Kuranosuke Koibuchi is the second son of the wealthy and politically influential Koibuchi family. He was born from an affair between his father, a prominent Japanese politician, and an Italian nightclub singer. In his early childhood, Kuranosuke lived with his mother, and it was her lavish wardrobe that first sparked his deep passion for fashion and beauty. After she left, he was brought into the Koibuchi household but felt increasingly alienated by the rigid expectations and public scrutiny that came with his family name. This sense of displacement, combined with a longing to remain connected to his mother’s memory, motivated him to adopt cross-dressing. He uses the female alias Kurako when moving through the all-female apartment building Amamizukan and other spaces where his true gender would be unwelcome. The practice is not a disguise of necessity but a chosen self-expression and a way to shield himself from the political destiny his father envisions for him. It also allows him to navigate a world of femininity and fashion that he finds genuinely liberating.

Outwardly, Kuranosuke is exceptionally confident, flamboyant, and outgoing. He possesses a magnetic charm and a theatrical flair that make him the centre of attention in any social setting. He firmly believes that all women have the potential to be beautiful, a conviction that initially clashes with his limited understanding of people who do not fit his definition of stylish. Despite his privileged upbringing, he shows a pronounced empathy and often prioritizes the feelings and dreams of others over social conventions. Underneath the gregarious exterior, he harbours a deep loneliness and a quiet frustration with a life that felt predetermined and hollow before he discovered his own creative outlet. His cross-dressing is intimately tied to his identity yet he remains entirely secure in his male gender, referring to himself with masculine pronouns and never hiding his biological sex once a genuine connection is formed.

His primary motivation is to pursue a career in fashion rather than follow his family into politics. He yearns to explore his own identity freely and to forge meaningful connections that are not tainted by his family’s status. Meeting Tsukimi Kurashita gives that motivation a new direction. When he chances upon her trying to save a jellyfish from a pet shop, he intervenes and subsequently takes a keen interest in her life and the community of socially awkward otaku women known as the Amars or the Sisterhood. He becomes a regular visitor to the women-only apartment Amamizukan, hiding his gender to gain acceptance and because he genuinely enjoys their company. His role in the story grows from an intrusive, well-meaning outsider to the primary catalyst for change. He spearheads the effort to save the building from redevelopment by launching a fashion brand called Jellyfish Dress, turning the Amars’ niche hobbies into marketable designs and giving them a way to fight back against the forces threatening their home. He also acts as an impromptu stylist and confidence coach for Tsukimi, helping her see her own worth and beauty, even as he begins to develop complicated romantic feelings for her.

Kuranosuke’s key relationships centre on Tsukimi and the Amars, but they also extend to his family. With Tsukimi, the bond evolves from fascination to a deep emotional attachment that challenges his previous, superficial experiences with women. He is both mentor and benefactor, yet also a friend who slowly realizes he may be falling in love with someone who does not fit any of the glamorous patterns he once took for granted. Among the Amars—Chieko, Mayaya, Banba, and Jiji—he is initially treated as the stylish intruder but gradually earns their trust and becomes their ally, using his social savvy and fashion expertise to empower them. His relationship with his older half-brother Shū is competitive and teasing; Kuranosuke often mocks Shū’s awkwardness with women, yet deep down the two share a complicated fraternal bond strained by their different positions in the family. The family chauffeur, Hanamura, is a rare figure of unconditional support who knows about the cross-dressing and assists in Kuranosuke’s schemes without judgment. The tension with his father and the broader political establishment is a constant pressure, but Kuranosuke steadily learns to reconcile his desire for personal freedom with some degree of family responsibility.

Over the course of the narrative, Kuranosuke undergoes significant development. He begins as a somewhat self-absorbed thrill-seeker who uses cross-dressing as a rebellious escape. His encounters with Tsukimi and the Amars force him to broaden his understanding of beauty, identity, and the many ways people protect themselves from the world. He comes to realize that fashion is not merely an aesthetic pleasure but a tool for empowerment and a genuine means of self-expression for anyone, not just the conventionally attractive. His initial, almost missionary zeal to transform the Amars into stylish women matures into a more respectful collaboration that honours their unique identities. As he confronts his feelings for Tsukimi, he also grows more honest with himself about his own vulnerabilities and the roots of his cross-dressing. By the end, he has taken concrete steps toward a career in the fashion industry, moving from using fashion as a personal armour to wielding it as a communal resource, and he has found a sense of belonging that was missing from his gilded but lonely upbringing.

His notable abilities centre entirely on fashion and social finesse. He has a sharp eye for design, a talent for sewing and crafting elaborate costumes, and a charismatic presence that can inspire and organise others. He is adept at reading people and manipulating social situations—often using his Kurako persona to disarm those around him and gain access to spaces he could not enter as a man. His fashion expertise is not merely technical but visionary; he can see the hidden potential in unconventional materials and in people who have given up on their own appearance. These abilities make him an invaluable strategist and a surprisingly effective community organiser, even if his methods are unorthodox. He possesses no supernatural talents; every skill he demonstrates is born from his passion, his privileged access to resources, and his determination to carve out an identity that is entirely his own.