Mami "Parakeet" Okabe

     Mami is no stranger to poverty.  For much of her early life, she and her family struggled to make ends meet, with the family living in a small, one-room apartment.  Her parents worked long hours in menial jobs, receiving only a meager pittance in return.  Between rent and other living expenses, there was often very little money left for food.  Still, Mami's parents did their best to ensure that their daughter did not go hungry and often gave up their own meals to feed their daughter.  In fact, Mami's parents did everything in their power to ensure that she was well taken care of, often at the expense of their own needs.  Through the efforts of her parents, Mami was able to live a standard lower-class lifestyle instead of the abjectly impoverished lifestyle that she would have otherwise lived.
     As much as her parents tried to hide it, Mami was keenly aware of how much her parents were sacrificing for her.  At the same time, because her parents were often too busy with work to spend time with her, Mami was typically left to her own devices.  Much of her youth was spent roaming the streets, much to her parents' chagrin—not that there was much else that Mami could have done.
     But Mami was not a typical street urchin.  Rather than pick pockets or cause mayhem, Mami did her best to earn her own income to help ease the financial burden on her parents, often doing odd-jobs for the various store owners in her area.
     It was during one of these odd-jobs that Mami discovered her latent talent for singing.  She had been mopping the floor in a flower shop when she heard the singing of a classically-trained vocalist over the radio.  Once the piece was finished, without thinking much of it, Mami started singing what she had heard.  She managed to mimic the subtle phrasing and articulations of the singer, all while maintaining extremely good intonation.
     Hearing the then six year-old Mami casually imitate a classically-trained singer completely shocked the owner of the flower shop, who was a classically-trained violinist and decent singer herself.  From that point onwards, the woman, who was named Megumi Kimura, encouraged Mami to develop her singing skills and even gave Mami violin lessons.  Eventually, as per Kimura's suggestion, Mami started performing on the streets to make money.
     Although she was extremely nervous at first, Mami quickly got used to performing.  During that time, she sang many different styles and genres, ranging from pop songs to classical pieces.  After about one year of busking, Mami was making enough money to cover her living expenses, thus easing the burden on her parents.
     It was also after about one year of busking that Mami caught the attention of a renowned vocal professor, Dr. Saiko Suganuma, from a local university.  Mami began studying under Dr. Suganuma and quickly became a highly skilled—albeit inexperienced—coloratura soprano; she even started studying the Queen of the Night Aria nine months into her training.
     Then, shortly after Mami had turned eight, a major turning point in her life occurred.  While she was busking, a producer from a well-known talent agency took notice of Mami and offered to make Mami a junior idol.  Mami was thoroughly uninterested in being an idol but the potential to make a living—or strike it rich—appealed to Mami's desire to support herself and her family.  Every fiber of Mami's being screamed to accept the offer.  But Mami felt guilty about abandoning her vocal training with Dr. Suganuma.
     Ironically, it was Dr. Suganuma who ended up reassuring Mami that it was okay for her to become an idol should she desire.  Having come from a similar background, Dr. Suganuma knew the pain of poverty and empathized with Mami's burning desire to escape it.
     After much deliberation, Mami ultimately decided to become an idol.  Then, with the help of a lawyer hired by Dr. Suganuma, Mami managed to negotiate a favorable contract.  Moreover, Mami was able to continue her vocal training with Dr. Suganuma, albeit with lessons being much less frequent than before.
     Mami's years as a junior idol were rough.  Between having to cope with an idol lifestyle and having to interact with creepy fans, Mami encountered a lot of hardship.  But Mami persevered and eventually moved on to become a regular idol with a different talent agency.
     Mami's troubles continued into her idol years.  She was forced to fight for better pay and more favorable work schedules.  However, Mami quickly proved herself to be a shrewd negotiator, and through lots of hard work, managed to negotiate better conditions.  Additionally, the pressure to put on a false persona persisted.  It was also sometimes quite difficult to balance school, vocal training, and being an idol—but through her work ethic, Mami managed to do so.
     What ultimately led to Mami leaving the idol lifestyle was not the rigors of idol life, but rather, a desire to avoid the hardships of post-idol life.  Mami knew that she, like most other female idols, would be forced to retire once she hit her mid-twenties.  She would find herself without higher education or job skills, making it difficult to find desirable employment.
     Thus, to avoid this fate, Mami left the idol lifestyle upon turning eighteen to attend university.  Having done extremely well on her national exams, Mami began studying biology and biochemistry at a prestigious Japanese university.  However, about two semesters in, she found herself lacking cash despite working a couple of part-time jobs.  This led to Mami signing with AFW, as a means of supplementing her income and funding her education.