| abstract
| - Koko ni Iru yo! is a manga series by Ema Toyama. Hikage Sumino has zero presence. None of her classmates appear to notice her, and it seems as though she'll never make friends. She's constantly in the shadows, and her only source of contact is blogging, where she is Himawari and her online friends Black Rabbit and MegaPIG cheer her on to make new friends. Black Rabbit assures Hikage that she can change her world, but Hikage isn't so sure. But when she starts getting noticed by Hinata Mutou and Teru Mikami--the two most popular boys at her school--Hikage might finally be able leave the shadows and take her first step into the sunlight...
* A Darker Me/GIFT: MegaPIG, who is often mean and rude but occasionally nice, lies to Hikage and tells her that he's "Male. From Osaka. Weight: 200kg. My middle looks like of like face." As it turns out, his real name is Aoi Nanjou and he's actually a Megane Bishounen Shrinking Violet who wants to get his School Idol classmate Hiyori Kurasawa to like him.
* A Day in the Limelight: In Chapter 19.5 (one-shot), MegaPIG takes the spotlight, where he asks Hikage to help him with his crush.
* Alpha Bitch: Aya.
* Amusement Park: Chapter 15.
* Animal Motifs: Namely, Hikage's two online friends Black Rabbit and MegaPIG. Hikage also has an occasional tendancy to sprout out hamster ears, as the hamster is her favorite animal and the animal she relates to the most.
* Armor-Piercing Slap: In a flashback to when Teru was a child, following his parents arguing to divorce, Teru's mother slaps Teru and claims that their marriage would have been easier without him, leading Teru to believe his parents' divorce was his fault.
* Betty and Veronica: Black Rabbit (Betty; Hikage's first friend who has always supported her) and Hinata (Veronica; the seeming "unattainable" popular guy) for Hikage, though when Black Rabbit is revealed to be Teru--and given Teru's somewhat abrasive personality--it can be interchangeable; Hinata can be the Betty (for his pleasant personality) and Teru can be the Veronica (for his jerk-like tendencies).
* Birds of a Feather:
* Hinata and Hikage, having similar pleasant personalities.
* Teru, as Black Rabbit grew closer to Hikage because of their similar lonely backgrounds, Teru for his shaky family relationship and Hikage for being isolated from her peers. Teru felt that if he went to the places that Hikage went to in her sunset pictures, then he could feel her. He even gave his first comment to Hikage after going to one of the places on her blog.
* Bishounen: Hinata and Teru. MegaPIG is revealed to be one too.
* Boke and Tsukkomi Routine: Hiyori suggests this to MegaPIG/Aoi Nanjou, in spite of not knowing how to speak Kansai-ben.
* Cannot Spit It Out:
* Hinata's reason for not telling Hikage who Black Rabbit is (out of jealousy, thinking Hikage might like Black Rabbit, and because of his growing suspicion that Teru is Black Rabbit, as Hinata specifically called Teru that when they were children, and recently Hikage and Teru had been becoming "friendlier" than before).
* Teru not telling Hikage and Hinata that he is Black Rabbit until Chapters 12 and 14 respectively.
* Caught the Heart on His Sleeve
* Character Development: Over the course of the series, Hikage slowly changes from being too shy and insecure to fight her own battles or speak her mind to a much more stronger and determined person in the end.
* Cooldown Hug: Hikage to Aya in Chapter 19.
* Contrived Coincidence:
* Hinata witnessed Hikage attempting to save a cat from getting hit by a car in the flashback (from Chapter 1), and ended up watching over Hikage and falling in love with her.
* Teru, as Black Rabbit, had went to Hikage's blog by accident. He did not know they they were from the same school and that Himawari was Hikage until he saw that the sunflower she was growing was the same one from Himawari's blog.
* Cue the Sun:
* Hikage relates Hinata and Teru as "suns"--being the center of their classroom. They're bright, friendly, and everyone is easily drawn to them.
* And Chapters 17-18 show just what happens when the "suns" disappear, leaving the whole class distraught and distressed.
