Akane Hououji

* Anime
* Manga

**Akane Hououji** (鳳凰寺 紅葉, *Hōōji Akane*) is one of the female protagonists of the Goddess Café Terrace series. She is a 19-year old part-timer at Familia Café Terrace who is a guitarist/vocalist of a band.

## Appearance

Akane has blonde hair cropped above her shoulders with bangs hanging on the left side and blue eyes.

## Personality

Akane comes off as initially cold and aloof but cares deeply for her friends. Before Akane's confrontation with her mother along with Hayato Kasukabe, she was unfocused and unassertive. After the encounter, Akane became bold and unafraid to pursue both her passion for music and her feelings for Hayato wholeheartedly.

## Relationships

* **Mrs. Hououji:** Being the current head of the Hououji family, Akane deeply respects her mother, sometimes to the point of being afraid of her, despite being very strict Mrs. Hououji tends to worry a lot about her daughter's well-being and future. Feeling more at ease knowing Hayato's character and personality, wishing that he can join her family in the future.
* **Hayato Kasukabe**: Akane didn't think much of Hayato at the beginning but seeing him cry made her think fondly of him. It is hinted that she slowly starts to develop romantic feelings for him as she wanted to change her band name after his suggestion. Hayato also cares about her as he helps her talk to her mother and say what she wanted to. After the incident with her family is resolved, she starts opening up more to Hayato, even stating that she will make him coffee for as long as he'll have her. After this incident, Akane has no qualms about openly showing her emotions by becoming the girl closest to Hayato.
* **Ouka Makusawa:** Akane and Ouka usually get along quite well, however she has grown jealous of each other regarding Hayato. Despite this, they are usually very good friends most of the time.
* **Riho Tsukishima:** Due to being the first two girls to open up about their feelings to Hayato, the rivalry between Riho and Akane has only intensified over time, always seeking to be ahead of each other.  Despite this, they tend to get along quite well when they are not competing for Hayato.
* **Shiragiku Ono:** As with Riho, Akane keeps her guard up with Shiragiku, knowing that she is his childhood friend as well as his first love. Because of this, Akano does not seek to compete directly with her, seeking to advance her current relationship with Hayato. Despite this, they tend to get along pretty well all the time.
* **Ami Tsuruga:**

## Etymology

* The name **Akane** means "autumn leaves/autumn colors, maple" (紅葉).
* Akane's surname **Hououji** means "phoenix/phoenix bird" (鳳凰) (**houou**) and "temple" (寺) (**ji**).

## Trivia

* In the first popularity poll, Akane came in 4th place.
* In the second popularity poll, Akane came in 1st place.
* In the third popularity poll, Akane came in 1st place.
* In the fourth popularity poll, Akane came in 1st place.
* In the Seo Kouji Heroine Popularity Poll, one that ranked all of his heroines across his +20 years of manga serializations, Akane ranked #2 with 2682 votes, behind Yuzuki Eba from Kimi no Iru Machi with 2918 votes, and ahead of #3, Suzuka Asahina from Suzuka with 1491 votes.
* Akane comes from a rich family (implying political and business influence).
* Fear of ghosts and the supernatural.
* Akane's grandmother, Youko Chihaya, had past ties to the Cafe in the 1960s with the previous owner, Masahiro Kasukabe, Hayato Kasukabe's grandfather.
* Akane's measurements are B79, W57, H80.
* In the vol 10 omake, it was implied that Akane joined a band at the age of 16 with her current band mates.