Saeko Sawatari

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## Saeko Sawatari, 猿渡冴子

### Affiliation

Miwa Inuzuka, ex-girlfriendYuria Washio, current girlfriend

## Physical description

### Eye color

hazel, brown

**Saeko Sawatari** is one of two main characters in *How Do We Relationship?*. She is a 1st year in volumes 1-5, and as of volume 6 she is a second year. She is currently enrolled in Lily Pig University. Saeko also plays guitar as a hobby and plays in Big Hams.

## Personality

Saeko Sawatari is a cheerful yet hotheaded girl, and sometimes manipulative albeit unintentionally. She is quick to decisions(especially when drunk), and doesn't back down from them easily. She is also not that good at reading situations, as shown when the first thing Saeko says to Miwa is about her breasts. After meeting Miwa, she vows to be more open and true to herself, and not conform to the standards set upon her by society. Saeko puts out a front of her being super confident, but inside she feels super self conscious, has bad self esteem, and keeps her true feelings about herself hidden.

## Appearance

Saeko has large light-brown/hazel colored eyes, thin and long brown eyebrows, and light skin. She is 157cm tall, and fairly thin with an average nose. Saeko usually opts to dress as if she doesn't care, usually wearing just a t-shirt and pants/shorts; however she sometimes likes to wear dresses and other more feminine clothes.

As of volumes 1-4, Saeko has thin, dyed, light brown/dirty blonde hair with dark brown grown-out roots shown. It is shoulder to mid back length, and she usually wears it down or in a ponytail. She is also in the process of growing out her bangs.

As of volumes 5-9, Saeko has dyed light brown hair with no roots shown, and her hair is slightly longer. It was braided a few times.

As a very young child, Saeko had black mid-back length hair, with a hair tie on the top to hold it back. Later on as a child, she had black chin-length hair.

## Relationships

### Miwa Inuzuka

Miwa Inuzuka is Saeko's ex-girlfriend. They met during their first year of college, and started dating after drunkenly coming out to each other at a band meeting. They joined the same band, and in return got lots of time together because of that. They very much rushed into their relationship, and they both know it. As of volume four, they had a heartfelt breakup, which led both of them down depressing paths. Saeko would act fine as always, but deep down she knew she felt horrible and the relationship wasn't good for her. Before breaking up, Saeko would act very standoffish to Miwa and think to herself about how much she wants Miwa to stop doing different things, or do things differently.

During late Volume 5, Saeko visits Miwa, who's in a super depressed state after getting turned down by her first love, Shiho. Miwa insists she leave and not see her, yet she comes in anyways. Saeko is worried for her, and after getting Miwa to feel vulnerable she decides to do Miwa and says to herself she will use her as a toy. While talking with Yuria, she realizes how she never truly told Miwa she loved her, and reflects across their relationship. She realizes how neither of them communicated at all, and never told each other their feelings. She then apologizes to Miwa for treating her as an outlet for her lust, yet does her again anyways and continues to be friends with benefits. Later in volume six, they both open up fully and Miwa feels she is truly getting to see the real Saeko, for the first time ever. Saeko said she loved Miwa, and thought she didn't love her back, and Miwa thought similar. That was when Miwa felt, for the first time, real affection for Saeko, but there wasn't time for it to bloom.

In volume 7 and 8, Saeko is flat and cold with Miwa again whenever the topic of relationships come up, but friendly and nice otherwise. As of this point, they aren't friends-with-benefits anymore, and instead just normal friends, ish. In volume 9, they are seen as good friends again, make food with each other, and have a snowball fight that ends in an eruption of laughter. Before the snowball fight, however, they are having another talk and Saeko reflects on her past, and her relationship with Miwa, but quickly stops.

### Yuria Washio

Yuria Washio is Saeko's current girlfriend and coworker. Her relationship with Yuria is much healthier than her previous one, however Saeko still has work to do on herself. She hides her fears and "weaknesses" less around Yuria, and is happy and feels reassured that she can do that and feel known. In volume six they have their first date, and start officially dating, still keeping it on the down-low generally. After the second band recruitment party, Saeko skips the afterparty to go on a date with Yuria for their one month anniversary. Saeko thinks about how its been a month and they are still both pretty nervous, During that date, Yuria quits her job working with Sae and promises to still hang out with her, and then at a park Yuria tells Sae she loves her. For the first time ever, Saeko is able to respond with the truth, that she loves Yuria too; and the end the moment with a kiss while Saeko thinks about how happy she is being with her.

