is a Japanese light novel series by Yūsaku Igarashi, with illustrations by Shaa. The series originally started serialization in MediaWorks' now-defunct light novel magazine Dengeki hp on June 18, 2004. The first novel was released in October 2004, and as of January 2012, 15 volumes have been published by ASCII Media Works under their Dengeki Bunko imprint. A manga adaptation by Yasuhiro Miyama was serialized in ASCII Media Works' Dengeki Moeoh between the October 2006 and August 2010 issues. An anime adaptation produced by Studio Barcelona aired between July and September 2008; a second anime season aired between October and December 2009. A visual novel for the PlayStation 2 was released in Japan in September 2008 and a second game for the PlayStation Portable was released for digital download in February 2010.
Plot The story is set at Hakujō Academy, a private high school in Japan, and centers around Yūto Ayase and his classmate Haruka Nogizaka. While Yūto is rather ordinary, Haruka is attractive, intelligent, and wealthy, making her the school's most unattainable girl who is idolized by her peers. One day, Yūto's good friend Nobunaga Asakura asks him to return a book to the school library, and when he goes to return it, Yūto stumbles across Haruka. It's then that he learns she's been keeping a secret for years—she is a diehard fan of anime, manga, and the otaku culture. Yūto promises to keep his lips sealed, since Haruka's hobby is considered unworthy of her status, and the two become close friends and start spending much of their time together. Yūto does his best to help hide Haruka's hobby while further developing his relationship with her.
Characters Main characters
Yūto is an ordinary student in his second year of high school who attends Hakujō Academy, a private high school. Yūto lives with his parents and older sister, Ruko, though his parents are always working and, thus, are generally absent from home. He behaves bluntly and generally likes to be left alone. He has an average determination to study for school. One day, he stumbles across his classmate Haruka in the library and discovers her hidden secret—that she is an otaku who loves everything anime and manga. He agrees to keep her secret and over time they become closer, arousing envy and jealousy in his classmates. Even though he and Haruka are close, he sometimes believes that since he is not wealthy he cannot officially be her boyfriend. Eventually he comes to realize that her family loves and accepts him (even Haruka's father).
Haruka is Yūto's classmate. Due to her beauty and intelligence, she is idolized at school and regarded as the school's most unattainable girl, even known by the French nicknames Nuit Étoile (The Night Star) and Lumière du Clavier (The Piano's Light). She is skilled at playing the piano and has won international competitions. She also has a gentle personality, is a natural airhead, and is quite clumsy. Her deeply hidden secret is that she is an otaku and loves anime and manga. In middle school, her secret was exposed and she was shunned because of it, even by her best friends. This experience caused her to become introverted while maintaining an outwardly happy persona. She transferred schools and kept her hobby a secret once she entered high school. When Yūto finds out about it, Haruka is relieved that he does not tell anyone or harass her about it and, over the course of the series, develops romantic feelings for him. She comes from a rich family and a privileged upbringing, so her interest in the otaku subculture is looked down upon due to her status in society, which is another reason why she keeps it a secret. Her interest in otaku culture stems from an encounter she had several years previously: having fled to a park after being scolded by her father, Haruka was cheered by a copy of the first issue of Innocent Smile given to her by a boy she met (later revealed to have been Yūto who was helping Nobunaga carry his haul of otaku merchandise home). While being talented in several areas, she cannot draw well but does not realize it because she is too proud of her drawings for anyone to tell her directly.
Classmates and teachers
Nobunaga is Yūto's childhood friend of who attends the same private high school, although he is in a different class. He has a cheerful and openhearted personality, gets very good grades, and is considered a bishōnen by the female students, but despite his good looks, he doesn't have a girlfriend because he is a hardcore otaku and not afraid to let others know. Because of his hobby he is intimately familiar with the layout of Akihabara and is a very well regarded frequent customer in various stores in Akihabara. Due to the number of purchases he has had over the years, he is known as "Kaiser" at the Animate store, and is one of three people in possession of a golden Animate card. A picture of him shaking hands with the manager of the café where Haruka once worked part time, called "@Home ~Café", is framed in gold with the caption "Welcome home, our greatest master". He is well aware of Yūto and Haruka's relationship despite their efforts to keep it hidden but thinks nothing of it.
Yukari is the vice-homeroom teacher of Yūto's class and is an old friend of his sister, Ruko. As a consequence she spends a lot of time at the Ayase house, often drunk and making Yūto's home life difficult. Yūto refers to as the "sexual harassment teacher". She is constantly smiling and she enjoys teasing trouble makers. At school, she is in charge of teaching music. She is twenty-three years old, though refers to herself as "eternally seventeen", and is unmarried but always on the hunt for a boyfriend. There is a possibility that she is the rumored teacher who graduated from this same school and is famous in the music world as the Performer of the Sunset.
