One evening after work, Sōta Kazama rides the train home with Futaba Igarashi and Harumi Takeda. During the ride, Igarashi falls asleep on Takeda’s shoulder, prompting Kazama to take a picture, amused by the sight. When Igarashi wakes up, he shows her the photo, expecting a reaction, but instead of being amused, she becomes furious and hits him in embarrassment.

Later, when Takeda gets his first phone, he asks Kazama for help in sending a text message. After five minutes of explanations and trial runs, Takeda finally succeeds in sending a simple “thanks” message to Igarashi.

During lunch break, Tōko Sakurai notices an origami flower on Kazama’s desk, and he explains that folding origami is a hobby of his. Impressed, she asks him to make more. Takeda, overhearing their conversation, is surprised that Kazama possesses such a skill. He then notices an origami figure that reminds him of Igarashi and asks if he can keep it, to which Kazama agrees. When Igarashi herself sees the origami, she expresses interest as well. Kazama tells her she can take whichever one she wants since he plans to throw them away. Hearing this, Igarashi takes all of them, determined to find one that reminds her of Takeda.

On New Year’s, Sakurai drags Kazama to a shrine, where the two are mistaken for a couple and end up being interviewed on live television. Playing along, Sakurai explains that she was simply bored and convinced Kazama who also had no plans to accompany her. With little else to discuss, Kazama begins talking about Igarashi and Takeda, mentioning how Igarashi initially disliked Takeda, but now even falls asleep leaning on him. To illustrate his point, he shows the picture he took on the train, unknowingly broadcasting it live. Unfortunately for him, Igarashi happens to be nearby and sees it on TV, prompting her to storm in, hit Kazama, and delete the image out of embarrassment.

A while later, Kazama wakes up on Sakurai’s lap, groggy from the earlier events. She informs him that the picture has been deleted, but Kazama nonchalantly reveals that he saved it to the cloud. Curious, Sakurai asks why he agreed to spend the day with her despite originally planning to play video games at home. Kazama responds that since she kept pestering him, he was flattered that someone as popular as her invited him out. He figured that spending time with her would be more fun than being alone. Amused by his response, Sakurai leaves to buy them drinks.

During her absence, a girl approaches Kazama, and upon learning that he and Sakurai are not a couple, she offers to show him a picture she took. Before he can see it, Sakurai returns and swiftly takes the camera. She discovers that the girl had captured an image of her kissing an unconscious Kazama, leading her to immediately delete the photo. Flustered, she forbids Kazama from ever seeing or knowing what kind of picture it was.

Sōta Kazama is a handsome young man with short black hair styled in long, spiky strands protruding in multiple directions. His small black eyes contribute to his somewhat cold and indifferent expression, reinforcing his reserved attitude.

Kazama’s typical attire consists of a white button-up shirt paired with black slacks. On occasion, he also wears a blue necktie along with black dress shoes, maintaining a professional yet simple appearance suited for his workplace.

Sōta Kazama has a monotonous yet slightly mischievous personality, often appearing grumpy and reserved, which makes him seem distant and unapproachable at first glance. He does not actively seek social interactions and appears to have few close friends, preferring a quiet and independent lifestyle. However, beneath his stoic and somewhat detached demeanor, he is a loyal and caring individual, always willing to support his colleagues and friends when needed.

Kazama harbors a secret crush on Tōko Sakurai, yet he is too flustered and embarrassed to openly express his feelings. Despite his typically unemotional nature, he finds himself easily thrown off by Sakurai’s playful teasing, often struggling to maintain his usual composure around her. Although he is reluctant to confess, his feelings are obvious through his actions, as he frequently shows concern for her well-being and reacts awkwardly whenever she flirts with him.

Beyond his work life, Kazama has hikikomori tendencies, preferring to spend his free time playing video games rather than engaging in social activities. He is also noticeably fascinated by women, particularly their physical features, which is evident in his tendency to glance at a woman’s chest before making eye contact. Occasionally, he becomes so fixated that he requires an external distraction to break his focus. However, despite his blatant interest, Kazama maintains a strict sense of respect and never acts inappropriately unless he is certain the other person is comfortable with it.

Sakurai finds this duality in Kazama both admirable and frustrating. She appreciates his gentlemanly nature but also dislikes how her own inability to be more direct about her feelings prevents him from making any moves even something as minor as accepting an indirect kiss. Kazama’s reserved yet unexpectedly bashful nature makes his dynamic with Sakurai both amusing and endearing.

Tōko Sakurai
Kazama has romantic feelings for Sakurai, which initially developed from his habit of staring at her large chest, an action that annoyed her yet secretly amused her as well. Despite his initial attraction, their bond grew deeper as friends and coworkers, with Kazama demonstrating a strong sense of awareness and concern for her well-being. This is evident when he notices her dragging her feet due to soreness from an intense weight-loss attempt, which frustrates him since she did not tell him about it.

They share several memorable moments together, including spending New Year’s Eve dining together before visiting a shrine to welcome the new year. Over time, their relationship develops further, and in Chapter 197, Kazama finally confesses his feelings to Sakurai, which she happily accepts. By Chapter 200, Sakurai reveals to her younger brother, Yūto Sakurai, that she and Kazama are officially in a relationship.

Yūto Sakurai
Kazama has a friendly bond with Sakurai’s younger brother, Yūto, and has even helped him practice basketball. Yūto respects Kazama for his skills and guidance. Given Kazama’s romantic interest in Tōko Sakurai, his growing bond with Yūto makes sense, as Kazama hopes to become part of the Sakurai family someday.

Futaba Igarashi
Kazama and Futaba Igarashi are close friends and coworkers, often engaging in playful teasing. Kazama enjoys messing with her by taking pictures and using editing apps to make her appear more adorable, later showing these edited images to their colleagues. This habit never fails to irritate Igarashi, usually resulting in her hitting him in retaliation.

Despite his teasing, Kazama cares about Igarashi’s well-being, showing genuine concern when she falls ill. His occasional protectiveness over her suggests that while he enjoys annoying her, he ultimately values their friendship.

Harumi Takeda
Kazama and Harumi Takeda share a solid friendship, often spending time together playing basketball and eating ramen. While they have different personalitie Kazama being more reserved and Takeda being loud and boisterous they share mutual respect as coworkers and friends.

Natsumi Kurobe
Kazama and Natsumi Kurobe have a competitive friendship, particularly due to their shared interests in video games and sports. Both were star basketball players in high school, which further fuels their friendly rivalry in various hobbies. Their dynamic is marked by lighthearted competition, with neither of them willing to back down from a challenge.

The name Sōta (蒼太) is composed of the kanji “blue” or “pale” (蒼, sō) and “thick, big, great” (太, ta), which can be interpreted as “great blue” or “vast pale.”

Kazama’s surname, Kazama (風間), consists of “wind” or “breeze” (風, kaza) and “while, time, interval, space” (間, ma), which can be understood as “wind passage” or “space between the wind.” His surname evokes imagery of movement and fluidity, which may reflect his calm yet perceptive nature.