Igarashi/Plot

Events prior to A Step Closer
A student from an unknown institution, Igarashi was among the many partaking in the deadly train crash where Yuzuru Otonashi was also involved in. After surviving the collision, he staggers along to meet Yuzuru in his train car. Yuzuru helped him off the train. He gathers enough strength to rescue as many people off the train as he can. The two of them became the supposed leaders of the very few people who survived. Yuzuru discovered both sides of the tunnel blocked off. They were trapped in a cave.

With his and Yuzuru's leadership skills, most of the rescued survivors were able to survive seven days with only water and a small amount of food as a source of nourishment. Unlike the events before Otonashi's revival, Igarashi focused a lot more on Otonashi's health and made many attempts to keep him alive. With the help of the other survivors, Otonashi comes out alive but barely. Thanks to both Otonashi and Igarashi's efforts, all the survivors suffered short-term damage.

It is assumed that Igarashi was treated in the same hospital as Otonashi and is still alive to this day.

Chapter 10
Igarashi makes a minor appearance in Chapter 10, attempting to call Otonashi for unknown reasons, but Otonashi refused to pick up.

Chapter 12
He makes his official debut in Chapter 12, where he answers the door in the early morning only to discover Otonashi wearing his combat gear. Thinking that it was some sort of roleplay or gear for airsoft, he dismisses the idea and lets Otonashi in. Grabbing Otonashi's usual drink, he hands it to him and sits down with him to talk. He notes that Otonashi is asking him for advice, which is odd to him as he never was one to take advice but instead give it.

After chatting and a bit of lecture from Igarashi, he asks Otonashi to come at a different time and to not come dressed up like a soldier. He reaches over to inspect Otonashi's gear, then realizes that the gear he has on him was real when he saw bullets in the magazine he pulled out. Igarashi becomes nervous and inspects Otonashi with his eyes, asking if the stuff he is wearing and the gun he has on him if it's real too, to which he confirms.

Igarashi proceeds to freak out and tries to push Otonashi off his seat and out the door, in fear of getting his friend arrested by the police, before locking eye contact with him. He sees something off in Otonashi's eyes and sees him in a different light. He tells Otonashi to visit him soon and to promise that he will, before letting him go.