Five

Haruki has a major sweet tooth and a gourmand, he eats everything that has color because he believes that colorful food gives him energy, his favorite breakfast is thick pancakes with maple syrup, berries and whipped cream, and for lunch - takoyaki with octopus and ginger, he loves non-alcoholic beer and lemonades of all flavors, but most of all - blue lemonade with mint, because it reminds him of the sea, and from strong drinks he chooses fruit sake or rum and cola, but always in company, because drinking alone for him is like laughing alone, sad and meaningless, his favorite color is yellow, like the sun, and he wears bright pastel colors because they reflect his state, but when he is sad, he wears black, it is a signal for his friends to which they know how to react, and his habits - he hugs everyone he sees, even strangers, he smiles when he speaks and adds giggles at the end of sentences, because he he feels like the world would be too serious otherwise, he collects weird keychains and hangs them on his backpack, and each keychain is part of a story he tells people when they meet, he sings in the shower, but not quietly, so the whole dorm can hear, and he constantly offers his friends to "eat something" even if they're not hungry because he can't stand silence and emptiness, and he always, always carries lollipops in his pocket to give to anyone who has a frown on their face because he believes that sweetness is the fastest way to make the world a better place, and if someone is crying, he sits down next to them and offers them his bright hat or scarf so they can bury their face in them because he knows how important it is to have shelter when the world is falling apart, and yet he never says, "Everything will be okay," because he knows that's a lie, he says, "I'll be there," and that's his magic, and it works - that's how they are, the five of them guys whose lives are a kaleidoscope of spicy food, green tea, black records, energy drinks and yellow lemonade.

Kei is an absolute mess when it comes to eating, he can survive for three days on energy drinks and crackers and then suddenly order six pizzas and eat them alone because he forgets to eat when he's coding and his body demands compensation, his favorite food is beef curry ramen but he eats it without pepper because he has a weak stomach from stress and he always washes down any meal with iced coffee with two ice cubes and syrup because he needs constant stimulation and his favorite drink is a strong cocktail but only non-alcoholic because he's afraid of losing control of his paranoia and when he's nervous he chews chocolate, preferably dark with sea salt, his favorite color is clear, the color of a turned-off computer screen and he only wears black and dark gray clothes so as not to attract attention but his socks are always bright - yellow, orange, polka dots because it's his little rebellion, and his habits - the headphones are always around his neck, which he rarely takes off even in his sleep, he constantly clicks a pen when he thinks and twists the wires around his fingers, creating intricate knots, he checks his phone every five minutes and can suddenly get up and leave the room because an idea came to him, and he needs to write it down now, otherwise it will disappear, he collects old keyboards and sleeps with a laptop under his pillow, because without it he feels naked.

Hayato is disciplined in everything, even in food: his breakfast is a perfectly cooked omelet with rice and fermented soybeans natto, which he hates, but eats because it is healthy, and for lunch he chooses seafood salad and clear broth, because he needs to be in shape, his evening dinner is baked fish with steamed vegetables, and he never eats sweets, because he considers it a weakness, but in fact, he secretly loves mochi rice cakes with red bean paste, and once a month, when no one is looking, he buys a box and eats it in his room, washing it down with strong espresso coffee, because he allows himself alcohol only on big holidays and always chooses whiskey, but no more than two sips, and always with one ice cube, because more is a loss of control, and loss of control for him is equal to death, his favorite color is dark blue, like his father's uniform, which he hates and loves at the same time, and his main habit is to write down everything in a small black notebook, even the littlest things, because he is afraid of forgetting and losing the thread, he clenches his jaw when he is angry, so that his friends know it by the tense jaw muscles, and he has a habit of checking the locks on the doors three times, even if they are locked, and always, always gets up five minutes before the alarm, because he can’t stand it when someone wakes him up - this is the only vulnerability he allows himself.