* Hikage has expressed a desire to be in the sunlight, in contrast to the "shadows," which represents her solitude and loneliness.
* In Chapter 19, Hikage personally describes Hinata as her own sun for "finding" her when no one else did and asks him if she can "bloom" with him as her "sun" right before confessing to him.
* Curtains Match the Window: Several minor characters, but more notably Hinata and Teru.
* Did Not Get the Girl: Teru.
* Dogged Nice Guy: Hinata and Black Rabbit/Teru.
* Hair Decorations: Teru is a male example, as he wears two X-shaped pins on each side of his head.
* Everything's Better with Plushies/Girls Love Stuffed Animals: So naturally Hikage makes stuffed animals for Black Rabbit and MegaPIG in gratitude for supporting her all along. Though, it seems she never ends up giving it to them. It's explained in a short comic that Hikage sleeps with the stuffed animals because she can't sleep by herself. Hilarity Ensues when Hinata and Teru find out.
* Extreme Doormat: Hikage.
* Ferris Wheel Date Moment: Although Hikage was on a date with Hinata, she goes on the ferris wheel with Teru to cheer him up when she notices that he's depressed and wants to help him like he helped her while he was Black Rabbit. It is also especially endearing when Hikage tells Teru that the view on the ferris wheel is one of her favorite sunset views on her blog, and Teru lets Hikage hold hands with him when she gets scared of the jerking on the ferris wheel.
* Feud Episode: Between Hinata and Teru in Chapters 17-19. They get better.
* First Guy Wins: Played with, as both contenders for Hikage are "first guys." Hinata was the first person who "noticed" Hikage, the first to confess to her, and the first love interest introduced. But Black Rabbit--revealed to be Teru--is Hikage's first friend, the first to support her, and knew her first. And while Hinata was introduced before Black Rabbit, Hinata and Teru were introduced into the series at the same time. In the end, Hikage chooses to be with Hinata instead of Teru.
* Flower Motifs: Sunflowers.
* Freudian Excuse: Aya started out just like Hikage--alone and desiring friends. When Aya started liking Hinata, many girls befriended her out of their mutual affections for Hinata and made Aya feel like she belonged. And everyone defended Hikage from her, Aya lost both her friends and her reputation--leading to her Woman Scorned revenge on Hikage. She gets better.
* Friending Network
* Friendless Background:
* All three main characters, with Hinata and Teru having no friends as children (Teru only having people around him because he's "loud," and Hinata being too shy to make friends; this ironically leads Hinata and Teru to becomes each other's first friend and best friend).
* Aya, prior to liking Hinata and making friends. So when Aya loses all of that, well... she gets very, very vengeful.
* Genki Girl: Arisa and Hiyori.
* Green-Eyed Monster:
* the Alpha Bitch Aya is jealous of Hikage's closeness with Hinata and makes several attempts to slander her. And when Aya loses all her friends and reputation after everyone defends Hikage from her, Aya turns into a Woman Scorned out for revenge on Hikage, who again has something Aya does not--friends.
* When Hikage tells Hinata about her online friends Black Rabbit and MegaPIG, Hinata attempts to dissuade Hikage from her blogging, stating that she doesn't know them in real life and dislikes the fact that Black Rabbit--Hikage's first friend--is someone very important to her. And although Hinata agrees to help Hikage look for Black Rabbit when he discontinues blogging with her, Hinata wants Hikage to focus more on real life than her blogging. Hinata later reveals that he was jealous because he thought Hikage might be starting to like Black Rabbit.
* When Hinata starts noticing Hikage and Teru growing "friendlier" following the summer fireworks festival, he grows jealous and starts to think something happened between them, unaware that prior to the festival Teru revealed that he was Black Rabbit to Hikage.
* Although Teru purposely gave up Hikage as both Black Rabbit and is in denial of his own feelings for her, he slowly grows jealous of Hikage's and Hinata's closeness during their amusement park date and realizes he's in love with her.
* Hair of Gold:
* Teru and Arisa.
* Also, Aya... though Aya is another type of blonde. Subverted--see Freudian Excuse.
