When Tomoko was five she had owned a pet grasshopper. She had found it outside one day, and she put it n a big see through container, popping a few holes in the lid so it could breathe.

She brought the grasshopper with her everywhere, even to the library, where she got help looking up what the insect ate.

One day when she was in the park with her mum she took the grasshopper out of the container, watching it closely as it moved about the grass. The insect took a big leap, and right in front of Tomoko it landed smack between the eyes of a boy her age.

The boy cried out, flailed, and fell backwards in shock. He looked like he was close to tears, but as Tomoko hurried forward, that wasn't even something she considered. She just didn't want him to hurt her pet!

The slap she gave him as she picked the bug off his face made matters worse, and while she scolded him for nearly murdering her precious pet she decided that boys were stupid.

Years later she discovered that JK had a terrible fear of grasshoppers, claiming that a scary little girl had tried to kill him with one.

It took her a while to make the connection.

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