has a talent for painting as he's in an art club. Although a silent and introverted young man, Akira's popular among his classmates, he opens up and confesses his love for Natsumi. When Akasaka and Ooishi question her, he goes to pick her up and walks her to her house. Upon arriving, talismans are placed all over the house, and Akira leaves. When Natsumi says that she is not related to the village, he is the only one who sticks up for her. He has a conversation with Ooishi and Akasaka regarding Natsumi's relationship with the village and curse. After his conversation, he calls Natsumi's house from a nearby payphone and hears someone cry for help. When he reaches the Kimiyoshi residence, he looks for Natsumi. However, as soon as he finds her, Natsumi's mother Haruko smashes a vase on his head and knocks him out but in reality; it was actually Natsumi who knocked him out as it turns out it was her hallucination and was her own family's murderer because she was under the influence of the syndrome. After the Kimiyoshi family incident, he forgives Natsumi for lying to him about her relationship with Hinamizawa. Natsumi's mother and Toji's wife. She first appears as a kind and sociable mother who later becomes the antagonist of Onisarashi-hen as she begins to act physically and emotionally abusive towards Natsumi when she becomes exasperated by her mother, Aki's abnormal chanting to Oyashiro-sama and also aware that Natsumi was working part-time at Saeki General Hospital without the school's permission which is shown only in Someutsushi-hen. One day, after arriving home from school, Natsumi saw her grandmother being stabbed by Haruko to death in the bathroom. Haruko suggests cutting her into small pieces, so they can hide her corpse better. Later, when the body is found by the police (this is advertised on the TV news), Haruko scolds her husband, Touji for hiding it improperly after he admits it. After Haruko left the room, he told Natsumi to call the police, but Haruko overheard this, returned and stabbed him to death with a fruit knife, and decided she must kill Natsumi as well. Akira calls Natsumi's home and hears her screaming for help. When he arrives, Haruko knocks him out with a vase to the head, but is then killed by Natsumi. It is later revealed that this whole event was all a