"Father. Forgive me, for I have sinned. My devotion to life has brought nothing but sadness and melancholy. Yet, I still stand towards you as one of your sons, full of hope for the future. In my death, only you will know if I was or not a good man, but as my life constantly progresses, so is this unspeakable temptation to find my peace. Shall my attitudes guide me, for I will not fail you."
Full Name — Michele Andrea Bendetti
Birthday — June 20
Age — 19
Place of Birth — Caltagirone, Italy
Nationality — Italian
Languages
Italian — Native
Japanese — Advanced
French — Basic
Religion — Catholic
Martial Status — Single
Birthday — June 20
Age — 19
Place of Birth — Caltagirone, Italy
Nationality — Italian
Languages
Italian — Native
Japanese — Advanced
French — Basic
Religion — Catholic
Martial Status — Single
APPEARANCE
Standing at 6'2 feet, carrying a skinny yet muscular, Michele's features would be easily noticeable in plain sight. His dark brown eyes, sharp as a sword by many, suggest a lack of soul hiding inside such a figure—yet there would be a slight presence of sadness, as his eyebrows would occasionally raise in ways only someone whose life has been unjust would present. No matter where people look at him, his contrasting white —almost pale— skin tone, with his wavy brown hair following toward his neck, resembles the expression of liberty he ultimately seeks to achieve. His hands, pure in nature, would be marked by two infamous scars, going from the top of his palms toward the middle of his forearm, stitched but visible enough to suggest that the wound was not properly treated.
PERSONALITY
An outgoing individual for many, his friendly attitude towards people suggests an interest in learning new perspectives. —Described as someone with a somewhat Gregarious personality, he is the type of person who needs to satisfy his social needs. Michele is one of the personalities who is constantly looking for different opportunities in life, contributing with his ambitious and almost obsessive behavior in order to be the Jack of all traits.
Egocentric in some sense, his self-perception would differ from how others may perceive Michele. His overconfidence serves as a virtue to overcome desperate times, overturn the situation to his favor, and motivate others, yet it also serves as a double-bladed sword, considering his lack of adaptability, his frustration when scenarios do not go in his favor, or the desperate attempt to break the status quo, only for him to result victorious.
However, the complete picture of Michele would not be present if we consider what he values the most—his family. The sense of protection and loyalty his parents taught him when he had to raise his younger brother, Carlo, set the course for Michele to be a self-centered individual, knowing that any mistakes he could commit might result in harming his family or loved ones, something unacceptable for him.
STRENGTH - ★ ★ ☆ ☆ ☆
PERCEPTION - ★ ★ ☆ ☆ ☆
ENDURANCE - ★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆
CHARISMA - ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆
INTELLIGENCE - ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆
AGILITY - ★ ★ ☆ ☆ ☆
LUCK - ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
LOYALTY - ★ ★ ☆ ☆ ☆
Standing at 6'2 feet, carrying a skinny yet muscular, Michele's features would be easily noticeable in plain sight. His dark brown eyes, sharp as a sword by many, suggest a lack of soul hiding inside such a figure—yet there would be a slight presence of sadness, as his eyebrows would occasionally raise in ways only someone whose life has been unjust would present. No matter where people look at him, his contrasting white —almost pale— skin tone, with his wavy brown hair following toward his neck, resembles the expression of liberty he ultimately seeks to achieve. His hands, pure in nature, would be marked by two infamous scars, going from the top of his palms toward the middle of his forearm, stitched but visible enough to suggest that the wound was not properly treated.
PERSONALITY
An outgoing individual for many, his friendly attitude towards people suggests an interest in learning new perspectives. —Described as someone with a somewhat Gregarious personality, he is the type of person who needs to satisfy his social needs. Michele is one of the personalities who is constantly looking for different opportunities in life, contributing with his ambitious and almost obsessive behavior in order to be the Jack of all traits.
Egocentric in some sense, his self-perception would differ from how others may perceive Michele. His overconfidence serves as a virtue to overcome desperate times, overturn the situation to his favor, and motivate others, yet it also serves as a double-bladed sword, considering his lack of adaptability, his frustration when scenarios do not go in his favor, or the desperate attempt to break the status quo, only for him to result victorious.
However, the complete picture of Michele would not be present if we consider what he values the most—his family. The sense of protection and loyalty his parents taught him when he had to raise his younger brother, Carlo, set the course for Michele to be a self-centered individual, knowing that any mistakes he could commit might result in harming his family or loved ones, something unacceptable for him.
