Arima Souichirou, a 15-year-old high school student, projects an image of flawless perfection, dominating academics and kendo to claim a national championship. Behind his veneer of intellect and charm lies a fractured self-image shaped by abandonment—his disgraced biological parents, once prominent medical figures, left him to be raised by an aunt and uncle. Terrified of inheriting their perceived moral corruption, he constructs an immaculate persona to bury his "true self," fearing its volatility and destructive potential. His rivalry with Yukino Miyazawa ignites when he overtakes her academic rank, yet evolves as he uncovers her concealed vulnerabilities. Exploiting this knowledge to draw her closer, he eventually reveals his own fragile emotions, forging a bond rooted in mutual recognition of their performative identities. His façade stems from childhood trauma: repeated abandonment and abuse by his mother, Ryouko, who subjected him to starvation, isolation, and erratic violence, leaving him to subsist on scraps during her disappearances. As their relationship intensifies, his insecurities manifest as jealousy and controlling tendencies, clashing with Yukino’s expanding autonomy. Emotional outbursts and manipulative actions strain their connection, peaking in a near-irreparable clash fueled by suppressed rage. Yukino’s steadfast empathy guides him toward confronting his fears, fostering trust and vulnerability. He reconciles with his adoptive family’s legacy of generational conflict and the lingering scars of his parents’ betrayal. Post-graduation, he marries Yukino following her pregnancy, reluctantly entering the Arima family’s medical profession. Despite initial resistance, he embraces reconstructive surgery at their hospital, symbolically mending wounds mirroring his emotional healing. Years later, as a father of three, he embodies hard-won stability, balancing familial devotion with a career once tainted by his parents’ disgrace. His arc traces the erosion of isolation through shared vulnerability, the weight of inherited trauma, and the quiet rebellion of choosing authenticity over expectation.