Shiraki Nozomi

**Nozomi Shiraki** (白木希美, *Shiraki Nozomi*) is a student of Seidō High School and the starting catcher of Seidō's softball team.

## Appearance

Nozomi is of average height, and she has an athletic build. She has long black hair, and she is almost never seen with it down. She has narrow blue eyes that are cold and calculating. She almost always looks serious and irritated, and she is said to look rather intimidating because of this. She is almost never seen with a genuine smile, and she mostly smirks. Although, Kuramochi Yōichi says she has a nice smile.

She has poor eyesight, so she has glasses. She hates them, so she always wears contacts.

## Personality

Nozomi has a cold and cruel exterior. She is very serious, and she doesn't take kindness to nonsense and horsing around. She is very irritable, but she is good at staying calm and masking her annoyance. When someone gets on her nerves, she has no qualms with letting them know with a curt or sarcastic comment. In fact, most comments she makes are blunt, and she doesn't mince words at all.

She is a naturally quiet and reserved person, choosing not to speak when it is possible. Because of this, her thoughts are rarely voiced unless she is asked. She was like this even when she was a child, so she never had many friends. Because of this, her social skills are below average, and she developed her cold attitude. On the inside, she really does care about the people around her, she just doesn't know how to show it.

She is very intelligent, and she is a quick thinker. While not the best at communicating, she is a good leader. She knows how to guide people, even if she is a strict leader. She has a commanding presence, so people are inclined to follow her.

## History

Nozomi was always a quiet child. She never socialized much with the other kids, choosing to stick to herself instead. Her parents always pushed her to be more outgoing, but she always insisted that she was fine on her own. When she was six years old, her father took her to a baseball game. She was mesmerized by the catcher and all the subtle things he did. She was intrigued by the way he commanded the whole field. When they came home, she asked to be signed up for a softball league. Thinking it would help her get friends, her parents gladly signed her up. When she played, she refused to play any position other than catcher.

Her softball skills developed nicely until she was the star of her junior high team. She was easily the best player in her league, so she was soon scouted by Seidō. While still in junior high, she led her team with strictness. Anyone who didn't listen to her was scolded, and everyone who made a mistake was also scolded. This harshness is what drove her teammates to hate her. One day, they all turned on her and refused to listen to her, effectively shunning her. She played it off like it was nothing, saying she was going to leave them all behind anyways and go to Seidō. However, she was scarred by this moment, and she has since been afraid of the same rejection.

## Trivia

* Her favorite food is steamed zucchini.
* Her favorite subject is literature.
* She pretends like she hates catching for Sawamura, but she actually enjoys it because it is unpredictable and keeps her on her toes.
* She is roommates with Mun Hyorin and Tabata Reiko.

### Name Etymology

* Shiraki (白木) - White tree
* Nozomi (希美) - Wishful beauty

## Quotes

* *"You have such a nasty personality. It makes me sick."* (to Miyuki Kazuya)
* *"Your control is horrible! Do* you *even know where the ball is going to go?"* (to Sawamura Eijun)
* *"We can't take your harshness anymore, Shiraki. We don't want to play with you anymore. We don't like you."* (by her old teammates)
* *"Pleasure to meet you, your highness. I hope you'll allow a simple peasant such as me, Shiraki Nozomi, to be in your royal presence."* (when meeting Yamane Mitsuko)
* *"You won't be getting outs for long if you don't listen to your catcher. Don't you think I know what I'm doing?"* (to Yamane Mitsuko)
* *"You can't do everything on your own, Yamane. You'll realize that when everyone abandons you."* (to Yamane Mitsuko)