Kousaka, Kyousuke
Summary
At seventeen years old, Kyousuke Kousaka is the protagonist who views himself as entirely unremarkable. He boasts average grades, lives in an upper-middle-class household with his parents and sister, and possesses unexceptional physical traits. He attends a local high school, starting as a first-year before advancing to a second-year status during the novel’s events, where he studies alongside Manami and later Kuroneko. His future plans involve enrolling in the same regional university as his childhood friend, Manami. Initially, Kyousuke and his younger sister, Kirino, share a strained relationship characterized by a silent cold war that began years prior. This dynamic shifts dramatically when he discovers one of her adult games, revealing her hidden life as an otaku. Although he feels somewhat overshadowed by her exceptional achievements as a model, track athlete, and top student in the prefecture, he strives to be a supportive older brother and eventually takes pride in her accomplishments. He realizes how little he truly knows about her, prompting him to engage in "life counseling" at her request. This process involves Kirino forcing him to play eroge, which leads him to adopt otaku terminology like flag events, tsundere, and yandere to describe his surroundings. Through Kirino’s offline meet-ups, Kyousuke befriends Saori and Kuroneko. He also maintains a close bond with Manami, despite classmates assuming they are romantically involved, which he denies. When Akagi asks if he would mind if Manami dated someone else, Kyousuke admits he would feel uncomfortable. He is deeply loyal and good-hearted, willing to take risks for his friends and sister. For instance, when Kuroneko lacked social connections upon entering his school, he joined the computer research club with her, despite having zero knowledge of computers, simply to help her make friends. He consistently demonstrates equal concern for all his companions.
