Summary
Kozue Nanao is the gentle and somewhat ditzy girlfriend of Yuusaku Godai, often serving as an unintentional barrier between him and his true love, Kyoko. Completely unaware of her own deep affection for Yusaku, she fails to recognize Kyoko, and later Ibuki, as rivals for his heart. Their romance begins when Kozue discovers Yusaku with a spare movie ticket meant for Kyoko, who was then dating Shun, and insists on joining him, establishing the dynamic of their relationship. While Yusaku wishes to end things to avoid hurting her, he hesitates to do so, a dilemma Kyoko attributes to his lack of courage. The situation grows more complicated when Kozue unexpectedly brings Yusaku to meet her family, who warmly welcome him and provide free meals to the financially struggling college student. Kyoko reciprocates Kozue’s sincere friendliness, though Kozue’s presence with Yusaku stirs a jealousy Kyoko refuses to acknowledge. Consequently, Yusaku goes to great lengths to hide any mention of Kozue from Kyoko. Although Yusaku finds Kozue attractive and admits he might have loved her if Kyoko were not involved, his feelings for Kyoko keep him maintaining a platonic distance, aided by his mix of genuine and feigned naivety. A recurring gag involves Yusaku’s elaborate and degrading schemes to make Kozue hate him so she will initiate the breakup. Ironically, his efforts succeed when Kozue mistakenly believes Yusaku was with a drunk Akemi in a hotel, leading to the end of their relationship despite his lack of intent.
