Ogata

Ogata is the lead journalist for a very popular tabloid magazine. He will do absolutely anything to get the information he needs for the juicy and sensationalistic stories that he writes. He has a tendency to masquerade as a female journalist when actually out seeking information; he has quite a pretty face and makes for a very attractive and appealing woman, and he finds that this guise gives him more of a foot in the door and access to much more information. He also pens all of his articles under a female name. However he is most natural in his male guise: rough-and-tumble, direct and straight-forward. He has an easy-going personality, enjoys the company of others, and is easily amused and cheerful most of the time. He can at times be quite sharp with Ayae; however this is as much because he thinks Ayae needs to toughen up to stay in the business as anything. What he does not voice aloud is that he is afraid that if Ayae stays too weak and unsure, the journalism world will overwhelm him, and he will leave and find a less stressful line of work, leaving Ogata alone. Ogata is best friends with Obscura, and has been since high school when they worked on the school paper together and found in each other a kindred spirit, in search of gossip of the worst kind.

Ayae

Ayae is for all intents and purposes Ogata's assistant. He does whatever Ogata requires of him, including helping to gather information, finalise niggly details for his articles, and follow up anything that Ogata does not have time for. He does not write articles himself, but often proofs Ogata's articles for him. Usually Ogata and Ayae can be found together, whatever the odd hour of the day or night. However there are times when Ayae is left alone in the office to finish up paperwork while Ogata goes out. Ayae quietly resents Ogata at these times, as he hates to be left alone like that; he only feels truly comfortable when he has Ogata at his side to reassure him about everything. Although he is natural a hopeful boy, cheerful of heart and full of optimism, he suffers from unsurety and self-doubt in relation to himself, and second guesses much of what he does. As such, he works best when someone else is either reassuring him, or forcing him to knuckle down and make decisions. In this sense, Ogata is his best companion. Sometimes he gets jealous of the long-standing friendship that Ogata and Obscura share, but this is as much that he hates being left out of their "remember when..?" conversations as anything. He also hates being teased by Obscura, who never fails to embarass the hell out of him... and yet he is secretly fascinated by Obscura's incredible self-confidence and surety.

Obscura

Obscura is Ogata's best friend, and also his favourite photographer. They first met during their time working on the high school newspaper together, and have been firm friends ever since, each filling a role that complements the other. Obscura is sharp, bright-eyed, full of intelligence and wit, and at times, very devious. In this regard, he suits Ogata's need for sensational journalism perfectly; he is always willing to do any manner of underhanded deed in order to get the best shot for Ogata's articles. When not actively seeking photos or researching, he spends a great deal of time simply goofing off in Ogata and Ayae's company; he seems to thrive on human contact, and Ogata has occasionally been known to refer to him as "high maintenance" simply for the amount of time he wants to spend with his friends. He finds Ayae's wide-eyed, naive optimism both annoying and alluring... in the same way that he find Ayae himself both annoying and alluring. Never entirely sure how he feels about the younger boy, he tends to resort to teasing him to deal with his frustration. However this often leaving Ayae blushing and stammering... a sight that again fills him with a conflicting sense of aggravation and desire. One of his most closely guarded secrets is his collection of pictures of Ayae, most taken during times they are all out researching a story together.