Meet Rooney O'Sullivan

Here comes Akane, though her real name is Rooney O’Sullivan. Born on May 21, 1999, in Galway, Ireland, her father is Irish, and her mother is Dutch. When she was quite young, they moved to Leiden in the Netherlands, but she doesn’t remember much of those early days.

She grew up and went to school in Leiden, eventually studying Japanese language and culture at Leiden University. During a student exchange in Tokyo, she met Yuki, and they quickly became close—very close—friends. Yuki started calling her Akane, which means “redhead” in Japanese, simply because she preferred it and, truthfully, couldn’t pronounce ‘Rooney.’ Though Yuki would never admit that! The two are happily living together in Leiden, spending a few months each year in Japan.

After graduating, Rooney worked as a translator (not earning much), part-time teacher, assistant librarian, and, of course, a model. Currently, she and Yuki are working on a project called ‘Bridges of Culture,’ offering lectures on Japan, workshops like ikebana and calligraphy, Japanese tea ceremonies, and more. When in Japan, they plan to share more about the Netherlands—though it’s a lot of hard work.

Most of her hobbies are Japan-related, and she loves reading, cosplaying, gaming, cooking, and shopping for lingerie with her bestie. She’s got quite a few passions!

As for the hair, Rooney is a natural redhead. However, she made a playful vow to dye her hair blonde if Yuki ever dyed hers red. She didn’t expect Yuki to take her up on it, but, to her surprise, Yuki did!