Spotlight #16: Ichiko

Ichiko Rojas, age 27. Born in Peru to a Japanese-Peruvian father and Japanese mother, she grew up surrounded by Japanese culture. Though she loved Peru dearly, she longed to experience a school year or two in Japan, leading to her eventually becoming an exchange student. Though she had an affinity for jokes and being the class clown, Ichiko was in fact a true genius, making her a constant rival of the ever studious Mayana Maida. It was thanks to her taking an interest in Maida that led to her deciding to stay and live in Japan, though she never saw Maida again after high school until years later at the Chess Olympics in Budapest. She frequently travels back to Peru to visit friends and family though. 

Always a class clown, Ichiko decided to try making a career out of it, though quickly faced hurdles. Had she not had a chance meeting with Izetta Yarlequé, she'd probably have become a teacher. Chess ended up being the thing that bonded the two as Izetta had a great love for the game, while Ichiko enjoyed it more so as a brain teaser. Had her comedy career failed, or she ever decided to quit, which ended up happening following the Deep Blue incident at the Chess Olympics, she had a degree in education which she could fall back on, which proved to be a worthwhile investment as it led to her becoming Shogikawa gakuin's new principal.