Shiina is a girl who participated in the London Piano Contest with Haruka; Shiina placed second after Haruka who ranked first. She transfers into Yūto's class at school. Her hobbies include playing the piano and the martial art of naginatajutsu. She always has a positive, cheerful and sociable personality. This makes her transition as a transfer student very easy. She used to live in Otaru, Hokkaidō, Japan, but does not speak much of those days. She shows an interest for Yūto as she believes there must be a reason why they constantly bump into each other. She states that one of the reasons she chose Yūto's school to transfer to is because of a famous teacher, who graduated from the school and was known as the Performer of the Sunset, and who is teaching at the school.
Mai is a girl in Yūto's class. She generally has a quiet personality, though is vice-president of the naginatajutsu club. She is close friends with Shiina and Ryōko. She has a small role in the first season of the anime adaptation, but appears as a regular character in Purezza.
Ryōko is a classmate and close friend of Shiina and Mai, and is often seen with them. As opposed to the quiet Mai, she is quite boisterous and hyperactive. She often refers to Shiina as "Shiina-cchi" and Yūto as "Ayase-cchi". She notices that Shiina feels something for Yūto, so she (and Mai) encourage her to go for him, perhaps oblivious to the fact that Yūto and Haruka only have eyes for one another.
(Nagai), (Takenami), (Ogawa) Nagai, Takenami, and Ogawa are a group of male students in Yūto's class obsessed with girls. Everyone refers to them as the "three idiots" because they always get into idiotic discussions. These three wish for the same wishes every New Year, and get the same fortune slips that indicate terrible luck.
Tōka is a first year student at Yūto's school. She is known by the nickname Princess Blizzard at school because of her domineering and arrogant personality. She comes from a family (known as "The Tenōji of the West") whose wealth may rival that of Haruka's family, "The Nogizaka of the East". Yūto worked as her personal butler for a time to earn money for Haruka's Christmas present. After the head of the family died at age 147, she became the third in line to inherit the family fortune. Her stated ultimate goal is world conquest. She has a cameo in the first season of the anime adaptation.
Nogizaka family
Mika is Haruka's 14-year-old younger sister in her second year of junior high school. Her hobbies include playing the violin, playing squash, caring for wild pigs, and spying on her sister and Yūto. She has a personality that is the exact opposite of her sister's, who is naïve. She enjoys Yūto's company and she often calls him "Onii-san" (an affectionate word meaning older brother, brother-in-law, or a brother-like male figure). When Haruka is with Yūto, however, Mika likes to tease them. In contrast to her airhead older sister, Mika is very stable. Even at her young age, she is more knowledgeable about sex than Haruka in principle, although she does get shocked or stunned if exposed to H-rated material just like her sister. She shows some interest in Yūto after their date. She is deathly afraid of ghosts. She has been running for the student council president of her all girl school for two consecutive years. She is just as much as an idol as her sister at school and is known by the name Moonlight Strawberry.
Gentō is Haruka's and Mika's father. His last name is adopted from his wife's family. He is a loving parent who dotes on his daughters though his speech and conduct makes him seem like a member of the yakuza. He bought an entire island for Haruka's birthday. He is against Haruka hanging around Yūto so much (and he often draws his sword when he suspects Yūto is "doing something hanky-panky" with Haruka), though he does not mind having Yūto around when he is alone. He heads the family's private paramilitary strike force unit known as The Hell Hounds.
Akiho is Haruka's and Mika's mother. Despite having given birth twice, she appears youthful and beautiful, so much so that Yūto originally thought she was Haruka's older sister or cousin when he first met her. She is the principal of a cooking school. She has a quiet and intellectual demeanor but has the strength to overcome her husband; in fact, she is referred to by Yūto and Mika as "The Nogizaka house's ultimate weapon". In contrast to her husband, she thinks it is good that Haruka and Yūto spend time together, and she likes to watch the development of their relationship by joining in on spying on them, although she is very strict that Haruka keeps up on her studies.
Ōki is Haruka's and Mika's grandfather on their mother's side. He has a sociable personality and is a goodhearted old man. Although he is retired from his original position as the president of the Nogizaka's organization and now acts as a consultant, he is still a powerful man in the economic and political world. If he were to request it, all great leaders in the world would gather at one place for a high level conference within three hours. He has a shadow warrior named Heizō Sebastian, Hazuki Sakurazaka's grandfather.
Nogizaka family maids The Nogizaka family maid team follows a ranking system. For some unspecified reason (and it seems that the Maid Team are too scared to discuss the topic with Yūto), the second highest ranking maid is missing.
Hazuki is the head maid of the Nogizaka family. She is mainly in charge of looking after Haruka and Mika, particularly Haruka; Hazuki acts in the way of an older sister towards her. She is generally very reserved and expressionless, but sometimes speaks in bombshell announcements. Hazuki adores cute things and even has a collection of stuffed animals. She often appears out of nowhere holding a chainsaw, her preferred weapon.