Fujiwara Aoi

Biodata

Feature	Details
Name	Fujiwara Aoi (藤原葵)
Alias(es)	Aoi
Gender	Female
Affiliation	Moonlight Academy; Collection Club; Track and Field Club; formerly Starlight Cafe 88 90 135 336 545
Occupation/Role	High school student; track-and-field athlete; former café part-time employee 5 90 545
First Appearance	Chapter 1 1

Background / History

Aoi is the daughter of the coffee shop chain owner and works alongside Natsume Chikage at one of its cafés. As the manager’s daughter, she can silence Yamamoto Koji when necessary, but she also actively teaches Natsume coffee-making techniques after he joins the staff. 6

She meets Natsume on their way to work and quickly becomes closer to him through their shared shifts. They exchange LINE contact information after learning they will attend the same school. She also meets his younger sister, Ruri, and later decides that befriending Ruri might help her get to know Natsume better. 1 5 6 29

At Moonlight Academy, Aoi is a Class D student and joins Natsume, Saionji Nanase, and Yukimura Suzune in forming the Collection Club. Although club activities occupy much of her free time, she remains a member of the Track and Field Club and trains daily. 74 88 90

Aoi eventually resigns from the café alongside Natsume. Their manager accepts the decision and implies that he understands the closeness of their relationship. 545

After leaving the café, Aoi continues to seek opportunities to spend time alone with Natsume. Following a meal together in Shibuya, the two are caught in a sudden downpour and shelter together until Aoi’s mother brings umbrellas, leaving both of them embarrassed by the intimate situation. 633

When Natsume prepares to reclaim his family’s former home in Minato Ward, Aoi says that her father’s work will soon take her family back to the same ward. 719

Appearance

Aoi is an energetic, athletic girl whose appearance reflects her regular track training. Her sun-kissed complexion and sporty clothing distinguish her from her classmates. 5 221

• Shoulder-length hair. 5
• Wheat-colored skin from long-term outdoor exercise. 5 221
• Healthy, athletic build and long legs. 5
• Commonly wears athletic shorts, lightweight white sneakers, and sportswear. 5
• Is compared to a sunflower for her bright, sunny presence. 85

Personality

Aoi is lively, candid, and highly expressive. She eagerly greets friends, approaches unfamiliar people with openness, and can raise the mood of a room even when she is not academically confident. 74 327

Her enthusiasm extends to food, outings, games, and sports. She has a notably large appetite, often carries a multi-tiered lunchbox, and is easily tempted by snacks and desserts. 41 130 254

Despite her bold energy, Aoi is easily embarrassed about romance. She becomes jealous when other girls grow close to Natsume, yet she eventually acknowledges that she likes him and firmly rejects Yoshino Hidekazu’s confession. 135 254 377

Aoi can be impulsive and easily provoked, but her concern for Natsume is sincere. After he accepts a risky challenge connected to her, she scolds him for disregarding his own safety while admitting she was happy that he refused to treat her as a prize. 362 606

Her feelings for Natsume have gradually made her more proactive, though she remains flustered when their interactions become openly romantic. She is visibly jealous when she sees him with Tsukishima Rin, but is also capable of choosing restraint when she feels that a shared outing has already been meaningful. 633 636

Aoi’s jealousy becomes more complicated when she realizes that Suzune, one of her best friends, may also like Natsume. Although the thought troubles her, she remains determined to express her own feelings and eventually confesses to him directly. 709 713 730 748

Abilities & Skills

Track and Field

Aoi is a regular member of the Track and Field Club and maintains a consistent training routine.

• Trains for about an hour each day, leaving her free time for work and club activities. 90
• Keeps pace with more experienced female runners during practice and is considered capable of competing against upperclassmen in a future city competition. 217
• Is eager to recruit Natsume after witnessing his exceptional sprinting ability. 379
• Completes training early when she wants to make time for outings with her friends. 485
• Places second in the Moonlight Academy Sports Festival’s 100-meter sprint, losing only narrowly to a Track and Field Club upperclassman who is a city champion. 637
• Is regarded by Natsume as a potential future ace of the Track and Field Club if she continues training. 637
• Breaks her personal running record during a later practice, prompting her coach to say she is approaching the upperclassman’s speed. 713

Coffee-Making

Aoi has enough café experience to instruct Natsume after he begins working at the shop.

• Teaches Natsume a specific coffee-making method during their shift. 6
• Protects the café’s workflow by refusing to let visitors distract Natsume while he is busy working. 135

Cooking

Aoi is willing to improve her cooking and use it to care for Natsume.

• Asks Natsume to assist with her school cooking challenge. 322
• Prepares a Japanese beef bowl for Natsume during an informal cooking contest with Tsukishima Rin. 362
• Makes hamburger steak and croquettes for Natsume and the others; his remark that he could eat her cooking for the rest of his life delights her. 702

Social Initiative

Aoi frequently takes the lead in group activities.

