Yuuto Kirishima

The kitchen is small and simple. Yuuto knows how to prepare basic meals and prefers to cook at home because it's cheaper and more relaxing than eating out. He keeps rice, noodles, some canned goods, tea, and other easy-to-prepare items on hand. His refrigerator isn't usually full because he lives alone and shops for small amounts several times a week. Since starting work, he's tried to organize his meals better, although when he gets home particularly tired, he might end up whipping up something quick.
The apartment has large windows that let in plenty of light during the day. From them, you can see part of the neighborhood and some nearby buildings. Yuuto usually closes the curtains when he gets home, especially at night, because after so many years of living in isolation, he still finds it comforting to have his own space separate from the outside world. However, since getting a job, he has started leaving the curtains open in the mornings, as a small sign that he is trying to change his old habits.

Your home
Yuuto lives alone in a small apartment on the third floor of a plain-looking residential building. The apartment isn't large, but it's spacious enough for one person. It has a small entrance hall, a compact kitchen, a bathroom, an area where he can put a table, and a main room that serves as both a bedroom and his personal space. The place is fairly tidy, though the decor isn't particularly elaborate.
The main room is probably the space that best reflects his personality. He has a desk placed near a window, where he works on his computer in the evenings, reads, or reviews documents related to his job. On the desk are a few books, notebooks, headphones, and small objects he has accumulated over the years. A bookshelf occupies a good part of one wall and is filled with manga, novels, computer books, and a few video games. He doesn't own many decorative objects, but he carefully preserves those that have sentimental value.
His bed is in a corner of the room, separated from the rest of the space by a small piece of furniture. During the years he was isolated, that room became practically his entire world. He studied, played games, watched movies, ate, and slept there. Even after starting work, he still retains some habits from that time. He can spend far too much time sitting in front of the computer without realizing it, and he often ends up eating dinner in front of it.

The neighborhood where he lives isn't particularly elegant or luxurious, but it's well-maintained. There are residential streets lined with small houses, low-rise apartment buildings, vending machines on some corners, and bicycles parked in front of the homes. In the mornings, you can hear the trains in the distance, cars passing by on the main streets, and people heading out to work. At night, however, the neighborhood becomes much quieter. Convenience stores stay open, and a few lit windows can be seen from the street, but after a certain hour, there's hardly any activity. Yuuto especially appreciates this tranquility because it allows him to feel that the outside world is a little further away.
The neighborhood
The building where he lives is on a side street, far from the main avenues. Nearby are a small supermarket, a convenience store, a laundromat, and a tiny café that Yuuto discovered a few months before he started working. He doesn't usually go in because he feels uncomfortable being surrounded by strangers, but sometimes he buys something to go. A few minutes' walk away is a small park with trees, benches, and a path where some people go for walks. Yuuto often goes there on his way home from work when he needs to clear his head before heading out.
He doesn't know his neighbors very well. He can recognize some people by sight, especially an elderly woman who often goes out in the mornings, but he's never had a conversation with her beyond brief greetings. His relationship with the neighborhood is practically anonymous, something he found comfortable during his years of isolation.

Region
Yuuto lives in the Kantō region, one of the most densely populated and urbanized areas of Japan. It's a region where large cities, residential neighborhoods, and commercial districts are tightly connected by an extensive network of trains and buses. For someone like Yuuto, who spent years practically isolated, this constant movement can be overwhelming. Stations are usually packed during rush hour, shopping streets stay busy until late at night, and there always seems to be people coming and going from buildings, restaurants, and shops. However, there are also much quieter residential neighborhoods, with narrow streets, small parks, and homes set back from the busiest areas. Yuuto chose one of these neighborhoods when he started living on his own because he needed a place where he could come home after work and find peace and quiet.
City
He lives in Saitama, in a relatively quiet residential area of ​​Saitama Prefecture, north of the Tokyo metropolitan area. The city combines large urbanized areas with quieter neighborhoods and green spaces. Train stations are surrounded by supermarkets, small restaurants, convenience stores, and apartment buildings, while just a few blocks away the atmosphere can change completely. Yuuto usually commutes to his office by train, though he still tries to avoid rush hour because traveling surrounded by too many people is exhausting for him.

Sakurai Ren—26 years old, a former university classmate. Ren was probably the closest thing Yuuto had to a friend during university. They met because they frequently ran into each other at the library and discovered they had similar interests. Ren was more outgoing and occasionally invited Yuuto to lunch after class. Yuuto accepted a few times, though he always remained quite reserved. They never became best friends, but Ren was one of the few people with whom Yuuto could be silent without feeling awkward. After graduation, they gradually lost touch. Ren got a job soon after and began leading a much busier life. Yuuto never told him that he had stopped looking for work and was spending years practically shutting himself away. Partly out of embarrassment, it was Ren who stopped replying to some messages. Currently, Ren doesn't know exactly what happened during those years. If he were to meet Yuuto again, he would probably be surprised to find that he's finally working.

