he is the richest of all of the students in his school, Kouki feels obligated to live up to the standards that others place on him. He is engaged to a young high class woman, Erika Yanahara, who was previously engaged to Kouki's brother, Youji, before Youji's disappearance. He resents Youji for running away and placing all his responsibilities on him. Kouki is in the "Gardening Club" with Tanpopo and fellow students, and stands up for Tanpopo when others won't, going so far as to deliberately change the school rules for her so that she can have her way. Kouki's favorite hobby is gardening, and when he is around plants, his personality changes from a cold and serious person to a happy, carefree, and somewhat obsessive individual (who even has a Kansai accent). He also carries a gardening scoop with him at all times. Aoi is a computer genius with an unusual sense of humor, which contributes to the series' comic relief. He is nicknamed "Flippy" by Tanpopo due to his occasional mentally unstable behavior. He initially hates and antagonizes both Kouki and Tanpopo, but eventually becomes good friends with both of them. Tsukiko is Tanpopo's first friend at Meio Academy. Though she appears rather innocent, Tsukiko originally is not very sweet at all, but her friendship with Tanpopo gradually softens her personality and she becomes more caring and loyal. She has her heart set on marrying into the Kugyou family, specifically Kouki, although she eventually gets over this longing after realizing Kouki and Tanpopo's feelings for each other. Arisa is a Ganguro or Kogal. She wears heavy white makeup and has very tanned skin, earning her the nickname "reverse raccoon". She prefers partying to schoolwork and has a reputation for being a party girl, but after meeting Tanpopo and discovering that she is pregnant by Ogata, she begins to change for the better. Erika was originally supposed to marry Youji Kugyou, but after he ran away, she was left as Kouki's responsibility. She loves Kouki as she once loved Youji, but seems to be marrying him only because it is expected of her by her family. Youji is Kouki's older brother. He is a free spirit, and runs away from the pressures of his high-status family to become a photographer. Upon his return, he falls in love with Tanpopo, and the two date briefly, but Youji ends their relationship