• Helps establish the Collection Club and suggests practical improvements for its clubroom, including applying for a refrigerator and heater. 88 89
• Proposes outings, games, and group activities, including a shopping-street trip and a King’s Game during the Osaka training camp. 252 518
• Suggests sharing food with classmates as a way to become closer to Natsume. 88

Equipment / Items

• Sports Watch — A white-quality special equipment item that improves physical-training effectiveness by 15%. Aoi wears it during her regular training. 5
• Replacement Sports Watch — Natsume purchases a new watch for Aoi after learning that her old one has been in use for a long time; she remains attached to the original due to its personal value. 252 253
• Multi-tiered lunchbox — A large lunchbox consistently packed with substantial amounts of food. 130

Relationships

• Natsume Chikage — Former coworker, schoolmate, Collection Club companion, and the person Aoi loves. She grows close to him through work, school, and shared outings; she rejects Yoshino because of her feelings for Natsume. At Yoyogi Park, she tells Natsume she fell in love with him at first sight and asks whether he likes her. He admits that she is special to him and that her smile helped him through a lonely period, but asks for several days to decide how to respond to her and the other girls who have confessed. They hold hands, and Aoi agrees to wait; they are not yet dating. 6 77 377 545 633 730 731
• Fujiwara Yui — Aoi’s mother. Yui teases Aoi about walking home with Natsume and openly approves of her daughter’s taste. She later interrupts Aoi and Natsume’s rain-soaked evening with umbrellas, continues to encourage Aoi to be more proactive, and supports her pursuit of Natsume. 90 318 633 642
• Yamamoto Koji — Manager at the café. He defers to Aoi as the owner’s daughter and later accepts her resignation. 6 545
• Saionji Nanase — Close friend and fellow Collection Club member. Aoi regularly eats lunch, attends outings, and works with Nanase in club activities. She later learns that Nanase also has feelings for Natsume. 88 130 142 748
• Yukimura Suzune — Friend and fellow Collection Club member. Aoi initially finds Suzune difficult to approach, but the two become regular companions and friendly rivals for Natsume’s attention. Aoi is troubled when she recognizes how well Suzune and Natsume may suit each other, especially because Suzune is her best friend. 74 224 254 709 713 748
• Natsume Ruri — Natsume’s younger sister. Aoi has met Ruri and later joins Nanase and Suzune in helping tutor her. She also prepares snacks and pastries as a birthday gift for Ruri. Ruri becomes watchful of Aoi’s growing closeness with Natsume, including when Aoi stays overnight during a thunderstorm. 1 90 327 660 703
• Kaga Resaki — Aoi’s new neighbor. Aoi initially mistakes Resaki for a romantic rival, then seeks to be introduced after learning she is Ruri’s friend. The two later become more conscious of one another as rivals for Natsume’s affection. 158 159 702
• Yoshino Hidekazu — Fellow Track and Field Club member. He invites Aoi out and later confesses to her; she rejects him because she already likes someone else. 217 377
• Tsukishima Rin — Aoi’s romantic rival for Natsume’s attention. Aoi is visibly unsettled when Rin visits the Collection Club to learn shogi from him, and later questions Natsume after seeing the two together. 224 636
• Akita Sana — A fellow student and another rival for Natsume’s attention. Aoi and Sana engage in frequent playful arguments and competition, particularly when spending time with Natsume at his home. 260 302 554
• Kikuchi Kotono — Aoi’s PE teacher and the Track and Field Club’s coach. Kikuchi recognizes Aoi’s athletic potential, oversees her participation in school running events, and notices her later improvement in practice. 378 590 713

Story Role / Major Arcs

• Café coworker and early love interest — Aoi meets Natsume during their commute, teaches him café work, exchanges contact information with him, and begins showing discomfort when female customers approach him. 5 6
• Collection Club formation — She joins Natsume, Nanase, and Suzune in submitting the Collection Club application and helps establish its clubroom. 88 89
• Developing romantic rivalry — Aoi repeatedly competes, often indirectly, with girls such as Tsukishima Rin, Kaga Resaki, and Akita Sana for time with Natsume. 158 224 260
• Supporter of Natsume’s competitions — She follows Natsume’s shogi matches, cheers for him, worries over his challenges, and admires his victories. 127 577 606
• Confession arc — Yoshino’s confession forces Aoi to recognize her own feelings. She rejects him and resolves not to give up on Natsume. 377
• Café resignation — Aoi and Natsume leave their part-time jobs, after which Aoi nearly confesses while walking home with him. 545
• Sports Festival — Aoi narrowly loses the 100-meter sprint to a city-champion upperclassman, demonstrating both her growth and the gap she hopes to overcome through further training. She later breaks her personal record in practice. 637 713
• Rain-soaked outing — After sharing a meal with Natsume, Aoi shelters with him during a sudden downpour and leans against him for warmth, only for Yui to arrive and teasingly interrupt the moment. 633
• Overnight stay — A thunderstorm keeps Aoi at Natsume’s home after dinner. She privately visits his room to discuss an embarrassing bathroom encounter, and their intimate conversation is interrupted when Ruri and Resaki come looking for her. 702 703
• Yoyogi Park confession — Aoi brings Natsume to a park associated with her middle-school years and tells him she fell in love with him at first sight. He acknowledges his special feelings for her but, uncertain how to answer multiple confessions, asks for time to decide. Aoi agrees to wait. 730 731

Trivia

• Aoi is frightened by ghost stories and immediately concludes that an elevator haunted by terrified animals must contain a ghost. 204
• She enjoys sweets enough to use chocolate as an excuse to share food with Natsume after he gives her a cream puff. 77
• During a fortune-telling discussion, she is advised to set clearer boundaries around the person and relationship she values. 245
• She is enthusiastic enough about food to prepare Ruri’s birthday gift as a box of snacks and a separate box of pastries. 660
• Yoyogi Park was one of her favorite places to run during middle school; she chooses a riverside spot there for her confession to Natsume. 730