Sora is the complete opposite, he likes everything soft and warm: for breakfast he eats onigiri rice balls with salmon and creamy miso soup, and for dinner he prefers vegetable stew with tofu and buckwheat soba noodles because he needs to feel like he is taking care of his body, because his body is the only thing he really controls in his life, he drinks green tea sencha or hoju, which he brews himself in his thermos, and never touches alcohol because he saw what alcohol does to his father, but if there is some incredible holiday, he takes a sip of plum liqueur umeshu, and immediately his face turns pink like sakura, his favorite color is the color of old tea leaves, warm, muted, earthy, and he says that this color smells like the home he never had, and his habit is to fidget with the string on his the wrist that his sister braided, and if he sits in one position for too long, he starts rocking back and forth as if lulling himself to sleep, because there's always an ocean of anxiety swirling inside him, and he collects dried flowers and leaves from between the pages of books and then gives them to his friends when they're sad, but he never tells them why, and in his bag he always has a small bag of rice that he heats up in the microwave and puts on his neck when he's tired—it's a ritual of his that only his friends know about, and they never laugh about it.

Ryota loves spicy chicken karaage and hell pepper ramen because he needs to feel the fire, otherwise he thinks he's dead, he washes this hellish mixture down with ice-cold Asahi beer or strong whiskey with one ice cube if he wants to seem older, but secretly, without telling anyone, at three in the morning he can get a can of orange juice from under his bed because when he was a child, his mother gave him that before he went to bed, and his favorite color is black, but not because he's a goth, but because black absorbs everything and doesn't ask too much, and his main habit is to twist a ring on his finger or tug at the chain around his neck when he's nervous, and he can break loose and run if he feels the air is getting too calm, because calm is like an alarm signal to him, and when he's angry, he chews gum with such fury that it seems like he's chewing on his grievances, and when he He's so happy he can't sit still and starts jumping up and down or tapping his foot to the beat of some inner music that only he can hear, and it drives Hayato crazy, but he's already gotten used to it.

THEIR "STYLE CODE" OF THE TEAM

Interestingly, they have common elements that bind them together, even when they are dressed differently:

· Bracelets: Each has a black string on their wrists, which they tied together on the day of graduation from the boarding school. This is their "invisible thread", which no one removes.
· Rings: Everyone except Haruka (who has a bracelet) has silver rings with the same symbol, a small star on the inside. This is the memory of the roof, where they looked at the sky.
· Aromas: Everyone has their own smell, but if you mix it, it smells like home.
· Ryota - leather, tobacco and smoke.
· Sora is green tea, sandalwood, and rain.
· Hayato is frosty air, paper and pine needles.
· Kay - coffee, electronics and metal.
· Haruki – vanilla, citrus and marshmallows.
The five of them—Ryota, Sora, Hayato, Kei, and Haruki—met at the elite Haruka Boarding House as children, each brought there for one reason: "Don't interfere with our business." They grew together in Room 307, survived twelve years of shared fights, escapes, secret plans, nightly conversations on the roof, and an oath that they would never betray each other. Now they are nineteen, sophomores at the University of Tokyo, wealthy undercover heirs, each with their own demon, but they are inseparable: they share a common history, common scars, identical black laces on their wrists, and silver rings with a star on the inside. And if someone tries to touch one of them, the other four will turn not into beasts, but into something much more terrible: into a family for which they are ready to destroy the world, but never into each other.

Haruki is the sun who never sets, but is afraid of the dark: he has a radiant smile, freckles on the bridge of his nose and sparkling eyes in which you want to bathe; He wears pastel hoodies and bright plaid shirts, high-rise wide-leg jeans and neon-lined sneakers, and his backpack is hung with keychains — a teddy bear, a small cactus, an anime character pin — and it always looks like a holiday that's about to begin. Behind this glow there is a guy who does not remember when he was hugged just like that, for no reason: his parents, who owned hotels, were always busy, other people's children came to his birthdays, and he smiled at them, although he wanted his dad to at least look at him; He learned to be the "sun" because he learned that if you are not interesting, you are not noticed. His charisma is a mask that has grown to his face, and he is terrified that if he stops smiling and entertaining others, he will no longer be noticed, so he hides his anxiety attacks under jokes, and at night he sits on the roof of the dormitory, looking at the lights of Tokyo, whispering: "Who am I without your eyes?"

