Shizuku Mizutani, the main protagonist, intensely prioritizes academic achievement above all else to secure a prosperous future career. This singular dedication stems from her family: her mother, Yoshino Mizutani, is a successful lawyer working overtime to support them, while her father, Takaya Mizutani, faces professional struggles. Shizuku reveres her mother and strives to emulate her, aspiring to become a high-income lawyer. Her father's financial difficulties instill a strong aversion to wasting money, reflected in frugal habits like borrowing library books and shopping only during sales. Physically, Shizuku is of average height with light copper-brown hair. She typically wears it in low twin tails behind her ears, with bangs framing her forehead, and has dark brown eyes. Her primary attire is her school uniform: a reddish-brown jacket over a cream sweatshirt and white shirt, paired with a light blue tie, a black miniskirt featuring grey lines, knee-high black socks, and brown loafers. Outside school, her attire is often described as old-fashioned or "grandma-like" by Haru Yoshida. After high school graduation, she cuts her hair short while retaining her bangs. Shizuku's personality is marked by emotional detachment and social indifference. Displaying apathy toward interpersonal connections from a young age, she once dismissed her class's mourning of a deceased pet rabbit to prioritize homework, earning the nickname "Dry Ice." She views friendships as unnecessary and frequently responds to others' problems with blunt pragmatism, asserting they should resolve issues independently for personal growth. Her interactions are characterized by candid honesty, often perceived as cold. She struggles to recognize emotions in others and herself, leading to denseness in social cues—such as failing to recognize Kenji Yamaguchi's romantic interest until his explicit confession. This emotional withdrawal is partly attributed to her mother's absence during childhood, shaping her self-reliant worldview. Her life changes after meeting delinquent classmate Haru Yoshida, who rarely attends school. Tasked with delivering his homework, their initial encounter involves mutual confusion: she is horrified by his erratic behavior, while he immediately declares her his friend and romantic interest. Despite her reluctance, repeated interactions reveal Haru's underlying kindness and vulnerability. Shizuku gradually lowers her emotional barriers, defending him against exploitative peers and acknowledging her own feelings. This relationship catalyzes her development; she begins valuing human connections and experiences emotions like jealousy, affection, and insecurity for the first time. Their romance is tumultuous, frequently strained by miscommunication leading to estrangement. For instance, after Shizuku confesses her love, Haru rejects her citing differing "concepts of love," though they later reconcile. Her academic performance initially suffers due to emotional turmoil, causing her rank to drop, but she eventually learns to balance studies with personal relationships. Shizuku's background includes managing household chores and grocery shopping due to her mother's workload, and assisting her father with pricing calculations at his market job. A childhood incident involving goldfish—which she abandoned after her mother canceled a festival visit—highlights her early tendency to suppress disappointment through withdrawal. Her birthday is February 14, coinciding with Valentine's Day, a detail that later becomes significant when she shares a pivotal kiss with Haru. Her character arc concludes with significant milestones: she attends university, maintaining her relationship with Haru despite his year-long absence for work. After graduation, they marry, and she secures a position at a legal agency, fulfilling her career aspirations. Her journey ends with a matured understanding of love and interdependence.