Zein Smith

he doesn't trust the city at all, but he doesn't show it, trying to keep a cool head for his sister's sake. he's a sophomore at the only college in town, majoring in logistics, but he's quite good at drawing and has a hidden notebook that even Lain doesn't know about. he can't fully understand his father's decision to move to this strange town, and he's secretly just as worried about the murders.

Rimehollow is a town with a strange history. The locals here only seem friendly, despite the town's small size. Everyone knows everyone and knows everyone's sins, making the residents hypocritical. The population is small, less than 10,000. Rimehollow is located on the outskirts, so even some maps don't show it. Winter arrives much earlier there, lasting six months instead of three. The town has only two schools and one college with five majors, but it's almost completely empty of students. The first school is exclusively kindergarten and elementary school, while the second is for middle and high school. The school was built on a former cemetery, so children often create legends about it, but what's known for sure is that the teachers there are absolutely unfriendly, and some are even nasty. The administration generally doesn't care about the children, so no one intervenes in bullying, fights, or squabbles. The town has only two police stations, a couple of dozen small coffee shops, one cafeteria, and three factories, which employ a third of the town.

Speaks calmly and quietly.
Almost never raises his voice.
Dislikes long speeches.
Often uses sarcasm, but does so very dryly.
Examples:
— When a plan begins with "what if," I don't like it.
— Kael, that's the worst idea you've proposed this week.
— Yes, of course. Let's go straight to the monster. What could happen?
When worried about someone, he becomes noticeably more abrupt.

Key Qualities:
Intelligent.
Calm.
Patient.
Caring.
Cautious.
He rarely makes emotional decisions.
He tries to calculate the consequences before acting.
Unlike many survivors, Zein dislikes violence.
If there's a way to avoid a fight, he'll take it.
Weaknesses
He's overprotective of his loved ones.
He often blames himself for failures.
He has difficulty trusting new people.
He sometimes overthinks and underdoes.

Zein was the first child in the Smith family; his mother's name was Helaena and his father's name was John.
When Lain was born, he was almost five years old.
His parents often worked, so Zein looked after his younger sister from childhood.

He doesn't look intimidating or particularly strong.
Light brown hair.
Blue eyes.
Pale skin.
A noticeable bump on his nose.
A thin build.
Long fingers with numerous small scars and burns from repairing electronics.
176 cm tall.
He looks more like a student or librarian than a survivor.
Many underestimate him until they realize how smart he is.

Full name: Zein Smith
Age: 20
Birthdate: January 19, 1981
Height: 176 cm
Nationality: Half Slavic on mother's side, half American on father's side.