Kakeru Manabe

Kakeru is outgoing, playful and deliberately provocative. He enjoys disrupting serious conversations with jokes and rarely shows the social hesitation that defines Yuki's early interactions with classmates.

His carefree presentation conceals greater emotional awareness than Yuki initially assumes. Kakeru can recognize when someone is struggling, particularly his younger half-sister Machi Kuragi, even if his energetic approach does not always make him sensitive to the precise nature of another person's pain.

He also changes when confronted with his own mistakes. Kakeru once approached another person's grief with a self-centered certainty that caused real harm; recognizing that failure contributes to a more mature understanding of empathy.

Kakeru has no supernatural abilities. His greatest social strength is his ability to approach people casually and create familiarity without the formal distance that Yuki is accustomed to.

As vice president, he works closely with Yuki while frequently undermining the solemn image of student government. The contrast is ultimately productive: Kakeru forces Yuki to respond spontaneously, argue, joke and participate in the kind of ordinary friendship he had long wanted.

Kakeru is also protective of Machi. He pays attention to rumors surrounding her and recognizes positive changes in her behavior as she becomes more comfortable around the student council.

Kakeru becomes one of the central figures in Yuki's student-council storyline. His immediate familiarity frustrates Yuki, but it also gives him a relationship independent of Tooru and the Souma family.

His connection to Machi places him near another important stage of Yuki's development. Kakeru and Machi are half-siblings who were once forced into competition over which of them would become their father's heir. After that contest ended, Kakeru became increasingly concerned about Machi's isolation.

Kakeru also has a prior connection to Tooru through his girlfriend's family. After the traffic accident that killed Tooru's mother, he angrily confronted the grieving Tooru over the suffering of someone close to him. He later recognizes how cruel that confrontation was and apologizes.

Yuki Souma begins as Kakeru's student-council president and becomes his closest school friend. Kakeru's uninhibited behavior helps Yuki Souma experience friendship without being idolized.

Machi Kuragi is Kakeru's younger half-sister. He is protective of Machi Kuragi and becomes pleased when she starts expressing herself more openly.

Komaki Nakao is Kakeru's girlfriend. Their relationship also creates his indirect connection to Tooru's family tragedy.

Tooru Honda meets Kakeru through Yuki. He later apologizes for the insensitive way he confronted her after the accident involving their families.