Hana Tabata is the main protagonist of the story, a first-year high school student who holds a very poor opinion of her own appearance, often describing herself as ugly. She has poor eyesight and wears glasses, and is characterized as being slightly overweight with a round face and freckles. Her daily routine involves arriving at school early each morning to tend to and replace the flowers in a vase in her classroom, a task she performs as a member of the school's beautification committee. This interest in flowers was sparked by her admiration for the heroine of a shoujo manga she loves.

Her personality is quiet, gentle, and kind-hearted, but her kindness is matched by a deep-seated lack of confidence and extreme humility that stems from her past. Since she was young, Hana was ridiculed and teased for being unattractive, and she once overheard a classmate named Shinya cruelly comment on her looks. These experiences have profoundly shaped her, making her prone to self-criticism and causing her to avoid drawing attention to herself or forming close bonds with others. She often feels like a background character in her own life, a stark contrast to the glamorous heroines of the romance games and shoujo manga she enjoys reading, which serve as her escape. She speaks in a consistently polite and formal tone to anyone outside her family, and when she catches herself feeling a moment of confidence, she tends to scold herself internally to stay grounded.

Her primary motivation throughout the story is simply to get through her school days without being noticed or judged, finding small solace in her quiet, early-morning ritual with the flowers. However, this routine inadvertently becomes the catalyst for change when a popular and kind classmate, Yosuke Ueno, catches her in an unguarded moment, playfully pretending to be a fancy girl with a flower tucked in her hair. This embarrassing encounter leads to the development of a central relationship in her life. While she initially tries to maintain a distance from Yosuke, believing someone of his social standing would never truly want to associate with someone like her, his persistent and genuine kindness forces her to reconsider. Her feelings for him gradually evolve from respect and gratitude into a secret crush, marking the beginning of her emotional journey.

As the narrative progresses, Hana's role shifts from a lonely, self-isolated student to someone who, through her relationship with Yosuke, begins to form new connections with other classmates. Her development is a slow and realistic process of learning that her self-perception is far harsher than how others see her. She discovers that her quiet dedication and sincere personality are qualities that others find admirable, even if she does not recognize it herself. Her notable abilities include a detailed knowledge of and skill for arranging and caring for flowers, and an encyclopedic familiarity with shoujo manga and otome games, a facet of her life she keeps largely to herself.