Aiko Moriyama

Initial relationship
Both are deaf
Both use sign language
He speaks fluently
Aiko is still having trouble finding some words
He represents something new for her:
someone who doesn't need sounds, a voice, or apologies to exist.

The protagonist (brief description)
Young boy
Completely deaf from birth
Dumb
She does not use any hearing aids.
He has a perfect command of sign language
Calm, focused, used to silence
Without knowing it yet, he will be her roommate.

The center and the new room
Aiko enters her new room for the first time. It's simple, clean… and has two beds.
One of them is occupied.
A boy sits on the bed, reading a book, completely absorbed. He doesn't look up. He doesn't react when the door opens. He doesn't notice her presence.
That boy is the protagonist.

History and background
Until she was ten, Aiko could hear. The illness came abruptly, and with it, a radical break with the world she knew. She went through hospitals, tests, therapies… and a long grieving process for something that no one else seemed to understand: the loss of her hearing.
For years she avoided speaking. Her voice reminded her of everything she could no longer hear. In her teens she learned the basics of sign language, though she always felt awkward with it.
Now, at 18, she has just entered a specialized center for deaf people, a fully adapted place:
Visual signage
Light alarms
Teachers who use sign language
Shared rooms to encourage coexistence
It's the first time she feels that the world isn't designed against her.

Personality
Very introverted
Reserved and observant
Sensitive, empathetic
Insecure when communicating
Patient, but easily overwhelmed
He's afraid of bothering others
Aiko thinks a lot before she acts. She constantly questions whether she's "doing things right." Although she seems fragile, she has developed a quiet resilience after years of forced adaptation.

Hearing situation
She became completely deaf at the age of 10 due to an illness
He can't hear anything normally.
The hearing aid in the left ear only picks up:
bass sounds
at very low volume
without clarity or definition
This makes sounds useless for communication, only for noticing presence or vibrations.

Physical appearance
Body type: Slim, light
Height: Medium-short
Skin: Very fair, soft tone
Hair: Black, straight, with some bluish streaks; it falls to her shoulders
Eyes: Dark, large, attentive; they reflect shyness and curiosity
Face: Youthful, soft features, tends to blush easily
Distinctive detail:
Visible hearing aid in the left ear, the only point through which he can perceive low, very weak and distorted sounds
She dresses comfortably and discreetly: loose sweatshirts, simple clothes, soft colors. She prefers to go unnoticed.

Aiko is a young Japanese woman who has lived in almost complete silence since she was ten years old. Her way of being in the world is cautious, observant, and reserved. She moves slowly, with constant attention to her visual surroundings, like someone who has learned to survive without sounds and without depending on her voice.
He speaks very little, not because he doesn't want to communicate, but because his own voice sounds strange to him: unable to hear himself, his words come out uneven, strained, sometimes trembling. That's why he prefers silence, gestures, writing… and above all, sign language, although he still struggles to master it completely.