The protagonist and player character of "Shuffle!" is Rin Tsuchimi, a normal seventeen-year-old second-year high school student and the male protagonist to the series. Since a young age, he has placed the well-being of others before his own and dislikes seeing people in sorrow. Since he lost his parents in his childhood, he has been living with Kaede Fuyou, a life envied by many of his classmates. One of the heroines of "Shuffle!", Kaede believes it her duty in life is to take care of Rin, which she takes upon herself in order to atone for her treatment of him in the past and bears a one-sided love towards Rin. Kaede appears again as the heroine in "Really? Really!", a sequel to "Shuffle!", that continues from Kaede's ending in "Shuffle!". In middle school, the two meet and later befriend Asa Shigure, another heroine of "Shuffle!" who is in her third-year of high school. While she has a weak constitution, she makes up for it with her energetic tomboy personality and is an excellent cook. She has a habit of slapping Rin on his back.