After a small misunderstanding in the bedroom when Yuria visits at Saeko's house, Sae and Yuria talk it out on the walk home instead of bottling it up and pretending like Saeko is used to. In volume 8 and 9, Saeko and Yuria are getting along and have a good relationship, they both feel happy together and truly love each other.

### Rika

Saeko and Rika are close friends. They have known for a while previous to meeting Miwa, and talk a lot. Miwa has an overwhelming and nosy yet charming personality, usually talking and asking questions nonstop, doing personal things with people she just met, etc. She doesn't exactly know when to stop asking questions, and that is shown when she meets Miwa and asks personal questions about her and Saeko. During the first time we see Rika and Saeko together in the book, Rika pries into Saeko's sex history, and did similar things throughout the books. At one point, Rika shows Saeko a picture of Miwa with her shirt off, passed out, just to get a rise out of her. Saeko responds by pointing out how beer must have spilled on her, and pours her drink on herself in disbelief. Usshi, a friend and member of Rika's band, responds by stating she slept with Miwa (although, not the way Rika thinks.) Rika has been shown to somewhat purposefully mess with Saeko and Miwa's relationship, either as a joke or to get a rise out of them.

While being antagonistic to their relationship, she is also shown to care about Saeko genuinely, as a friend. During Volume 5, Rika is talking to Saeko about a guy that called her slutty. Saeko responded telling her to block him, and Rika complimented on how she isn't awkward about this stuff.

### Mikkun

Mikkun is the vocalist of the band Saeko is in, Big Hams, and is a friend of hers. Mikkun is a good vocalist and ball of heartbreak, but oddly loveable. Saeko and Mikkun first met at Lily Pig University's band club drinking party, and they got along instantly. They, along with the others at their table, formed the band Big Hams instantly. After the first official band meeting ended, Saeko and Miwa stuck around to get alone time. Mikkun, thinking he left his umbrella in the club room, accidentally stumbled upon them making out. He wasn't revolted like Saeko thought, and instead accepted them (albeit, with the stereotypical lesbian question). Throughout the books, he continues to support them, yet sometimes in ignorant ways. Mikkun and Saeko became good friends and still are. They still play together in Big Hams, hang out when the band does, and get along well.

### Tsuruta

Tsuruta is Saeko's friend and Drummer bandmate. Saeko and Tsuruta first met at the Band Club's annual drinking party, for new people that want to join the band club. During the party, when Miwa steps out and Tsuruta confesses to her, Saeko notices Miwa feeling nervous and steps in, making sure Miwa feels fine and "calmly" letting Tsuruta know they all just met. Later, while Miwa and Saeko were still dating, Saeko would occasionally tease Tsuruta about his huge crush on Miwa. Throughout the story, Saeko and Tsuruta remain bandmates and friends.

### Lucha

Lucha is a bandmate and friend of Saeko's; he plays guitar in Big Hams. Lucha and Saeko meet at the Band Club's annual drinking party like Sae with Tsuruta, and hit it off because of Saeko's outgoing personality. When Saeko and Miwa come out to the band, Lucha is generally supportive of them, yet decently ignorant on topics like queer people, similar to the other band mates.

### Usshi

Usshi is Saeko's friend. Saeko is shown to already know Usshi and Rika before Volume 1, but when Rika starts to overload Miwa with relationship questions it is shown that Saeko already told them both about the relationship. Usshi plays in Rika's band, and usually is seen when Saeko is with Rika. During the show Arisa sang in in Volume 2, Rika shows Saeko the picture of Miwa with her top off; Usshi then chimes in admitting she slept with Miwa(albeit in a non-sexual way). Saeko is already upset from Rika's picture, and this hits the nail in the coffin for her. This leads to her having a small breakdown; pouring beer on herself, asking Miwa to do her at the show, and then apologizing and feeling horrible, but not telling Miwa why. Sae and Usshi remain decent friends throughout all of the books, and Usshi doesn't make many appearances with Saeko.

### Kan

Kan is a homophobe who dislikes Saeko for being a lesbian. During volume two, when he makes his debut, he catches Miwa and Saeko kissing during the fireworks. The first line Kan says to Saeko, after angrily talking to Miwa is, "Just wondering if she's worth getting so jealous over." This shows Saeko he is super hostile, and knows about their relationship. Kan feels that since everyone loves Miwa and Saeko- two unique people that don't fit in- and his family rejects him, that he should hate the two for being different. He is rarely shown throughout the books, but when he is, Saeko never likes him and he hates her due to being gay, and being proud of the part of herself that he had to kill inside of himself.