Kazuma Ojiro

Ojiro Kazuma (尾白一馬) is the male protagonist in Faster than a Kiss. He is legally married to Kaji Fumino and lives with her and her younger brother Teppei. He is an English teacher at Fumino's high school and their marriage is kept a secret.

Basic Information
Birthday: November 22

Family members: Friends:
 * Kaji Fumino (Wife)
 * Kaji Teppei
 * Ojiro Shōma (Brother)
 * Shun Ojiro (Son)
 * Retsu: 3rd generation leader of the Higuma Gumi and one of Kazuma's friends from his delinquent days.
 * Ryūu Shindō (進藤 龍 Shindō Ryū): Kazuma's best friend as well as his neighbor. He is also Teppei's kindergarten teacher and is one of the few people who know about Kazuma and Fumino's marriage.

Background
Kazuma is a  24-year-old English teacher who teaches at Kumaneko High School. He is described by his students as being nice and somewhat adorable, but in the end just a "plain, glasses-wearing English teacher". Kazuma's first encounter with Fumino happened on the first day she entered high school and the first day he began his teaching position, three years ago, when she helped him calm down before the opening ceremony. That was the first time he saw Fumino smile, something which became a rare occurrence after her parents passed away

The story begins in media res, with Fumino and Kazuma in the second month of their marriage. Fumino's parents passed away after she entered high school, and she and her younger brother were being passed from foster home to foster home. After two years of this lifestyle, she decided to run away with her brother, Kazuma is the only one who looked for them and he ended up marrying Fumino to help her and Teppei have a more stable life. Kazuma's marriage to Fumino was conducted on the spur of the moment, and initially, his feelings appear to be more platonic. He feels strongly that he shouldn't touch Fumino because he wants to give her the option of falling in love after she graduates and can support herself and Teppei. He thinks that if she ever decides to leave him for someone else, he has no right to stop her. However, Kazuma slowly falls in love with Fumino throughout the series, and his feelings are revealed in chapter 13 when he "kisses" her -their only contact- through a cold mask. Regardless, he remains unwaveringly dedicated to the belief that Fumino should have a choice about staying with him after she graduates and refrains from touching her. He is extremely protective and posessive of both Fumino and Teppei.

Personality
Kazuma is not very open about his past, but it is revealed early on in the story that, in the past, he was a delinquent with a formidable reputation. His street name, according to his old "gang" friends, was Jigoku no Mā-kun (地獄のまーくん, Mā-kun from Hell), because he beat up 100 motorcycle gang members without getting a single scratch. Kazuma has retained his formidable fighting abilities, though he rarely fights, shown when he beat up two guys with only one hand, while holding Fumino with the other. His family background comes out with the appearance of his younger brother, Ojiro Shōma. His mother is deceased and his father is alive, but he has not had contact with them for eight years (since he was in high school). His brother, Shōma, is the son of the second wife. According to Shōma, Kazuma excelled in both academics and the arts, as is expected from a person set to become the successor of the Ojiro family. However, Kazuma suddenly turned delinquent one day and left home, eventually resurfacing as the plain glasses teacher at Kumaneko High. It is mentioned that Kazuma was not close to his family to begin with, especially after his father's second marriage.

The teacher Kazuma is somewhat whimsical and ridiculous, appearing light hearted and simple, and completely hiding the extensive training that he received as the Ojiro's successor. He appreciates seeing Fumino's rare smile and always has her and Teppei's best interests at heart. At school, he frequently teases Fumino and jokingly hides his familiarity with her by making silly requests for her to deal with problematic students, as her strong sense of justice has given her a reputation for keeping them in line. He has a calm and caring demeanor, and cares for young Teppei more than Fumino does (according to her). He often rewards Teppei with candy for his hard work (or just for being cute). Kazuma cooks for the family in return for the "new wife" cosplay -though this later degenerates to simply cosplay- where Fumino and Teppei dress up in matching cosplay costumes and welcome Kazuma as he comes home from work. Fumino notices early on that Kazuma is extremely dedicated to teaching and typically stays up later than her and Teppei in order to find answers for questions and prepare for the next day's classes. Even though they are married, Fumino and Kazuma sleep in separate rooms. He occasionally sleeps in Fumino's room, but with Teppei sleeping in between them.