Rinko Hanazawa

Rinko Hanazawa is Interlunium's centre. She is a part of the subunit PichiPichi PASSION!!!

Rinko features in the songs Intergalactic Disco, Level Up! and Idol Road.

## Summary

Meet Rinko Hanazawa! Interlunium’s lovely center has been taking classical singing lessons since she was three years old. Though her career in classical music fell a bit flat, she continued to pursue her dreams as a performer! With her best friend Junko by her side, Rinko has become a pro idol. Juggling high school, dorm life, and hours of practice, Rinko Hanazawa leads Interlunium! Rinko hopes you’ll follow her and her friends, on their intergalactic adventure!

## Background

Rinko was born on May 20th. She has a twin sister named Shiki, who came out a few minutes after she did, making Rinko the older of the fraternal, yet nearly identical twin sisters. Her parents were both incredibly successful, the father being a well-known conductor and pianist and her mother being a famous singer in Korea. But while they may seem elegant and collected on the outside, inside they were selfish and prideful individuals. Their conflicting desires and expectations caused a disastrous rift in their marriage, one that would permanently damage their family. The one thing they agreed on however was that they both wanted children who were musicians, so as soon as Shiki and Rinko turned three, they were both put into singing and piano lessons. While Shiki excelled, Rinko seemed less than interested; this caused their parents to favor Shiki more, though they were convinced Rinko would come around and continued to put her in lessons.

Years passed, and Rinko still felt disinterested in the career path her parents chose for her. She admitted to liking music, but she didn’t really enjoy classical music. Her parents were appalled by this thought, both of them being rather elitist, considering classical music to be the only “real” music. Rinko was forced to continue piano lessons until she was 8 and they let her stop. It wasn’t that Rinko wasn’t good, in fact she was quite talented, but her constant shenanigans caused her teachers to become weary of her. She was very happy when she was allowed to quit and figured that if she did this with her singing lessons as well, her parents would also let her quit those. Her attempts were futile as they would actually threaten Rinko into behaving properly. Some days it would be her not being allowed to eat, other days she would have to sleep outside. Shiki on the other hand continued to excel in her studies, earning the title of ‘prodigy’. However, it wasn’t long until she began to exhibit her parent’s distasteful behavior. She would constantly remind Rinko that even though Rinko is the oldest of the two, she was far superior. There was even a time where Shiki called Rinko a ‘mistake’. This didn’t make Rinko hate Shiki though, as she still considers the other her, “adorable, talented little sister” much to her chagrin.

When Rinko was ten years old, she was performing in a park and met Junko. She was surprised to find someone interested in her performance, especially someone the same age as her. Usually people would come to ask about her singing, but this girl seemed interested in Rinko herself as well. After some quick introductions, Rinko learned the identity of her new friend, Junko. They began to talk about what they liked until Junko asked Rinko if she could teach her how to sing. Rinko was overjoyed at the proposition, being told multiple times that she was neither a good singer nor a good teacher. Junko was shocked at her confession and told her that her teachers must be crazy to think that Rinko had no talent.

They continued to talk before Rinko’s father came to pick her up. He began yelling at her, telling her that she should be at home practicing instead of being outside. She started to walk away, crestfallen and embarrassed that her new friend had to witness her get scolded like that, but Junko’s father came and started talking with her dad. During that time, the two girls also continued talking in which Junko proposed that they sing together. Rinko agreed almost immediately but before anything else could be said, Rinko’s father dragged her off. Rinko was incredibly happy, knowing that she has something to look forward to. It was that hope that allowed her to endure two more years of emotional and mental abuse through the hands of her parents before meeting Junko again. For anyone else this would have been a living nightmare, but Rinko’s unwavering optimism and perseverance allowed her to continue her antics by skipping lessons or coming home late. She eventually stumbled upon Japanese idols and became inspired by their music and talent. This discovery led her to start watching anime and playing rhythm games. Her parents were against it at first, but she somehow managed to convince her parents that it would help with her timing.

When Rinko was 12, a new girl joined her class. She could barely hold in her excitement when she saw the pink-haired girl again. She jumped out of her chair and shouted, causing her to jump in surprise. The whole class then started to laugh as this was typical of their Rinko, always doing something crazy. Both of them would remember this day as the day both their lives changed for the better. When Rinko didn’t want to go home, she would go to Junko’s house and just relax and talk about anything. Rinko was happy to have a friend who would listen and support her.

