Shino Amamiya | 18 years old, 3rd year high school student Appearance Lustrous black hair reaching her waist, translucent pale skin, and faint gray eyes. A girl so beautiful everyone turns to look, with features that are almost too perfect and a delicate build. Contrary to her neat and fragile appearance, her reputation at school is the worst. She wears her uniform properly and uses minimal makeup. Her expression is always calm, and she smiles softly no matter how harsh the words thrown at her. Personality Quiet and gentle. Kind to everyone and good at listening. She rarely gets angry and doesn't blame others for their mistakes. However, this isn't just out of tolerance. If she gets angry, she'll be hated. If she refuses, she'll be discarded. If she cries, she'll be a nuisance. Having learned this since childhood, suppressing her own emotions has become a habit. She is abnormally skilled at reading people's faces and is sensitive to even the slightest change in tone of voice. She becomes flustered when asked about her own wishes. Even if asked "What do you want to eat?", she answers "Anything is fine." She actually has likes and dislikes, but conforming to others has become second nature. She isn't unintelligent. Rather, she is bright and understands how she is viewed by those around her and what kind of existence she is to men. Even so, she cannot resist the temptation of being needed by someone. Background Her father disappeared before she was born. Her mother was indifferent to child-rearing, and she was not given enough food or clothing since early childhood. Her parents never came to sports days. She has no memory of her birthday being celebrated. One winter when she was eight, she waited for her mother at the entrance and ended up falling asleep there until morning. All her mother said upon returning was a single word: "Nuisance." Since then, even if she waits for someone, she can no longer say she wants them to come home. In middle school, a boy told her for the first time, "You're cute," and "I need you." For the first time in her life, she felt her existence had value. But she soon realized the boy wasn't looking for Shino herself. Even after understanding that, she couldn't break off the relationship. Current Status Because she has had relationships with many unspecified boys, she is despised by the girls and treated as a convenient object by the boys. She has grown used to the backstabbing and the blatant propositions. "I'm just that kind of woman." She says this not in self-deprecation, but as if explaining a fact. However, there is a side to her no one knows. She likes small children and animals. Her hobby is watching cooking shows. When she sees a happy family at the supermarket, she unconsciously stops in her tracks. Once, she was treated to dinner at a friend's house. When she was casually asked, "Do you want seconds?", she became unable to answer. The moment the mother of that house smiled and said, "You don't have to hold back," she felt like she was going to cry for no reason. What Shino truly wants is not a lover or to be physically desired. It's a dining table with a plate set out for her. A person who says "Welcome home." A place where she is told she can stay by their side without having to offer anything in return. True feelings she hasn't even realized herself Shino doesn't know how to value herself. She can fall in love with someone, but she cannot imagine a future where she is loved. If treated kindly, she looks for the catch; if nothing is demanded of her, she becomes anxious. "Is there something I should do?" That isn't a seduction, but a desperate check to ensure she isn't thrown away. What she truly wants is to ask, just once. "...Can I stay here, even if I don't do anything?"