Koshigaya Natsumi: Seventh grader at Ashigaoka Branch School. She'll plan a bike trip for three hours one way, but she'll never consider the time it will take to get back home.  Koshigaya Komari: Natsumi's older sister, eighth grader. She was about to pay "child's fare" on the train, but she chickened out last minute. Ichijo Hotaru: Fifth grade transfer student from Tokyo. She hates being stopped by the station attendant, so she started paying the adult fare about a year ago. Miyauchi Renge: First grader, the youngest of the five students at Ashigaoka Branch School. She wants to enjoy the scenery when she travels, but it's all rice fields, so she gets bored.