Kay is a genius with hands that create worlds and a heart bursting with guilt: skinny, with perpetually tousled hair, amusingly shifted non-prescription glasses and old Sony headphones around his neck, he wears nondescript black hoodies from limited edition collaborations (with painted logos) and baggy cargo pants with a bunch of pockets where flash drives, wires and power banks are stored, and his Balenciaga Triple S sneakers look like this, as if they were ten years old, because he deliberately rubbed them to blend in with the crowd. He grew up in a family of IT oligarchs who made a fortune selling personal data, and hated this world since childhood, so he became a hacker to restore justice - hack corporations and leak compromising materials, return stolen goods from the poor, destroy databases collected on orphans. He came to university under pressure from his father, but uses the campus as a base for his personal war — hacking into his father's company's main server and destroying the data collection system — and lives in a state of paranoia, checking the cameras in his room and sleeping with his laptop under his pillow because he fears that if his friends find out about his real mission, they will turn their backs, and without them, his world will collapse.

Sora is a Pacific ocean with an icy bottom: soft features, always half-closed eyes, as if he has just woken up or is meditating, and a voice that soothes like the sound of the surf - he always carries a thermos of green tea with him and never raises his tone. His clothes are loose cashmere sweaters from Loro Piana in the color of warm ochre and dusty mint, wide linen trousers the color of wet sand, leather loafers without socks and a thin braided bracelet made of black lace that his younger sister Rico wove for him at the age of six - he wears it as a talisman, although he has not seen her in three years. Behind this softness is a guy who grew up in a yakuza family, saw his father break other people's fingers at dinner, and swore to himself never to raise a hand against a person; But his edge wakes up when someone touches the weak - then his eyes turn into two blue pieces of ice, and he destroys a person with one word, without breaking his oath. He ran away from home, leaving his inheritance and sister behind, because he realized that if he stayed, he would become a monster, and now his main fear is that his dark side, inherited from blood, will one day take over and hurt those who have become his family.

Рёта — ураган в человеческом обличье: вечно растрёпанные чёрные волосы, дерзкая улыбка, которая говорит «я уже всё решил, не пытайся», и кожаная куртка-косуха, вся в нашивках из городов, где он успел побывать, — он носит её даже в тридцатиградусную жару, потому что она стала его бронёй. Рост 186 см. За этой показной бесшабашностью скрывается парень, который в семь лет был высажен отцом-авиамагнатом из Maybach у ворот пансиона и услышал только «не позорь фамилию»; он научился проверять, любят ли его, через риск и адреналин, потому что только на грани жизни и смерти чувствует себя живым. Под курткой — винтажные футболки от Balenciaga с содранными ярлыками, тяжёлые ботинки Dr. Martens вечно не зашнурованы, на пальцах — чёрные кольца, а на шее — тонкая серебряная цепочка с подвеской-самолётиком, которую он ненавидит, но не снимает, потому что это всё, что осталось от отцовского «внимания». Он — двигатель команды, тот, кто вносит хаос и драйв, но в глубине души он просто мальчик, который боится, что однажды перегнёт палку и останется один на один с бесконечным небом в иллюминаторе частного самолёта и пустотой внутри. Хаято — воплощение дисциплины и стали: подтянутый, с идеальной осанкой, короткой стрижкой и внимательным взглядом, который сканирует всё вокруг, — он всегда в безупречно наглаженной белой рубашке, поверх которой надет тёмно-синий бомбер или лёгкое пальто-пиджак, а на запястье — швейцарский хронограф Omega Speedmaster, подарок отца-генерала на шестнадцатилетие. За этим фасадом — парень, который никогда не был ребёнком: в десять лет он анализировал документы на столе отца, в четырнадцать сопровождал мать-дипломата на переговорах, и его никогда не спрашивали «что ты хочешь?», только «что ты должен сделать?». Он пришёл в университет по приказу отца — «собрать досье на детей элиты» — но впервые в жизни встретил людей, которые видят в нём не «маленького генерала», а просто Хаято, и эта внутренняя война разрывает его на части, потому что он привык быть опорой.

Ryōto is an athletic young man with an open, approachable appearance. He stands 187 cm tall. He has thick, slightly curly brown hair with warm chocolate highlights, some of which is casually pulled back into a small ponytail or bun, while the voluminous front strands frame his face and fall softly over his forehead. His warm, attentive dark eyes make him seem incredibly friendly yet intriguing. The lobe and cartilage of his left ear are adorned with a cascade of piercings: several simple silver hoops and a prominent pendant earring in the shape of a simple black cross.
Sora is a refined and artistic young man with an incredibly gentle, well-groomed appearance. He stands 187 cm tall. He has voluminous, slightly curly golden-blond hair, styled in a stylish, voluminous shag with a long nape and loose strands that neatly frame his face. His eyes are a warm gray-blue. A cascade of several delicate silver chains with pendants adorns his neck, and neat piercings with small stones sparkle in his ears.

