Gaku Manabe, age 12, is another one of Naota's classmates and close friends who is obsessed with kissing and other things of sexual nature. In Episode 3:"Marquis de Carabas", he plays the part of a mouse in the school play. Gaku also uses the word "chu" constantly, especially when referring to Haruko Haruhara. This is a pun in Japanese, because "chu" is the Japanese onomatopoeia for both kissing and the sound a mouse makes. In the English version, "chu" is replaced with "smooch" to make more sense to English speaking audiences.