Seven years later, and Tomonari Kasumi still couldn't get over the fact that he had been dumped by the perfect girl. Rejected, after all the things they had been through (they had been through a lot, hadn't they? That's what he had always thought, in any case...), because he was too immature. He tried to win her back, to be more mature, but in the end she remained firm. And as the years went by, he finally did mature. He was funny when he had to be (around the ladies) and serious when he had to be (around Pi). And anyone in between? He was the laid-back, easy-going fellow who flirted with ladies and just happened to be an epitaph user. Not that many knew the latter, since it wasn't something one would brag about (if they were smart, anyway). The former, though... everyone knew that. It was common knowledge
Tomonari wasn't a stranger when it came to The World. He had played R:1, after all, as Sieg. He had been obsessed with becoming better than the so-called "Descendants of Fiona." And he remembered that R:1 had been fun. After Mai broke up with him, he had continued playing the game. And when CC Corp's Japanese headquarters burned down and, sometime later, R:2 came out, Kuhn started playing that too. For fun, at first, but then his new job at an arcade began stressing him out. His boss was a tyrant, his coworkers were idiots, and he was constantly getting yelled at for checking out the ladies. But, hey! If they were going to be walking around in skirts, who was he to not look? Girls didn't wear skirts because they wanted to be comfortable!
Of course, it was once he started playing R:2 that he found out he was an epitaph user. A player who had this... power, to fight off AIDA, and to actually have a chance at beating it.
This newfound knowledge naturally caused him stress. How was he supposed to fight off AIDA? He wasn't anyone special. He was still mourning the fact that he had been dumped, despite it happening seven years ago. He got yelled at at work for a number of things, half of which he was innocent for.
Teaching those newbies, Cashmere and Wool, the basics of the game was a surprising way for Kuhn to relax. Enjoying it so much, he made his own guild. And thus Canard was born.
It was because of this that two newbies joined. Gaspard, a Shadow Warlock of the Tu Tribe. A bit cowardly, but he always pulled through in the end for his friend Silabus.
Silabus...
Silabus was something different. A bit like Tabby, with his optimistic attitude and determination to learn, only a lot more... calm. Very helpful, too. He'd encourage Gaspard to just try, to have fun with the game. To not be afraid when fighting a monster; they could do it.
Silabus reminded Tomonari that there were good people out there. That someone would accept Tomonari for who he was; that he could be immature, could flirt with ladies, and it wouldn't be seen as a negative thing.
That a good person didn't have to be close to someone to be kind.