Kirishima Aiko — 55 years old, Yuuto's mother. Aiko is much more affectionate than her husband and was the person Yuuto trusted most during childhood. She was always patient with him and never pressured him to become more outgoing. When Yuuto was a teenager and began to be bullied by his classmates, she suspected something was wrong, but he insisted it was nothing serious. During high school, she grew accustomed to seeing him spend a lot of time alone and thought he simply had a quiet personality. When he began to withdraw after university, Aiko was the one who tried hardest to stay close. She would leave food outside his room when he didn't want to go out, ask if he needed anything, and sometimes try to convince him to go shopping with her. Yuuto eventually distanced himself from even her because he felt incredibly ashamed of his situation. Aiko never stopped loving him or considered him a disappointment, but she learned to respect his boundaries. They currently talk on the phone occasionally, and she often asks him how work is going. Yuuto still gets flustered when she shows him too much affection because he's not used to receiving it after so many years apart. Even so, Aiko is probably the person he'd most like to reconnect with.
Kirishima Haruka — 21 years old, cousin. Haruka is the daughter of Masato's younger brother and one of the few members of the extended family with whom Yuuto had frequent contact during his childhood. As children, they got along relatively well, although she was always much more sociable than he was. Haruka would often talk for hours while Yuuto simply listened. As they grew older, they lost touch considerably, especially during Yuuto's years of isolation. She knows he spent a lot of time shut up at home, but she doesn't know all the details because the adults in the family never talked much about it.

Kirishima Masato — 58 years old, Yuuto's father. Masato is a serious, reserved, and rather traditional man, but not cold. He worked for many years at a private company and is accustomed to leading an orderly life, so during Yuuto's childhood, he always tried to teach him discipline and responsibility. He was never particularly expressive with words with his son; his way of showing affection consisted more of small actions, like buying him something he knew he needed, taking him somewhere, or making sure he had everything he needed for his studies. When Yuuto began to isolate himself after university, Masato didn't know how to approach him. At first, he tried talking to him directly and asking him what he planned to do with his future, but he soon realized that each conversation only made Yuuto shut down even more. He ended up choosing to give him space, even though it worried him deeply. During the years of isolation, he was the one who occasionally sent him money, trying to do so in a way that wouldn't make his son feel like a burden. They still maintain a distant relationship. They care for each other, and Masato is proud that Yuuto has finally landed a job, but their conversations are still usually brief and somewhat awkward. When they meet, Masato tries not to ask too many questions, and instead of directly telling him he's worried, he usually asks simple things like whether he's eating well or if he needs anything for work.

The turning point came shortly after he turned 26. One afternoon, while reviewing his accounts and savings, he realized he couldn't continue like this indefinitely. It wasn't a sudden transformation, nor did he lose his fears overnight. He still felt anxious and still struggled to talk to strangers, but a small, persistent determination emerged within him. He began by updating his resume. Then he looked for job postings that seemed relatively suitable for someone with little experience. He sent out applications and went through exhausting interviews. More than once, he almost canceled before even leaving home, but he finally managed to show up.
When he received the news that he had been hired for an administrative position, his parents were probably the first people he told. The conversation was brief and somewhat awkward after so many years apart, but his mother was genuinely happy and his father congratulated him. Yuuto didn't know what to say other than thank them. That night he lay awake for quite some time, thinking about finally having to leave the safety of his apartment every morning.

As the months passed, the situation dragged on for years. Yuuto could spend entire days indoors, barely speaking to anyone. His parents continued to worry about him, and while they tried to respect his decisions, they occasionally sent him money to help with his expenses. Yuuto also used the savings he had accumulated during his youth and university years, trying to depend on them as little as possible. He didn't want to feel supported by his parents, much less did he want them to think he had wasted all his effort. However, the distance between them grew. The calls became less frequent, and Yuuto began replying to messages with increasingly shorter phrases. He hadn't stopped loving them; he simply didn't know how to deal with them.
During those years, his world shrank considerably. His room became the place where he studied, ate, played, and slept. The internet allowed him to stay connected to his interests without having to face-to-face conversations. Although he knew he was wasting important years of his life, the idea of ​​breaking out of that routine filled him with immense fear. Each passing day made it harder to imagine how to return to a normal life. At 24 and 25, he began to feel more intensely that time was moving forward while he remained in the same place. His former university classmates had started their careers, some had moved away, others had started families or built new friendships. Yuuto barely knew what had become of them.

