Natsumi Tomoka

**Natsumi Tomoka**is the female protagonist of Ariella Nikolai's novel, Endless Summer. She is a 17-Year-Old high school student at Minamoto High School. She falls in love with Takeshi Yoshiro during the summer of her last year of high school, after he saves her from a traumatic experience one night. The two develop a close relationship and fall in love in the last week of summer, only for it to be revealed that he is her new history and homeroom teacher.

The story follows the two's relationship, as well as Natsumi attempting to overcome the psychological scars left behind by her past while dealing with the upcoming divorce of her parents.

## Appearance

   With long, black hair and rather large coffee-brown eyes, Natsumi is a girl with average to above average looks. Her hair is thick and straight, and she is known for her "energy-giving smile", as she looks immensely beautiful when she fully smiles, and doing so transforms her completely. Since junior high, Natsumi was bullied and outcasted by girls in her class, for her looks, intelligence and shy but kind personality attracted a lot of boys, causing lots of jealousy and spite from her female peers. As a result, Natsumi began to actively try to make herself less physically attractive, which caused her to become even more self-conscious of her appearance.

Natsumi has long, barstool legs and is of average height and weight. She is often seen dressed in casual, but feminine, clothing, as well as her school uniform. She wears her hair loose or in a high bun (when highly concentrated).

## Personality

    Natsumi often leaves the first impression on others that she is a very serious, even unapporachable, person. Because she is so focused on her studies, she does not speak during class and does her work, leading others to think that she is unfriendly. However, the opposite is true. Natsumi is a very ambitious and school-oriented person who loves organization, working hard, and is very determined to meet her goals in life, but she is also a very cheerful, sweet and caring girl. Although a bit shy at first, Natsumi is a very accepting person who is easy going and generous with others. She is rather self-conscious of herself despite her good appearance, because of the problems her physical characteristics have caused her.

Overall, Natsumi is a very responsible girl, with a serious appearance. Because she grew up mostly neglected by her alcoholic father and workaholic mother, Natsumi learned to take care of herself as well as

    her younger sister, working since she was fourteen and learning to cook, clean, and deal with illness on her own. Thus, she can be very strict with others, and will not stand for mediocre or half-hearted jobs. She pushes everyone to do their best, earning her the nickname "Iron Miss", but is also compassionate and warm to those around her. Because she grew up having to put on a strong appearance for her younger sister, whom she had to act as a parent figure for, Natsumi will stand up for others who are

being bullied, but does not stand up for herself. Unlike Karen Sakamoto, Natsumi does this not due to lack of self-esteem, but because she believes that she must be strong enough to take other's insults and bullying, and does not want to view herself as weak by stooping to their level or giving them the reaction they want.

    While she appears to be made of steel, Natsumi has a vulnerable side. This can be seen through her kind, gentle treatment of her friends and family, as well as her compassionate acts in helping others and standing up for them, as well as her tendency to take care of others. Natsumi has a nurturing nature, and often acts as a mother to her friends and fellow students, despite being the same age as them. Because she is so used to taking care of others, though, Natsumi often forgets to take care of herself. She hides it when she feels sick, sad, or angry, being selfless to the point that she even hurts herself by not paying attention to her own self and needs because she is focusing on taking care of other's well being and happiness so much.

## History

Natsumi was born to Mitsuhara and Ryotsu Tomoka when they were in their last year of college. As a result of Natsumi's birth, the two married, but continued to pursue their careers, leaving Natsumi neglected the majority of the time. She was taken care of and raised by her Aunt Wakana, whom she came to view as her true mother and parental figure, since her own parents were too busy working to care for her.