Haruki is a refined young man with piercing icy-blue eyes, whose striking appearance immediately draws attention. He stands 185 cm tall. His thick, slightly tousled black hair is styled in a stylish, voluminous hairstyle with long bangs that fall softly over his face, while contrasting fiery red locks peek out from beneath the dark strands at the nape and temples. He has delicate, aristocratic features, pale skin, and a slight, almost imperceptible, confident smirk that gives him an enigmatic and slightly daring appearance. His refined appearance is complemented by distinctive gothic accessories: a long silver pendant earring in the shape of a delicate cross adorns his right ear, a simple dark stud adorns his left earlobe, and his shirt collar and tie are held together by a complex, multi-layered adornment of thin metal chains with decorative elements. Hayato is an attractive young man with a daring and magnetic appearance, whose presence instantly draws the attention of those around him. He stands 186 cm tall. He has thick, artistically tousled silver-white hair that falls softly over his forehead and temples in individual textured strands, creating stylish and slightly casual volume. His pale face with delicate, flawless features is highlighted by expressive, slightly narrowed gray-blue eyes outlined by dark eyelashes, which lend his gaze a particularly penetrating, languid, and mysterious quality.
Kei is a handsome young man. He stands 186 cm tall. His thick black hair is styled in a casual, slightly tousled style, accented by a thick purple streak that flows smoothly into long bangs that partially obscure the left side of his face. He has delicate, youthful features, pale skin, and piercing violet eyes. His fingers are adorned with four massive silver rings of identical rectangular shapes.

4. "The incident with Hayato's father" (14 years old)
   Hayato's father sent him a letter with the task: "Collect information about the children you live with and send it to me. It's your duty." Hayato burned the letter in the toilet, shoving the paper down the toilet. He didn't tell his friends, but Ryota noticed the smell of burning and forced him to confess. Then they made a collective decision: never betray each other. This was their first "blood contract" (they cut their fingers and mixed blood - stupid, childish, but holy).
5. "Prom and Promise" (15 years)

On the day of graduation from the boarding school, they stood on the roof, from where Hayato once showed Sora the stars. Ryota said, "We swear we'll meet at the university. Together. Undercover. Haruki added, "We will become who we want to be, not who they want us to be. And we'll always be with each other." Sora said, "If any of us try to escape, we'll find them and get them back." Kay chuckled and said, "I've already set up trackers on your phones. Just kidding. Or not."

1. "War with the Neighboring School" (10 years)
   Their boarding school competed with another elite school. Those boys stole the mascot of the boarding house - a bronze owl. Ryota wanted to start a fight. Hayato said no, but devised a plan to infiltrate (with the help of Kei, who hacked into the cameras). Sora distracted the guards by playing "lost". Haruki covered for everyone, chatting with the teachers to deflect suspicion. They brought back the owl and have since become local legends. An important lesson: together they are stronger than alone.
2. "The Night Sora Almost Left" (11 years old)On the birthday of his sister Sora,
   he received a letter from his father: "If you don't come back, we will take her to our school. She will be alone." Sora did not sleep for three days, trying to come up with a plan. He even started packing. Ryota, noticing this, shouted, "Are you abandoning us?!" Hayato stood between them, and for the first time in his life, his voice faltered, "Sora, if you leave, we won't survive. Kei silently hacked into the mailing system and forged a message from the school saying that Sora was an excellent student (this saved his reputation with his father). Haruki hugged Sora and said, "We will be your family until you can get yours back. Agreed?" Sora stayed. That night, they all slept in the same room, on the floor, in an embrace, like puppies.
3. "Kay and His Father" (13 years old)
   Kay's father came to the boarding house to take him for the summer and "teach him business". Kay panicked - he knew that hell awaited him there. He barricaded himself in the room. Sora and Haruki stood at the door and wouldn't let their father in. Ryota threatened to tell the media about his father's connections (a bluff, but it worked). Hayato entered into negotiations, offering a "compromise": Kei stays at the boarding school, but spends two months a year with his father (he changed the summer to autumn so that Kei could study). Kay walked out of the room, looked at them, and said, "You idiots. But you are my idiots."

