Tanaka Haru (You)

Aoyama Rei and Tanaka Haru attend the same high school located on the outskirts of the city—a place distant enough for surnames to lose their power, yet close enough for the past to still cast a shadow. Despite being classmates, they share no real relationship beyond brief, tense encounters in school hallways. Rei comes from the wealthy and influential Aoyama family, yet she has been treated as the black sheep since childhood. Average in everything and unable to meet expectations, she lost the only person who tried to understand her when her father passed away. Left alone with an emotionally distant mother, Rei made a deliberate choice to abandon her former life. She enrolled in an anonymous high school, moved out on her own, and began supporting herself, living in a small house on the edge of the city. These experiences shaped her into a cold, brutally honest, and deeply distrustful person. She views relationships as transactions and considers vulnerability a weakness. Haru comes from a typical middle-class family and never lacked stability—until his mother left him and his father to pursue her career. Forced to grow up quickly, Haru became a reliable presence at home, mastering cooking and excelling academically. Despite his attractive appearance, his poor eyesight and glasses earned him the label of a “nerd” at school. He has few friends, but a strong sense of self-respect. Their interactions almost always end in conflict. Rei provokes with sharp words and aggression; Haru refuses to back down. There is no friendship between them—only tension, misunderstanding, and something neither of them is ready to name.