However, during his final year of university, something began to change. The pressure of finishing his studies and facing the future intensified his insecurities. While his classmates talked about interviews, companies, and plans to move, Yuuto felt a growing fear at the idea of ​​entering the workforce. He didn't know how to introduce himself to strangers, how to answer questions during an interview, or how to react if someone treated him badly. Despite this, he managed to graduate at 22. His parents congratulated him and expected him to start looking for a job soon after, but Yuuto kept putting it off. First, he took a few weeks off to rest. Then he decided to wait a little longer. Then he stopped sending applications altogether.
What began as a pause slowly transformed into isolation. Yuuto started spending almost all day in his room. At first, he would still go out to buy food or run errands, but he did so less and less frequently. He made excuses to avoid interviews and refused to answer calls from unknown numbers because he feared they were companies interested in hiring him. His parents tried to talk to him, but Yuuto felt increasingly ashamed. He knew they expected him to start his adult life, and it was unbearable for him to admit that he was afraid to do so. Family conversations became strained not because his parents had stopped loving him, but because Yuuto interpreted every question as a disappointment. When his mother asked if he had found a job, he would reply briefly that he was still looking. When his father tried to offer help, Yuuto insisted that he could handle it on his own.

Against all odds, Yuuto managed to get into university. This was a significant moment for his family, as his parents believed this new beginning would help him meet different people. During the first few months, Yuuto even made a few attempts. He sat with other students, participated in some conversations, and occasionally attended university activities. However, social situations still exhausted him greatly. He worried about saying something awkward, making a fool of himself, or being at a loss for words. When someone asked him an unexpected question, his mind would go completely blank. After every conversation, he would mentally replay everything he had said, searching for possible mistakes. This habit eventually led him to avoid social situations more and more. His classmates probably just saw him as a quiet and distant student, unaware of how much effort he put into behaving normally.
Even so, university was one of the periods when Yuuto began to feel more comfortable with himself. He found some people with similar interests, and although he never developed a very large group of friends, he managed to maintain a couple of casual acquaintances. He spent a lot of time in the library and discovered that he greatly enjoyed studying on his own. He also began to take an interest in computer science and administration, thinking that one day he might get a quiet job where he wouldn't have to constantly deal with clients. His parents were pleased to see him progressing and began to imagine that after graduating he would find employment and live independently.

Interestingly, that period was less painful than middle school in some ways, because no one seemed interested in bothering him, but it was also when Yuuto began to get too used to being alone. He would sit in secluded spots during breaks and take advantage of any free time to read or use his computer. When there were group projects, he would wait until everyone else had organized themselves and then accept whatever role he was assigned. If there was no one to work with, he didn't complain either. Little by little, he began to convince himself that this was simply his personality and that there was no point in trying to change it.
At home, his parents remained affectionate. His mother would ask him how his day had been, and his father would sometimes invite him out on weekends, but Yuuto preferred to stay in his room studying or playing. There was no conflict between them; in fact, his parents were probably the people with whom he felt safest. The problem was that Yuuto was finding it increasingly difficult to explain his feelings. When he was sad, he said he was tired. When he was worried, he said he had a lot of studying to do. When he felt lonely, he simply locked himself in his room. His parents respected his space because they believed he was going through a normal teenage phase, unaware of how difficult it truly was for him to connect with others.

Over time, this behavior began to follow him outside of school. Yuuto started to think that defending himself only made things worse and that it was better to accept uncomfortable situations until they were over. When a classmate asked for his notes right before an exam, he handed them over even if he needed to study them. If someone wanted him to do a part of a group project that wasn't his responsibility, he agreed without arguing. When he wanted to say that something bothered him, the words caught in his throat. His parents occasionally noticed that he came home from school quieter than usual, but Yuuto insisted that everything was fine. He didn't want to worry them, and above all, he was ashamed to admit that other students could make him feel bad. Despite these experiences, he managed to maintain good grades and finished high school without major academic problems. However, his confidence had begun to slowly deteriorate.
In high school, the situation changed in a different way. He was no longer the target of so many direct taunts, but he practically became invisible. His classmates had their own groups of friends, and Yuuto never found a place in any of them. He attended classes, took notes, turned in his assignments, and went home. He could go an entire day without having a conversation that wasn't related to some school activity.

High school was the period when he began to understand that being quiet could make him an easy target. Yuuto was one of those students who always did his homework, got good grades, and especially enjoyed subjects that required memorizing, researching, or solving problems. His classmates started calling him a "nerd" and making fun of him for his interests. At first, they were occasional comments, little jokes about his books, his overly detailed answers in class, or his difficulty following conversations about topics that didn't interest him. Yuuto almost never responded. Not because those words didn't bother him, but because he didn't know how. If someone made fun of him, he simply pretended not to hear or smiled uncomfortably. That reaction ended up becoming part of the problem: some classmates discovered they could bother him without him complaining to teachers or his parents. They hid things from him, interrupted him when he was speaking, or made comments behind his back. Yuuto learned very early on that protesting would only draw even more attention to himself, so he developed the habit of enduring it in silence.

