Biodata
| Feature | Value |
|---|---|
| Name | Karuizawa Kei (轻井泽惠) 10 |
| Gender | Female 10 |
| Affiliation | Class 1-D; Boxing Club 10 16 |
| Occupation/Role | Boxing Club manager; influential member of her class’s girls’ group 10 102 |
| First Appearance | Chapter 5 5 |
Background and History
Kei was bullied in middle school. At her new school, she adopted a confident gyaru persona, but remained afraid of being targeted again. Early on, she looked for a “fake boyfriend” who would protect her. She considered Hirata Yosuke, then chose to approach Shimizu Akira because Hirata said he would remain impartial in a conflict 10 43 178.
Kei asked Akira to date her on the condition that he protect her. He declined the relationship but offered a one-month protection agreement tied to her joining the Boxing Club as a manager. She proposed paying him 80,000 Private Points; he agreed to intervene only if she was bullied without cause, not if she provoked a dispute herself 15 16 60. When her finances became strained, she feared losing that protection. She also took time off from the club, but later apologized to its seniors and resolved to keep her position 30 59 60 85 90.
Kei gradually built friendships and influence within her class. She later told Akira about the bullying she had experienced and decided to work on defending herself, beginning morning runs and learning boxing 102 178 280. On a rooftop, Ryuen Kakeru’s group tried to force her to betray her classmates. Though frightened, she refused and landed a body shot on Manabe Shiho before Akira intervened 280 282.
Her feelings for Akira developed beyond her original search for protection. She confessed again on her birthday, and they became a couple; Akira identified her as his seventh girlfriend 292 363. She subsequently showed him the scar left by her past bullying 365 366.
Appearance
Kei has a doll-like face and distinctive honey-colored skin. Her school look reflects the fashionable, conspicuous gyaru image she presents to others 10.
- Hair: Often toys with its ends while speaking 10.
- Scar: A mark connected to her middle-school bullying, which she initially fears others discovering 366 492.
Personality
Kei’s outgoing, sometimes haughty manner initially masks a strong need for security. She watches how people treat others and wants someone who will stand specifically by her side, rather than simply mediate fairly 10 43. She can be impulsive and jealous, particularly where Akira is concerned, but is also loyal to friends and increasingly willing to admit when she has made a mistake 84 85 134 350.
Her confidence grows without erasing her fear. She acknowledges that Akira’s arrival helped her speak up during the rooftop confrontation; later, with Kiryuuin Fuuka’s support, she refuses to let Yagami Takuya control her through threats to expose her past 282 492 493.
Abilities and Skills
Social coordination
- Leads a circle of girls in her class and can settle disagreements among them; Sato Maya, Matsushita Chiaki, and Mori Nene also help sustain that group 102.
- Handles Boxing Club administration, including sign-in and applications for new members 102 398.
- Sells tickets for the club’s exhibition match and keeps a written record of a large purchase by Ryuen 121 122 126.
- Passes class and group information to Akira, who arranges to receive regular updates from her 302 350.
Boxing and running
- Begins running with Akira to improve her confidence and ability to defend herself 178 204.
- Secretly learns boxing while serving as manager; on the rooftop, she evades Manabe’s attacks and lands a body shot 280.
- Later shows improved punching technique, though she estimates she can punch continuously for only about three minutes before tiring 546.
Relationships
- Shimizu Akira — Initially her contracted protector and fellow Boxing Club member; later her boyfriend. Their relationship develops as she becomes more self-reliant and shares her past with him 16 178 363 366.
- Matsushita Chiaki — Close friend who lends Kei points, offers advice, and repeatedly encourages her to remain in the Boxing Club. Kei supports Chiaki after learning that she, too, has confessed to Akira 44 85 461 462.
- Sato Maya and Mori Nene — Friends who help Kei manage relationships within their class 102 178.
- Hirata Yosuke — An early candidate for Kei’s proposed fake relationship; his refusal to take sides makes her reconsider 10.
- Kiryuuin Fuuka — Upperclassman and friend who gives Kei boxing pointers and intervenes when Yagami threatens her 488 492.
- Ryuen Kakeru and Manabe Shiho — Antagonists who pressure Kei for information and later corner her on the rooftop 125 280.
- Amasawa Ichika — Junior Boxing Club manager whose questions about Akira provoke Kei’s jealousy 395 401 402.
Notable Quotes
“But making me betray my class, betray Akira-kun—that’s absolutely impossible! I’m no longer that fake gyaru who let everyone push her around when I first entered this school!” 280
“I can handle it myself.” 178