Chiba, Saori

Saori, nicknamed Saorin, is a girl who is a fifth grader in Shuuichi's class at the beginning of the series. From early on, she takes an interest in encouraging Shuuichi to cross-dress, even going so far as to buy her an expensive dress for her birthday which she later returns, much to her displeasure. Saori finds it difficult to associate well with most others, and as such has very few friends, though she becomes close friends with Shuuichi. She tends to tell others what is on her mind, disregarding how others may take what she says. As Saori grows up, she gradually becomes more standoffish and stoic; she even has bad relations with her teachers. Despite her self-centered attitude, she remains popular among the boys in her classes because of her physical attractiveness. She is a sensitive girl whose temper sometimes gets the better of her when reprimanding bullies that tease Shuuichi because of her femininity and cross-dressing. As she has feelings for her, Saori is often emotionally affected by circumstances involving Shuuichi. Due in part to this influence, Saori converts to Christianity to seek forgiveness for her previous actions, though she only attends mass when feeling guilty of her behavior.