Colorful

"Colorful" is the Gokinjo Monogatari special chapter and the first in volume five of Gokinjo Monogatari.

Plot
This chapter tells the story about Mikako's classmate in junior high school, Sanae Seito, and how friendship with Mikako has impacted her life.

It shows that Mikako was always different from other students :"She had long brown hair that was down to her waist and three pierced holes with sparkly earrings. Her lips were peach colored. Although every one of those features violated the school rules, every one of them suited her very well."

- Sanae Seito about Mikako. For being different, Mikako had been bulled often and even her teachers were suggesting to change the school or skip classes. Sanae Seito was timid class-rep, who secretly admired Mikako for being so free-spirited. Sanae always did what her family told her, but secretly was writing novels at midnight and wanted to become a shoujo novelist. She couldn't tell about this to anyone because she was afraid of beign laughed of and felt ashamed of being dreamy. She told about Mikako to her private tutor Shuuichii Takigawa (first year university student), wondering how Mikako can stand so harsh treatment from others without crying. Takigawa said that, he thinks, Mikako has already found the most important thing to her, something that she can holds onto like a very strong principle. So even when she is alone, she can also be very strong.

After Mikako went in trouble protecting Sanae from bullies and hadn't been seen at school for long time, Sanae decided to drop by to her after school. There she met Tsutomu and Ruriko Kouda. Mikako told her about her dream to become fashion designer. Sanae realized that she, and everyone else in school, envies Mikako, because Mikako has courage to hold onto her colorful dream. After junior high Sanae's family moved to Osaka. Mikako's letter and farewell gift encouraged Sanae to not give up on her own dream. Sanae started to send her drafts to magazines and even won an award, so she stopped to feel shameful about her dream and became very happy person.

Character appearances

 * Kuro
 * Mikako Kouda
 * Ruriko Kouda
 * Sanae Seito
 * Shuuichii Takigawa
 * Tsutomu Yamaguchi

Behind the scenes
Shuuichii Takigawa is a character from another Ai Yazawa's manga "Tenshi Nanka Ja Nai" ("I'm Not an Angel").

"Colorful" was first time published in magazine "Ribbon Teens Special", August 19, 1996. Also Yazawa Ai mentions in corner talk of chapter 11, that reading this story is fundamental to understanding Gokinjo Monogatari better.