Namura, Shinichi

名村慎一

Namura, affectionately called "Na-chan" by his students, is a former Toryo student who returned to his alma mater to serve as a tennis coach and English teacher. He develops feelings for the student Meiko Akizuki, which are reciprocated. However, because she is a student, they must keep their relationship secret. The relationship is eventually discovered, embroiling Namura in a big scandal.
Finding his position at Toryo untenable and fearing he'll be a hindrance for Meiko, he resigns and returns to his hometown of Hiroshima in order to study real estate and take over the family business. Namura tries to push Meiko away from him no matter how much he loves her, thinking that he cannot allow her future to be tainted. Ultimately, Meiko proves him wrong, and they reach an agreement: as soon as Meiko graduates and turns 17 (the age at which she can marry Namura without her parents' approval), she will come with him to Hiroshima not only to marry him, but also to study literature and become a writer. At the end of the series, the agreement is fulfilled and they marry.