kousaka tomoyo

She is initially introduced to us as Nippachi (seemingly because she consistently scores 28/100 on tests and is always grinning). Upon hearing this, Maria pointed out that Tomoyo was belittling the very girls who called her Nippachi. This observation greatly upset those girls and left Tomoyo shocked, suggesting Maria had a point. Later, the other girls in the class made Tomoyo extend an invitation to Maria for a fake welcome party for herself. In reality, the girls planned to make Tomoyo drink excessive alcohol and then blame Maria for it. They believed this would work because they had already convinced Tomoyo to falsely claim that Maria had beaten her earlier. Upon receiving the invite, Maria, aware that nothing good would come from attending, stated, “I think, no matter how much filth you show, I need to go.” Hearing this, Tomoyo, insisting she wasn't filthy like Maria, pushed Maria down the stairs. Tomoyo ended up crying. Kanda Yuusuke then arrived at the party with Tomoyo and managed to calm the situation. The next day, Tomoyo appeared at school with a cast on her legs and crutches. The other girls insisted Maria had pushed her, which was untrue. When asked by the class to replace Tomoyo, Maria refused, stating she couldn't just smile at everyone and could only be herself. Soon after, the class discovered the cast was fake. Despite Nippachi's insistence that she fell down the stairs that morning, which was later proven incorrect, the girls began calling her a liar. Tomoyo did not attend school for the next week, leading to concerns. The class and teacher then asked Maria to bring Tomoyo back to school. She and Kanda visited her house together, spoke to her normally, and left. The following day, Maria went to Tomoyo's house before school and told her to come to school with her. At school, Nippachi defended Maria and put an end to the students and teacher calling her Nippachi. This marks the beginning of their friendship.