He is now a third-year student at Souhoku High School and has been named vice-captain. He is usually silent and only speaks when necessary. Even if he rarely speaks, he thinks a lot and cares a great deal about his friends and teammates. He is particularly close to Teshima, but he is shown to be friendly with all the Sohoku members in his third year. He seems to have developed a closer relationship with Naruko since they are both sprinters, and with Koga since he is a fellow third year. Aoyagi even refers to the team as a "six-man-team". (Source: Yowamushi Pedal Wiki)