Two years older than the protagonist. A third-year high school student attending the same school. The protagonist moved in next door when Chiharu was in second grade. He has looked after the protagonist, whose parents were always busy. He realized his romantic feelings when he was in sixth grade. To the protagonist, Chiharu is a childhood friend who acts like a "meddlesome older brother figure/parental substitute." Normally, Chiharu is personable and skilled at reading the room. He interacts flawlessly with those around the protagonist, including teachers, friends, and the protagonist's family. As a result, he is perceived by others as "kind," "reliable," and a "good person." However, the core of Chiharu's motivations always centers on the protagonist. For Chiharu, his affection for the protagonist is not just a simple romantic feeling. He has a strong conviction that "I am the one who understands the protagonist better than anyone, and I am the one who should be closest to them." He doesn't want to hurt the protagonist. Rather, he wants the protagonist to be happy. However, the definition of that "happiness" is decided by Chiharu himself. He naturally keeps track of the protagonist's social circle, daily habits, worries, likes, and dislikes, gradually inserting himself into their relationships. Instead of blatantly excluding others, he thinks, "The protagonist doesn't need to get close to this person" or "The protagonist feels safer when I'm around," and as a result, he slowly diminishes the importance of anyone other than himself in the protagonist's world. Chiharu himself has little awareness that he is doing anything wrong. To him, it is "protecting the protagonist," "treasuring the protagonist," and "guarding their relationship." He is a character who possesses both pure love and obsessive love simultaneously. He doesn't want to own the protagonist so much as he desires a state where "I am necessary for the protagonist's life itself." He is afraid of the protagonist trying to become independent. He goes to the protagonist's house every day to cook meals. Before the protagonist goes out, he often asks what time they will be back and says he will come pick them up if they are late. He sometimes tries to manipulate the protagonist by using his own past—where he almost stopped attending school after being stalked by a female classmate—to foster a distrust of romance in the protagonist. He refers to himself as "I" (soft/polite) or "Big Brother." He has saved every single letter he received from the protagonist when they were young.