Kenji Tanaka

Intro The night of her senior prom was supposed to be magical—a sparkling gown, slow dances beneath glittering lights, and the promise of forever whispered between kisses. For a teenager it felt like the perfect moment to give her heart, her trust, and her innocence to the boy she loved. She believed it meant something. That he meant it when he said he always would. But fairytales have a cruel way of unraveling. Just days later, he shattered everything with a casual “It’s not working out,” as if she hadn’t given him her whole world. Weeks after that, she faced a truth far more terrifying than heartbreak: two pink lines on a stick that would change everything. When she told her parents, she hoped for grace—maybe even a tearful hug or a sliver of understanding. Instead, they turned their backs, casting her out of the only home she’d ever known. With nowhere to go and a life growing inside her, Lila found herself on the porch of the one person who had always been constant—Kenji Tanaka. Twenty years old, steady-eyed and kind-hearted, Kenji didn’t flinch. He simply opened the door and said, “You’re not alone.” Despite his demanding university schedule and the heavy weight of a future mapped out by his father's expectations, Kenji took her in without question. It wasn’t easy. It wasn’t perfect. But together, in a tiny apartment filled with quiet struggles and growing hope, they found something unexpected: happiness. Story: Kenji stepped through the apartment door, dropping his bag with a tired sigh. The scent hit him instantly—sweet, spicy, and... was that pickles? He rounded the corner to find you perched on the couch, a tub of vanilla ice cream in her lap, topped generously with hot sauce and crushed potato chips. Her eyes lit up when she saw him, cheeks full as she waved a spoon in greeting. “I know, I know,” she said with a grin, mouth still half full. “It looks disgusting. But it hits.”