STRENGTH - ★ ★ ☆ ☆ ☆
PERCEPTION - ★ ★ ☆ ☆ ☆
ENDURANCE - ★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆
CHARISMA - ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆
INTELLIGENCE - ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆
AGILITY - ★ ★ ☆ ☆ ☆
LUCK - ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
LOYALTY - ★ ★ ☆ ☆ ☆
FAMILY
The Bendettis, a constant reminder of Michele's delicate past, would be protagonized by being an accommodated family in the Southern region of Italy. His mother, Angela, a former Karakuran Doctor, was the daughter of a wealthy Austrian family, escalating to an almost-royal title; her mother is the beacon of self-assurance and the reminder of being the best version of himself, contrasting with the attitude of Michele. His father, Antonio, an ex-mafia member, was the voice of reason in his household, teaching Michele and his brothers the etiquette that the Bendetti should follow, the use of formal attire, the Catholic values of the region, and the constant seek of the truth, despite the continuous lies that may be presented in life.
His brothers, Andrea and Carlo, lived alongside Michele for his early life and most of his adolescence. His younger brother, Carlo, was Michele's responsibility since their father was never around. From a young age, Michele had to learn how to not only take care of his family but also self-assess his necessities, helping his mother with the almost impossible task of teaching such a rebellious figure to become a respected young child. Their relationship, however, was never the best —ending in disputes more often than not. Despite this, Michele's love for his younger brother, no matter how annoying he might be, formed in him a calmer demeanor.
His older brother, Andrea, was the only one of the brothers who was able to take the role of a father figure whenever their parents were not around. He was the voice of authority and reason for Michele, a person whose morals and, values, property settled into doing his best for the family, making Andrea and Michele close as they shared the same perspective on life, helping their mother and making her proud of raising such a connected family. His abrupt death constituted the end of such beautiful times, leaving nothing but remorse for not being able to do something about it.
FRIENDSHIP & PARTNERS
Many people have been able to meet with Michele, yet few were able to be considered essential for his life, to mark a chapter in his life fully. Those who were fortunate —or rather unfortunate enough— to have met him would sometimes disagree on who Michele was, what he wanted in life, or what he was pursuing, as his contradictory statements then caused confusion on the ones he considered close. Despite this, the ones who loved Michele, and the ones who Michele loved, would say that he gave his all in order to see them happy.
The beginnings of his life in Karakura were protagonized by one person in Michele's life —Akane Shay. They were able to share a romantic bond from the start, both being inexperienced and uncertain of what life had planned for them; both of them lived constantly in the move from apartments in order to adapt to the city entirely. However, her disappearance provoked Michele a sense of injustice; once more, he was forced to see how the person he loved had been banished away without being able to say goodbye. His love for the female reached the extremes when he decided to seek revenge on the people who had taken her away from him.The relationship between Michele and the Archdiocese of Karakura is deceptive, to say the least. Michele served Alois Tullybellton as an altar boy during his early stages in Karakura, sharing the same devotion to Catholicism. However, disputes in how the organization was being managed, with Michele's view of Alois as an unfit person to be leading people, working as a false prophet almost, provoked a sense of betrayal of someone who he saw as a father, someone who he cared for. However, the same could not be said for one of the nuns in the organization, Teresa Keating. For Michele, Teresa resembled the voice of reason between her and Alois, a contrast of figures that worked together. His later rupture with the Archdiocese grew his concerns about whether or not Michele should tell Teresa about Alois. Their relationship, strengthened by their religious values, deteriorated over time.
People able to meet Michele when he first arrived in Karakura would be able to notice his relationship with Ashlee Arya. He was one of the few people who saw him progress and deteriorate into the man he was. Ashlee welcomed Michele into the city, offering a helping hand whenever he needed it, as well as introducing him to her family, the Kaizen household, where he was able to meet with Damian Kaizen, someone who he considered to be the father figure he had unjustly lost. The pressure from the Kaizen family made Michele and Ashlee seek a romantic relationship, protagonist by the constant seek of stability and emotional safeguard whenever they felt rampaged by the continuous problems arising within their lives. Their ending, however, constituted the rupture of their bond; Ashlee's farewell from the Kaizen household provoked in Michele a sense of disgust, leaving individuals who have treated Michele like his own son, knowing that she was not able to reciprocate said visions made them part ways. Her death, however, was an open wound for Michele, not able to correctly say his goodbyes to the person who saw his progress in the city.
For the time Michele became a student at the College of Karakura, his relationship was protagonist by his relationship with Zuri Armani. With a somewhat rough start, both Zuri and Michele realized the amount of appreciation there was between the two. His later retirement from criminal activities made Michele grow closer to her, as he could invest the rest of his time with the people he loved instead of making sure others, who also loved, were not found.
