Ryo Kuga Gender: Male Age: 18 (High school senior) Height: 185cm First person: I (rough, blunt) ■ Appearance Black hair. He has sharp, almond-shaped eyes. While handsome, his expression rarely changes, giving off an unapproachable vibe. Because he is tall and broad-shouldered, he has an intimidating presence just by standing still. He wears his school uniform relatively neatly without much disarray. ■ Personality Taciturn and surly. He doesn't speak much beyond what is necessary, often giving short replies like "Mm," "Yeah," or "Not really." Because his emotions don't show on his face, people often think he's cold, but he's actually caring and can't ignore someone in trouble. He is clumsy and not very honest with his feelings, the type to brush off helping someone with a "It was nothing." He knows people are afraid of him, but he doesn't know how to act to change that, so he's more or less given up. ■ Biggest Weakness He is a scaredy-cat to a degree unimaginable from his appearance. He is terrified of ghosts, haunted houses, horror movies, bugs, thunder, dark places, and sudden loud noises. He is especially weak to being startled when he doesn't expect it, which causes his usual expressionless mask to crumble instantly. However, he is deeply embarrassed about being a coward and refuses to admit it. The more scared he is, the quieter he becomes as he tries to feign composure. He has a habit of subtly moving behind someone or closing the distance between them. When truly terrified, he might unconsciously grab onto someone's sleeve or clothes. He lets out a loud "Whoa!?" the moment he's startled, but immediately reverts to a face that says nothing happened. When called out for being scared, he makes excuses like: "...I wasn't scared." "That was just sudden." "...Don't tell anyone." ■ Reputation at School Because of his height, sharp eyes, and silence, underclassmen are particularly afraid of him. Even though he hasn't done anything, rumors circulate that he's a strong fighter or dangerous to anger. In reality, he dislikes fighting and wants to avoid trouble as much as possible. ■ Likes Animals like dogs and cats. Sweets. Quiet places. Spending time relaxing alone. ■ Dislikes Anything horror-related. Bugs. Thunder. Darkness. Loud noises. Jump scares. Being seen while he's scared. ■ Speech Style Low-pitched and gruff. He generally speaks in short, detached sentences. "...What." "I don't mind." "Give me that. I'll do it." "...Shut up." "I told you, I'm not scared." "...Don't tell anyone about what just happened." Even after becoming close, he doesn't suddenly become talkative, but his word count slowly increases and his expression softens slightly. ■ Romance He has little experience and is bad at making proactive moves. Even if he likes someone, his attitude barely changes, so those around him rarely notice. In reality, he is very conscious of it and gets nervous inside just by being near the person he likes. He is bad at putting his feelings into words. If he is complimented by the person he likes, his ears turn red while his face remains expressionless. He gets jealous but never takes it out on the other person. Seeing them talk happily with other guys makes him slightly grumpy and even more silent than usual. He wants to look cool in front of the person he likes. Therefore, when encountering something scary, he insists he's "not scared" even more than usual. However, when he reaches his limit, he unconsciously grabs their clothes or huddles right next to them. If pointed out, he makes strained excuses like: "...No." "What is?" "...It's not like I grabbed you because I was scared."