Shiratori Ren

Shiratori Ren (白鳥蓮) is an actor from HANAMI company, and the leader of Dusk Troupe.

Official Character Introduction
"A gentle young man with a heart full of compassion and kindness. He's naturally talented at most things he tries. However, in his daily life, he can be quite clumsy and easily flustered."

Appearance
Ren is a somewhat short young man with pale green eyes and long wisteria-coloured hair, which he ties over his shoulder with a ribbon. His wardrobe mostly consists of soft, simple colours and garments, such as sweater vests and oxfords. He often wears rather unique socks and large blanket scarves as well.

Personality
Gentle and kind, it's easy to see why Ren is called an angel by his peers. He strives to do one good deed per day, whether it's helping someone cross the street or making a cup of coffee for a friend. He picks up new skills very quickly, though he tends to be modest about it. He's a bit airheaded and clumsy, though.

Despite this, he often has trouble being assertive. In order to not cause conflict between himself and others, his own wants and needs unfortunately go untended to, to his detriment. He greatly dislikes being a burden on those around him, and works very hard alone as a result. This can often lead to burnout, however, making things worse than they would have been had he asked for help.

History
Growing up around kind people, such as his parents and older sister, it’s no wonder that Ren took after them. His childhood was peaceful and idyllic, with his mother and father raising him to be a polite and considerate person. However, in his early teenage years, things began to change. Due to a mixture of less than kind peers and a genetic predisposition to it, he began to develop severe social anxiety. Ren became extremely withdrawn and hesitant to talk to other people, let alone large groups of them because of this.

Anxiety attacks and breakdowns weren’t an uncommon occurrence in this period of his life, unfortunately. Though he continued to go to school, his social life was extremely limited to the other inhabitants of the quiet places he frequented. (Despite that, apparently, his "mysterious and aloof pretty boy" appearance got him quite a few love letters.) The future was uncertain, and every day was just a process of going through the motions again and again. He spent most of high school like this, desperately blending into the crowd, with art as his small safe haven.

Eventually, with the support of his family, Ren began to make steps toward healing. The kindness he received from everyone around him helped him turn over a new leaf. Though still quiet and gentle, he was finally ready to step forward and talk to people. Enrolling in Yosei, joining a small yoga class, and working at a flower shop were all little acts of bravery that he wouldn't have been able to do alone. Though he still struggles from time to time, especially with self-doubt and worries of being a burden, it's easier than it used to be. Though he's quite nervous about being a part of HANAMI, he wants to try his best as Dusk's leader!

Sunset
Sakurai Kei: A senior leader. As a fellow troupe leader, he looks up to him and deeply admires his drive to improve himself and live in the present. They go out to cafes from time to time, and always share recommendations on where to go and what to get.

Ishikawa Fubuki: A friend from the same university. They worked together for a class once, along with Katsumi, and Ren was promptly given the name Penboy for the amount of pens he carried around to lend out to people. Though they aren't close friends (... haha, unless?), Ren appreciates his presence.

Dusk
Amemiya Katsumi: It's complicated. While Ren wants to get closer to him, he can tell that Katsumi is avoiding him... It's not uncommon for Ren to worry about him. He wishes things were different and they could be friends.

Nekomiya Shouhei: His roommate! He's quiet, so Ren enjoys his company quite a bit. At first, he worried that Shouhei hated him, but it ended up being a misunderstanding. Though he occasionally steals Ren's chocolates out of the fridge, he doesn't really mind, usually making extras just for Shouhei later.

Kurosawa Kazuna: A somewhat cold member. He's worried in particular about Kazuna, because he's still a high schooler, isn't he...? Though he might not always succeed, he wants to try his best to be someone Kazuna can rely on.

Fujisaki Haruto: Ren's first friend in the troupe… He's eternally grateful for talking to him, and not pushing him away like everyone else. He wishes that somehow, he could help out at the cafe and lessen Haruto's burden, but he'll settle for making sure there's a warm blanket on him when he falls asleep.

Fujiwara Sochi: A little overwhelming-! Since Sochi's far more experienced and talented, Ren can't help but be a bit intimidated by him. However, it must be scary to have switched companies, especially one that has a rivalry with your old one, so he still wants to make sure he's comfortable.

Sunrise
Hozumi Eisuke: An easygoing leader. Ren respects how he leads as well, though he can't help but be concerned with how young he is, along with the pressure of leading... He tries to help him in small ways, though, like brewing a pot of coffee on long nights of practising and making sure he gets to bed. It's nice to have a younger brother...

Hozumi Kosuke: TBA

Midday
Suzuki Jiichiro: An energetic leader. Ren admires the way he leads, just as he does with the others. It feels a bit unusual to have a big brother figure, but he appreciates his kindness greatly. (He's still looking for a way to pay him back for saving him on their first Street ACT.) As the company's cooks, they often talk about new dishes to make, and are surprisingly in sync in the kitchen.

Miyahara Rimika: TBA

Other
Furuichi Takumi: A respectable director! He admires him for starting HANAMI from the ground up the way he did. However, he wishes Takumi could be a bit more honest with himself, and maybe relax a bit...

Sakoda Akira: A talented scriptwriter! They're quite energetic, to the point where Ren finds it difficult to keep up sometimes. He still respects their work deeply and is always happy to proofread for them, though!

Furihata Juto: They first met at a street act, where Ren pointed to him as an example of his "character's" type. Secretly, Ren thinks he was quite handsome, and wishes he would get to see him again... He's unaware that he just happened to be Jiichiro's childhood friend.

Trivia

 * He is roommates with Shouhei, and their room number is 201.
 * His Twitter is @ShiratoriRen.
 * His favourite food is fresh fruit, but he doesn't have any food he particularly dislikes.
 * He especially loves strawberries, and also enjoys all types of tea, such as herbal, green, and black.
 * His hobbies include listening to soft music, gardening, and yoga.