* Heel Face Turn: Eventually Aya.
* Heroic Self-Deprecation: Hikage, lacking confidence in herself, doesn't think she should date Hinata until she can become a girl who can be by his side.
* Heterosexual Life Partners: Hinata and Teru.
* Hilariously Abusive Childhood: Though her Played for Laughs narration has nothing to do with her parents, Hikage explains that she had always been invisible or least not noticeable since she was a child, and then she tried to stop a car from hitting a cat; a biker hit her instead. After being in the hospital for two months, Hikage is further distanced from the already made cliques and groups at school.
* I Just Want to Have Friends
* Incredibly Lame Pun: Hiyori makes a pun between Kansai-ben and "Haya-ben" (eating bento before lunch).
* I Want My Beloved to Be Happy:
* Black Rabbit discontinues his contact with Hikage after seeing that Hikage can finally stand on her own, as she stood up to her bullies, her classmates finally notice her, and she can finally become someone who can be near to Hinata.
* After revealing himself as Black Rabbit, Teru tell Hikage that he wants her to be happy with Hinata and forget about Black Rabbit.
* When Hikage must choose between Hinata and Teru, she recieves a message from "Teru" telling her that he wants to be with her, and if Hikage doesn't choose him, then his relationship with Hinata and their class will never be the same. It's really Aya sending the message after she found Hikage's cell phone. Hikage, not wanting the relationship between Hinata and Teru as well as the class to break, is forced to choose Teru over Hinata.
* In Chapter 19, Teru decides to let Hikage and Hinata be together after Hikage realizes her feelings for Hinata.
* Jerkass Facade:
* The reason for Teru's Kick the Dog moments towards Hikage were actually to protect her, especially when she tries to find Black Rabbit, who is Teru.
* MegaPIG. See A Darker Me/GIFT.
* Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Teru.
* Keet: Hinata and Teru are the female students' idols. They are often described as being the "suns" in the classroom.
* Kick the Dog:
* Teru defends Hikage when Hinata's fangirls gang up on her, only to say that she's pitiful and that Hinata was helping her because she couldn't be left alone. The only reason Teru said that was to get the fangirls to ease up, but it was still a big hit to Hikage's self-esteem and initially caused her to believe that Hinata would always look at her out of pity.
* Again, Teru to poor Hikage when she's desperately looking for Black Rabbit after he mysteriously left her blog, telling Hikage an abrupt "goodbye." Teru tells Hikage it's useless, and yet again tramples on her feelings. And this was just Teru trying to help Hikage move on and to cover-up the fact that he's really Black Rabbit.
* Aya is a constant offender to Hikage. Her final attempt to kick Hikage is to destroy "the last place [Hikage] goes to"--her sunflower.
* Light Is Good: See Cue the Sun.
* Locked Out of the Loop: Hikage, in regards to the identity of Black Rabbit. Until Chapter 12.
* Lonely Together:
* Himawari (AKA Hikage) and Black Rabbit (AKA Teru).
* Hinata and Teru when they were children, which led them to become friends.
* Love Confession: Hinata to Hikage in Chapter 2; Teru to Hikage in Chapter 16; Hikage to Hinata in Chapter 19; MegaPIG to Hiyori in Chapter 19.5.
* Love Triangle: A rather delicate love triangle begins to form between Hinata, Hikage, and Black Rabbit... who is revealed to be Teru.
* Lurker: Teru (AKA Black Rabbit) looked at Hikage's blog for a month before deciding to comment on her blog.
* Malaproper: People often get Hikage's last name wrong, and call her either, "Sumiyama," "Sumimoto," or "Sumita." Arisa calls Hikage, "Suminon," but it's not because she's forgotten Hikage's name; it's because adding an "n" to the end of a person's name is a sign of friendly affection in Japanese culture.
* Malicious Slander: Nasty rumors spread and girls gang up on Hikage whenever she's being "friendly" with Hinata. Among them include:
* All of Hinata's fangirls gang up on Hikage the moment they hear a rumor of Hikage leaving the gym storehouse with Hinata the other night (Hikage's group left her behind, thinking she already left, and Hikage was locked in until Hinata found her). Teru rescues her.
