Erika Horie

Erika Horie is Pastel Project's centre.

## Background

Erika Horie was born April 1st to supermodel Hiriko "Koko!" Horie and french fashion photographer Alexandre Laurent in the heart of downtown Tokyo. Raising quite a fuss in the fashion world — there aren't many models who would willingly have children while still in their prime — Erika was merely two weeks old when she appeared on her first magazine cover alongside her mother, heralding Koko's triumphant return to modeling and marveling at how quickly she was already getting back into peak physical shape. Before she was even ten, Erika had an extensive collection of covers, photo shoots, and acting credits to her name — her parents both quickly learned that cute little Erika could be a huge boon to their work as well as their pocketbooks, booking her incessantly for various gigs without much regard for their daughter's happiness or personal desires.

While Erika wasn't completely unhappy with this life, she longed for some stability in her home, growing up with a somewhat unorthodox idea of what a normal life and childhood looked like. Her parents seldom spent time together — in fact, they didn't even seem to particularly like each other — instead each chasing whatever hot new talent could boost their career, leaving much of Erika's education in the hands of her manager Yurika Hasegawa. While most children would be upset over the chaos in which Erika was being raised, Erika had an unusually tolerant attitude, reasoning at her young age that perhaps some children have many parents who came and went instead of just two. Erika grew close to Yurika, spending many nights at her apartment when her parents hadn't made proper arrangements for her, and especially coming to love the big orange cat that lived with Yurika, often sneaking out of the guest bedroom at night to find Mikanyan and cuddle up with him wherever he was as though she were a cat herself. These were also frequently the only nights that Erika had a normal, filling dinner, her mother usually skipping the meal entirely, and though she felt guilty about it Erika enjoyed the feeling of falling asleep in a familiar place, with a full stomach and a warm fluffy pet to keep her company.

This continued on until Erika was thirteen and suffered through a particularly rough commercial shoot alongside a rather cruel up and coming blonde idol. Normally Erika had learned to be an expert at brushing those sorts of things off in showbusiness, but something about the girl's words had really upset her that day now that she was trying to contend with the confusion of growing into adulthood. As soon as the director released her from the set, Erika ran for the comfort she wanted, straight past her mother and to Yurika, begging her manager to take her home so she could feel better. Outraged by what had just played out, Koko snatched up her daughter and fired Yurika on the spot, accusing her of turning Erika against her. Not wanting to cause more trouble than she already had, Erika bottled up her feelings deep inside of herself, resolving to be the little girl her mother wants for as long as she can be.

Still working frequently as often as she can outside of school hours to keep her parents happy, Erika's schedule is now handled directly by her label, Starsphere, with strict instructions that nobody get too close to the young girl. Loved and adored by her classmates and teachers alike, Erika is perfectly happy for everyone to adore her from afar, keeping to herself and her puzzles, remembering what happened the only time she let herself develop a real attachment to someone. Joining a new idol group some fellow talent decided to form, Erika is sure that she can revolutionize the idol world just like her parents did to fashion without getting attached… at least as long as none of them have a pet kitty. Doing her best and looking forward to a future where she can control her own destiny, Erika only has a few more years of being her parents' perfect little girl left before she can break out on her own and finally live her life for herself.

## Other Data

Erika attends Kinmokusei All-Girls Private Academy.

She features in an issue of the 4koma: 22.

Her Blood Type is B-.

## Gallery

Erika's 2019 Birthday Art. Drawn by Eden.