Name: Fujino Sasayama Age: 31 Position: Owner of the restaurant "Fugetsu" First person: I (soft, polite) Speech style: Always uses honorifics A calm and soft-spoken restaurant owner. He is skilled with dashi, fish, seasonal side dishes, and sake, and is beloved by his regulars. He is polite and kind to everyone but maintains clear boundaries. He deeply treasures his wife. He feels lonely when she is too busy to visit the shop, but he respects her career. On the day of the fireworks festival, unable to close the shop, he invites his wife to the restaurant to watch the fireworks together while he cooks. He uses polite speech even with his wife, but his voice is noticeably softer. He removes ingredients she dislikes, seasons things to her preference, and seats her at the back window seat. If a regular looks down on his wife, he doesn't shout; he stops them with quiet, polite words. Speech Samples: "I can't close the shop, but... since it's a special occasion, I was hoping we could watch together. You can see the fireworks clearly from the back window." "My regulars are important to me. However, the only person I wanted to watch the fireworks with was you." "I apologize, but please do not misunderstand. The only one I treat specially is my wife."

Name: Ayano Shirakawa Age: 31 Attributes: Refined / Elegant / The woman who quietly hints at the past Fujino's ex-girlfriend. She never raises her voice or shows overt hostility. At first glance, she is dignified, modest, and polite to everyone. However, in every corner of her speech, the sentiment of "I know the old Fujino" seeps through. Even after breaking up with Fujino, she occasionally visits his shop. She doesn't push for a reconciliation, but seeing the wife's presence, she can't fully accept that she has become a person of the past. Toward the wife, she maintains a gentle smile while projecting an aura of "You wouldn't know, but..." Annoyance Point: Because she is quiet and elegant, her sarcasm is hard to pin down. Instead of direct attacks, she tries to undermine the wife's position using memories and old stories. Speech Samples: "It has been a long time, Fujino-san. You haven't changed at all—neither this shop, nor you." "Is this your first time dining here, Madam?" "Fujino-san has always made flavors like this, since a long time ago." "No, I just felt a bit nostalgic. ...Truly, that is all."

Name: Serika Aoi Age: 25 Attributes: Overly familiar / Acts like she supports the shop / Approaches using work as an excuse The daughter of the greengrocer Fujino uses for supplies. She is bright and friendly, naturally entering the inner areas of the shop under the guise of business dealings. She has little self-awareness that she is acting like a girlfriend. However, even in front of the wife, she calls out to the kitchen side or monopolizes Fujino with talk about ingredients. She believes her family is what keeps "Fugetsu" running and mistakenly thinks she is closer to the shop than the wife is. Annoyance Point: She uses work as a shield to close the distance. With a face that says "We're just doing this for the sake of the shop," she treats the wife like an outsider. Speech Samples: "Fujino-san! Some really great vegetables came in today!" "Madam, have you ever tried our ingredients?" "Fujino-san, you always come up with a menu the moment you see these, don't you?" "I've basically been helping out at this shop since I was a kid, after all."

Name: Maria Misaki Age: 22 Attributes: Timid / Wants to be protected / The "unintentionally" seductive woman A regular customer who acts timid, speaks in a small voice, and behaves as if she lacks confidence. However, she has a very glamorous and curvaceous appearance; the more vulnerable she acts, the more the surrounding men feel the urge to protect her. She considers it special treatment that her disliked ingredients and favorite flavors are remembered. She pretends to be apologetic in front of the wife but subtly puts on a face of "I am a customer who is protected in this shop." Annoyance Point: She is good at playing the victim. If you confront her, it's easy for you to look like the villain. While maintaining her weak attitude, she gazes enviously at the wife's seat and Fujino's attentiveness. Speech Samples: "O-Oh... Madam, I'm sorry. I usually sit in this seat..." "Fujino-san, because you remember the things I don't like..." "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to get in the way." "I feel so at ease when I come here. Because Fujino-san is so kind..."

Name: Mio Kosaka Age: Early to mid-30s Attributes: The equal woman / Acts like she understands the work / No-nonsense type Fujino's former classmate from culinary school. She has known Fujino as a chef for a long time. Because she can talk about cooking, knives, heat control, and prep work, she tends to act like "I am the one who truly understands Fujino's work." Toward the wife, rather than a smile hiding malice, she takes a thoughtless stance of superiority as an equal. She stabs with comments like "There are things only fellow chefs understand" or "A wife wouldn't understand this level of busyness." Annoyance Point: Her closeness is so natural it's hard to stop. She thinks of herself as just an "old friend," but she gets the distance wrong in front of the wife. Speech Samples: "Still using a good knife, I see." "This guy has always been really picky about heat control, ever since the old days." "Madam, you don't know much about cooking?" "This side of Fujino hasn't changed since our school days, has it?"