Ayame Jounouchi (城之内 綾女 Jōnouchi Ayame) is a classmate of Kyoya Ootori and Tamaki Suoh and vice-chairman of Class 2-A who becomes Haruhi Fujioka's tutor when Haruhi fails to make top of her class, a necessary condition for maintaining her scholarship. Despite disliking Tamaki for his eccentricities and the fact that he ranks ahead of her as second in class, Ayame harbors a crush on him. Initially, she perms her hair straight but after Tamaki's advice, she reverts to her natural curly hairstyle and becomes a regular at the Ouran Host Club. In the anime, her appearance is limited to a cameo in Ep 24 - And So Kyoya Met Him!, when Tamaki introduces himself to her and Kyoya as the class reps.
Appearance
Ayame is described as having clear eyes and perfectly straight hair, making her look like a perfect scholar. Her hair tends to curl whenever she's stressed or angry. It is later revealed that her natural hair is very curly and that she only kept it straight for Tamaki Suoh. Eventually, she allows it to revert back to its natural curls.
Personality
Ayame is a very scholarly girl who is ranked third among the 2nd-years and she has a tendency to give long-winded speeches about various things, all without breathing in between. This prompts the members of the Host Club to dub her "Morse Code Lady."
She worries about what people think of her and has a severe grades complex. She constantly strives to be the best of the best and spends most of her time studying. Her perfectionist personality leads her to take Tamaki Suoh's compliment to her hair personally and she straightens it daily for two years just to meet his "expectations."
Story
Ayame's disapproving gaze
After Haruhi Fujioka gets third place on the midterm results for 1st-years, she's at risk for expulsion from Ouran Academy since she must remain first in her class to keep her scholarship. Since Ayame is the top 2nd-year female student, Kyoya Ootori asks her to tutor Haruhi. She does so, but is soon bothered by the noise in the Host Club salon. Tamaki Suoh makes several peace offerings which Ayame refuses.
Noting her coldness towards Tamaki, Haruhi asks her if she holds a grudge against the blond. In another long-winded response, she says that although he is popular and intelligent, she is repulsed by him. She angrily wonders to herself how such an idiot can have higher grades than herself, revealing that she has a grades complex that developed two years prior, during her last spring of junior high school.
At that time, Ayame was ranked second in her class, behind Kyoya; then Tamaki entered the academy. When she first meets him, he compliments her straight hair, causing her to blush and tremble. She soon realizes, however, that he compliments many girls in the same way. This annoys her and makes her think that maybe he doesn't know any other Japanese phrases or that he is stupid. Soon after, Tamaki achieves second place on their midterm exam, pushing Ayame to third. She initially thinks that it's an anomaly, but the grades are consistent, frustrating her and causing her to despise her deposed status.
During her tutoring sessions, Haruhi and Ayame discuss test problems while Tamaki spies on them. Ayame begins to rant but the twins, who are standing behind her, exclaim that they have found a natural curl. They note that her hair must be very wavy and start to give her beauty tips until she yells at them to stop. She also yells at Tamaki to leave her alone, telling him that this is why she hates the rain. She asking him why it matters if her hair is straight and scolds him for taking it for granted. She adds that he makes her uncomfortable because he doesn't really care and to stop twisting her feelings around. After this, she runs off crying while Haruhi yells out for her. The twins attribute the outburst to her severe grades complex, but Mitsukuni "Honey" Haninozuka tells Takashi "Mori" Morinozuka that she probably just has a crush on Tamaki.
Ayame runs to the girls' locker room where she has the missing Kuma-chan stowed in her locker. She throws the teddy bear on the ground and starts hitting it, angry at herself, saying that he surely doesn't remember what he said even though she made such a big deal of it. Tamaki approaches from behind and repeats what he said when they first met while getting down to her level and grabbing a lock of her hair. He apologizes and says that he meant what he said, causing her to blush anew. She apologizes for being unable to meet his expectations since "both [her] hair and heart are twisted." But he makes her blush once again by saying, "The rain is a necessary prelude to beautiful weather. So even if your heart is in a downpour right now, it only means that it will become exceptionally beautiful in time."
The next day, the Host Club holds a flower-viewing event featuring irises, the flower after which Ayame is named. She wears her hair curly and the other girls comment on how nice it looks. In the aftermath, she corrects Tamaki's statement about rain and beauty in her long-winded way and becomes a regular at the Host Club.
Relationships
Tamaki Suoh
As representatives for Class 2-A, Ayame and Kyoya Ootori are the first two students to meet Tamaki. He immediately waxes poetic that her heart must be as beautiful and pure as her long, straight hair. She develops a crush instantly, but when she realizes that he speaks this way to all the girls, she is offended. She decides to brush it off since he must be dense, but he manages to beat her for second place in class rank. She assumes he devotes even more time than her to studying, only to find out that he's starting a frivolous club. She sees him as a shallow person and treats him coldly in the classroom, but later stores his lost Kuma-chan and pencil in her locker. After she explodes at him, Tamaki apologizes and holds a Host Club event in her honor. Ayame is touched and decides to keep her hair curly and becomes one of Tamaki's regular customers. However, she uses her time in the club to drill him academically and give him speeches. In Chapter 80, Ayame and a large group of other customers and students help Tamaki get to the airport on time to see his mother.
Kyoya Ootori
Kyoya and Ayame were class representatives in middle school before Tamaki Suoh beat her in class rank. She respects Kyoya and his opinions, as seen when she agrees to help Haruhi simply because Kyoya believes in her. Kyoya and Ayame are very similar in wit and composure and have a friendly relationship. During a feud with Tamaki in Volumes 10-11, Kyoya can be seen speaking with Ayame in class as the two blatantly ignore Tamaki. When the Host Club disbands, it is Ayame who tells Kyoya that she and the other customers already knew of Tamaki's family situation, but didn't mind it. This opens Kyoya's eyes to how much the customers have bonded with the Hosts, and he predicts that when Haruhi Fujioka reveals her true gender, the customers will not judge her and might even already know.
Haruhi Fujioka
At Kyoya Ootori's request, Ayame tutors Haruhi for her make-up exam so she may remain at Ouran and she states that Kyoya must think highly of Haruhi to ask her to help. She is impressed with Haruhi's intelligence and admires that she came to Ouran to push herself rather than impress people, since Ayame feels constant pressure to impress others. Haruhi notices that even though Ayame claims to hate Tamaki Suoh, she pays close attention to him. A week before Haruhi leaves to study abroad in America, Ayame drills her in English nonstop.
In the dorama, Haruhi accidentally kisses Ayame instead of Kanako Kasugazaki.
Etymology
- The name Ayame means "design" (綾) (aya) and "woman, girl, daughter" (女) (me).
- Ayame's surname Jounouchi means "castle" (城) (jou), "this" (之) (no) and "inside, within" (内) (uchi).
Trivia
- Ayame despises Tamaki Suoh, noise and rain (because it frizzes her hair).
Gallery