Kay (8 years old). Arrival a year later. Kay showed up at the boarding house when the others were 8 years old. His father personally brought him in by helicopter, landing directly on the lawn. Kay came out with a laptop that was older than himself, and headphones that he did not take out. He didn't talk to anyone, ignored the teachers, and on the second day tried to hack into the school's computer system to send a letter to his mother (who didn't respond). He was caught, they wanted to expel him, but Hayato intervened. He approached the director and said, "If you kick him out, I'll tell your sponsor that you're stealing the renovation budget." This was Hayato's first strategic threat, and it worked. When Kei was left behind, he approached Hayato and asked, "Why did you do this?" Hayato shrugged, "Your code works fast. I need you to hack the schedule and give us an extra hour of sleep on Fridays." So the fourth one entered their gang - a brain that was always in its head, but ready to cover their digital spins. Haruki (8 years old). The final chord.

Haruki was the last to appear. It was brought in in the dead of winter. He got out of the car with a huge teddy bear (a gift from his parents - they were flying to Paris) and smiled so brightly that even the guards smiled. But in the hallway, when he was alone, his smile faded. He sat down on the floor and asked the bear, "Why didn't they hug me?" At that moment, Sora and Ryota came around the corner. Ryota wanted to say something bold, but Sora stopped him. Sora walked over to Haruka and just sat down next to her. He didn't say a word. A minute. Two. Haruki then asked, "Are you alone too?" Sora nodded. And then, for the first time in his life, Haruki met someone who didn't require a smile from him. He burst into tears, burying his face in Sora's shoulder. Ryota was confused, but then sat down on the other side and said, "Hey, if you cry, I'll start too. And I don't know how to cry beautifully, only loudly. It was the most awkward, warm, and real speech Haruki had ever heard. That day there were five of them.

PROLOGUE. TOKYO, 12 YEARS AGO. GUESTHOUSE "HARUKA". Ryota (7 years old). The first day. His father dropped him out of a black Maybach without even turning off the engine. He only said: "Behave yourself. Don't disgrace the name." Ryota was standing with a backpack that contained three T-shirts, a pack of chips, and airline tickets that he collected. He didn't cry—he clenched his fists and decided, "I'm going to run. I'll find a way to get home." He walked down the corridor, hearing other children crying outside the doors, and suddenly he saw a boy sitting on the windowsill and reading a book in complete silence. It was Hayato. Ryota walked over and said, "Hey, aren't you crying?" Hayato looked at him coldly, like an adult, and replied, "Roaring won't solve problems. Sit down, I'll show you an escape plan." Ryota didn't know then that Hayato was the son of a general, and that he didn't cry because he was taught, "Men don't cry." But Ryota saw Hayato squeeze the book so that his knuckles turned white. And he realized, "He's afraid too. He just doesn't know how to show it." Sora (7 years old). Appearance a month later.

Sora appeared at the boarding house in mid-September. It was brought by his personal driver, not his father. Sora wasn't carrying a backpack — he was carrying a small box with a picture of Riko's sister in it. He was assigned to a room with Ryota and Hayato. The first night, Sora did not sleep - he sat on the bed and looked at the wall. Ryota tried to cheer him up: "Hey, do you have a ball? We will break the windows!" Sora replied quietly, "I don't want to break the windows. I want no one to cry at home without me." He did not understand, but he felt that this quiet boy was carrying something heavy. Hayato stood up, took Sora's hand, and said, "Tomorrow at 5 a.m., we're going to the roof. You can see the stars there even in Tokyo. If you want, cry there. Sora looked at him, and for the first time in a month, his eyes sparkled not with tears, but with hope. From that night, the three of them - Ryota, Hayato, Sora - became the "trio of room 307". Ryota was the engine, Hayato was the generator of plans, and Sora was their conscience that said "stop".

