Kai Ichinose

Ichinose Kai (ノ) is the main male protagonist of the series. He lives with his mother, in a run-down neighborhood that's right by a forest.

Appearance
Kai has an androgynous appearance, with ruffled light brown hair, and brown eyes. Kai is often mistaken for a girl. He does not wear luxurious clothes, but is still satisfied.

Relationships
Sōsuke Ajino - his former music teacher at his old school back when he was young. He was kai's mentor for piano and would make hin go through weird experiences to learn a lesson. Example- he had to swim to get a melody and practice a specific key for hours.

Reiko Ichinose - his mother. They have a good relationship though not much is shown about how close they are. His mother has been supportive about his career.

Shūhei Amamiya - his friend and rival. They had met when they were younger. Kai took him to the forest, after that he went to shuhei's house. They met again on various occasions. Like when shuhei visited a few years later, or the competitions.

Personality
Kai is a very outspoken young boy who says everything he thinks. He feels no discomfort, and does not hesitate to fight against someone when what they say does not please him. For example, he had a physical fight with a classmate when they insulted his mother.

Background
Kai lives with his mother in a very modest environment. One day he discovered the sleeping piano in the nearby forest when he was three years old. It was then that the boy considered the place as a refuge and the piano as his best friend. He learned to play it alone, to reproduce sounds in his ear, and even to compose his own melodies. He corrected his music teacher, Sōsuke Ajino, when he made a mistake.

Chronology
Kai meets with young Shuhei which gave him an opportunity to share his secrets and share his talents. He took him to the forest to show him the abandoned piano, but Shuhei did not let out any sound. Surprised, Kai began to play, of course. He turns out to be the only one who can play it. But he was all the more impressed when he saw his comrade play like a virtuoso, who learned the piano with the lessons. Although he hates an academic apprenticeship, he finally agrees to take classes with his music teacher, Sōsuke Ajino, who will teach him the necessary piano techniques. Despite the difficulties he encounters, the young Kaï remains just as motivated. Always hidden in the depths of the forest, Kai's talent only seeks to express itself in broad daylight, and to reach an increasingly large audience. The teacher then proposes to participate in a music contest, to show his great talent. He rejects this idea first, saying that he is not made for these events, and finally accepts, because it is a service rendered to thank Ajino for the classes he gave him. He has been training hard to reach a good level.

Trivia
Kai was once tied to a tree. His mother was panicking and untying him."It's fine. I chose this. I had to choose between being tied to a tree or losing my fingers for being late to work."His mother is a prostitute and he had gotten made fun of for it.

He was the only one who could play the piano by the forest.