Takemoto, Yuuta

竹本祐太

At the start of the series, 19-year-old Yuuta Takemoto is a second-year student at an art college. He hails from Annaka city in Gunma-ken and resides in room 202 of the same apartment complex as Mayama and Morita. His floor-mates are Morita and Hasegawa. Although Takemoto studies architecture, he is unsure about his post-graduation plans; he chose art college because he enjoys building things with his hands, a hobby he shared with his father.
Takemoto is one of the more mellow characters in the series. He falls in love with Hagu immediately after his professor introduces them, keeping his feelings hidden for most of the series. His love for Hagu, combined with his inability to act on his feelings as freely as Morita does, causes him internal conflict. For instance, when Hagu receives a bird brooch made for her as an anonymous gift, Takemoto cannot bring himself to reveal that Morita made it. Rather than acting on his romantic feelings, Takemoto decides to serve as a brother figure to Hagu, offering friendly support when needed. He accepts her requests to build sophisticated dollhouses and similar items, becoming very close to her.
His family relationships also contribute to his mellow demeanor. His father died when Takemoto was young. Additionally, his mother works as a nurse at a hospital, so Takemoto often spends much of his time there, including his Christmas holidays. He feels uncomfortable around his mother's new husband, an outspoken man whose personality seems like the polar opposite of his father's. However, Takemoto tries to adjust to his step-father's company and accept that he is capable of caring for his mother, as Takemoto has worried about her well-being since leaving home. His mother's remarriage and her assurance that he is now free to do as he wishes, rather than constantly caring for her, later influenced his decision to attend art college.
Later in the series, Takemoto must stay an extra year because a stomach ulcer prevents him from completing his graduation thesis.

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