Name: Otonaru, Maiku ( otonaru maiku )

1st Appearance: Volume 14, Book 3

Name origin: His name uses kanji but if you notice, the furigana above the kanji are written in katakana rather than hiragana which is used for native words. The characters, , represent "maiku." These three characters are also used in the word maikurofon () which is the spelling for the word "microphone". It is used as such for the "Venus Mike", or viinasu maiku later in the same volume.

Short Overview:
He was one of Minako's many love interests. Otonaru had a very weak heart from birth and did not come to school often. Minako began to persure him when he returned. She was persistant enough to make him practice in gym for the marathon. He collapsed from the over exertion. Minako went to visit him at home and learned that he lived in the biggest karaoke place in Roppongi. It was then she found out that he loved karaoke. His name in itself is a pun. In the end, however, he had is operation, came out healthy and got engadged to his Russian penpal. Poor Minako!

Quotes:
"That's loud!" she says. "How can you sleep with such noise coming from the karaoke place downstairs?"
"It's fine," says Otonaru. "I love hearing everybody singing out loud. It makes me feel alive. I really have to be in a hospital, but I stay home because I want to hear this. Aino, you made such an effort to meddle in my life. I'm sorry, but I can't enter the marathon. My next heart operation is the day of the marathon."