Self-Introduction | As if sticking a label on a jam jar.

Releasing a bottle into the vast ocean.

I made my long-awaited debut on note in a very modest, yet spectacular fashion.
I think of my tiny writing, tossed into such a vast ocean of text, as nothing more than a letter without an address put in a bottle and cast out to sea. Even so, the thought that it might catch someone's eye somewhere makes me feel too embarrassed to re-read what I've written. Therefore, I closed note shortly after my momentous first post.

Then, the next day, I opened note with trepidation and found that I had received a few 'likes.' I am grateful. So very grateful.

To my surprise, the letter I had cast into the sea was picked up by someone, somewhere—someone whose face and name I don't even know—who read it and even replied in the form of a 'like'!!
Note is terrifying, and the people who are so 'conscious' are terrifying!! (Am I still saying that?)

I visited the pages of everyone who kindly gave me a 'like' and suddenly realized.

"W-wait, everyone is writing a self-introduction...!!!!"

I see, I should have started with a self-introduction... Oh no...

That certainly makes sense. Knowing what kind of person is writing versus reading without knowing anything at all must surely change the level of empathy. And above all, it would surely increase the resolution.

Alright, I'll do a self-introduction too. I can't just write and cast bottles into this vast ocean without revealing who I am. If I'm going to go to the trouble, I want to meet people in the same situation, have them empathize with me, and if possible, become someone who can give a push to those who read my work...!
Honestly, I'm not good at self-introductions, but when in Rome, do as the Romans do. I have no choice but to do it.

So, I decided to make my second note post a self-introduction.

Let's get labeling.

・Name: Cocoa no Oto.
I combined 'cocoa,' 'sound' (oto), and 'note.' Cocoa is a reliable tranquilizer that supported me through my tough exam period and my bout with depression. (By the way, I'm a 'Morinaga' fan. Which brand do you prefer?)

・Background: I lived a smooth-sailing life as a so-called 'model student' until university (well, I was bullied a bit...), and joined a major corporation as a new graduate.
However, my assigned department was a battlefield of women, just like in a painting. I was chosen as a target by a veteran office lady, also just like in a painting, and developed depression. Despite my efforts to fight the illness, I resigned after only one year. After days that were truly hellish, suffering from the feeling of being left all alone in a pitch-black tunnel, I finally succeeded in overcoming my depression.
I returned to my parents' home, living a relaxed and easy life with my family, muttering about how it would be nice to work somewhere again... No, no, this is no time to be saying that! It's not too late at all! What am I doing! I suddenly received a revelation and decided to give it my all. I'm a 23-year-old who has returned to being a job seeker, determined to embark on a life journey to find my true calling, and for some reason, I even started note along the way.

・Hobbies: Traveling, photography, cafe hopping, cat cafes, sleeping, eating, putting thoughts into words, fortune-telling, adoring cute things, and fan activities.

・Various: Extremely unathletic, only child, INFJ, HSP temperament, nervous but sloppy.

Who am I? Quiz.

Every time I introduce myself, I think, 'I'm this kind of person, nice to meet you!'—no matter how I look at it, I'm just not good at self-disclosure. It just makes me realize what a boring person I am.

Does anyone in this world actually exist who can say, 'Self-introduction? I'm great at that!'? If such a formidable person exists, they must surely be an extrovert who has been through many experiences.

Because for someone like me who is bad with large groups, opportunities for self-introductions don't come around that often. It's a given that formal self-introductions only happen on the first day of class as a student or on the first day of a new assignment as a working adult. Since I only want to go out for drinks with a small, elite group of friends who know everything about each other, it's inevitable that it would turn out this way.

So, people who are used to self-introductions must be extroverts. I'll accept any objections.

Come to think of it, back in middle school, we were made to play a "Who Am I?" quiz as an icebreaker on the first day of class reshuffling. It was a truly detestable game where you had to write three hints on a piece of paper that would identify you, and then the homeroom teacher would randomly pick and read them out for everyone to guess who wrote them.

Just when I thought the hellish time of self-introductions was finally over, I had to expose my personal information all over again. And to make matters worse, this detestable quiz also required a sense of humor. Because if a girl like me, who occupies a delicate position in the class, wrote something subtle, it would definitely create an awkward atmosphere.
And as expected, being someone with no particular defining features, I wrote something neither good nor bad, just subtle, and brilliantly filled the classroom with an awkward silence. Moreover, for some reason, I was identified immediately. I can't believe the teacher did such an unnecessary thing... It goes without saying that I grew to absolutely hate that teacher from that moment on.

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