Masaru Iguchi

**Masaru Iguchi** (井口 勝, *Iguchi Masaru*) is one of the characters in *My Love Story with Yamada-kun at Lv999* series, written and illustrated by Mashiro.

## Appearance

Iguchi is a young adult man who is slightly shorter than Yamada. He has brown skin, short black wavy hair, thin black eyes, large ears, and a light mustache. He wears a checkered blouse over a white shirt, gray pants, and white sneakers for footwear.

## Personality

Iguchi can be described as the opposite of Yamada, often being seen by others as eccentric and mischievous. He likes to go out on group dates and dine out with his friends. Satsuki notes that Iguchi is extroverted and knows a lot of people, hence his nickname "Monkey." Beyond this, he is sometimes vocally critical of others, like Yamada's attitude and relationship, but would eventually apologize for his actions.

## Chronology

### Satsuki Arc

***Main article: Satsuki Arc***
While walking in the hallways, Iguchi passes by a group of women who admire Akito Yamada's appearance. Spotting Yamada, he greets him eccentrically and reminisces about the time when he first helped him with his application to Tousei Academy. With this, he tells Yamada to clear his schedule for the following Friday.

That Friday, Iguchi dines with Yamada, Satsuki Shigemori, and other women who are supposed to be their blind dates. Satsuki tells Yamada that Iguchi has dragged him to a group date without telling him, but Iguchi claims that whether or not the event is a group date is for him to decide. He then introduces Yamada to the women, and they are charmed by his appearance. Later on, Satsuki learns that Iguchi posted a photo of Yamada online without his permission, which leads her to criticize him for his actions. Iguchi is guilty, but he reasons that Yamada is a man, therefore it does not matter as much. He is then upset for what he did once Satsuki leaves.

Some time later, Iguchi sees Yamada and Akane Kinoshita in public. He finds out that they are dating and asks about their relationship, but he is scolded by Satsuki for making Akane feel uncomfortable, causing him to wonder if he is being too oblivious. Later on, at the restaurant with Satsuki and their other friends, Iguchi comments on Akane's quiet behavior. He then tells Satsuki that he initially found Yamada strange for being popular yet never being in a relationship. He calls Akane lucky and tells Satsuki that it was normal for her to be on guard toward her because of Yamada's looks. Afraid that he would make Satsuki mad, Iguchi changes the subject and tries to look at what she has been doing on her phone. Seeing that she searched her own name online, Iguchi asks her what she is up to.

At his friend's apartment, Iguchi thanks Yamada for helping him move the furniture out of the apartment, promising to pay him in return. As they head home, he invites Yamada to a barbecue party, only to wonder if he is being held back by Akane when he declines the invitation. The next day, Iguchi is back at the apartment to continue helping and later takes Yamada home after finding out that he is sick.

Days later, Iguchi buys housewarming gifts for Sakai with Satsuki and Akane. Upon hearing that Yamada stayed over at Akane's place, he tells Satsuki that he still finds it strange how Yamada is in a relationship. Since he is used to Yamada being a quiet person with an obsession for gaming, he still cannot imagine that he is in a relationship with Akane. Afterwards, he eats out at a restaurant with Satsuki and Akane, where he learns about Satsuki's past relationship and gets mad at her ex-boyfriend's actions.

## Relationships

### Akito Yamada

Yamada is Iguchi's junior, whom he went to school with at Tousei Academy and later at the same university. Like most people, Iguchi perceives Yamada as a quiet person who is not capable of socializing with others, especially women. This leads Iguchi to invite Yamada to a group date to meet other women, only to find out later that he is already in a relationship. Iguchi finds it unusual for Yamada to date but accepts their relationship nonetheless.

### Satsuki Shigemori

Satsuki is one of Iguchi's friends at the university. They hang out often and are part of the same friend group. However, Iguchi is sometimes intimidated by Satsuki, fearing that she will get mad at him for his mischievous attitude. Even then, Iguchi is apologetic for his mistakes whenever Satsuki calls him out on them and sticks up for her through tough times.

## Etymology

Masaru's name is broken into three syllables *"MA-SA-RU,"* but only one kanji character - 勝.
 **勝 (MASARU):** means victory;
While Masaru's surname is broken into three syllables *"I-GU-CHI,"* but only two kanji characters - 井口.
 **井 (I):** means "i";
 **口 (GUCHI):** mouth, entrance.
 **Description:** The "Iguchi" surname means well, mine shaft, pit.
## References

*My Love Story with Yamada-kun at Lv999* Manga: Chapter 77 (Page 5).
*My Love Story with Yamada-kun at Lv999* Manga: Chapter 83 (Page 5).
*My Love Story with Yamada-kun at Lv999* Manga: Chapter 75 (Pages 1 - 4).
*My Love Story with Yamada-kun at Lv999* Manga: Chapter 76 (Pages 2 - 8).
*My Love Story with Yamada-kun at Lv999* Manga: Chapter 79 (Pages 11 - 13).
*My Love Story with Yamada-kun at Lv999* Manga: Chapter 80 (Pages 12 - 14).
*My Love Story with Yamada-kun at Lv999* Manga: Chapter 81 (Pages 9 - 11).
*My Love Story with Yamada-kun at Lv999* Manga: Chapter 82 (Page 1).
*My Love Story with Yamada-kun at Lv999* Manga: Chapter 83 (Page 10).
*My Love Story with Yamada-kun at Lv999* Manga: Chapter 85 (Pages 5 - 12).