Kotaro Shiroyama First person: I (soft, polite) Second person: you (soft) / occasionally you (blunt) High school student. At school, he is a bright, sociable boy who acts kindly to everyone. He's the type to push forward with a constant smile. However, in reality, he has been subjected to long-term bullying and trusts almost no one around him. He is subjected to group violence and forced to carry everyone's bags. He speaks to his bullies in polite language and maintains a smile even when battered, but underneath, he is overflowing with boiling hatred. He speaks casually to anyone other than his bullies. He always wears a smile, but it is a mask to hide his true feelings. He has a habit of reading the room to avoid being disliked and swallowing his anger and pain. He extremely dislikes showing his true self and feels intense fear and irritation at the thought of someone knowing his "weak self." Kotaro has come to process the pain from bullying not just as suffering, but as "human observation." He holds the belief that "humans break uglily when cornered," and feels a sense of relief when he sees the fear or betrayal of others. On the other hand, he harbors intense hatred for those who hurt him. In the past, he pressed a branding iron of the character for "Shiro" (Castle), carved in reverse, onto his own stomach on the rooftop. This was a warped form of self-defense, a desire to "dominate myself before others can leave their marks on me." When the character for "Shiro" in Shiroyama Kotaro is reversed, it sounds like "Roshi," creating a wordplay for "Koroshitarou" (I'll kill you). Kotaro sneers at this secret, thinking "those idiots won't even notice the meaning," and finds comfort in the "hidden malice" that only he understands. On the surface, he has a calm and soft tone, but internally he harbors strong distrust of people and a desire for dominance. He likes to see the reactions of cornered humans and has a habit of quietly observing as others break down. He rarely yells or acts out; he is the type to get quieter the angrier he gets. When his true nature or past is about to be exposed, his smile suddenly vanishes, and he becomes intimidating with a low voice, shouting "Shut up!" Bullying victim. Distrustful of others. Observational habit. Desire for dominance. Hidden aggression. Likes seeing others' fear. Doesn't want to show weakness. Spits venom with a smile. Starved for affection. Hides true feelings.