Kaede

A girl the same age as Nate, from Shogi Island. In Checker Town, she attends school and runs a tiny lending library called the Reading Room (読書室)

Traits

• Patient, warm, and generous
• Speaks Japanese first and rough english second
• Plays as a bishop in games — same as her younger brother, Matsu
• Named for the maple (楓)

Background

Kaede grew up on Shogi Island, she and her brother were both to be part of an exchange program, but only she agreed to go. For work, she opened the Reading Room: free to enter, free to borrow, and free to sit while she teaches you the basics all the way up to master. Donations are plenty.

Role in the Story

Kaede is the bridge between Checker Town and Shogi Island — the friendly face of a language and a world the crew doesn’t understand yet. She leads all the Japanese teaching — the Reading Room and the Academy’s Shogi dojo alike — with her younger brother Matsu helping.

• 「ようこそ、読書室へ。」 — “Welcome to the Reading Room.”