Yuu Ayase (綾世 優) - Mikadono Sisters Are Surprisingly Easy

Yuu Ayase (綾世 優, Ayase Yū) is the male protagonist of Mikadono Sanshimai wa Angai, Choroi.

Appearance

Yuu is a young boy aged 17, with very red hair and eyes of the same color. His face, despite its averageness, is quite handsome, inheriting the beauty of his late mother, Subaru Ayase. His appearance is so eye-catching that, should he take the time to work on his looks, he could easily venture into modeling — he's sometimes even regarded as more attractive than the Mikadono Sisters. His gentle, mother-like facial features have occasionally led people to mistake him for his younger brother, or even a girl.

Personality

Yuu is inherently sweet and loving, taking things positively and proactively in life. He never hesitates to help the Mikadono Sisters and people in need, even by interfering in their affairs. Although the sisters sometimes see this gentleness as a sign of weakness and tease or scold him for it, they secretly find it endearing.

As a child, Yuu was criticized for seeming talentless despite being the son of Subaru Ayase, which gave him a deep sense of his own limitations. His mother's hectic career distanced them, but it also gave him housekeeping skills — so despite his self-doubt, Yuu is an excellent cook and a capable homemaker who tailors meals to each sister's needs, sometimes to the point of exhausting himself.

He admires and respects the Mikadono Sisters and tries to keep pace with them. His perseverance is what eventually earns their respect, and later, their love. He compliments them often — usually without realizing how it affects them — and even platonic comments, like talk of forming a family together, tend to be read romantically by the sisters. He stays calm even as they express themselves loudly, and he shies away from anything that hints at intimacy, feeling unworthy and insecure about it.

Though he doesn't usually care much about praise, he turns bright red when overly complimented — most notably during a photo shoot on a tropical island. He's fiercely protective of the sisters, refusing to let anyone come between them or speak ill of them, and he's willing to go to unconventional lengths to keep them safe.

Outside the kitchen and household chores, Yuu is clumsy and prone to stumbling, much to the sisters' amusement. His acting comes across as stiff and unnatural, though Kazuki notices he performs best when he simply acts like himself. Despite recognizing his own shortcomings, he keeps pushing to improve — especially when helping the sisters, whether it's assisting Kazuki with memorizing lines or supporting Niko in a competition against Tatsumi Hayato.

Background

Yuu is the son of Subaru Ayase, a famous and gifted actress who graduated from a prestigious foreign university. He grew up in her shadow, always compared to her extraordinary talents. What few people realize is that while Yuu inherited his mother's beauty, he inherited none of her other gifts — leaving him short, poor at academics, weak at acting, and unskilled at sports. He often calls himself talentless. Despite this, he endured judgment and manipulation from Subaru's peers and from two future child stars, Sena Shiraishi and Ginga Kurokawa, who once auditioned for the same role.

Subaru later fell ill and was forced to retire from acting, spending her remaining days bedridden. Yuu became her primary caregiver, developing exceptional domestic skills in the process. Despite his awareness of his own shortcomings, his perseverance kept him going. Before she passed away, Subaru told Yuu that she wished he could be part of a real family — something the two of them never quite had.

After Subaru's death, her old friend Mr. Mikadono invited Yuu to live with the Mikadono Sisters — three gifted siblings known as the "Three Emperors" — at Seika Academy. Mr. Mikadono enrolled Yuu in the school's General Education department, a track separate from the special talent-based programs the sisters belong to.

Synopsis

The New Kid

Yuu Ayase arrives in town and enrolls at Seika Academy. Lacking any special talent, he's placed through assessments in the Advanced, Athletics, and Arts departments. After a confrontation with a karate club member leaves him easily beaten, he takes the loss calmly — but the club isn't satisfied and wants a second round. Niko Mikadono, one of the Three Emperors, steps in, kicks them from behind, and calls them out for disgracing martial arts. Soon after, Kazuki and Miwa Mikadono arrive and mock Yuu for his apparent incompetence, leaving him to clean the dojo as punishment for losing.

Yuu carries guilt over having grown distant from his mother, only truly reconciling with her near the end of her life. Taken in by an old friend of hers, he's reintroduced to the Mikadono Sisters — the man's daughters — who initially want nothing to do with him, viewing him as a failure. But when Yuu finds their home in disarray, he quietly takes care of everything, revealing surprising competence along the way.

On his first day living with the sisters, he notices how consumed each of them is by their own pursuits — Niko with sports, Kazuki with her beauty routine, and Miwa with sweets to boost her focus — which reminds him of the distance he once felt from his mother. He wishes them a good day before leaving, which outwardly annoys them but privately touches each one. Later, Mr. Mikadono calls to say he'll be away for a while and asks Yuu to look after the sisters — reminding him that even geniuses need support sometimes.

Relationships

Mikadono Sisters

At first, the sisters don't see Yuu as particularly capable. Over time, though, they come to owe him a great deal for everything they've been through together, and their mutual support builds real respect and admiration — which eventually turns into romantic feelings. They fiercely defend him against anyone who speaks poorly of him. Later in the series, especially during the events on the tropical island, their feelings shift openly to love, often accompanied by quiet competition for his attention.

Sakura Yaotome

Sakura first takes notice of Yuu when Miwa's condition shifts before a shogi match. Cautious at first, she comes to recognize his reliance on effort and forms a sense of kinship with him. Unlike Yuu, she holds onto strong pride and struggles to understand his satisfaction in simply supporting Miwa. Later, during a title match where Sakura wins two games against Miwa, Yuu's timely arrival leads him to appreciate her sincerity despite her teasing. Though a secondary character, Sakura occasionally finds herself in romantic situations with Yuu — much to the three sisters' frustration.

Trivia

• "Three Emperors" (san-tei) pun

Yuu jokingly calls himself a "three emperor" (san-tei), though the nickname actually pokes fun at his short stature, low academic ability, and limited physical prowess — making him a true "three low" (also read san-tei).