Master Masuda

Masuda (増田), commonly known as Master by most of the characters in the series, is a close friend of Tasuku Kurosaki and will help him out whenever he's in a tight spot. He has known Kurosaki for a very long time and enjoys teasing Kurosaki often. Master is also an essential member of the "Team" that devotes itself to protecting Teru Kurebayashi.

Overview
Master works as the proprietor and manager of Ohanabatake (お花畑, Flower Garden), a Western style tea house, often seen wearing a bandana and apron. Despite his cordial demeanor and tendency to tease Kurosaki about his relationship with Teru, the Master can be surprisingly frightening; Kurosaki admits that the Master is far scarier than he is. He is fully aware of Kurosaki's activities as DAISY and has watched over Kurosaki, even before either of them became acquainted with Soichiro Kurebayashi.

Though the Master's loyalties and chief concerns lie with Kurosaki and his well-being, the Master is also obligated to follow the orders of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, who originally assigned him to monitor Kurosaki. As an agent of the government, the Master often possesses useful connections and resources for Kurosaki and his group, though sometimes with certain restrictions.

Prior to joining Internal Affairs, Masuda had been a member of the Special Forces, where he still retains a number of connections. Severe injuries forced him to retire and after his recovery, he accepted a position at Internal Affairs.

Master and Kurosaki
Master is first introduced in Chapter 3, when he interrupts Kurosaki and Teru's conversation with a comment that Kurosaki's lack of interest in any women is because "all Tasuku can think about is this one girl." Throughout the rest of Master's interaction with other characters in the manga, he tends to reveal more and more about Tasuku Kurosaki.

He holds a close relationship with Kurosaki, helping him out with his investigations in order to protect both Teru and Kurosaki himself. While the Master is an agent assigned by the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications to monitor Kurosaki, he has looked over Kurosaki almost like a mother and they lived together for a number of years.

Master cares a lot for Kurosaki, worrying for both his emotions and his physical state. Kurosaki, as strong and capable as he seems, has however admitted to the fact that Master is much more powerful than him.

Master and Riko
Perhaps due to the fact that both Master and Riko Onizuka are aware of Kurosaki's secret concerning Teru's brother, this allows them to have somewhat deep (and mysterious, to the readers at least) conversations revolving around Kurosaki and Teru. In chapter 28, Riko drinks away her sorrows after a pitiful defeat in Othello up against Kurosaki. Too drunk to go home by herself, Master takes her instead, and once in her home, Master takes note of how something's wrong, saying, "This is rare... for you to be drinking. Did something happen?" Master and Riko know each other well, meeting a long time ago at their former workplace, the computer programming company.

Appearance
Master is usually seen in casual clothes, with and apron and bandana on. He wears glasses and Kyousuke Motomi has claimed that he is her favorite character due to his easy-to-draw appearance. She has also mentioned the fact no matter what Master does or wears, it suits him.

Masuda's bandana conceals his bald head, which is actually marked with several scars as a result of injuries and resulting brain surgery incurred during his work as a member of the Special Forces. His glasses also conceal the fact that he is blind in his right eye as because of the same injuries.

Gallery
Master Masuda/Gallery