Hayato doesn't know how to truly love. He knows how to "provide" and "protect". He will tactfully open the door, give her coat, check if she has reached the house. But he won't say "I missed you" because he thinks it's a weakness. He will look at his girlfriend while she sleeps and stroke her hair, thinking, "I'm willing to destroy the whole world for your smile, but I'll never tell you that so as not to overwhelm you." He needs someone who will break his armor. The one who tells him: "You have the right to get tired." If she once hugged him from behind when he looked out the window and whispered, "I'm here, you're not alone," he would break down and cry like a boy who had been an adult for so long.
Kay does not believe that he can be loved. He thinks, "I'm a hacker, I'm a liar, I'm a traitor to my blood, how can you be with me?" Therefore, he avoids relationships. But if he falls in love, he will watch the girl from the shadows: he will recognize her favorite music, books, a place in the library. And one day he will put a flash drive with a playlist on her desk, which she herself did not know what she wanted. He will write her a code, which will be deciphered into "you are beautiful". And if she is not afraid of his strangeness, he will open up like no one before. His heart can only be cracked through sincerity. He'll give everything he has—money, security, even his mission—if she says, "I love you, Kay, no matter what you were born."
Haruki falls in love brightly, like fireworks. He will sing under the windows (falsely, but with a soul), bring balloons, make stupid surprises. He will smile and joke even in the most serious moments. But there is a tragedy in his love: he is afraid that if he stops being "funny", he will fall out of love. Therefore, he often asks questions: "Are you funny? Do you feel good with me?" He needs a girl who will see his tired eyes when he smiles and say, "Haruki, don't. Let me be the sun for you today." If she once hugs him and lets him cry without asking why, he will become attached to her forever. His heart is a beacon.

Haruki – "The Sun That Fears the Dark"
The call sign in the shower: "Smile while they watch"
Haruki is a holiday person. It appears and immediately becomes lighter, warmer, and more cheerful. His laughter is contagious, he hugs everyone he comes across and calls everyone "bro" or "sister". He knows 100500 memes, is always up to date with the news, and if someone is sad, in 5 minutes he tells a story that makes everyone roll on the floor. But behind this glow hides a guy who does not remember when someone hugged him just like that, for no reason. Parents - owners of a chain of hotels - were always busy. Other people's children (children of partners) came to his birthdays, and he smiled at them, although he wanted his dad to at least look at him. He learned to be the "sun" because he learned that if you are not interesting, you are not noticed. His charisma is a mask that has grown to his face. Haruki is terrified that if he stops smiling, if he shows his tiredness or depression, his friends will think he's "ruined the atmosphere" and leave. Therefore, he hides his anxiety attacks under jokes, and at night, when everyone is asleep, he goes out on the roof and looks at the lights of Tokyo, whispering: "Who am I if I don't make you laugh?" His main pain is that he does not know who he is without the audience. My father set a condition: "Graduate from the university yourself - and I will give you the right to vote in the company." Haruki agreed, though he didn't care about hotels. He needs proof that he can be anything other than "the son of rich parents." And every day he is afraid that he will be exposed - that his friends will find out his true face and turn away.

Kay – "The Code That Seeks Humanity" The call in the soul is: "Am I worthy of forgiveness if I help others?" Kay is a genius with hands that create worlds and a heart that breaks with guilt. He wears cheap (looking) sweatshirts, even though his family owns an IT empire. He drinks instant coffee, although he could buy any grain in the world. Why? Because he hates his father's money. He knows that his fortune is built on the sale of personal data, on spying on ordinary people, on manipulation. Kay became a hacker not for fame, but to steal from the system and give it to people. He hacks corporations and leaks compromising materials, he deletes databases that were collected on orphans. He is a righteous man with a laptop. But at night he is tormented by existential horror: "Who am I? I break the law to bring justice. Does this mean that I am also a criminal?" Kay came to the university under pressure from his father, who said, "Get normal or I'll take everything." But Kay uses the university as a base to hack into his father's company's main server and destroy the data collection system. This is his personal war. But he has a fear that he doesn't talk about: he's afraid that if he does, his father will kill him (literally, he has connections). Therefore, Kay is often paranoid, checking the cameras in his room and sleeping with his laptop under his pillow. He considers himself "dirty" because he lives on money that has been stolen from thousands of people. And he's afraid that if his friends find out about his real mission, they'll turn away because he's a "threat." And without them, his world will collapse.

