Souma, Ritsu

草摩利津

Ritsu was born with the curse of the sign of the monkey.
As far back as he can recall, his parents were always apologizing for his actions, leaving him deeply unsure of himself. He feels that by simply breathing, he is robbing the world of its air.
He discovered that dressing as a girl made him feel more at ease, though this only gave his parents even more reasons to apologize. Because he resembles a girl so closely, Tooru initially mistook him for one until he accidentally transformed. Somehow, Tooru convinced him that he does have a reason to live; he just hasn't found it yet. Shigure enjoys exploiting Ritsu's insecurities and gullibility, much like he does with his editor, Mitsuru. When the two meet, they realize they share this trait.
Natsuki Takaya derived his name from the eighth month, odakaritsuki or "rice harvest month," which corresponds to the month of the monkey in the traditional Japanese calendar. In her author's notes, Takaya stated that she regretted how minor a role Ritsu played in the main story.