Biodata
| Feature | Value |
|---|---|
| Name | Sugisaki Ken; surname originally written 杉崎 9 |
| Gender | Male 9 42 |
| Affiliation | Literature Club at Huo Lin Yagami’s elementary school 9 |
| Occupation/Role | Student; Literature Club member 9 |
| School Year | Third grade at introduction; fourth grade later 9 30 |
| First Appearance | Chapter 9, “Sugisaki Ken” 9 |
Background / History
Sugisaki joined the Literature Club after Huo Lin became its president. His motives included easy extracurricular credit, improving his image, and meeting the gentle, refined girls he associated with a literature club. His membership also kept the club from falling below its three-member minimum 9 20.
He damaged his reputation among the school’s girls by publicly declaring that he wanted every pretty girl in school in his “harem.” His subsequent claim that other girls were ineligible made him still less popular. He also maintained his own beauty rankings, placing Kurimu Sakurano second and Hayate Yagami fourth 9.
Personality
Sugisaki’s boastful flirting contrasts with his actual temperament. Huo Lin considers him harmless, decent, and earnest, believing that a genuine romantic confession would leave him completely at a loss. Amano likewise trusts him enough to eat books in his presence, noting that he does not bully others despite his baffling remarks 20 21.
He increasingly values the Literature Club as more than an easy source of credit. He volunteers to find new members and becomes distressed at the prospect of Huo Lin leaving. His pride can nevertheless make work harder: unwilling to appear weaker than Eriol, he refuses help carrying fish and exhausts himself 21 35 42.
His understanding of romance is strongly influenced by games. When he suspects that Huo Lin may be a girl passing as a boy, he imagines discovering her identity, sharing a secret, and entering a dating-sim-like relationship 21.
Abilities & Skills
Keen Observation
- Notices that Huo Lin has become slimmer and approximately three centimeters shorter despite her disguise 9.
- Claims he can distinguish boys’ and girls’ body odors; during a hot club meeting, he notices that he alone smells like a boy 20.
- Picks up on Huo Lin’s feminine gestures and habitual use of bathroom stalls, but does not establish the truth behind her appearance 21.
Tea Preparation
- Learns to brew tea online and prepares Darjeeling for the club 20 21.
- Receives praise from Huo Lin, who asks whether he has taken lessons 21.
Club Support
- Rearranges tables and chairs for Eriol’s membership interview 29.
- Orders the festival’s fish directly from a fishing boat, pays a deposit, and collects the catch with Eriol before the school opens normally 42.
Relationships
- Huo Lin Yagami — Club president and school senior, not his classmate. His initial casual acquaintance develops into a desire to befriend her and possible romantic interest. He questions whether she is really a boy, while Eriol privately suggests that he has a crush on her 9 20 21 30.
- Eriol Hiiragizawa — Fellow club member whom Sugisaki resents for sitting close to Huo Lin. His attempt to demand respect as a senior fails when Eriol points out that he is actually in a higher grade. They later work together on festival supply runs 30 36 42.
- Amano Touko — Club senior whose book-eating makes her unlike the “literary girls” he imagined meeting. She sees through his awkward excuses and pushes him out of the room when Huo Lin and Eriol need to speak privately 20 36.
- Hayate Yagami — One of the girls on his self-created beauty ranking. He asks Huo Lin whether she has recovered from her illness 9.
Story Role / Major Arcs
Huo Lin’s Return to School
- Startles Huo Lin with a slap on the back outside the boys’ bathroom, then supplies tissues over her stall door 9.
- Waits to ask about Hayate’s recovery; afterward, Huo Lin’s scent and changed proportions leave him unsettled 9.
Literature Club Membership
- Begins attending daily after previously skipping meetings, drawn by the changes he perceives in Huo Lin 20.
- Promises to recruit members before Amano graduates. He later brings forward Eriol’s application, although Eriol approached the club himself rather than being actively recruited 21 29.
- Panics when Huo Lin pretends to leave the club, especially after Amano and Eriol mention their own expected departures. Huo Lin reassures him that she was joking 35.
School Festival
- Proposes a maid café while secretly imagining Huo Lin in a maid outfit; the proposal is rejected 36.
- Accepts responsibility for reaching the fish market by five in the morning, with Eriol accompanying him 36.
- After their first supply run, collapses from carrying heavy bags. He later praises Huo Lin’s tempura and jokes that she would make a good wife, earning a rap on the head and losing his promised shrimp 42.
- Regrets forgetting the club’s book trolley when Huo Lin suggests using it for the next day’s purchases 43.
Notable Quotes
“My dream is to have every pretty girl in school in my harem.” 9
“Leave it to me, President! I’ll definitely recruit some new members.” 21