Rin is the seven year old neighbor (aging to eight during the series) of Alice Sakaguchi, and has enjoyed tormenting her since she moved in nextdoor. Despite this, Alice is forced to babysit him one day, and at the end of the day the two get into a childish argument over Jinpachi, who they happened to run into while out. In order to anger Alice, Rin grabs the crocus they bought that day and drops it from the fifteenth story balcony onto the ground. Alice slaps Rin in retaliation, causing him to fall over the edge. Alice attempts to catch him but looses her grip and fall from the fifteen-story balcony of the apartment. Incredibly, he managed to survive the fall but lapsed into a coma. It is during this coma that Rin relives almost all of Shion's memories in an incredibly compacted amount of time.