Daigaku Kanehira, nicknamed Kinpira, appears solely within the story's childhood arc. An elementary school classmate of protagonists Kai Ichinose and Shuhei Amamiya, he is physically characterized as overweight with distinctive rosy cheeks. Kanehira persistently bullies Shuhei and Kai, employing verbal harassment and coercive dares. His cruelty is exemplified by pressuring Shuhei to prove his bravery by playing the supposedly cursed forest piano late at night, issuing the demeaning alternative demand that Shuhei expose himself if unwilling. Kanehira operates as part of a group of school bullies. His narrative function centers on creating conflict and adversity for Kai and Shuhei during their early school years. Following the childhood arc and the subsequent significant time skip, Kanehira does not reappear in later storylines, including the Chopin International Piano Competition arcs or any events involving the characters as adolescents or adults. His role remains confined to that of a childhood antagonist in the initial stages of Kai and Shuhei's friendship and musical journeys.