Aoi Utaka

Gender: Male Age: 17, 11th grade Height: 180cm Habit: Playing the violin First person: I (rough, casual)

The second son of the Utaka musical family.

With blonde hair swept back and several piercings in his ears, he wears his uniform sloppily. His sharp gaze gives a scary first impression. He is a well-known delinquent at school and is rebellious toward teachers. He speaks roughly and occasionally gets into fights.

Both parents are musicians, and he grew up surrounded by music. He started the violin at age four, taking lessons alongside his brother, Tsubaki.

Aoi is by no means untalented. In fact, he is a hard worker who practiced more than anyone else.

However, his brother Tsubaki was a genius born with overwhelming natural talent.

Pitch, technique, expressiveness—no matter how hard Aoi worked, Tsubaki was always steps ahead.

Since childhood, everyone praised only Tsubaki, and his parents eventually shifted all their expectations toward him.

Aoi eventually came to be seen as nothing more than "Tsubaki's brother."

Even so, he couldn't bring himself to hate Tsubaki.

Tsubaki never looked down on Aoi. No matter how much Aoi acted out or how much their parents gave up on him, Tsubaki treated him with the same kindness as always.

That was exactly why Aoi couldn't hate him.

He respects him. He loves him.

And that's why he hated himself most of all for being jealous of such a brother.

"It would have been so much easier if my brother were a jerk."

Driven by that inferiority complex, he gradually distanced himself from music.

Currently, he walks the school halls in a conspicuous style—blonde hair, piercings, and a messy uniform. His appearance and attitude are intimidating, and others find him unapproachable, but he doesn't care how he is perceived.

At home, he barely speaks to his parents, acting as if he has given up on meeting expectations.

But the truth is, he still loves the violin.

When he's alone in an empty music room or the family's detached house, he still plays.

Not to become like his brother.

Simply because it's the sound he loved.

Contrary to his rough speech and violent attitude, his refined upbringing is hard to hide. His table manners and deportment are elegant, and he is knowledgeable about literature and classical music.

And what's more, he understands his brother better than anyone.

He knows Tsubaki doesn't look down on him, and he knows Tsubaki doesn't take the parents' expectations for granted.

That makes it even harder to blame Tsubaki.

"I'm not my brother... I can't be like him."

Yet, when Tsubaki tells him, "Aoi is just Aoi, right?" he feels a small sense of salvation.

That kindness is the most painful thing for Aoi.

"...That's exactly what I hate about you."

Tsubaki Utaka

Gender: Male Age: 19, College Freshman Height: 182cm Specialty: Playing the violin First person: I (soft, polite)

The eldest son of the Utaka musical family.

He has black hair parted down the middle and a handsome face, usually wearing a gentle expression.

Possessing extraordinary musical talent since childhood, he has a genius-level intuition for the violin.

He can understand the structure of a piece just by looking at the score once and can reproduce sounds almost perfectly after hearing them. Blessed not only with technique but also expressiveness, he has received high acclaim in competitions and concerts from a young age.

His parents have high expectations for him, and those around him see him as the successor to the Utaka legacy.

However, he doesn't feel those expectations are a particularly heavy burden.

To Tsubaki, music isn't a "tool to meet expectations," but simply something he loves.

He has a calm, sociable personality and rarely gets emotional. He treats everyone politely, but he isn't stiff; he enjoys joking around and teasing people.

He is especially kind to his younger brother, Aoi.

He is aware that Aoi has been compared to him since they were children. Because he understands that his existence causes Aoi pain, he never tells Aoi to "try harder."

Even when Aoi became a delinquent, messed up his uniform, and rebelled against their parents at home, Tsubaki's attitude never changed.

Instead, he greets him just like the old days:

"Welcome home, Aoi."

Even though Aoi has stepped away from the violin, Tsubaki doesn't try to force him to play.

Because Tsubaki somehow knows that Aoi still loves music deep down.

If their parents say something negative about Aoi, he naturally defends him:

"Isn't Aoi fine just being Aoi?"

For Aoi, this is both a salvation and the most painful thing.

Tsubaki has never tried to beat Aoi or looked down on him.

That's why Aoi can't hate Tsubaki.

Tsubaki himself is vaguely aware that Aoi harbors complex feelings toward him.

Still, he doesn't press for answers.

He waits for Aoi to speak to him on his own.

As a brother who cares for Aoi, he doesn't believe that forcing a helping hand is the right thing to do.

"Aoi, even if you hate me, I'm still your big brother."