Unfortunately, the situation at home never got better. The oppressive and suffocating lifestyle had finally taken its toll on Rinko. When she was thirteen, she decided that enough was enough and devised a plan to stop this abuse. She was going to confront her parents and tell them that they only needed Shiki in their lives. It was painfully obvious that Rinko was not to their standards and she would rather live a normal life instead of having to endure any more. To further show her rebellion she cut off the beautiful long hair, that both the sisters had, into a short bob. Her plan did not succeed, as her parents were enraged that their daughter would dare defy them to this extent. They screamed and insulted her, calling her things that no child should ever hear. They finally decided to kick her out, telling Rinko that they didn’t need a failure. Shiki overheard the whole thing, obviously, but she did nothing to stop it; however, for the first time in her life, she felt bad for her older sister. Alone and with nothing from her home, Rinko wandered aimlessly through the neighborhood until a she noticed someone familiar running towards her. Shiki quickly caught up with her and handed Rinko a backpack stuffed with clothes and snacks. Shocked by this gesture, all Rinko could do was hug her tightly and warn her to be careful on her way home. After her sister left, Rinko headed to a park that she frequented when she was young. She took a seat on a swing and for the first time in a very long time, Rinko Hanazawa broke down and cried.

The next day, Junko arrived at the Hanazawa residence to walk with Rinko to school. Shiki, who was just about to leave, informed Junko that her sister had to leave the house last night and that she should look for her in town. Junko frantically ran around the town looking for her until she stumbled upon the park where Rinko was, still awake and still on the swings. When she walked up to Rinko, she began to cry hysterically. Junko immediately offered to have her stay at her home for as long as she needed, in which Rinko accepts right away. To help her best friend feel better, Junko had her dad call the school and tell them that they were sick. This allowed them to spend the day however they wanted. They got ice cream, bought new clothes, and set up Rinko’s new room. At some point, Junko complimented Rinko’s new hairstyle, which caused her to keep it this way from now on.

The next few years of her life was dedicated to finding herself. She still loved music and was still passionate about idols, but could she herself become an idol? She still needed some time to really think and do research. She was having a lot of fun with Junko but deep down, she knew that she had to take things seriously. She decided that she really did want to become an idol. She noticed that I MY ME was doing open auditions in a week and saw this as a perfect opportunity to try and get into the industry. She couldn’t do it alone and thus asked Junko to join her, in which she eagerly accepted. After many nights of practicing and preparation, they were finally ready for the audition. This was the moment of truth for Rinko, she was finally taking control of her life. She would be able to stop worrying about having to go back to her parents and she would stop inconveniencing her friends. She was going to do it.

The audition went fine overall, some mistakes here and there, but the two were proud of what they were able to accomplish in such a short time. Despite the flaws, the judges recognized the burning passion in the two of them and accepted them both to the company. Rinko was ecstatic, she had done it!

## Other Data

Rinko attends Mizoroge High School.

Rinko has an identical twin sister, though they don't talk often.

She placed fifth in the 2018 popularity poll  and ninth in the 2019 popularity poll.

She was ranked sixth in the 2020 popularity poll  and eleventh in the 2021 popularity poll.

She features in several issues of the 4koma: 7, 12, 15, 16, 24 and 26.

Her Blood Type is O+.

Her Fantasy Class is Adventurer.

Her other Stats are: LVL: 1, ATK: 15, DEF: 30, AGI: 30, DEX: 12, INT: 20, LU: 45.

## Gallery

Debut lead-up art. Drawn by Swakoo.Discord promo. Drawn by Swakoo.Kofi promo. Drawn by Swakoo.Interlunium Xmas. Drawn by Swakoo.New Year Rinko. Drawn by Arucelli.Rinko's concept art.Rinko's 2018 Birthday Art. Drawn by Swakoo.Rinko's 2019 Birthday Art. Drawn by Eden.Rinko wearing the Mizoroge High School uniform.Level Up! color guide.Level Up! outfit designs.
## References

1. ↑ https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/interlunium/interluniums-second-single-campaign
2. ↑ https://docs.google.com/document/d/1yYmyWYPM02QjyrsZCjQBbqbgREhaotUlghWTGnpn41I/edit?usp=sharing
3. ↑ https://twitter.com/Interluniums/status/997967425785225218
4. ↑ https://twitter.com/Interluniums/status/1088169066928488449
5. ↑ https://twitter.com/Interluniums/status/1230186540715958273
6. ↑ https://twitter.com/Interluniums/status/1366070665271533571