Mariko is Nanako's classmate - she sits close to her - and is immediately attracted by her; she is a very beautiful girl who, not differently from the others, wants to become a member of the Sorority, and is very proud of her beauty. She wants Nanako to become her best and closest friend, and is very jealous of Nanako's friendship with Tomoko. For this reason, she'll try to undermine this relationship, telling some lies to Tomoko.

She passionately defends Nanako in several occasions, but sometimes her behaviour is excessive; her sometime strange attitude towards the others is mainly caused by her serious family problems (the relationship between her parents is in a crisis and because of her father, Mariko completely distrusts men...).

For some time, Mariko will risk losing forever Nanako's friendship. Mariko has very deep feelings for Kaoru, and in time she'll also become a friend of Tomoko's (only in the anime version).

Before leaving her cram school, Nanako Misonō asks one of the teachers if they can become pen-pals. The teacher, Takehiko Henmi, is reluctant at first, but eventually accepts the offer. The story is narrated through the letters sent from Nanako as she enters Seiran, a renowned private high school for girls only. There she encounters many difficulties as an ordinary middle-class girl invited to the prestigious Sorority, the most traditional and sophisticated club on campus.. 
(Source: AnimeNewsNetwork)

Married to voice actor [Shuuichi Ikeda](https://anilist.co/staff/95598/Shuuichi-Ikeda)

An Italian actress, voice actress and ADR director. Sister of [Luca Ward](https://anilist.co/staff/108367) and [Andrea Ward](https://anilist.co/staff/96224). Mother of [Alessandro Campaiola](https://anilist.co/staff/137561) and [Federico Campaiola](https://anilist.co/staff/165518).

A classic manga about girls at a private all-girls school. The storyline centers around the experiences of Nanako, a "normal" girl who is invited to join the prestigious school organization, the Sorority, and is resented by all the other students because she doesn't appear to be qualified. Other key characters are Nanako's two friends: Tomoko, her friend since childhood who is alienated by Nanako's decision to try to join the Sorority, and Mariko, a strange, obsessive girl who is invited to join the Sorority along with Nanako; her "older brother," Henmi, who she corresponds with by mail; and the "Three Magnificent Ones," all of whom are admired and quasi-worshipped by the rest of the student body: the head of the Sorority, Miya-sama, the haunted, pill-popping rebel, Saint Juste, and the star athlete with a mysterious disease who doesn't like the Sorority, Kaoru-no-kimi. (Source: Lillicious) 
 
Included one-shots: 
Volume 2: Summer in Canterbury 
Volume 3: Early Spring Trembling

Mariko Shinobu