The protagonist Ayumu is also the title of "Soredemo Ayumu wa Yosetekuru." He is one year younger than Urushi, and because he is too serious, he has a clumsy personality in many ways. He often becomes particularly clumsy when Urushi is involved... In this article, we will introduce the protagonist Ayumu, who has had feelings for Urushi since the very first episode.
Ayumu Falls in Love with Urushi at First Sight
In the original manga, Ayumu enthusiastically praises Urushi from the very first episode, clearly in love with her. But what sparked his love for her in the first place? It all began with love at first sight shortly after enrolling at school. Ayumu was on his way to the kendo club with his friend Takeru to join, when a flyer had blown off in the wind and stuck to his face. Then, apologizing to Urushi, who had blown the flyer away, came running in. The moment he saw Urushi, Ayumu felt a spark and immediately decided to quit the kendo club and join the shogi club. From that day on, Ayumu's love began.
Ayumu's love overflows and never stops
Ayumu hasn't told Urushi that he likes her. Urushi occasionally presses him, asking, "You like me, don't you?" He denies it every time. The reason is that he has decided to confess his feelings if he can beat her at shogi. In order to achieve that goal, he stubbornly refuses to confess his feelings to Urushi. ...However, even though he hasn't confessed his feelings, his attitude towards Urushi is clearly one of smitten. He not only compliments her with compliments like "cute" and "pretty," but also wants to take Purikura photos with her and makes no attempt to hide his affection for her. He compliments her whenever he gets the chance, making her blush.
Ayumu, a former member of the Kendo club and nicknamed "Yama" (Yama) in the Japanese slang phrase "Fuurinkazan" (Furin, Fire, Mountain)
Ayumu's shogi skills are inferior to not only Urushi's but even his junior, Rin's. However, his kendo skills are quite impressive. During his middle school days, he was known as "The Mountain of Fuurinkazan" and "The Unwavering Tanaka," and was even scouted by the school's kendo club. After joining the shogi club in high school, he stopped doing kendo, but when Rin challenged him to a kendo match with his career at stake, he declared victory before the match even began, and actually won easily. Incidentally, his friend Takeru was also quite skilled, and was known as the "Fire" of Fuurinkazan.
A Strange Relationship with Junior Kagawa Rin
Rin has respected Ayumu and Takeru since middle school, and was so attached to them that she would even volunteer to run their errands for them. When she entered high school, she was excited to be able to practice kendo with them again. However, when she found out that Ayumu and the others had quit kendo and joined the shogi club, her attitude changed completely. First, she challenged Ayumu to a match in an attempt to get him back into the kendo club. After losing the match, Rin used her loss as an excuse to join the shogi club. She then easily defeated Ayumu, who she had been unable to beat in kendo. To Rin, strength is directly linked to hierarchical relationships, and Ayumu, who she had previously respected as "Tanaka-senpai," is demoted to just "Tanaka-san." Her attitude towards Ayumu also changes from that of a submissive junior to a cheeky one. However, deep down she has feelings for him, and in middle school she set herself a goal similar to Ayumu's: to "confess to him if I get a point." In the end, she never achieved that goal as they became high school students, but even now, a random word from Ayumu still makes her blush and put on a girly face.
Ayumu, the Athlete with Outstanding Athletes
Ayumu, a former member of the kendo club, was recruited by the club immediately after enrolling. However, he excelled in other sports as well, and excelled at the sports festival. He made significant contributions to the team, overtaking others from behind to take first place in the relay race and easily carrying Urushi in the scavenger hunt. (He was nicknamed "Unwavering Tanaka" in kendo, but he's also agile.) Then, Ayumu began to receive offers from sports clubs...and there was a scene where Urushi shooed them away with a smug look on her face. Even outside of the sports festival, he dives to catch Urushi when she almost falls while running, and when Urushi sprains her ankle, he carries her on his back for a long distance, showing his impressive speed and stamina.
Ayumu is surprisingly jealous
Ever since joining the shogi club, Urushi has always called him "Tanaka" or "you." At the time, Ayumu didn't mind it at all, but then Takeru joined the club as a ghost member, and problems arose. Because Urushi had heard Ayumu call him "Takeru," she called him by his first name, "Takeru," instead of his last name, "Kakuryu." Ayumu felt some jealousy about this. In episode 36, when Urushi repeatedly called him "Takeru," he finally asked her to call him by his first name. From that day on, he ended up being called "Ayumu," but the first time Urushi called him "Ayumu," he was completely overwhelmed with joy.
Surprisingly rare? Ayumu's Embarrassing Scenes
In "Soredemo Ayumu wa Yosetekuru," Ayumu's straightforward expressions are a classic way to make Urushi blush. When he praises Urushi to the skies, he doesn't blush at all. He remains almost expressionless, repeatedly uttering words that make Urushi blush and squirm. Ayumu casually declares his love for Urushi, even in front of his friends. When something good happens related to Urushi, his reactions are more exaggerated than blushing (such as collapsing in joy). Here's a rare scene where Ayumu blushes and blushes. During club activities, Urushi accidentally drinks the juice Ayumu was drinking, and Ayumu, aware of the indirect kiss, is teased by Urushi, who makes a rare move. Normally, Ayumu responds with a genuine expression, but this time, he looks embarrassed and asks, "Is that okay?"... Urushi ends up feeling even more embarrassed than Ayumu, and the usual outcome follows, but it was a rare episode of Ayumu's embarrassment.
Ayumu is now a stalker
One day, on his way home, it was a little late, so Ayumu decided to walk Urushi home. Normally she would have refused Ayumu's offer to give her a ride home, but Urushi looks relieved. In fact, she said she's been feeling strange gazes lately, which has made her a little worried...and it turns out that the culprit is actually Ayumu. After parting ways with Urushi on the way home, Ayumu had secretly followed her and watched over her until she reached her house. In the end, Urushi's anxiety was allayed when she discovered the culprit, but suspicions that Ayumu was a stalker arose anew.
Ayumu is good at sports, but today he's not good at them.
Urushi usually enjoys playing shogi with Ayumu more than anything, but on this day, the test topic is extensive, so he studies hard in the clubroom. Urushi's invitation to play shogi makes him waver, but he continues to study hard. Urushi continues to try every trick in the book to entice Ayumu to play shogi. At some point, he begins to enjoy seducing her, feeling like he's solving a shogi puzzle. Then she utters the final words: "It's not really that bad, is it? Studying for tests, you know?" Hearing this, Ayumu's face turns pale and she replies, "Actually... it's really... pretty bad," and Urushi helps her study.
The test results are revealed a few days later...
Ayumu gets help with her studies from Urushi, a senior student and a great student. A few days later, on the day the test is returned... Ayumu comes to the clubroom and asks Urushi if there's anything she can do for him. Urushi, hearing her words, realizes she got a good score and wants to repay her kindness, so she asks for a shoulder massage. After that, the usual lovey-dovey action unfolds, but at the end, Ayumu says something shocking... With Urushi's help, Ayumu successfully solves the problem, but the answer sheet is misaligned, so he ends up having to take extra lessons. This series of actions was not a "thank you" but an "apology."
A Summary of the Story's Protagonist, Tanaka Ayumu
So far, what do you think of this story's protagonist, Tanaka Ayumu? He's kind of clumsy... He's perfect when it comes to sports, but his troublesome personality makes it difficult to make progress in romantic relationships. He's been devoted to Urushi since he entered school, so I don't think he'll be distracted by anything else, but I'm also curious to see how he interacts with his junior, Rin. I'm looking forward to seeing how things develop in the anime.
