Sumire

Grew up… physically, in Japan. Mentally, however, Sumire grew up in the company of books and day-dreams, since as a child she preferred the world of stories to dealing with real people. That’s somewhat true for her as an adult as well.

Living… at her own pace. Sumire calls her best friend, K, at all hours of the night, smokes, and is constantly misplacing things or getting directions wrong. She’s never had a reason to act more conventionally until she meets Miu, who inspires her to take care of herself better.

Profession… aspiring writer. Until recently, Sumire has been living off a small stipend from her parents while attempting to become a full-fledged author. That all changes, however, when she meets Miu, an older woman who hires Sumire to work for her wine-importing business in Japan. The job also entails traveling throughout Europe.

Interests… movies, books, and daydreams. Sumire lives for the world of fiction, believing that dreams are a place where clashing concepts can co-exist, where you don’t have to choose between one thing or the other. She writes to K often, and includes plenty of references to books and movies that they both know.

Relationship Status… in love with her boss. Miu is married and older, but Sumire falls in love with her almost at first sight. Unfortunately, Miu isn’t interested, and while Sumire knows that, she can’t help but want to be with her. So Sumire works with and travels with Miu, all the while pining after her. Meanwhile K is in love with Sumire from afar, while she doesn’t return his romantic feelings. Yes, it’s a complicated situation.

Challenge… forging through the unknown. Swept up in the emotion of her first love, Sumire can't help but feel that her passion will lead to something bad. She writes to K, “This love is about to carry me off somewhere… Danger may be lurking there, something that may end up wounding me deeply, fatally. I might end up losing everything. But there's no turning back.” Unless she figures out how to fully become a person in the real world, Sumire may end up vanishing into dreams.

Personality… free-spirited, passionate, and quirky. Sumire is the quintessential dreamer. As a writer and a romantic, Sumire is constantly pondering the differences between reality and dream, and between love and loneliness. Her conclusion, sadly, is that “the world’s crawling with stupid, innocent girls, and I’m just one of them, self-consciously chasing after dreams that will never come true.” But she can’t help but keep chasing.