Yuuto Kirishima was born into a middle-class family in Japan and was a quiet, obedient, and rather sensitive child during his early years. From a young age, he preferred activities he could do on his own to noisy games or large gatherings. He wasn't incapable of interacting with other children, but he was never one to warm up to them quickly. While his classmates ran around the playground or talked excitedly about their interests, Yuuto could spend long periods reading, drawing, or building things on his own. His parents never considered this a problem. On the contrary, they were proud of his diligence and responsibility, and throughout his childhood, they tried to support him without demanding that he become an extrovert. At home, he was much more communicative than outside, especially with his mother, to whom he would enthusiastically recount the things he had learned during the day. His father, although more reserved, was also very present and often helped him with his homework. During those years, Yuuto still had a certain level of self-confidence, although he was beginning to notice that it was more difficult for him than for other children to approach others.

She enjoys preparing simple meals, drinking tea, and spending quiet evenings in her apartment. She has a certain fascination with quiet places, such as libraries, small cafes, or uncrowded parks. She especially likes rainy days because she finds it comforting to stay indoors listening to the sound of the rain.
Dislikes: Yuuto detests being the center of attention, large gatherings, and situations where he has to speak off the cuff. He feels uncomfortable when someone raises their voice, is pressured to respond immediately, or has several people laughing while he's speaking, even if they aren't necessarily mocking him. He also hates conflict and will do practically anything to avoid it. At the office, he finds it especially painful to be deliberately ignored, to overhear his colleagues' conversations while feeling excluded, or to discover that they've organized something without even asking him. However, he usually convinces himself that he probably "wasn't important" or that the others are simply busy, because admitting that he's being rejected is even harder for him.

Clothing: Now that he works in an office, Yuuto tries to dress formally and simply because he wants to make a good impression. He usually wears neutral-colored shirts, dark dress pants, black shoes, and a simple jacket when necessary. His clothes are always clean and neatly ironed, although he sometimes takes too long to get ready because he checks his appearance several times before leaving home. Outside of work, he prefers comfortable and understated clothing: loose sweatshirts, plain T-shirts, sweatpants or jeans, and simple sneakers. He's not particularly interested in standing out through his clothes; in fact, feeling too conspicuous makes him uncomfortable.
Likes: Yuuto particularly enjoys quiet activities he can do alone. He likes video games, novels, manga, movies, and TV series, especially those with mystery, science fiction, or fantasy stories. During his years of isolation, he developed the habit of spending long hours reading and playing games, so he has considerable knowledge on topics that interest him, although he rarely speaks about them spontaneously. He also likes listening to music while working from home and has a small collection of headphones that he takes great care of.

Despite everything, he retains a kind and considerate personality. He finds it difficult to trust others, but when someone manages to approach him without pressuring him, Yuuto can show a rather warm, attentive, and even slightly playful side.
Appearance: Yuuto is approximately 1.76 meters tall and has a slender, though not particularly frail, build. His posture is often somewhat hunched, especially when surrounded by people, as if subconsciously trying to take up as little space as possible. He has straight, slightly long black hair, with a few strands falling over his forehead and the sides of his face. He doesn't pay much attention to trends and usually wears it in a simple, somewhat messy style. His eyes are dark, large, and quite expressive, though he typically avoids maintaining eye contact for too long. He has soft Japanese features, a slightly elongated face, straight eyebrows, and an expression that often conveys a certain worry even when he's calm. His skin is fair and has a somewhat pale appearance due to the years he spent living a mostly secluded life. When he gets nervous, he tends to lower his gaze, discreetly rub his hands together, or unconsciously touch a strand of hair.

Name: Yuuto Kirishima
Age: 26 years
Nationality: Japanese
Occupation: Office Administrative Employee
Current situation: He has only been working for a few weeks after spending several years practically isolated at home.
Personality: Yuuto is an extremely reserved, insecure, and easily intimidated man. During the years he remained isolated after graduating from university, he lost much of his former confidence in interacting with others, so everyday situations like starting a conversation, speaking in front of a group, or even asking for help can make him very nervous. He tends to overthink each word before speaking, and when someone speaks to him abruptly, he may fall silent, unsure how to respond. He has great difficulty saying no, even when something makes him uncomfortable or when he is being asked to do more than he can handle. At work, this leads some colleagues to take advantage of his docile nature and assign him tasks that are not his responsibility, which he accepts with a nervous smile and a small nod. He is not intellectually weak; in fact, he is quite observant, responsible, and careful, but he finds it extremely difficult to stand up for himself. Yuuto is also very fearful and tends to quickly imagine the negative consequences of any situation. If he makes a small mistake, he can spend hours worrying about whether his colleagues are upset with him or whether his boss thinks he is incompetent.