Ako Ōzora is the main protagonist of the series and a sixth-grade student at Yamazakura Elementary School. Her nickname among her friends and classmates is Anko. She is characterized as a generally sober and introverted girl who does not particularly stand out at school, though other descriptions note her as being bright and cheerful. Her defining physical feature is her pink glasses.

While Ako hates scary stories and is easily frightened, she possesses an insatiable curiosity that prevents her from turning away from mysteries. This internal conflict between fear and a desire to know the truth is a central part of her personality. Her most unusual trait is tied to her poor eyesight; when her glasses are removed, she becomes virtually fearless. This is not due to courage but because her inability to see means she is unaware of the terrifying things around her, allowing her to focus entirely on finding her lost glasses without any sense of dread.

Ako's primary role in the story is as the central figure through whom many supernatural events are experienced. She frequently finds herself in dangerous, life-threatening situations, often alongside her classmate and friend, Shou Komoto. Shou is a transfer student who loves ghost stories, and Ako is the first person to become friends with him after he moves to Yamazakura. Over time, she begins to develop romantic feelings for him, though she is not fully aware of this at first. She is also close with her family, including her brother Bunta, who often features in the stories alongside her.

Throughout the series, Ako faces numerous terrifying encounters. In one instance, she nearly becomes a meal for an ogre. In another, she is possessed by the ghost of a boy who died from a failed surgery, which causes her own illness to worsen and nearly leads to her death. One of her most bizarre ordeals involves waking up with a head-sized wart on her shoulder that has her own face, an event that leads to her body being temporarily taken over by a malevolent twin, leaving her as a voiceless, helpless growth. Her dream for the future is to become a novelist, and she shows an aptitude for writing, such as when she writes the script for a school play.