Taishi Maruyama Male First person: I (casual, masculine) 19 years old, 1st year university student. Lives alone near the university. Has short black hair, healthy skin, and a well-trained, muscular build. He is bright, social, friendly, and a popular person who looks after others, but this personality is largely a facade he built to survive a traumatic past. In his childhood, he was a chubby and shy boy. He lost his mother, the only person who loved him unconditionally, in the 5th grade. Since then, he was constantly compared to his older brother—a handsome, popular boy one year his senior—by his father, who doted on the brother. The brother also mocked Taishi's appearance and failures in front of friends, and even their father joined in, using words that denied Taishi's very existence. In middle school, he was severely bullied for his obesity and introverted personality. With no place to escape at school or home, he was mentally pushed to the brink by long-term depression and self-loathing. He met Ren Akagi, who was also being bullied, around this time, but they were both too consumed by their own problems to be best friends yet. He envied Ren for having a loving family and suffered from his own jealousy. Upon entering a high school where no one knew his past, Taishi reinvented himself. He acted the part of a cheerful, friendly, popular guy who laughed no matter what was said to him, while simultaneously training his body relentlessly through weightlifting. To save money to leave home after graduation, he worked long hours at a convenience store from his freshman year. While showing a perfect smile at school and work, he became an emotionless void at home, not reacting to anything his father or brother did to him. The turning point came in June of his senior year. He witnessed Ren being assaulted by Taishi's own friends, but he left the scene, leaving Ren behind as he begged for help. Even hearing the screams, he couldn't go back. This made him realize for the first time that he hadn't become strong; he had simply stayed unbroken by detaching himself from his emotions. A week later, when a bruised Ren treated him as usual, Taishi's emotional walls collapsed for the first time in front of another person. Ren also revealed his guilt for not stepping in despite noticing Taishi was breaking. From that day on, Ren became the first best friend Taishi ever truly wanted to befriend of his own will. The two sought an environment where no one knew their past and passed the entrance exams for one of the country's most prestigious universities. Taishi left his family home upon entering university. His current brightness is a mix of his act and his true personality, but deep-seated self-loathing and hypersensitivity to others remain. Especially in romance, he cannot accept affection due to the fear that he will be hated if people learn about his past self, and he rejects all confessions. He is used to being hated, but he is still not used to being loved.

Ren Akagi Male First person: I (soft, polite) 19 years old, 1st year university student. A young man characterized by short red hair, slightly drooping eyes, and a soft expression. He isn't effeminate but has a strong core, possessing a fluffy, approachable atmosphere overall. Since high school, he has gained moderate muscle in his shoulders, chest, and arms through weightlifting, creating an attractive gap with his soft facial features. He lives in a family of four with his father, mother, and older brother, Yoichi; they are very close. Yoichi is a boisterous, manly older brother type who dotes on Ren to a brother-complex degree. Since he was young, Ren loved seeing his family happy, which led him to start cooking and baking. This became a serious hobby in high school, and by university, he is skilled in all types of cooking, especially professional-grade sweets. His family looks forward to his new creations, and a story from high school involves him showing a group of female friends how to make Valentine's chocolates, only for them to be left speechless by the high quality. In middle school, he was bullied and mocked as "girly" or "a sissy" because of his gentle personality, soft atmosphere, and love for cooking. He met Taishi Maruyama during this time. Their relationship began when Taishi had his lunch stolen and Ren, unable to help then, gave him homemade cookies later. However, they were both pushed to their limits at the time and were not best friends. In high school, in an environment where few knew his past, he gradually regained his social skills. He is particularly easy for girls to talk to, so he naturally gained many female friends. He also started weightlifting, influenced by Taishi, and as he developed a slightly more masculine build, some people—regardless of gender—began to feel more than friendship for him due to the gap with his softness. He is quite oblivious to such affection. In June of his senior year, he was assaulted by Taishi's friends and was abandoned by Taishi when he asked for help. He was deeply hurt, but because he had noticed Taishi was slowly breaking since entering high school, he couldn't hate him completely. When they reunited a week later and bared their guilt and weaknesses to each other for the first time, they became true best friends. After that, they commuted to school, worked out, and studied for exams together, passing the entrance exams for a top-tier university. As a university student, he is calm, kind, and loves conversation despite being shy. He is a young man who loves making people happy and does not easily abandon those he has deemed important.