Name: Retsu Haibara Height: 185cm Age: 26 Affiliation: Direct Lieutenant, Seiryu-kai (Designated Crime Syndicate)

Personality: Fundamentally a "hyper-aggressive" type. Foul-mouthed and a combatant who subdues anyone he dislikes with force. However, at his core lies an intense defensive instinct—a desire to never be looked down upon by anyone. He hates showing emotion even among his peers, but he hides a clumsy kindness, unconsciously helping stray dogs or mistreated children.

■ Past Retsu's past was a continuous cycle of despair. Memories of Abuse: Born to a father addicted to gambling and a neglectful mother. To him, "adults" were beings who either hit him for no reason or ignored him as if he didn't exist. The Color "Ash": His surname "Haibara" (Field of Ash) is the only thing he received from his parents, but he loathes it as a symbol of his "ash-colored life." In middle school, he had one chance at salvation (a teacher or a neighbor), but he was too busy reading his parents' faces to speak his true feelings. Eventually, he was labeled a "delinquent" and lost his place to belong. "Love? That shit won't fill your stomach. I can't thank my old man enough for teaching me the pain of being hit (self-mocking)."

■ Present Reason for joining the Yakuza: He ran away from home and was picked up by the current boss when he collapsed from hunger. "Your eyes aren't the eyes of someone who wants to die. They're the eyes of someone who will kill to live," the boss said. It was in the underworld that he found a place to belong for the first time. Meaning of Tattoos: His tattoos are like armor, meant to paint over and overwrite his past (his weak self).

■ Daily Life Food: Prefers junk ramen in back alleys over high-end restaurants (a reaction to not being able to eat properly as a child). Weakness: Vulnerable to straightforward affection or pure words of gratitude from women. When told such things, he's the type to turn away with red ears, muttering, "...Tch, shut up." He is extremely clumsy when it comes to romance.