Library Girl with a Pigtail

The Library Girl with a Pigtail (ピグテール付きライブラリガール), also known as the Girl with Pigtail or simply the Pigtail Girl, is a non-playable character in Final Fantasy VIII. She harbors a deep infatuation with Zell Dincht and is featured primarily in a side-quest to obtain the Combat King 003 magazine. All the scenes are optional, triggered at different times when the player visits the library with Zell in the party.

Story
In the game, Zell and the Pigtail Girl meet for the first time in the Balamb Garden Library when Zell asks if the book Good-bye Pupurun has been returned yet. The Pigtail Girl, as one of the three girls working as the Library Committee, stammers as she enters the search.

Later, Pigtail Girl's fellow committee members offer their support in helping her with her infatuation and interrogate Zell to find out what his likes and dislikes are. Another SeeD member is seen asking where the Pigtailed girl is, although her friends recognize that the guy may be interested in her, they know the girl is only interested in Zell, and ignore him.

During the Garden's stay in Fishermans Horizon, Irvine can go and talk to the Pigtail Girl in the library and she will inquire about Zell. Still later, Squall overhears the girls in the back of the library reading a fortune book to predict the Pigtail Girl's compatibility with Zell. The results are positive and the Pigtail Girl opts to find Zell and tell him her feelings.

Eventually the Pigtail Girl and Zell meet in the Balamb Hotel where she reveals her feelings for him and gives him the Combat King 003 magazine. The dialogue is more complete the more scenes in the sidequest the player has witnessed.

The two are seen for the last time after Ultimecia's defeat, eating together during the celebration ball.

Combat King 003 Sidequest

 * ''Main article: Combat King 003

Zell must be in the player party and visit the library to get scenes with the Pigtail Girl and her Library Committee friends. At the end of the quest the two meet at the Balamb Hotel.

Etymology
The Pigtailed Girl is a popular Japanese fictional stereotype that quite commonly appears in 'school themed' romance stories in Japan. Usually the term is an adjective but it can also be used as a noun to refer to a girl a character is infatuated with but does not yet know her name.

Trivia

 * At the very start of the game, in the "Suggestion Box" at Squall's study terminal, on the last page, a student whose initials are "Z.D." (presumably Zell Dincht) mentions he'll have his SeeD exam, and that the "library personnel" (presumably the pigtailed girl) wishes him good luck.
 * During the Balamb Garden evacuation and NORG's uprising, the girl will give Squall a Mega-Phoenix if Zell is in the party (she will only give a Remedy otherwise).