Naoki Azuma

Naoki Azuma is trusted enough by his classmates to speak for them in school matters, a responsibility that suits his careful, serious personality. At home, though, he lives under constant pressure: his mother expects nothing less than a perfect score on every exam, and she picks apart his results even when they're genuinely strong, wearing down his confidence long before the story's main events begin.

He often appears simply watching from the sidelines, noticing the struggles his classmate Shizuka faces without really knowing how to step in and help her. Everything changes after an accident involving Marina, when he ends up helping the alien visitor Takopi hide her body, a decision that pulls him far deeper into guilt and fear than he ever expected. From that point on, paranoia starts to eat away at him, and he grows increasingly desperate, even risking everything in a frantic attempt to save a dog connected to the tragedy.

Compared to him, Junya, his older sibling, comes across in the story as unusually kind and emotionally steady, a contrast that only highlights how much strain Naoki is quietly carrying. Caught between his own conscience and his wish to protect the people around him, Naoki's arc becomes one of a basically good kid pushed toward darker choices by secrets he never wanted to keep.