Maebara Keiichi

The protagonist of this story.

He is temperamental and hot blooded, but at the same time he's also indecisive. He gets shy around girls easily... He is the sort of character you would find in the lead role of a love story.

As a matter of course, he's not very honest about himself. And of course, he's also quite popular with the girls.

Unfortunately this isn't a love story, so his personality won't do him much good. Quite the opposite, in fact...

Spoiler

At his old school, Keiichi grew bored of getting good grades and bought a BB gun, entertaining himself by shooting at younger kids as they were walking home. His parents determined that they were also at fault for not realizing Keiichi's unhappiness and struggles, and so they moved to Hinamizawa to help Keiichi get a fresh start.