and his love for her as him being a cold, aloof tyrant. Portrayed by: Akiko Hiramatsu (drama CDs), Riho Yoshioka (film) Owner of a modeling agency and Azusa's manager. She has claimed her relationship with Azusa is one of "give and take," which started when she took him in as a runaway. He initially offered to sleep with her for money - instead, she took him on as a model. She cares for Azusa, though her emotions do not seem to matter to him. Shinogu's friend from work, and roommate. He has a crush on Akané and constantly flirts with her, fully aware that she is dating Subaru. Despite being very flirtatious, he offers good advice to characters experiencing relationship problems, especially Shinogu. He does not attempt to destroy Akané's relationship with Subaru (he helps them to grow closer). Kazama refers to himself as a "good guy." A girl who attends Teitoko Girls Academy and Ryōki's intellectual equal. After learning of Hatsumi and Ryōki's relationship, Natsué Tachibana makes multiple attempts to have her son enter date Ruri instead, considering her more deserving of his time. Ruri is obsessed with beating Ryōki on practice exams and proving she is more intelligent than he is. Light novel Hot Gimmick S is a light novel spin-off of the manga, published in Japan in November 2005. It was written by Megumi Nishizaki and illustrated by Miki Aihara. The story focuses on the relationship between Hatsumi and Shinogu, with Hatsumi narrating. Characters from the manga also make brief appearances and play small roles in the story. A few new characters are introduced, as well. The novel also introduces new nicknames never used in the manga: Hatsumi calls Akane "Aka-chin" and Hikaru "Hii-kun". At the age of two, she refers to herself as "Hami-tan" as opposed to "Hami-chan," like in the manga. At the very end of the novel, a scene from volume nine of the manga where Shinogu and Hatsumi recall childhood memories while trapped in an elevator is featured. This section was falsely advertised as being an entirely new manga chapter about the two. Viz Media licensed the novel for an English-language release in North America, published on February 20, 2007. New characters Wakana Nanami A friend of Shinogu's who works with him as a tour conductor. She frequently visits him at the café where he works. Upon meeting Hatsumi, Wakana urges her to