Karuizawa

Biodata

Feature	Details
Name	Karuizawa Kei (軽井沢 恵)
Alias(es)	Hui
Species/Race	Human
Gender	Female
Affiliation	Koudo Ikusei High School; initially Class D
Occupation/Role	Student; central figure among the class’s girls
Status	Active
First Appearance	15

Background

Karuizawa adopted the persona of a confident, dominant “bad girl” after suffering severe bullying in junior high. Her social status is a deliberate defense mechanism: she fears that exposure of her past will lead to isolation and renewed bullying. Her relationship with Hirata Yosuke was initially a mutual arrangement intended to strengthen her standing and provide protection. 15 110

Despite her intimidating presentation, Karuizawa carefully maintains her place among the girls and is especially attentive to their feelings. Girls such as Mori Nene gravitate toward her for protection, while Karuizawa tries to preserve even superficial connections with people outside her closest circle. 80 274 318

Appearance

Karuizawa is a fashionable girl who deliberately cultivates a conspicuous gal-style image.

• Usually wears her wine-red school uniform tied around her waist. 116 274
• Often wears short skirts, hot pants, off-the-shoulder dresses, or other flashy casual outfits. 116 127 131
• Has a golden ponytail and fair skin. 317
• Uses perfume as part of her cultivated “bad girl” image. 116 132
• Has a scar on her lower abdomen, a source of deep insecurity due to her bullying trauma. 117

Personality

Karuizawa projects confidence, dominance, and occasional arrogance, but this persona conceals profound fear and low self-worth. Even minor threats to her social standing can destabilize her, causing her to avert her gaze, suppress her feelings, or return to the frightened behavior associated with her past. 15 110 317

Her behavior is primarily driven by survival. She seeks security from people she considers capable protectors, first relying on Hirata and later turning to Yeyue when Hirata refuses to answer violence with violence. 110 111

Beneath the façade, Karuizawa is empathetic and considerate. She worries about Manabe’s group even while seeking protection from them, cares about her friends’ reactions, and hesitates to solve problems through violence because she fears recreating the cycle of bullying. 116 318

Although deeply insecure, she is resilient. After her past becomes public again, she ultimately chooses to face Mori Nene and the other girls directly rather than allow fear to decide her actions. 314 319

Abilities & Skills

Social Leadership

Karuizawa occupies a central role among the girls and can maintain a group through confidence, status, and awareness of others’ emotions.

• Won the support of more than ten girls despite opposition from Kushida and Matsushita during the uninhabited-island exam. 80
• Acts as an informal leader among the girls, including quieter students such as Mori Nene. 274 318
• Understands the social risks of rumors, gossip, isolation, and changing group dynamics. 110 314
• Her dominant behavior also creates resentment among girls who see her as overly reliant on Hirata and Yeyue. 314 316

Emotional Perception

Her experience as a bullying victim makes her highly sensitive to the moods and motives of people around her.

• Notices insecurity, jealousy, and interpersonal tension within her group. 146 274
• Understands that her own tough behavior pushes others away, even if she struggles to stop relying on it. 317
• Prioritizes protecting friendships with Mori Nene and the other girls over simply eliminating her opponents. 318 319

Resilience

Karuizawa can endure severe emotional pressure, though her trauma leaves her highly vulnerable to threats involving her past.

• Survived three years of bullying and still rebuilt a prominent social position after entering the school. 117
• Is described as mentally strong despite responding to violence with fear and submission. 117
• Regains resolve after renewed rumors and decides to address her friends herself. 314 319

Equipment / Items

• Emerald-green spare key card — Grants her access to Yeyue’s room. 131 158
• Lipstick — A birthday gift from Yeyue that she had wanted for a long time. 339

