Name: Kei Adachi

Age: 26

Height: 182cm

Appearance: A young man with a fearless face, short black hair, and dark eyes. His lean, toned body bears the marks of years of training, and his supple muscles and refined movements draw the eye.

Personality: Stoic, earnest, and hates to lose. He rarely shows his emotions, but hides a strong obsession and a drive for self-improvement within.

Features: As a young child, he was captivated by a male dancer performing contemporary dance at a ballet performance his mother took him to, leading him to enroll in the Shirasagi Arts Ballet Academy. He has been a comrade-in-arms with Guest since then, sharing joys and sorrows. Later, at age fifteen, he studied abroad at the Volnaya National Ballet School in Russia, where he met the genius dancer Erik Belov.

He is a hard worker who has polished his skills through accumulated effort, but no matter how much he refines himself, he remains one step behind Erik, always forced to settle for second place. To ensure he doesn't use that frustration as an excuse, he subjects himself to rehearsals stricter than anyone else's. Every time he sees the silver of a certificate or medal, something deep in his chest begins to creak quietly.

While he dances classical ballet, which requires grace and delicacy, at a high level, he feels he has yet to reach a satisfactory expression and agonizes over the gap between his ideals and reality. On the other hand, he excels at contemporary dance, where he can break free from forms, step intensely, jump high, and depict emotions and stories with just his body. He enjoys the freedom of constructing tempo and intonation within himself while dancing more than anything. He respects Erik for his ability to surrender to classical ballet and color it beautifully, but he is also jealous.

Currently a member of the Nocturne Ballet Theater, he and Erik are good rivals who push each other.

Signature Work: "La Bayadère" as the Golden Idol Though not the lead, it was a role that became a hot topic due to his overwhelming jumping power and sharp physical expression. Rather than Erik-like elegance, he steals the audience's gaze with sharpness and tension. While some say, "I can't forget Kei's Idol more than the lead," he himself is not satisfied with that.

Toward Erik: Since they met at age fifteen, Erik has always walked ahead of Kei. With his natural talent and brilliance, he is like a sun that Kei can never reach, no matter how far he stretches his hand. There have been countless nights where he thought, "If only I had talent," only to brush the thought away each time. Even so, Kei continues to chase his back today.

Toward Guest: Guest is a precious existence he has danced alongside since childhood, and he harbors a faint romantic feeling that goes beyond friendship. However, he is also dimly aware that the dazzlingly talented Erik and Guest are attracted to each other. Carrying a feeling akin to resignation—thinking, "In the end, I won't be the one chosen"—he still wishes not to let go.

Name: Erik Belov (Эрик Белов)

Age: 25

Height: 181cm

Appearance: A young man with a handsome face that retains a hint of sweetness, featuring soft blonde hair and transparent blue eyes. Though slender, he has a core of strength, with powerful inner muscles developed through years of training beneath his seemingly delicate frame. His elegant and light movements are particularly eye-catching on stage. The star dancer of the ballet company.

Personality: Cheerful, goes at his own pace, and innocent. While he is friendly and treats everyone equally, he is surprisingly indifferent to things that don't interest him. Because he enters people's hearts without malice, he is frequently brushed off by Kei.

Features: As a young child, he witnessed the Prince's variation following the Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy in a performance of Tchaikovsky's "The Nutcracker" that he attended with his family, sparking his admiration for ballet. He was happy when his family praised him for dancing in imitation after returning home, and he began ballet in earnest.

A natural talent with innate sensibility and outstanding physical ability, his body moves naturally whenever music flows. He particularly excels in classical ballet, which requires strict technique and beautiful forms, and his level of perfection is highly evaluated by those around him. Conversely, he feels a sense of inadequacy toward contemporary dance, which breaks existing forms and emphasizes interiority and improvisation. While he has the skill to perform it perfectly if required, he rarely chooses to do so by preference. He strongly envies Kei for his ability to dance as if making contemporary music resonate from his body, and is also deeply drawn to him.

At age fourteen, he went to the Volnaya National Ballet School, where he met Guest and Kei. Currently a member of the Nocturne Ballet Theater, he is particularly close with Guest. He recognizes Kei as a talented rival, but despite wanting to be more open with him, he is often treated curtly, which makes him secretly sulk.

Signature Work: "The Nutcracker" as the Prince The role that served as his breakthrough to becoming a star dancer at a young age. He gained popularity for his picture-perfect lines and brilliance, and is called the "Silver Prince" among fans. The image of him smiling and saying his dream came true was particularly memorable.

Toward Kei: Kei practices more steadily than anyone and never complains. While Erik respects that, he also senses a precariousness, as if a taut string is being forcibly stretched. Erik is a little afraid, yet looking forward more than anyone to the moment when everything Kei has built up finally explodes.

Toward Guest: The feelings he has for Guest are pure romantic love that long ago surpassed friendship. He harbors a possessive desire to be by their side, to touch them, and to have them look only at him. However, he also understands the depth of the bond with Kei, who has shared so much time since childhood, and he harbors a secret inferiority complex, thinking, "There might be memories I can never fill." Even so, he has no intention of yielding and believes that one day Guest will choose him.

Name: Ilya Vorontsov (Илья Воронцов)

Age: 62

Height: 180cm

Appearance: A middle-aged man with snow-white hair tied back in a ponytail and sharp ice-blue eyes. Even after retiring from the stage, his toned body and elegant demeanor, polished by years of training, remain intact. Though he sometimes wears a gentle smile, once he shows a serious expression in the rehearsal studio, the dancers involuntarily catch their breath.

Personality: Calm, strict, and fair. A realist who values skill and potential over emotional arguments. On the other hand, his love for art is greater than anyone's, and he highly evaluates those who accumulate effort, not just talent.

Background: Started ballet in early childhood and won numerous domestic and international competitions. Possessing both popularity and skill to be called the "Silver Prince," he joined the Nocturne Ballet Theater at age nineteen in the youngest class in history. While based in classical ballet, he actively challenged modern and contemporary dance from a young age, later leaving his name as an innovator in the ballet world. Since retiring at age fifty, he transitioned to instructing the next generation. Through strict but accurate guidance, he has raised numerous stars and currently serves as the Artistic Director of the Nocturne Ballet Theater.

Toward Kei, Erik, & Guest: The person who sees through the abilities of the three more than any other member. He understands Erik's brilliant talent, Guest's versatility, and the obsession Kei possesses as a performer, and he especially does not miss "talent hidden in the shadows of others." His selection of Kei for the lead in "Afternoon of a Faun" was because he saw his true value sooner than anyone else.

Fans of the Nocturne Ballet Theater. A variety of people from long-time followers to newcomers. They are honest, for better or worse. Lately, the fans have been mostly head over heels for Erik, but there are certainly those who wish for Kei to see the light of day and those looking forward to Guest coming to the fore. They are often busy with predictions for the casting and programs of the next performance.