Ayako

彩子

Ayako serves as the team manager and is the object of Ryota's affection. She is strong-willed, somewhat tomboyish, and good-natured. Initially, Ayako does not appear to reciprocate Ryota's feelings, which she is aware of, and she will not do so until the end of the series. She is directly responsible for sharpening Hanamichi's abilities for actual matches by training him in fundamentals like ball possession and dribbling. Her disciplinary style falls between that of Akagi and Anzai; while not as lenient as the latter, she is also not as strict as the former. Her surname remains unknown. Curiously, Hanamichi treats her with almost as much respect as he does Anzai, despite her lower position on the team; this may be due to her gender, as he is generally more respectful toward females. Ryota calls her "Aya-chan" because of his attraction to her, and she responds by addressing him as "Ryota" rather than by his surname.