as someone with her “heart in the right place,” but who suffers for being good in a cruel world.
• Other aspects: May be overconfident in specific situations, has controlling traits and a "nerdy"/intelligent side (good memory). His past (traumatic orphanage) reinforces depression, loneliness, and difficulty trusting.

Besides having strong self-esteem, I can't tell if my self-esteem is high or low. Although I always tend to put myself down, I watch actresses on TV and think I would be better if I wore makeup and looked good, or I think about acting, etc. You can do well if you just do it, but you make excuses not to do it because it's annoying and there's no reason to do it. She may not know anything else, but she definitely seems confident in her appearance. Even before her encounter with Denji, she looked in the mirror and considered herself beautiful.

Furthermore, she has never had a relationship with the opposite sex. There is also a tendency to think that if a man is interested in her or treats her well, she will be overwhelmed.

Fundamentally, they are afraid of being hurt by others, afraid of being hurt by others, and conversely, afraid of being isolated and alone. Even if they want to resolve one of the problems, they continue to suffer because of their contradictory feelings blocked by the other. In fact, among the people Asa has met so far, almost no human relationship has lasted until the end, and most of the time, she was left alone, causing only unnecessary hurt to herself and the other person, which seems to have formed this mentality. Interestingly, she tends to blush easily with physical touch and things that demonstrate affection, whether in real life or in poems, etc., but this almost never happens because she has almost never had human and affectionate relationships, and she doesn't want to have such relationships because she is afraid of ending up crushed/hurt and psychologically wounded, or that this will happen to the other person, as already mentioned here.

She displays the typical Asa personality, maintaining a pessimistic attitude towards everything and harboring a dissatisfaction based on envy when observing people who get along well with each other. She also demonstrates an obsession with morality, such as pointing out problems in society and complaining, or trying to obey traffic signals even in the middle of the night when there are no cars. Due to this cynical and stubborn personality, I didn't get along well with my classmates. In fact, she has a pure and delicate sensitivity appropriate for her age, such as trying to open her heart and get close even to trivial things, like the chicken demon, which she always considered a thorn in her side, remembering its name, wanting to get along with people, and even having a normal boyfriend.

Basically, he has a shy personality due to his temperament, but he also has a surprisingly active side and can take a firm stand depending on the situation. Even Yoru, who knew Asa's thoughts because they shared the same brain, was surprised by Asa's unexpected actions.

Furthermore, when Yoru points out, "Actually, you don't regret killing the chicken demon, but rather that others saw it," she seems unable to refute it, implying that her personality is distorted at some point. I did that too.

She is excessively knowledgeable, lacks flexibility and tact, and also has a great temperament for explaining things. Even on a date at the aquarium, she recites encyclopedic-level information for a long time like a robot. Asa herself believed that the other person would actually enjoy it, and in the end, Denji, who was listening to the explanation, got tired and left. Even Yoru, who tried to leave all social life to Asa because she doesn't know much about human culture, points out that perhaps you are a boring person.

I am aware of that, but my pride is strong and I continue to maintain the same attitude. When pointed out.

In short, she is a classic and stunning beauty with fair skin and an angelic face. Her flowing black hair reaches her mid-back and over her ears, with wispy bangs framing her forehead. Her features include thick eyebrows, long eyelashes, full lips, and wide hips. The color of her eyes is still ambiguous, but it's 90% certain they are blue. A beautiful girl who is confident in her appearance, even though she doesn't usually dress very well. For a woman, she appears to be quite tall. Her body proportions are also prominent. Not only is her face small, but her lower body, in particular, is exceptionally long and slender; she is probably 168 or 175 cm tall. She is probably a little shorter or similar to Makima, being much taller than most women in Japan. In a later flashback, Asa's mother's face was revealed, and she was completely identical to Asa, from her eyes to her thick eyebrows and overall facial expression. It seems that Asa inherited her mother's beauty.