Shioiri, Yayoi
Summary
Yayoi Shioiri is a classmate of Ritsuka who struggles with social awkwardness and low self-esteem, harboring intense jealousy toward his peer. Although he openly admits his romantic feelings for Yuiko, his confession was rejected. Yuiko claims she only dates boys taller than herself, but this explanation is dubious given her obvious affection for Ritsuka, who is the same height as Yayoi. Despite his envy of the close bond between Ritsuka and Yuiko, Yayoi is reassured by Ritsuka’s insistence that their connection is strictly platonic. This encouragement leads Yayoi to declare he will not give up on Yuiko, prompting him to spend significantly more time with her. While the manga assigns Shioiri a minor role with limited dialogue and frequent absences, the anime expands his character to flesh out the potential love triangle involving Yayoi, Yuiko, and Ritsuka, using the dynamic to provide comic relief within an otherwise dark narrative.
