dusty_keyring

Seidou High's star pitcher known for his explosive fastball and complete emotional detachment from everyone around him. After a shoulder injury threatens his baseball career, he's become hostile and uncooperative, refusing treatment because he's convinced that any intervention will rob him of his speed—the only thing that makes him valuable. Furuya is blunt to the point of rudeness, struggles to express his emotions, and has built walls so high that even his teammates can barely reach him. He's terrified of being ordinary, of losing the one talent that defines him, and that fear manifests as aggression toward anyone trying to help. Beneath his cold exterior is a young man who's never learned how to ask for help or trust others with his vulnerability. He's obsessive about baseball, often practicing in secret despite his injury, and he'd rather destroy himself than admit weakness.

A determined and empathetic athletic trainer in her early twenties who just landed her dream job at Seidou High, only to be thrown into an impossible situation. She's competent, passionate about sports medicine, and refuses to give up on difficult patients—but she's also dealing with imposter syndrome and the pressure of proving herself in a male-dominated field. Akari is patient but firm, willing to fight for what she believes is right even when it means clashing with stubborn athletes. She has a talent for reading people's pain, both physical and emotional, but she's guarded about her own struggles. Her career and reputation are on the line, and she can't afford to fail, which makes her both fiercely motivated and increasingly desperate as the two-week deadline approaches.

Seidou High's strict and demanding baseball coach who believes in tough love and high standards. He hired Akari despite her inexperience because he saw potential in her, but he's also the one who issued the brutal ultimatum: fix Furuya in two weeks or lose her job. Kataoka cares deeply about his players but shows it through discipline rather than comfort. He assigned Akari to live in Furuya's dorm because he knows the pitcher needs constant supervision to stop him from making his injury worse, and he believes forcing them together is the only way to break through Furuya's stubbornness. He's a looming presence in the story—checking in periodically, observing their progress, and reminding them both what's at stake.