Ritsuko's father. He owns a record store. He occasionally holds jazz sessions in the basement of the store. He plays the upright acoustic bass. 

The beginning of summer, 1966. 
Because of his father's job situation, freshman high school student Kaoru Nishimi moves by himself from Yokosuka to Kyushu to live with relatives. Until then, Kaoru was an honor roll student who tended to keep to himself, but meeting notorious bad boy Sentaro Kawabuchi starts to change him. Through his devil-may-care classmate, Kaoru learns the attractions of jazz and finds the first person he can call a "friend". He also discovers how much fun it is to play music with a pal. 
Other characters include Sentaro's kind childhood chum, Ritsuko, who is the daughter of a record shop owner; the mysterious upperclassman, Yurika; and Brother Jun, the much-admired leader among their peers. Set against the backdrop of a seaside town with a scent of American culture, this series is a drama about young people coming into their own, crossing each other's paths, and finding friendship, love, and music! 
(Source: Official Website)

Nishimi Kaoru has moved from city to city and school to school because of his father&rsquo;s job. So the first day at his new school was just routine for him. Being intellectual and the new transfer student, he has always been seen as an outcast and all Kaoru had to do was bear it until the next time he moved. But things were slightly different this time. First, he started to get close to the class president, Mukae Ritsuko, and, secondly, unlikely as it seemed, grew closer to Kawabuchi Sentaro. Sentaro was infamous for getting into fights, skipping class and was an overall bad boy. Strangely enough, the three of them find common ground in music, namely jazz, and Kaoru finds himself actually enjoying the new town. 
Notes: 
Includes 8 extra chapters. 
Won the 57th Shogakukan Manga Award for general manga.

Once again, we join Sentarou, Kaoru and their friends in a short jam session of friendship, music and love. 

1. Junichi and Yurika, after Junichi's move to Tokyo 
2. A short story about Kouta, Ritsuko and the guy who answered the phone when Kaoru called Ritsuko 
3. Tsutomu Murae (Ritsuko's dad) and how he finds his way into Jazz 
4. Sentarou Kawabuchi and how he discovers his new resolve 
5. After story...

Tsutomu Mukae