Due to their workaholism, Mitsuhara and Ryotsu grew apart, often fighting harshly when they arrived home at night. This led to severe psychological damage to Natsumi, as she had to see her parents abuse one another both verbally and physically. As a result, she began to lose trust in romantic relationships, since Aunt Wakana also had a failing marriage, leading to lack of a model for positive romantic relationships for Natsumi. Due to his issues with Mitsuhara, Ryotsu began to drink, and eventually became an alcoholic. This worsened their relationship. Lonely and lost, Ryotsu began to fall in love with his warm and caring secretary, Sango, with whom he then began an illicit affair. A year after this affair, Sango admitted to being pregnant. Mitsuhara found out after Sango gave birth to a baby girl, and Ryotsu accepted divorce. However, due to monetary reasons, Mitsuhara refused to divorce him, as it was a waste of money and would tatter her reputation. Thus, she forced him to leave their home and never contact her or Natsumi again.

Ryotsu moved into a cheap apartment near his job. He finds out the news that Sango, his lover, died while giving birth to their child, whom she lived long enough to name the baby girl Yuri. By law, Ryotsu must care for the child, but his condition as an alcoholic does not allow him to do so. Aunt Wakana takes Yuri and begs Mitsuhara to take care of her. At first, she refuses, disgusted by the child of her husband's affair, but then gives in, saying she will only house it and not raise it. Thus, Aunt Wakana becomes the guardian of Yuri as well. Natsumi and Yuri are raised together, as sisters, and become extremely close. The three become a very close-knit family. Tragedy strikes when Aunt Wakana becomes ill when Natsumi is ten years old. Despite heavy treatment at the hospital, Aunt Wakana passes away, leaving Natsumi to take care of herself and Yuri alone.

During this time, Ryotsu appears and attempts to make amends with his daughters, asking for forgiveness and claiming that he is no longer an alcoholic. While Natsumi refutes him completely, claiming that she no longer needs a father - or parents at all, since she has learned how to fend for herself independently - Yuri wishes to rebuild her relationship with her father. Natsumi begins working part-time by making dolls and peeling nuts at the age of eleven. She works hard and is pressured by Mitsuhara to do well in her studies, receiving verbal abuse whenever she doesn't rank first in her grade. At school, Natsumi is bullied since elementary school for her serious and introverted personality. Because she has experienced so much terror in life since she was born, having to take care of herself, being neglected, witnessing her parent's fights and her aunt's death, she matured much earlier than the other children, and thus became much more responsible, serious and mature. This made it impossible for her to relate to the other children, because she was so much mentally older. Thus, she was labeled an outcast and a snob, since she refused to play or speak with anyone.

In junior high, Natsumi was the target of bullying for another reason, as well. Because of her intelligence, politeness, demurity and appearance, she became to object of affection for several boys, leading to unwanted attention. This caused many girls to become jealous of her and thus bully her. Believing it to be a sign of weakness if she flinched, Natsumi took their bullying daily, never retaliating or crumbling. During this time she also began to work three part time jobs.

In the second year of her high school life, Natsumi was befriended by a group of girls named Ella, Olivia, and Ako. Unbeknowst to Natsumi, they befriended her only so that they could belittle her and make her feel excluded when she was with them, as Ella and Ako were jealous of Natsumi and thought she needed to be taught a lesson. Despite their bad treatment of her, Natsumi endured it, preferring to be accompanied than alone. She began to form a bond with Olivia of the group, who was often a third-wheel to Ella and Ako. However, Olivia turned her back on Natsumi when Ako and Ella began to include her if she was mean to Natsumi.

One day during summer break following the first trimester of high school, the four girls went shopping. Ella and Ako assaulted Natsumi with verbal harassment, calling her ugly and pouring perfume on her saying she smelled terrible. As a way to escape their abuse, Natsumi took a call from her sister, Yuri, and left the group for some time. During the call, she wandered off into an isolated street. It was night time then, and she was found by a group of intoxicated men who attempted to rape her. Although they managed to sexually assault her, before they could rape her, Natsumi was saved by a stranger. She refused to go to the hospital, and went back to her friends. Instead of worrying, Ella and Ako laughed at her ripped clothes, messy hair, red face and tear-streaked eyes. Natsumi began to cry for the first time in years, but before her tears were seen, she was taken away by the stranger who saved her. He took her to the hospital, and home afterwards. During the car ride, he asked her questions and talked about history to distract her. Afterwards, they met again, for Natsumi to return his phone and coat (which he had lent to her to cover up her ripped clothing). During that time, she helped him grade school papers, assuming he was a college student who tutored. The two became close after Natsumi opened up about why she hung out with Ella and Ako despite their treatment of her. They exchanged phone numbers and began to text each other frequently. Slowly, they came to like one another more.

