Kon Shinonome

Kon Manga Cover

A member of Tokidoki's high school who is cool-headed and logical, but has a reputation for getting into fights. He was also attacked by the Nue and Yakou, which left him with no sensation in his right arm and trapped in Edo. He arrived two years before Tokidoki, and acts as Tokidoki's mentor after his arrival. Later on in the story, Kon's memories are altered by Heaven and he no longer remembers the original world he came from, or Tokidoki.

(Source [[1]])

Background

Toki first meeting Kon.

Toki first meets Kon while on a field trip to a museum that showcases an in

teractive Virtual Reality reproduction of the Edo period; that being said, the series takes place in the 2020s, which means that technology is very high-end, where computer neuroscience.has moved from merely being a theoretical science to an actual, practical science. It is also important to note that in the exhibit, it is required to wear a certain special goggles to be able to see, feel, and experience everything to the fullest extent — take the goggles off and it doesn't seem too real, only an exhibit in a museum. Toki is seperated for awhile from his group of friends as he explores the exhibit, and it is there that he bumps into Kon, who takes the time to explain to Toki about the different designs and mechanisms of the Virtual Reality exhibit, It's clear that though the field trip is meant for those who want to learn about the period (or mostly, those who have failed Japanese History and need to make up for it), Kon already knows his stuff. Toki's friends soon catch up to him and Kon heads off by himself, and when the former's friends see who Toki was just talking to, they immediately advise him to stay away from Kon. Apparently, Kon is a delinquent who was well-known for being "violent" and for starting fights and getting involved in shady businesses. And he looks the part too, with his bleached blonde hair and everything else.

Toki quickly forgets about Kon as he and his friends pal around, and not long after, he goes off by himself to explore Virtual Edo further while his friends continue to joke around with each other. While he goes farther and farther away from his classmates, he suddenly comes face to face with a Nue, a legendary spirit-creature found in Japanese folklore. Toki assumes that it is part of the exhibit (a non-interactive design at that), but when he tries to move away from it, he is suddenly attacked by the creature, who destroys the goggles he's wearing. Fortunately, a girl wielding a sword named Kuchiha comes by and vanquishes the Nue (though a Yakou that was controlling it inside manages to escape), and asks if Toki is alright. He's not — after all, even when the goggles are destroyed, he's still seeing and is now trapped in Virtual Edo, and not only that, but his eyesight in his left eye was taken away, leaving him half-blind.

Kon showing off his scars.

Kuchiha brings Toki to the shrine where she lived with Shamon, a priest, so he could recover from his injuries and get healed. When Toki finally wakes up after resting, he is immediately surprised to see that, right there with him, is none other than Shinonome Kon. Except this Kon was different from the Kon he had just talked to at the exhibit — the Kon in Edo had black hair that fell up this shoulders and was wearing traditional Japanese clothing. Furthermore, Kon doesn't seem to remember ever talking or meeting Toki. However, after Toki explains what happened to him and how he was dragged into this world, Kon also admits that the same thing happened to him. He told Toki of how he was also attacked by the Nue and the Yakou, which took the sensation from his right arm, leaving it paralyzed from the elbow down, complete with nasty scars. The only strange thing however, was that Kon said that he arrived and had been stuck in Edo for two years now, while Toki had seen him in moden-day Japan just awhile ago.

Kon telling Toki about when he first arrived in Edo.

Kon also admitted to Toki that when he first arrived in Edo, he broke down and went into a panic, as he didn't know what to do. He told him that he just wanted to know why something like that had happened to him, and it was even worse as back in modern-day Japan, he was the kind of guy who nobody would miss if he went missing, so time seemed to drag on for him. Fortunately for Kon, an old woman took pity on him and helped him until he was able to get back on his feet. Furthermore, as he learned more and more about Edo, he was able to blend in with his surroundings and adapt, growing out his bleached hair and even doing different kinds of odd jobs just to be able to support himself. It was a big change for the Kon who was used to technology doing all the stuff he needed to do, but eventually, he got used to it. He even said to Toki that he began to admire and respect the people who lived in the Edo period, saying that even though they were kind of stupid, they were proud and hardworking and were always willing to help others even if it meant a loss on their end — something that Kon or most of his peers back in the modern world never was. Because of his knowledge, Kon immediately takes it upon himself to be Toki's mentor in Edo, teaching him the ins and outs of the place, as well as how to blend in and not attract any unwanted attention.