Summary
Shouya Ishida is the eighteen-year-old male protagonist and narrator of the story, born on June 6th. His narrative begins with his past actions as an elementary school student, where he participated in bullying Nishimiya Shouko. When she transferred schools, Ishida faced severe retaliation, becoming ostracized and bullied by his former peers. This trauma led him to withdraw from society, visualizing people with large Xs over their faces to ignore them, a mindset that drove him to attempt suicide. However, his perspective shifted after he apologized to Nishimiya and reconnected with her. Demonstrating significant talent, he learned sign language specifically to communicate with her and offer his remorse. Ishida harbors deep guilt, feeling that his current suffering is insufficient punishment for his past behavior and often expressing a desire to kill his younger self. He appears resigned to the belief that he will never be able to form friendships again.