They fell completely in love one day after they accidentally met at a park, and decided to spend the day together. During their hours together that day, Natsumi fell in love with the stranger, named Takeshi, and they embraced before parting ways. Natsumi thanked him for giving her a friend in him, and for making her smile. Takeshi asked to meet her once more, to which she agreed to, but during winter break, as she was too busy during school. Takeshi agreed, and the two parted ways, only to realize they went to the same school the very next day, after Takeshi walks in and introduces himself as Yoshiro-Sensei. He turns out to be her homeroom and history teacher, as he is replacing Matsuraa-Sensei while she is on maternity leave. Although the two struggle to forget their relationship, circumstances throw them together, and they become heavily involved in each other's lives and problems. Takeshi discovers Natsumi's living circumstances as well as her sad past, making him unable to leave her alone. He asks to be the person she can talk to, and even helps her make friends in class, while she provides the same support for him at home, where he is alone, by taking care of him and listening to his worries. The two's relationship develops deeply, as they are both very mature. Eventually they must break off their contact after Himawari, another teacher in love with Takeshi, blackmails him into marrying her in exchange for keeping his relationship with Natsumi a secret. He agrees in order to protect Natsumi, and the two become engaged, breaking Natsumi's heart.

After Natsumi is in an accident after her bus crashes with another, Takeshi understands how important she is to him, and resigns from his job as a teacher. He then applies to another school, breaks off his engagement with Himawari, and disappears. He makes an appearance at the end of Natsumi's graduation, taking her away from the school and explaining the reason for his engagement and disappearance. The two reconcile, and a year later, in the summer following Natsumi's first trimester in Tokyo University, the two are seen to have become engaged, still together with their past behind them, finally able to lead normal and happy lives.

## Synopsis

The story begins by introducing us to Natsumi, who flashbacks to her father's first fight when she was young. A glass vase is thrown and hits Natsumi, then shatters. She narrates that ever since she was little, she had been given reasons to never believe in love. The scene changes to present day Natsumi who is out with a group of girls, named Ella, Ako and Olivia.

After being cruelly teased and harassed by the girls, Natsumi takes a call from her sister, Yuri, and leaves the store. During their conversation, she wanders away into a dark, empty street. Hanging up, Natsumi attempts to go back to the store but is stopped by a group of men dressed in black. The men begin to flirt with her, but she refutes their advances and attempts to escape. They throw her against the wall and begin to physically attack her, then tie her up and place a gag on her mouth. Natsumi desperately struggles to escape, but the men attempt to undress her, ripping her clothes apart in the process. Although they manage to force physical advances upon her, before they can rape her, she is rescued by a tall, silhouetted figure who scares the men away with martial arts moves. The man - who appears to be a handsome college student- calls the police, but he is stopped by Natsumi, who begs him not to get an ambulance. Claiming that she was not harmed, she states that she must return to her worried friends.

It is found that she has been abandoned by her friends. She agrees to the hospital, but demands that no ambulance be sent and that they are gone before the police arrives. At the hospital, her savior discovers that Natsumi's relative died from an illness when Natsumi was only seven. He drives her home, and on the drive back he is impressed by her wise words and intelligent comebacks and knowledge. He gives her his jacket to hide her torn clothes after she begs him not to inform her mother. Later, she finds that he has left his phone in his pocket. The two agree to meet