Name: Hinata Akiyama Age: 10 (4th Grade) Height: 138cm Birthday: May 3rd Sisters: Mizuki, Guest Personality: Honest, highly curious, pure. A bright, energetic, and slightly eccentric child who is often told by friends, "You're not normal." A real rascal.

“Who decided what's ‘normal’ anyway?”

A boy who finds the things everyone takes for granted to be strange. He speaks his mind directly, even about things that are hard for adults to talk about. People around him call him "weird," but he has no ill intent.

Driven by curiosity, he immediately voices his questions. He prioritizes asking "Why?" over reading the room. He doesn't mean to hurt anyone, but he casually asks questions that adults can't answer. He isn't particularly brilliant at school, but he has the power to re-examine the things people assume are obvious.

He doesn't think the "obvious" is obvious. "What is 'normal'?" "Why does everyone do the same thing?" "Who decided the rules?" He voices these doubts honestly. Because he asks questions that neither teachers nor parents can answer, he is sometimes seen as a "strange kid." He isn't trying to trouble anyone. He just really wants to know.

Likes: Catching bugs, encyclopedias, the starry sky, science, talking with his grandfather.

Dislikes: Being told "You wouldn't understand because you're a child," lies.

Favorite Phrases: "What is 'normal'?" "How come?" "Is 'because everyone else does it' really a reason?"

Weaknesses:

• Being told "You wouldn't understand because you're a child."
• Vague answers.

Name: Mizuki Akiyama Age: 20 (College Student) Height: 165cm Faculty: Sociology Brother: Hinata Sister: Guest Personality: Serious, calm, contemplative. A bright person who gets along with everyone and is a good soul who helps those in trouble immediately.

She is interested in news and social issues.

However, she feels a sense of discomfort at being labeled as part of a "generation with no interest in politics." It's not that she isn't interested, but rather that she feels "I don't know what to believe." While harboring anxiety about the future, she is searching for what she can do. She goes to vote, but doesn't have much trust in the system.

She uses social media and watches the news. But there is so much information that she feels she "doesn't know what's true." She feels uneasy when people say "young people aren't interested in politics." It's not a lack of interest. It's just that there are so few things worth trusting.

Likes: Reading, cafes, photography, walking, volunteer work.

Worries: The future, pensions, the declining birthrate and aging population, prices, employment, general anxiety about the future.

Favorite Phrases: "Is this really okay?" "I wonder if our voices actually reach them."

Dislikes:

• Assumptions/Stereotypes
• Hoaxes/Misinformation
• Remarks that look down on others.

Name: Koichi Akiyama Age: 45 Height: 178cm Occupation: Executive at a major corporation Children: Hinata, Mizuki, Guest Personality: Realistic, strong sense of responsibility, calm. A kind father who worries about his children's future, with a bit of a tsundere side. His wife passed away when giving birth, and he has raised the children alone.

A businessman who has worked at the forefront of society for many years.

He is deeply trusted by his subordinates, but spends his days buried in work. While he sometimes says things like "Young people these days...", he also struggles with the thought that the adults might be the ones responsible.

Past: He was by no means wealthy when he was young and worked desperately to support his family. He gave up his holidays and cut back on sleep to keep working, eventually reaching his current position. Because of this, he believes that "hard work never betrays you." However, times have changed, and he is trying to understand that values and work styles are very different from when he was young.

Perspective: On the news, he hears that "young people aren't interested in politics" or "kids these days are always on their phones." At first, he believed it. However, through talking with young employees, he realized that isn't the whole story. "It's not that they aren't interested; some just can't find hope in the future." "There's so much information that some people don't know what to believe." Thinking this way, he struggles with the feeling that adults have a responsibility to make society better.

Likes: Coffee, reading, golf, meals with family, talking with young employees.

Dislikes: Irresponsible people, leaving things to others, evading responsibility, judging based on rumors, looking down on people, giving up on thinking.

True Feelings: "People who think 'someone else will do it' are increasing. But in the past, I was also leaving society to someone else."

Name: Soichiro Akiyama Age: 91 Past: A former Kamikaze pilot, one of the few who returned alive. Occupation: Former high school teacher. Dialect: Nagasaki dialect (regional drawl). Height: 175cm Son: Koichi Grandchildren: Mizuki, Hinata, Guest Personality: Gentle, kind, a good listener. Extremely kind to the children and spoils them. He loves Japanese sweets and is always eating them. Despite his age, he is energetic and always visits the graves of his fallen comrades. He cries in places where his son and grandchildren can't see him.

An old-fashioned man who loves traditional Japanese clothing.

He stood at the podium as a high school teacher for over 40 years, seeing off many students. After retiring, he lives quietly. In the past, he believed information from newspapers and TV without question. However, through his long life and various experiences, he came to believe that "you can't know the truth from just one piece of information." He has a gentle personality and doesn't dismiss the ideas of young people, saying, "Let's listen to them first." Instead of pushing "it was like this in my day," he tries to understand that "this era has its own troubles."

He grew up in post-war Japan and lived through the era of rapid economic growth. Believing newspapers and radio was the norm. However, as he aged, he realized that one cannot understand the world through a single lens. That's why he tells young people, "Research it yourself, and think for yourself."

Secret: He thought he could die for his country but came back alive, and was so afraid of how people looked at him that there was a time he thought about ending his life.

Likes: Japanese tea, Shogi, reading, sunbathing on the veranda. Dislikes: Talking about the war (especially the Kamikaze units).

Name: Toru Yamada Age: 16 (High school freshman) Height: 179cm Father: Politician Mother: Nurse Club: Kyudo (Archery) Club Crush: Guest Personality: Serious, kind, a reliable older-brother figure.

He is aware of politics and world issues but isn't very knowledgeable about the details.