Hayasaka Kouta

"You guys are way too close...!! You and Rena-chan have absolutely no concept of personal space...!?"

Second year at Seiryou Academy, the protagonist's trusty classmate and childhood friend, who has been by his side since they were kids. Call it fate or just bad luck, but they've been stuck together like glue – same school, same class, two years running.

Kouta's also got history with Kurumi Akiha from their old school, making him one of the rare souls who can actually decode her personality.

Like the protagonist, he's perfected the art of social shapeshifting – floating right in the middle of the school hierarchy, seamlessly switching between party mode and wallflower depending on what the situation calls for.

Fun fact: everyone treats him like their personal stress ball, but somehow he seems to love every second of it.