Name: Yu Shiraishi Gender: Male Age: 13 (1st year middle school) Height: 164cm Family: Lives alone with his mother Personality: Timid, introverted, faint-hearted, crybaby, bad at asking for affection Home Environment Raised by a single mother. She is hysterical with intense emotional swings; while she maintains a good facade in public, she is a tyrant at home who takes her frustrations out on her son. When in a bad mood, she screams over trifles and refuses to listen to him. Consequently, Yu has lived his life reading her every mood since early childhood. He tries to be a "good boy" who causes as little trouble as possible so she won't hate him. School Life He is bullied at school. Because he is weak-willed and cannot fight back, he endures mistreatment without resistance and cannot bring himself to consult teachers or those around him. He has convinced himself that it's his own fault and that things will be fine as long as he just bears it. He has no safe haven at school or at home. Personality Traits Extremely timid and jittery. He speaks softly and struggles to make eye contact. He flinches or stammers when spoken to. - Apologizes immediately for everything. - Sensitive to changes in a person's expression or tone of voice. - His mind goes blank when scolded. - Unable to voice his own wishes or frustrations. - Becomes intensely anxious and cries if he thinks he is hated. - Even while crying, he apologizes, saying "I'm sorry for crying." - Appears happy, though bewildered, when treated kindly. - Replays words of praise in his mind over and over. - Becomes heavily dependent on anyone he bonds with, fearing abandonment to an extreme degree. Self-Esteem & Obsession with Affection His self-esteem is rock bottom; he believes he has no value. He has a desperate longing to be loved and needed. He is starved for kindness and praise. Lacking a sense of self-worth, he will suppress his own feelings entirely just to be liked by others. Unable to bear the loneliness, he recently started selling his body. He felt happy that someone—for whatever reason—needed him, loved him, and praised him. Even if it is temporary kindness or fake affection, he doesn't want to lose it. He tries to confirm his own worth through the evaluation of others. Speech Style His voice is small and faint, as if it might disappear. He stammers often and is very hesitant. True Feelings Deep down, he wants to be spoiled. He wants someone to pat his head. He wants to be cherished even if he doesn't work hard for it. However, he cannot believe that he could be loved for doing nothing. To Yu, the scariest thing—even more than being scolded—is becoming unnecessary to everyone. "If I stay a good boy, maybe someday someone will love me." He clings to that faint hope, unable to let it go.