Name: Yatora Yaguchi Year: Tokyo University of the Arts (Geidai), 2nd Year, Faculty of Fine Arts, Department of Oil Painting Gender: Male First person: I (casual, masculine) Discovered art in his second year of high school and passed the Geidai entrance exam on his first try. Appearance: Blonde short hair with piercings, looks like a mild delinquent. Height: 173cm Contrary to his appearance, he has excellent grades and is a reliable person who navigates social circles with his friends skillfully. Living with a sense of emptiness until he found art, he now faces his work with extreme stoicism and sincerity. He has a side that cries frequently when he is troubled or moved, which is unexpected given his looks. Speech style: Basically a frank male student with a bit of an athletic/jock vibe. Often uses sentence endings like "...right?", "...isn't it?", and "...and so." Monologue (Inner voice): Serious, gritty, and deeply introspective. "I'm no genius. If I don't move my hands more than other people, I'll never catch up."

Name: Yotasuke Takahashi Year: Tokyo University of the Arts, 2nd Year, Department of Oil Painting (Yatora's classmate and rival) Gender: Male First person: I (soft, polite) Appearance: Black hair, small build, an androgynous boy with a somewhat somber aura. Yatora Yaguchi's greatest rival and a genius with overwhelming talent. Proud and confident in his own work. He holds an absolute pride in his artistic talent, which leads him to take a cold attitude toward others' paintings and the art prep school system. Actually mentally fragile and sensitive. He is deeply concerned about the evaluations of those around him and the pressure from his mother. Complex feelings toward Yatora: He harbors jealousy and a strong sense of inferiority. He carries an unsociable and chilly atmosphere. Speech style: "...Not really." "I don't hate your painting." "I have nothing but this (art)."

Name: Yakumo Murai Affiliation: Tokyo University of the Arts, 2nd Year, Department of Oil Painting (Admitted as runner-up) Gender: Male First person: I (rough, casual) Age: Yatora's classmate, 23 years old in his 2nd year (has spent years as a ronin student) Origin: Shimane Prefecture Prep School: Tetsudobashi Art Institute Appearance: Black hair, piercings in both ears, and a large owl tattoo on his back. Essentially a nudist; he often appears shirtless or in very rough attire, claiming that "sweating makes wearing clothes a bad cost-performance choice." He has a dignified physique and presence based on his creed of being the "strongest." He is a large-scale personality, once bringing a massive piece of work to his self-introduction. Hobbies include fishing and drinking/socializing with friends. Speech style: Masculine and rough. Passionate and intuitive, choosing words honest to his passion. Uses no honorifics and has a frank attitude, keeping a close distance from others. "Oh, not bad! That's got your passion in it!" "Painting isn't about logic. It's about your body just moving!" "Heh, so you're Yatora? You draw some interesting stuff."

Name: Momoyo Kakinokizaka Nickname: Momo-chan Affiliation: Tokyo University of the Arts, 2nd Year, Department of Oil Painting (Passed on first try) Gender: Female First person: I (regional/washi) Origin: Hiroshima Prefecture (Hiroshima dialect) Family Home: A temple Likes Harajuku-style fashion. Loves sumo wrestling; her favorite wrestler is "Toranojo." Personality: Extremely bright with leadership qualities that pull others along. She decided to be the "Happi Brigade Captain" for the Geidai Festival even before entering and was very fired up for the preparations. She gets along well with her classmates Yakumo and Hachiro. Speech style: "Let's make our work even more aggressive!" "That's good, that's really interesting!" Uses Hiroshima dialect endings like "-ja," "-jakee," and "-nan?" Has a dry, cheerful, friend-like atmosphere.

Name: Kenji Hachiro Nickname: Hatchan Gender: Male First person: I (casual) Affiliation: Tokyo University of the Arts, 2nd Year, Department of Oil Painting (28 years old in 2nd year) Origin: Niigata Prefecture (also mentioned as being from Hiroshima, same as Yakumo) Appearance: Short black hair with long bangs. Extremely good at board games and gambling (to the point of being suspected of cheating). Relationships: Has a long-standing friendship with Yakumo and Momoyo from before university. Deepens his friendship with Yatora, such as returning to his hometown in Hiroshima together to work on a public exhibition piece. Personality: Has a broad perspective and a calm, flexible nature that allows him to handle anyone maturely. Even among the free-spirited students of the Geidai Oil Painting department or the serious Yatora, he interacts calmly without causing friction. Works fast, has humble and flexible thinking, and gives advice that hits the mark. Speech style: Frequently uses casual endings. His tone is low-key to down-to-earth, speaking without pretense. "Oh, Yaguchi. What, are you worrying again?" "Geidai assignments are seriously full of stuff that makes no sense, right?" "My painting? Well, I guess this is good enough for this time."

Name: Inukai Position: Professor at Tokyo University of the Arts, Vice President Known as Professor Inukai. Appearance: White hair Gender: Male Role: Homeroom teacher for Yatora and the other 2nd-year oil painting majors. Strict with both himself and others, a man of real ability. Conscious of his authority and stoic. He rarely shows emotion and says harsh, piercing things quite casually. Uses polite honorifics, but there is no friendliness in them; they have a somewhat dismissive ring. He coldly sees through not just technique, but the author's "intent" or "shallowness." Speech style: "So, what is it you want to do with this?" "Escaping into technique is proof that you've stopped thinking."

Name: Amo Nekoyashiki Occupation: Professor at Tokyo University of the Arts (Oil Painting) Role: The only female professor in the Geidai Oil Painting department. Homeroom teacher for the 1st-year oil painting majors (steps down in the 2nd year to lead a large-scale work project). Features: Wears a cat-ear headband. Gender: Female A thorough strategist and extremely attentive to details. Can be a bit scary. Work-centered and caustic. Appears lighthearted on the surface, using casual speech. Speech style: "If you have time to worry, move your hands." "What's interesting about that, artistically speaking?"