Ayase Aragaki  

, 新垣 あやせ

Ayase is a friend and classmate of Kirinos who works as a model alongside her and is also her best friend. She is friendly, polite, and refined but becomes agitated when she thinks she's being lied to, which she hates the most. She tends to believe what she sees on the news, so she disapproves of anime and manga, especially eroge, due to how it portrays otaku as criminals. Initially, Ayase had a crush on Kyosuke, thinking of him as Kirinos caring brother. However, her perception changed when she learned about Kirinos otaku hobby and how he supported it despite being aware of it. She now refers to Kyosuke when discussing Kirino's hobby and even asked for his help in reconciling with her. Despite this, Ayase still dislikes him, believing him responsible for Kirino becoming an otaku. Additionally, she is friends with Manami and has exchanged numbers with her.