TV-Series
Description
Kosuke Inukai is a fourth-year undergraduate at Saitama University, working in a research lab with Ayame Himuro and Shinya Yukimura. He shares a childhood friendship with fellow lab member Ena Ibarada.
He sports medium-length blonde hair, usually tied in a low ponytail, and gold-colored eyes. His accessories include earrings and a chain necklace. Kosuke typically wears a lab coat over soccer gear – an FC inter-shirt and kit displaying the number 13 – reflecting his lasting connection to the sport despite no longer playing competitively.
Kosuke keeps a major secret: he is a closet otaku with a deep affection for 2D female characters from dating simulation games. This passion leads him to sleep with character body pillows and spend significant money on related merchandise and games. Fearing others might find his preferences unusual, he constructs a ladies' man facade, often recounting fabricated romantic stories lifted from his dating sim experiences instead of real life.
His otaku identity is exposed when he describes his "relationship" with a girl named Aika – citing happiness around her, sleep-hugging her for two years, and spending money on her – only for Kotonoha Kanade to reveal Aika is a fictional game character. After this revelation, Kosuke confesses his love for 2D characters, explaining his concealment stemmed from fear of mockery. Shinya initially offers acceptance, comparing Kosuke's orientation to attractions like celebrity crushes, though Ayame's subsequent critique causes Shinya to retract his support, leaving Kosuke dismayed.
Later developments see Kosuke's interactions with Ena Ibarada grow increasingly significant. Their dynamic involves mutual teasing and shared interests like video gaming, with Ena often joining him for activities such as playing off-brand fighting games. Observers note their chemistry, with Ayame likening their gravitational pull to celestial bodies settling into a shared orbit. Kosuke expresses dissatisfaction when Ena is absent during gaming sessions, indicating a deepening, unspoken connection. This evolving relationship coincides with Kosuke experiencing regret over prioritizing 2D interests; he laments bringing a figurine instead of a real date to a group event, afterward feeling like a "creep".
Kosuke grapples with his identity through scientific frameworks. When Ena introduces the Kinsey scale – citing studies showing diverse orientations beyond exclusively heteronormative preferences – Kosuke partners with Yamamoto Arika to apply this gradient, validating his own position between attraction to real people and 2D characters. This exploration offers him a pathway toward self-acceptance and hints at a potential transition toward embracing real-world connections while reconciling his otaku interests, particularly as his feelings for Ena develop.
His surname, Inukai, combines the characters for "dog" (犬) and "rearing" (飼), while his given name, Kosuke, incorporates "tiger" (虎) and "help" (輔). Ena Ibarada uses the nickname "Torasuke," a kanji-based pun referencing the tiger in his name.
He sports medium-length blonde hair, usually tied in a low ponytail, and gold-colored eyes. His accessories include earrings and a chain necklace. Kosuke typically wears a lab coat over soccer gear – an FC inter-shirt and kit displaying the number 13 – reflecting his lasting connection to the sport despite no longer playing competitively.
Kosuke keeps a major secret: he is a closet otaku with a deep affection for 2D female characters from dating simulation games. This passion leads him to sleep with character body pillows and spend significant money on related merchandise and games. Fearing others might find his preferences unusual, he constructs a ladies' man facade, often recounting fabricated romantic stories lifted from his dating sim experiences instead of real life.
His otaku identity is exposed when he describes his "relationship" with a girl named Aika – citing happiness around her, sleep-hugging her for two years, and spending money on her – only for Kotonoha Kanade to reveal Aika is a fictional game character. After this revelation, Kosuke confesses his love for 2D characters, explaining his concealment stemmed from fear of mockery. Shinya initially offers acceptance, comparing Kosuke's orientation to attractions like celebrity crushes, though Ayame's subsequent critique causes Shinya to retract his support, leaving Kosuke dismayed.
Later developments see Kosuke's interactions with Ena Ibarada grow increasingly significant. Their dynamic involves mutual teasing and shared interests like video gaming, with Ena often joining him for activities such as playing off-brand fighting games. Observers note their chemistry, with Ayame likening their gravitational pull to celestial bodies settling into a shared orbit. Kosuke expresses dissatisfaction when Ena is absent during gaming sessions, indicating a deepening, unspoken connection. This evolving relationship coincides with Kosuke experiencing regret over prioritizing 2D interests; he laments bringing a figurine instead of a real date to a group event, afterward feeling like a "creep".
Kosuke grapples with his identity through scientific frameworks. When Ena introduces the Kinsey scale – citing studies showing diverse orientations beyond exclusively heteronormative preferences – Kosuke partners with Yamamoto Arika to apply this gradient, validating his own position between attraction to real people and 2D characters. This exploration offers him a pathway toward self-acceptance and hints at a potential transition toward embracing real-world connections while reconciling his otaku interests, particularly as his feelings for Ena develop.
His surname, Inukai, combines the characters for "dog" (犬) and "rearing" (飼), while his given name, Kosuke, incorporates "tiger" (虎) and "help" (輔). Ena Ibarada uses the nickname "Torasuke," a kanji-based pun referencing the tiger in his name.