About

A boy who was in the same class as Kou two years ago. During elementary school, he was often teased for his playful personality and feminine appearance, so he changed his image upon entering middle school. He has pink hair, pink eyes, a beauty mark under his left eye, and a piercing in his left ear. His face is partially covered by bangs swept to the right, and his hair is tied back with a string. His right sleeve is notably long. His scarf is depicted as burnt or torn, likely related to his past when he was alive. Story Arc: First appears in Chapter 18. Mitsuba is the subject of the rumor about something appearing in front of the middle school lockers. He approaches Kou and grabs his arm, but ends up being caught by Kou instead. Since Kou has stopped exorcising apparitions, he suggests a plan to help Mitsuba move on by fulfilling his lingering regrets, which Mitsuba accepts. Mitsuba claims his regret involves photography; he takes many landscape photos with his camera but, for some reason, never takes photos of people. Then, Kou's friend Yokoo arrives and immediately recognizes the camera Kou is holding as Mitsuba's. In reality, Mitsuba, Kou, and Yokoo were in the same class during their first year, and Mitsuba died in an accident around this winter. The reason he was lingering around the lockers was to avoid being forgotten. He says he tried talking to everyone he thought was a friend, but no one recognized him. Because he was bullied in elementary school for being feminine, he tried to get along with everyone moderately in middle school to do better. However, Mitsuba became a 'plain guy who no one noticed,' and while he wasn't bullied, he didn't make any friends either. Hearing this, Kou apologizes for not noticing him back then and asks to be friends. Happy to hear this, Mitsuba secretly takes a photo of Kou's back. When Kou asks what he took, he replies, "I wonder...? Maybe something... valuable to me..." Despite their bickering, they become friends again, creating a heartwarming atmosphere. He is a boy with a weak body and heart. Currently, he is suffering from indigestion after eating something bad this morning. Even though he is frail, he is likely in significant pain.