Sangaku Manami is the third-year captain of Hakone Academy's Bicycle Racing Club. He earned the position of ace climber in his second year and made history as Hakone Academy's first first-year student to secure a spot on the Inter High team. Born in Odawara at the base of Hakone, Sangaku experienced a childhood marked by illness, spending prolonged periods bedridden. He passed time playing video games but found little fulfillment, yearning instead for physical pain as proof of being alive. His neighbor and childhood friend, Suzuko Miyahara, introduced him to cycling. Despite initial struggles and falls due to his weakened state, he embraced the pain of uphill cycling, which made him feel truly alive, forging a deep connection to slopes and the outdoors. Sangaku possesses a carefree and easygoing personality, frequently arriving late to class or events due to distractions like mountains or oversleeping. Within his first month of high school, he set a record of being late 18 times. He avoids schoolwork to cycle and often naps indoors, finding confinement dull. His passion for cycling stems from a desire to feel challenged and alive, particularly in high-stakes situations with unpredictable outcomes. During races, he typically maintains a calm demeanor, but a more intense and focused side emerges when pushing his limits, especially near exhaustion. His cycling skills center on utilizing natural elements, particularly wind. He "listens" to wind patterns to time overtakes, a technique others misinterpret as him falling behind. This approach, described as deploying "wings," involves removing his gloves, shifting to a higher gear, and accelerating rapidly. Unlike most climbers who shift to lighter gears, Sangaku shifts to heavier gears during ascents, enduring extreme leg strain to sprint uphill. By his second year, he incorporated body-building routines, developing stronger pectoral and abdominal muscles to improve stability in crosswinds and efficiency in headwinds or tailwinds. He occasionally unzips his jersey during climbs, a habit inspired by Masakiyo Doubashi, though his slimmer build makes drafting less feasible on slopes. Sangaku first met Sakamichi Onoda while detouring to climb a hill. Noticing Onoda's dehydration, he gave him a water bottle, recognizing him as a fellow cyclist. Later, he raced Onoda during a scouting mission at Sohoku High's training camp. Impressed by Onoda's ability to keep pace without cycling shoes, Sangaku won the race but let Onoda keep the bottle, promising to reclaim it at the Inter-High. This interaction motivated Onoda to join Sohoku's team. During Hakone's F-Group selection race for the Inter-High team, Sangaku competed against second-year climber Yukinari Kuroda. Initially lagging, he predicted a wind gust to accelerate past Kuroda, securing his spot. At the 41st Inter-High opening ceremony, Sangaku arrived late after biking alone when the team bus left without him, appearing onstage in regular shorts. He later pulled Hakone's team during the mountain stage and expressed interest in racing Onoda. Sangaku placed second in both the 41st and 42nd Summer Inter High races. After the 41st Inter-High loss, his carefree demeanor temporarily faded, leading to overtraining on rollers post-practice. He also won first place in the Hakone Road Hill Climb. Sangaku enjoys kheema curry, rice balls, iced oolong tea, and Pocari Sweat. His talents include video games, and he uses a six-sided pencil toss to guess multiple-choice answers, claiming 80% accuracy. He is one of the few peers to address Onoda by his given name. His bicycle is a LOOK 695.