Megumi is Soma's best friend and classmate. She is a clumsy, timid, thoughtful, kind, and honest girl who always speaks in a polite tone. She is a nurturing sort of person, always looking out for others and willing to assist them in any way that she can. Megumi's greatest gift is her warm hospitality as she cooks for the eater to make them feel good. Her main aspiration in life is to return to, and eventually run her mother's ryokan. Megumi's mother taught her to think of someone special to her whenever she cooks and Megumi firmly believes that by doing so, she can create delicious dishes. Although Megumi is a capable chef, she does not fare well under pressure because she has stage fright. Because she is intimidated very easily, she makes simple mistakes when she cooks, causing many of her classmates to see her as a weak student. She is quick to panic when something goes awry and tends to overthink situations when under pressure or stress, such as repeatedly packing and unpacking a suitcase to make sure she packed something, even though she did not need to pack a suitcase in the first place. She is also rather cautious, preferring to choose her words and actions carefully to avoid unwanted consequences and attention. She has a habit of tracing the kanji for "person" (人) on her hand then motioning as if to eat it, whenever she is stressed. When feeling overwhelmed or frustrated, she often reverts to speaking in a Hokkaido accent.