Chie Takemoto lives in a working-class Osaka neighborhood, running a small tavern with her mostly unemployed father. She calls herself "the most unfortunate girl in Japan," reflecting her view of hardships faced while handling adult responsibilities young. Her father, a gambler connected to local troublemakers, relies on her to keep the business afloat. Chie openly rebels against his irresponsibility yet maintains an underlying loyalty, sometimes defending him.

Her mother left the family, leading Chie to secretly visit while strategizing to reunite her parents. She believes this hinges on her father finding stable work and changing his ways. A recurring joke in her fifth-grade school life involves classmates expecting her to advance to sixth grade, though circumstances often reset her status, leading her to joke about remaining in fifth grade repeatedly.

Chie has a short fuse, often expressed through forceful Osaka dialect that sharpens with anger but softens around her mother. She shows independence by managing the tavern, seeking jobs for her father, and mediating family conflicts. Her pet cat Kotetsu, marked by a distinct moon-shaped patch on its forehead, becomes central to several conflicts, including a notable confrontation with a local gang leader's cat that escalates into serious consequences for her family.