Hifumi Izanami/Relationships

### Jakurai Jinguji

Hifumi first met Jakurai at the hospital where Jakurai works when Doppo introduced them to each other. Jakurai helped Hifumi in dealing with his stalker in the first drama track. Jakurai considers Hifumi an interesting person and this led him to invite him and Doppo to form a rap group with him. He and Jakurai also have been going on hiking and fishing trips together often. Hifumi gave Jakurai advice when he was struggling to understand Ramuda's motives, and Jakurai helped him in dealing with Honobono. Hifumi, much to Doppo's chagrin, often asks Jakurai questions about his personal life to understand him better as a person, which Jakurai doesn't seem to mind. Jakurai thinks Hifumi is a very strong willed person, and he is happy about the progress he has made with his phobia. After learning about Jakurai's demeanor when drunk, Hifumi states that he never wants to drink with him again. Despite that, they respect each other mutually as both teammates and friends.

**Official Relationship Chart** (might be outdated information)

Hifumi -> Jakurai: Introduced by Doppo.

Jakurai -> Hifumi: Invites him to join the team.

### Doppo Kannonzaka

Hifumi and Doppo met each other in elementary school and have been friends since childhood. The two went through education together (at least through highschool) and currently share an apartment. They briefly worked together at Doppo's company when they were 22, and Doppo got fired from his first job to protect Hifumi from their boss' mistreatment. They start living together after this event. Years later, due to an encounter with a particularly vicious stalker from Hifumi's host job, Doppo is the one who introduces Hifumi and Jakurai, which leads to the formation of Matenrō.
Doppo thinks Hifumi can be troublesome, particularly in his host mode, but he respects him deeply and considers him his only good friend. Hifumi cares deeply about Doppo as his childhood friend, and frequently wakes him up for work and cooks dinner for him. Hifumi thinks Doppo apologizes too much and often tries to distract him from his self-deprecation by changing the topic of conversation. Hifumi shows a great deal of respect for him and he's shown to defend him fiercely in a number of occasions, such as when someone implies that Doppo isn't a hard working person.

**Official Relationship Chart** (might be outdated information)

Hifumi -> Doppo: Worries about him.

Doppo -> Hifumi: Troublesome, but helpful.

### Dice Arisugawa

Dice and Hifumi first met eachother in Just A Friend. Dice defended Gentaro after Hifumi mocked his outfit, and when Dice started insulting Doppo, Hifumi started the fight between the four of them.

### Gentaro Yumeno

Hifumi met Gentaro for the first time in front of the Chuohku gates for the 1st D.R.B. Though they hadn't interacted at that time, in Just A Friend they stumbled upon eachother when Hifumi and Doppo were being chased by a group of fangirls, leading to the four having to run and hide from them. After taking off his jacket, Hifumi commented on Gentaro's outfit, claiming he looked like an "old-fashioned schoolboy", not knowing this would cause Gentaro to get very mad and sparking a fight between the four. For now, their relationship status is still unclear: it's not known if they still consider eachother rivals or not, but Gentaro seems to really dislike Hifumi.

### Rio Mason Busujima

Upon meeting each other in front of the Chuohku gates, Rio offered Hifumi a lavender drink, however, the drink caused Hifumi nausea. The two were also opponents in the last battle of the 1st D.R.B. They were also part of the same shuffle divison in Mixed Up.

### Saburo Yamada

Hifumi and Saburo faced eachother in Don't Play No Game That I Can't Win. Hifumi seems to dislike Saburo's attitude, while Saburo dislikes Hifumi's flashiness. They eventually fight side by side to defeat the Tobari brothers.

### Kuko Harai

In Chaser from the Past, Kuko barged into Fragrance in order to challenge Hifumi, as he would be his future opponent in the 2nd Division Rap Battle. Their fight was cut short due to Jyushi fearing they could get arrested. Hifumi was impressed by Kuko's rap skills. They eventually face eachother in the second Division Rap Battle.

### Jyushi Aimono

Jyushi was dragged by Kuko to Shinjuku to challenge the members of Matenro, and he followed along despite objecting. He didn't see Hifumi as his enemy, but went along with Kuko and started fighting them. Hifumi respects his strenght in battle. Their fight was cut short due to Jyushi fearing they would get arrested. They eventually meet eachother again during the second Division Rap Battle.

## Others

### Honobono Keitoin

Honobono is Doppo and Hifumi’s former classmate from high school. Honobono’s actions in high school is the cause of Hifumi’s gynophobia. Her actions that triggered his phobia has been implied to be a form of sexual abuse, and the trauma affected Hifumi so badly that he’d frequently have nightmares after the event and unable to even look at a woman’s face. Hifumi has told Doppo and Jakurai that he’s willing to forgive Honobono for all she’s done to him, and that even if he doesn’t forgive her now, he wants to understand her perspective behind what she did. In If We Hesitate, We Rust and Lose Pride. Because Of Our Lost Pride, We Keep The Fire Burning and the Side F.P. & M+ manga, Honobono barges into Fragrance and greets Hifumi happily, calling him an old friend and acting casual. Hifumi is frightened even with his host mode on, and he attempts to ward her off. But she uses her position in the Party Of Words to empty out the club and corner Hifumi. While Hifumi is able to keep his cool at first, his fear of Honobono is so strong that his jacket no longer helps, causing him to have a panic attack. Hifumi has flashbacks of asking Honobono to stop and brief flashes, all while crying and screaming. Honobono delights in seeing Hifumi in pain, mocking him saying he’s weak while taunting that he hasn't changed since high school. She continues to egg on his breakdown, asking him to “kiss and make up” and only stopping after Doppo and Jakurai intervene.