Mahiru Inami is a 17-year-old high school student working as a waitress at the Wagnaria family restaurant. She sports ginger hair, salmon-colored eyes, and stands roughly 1.6 meters tall. Her defining trait is severe androphobia, an intense fear of men stemming from childhood trauma. Her father deliberately cultivated this fear, portraying male characters as villains, comparing boys to wolves, and embedding weights in her belongings to build her strength. This conditioning resulted in an instinctive reflex to punch males who come near, often with force sufficient to damage walls or objects. Despite this reflex, she consciously understands men aren't inherently threatening and actively struggles to control her reactions. Her education occurs at an all-girls school due to her phobia. This setting contributes to academic struggles in math and classical literature, subjects taught by male instructors. Consequently, she relies on tutoring from colleagues like Popura Taneshima and Souta Takanashi to pass exams. Outside school, she collects hair clips and enjoys reading romance novels, revealing an interest in conventional relationships despite her fear. Interactions at Wagnaria showcase varied dynamics. She shares a close friendship with Popura Taneshima, studying and shopping together frequently. She avoids punching Jun Satou by repeating mantras like "That’s a woman." Initially, she punched Hiroomi Souma repeatedly, but their relationship normalized after he learned her secret about liking Takanashi and stopped antagonizing her. She views Aoi Yamada as a younger sister and seeks protection from Yachiyo Todoroki, who calms her during distress. Manager Kyōko Shirafuji initially scheduled her shifts separate from male staff but later accommodated Inami’s request to work alongside Takanashi. Her relationship with Souta Takanashi forms a central development arc. Childhood admiration began when he defended her from her father’s intimidation. At Wagnaria, initial interactions involved frequent punching due to her phobia and embarrassment over his comments. Takanashi’s compliment about her hair clip intensified her feelings, leading her to change clips daily to attract his notice. Their evolving dynamic gradually reduced her androphobic reactions; she progressed from needing a "gripping toy" to maintain distance during walks to eventually holding hands directly without violence. Romantic milestones included confessing she liked someone (unnamed), tolerating physical contact like sitting beside him, and agreeing to a date. Conflicts arose externally: her father disapproved of Takanashi’s cross-dressing, while Takanashi’s mother impeded the relationship due to his dishonesty about his feelings. Inami actively confronted these barriers, facing Takanashi’s sisters in a symbolic gauntlet to reach him. Their relationship culminated in mutual romantic acknowledgment and becoming an official couple. Character development is evident in her management of androphobia. Early in her employment, she couldn't serve male customers or approach male colleagues like Satou without distress. Through sustained exposure and Takanashi’s support, she advanced to greeting male customers and tolerating closer male proximity, reacting only if physically touched. Professional adaptability emerged when she temporarily assumed kitchen duties during staff shortages. By the conclusion, she achieved significant control over her impulses, enabling a stable romantic relationship with Takanashi without reflexive violence.