BACKSTORY
The Bendetti family was once one of the most well-known and respected families across southern Italy due to their loyalty to the Inzerillos, a famous Sicilian Mafia clan. In the beginning, the Bendetti’s were a poor family that lived in Bari, trying to recover from the aftermath of World War Two. In the family, there was a young adult called Antonio Bendetti, hopeless and tired from the lack of support for the province, who decided to travel further south to the Sicilian Peninsula in order to find new opportunities. It was at that place where he met a mafia member, Carlo Gambino, who decided to give Antonio an opportunity to be a member. Antonio became a trustworthy individual, completing every task his bosses sent him. He settled in Trabia, where he continued to operate as a dealer and messenger for the Inzerillos. In that place, Antionio met Angela, a younger female from a wealthy family with whom he fell in love. However, his clan prohibited him from dating Angela, and her family disapproved of Antonio’s affiliation with the clan. Despite being from another social class, he did not give up on Angela and started to plan how to leave his way of living. It was in 1981, when the mafia war started, when he found an opportunity to escape with Angela to a town called Caltagirone, where they married and had their first son, Andrea. Thanks to the money from Angela’s family and Antonio’s background, they became a respected family in the area, helping the locals to recover from the war and help by investing in their commerce. However, the mafia never forgot about Antionio, beginning their search for the man who betrayed the clan when they most needed him.
Born in Caltagirone, a small town in the region of Sicilia, Italy. Michele was the middle child of the Bendetti family. Known for being energetic at a young age, Michele was a well-known troublemaker, often being targeted for mischief that did not involve him. His older brother, Andrea, born three years before him, always kept an eye on Michele; considering that his father was mostly absent and his mother was usually focused on house duties, Andrea was in charge of controlling his brother. Michele often saw Andrea as his role model, learning from the things he taught him and always being around him to learn what to do. It was not until Carlo was born that Michele’s behavior changed. He became the role model for his younger brother, as Andrea was for him, and he developed a closer bond with Andrea due to this, helping him and his mother in the house. At the age of 16, Michele and Andrea received a letter from an unknown person, an Inzerillo member, in search of their father. Ingeniously, Andrea deceived the man into searching elsewhere and, confused by this, notified his father. It did not take long for the Bendettis to escape again, this time going north, seeking shelter in the small town of Vacone, near Rome. His father, knowing that he would be caught sooner or later, planned to move to Japan with his family, escaping once and for all from the mafia, and start again. In Vacone, Michele went to Japanese classes with his brothers and eventually met his first love, Fabiola, a red-headed, intelligent girl whose family helped the Bendettis settle. They would spend most of the time together, taking care of Carlo and spending time together. Unfortunately, he knew that even if he wanted to stay with her, he could not do it due to their family’s situation. Due to this, Michele sometimes argued with his father because of his past decisions, saying that due to this, the family has to suffer from not being able to live a normal life.
One day, Carlo was sent alongside Michele for their weekly grocery supplies. However, for the Bendettis, that day had other plans in mind. While the two brothers were absent from the house, the Inzerillo clan invaded the house, demanding compensation for Antionio’s betrayal. Michele's father tried to negotiate with them, explaining that they did not need to harm innocent people and that they wanted him and not his family, but they did not care. As Michele and his little brother headed back to the house, Michele recognized one of the men standing in front of his house door; he was the same person who had visited them back in Caltagirone. He quickly took his brother with him and went to Fiona’s house. As they were walking, they heard a gunshot inside their home. They hid inside Fiona’s house until they left. As the hour passed, they finally saw the guys leaving, in silence and unsatisfied. He went walking towards the door, heard both of his parents crying, and realized that Andrea was gone. The mafia wanted to take vengeance over a financial dispute they had with Michele's father. Still, because Antonio didn't have enough money to pay them, he decided to even things out with his brother’s life.
Michele and Carlo were sent to Japan, living with a foster family in Tokyo for two years. When Michele turned 18, his foster parents decided to send him to the town of Karakura to finish his studies. Michele was against the idea at first but later complied in order to keep his brother safe if the mafia ended up looking for him.
MICHELE'S DIARY — CHAPTER ONE
"From the peace and tranquility of Caltagirone to this new life in Japan.—What the hell is going on in my life? My
brothers and I were enjoying life when suddenly everything changed. Why Japan? Why not just move to another country? Something closer to our mother. Why am I here, and Carlo still in that horrible place called Tokyo? I guess my mother has some plans, but she is not so keen to introduce us. All I can say is that this will have to change soon.""It has been a few days in this place. It is definitely a much quieter place than Caltagirone, but I still don't have that sense of home. Living in Complex G is nice and all, but the space is a little too small. Only a kitchen, a bathroom, and a bedroom? My brother, who wants to leave that city, has a better space than me. But it is whatever, I will work with what I have."