* When a picture of Hikage and Hinata hanging out together is leaked at school, everyone thinks Hikage forced Hinata on a date and is taking advantage of his sympathy. Aya, The Alpha Bitch, grabs Hikage by the hair and tries to force her to apologize to her classmates and say she'll never get close to Hinata again. Hikage manages to escape, but ultimately returns to redeem herself in front of her classmates.
* Manipulative Bitch: Aya.
* Meaningful Echo:
* Because Hinata has said similar things as Black Rabbit, Hikage starts to think that Hinata and Black Rabbit might be the same person.
* Hikage tells Hinata that she won't run away and become a person who can be near him (and faces her bullies). Hinata tells Hikage almost the exact same thing later on (and faces Teru, who he has begun suspecting is Black Rabbit).
* In the end, Hikage supports MegaPIG with the same advice he once gave to her, giving him the strength to chase after Hiyori.
* Motifs: Sunflowers, suns, certain bunnies and pigs, and making friends.
* Mysterious Protector: Black Rabbit and MegaPIG are one for Hikage, constantly cheering her on to be stronger. Teru is a bit of one for Hikage too, but he goes back and forth between helping her and standing by and letting her fight her own battles. Ironically enough, Black Rabbit and Teru are revealed to be the same person.
* Name's the Same: This Teru Mikami has nothing to do with Death Note.
* Nice Guy: Hinata.
* Not So Different: Hikage with Black Rabbit/Teru and Aya, when you find out their mutually Friendless Backgrounds.
* Official Couple: Hinata and Hikage.
* Perpetual Frowner: MegaPIG/Aoi Nanjou, according to his crush Hiyori and their classmates, though it may be more because of his Shrinking Violet personality. When Hiyori notices that Aoi only smiles when talking to Himawari/Hikage on his cell phone, she becomes saddened, thinking the person he is talking to is his girlfriend.
* Pinky Swear: Hikage promises Hinata that to not score a zero on their up-coming test and watch the fireworks with him. When Hikage is late to the festival because of her supplementary classes, Teru helps her keep her promise to Hinata.
* Plucky Girl: Eventually Hikage, thanks to her Character Development.
* Poor Communication Kills:
* Hikage is under the belief that Hinata might be Black Rabbit after hearing them say similar things and overhearing a conversation between Hinata and Teru on how Hinata wants Hikage to focus more on reality than her blog. When Hinata refuses to tell Hikage anything, she begins to doubt him and even thinks that if Hinata was Black Rabbit, then perhaps Hinata had been making fun of her all this time. After Black Rabbit tells her to meet with him and he'll tell her everything, Hikage is overjoyed, hoping that this'll end their conflict and that Hinata and she will be able to move up. As it turns out, Hinata isn't Black Rabbit and had nothing to with it the entire time. Black Rabbit is Teru.
* Hikage decides to choose Teru over Hinata after he sends her a message telling her that if Hikage doesn't choose him, then his relationship with Hinata and their class will never be the same (something that Hikage does not want to happen); it's really all a scheme by Aya to ruin Hikage's relationships with everyone. At the same time, Hinata discovers the message left by "Teru" and is under the impression that Teru is threatening her, while Teru is under the same impression about Hinata after he finds a letter from "Hikage." After the conflict is resolved, Hikage chooses to be with Hinata, who she is in love with.
* In Chapter 19.5, Aoi Nanjou (MegaPIG) goes to Hikage (Himawari) for advice on love via cell phone. When his crush Hiyori overhears him say, "I'm just really... in love right now" and sees him smiling, it misleads her into thinking that the person Aoi talks to on his cellphone is his girlfriend, saddening Hiyori, as she feels she can't make him smile like that. They get better.
* Red Herring: Hinata is not Black Rabbit. It's Teru.
* The Reveal: Teru is Black Rabbit.
* The Rival: Eventually Black Rabbit (AKA Teru).
* School Idol: Hinata and Teru. Hiyori, a popular girl who MegaPIG has a crush on, in Chapter 19.5.
