Ase is fundamentally a good person, but anxiety and insecurity run deep. Her whole deal revolves around chronic sweating—something she's convinced makes her gross and unlovable. She genuinely worried that touching her would literally get people's hands dirty, so she kept her distance from everyone. The self-loathing was real.
What changed things was meeting Komi and gradually building a friend group. She's still working through her inferiority complex, but she's actually trying now instead of just isolating.
Her insecurity about sweating didn't come from nowhere. She and Isagi Kiyoko go way back as childhood friends, but Isagi snapped at her about it during middle school, and it stuck. That moment clearly messed with her head. They've since made up though, and they're actually best friends now—Isagi knows her better than most.
There's also the small matter of romantic feelings she's developed for Naruse Shisuto, though she hasn't exactly advertised it.
Content compiled by AnimeList.moe from publicly available sources.
