Author's note: A re-post from my original on Tumblr ( post/99240986377/prince-charming-tokatti-mio).

Mio never liked fairy tales.

She didn't like the notion of a helpless damsel in distress having to be saved by a "Prince charming" - a fair-haired, suave, brave and strong man who always saved the day for the girl. She vaguely remembered the times when they were much younger, when Kagura, after reading such fairy tales, pretending to be a princess trapped in a tall castle, waiting for a prince to arrive on his white horse and rescue her, while she herself laughed in ridicule at such stories. Why did the prince always have to be the cool one? Why couldn't the princess save herself to the best of her ability? As a tomboyish, independent young girl, she never felt that she would need a prince charming, or that a perfect prince charming for her will come along. She wanted to be a princess that was appreciated for her capabilities, not just her looks alone.

Then, the new transfer student in her class, Tokatti, came along, just that...he was the complete non-example of a prince charming. He had thick, black-framed glasses, was bumbling and clumsy and not a teeny bit charming. For some reason or another, he joined Mio's group of friends and the five of them were inseparable ever since.

Even as a ToQGer, Tokatti still maintained the same traits he had as a kid. He wasn't a particular outstanding member in the team either - he did not have an imagination as vivid as Right's and Kagura's, he was not as good in fighting as her and Akira, and he was not as quick-witted as Hikari.

However, Mio noticed that out of all the ToQGers, Tokatti was the most hardworking. He knew very well that he lacked in those areas, and made up by putting in double the effort. If Tokatti was not training himself physically or strengthening his imagination, he was reading to expand his general knowledge or poring through brochures to find leads to their home town. At times, he got so carried away, Mio had to frequently fetch ice packs for his sore muscles or gently wake him up when he fell asleep reading late at night.

Another thing about Tokatti that made him great despite his flaws was his easy-going personality. He was always in full support of the team, even if the ideas (usually suggested by Right) seemed crazy and seemingly impractical. Despite this, he did not pass off to be spineless, and never hesitated when he spoke his mind.

Still, there was one thing Mio didn't particularly notice about Tokatti.

"Tokatti really looks out for you a lot, eh?" Hikari made a remark one night when he and Mio were alone in the dining carriage together.

"He does?"

"You mean you've never noticed?" Hikari snickered. "Never mind, I'm going to bed." As he said so, he flicked his kendama and headed towards the sleeping carriage.

Now that Hikari had mentioned it, Mio started to realise that fact. Other than the two times that Tokatti almost saved her from falling from a great height - once when they were children and once when they were grown-ups - he really did show care and concern for her in one way or another. He always seemed to be the most excited about her cooking - even more than Right, who constantly thought about food. There were also the more subtle ways, like how he would subconsciously glance at her in the midst of the battle to make sure she was alright, or back her up when they were fighting the Crows or Shadow Monsters. Every now and then, he would also make remarks about how nice she was and how he saw her as a role model in training himself physically. All these weren't gallant acts of bravery per se, but they were things that made her feel appreciated and capable...just like the kind of princess she wanted to be.

It was then when she realised that prince charming did not need to be someone that was always the hero, perfect in all aspects and sweeps the princess off her feet. No, she didn't need that kind of prince charming. In fact, prince charming could be that uncool guy always clad in blue, constantly stumbling around and habitually pushing up his thick, black-rimmed glasses.