Saukura Ai
Ai works at Shine, the closest hostess club to the Quarantine entrance. When Ryuji first visits she mistakes him for a cosplayer. She believes he is a space yakuza and despite Ryuji's protests never convinces her otherwise. Ai woks two jobs, one as a hostess and one as a waitress as a maid cafe. She is very ambitious and sees it as her duty to become an idol so that she can spread the Moe Culture of Japan. She wants to be a celebrity that can do all kinds of things and she finds joy in teasing Ryuji. As a cosplayer, she is very ecstatic to think that Ryuji might be one too. As a larger guy she's happy because he as so many options! Despite his arguing she just won't believe him. She think he's adorable when he gets annoyed, but Ryuji just shoots back, "I ain't cute." He tends to get embarrassed (as he shifts his focus) when complimented.
On one visit Ai talks about her other job and how she enjoys it because it is more hands on than being a hostess. She says she likes to play the maid and she would do anything for Ryuji. He disagrees because he doesn't want to be anyone's master. He still finds it interesting that Ai is so taken with him, in part because most people avoid eye contact (and him in general). The way he behaves leads Ai to believe he's just as old fashioned as he looks and though she teases him about it, she feels comfortable enough to ask him for assistance. Although, the running joke is that he is still insisting he isn't cosplaying.
Ryuji tells Ai that he will clean up the zombie mess in Kamurocho because he still has plans for the city. Ai is content with that. Ryuji finds her odd, he calls her crazy on more than one occassion and feels that because she doesn't get mad that she is a door mat. He cautions her about not getting mad because if you don't get mad you don't have passion for anything. Taking note of his words she resolves to be more honest with her feelings.
When Ai asks Ryuji what he thinks of devoted women she elaborates as a woman who would cook her lover three meals a day, give him massages, and do nice things for him. Ryuji likes the idea but is concerned that Ai will be stepped on. Ai insists she enjoys doing those things for her boyfriend but only if he doesn't order her around. It's one thing for her to do it because she enjoys it, but if he ever demanded those things of her she wouldn't take it. Ryuji says he also can't stand a man who'd hit his lady. Ai shares this sentiment, stating that she knows he'd never hit his lover. Ai likes men who are rough and tough on the outside but soft on the inside. Ryuji doesn't get it as he believes men should always be strong, and they should be even stronger (at all times) for their lady.
Despite Ai's positive attitude and ambition she does worry about what others think of her. Because she has been missing from her maid cafe job, there are rumors starting to fly around that she got greedy and started working at a hostess club. It bothers Ai, but Ryuji tells her to ignore the rumors and eventually they will die down. She later decides that she wants to go to the cafe to set things straight. Ryuji initially refuses until he knows why. He questions her about what she intends to do and asks about the people at the club that she's helping now. Feeling selfish, Ai declines and asks for more time to think on it. Ryuji, not surprisingly, has no problem with being selfish. He states that people often think about themselves first, he just wanted to know what she was thinking. In the end he escorts her out of the quarantine to the maid cafe where she meets with her friends and co-workers. They assure her that she is missed and that the man sreading the rumors missed her and didn't want her to leave but expressed it badly. With everything settled, Ai wants to go back to Shine because she has to help the people there. She can't just leave them. She insists that the lead from her favorite anime would go rightback in there! Ryuji laughs and tells her that if she keeps doing things her way, he might just fall for her.
Ai and Ryuji's interactions are a mix of endearing and head shaking. Half the time, I believe that Ryuji is trying to discern if she's crazy or not. He calls her crazy most of the time but tends to like that she does her own thing. Although he cannot convince her that he's not cosplaying, he takes the teasing fairly well. In fact, he's not sure what she's talking about and I think part of him enjoys the attention anyways. After all, he does keep going back. Although, I consider that because most people avoid him, he might take any attention from those who do not.