Hiroomi Sōma, a 20-year-old assistant chef at Wagnaria, blends a calm exterior with a penchant for manipulating coworkers through their secrets. His perpetually closed eyes and friendly smile mask a cunning strategist who blackmails staff to dodge responsibilities, armed with a digital camera and sharp conversational tactics to gather compromising material. Though his schemes stir chaos, they stem less from malice than a mischievous desire to provoke reactions. He sidesteps direct confrontation, especially with Mahiru Inami, whose androphobia triggers preemptive attacks, forcing him to converse via phone from a distance. His sole vulnerability emerges through Aoi Yamada, who once exploited his guarded nature by feigning distress, framing him as a bully in Popura Taneshima’s eyes. Yamada’s persistent attachment—addressing him as "Onii-chan"—earns reluctant tolerance. Sōma maintains transactional yet layered ties with colleagues. He needles Jun Satou over his unrequited feelings for Yachiyo Todoroki, orchestrating plans that frequently collapse, inviting retaliatory pan strikes. Yet mutual trust lingers, as Sōma withholds direct disclosure of Satou’s affections, balancing interference with unspoken respect. He hoards secrets like Taneshima’s elevator shoes and growth supplements, yet avoids manager Kyouko Shirafuji, who offers no leverage. His own past remains shrouded, guarded as both armor and weapon against retaliation. Keen observation extends beyond Wagnaria, tracking Souta Takanashi’s cross-dressing history and family ties without direct contact. Over time, Sōma shifts from passive observer to occasional mediator, smoothing Yamada’s workplace integration and Inami’s tentative steps toward overcoming her phobia. Though self-interest drives his work evasion, he inadvertently aids conflict resolution—nudging Satou and Yachiyo toward clarity or indirectly supporting Inami’s growth. This duality cements him as a neutral yet indispensable force within Wagnaria, orchestrating calculated chaos to sustain equilibrium, neither hero nor villain but a catalyst in the restaurant’s delicate ecosystem.