 Strong-willed, somewhat tomboyish and good-natured, at first Ayako does not seem to reciprocate Ryota's feelings for her, which she knows of, and will not until the end of the series.She is directly responsible for sharpening Hanamichi Sakuragi's abilities for real matches by training him in the basics, such as ball possession and dribbling.Miyagi refers to her as because of his attraction to her, and she responds by calling him "Ryota" rather than by his surname.