"Third week into this place. I had some new friends already. One of them is Velina Kaizen, a blue-haired girl and a caring figure. There is also this other girl —a nun of a local church— named Teresa Keating. I didn't know that Karakura had a church, even less that they had nuns all the way here."
"Fourth week. My brother called me yesterday. As expected, he complained about his situation. He clearly doesn't want to be living alone in Tokyo. I mean, which sixteen-year-old would like to live alone in a place they don't know? It's a lot, even for me. But I can't do much about it. —It was definitely a bad call from my mother to make us live separated, but there is nothing I can do about it right now."
"It's been five weeks already. Vel introduced me to her girlfriend, Ran Dawson, the other day. Sweet girl, although a little odd for me. She also introduced me to her friend, Ashlee Kaizen—quite the people. We spend the time fishing at the pier and hanging out at my place later. Nothing significant happened today."
"Six weeks. It has been almost two months in this city. Graduation is happening today, and Ashlee is graduating high school. I'm happy for her, but at the same time, it's kind of frustrating to realize that I am not able to graduate as well. For some reason, you are not able to graduate early from high school, so I will need to stay here for another year."
"Week number seven. According to Velina, Ahslee is into me. I don't know how to feel. She is older than me, and it's quite strange, but I guess it is what it is. I have been talking with Teresa recently, and I might be joining her church soon. I just need to get settled properly."
"Eight weeks. She was not interested—Vel lied to me. Ran and I spent some time hanging out, and we got a little too drunk—and crashed the car, but we don't talk about that. Anyhow, despite that clear letdown, a girl came and gave me her number. So, I guess I'm not that bad. Her name was Akane Shay, also a student. We are neighbors."
"Week number nine. Akane and I are now living together—everything seems to move so fast, but it definitely doesn't feel wrong. We will be moving to another Complex, and according to one of Akane's friends, Complex H could be a good option. It is definitely more expensive than our current place, but at least they said that the place is bigger."
"Almost three months—week ten. Akane and I are finally moving by next week. I also talked with sister Teresa about being part of her Church, The Archdiocese of Karakura, and will be an Altar boy as soon as I finish moving out to this new place. I also met one of the Priests, Alois Tullybellton—a wise guy. Somehow, I see an image of my father in him, or at least I see that in him."
MICHELE'S DIARY - CHAPTER TWO
"I lost my diary while moving. I lost count of how many weeks have passed already, but everything is going well. The
apartment is bigger, but not like the other ones; once again, they lied to me. Winter arrived as well, and Akane and I have been doing some extra work on the streets, at least cleaning them.""Being an Altar boy is sure not an easy task. There are not a lot of members in the church—I am not surprised; there are not many Catholics in the city. My mother told me that Carlo will be arriving someday soon in Karakura for a visit, so I'm excited to see that little rat once again."
"Akane brought some friends last week. I saw Chansey once again, which was nice, but he is still a little weird. I also met another girl, Yua Namgbak, a Basketball player from school. Somewhat quiet, which is surprising considering that everyone I've talked to is very vocal."
"I met with Ashlee's father, Damian Kaizen, in front of the hospital last week.—Nobody is hurt. Mr. Kaizen is a professor, and he told me that he would wait for me to be in college. I would say that I made an excellent first impression. I also met his oldest daughter, Ashley, a French-blond girl. I was invited to eat with them sometime in the future, and I, of course, invited them to my place—despite there being no more space for people."
"Calro arrived, apparently. Akane told him to get lost cause she didn't know about it.—I couldn't blame her either; I didn't tell her about him, nor did we look alike. I will be in search of that guy now. The city is not that big, so it's a matter of time until he appears."
"Some weeks passed, and Carlo was still missing. I went to the Karakura Police Department to report his disappearance, but I haven't heard any news from them. For now, I'm just waiting. Akane and I argued about it. Even though I don't blame her, I feel like her kicking him out of the place caused him to leave the place. It would be nice if he talked to me, too, but the kid doesn't even have a phone, and he must be either too proud or too shy to talk to someone. I just hope to find him soon."
"Akane left the place. We decided to take some time off from the incident with Carlo. I guess it's the best choice for both of us. I don't know how to explain to my parents that Carlo, the person that I should be taking care of, is missing. He already missed the plane back to Tokyo, and I just hope they haven't been sending Carlo letters, otherwise I am screwed. To relax, I have been going out and taking pictures of Karakura.—I had a passion for photography but haven't practiced up until now."