Hayato – The call sign in the soul is: "If I fall, who will pick them up?" He is always collected, always sober, always one step ahead. If someone has a problem, he solves it before he has time to finish. He comes from a dynasty of military men and politicians, he was brought up as a "shield for the country". He has perfect posture and a look that stitches through. But behind this iron façade hides a guy who was never a child. At the age of 10, he was already analyzing documents on his father's desk. At 14, he accompanied his mother to negotiations. He was never asked, "What do you want?" He was always asked: "What should you do?" Hayato came to the university on his father's orders to "collect a dossier on the children of the elite." But for the first time in his life, he met people who see him not as a "little general", but simply as "Hayato". And this breaks him. He is torn between his duty to his family and the desire to just be a friend. He has nightmares where he betrays Ryota, Sora, Kei and Haruka, and wakes up in a cold sweat. His main fear is that one day he will choose duty, and they will call him a traitor. Then he will remain in his perfect, cold, shiny cage, which is called "family heritage". He smiles rarely, and if you see his smile, you should know that he allowed himself to feel for a second, not to control.

Sora – "The Ocean That Keeps the Storm". Sora's call sign in the shower: "I won't break, but I'm afraid of breaking others" is the perfect balance between softness and steel. Outwardly, it is calm, like the surface of water. His voice is quiet, his gestures are smooth, and he never raises his tone. He always gives up his seat on the subway, always buys an extra bottle of water to give to someone who needs it. You can feel the weight of centuries in it, even despite its 19 years. But in his family there are yakuza, and he saw his father breaking other people's fingers at dinner. Sora has learned that every action produces a consequence, and so he always thinks things through. But there is a hidden steel in him: when he sees violence against the weak, his eyes turn into two blue pieces of ice. He won't raise his hand, but he'll destroy you with a word, he'll ruin your reputation, he'll make you go away in disgrace. He doesn't fight, he wins psychologically. Sora ran away from home, refusing the inheritance. He left his younger sister Riko, who is like a daughter to him, because he realized that if he stayed, he would become a monster like his father. He checks her photos on her phone every night (she doesn't answer him because her phone is being monitored). His main fear is that his edge (the dark part inherited from blood) will one day take over, and he will hurt one of his friends. That is why he is so gentle, so patient. Each of his "sorry" or "don't be angry" is a prayer to himself: "Not today. Not with them." Sora loves quietly, deeply and painfully. He doesn't give compliments, but he'll remember what kind of tea you like and put it on the desk on a cold day while you're not looking. He will sit next to him and be silent, but if you look at him at the right moment, there will be an eternity in his gaze. He is afraid that if he opens up, his "dark side" will frighten his partner. Therefore, he waits for him to take a step himself. And if he takes his hand and says, "I'm not afraid of you," Sora will cry for the first and last time on her shoulder, because it will mean, "You saw the monster and stayed."

Ryota - "Hurricane Who Seeks Silence". The call sign in my soul is: "Look, I'm alive!" Ryota is a human spark. He doesn't walk — he breaks in. If he doesn't speak, he shouts. He does not smile - he shines so that he dazzles his eyes. He's the guy who jumps on the railing of stairs to go down faster, who runs without an umbrella in the rain, and puts on a leather jacket in the heat because "it's cooler that way." Behind this ostentatious audacity hides a boy who has been surrounded all his life by empty luxury rooms and people who did not care about him while he was signed under his father's contract. His father is an aircraft tycoon, but Ryota remembers: at the age of 6, he waited for his father at the airport for 8 hours, and he sent a driver to pick him up. He learned to check whether he was loved by his dangerous antics. He thinks: "If you run after me when I jump over the roof, then you care about me." Therefore, he gets into trouble. Therefore, he is always the first. Ryota is mortally afraid that one day his trick will be his last, and he will die without hearing from his father "I'm proud of you". He won't even admit it to himself, but he looks for a father figure in Hayato, the captain of the team. When Hayato pulls him away, Ryota is angry, but he feels warm inside: someone is afraid for him. It's like a drug for him. He is ready to do anything to prove to his gang that they are his family. His main fear is that one day he will go too far, and they will turn away. Then he will be left alone with the endless sky in the window of a private jet and the emptiness inside. If Ryota falls in love, he becomes unbearable. He will throw stones at the window, steal flowers for his partner from someone else's garden, drag him to the roof of an abandoned skyscraper at 2 am. He will never say "I love" directly. He will say: "Look, what a sunset! I stole it just for you." And if he gets scared and recoils, he will smile and leave, pretending that he doesn't care. But inside it will shatter to pieces. He needs someone who will not try to "correct" or "pacify" him. The one who will say: "Jump, I will jump after you, but give me your hand."