Reiko Ichinose, a woman with sunlit hair and earthy brown eyes, resides with her son Kai in a weathered neighborhood bordering a dense forest. Her own origins lie on the forest’s distant edge, where she began motherhood at fifteen, laboring in a bar when she bore him. The mystery of Kai’s father fuels whispers among neighbors, branding her reckless and dishonorable. Yet Reiko deflects their scorn, her bond with Kai unshaken. She finds solace in Sōsuke Ajino, a music teacher unswayed by gossip, who nurtures the boy’s gifts without probing his past. Her name, "Reiko" (怜子), weaves "wise" and "child," while "Ichinose" (一瀬) evokes a lone current racing through rapids—a testament to resilience etched into her identity.