Relationships

• Yeyue / Tenyo Yuyuki — Initially approached as a stronger replacement protector after Hirata proves unable to confront Manabe’s group. Their relationship begins under coercive and manipulative circumstances, leaving Karuizawa fearful and dependent on him. It later develops into affection, private dates, public displays of intimacy, and mutual reassurance during the renewed bullying rumors. 111 116 117 127 319 339
• Hirata Yosuke — Her initial fake boyfriend and protector. Their arrangement was meant to safeguard Karuizawa’s status, but she becomes dissatisfied when he refuses to use force against Manabe’s group. 110 111
• Kushida Kikyo — A close confidante who knows Karuizawa’s past. Kushida comforts her after the rumors resurface, and Karuizawa comes to regard her as a true friend despite knowing her gentleness can be performative. 132 158 317
• Horikita Suzune — A complicated friend and classmate. Horikita knows Karuizawa’s history without exposing it, supports her during the rumors, and encourages her to resist fear rather than submit to it. 132 146 314 317
• Matsushita Chiaki — A friend within Karuizawa’s social circle. Karuizawa is frequently caught between Matsushita and Kushida, whose conflict puts pressure on her group. 220 274
• Mori Nene — One of the girls who follows Karuizawa for protection. Karuizawa values their friendship enough to hesitate before taking action that could damage it. 318 319
• Manabe and her group — Students from Class C who bully Karuizawa over an accidental collision with Shitō Rika. Their confrontation ends when Rika flees after Yeyue questions her. 110 116
• Ayanokoji Kiyotaka — The source of the later rumors about Karuizawa’s past; he forwards a forum post to Ichihashi Ruri, contributing to the class conflict. 318 328

Story Role / Major Arcs

Early School Life

Karuizawa is introduced as a socially prominent but fragile girl who evaluates Yuyuki and Hirata as potential sources of protection. Her public confidence is identified as a constructed persona rather than her true self. 15

During the uninhabited-island exam, she demonstrates her influence by assembling a substantial group of girls around herself. 80

Bullying by Manabe’s Group

During the strategy exam, Karuizawa reveals that Manabe’s group has targeted her. Hirata tries to settle the matter peacefully, but Karuizawa insists that a weak response will not protect her. She subsequently reveals that her relationship with Hirata is fake and begins viewing Yuyuki as a more reliable protector. 110 111

Karuizawa arranges a confrontation with Manabe’s group on the fourth basement level. Rika Shitō flees after Yuyuki confronts her, causing Manabe’s group to withdraw without escalating the situation. 116

Coercion and Dependence

After the confrontation, Yuyuki physically and psychologically coerces Karuizawa by exploiting her fear that her bullying history will be exposed. The encounter breaks her resistance and establishes a deeply unequal relationship in which she feels compelled to obey him. 116 117

Yuyuki later alternates intimidation with reassurance, treating Karuizawa’s social position and loyalty as assets to preserve. Karuizawa begins to develop attachment alongside fear, while seeking validation that she has value beyond her past. 117 127

Growing Closeness with Yeyue’s Group

Karuizawa receives a key to Yeyue’s room and becomes increasingly integrated with Kushida, Horikita, and Chabashira. When Yeyue reveals her past to the group, Kushida and Chabashira accept her without judgment, while Horikita does not weaponize the information. 131 132

She later grows closer to Kushida and Horikita, though jealousy and insecurity persist whenever she believes she may lose Yeyue’s attention. 158 159

Rumors About Her Past

A new wave of rumors exposes Karuizawa’s junior-high bullying history to the class. Yamauchi and Ichihashi mock her, while other students treat her past as entertainment. Karuizawa initially cannot defend herself, and her social standing becomes vulnerable. 313 314 316

Yeyue, Horikita, Kushida, Sakura, and Hirata visibly support her, preventing the situation from immediately escalating into full isolation. Karuizawa nevertheless remains fearful that her friends will abandon her. 314 316 317

After learning that Ayanokoji helped spread the information, Karuizawa refuses to let violence decide the matter. She resolves to speak honestly with Mori Nene and the others, relying on her own resilience rather than only on protection from Yeyue’s group. 318 319

Birthday

Karuizawa celebrates her birthday at Palace Cafe, where Yeyue gives her a lipstick she had wanted. She responds by kissing him openly, making their closeness apparent to the other attendees. 339

Trivia

• Karuizawa’s room is decorated in pink and contains several stuffed animals, contrasting with her gal persona. 131
• She spends Private Points freely; after receiving 500,000 points, she has only 480,000 remaining roughly ten days later. 146
• She prefers private time with Yeyue over large social gatherings. 339