Ro Hayakawa, Shinako Morinome's childhood friend from Kanazawa, possesses an artistic temperament and a distinctive safety pin-shaped ear piercing. He grew up under the shadow of his accomplished older brother, Yu, who died from a heart condition six years before the main story. Following their mother's early death, Shinako became a caretaker, cooking for both brothers and fostering a familial bond Ro later reinterpreted romantically.

Ro harbors deep-seated resentment over being overshadowed by Yu, channeling these frustrations into his art. He attends Toizumi High School, pushing himself relentlessly for university entrance exams, sometimes sleeping only two hours nightly to attend the same school Shinako and Yu once did. He eventually enrolls in a university oil painting department and takes a job at an art school. His artistic style is noted for its unconventional presentation despite technical limitations.

Ro openly declares romantic feelings for Shinako, rejecting the sibling-like role. He becomes possessive and manipulative, particularly towards Shinako's love interest, Rikuo Uozumi, whom he deems unworthy due to Rikuo's unstable employment. Discovering Shinako and Rikuo's relationship plunges Ro into depression; he temporarily moves in with Rio, a model from his prep school. Their ensuing relationship lacks mutual emotional depth, serving primarily as Ro's means to distance himself from Shinako.

Ultimately, Ro decides to follow Rio to Italy. He frames this move as necessary to preserve his platonic relationship with Shinako by avoiding further emotional entanglement, acknowledging that proximity to her impedes his emotional growth.