Aya Ayano

"No, it's not supposed to be me! I don't wanna die!"

- Aya Ayano, after being saved by Kouichi Sakakibara

Aya Ayano is a student of 9th Grade Class 3 in 1998.

Personality
She is a cheerful, sociable and kind student and she is a member of the drama club with Izumi Akazawa and Yumi Ogura. She comments to Koichi that she's a lot more laid back than the dramatic Izumi, though she appears to be more emotional, screaming when her teacher killed himself and gibbering with fear when Koichi saved her from the falling glass.

Appearance
She has short light brown hair that reaches to her neck, and slightly sticks out everywhere. She also has brown eyes. Aya usually wears the school female standard uniform. Her casuals consists of a black cap, purple T-shirt, black pants, necklaces and a turquiose jacket.

Plot
Aya first appeared in "Rough Sketch," talking with Kouichi Sakakibara. She, alongside Yukari, Tomohiko, and Naoya were among the students who enthusiastically welcomed their new classmate.

In "Put Flesh," Aya skipped class. Walking down the sidewalk, she met Kouichi and the two had a brief conversation. Suddenly, the wind picked up, and a large window pane almost fell on both students. Thinking quickly, Kouichi pushed her out of the way. Laying side by side on the sidewalk, a distraught Aya began to wail that she didn't want to die, much to Kouichi's confusion.

Aya went back to school, and was in class at the end of "Face to Face," watching in horror with the rest of her classmates as Kubodera pulled a knife from his duffel bag. In "Sphere Joint," she and the others witnessed his bloody suicide, and screamed, causing the panicked mass exodus from class 3-3. Standing out in the hallway with her friends, Izumi tried to calm the visably shaken Aya down.

In "Body Paint," Aya and Yumi went looking for Chibiki, when they met Kouichi and Naoya as the boys were looking for Matsunaga's tape. Declining an offer to join them, the girls left. The Ayanos had decided the only way to protect themselves was to escape Yomiyama, packing up their car for an extended trip. Aya said goodbye to Yumi, promising to call her once she and her family were safe. It was the last conversation the two had.

Driving along a mountain road, the Ayanos had almost escaped when a loose rock fell off the mountain and impacted their car's windshield. Aya's father lost control of the vehicle and plunged over the side of a cliff. There were no survivors.

Gallery
Main article: Aya Ayano/Image Gallery

Trivia

 * She was fond of nicknaming her classmates, and was generally very familiar. She called Kouichi "Kouichi-chan" (a term of endearment usually reserved for close friends) and called Teshigawara "Teshy" as shown in "Body Paint".
 * Aya is Yumi Ogura's best friend. Her death, along with that of Yumi's brother, caused Yumi to snap and resulted in her own death.
 * Her first name, Aya, means "coloring." Her last name, Ayano, means "designed field."
 * Her home address is 2-9 Furuikecho Yomiyama City.
 * She is ranked A in Another characters ranking.
 * Ayano is an anime original character. No characters in either the novel or manga die in a car accident.