* She Is Not My Girlfriend:
* Averted in Chapter 15, where many girls who eye Hinata out during his date with Hikage at the amusement park are initially unconvinced that Hinata is with anyone until Hikage shouts out, "I'm right here!"
* In Chapter 19.5, MegaPIG/Aoi Nanjou has to tell his crush Hiyori this when she comes to conclusions that Hikage is his girlfriend.
* Shojo
* Shrinking Violet:
* Hikage, but who can blame her?
* When he was a child, Hinata was shy until he became friends with Teru.
* MegaPIG is one in real life, contrasting from his online persona.
* Sprouting Ears: The characters with the respective animal they relate to most, such as Hikage sprouting hamster ears.
* Spit Take: Teru has one in a short comic chapter in Chapter 16.5 when Hinata and he find out Hikage's been sleeping with the Black Rabbit and MegaPIG plushies.
* Sunny Sunflower Disposition
* Third-Act Misunderstanding:
* From Chapters 10 through 12, Hikage comes to the conclusion that Hinata might be Black Rabbit and gets conflicted with him, especially when Black Rabbit discontinues blogging with Hikage and Hinata attempts to dissuade her from blogging and focusing on reality. As it turns out, Black Rabbit is Teru. Hikage and Hinata eventually reconcile in time for Hikage to keep her promise and watch the fireworks display at the festival with him.
* From Chapters 16 through 19, a vengeful Aya seeks revenge on Hikage and attempts to destroy all of her relationships. Hikage, at the process of choosing between Hinata and Teru, receives a message from "Teru" telling her that if she doesn't choose him, then his relationship with Hinata, as well as the class, will never be the same. Not wanting this to happen, Hikage decides to choose Teru over Hinata; the message was really from Aya, who found Hikage's cell phone and discovered her blog. Aya then conveniently leaves Hikage's cell phone where Hinata could find it, where he discovers the message and thinks Teru is threatening Hikage. Aya then leaves a letter with a similar message from "Hikage" in Teru's locker, and Teru jumps into the conclusion that it's Hinata threatening Hikage. Simultaneously, Hikage's class is distressed over Hinata's and Teru's conflict and grow desperate for a reconciliation. By the final chapter, everything is resolved.
* Those Three Girls: Tomomi, Chizuru, and Ayu--the three girls in Hikage's class who often use her desk as a chatting spot.
* Triang Relations: The Hinata/Hikage/Black Rabbit triangle can be seen as a Type 3 or Type 4 triangle, as Black Rabbit might like Hikage, but Hikage likes Hinata and is more or less almost in a relationship with him. When Black Rabbit is revealed to be Teru, the triangle can be seen as either a Type 9 or Type 12 triangle, as Hinata and Teru both like Hikage, but they are loyal to each other (Type 9), and Hinata and Hikage are more or less almost in a relationship, but Hinata is loyal towards Teru, who also likes Hikage.
* Troubled but Cute: Teru.
* Tsundere:
* Teru is one of sorts, often going back and forth between helping Hikage or being a bit of a jerk to her. He was also a bit of one towards Hinata when they were children, insulting him and then complimenting him afterwards.
* Black Rabbit, who gives Hikage tough love advice that's ultimately to help her mature. It helps that Teru and Black Rabbit are the same person.
* According to Hikage in Chapter 19.5, MegaPIG is one.
* Villainous Breakdown: Aya has one when she finally confronts Hikage and reveals how she lost all her friends because of her and wants Hikage to feel the same way.
* Wham! Line:
* What Happened to the Mouse?: Hikage never did seem to send Black Rabbit and MegaPIG the stuffed animals. It's explained in a short comic that Hikage sleeps with the stuffed animals because she can't sleep by herself. Hilarity Ensues when Hinata and Teru find out.
* Woman Scorned: Aya.
* You Are Better Than You Think You Are
* You Are Not Alone: Black Rabbit and MegaPIG remind Hikage that they are her friends, giving her the courage to stand up against Aya's bullying.
* Zettai Ryouiki
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