Naruhata Vigilantes#
Koichi Haimawari#
The two met when Koichi tipped Kazuho off about the police arriving for her. She thanked him for his help and the two became friends and fellow Vigilantes. While she does not partake in the Vigilante missions as actively as Koichi, she still supports him during the missions through other means besides combat related. As they are both Vigilantes, Kazuho trusts Koichi enough to reveal her public image.
Although they are friends with one another, the two have bickered over disagreements regarding Koichi's path as an illegal hero. Nonetheless, she still supports him.
It is revealed that Kazuho and Koichi met before when they were younger. Kazuho had fallen in the river and could not swim despite the shallow water. Koichi jumped in to rescue her and immediately left when he was running late. Koichi appears to not remember Kazuho from this encounter due to the limited interaction between them back then. However, Kazuho remembers Koichi because of the jacket he gave her after being rescued. She kept that jacket as a remembrance of that moment. She also apparently has been watching Koichi from a distance before they properly met one another.
Kazuho developed a crush on Koichi, feeling jealous when other girls show interest in him. Koichi doesn't appear to reciprocate and is oblivious to her affection. Despite this, he treats her as a valued friend. The two of them instinctively stuck by each other through any kind of crisis, big and small. When Kazuho takes part in Narufest, Koichi is there to provide support as her "manager", helping her gain confidence and giving his input (useful or otherwise).
After spending three years as Vigilantes, Kazuho starts to feel more insecure and worried about herself and her future hearing about Koichi's plan to retire as The Crawler. It gets even worse when she overhears Makoto's confession to Koichi, believing her to be his more desired partner, and self-sabotaging any attempt Koichi has to converse with her. This worry is what inadvertently allows Number 6 to take advantage and eventually kidnap her to become the new host for the Queen Bee.
When Kazuho disappears, Koichi thinks about how even though he barely knows anything about the real Kazuho, she's been a mainstay in his life for so long it's become hard for him to imagine what it would be like without her in it, and how she truly feels. It is also revealed that Kazuho's deepest desire is a life in which the two of them continued work as Vigilantes for another several years until she graduates, eventually getting married, happily settling down, and having two kids.
By the end of the ordeal, Kazuho recovers and gives Koichi the hoodie he gave her all those years ago, but doesn't say how she got it. She eventually breaks down seeing him putting it on and, overwhelmed with everything that happened, tearfully hugs him happy to know he's alive.
In the end of it all, by the time Koichi is now in America as a Hero, Kazuho ultimately reframes from telling Koichi her feelings to not hold him back from pursuing his dream of being a Hero, but is happy he's able to live his dream and Kazuho is able to move on with her life knowing she finally was able to make amends years ago.
Knuckleduster#
The two are fellow Vigilantes, but their relationship can be deemed as a rocky one as both tend to bicker with one another on more than one occasion. Kazuho does not appear to tolerate Knuckleduster's aggressive and violent attitude, especially when it gets out of hand. Despite that, the two are capable of working together during Vigilante missions. They do have their moments of confiding in each other, like Knuckleduster subtly supporting her crush on Koichi and pushing her to be more aggressive, or just happily wanting to share some news with him, like wanting to show him her fan letters and footage from the first Narufest.
Civilians#
Makoto Tsukauchi#
At first, Kazuho is annoyed with Makoto Tsukauchi's interference. She did not like her presence when she offered to help Koichi in her studies, and Koichi's apparent interest on her, helping her in her thesis on Vigilantism. Kazuho even stalks them while they did their research work. Kazuho comes to criticize her many times, although Koichi does not take Kazuho's rants to heart.[1]
Their relationship changes enormously when she received an email request to join a live event on the roof of the Marukane Department Store. Tremendously nervous about it. Koichi brings Makoto to help her, who at that time already knows that she is the vigilante Pop Step. At first, Kazuho gets mad at Koichi for her knowing her secret identity, but Makoto promises to Kazuho that she would not mention her masked escapade to anyone.[2]
This, coupled with the fact that thanks to Makoto her career as Idol improves a lot, allowing her to participate in events and shows of great importance, makes her opinion change for the better, and since then she considers her a good friend.
Even after she confesses her feelings to Koichi, Makoto wants to take Kazuho's feelings into account and gives the two the chance to come to terms with their relationship first, although it inadvertently leads Kazuho to feel more self-conscious about herself due to how inferior and unsuccessful she appears in comparison. Because of her inability to properly talk to Koichi and not let her insecurities get the better of her, she seeks out Rokura for support, only for it to be a trap and turns her into the next Queen Bee. After Kazuho is proclaimed as a villain after being possessed by the Queen Bee, Makoto gets into an argument with her brother about what she could do to help her.
Pro Heroes#
Nemuri Kayama#
Kazuho first personally met the hero Midnight while following Koichi, who had been invited to a mixer to interact with a group of college women. It turns out that Midnight was investigating one of the mixers and looking for the suspect responsible for distributing a new variant of Trigger.
Midnight recognizes her as Pop☆Step from the previous Narufest, and when she realizes she's following him due to her worry for the boy, she asks her for her assistance. They both infiltrate the mixer under fake identities.[3] After a series of incidents during the meeting, in which Koichi is unconsciously involved, they manage to solve the case and arrest the main suspect.[4]
Since then, both became friends, with Midnight even giving Kazuho her cell phone number to call her if she needs help.[5] Also, due to the love that Midnight has for passionate youth, she supports Kazuho's crush for Koichi.
Midnight would return to help save Kazuho's life after she is possessed by the Queen Bee and turned into Bee☆Pop.[6]