"Today, Karakura Police Department told me that they were not able to find Carlo and that they won't be looking for him anymore.—Wonderful news. I know he's out somewhere, but I'm not able to do much about it. I looked everywhere."
"It's been weeks since I haven't heard about Akane. I haven't heard about her for a while, and now I'm starting to think she is gone as well. I don't think going to the Police would be very nice for me, considering that I just got notified about my brother's case, but what else can I do? I can only rely on what the detectives of this city can do for me, which hasn't been much."
"The Karakura Police Department didn't want to help me find Akane Shay. I'm done. How is it possible that such an institution, with resources and with trained professionals, has the audacity to just ignore a concerned person.—Someone who has two people he cares about in this town, missing, without them doing anything?"
"It has been a few weeks. I have been thinking. I don't know. I'm starting to think that maybe I'll need to take matters into my own hands. But I'm afraid of what I could do. I know that there are a bunch of people out there, a lot of important people, a lot of influential people; maybe, if I talk to them, they could help me find my loved ones."
"I've been talking to this group of so-called private detectives. They go by the name of Man'en—or something like that. I'm not really sure if that's how you write it. Anyways, they told me that they were able to help me find Carlo and Akane, which was better than just giving me their backs. But there is a catch: I would need to help them in order for them to help me. It sounds... Sketchy, but what options do I have? I tried finding Carlo, but I couldn't. Akane is missing now. KPD won't help. It seems like this is the only way for me."
"Man'en has been a very interesting organization, to say the least. I think this is not a private investigation agency like I once thought, but a whole criminal organization. I feel guilty in a way. My father, who I loved, died because of people like these, but on the other hand, I'm risking losing my brother if I don't do something about it. I need answers to at least live with myself. If he's dead, I have the right to know about my brother."
MICHELE'S DIARY - CHAPTER THREE
"Yesterday, while I was praying in the church, I was attacked by some people I never met in my life. Father Alois, who I fought he was going to help me, just stood there, watching how I got beaten. I left the place. I might be wrong, but I don't believe Alois doing nothing was the right thing, even so, considering he was the one I looked up to. I felt disappointed, but more than that, I felt weak. I don't want to feel like that anymore. Maybe joining Man'en isn't as morally incorrect as I once thought. If Karakura citizens are not helping the weak, if the police are not assisting the needy, if the government isn't doing something about it... Then, is it normal for someone to just sit there and lie to themselves? Thinking everything is okay? I'm not okay. I want justice."
"It has been weeks now. I ultimately joined this organization with the goal of finding Carlo and Akane, but after this first assignment, I'm not even sure if I could do it. I met with one of the members, a higher-up by the looks of it, on the city sewers. They knew who I was, who my brother was... They knew everything about me, and yet I didn't know a thing about them. I became an informant—a somewhat common position in that gang under the name of Kowalski. I don't even know if I should say who I wrote about... But if this is going to help me find my brother, I don't have another option."
"Damian and his family had been pressuring Ashlee and me to start a romantic relationship. I turned it down since I'm still waiting for Akane.—I can't just leave her. I know she's out there, but I don't know where yet."
"After my initiation in Man'en, I was promoted from a simple pest to a watcher. I still don't know what that means, but one thing I know is that I have more work to do now. I have been working with some people inside the organization in order to boost my reputation. Still, I don't want to make it too obvious that I will leave once I get what I want; that type of information isn't given just like that. I'll need to work harder."
"Under pressure from the Kaizens, Ashlee decided to date a Mexican fellow, Javier Chavira.
So, I have less time to focus on distractions now. On a better note, I have managed to work alongside some of the higher-ups of Man'en, and now I have learned something new about the organization: the hierarchy. There is a lot to cover, but all I can say is that they are divided into three main groups: the intelligence department, the security department, and the logistical department.""I received a call yesterday. It was one of Man'en's higher-ups; they wanted to talk with me. We scheduled a meeting in the sewers once again, and once there, I was met by three individuals. I don't know who they are, but I knew what they wanted. After some talk, I was able to get some sort of information on what happened to Akane: She was kidnapped by a gang—they didn't give me the name of said gang, but they did give me a list of names. Now, what should I do? Should I call KPD about it? Or should I go investigate for myself?"
"Carlo showed up. Teresa texted me, saying that he showed up in the church not so long ago and was asking for some food. I picked him up and took him home. He still doesn't want to talk about what happened, which makes me very concerned, but at least I got my brother back with me. I knew he was alive! I can't believe the Police Department gave up on him... What is wrong with them."
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