TV-Series
Description
Haruhiko Usami is the older half-brother of Akihiko Usami, sharing the same father but born to a different mother. He was born from his father's extramarital affair and lived hidden from public view with his mother during his early years. After his mother fell ill and passed away, his father brought him into the Usami family mansion to live with them. Conscious of his birth background, he worked diligently to become the perfect elite son as a way to earn everyone's approval. His professional role is as an executive of the Usami Group, and he eventually becomes the president of the construction division of the family company. He is thirty-one years old at the time of his introduction.
In terms of appearance, Haruhiko bears a strong resemblance to his younger brother. He has short, unevenly cut brown hair that is longer on the right side and brown eyes that are typically hidden behind a pair of round glasses. He is almost always seen wearing formal suits, which reflects his position and serious demeanor.
Haruhiko has a personality that is generally described as cold, calculating, and disapproving, particularly toward his brother Akihiko. Misaki Takahashi once commented that he is a person with whom it is hard to keep a conversation going. Despite this cold exterior, he has a childish and immature side that shows he does not fully understand the everyday world, which is exemplified by his inability to navigate the subway system on his own. He also has a hidden fondness for sweet foods. Throughout the story, it becomes evident that while he appears to be the opposite of his brother, the two actually share many underlying personality traits. He envies Akihiko for living freely, a life different from the perfect, elite path Haruhiko forced himself to follow.
One of his primary motivations is an unfulfilled ambition to become an architect. He personally designed a popular aquarium that appears in the story, which stands as his only constructed work. Eventually, with encouragement from Misaki, he reconnects with this dream and begins pursuing it by participating in his family's construction projects. His romantic motivation centers on Misaki Takahashi, whom he claims to love. His feelings for Misaki began during a chance encounter at a subway station where Misaki helped him find his way. Misaki spontaneously called him an idiot during an argument between the brothers, and this outburst sparked Haruhiko's interest and later genuine affection. He makes elaborate attempts to win Misaki over, such as sending him large quantities of flowers, strawberries, and cherries based on offhand comments Misaki makes about things he likes.
Haruhiko's role in the story is primarily as a secondary character who creates tension within the main romantic relationship. His pursuit of Misaki directly challenges and strengthens the bond between Akihiko and Misaki. He functions as a rival to his brother, embodying an external threat to their relationship.
The most significant relationship in Haruhiko's life is with his younger half-brother, Akihiko. Their relationship has been strained since childhood. A recurring pattern in their past involved Haruhiko claiming things that belonged to Akihiko out of jealousy, a behavior Akihiko passively allowed. This pattern continues into adulthood, with Haruhiko setting his sights on taking Misaki away from Akihiko. However, unlike in the past, Akihiko refuses to allow this, stating that Misaki is the one thing he will not let Haruhiko take. While Haruhiko shows clear hostility toward Akihiko, Misaki once suggested that perhaps Haruhiko actually likes his brother and simply wants to be like him. The anime adaptation suggests that Haruhiko does not truly hate Akihiko. His relationship with his father, Fuyuhiko Usami, is formal and professional, as the father is his boss. Haruhiko was also nearly forced into an arranged marriage with his cousin, Kaoruko Usami, though this was ultimately avoided. He has a childhood friend, Ryuuichiro Isaka, who is also Akihiko's employer.
Over the course of his character arc, Haruhiko experiences notable development, much of it influenced by Misaki. In one significant event, Haruhiko visits his mother's grave on the anniversary of her death. He considers this day cursed as it brings back painful memories of learning that his mother was a mistress and of his subsequent inability to connect with the Usami family. He meets Misaki by chance, and as they eat together, Misaki encourages him to speak to his mother's spirit by sharing her achievements from the past year. This provides Haruhiko with a new perspective, helping him realize he can talk about better things, such as his feelings for Misaki, and that the day is not cursed. More broadly, while he attempted to win Misaki's love and was consistently rejected, his feelings for Misaki persisted. More importantly, Misaki's encouragement directly led to Haruhiko abandoning his resentment and emotional constraints to finally pursue his lifelong dream of becoming an architect, which allowed him to genuinely smile for the first time.
In terms of notable abilities, Haruhiko is highly competent in business as a managing director of a major corporate group. His true passion and talent, however, lie in architectural design, which he was forced to abandon for the sake of the family business before reclaiming it.
In terms of appearance, Haruhiko bears a strong resemblance to his younger brother. He has short, unevenly cut brown hair that is longer on the right side and brown eyes that are typically hidden behind a pair of round glasses. He is almost always seen wearing formal suits, which reflects his position and serious demeanor.
Haruhiko has a personality that is generally described as cold, calculating, and disapproving, particularly toward his brother Akihiko. Misaki Takahashi once commented that he is a person with whom it is hard to keep a conversation going. Despite this cold exterior, he has a childish and immature side that shows he does not fully understand the everyday world, which is exemplified by his inability to navigate the subway system on his own. He also has a hidden fondness for sweet foods. Throughout the story, it becomes evident that while he appears to be the opposite of his brother, the two actually share many underlying personality traits. He envies Akihiko for living freely, a life different from the perfect, elite path Haruhiko forced himself to follow.
One of his primary motivations is an unfulfilled ambition to become an architect. He personally designed a popular aquarium that appears in the story, which stands as his only constructed work. Eventually, with encouragement from Misaki, he reconnects with this dream and begins pursuing it by participating in his family's construction projects. His romantic motivation centers on Misaki Takahashi, whom he claims to love. His feelings for Misaki began during a chance encounter at a subway station where Misaki helped him find his way. Misaki spontaneously called him an idiot during an argument between the brothers, and this outburst sparked Haruhiko's interest and later genuine affection. He makes elaborate attempts to win Misaki over, such as sending him large quantities of flowers, strawberries, and cherries based on offhand comments Misaki makes about things he likes.
Haruhiko's role in the story is primarily as a secondary character who creates tension within the main romantic relationship. His pursuit of Misaki directly challenges and strengthens the bond between Akihiko and Misaki. He functions as a rival to his brother, embodying an external threat to their relationship.
The most significant relationship in Haruhiko's life is with his younger half-brother, Akihiko. Their relationship has been strained since childhood. A recurring pattern in their past involved Haruhiko claiming things that belonged to Akihiko out of jealousy, a behavior Akihiko passively allowed. This pattern continues into adulthood, with Haruhiko setting his sights on taking Misaki away from Akihiko. However, unlike in the past, Akihiko refuses to allow this, stating that Misaki is the one thing he will not let Haruhiko take. While Haruhiko shows clear hostility toward Akihiko, Misaki once suggested that perhaps Haruhiko actually likes his brother and simply wants to be like him. The anime adaptation suggests that Haruhiko does not truly hate Akihiko. His relationship with his father, Fuyuhiko Usami, is formal and professional, as the father is his boss. Haruhiko was also nearly forced into an arranged marriage with his cousin, Kaoruko Usami, though this was ultimately avoided. He has a childhood friend, Ryuuichiro Isaka, who is also Akihiko's employer.
Over the course of his character arc, Haruhiko experiences notable development, much of it influenced by Misaki. In one significant event, Haruhiko visits his mother's grave on the anniversary of her death. He considers this day cursed as it brings back painful memories of learning that his mother was a mistress and of his subsequent inability to connect with the Usami family. He meets Misaki by chance, and as they eat together, Misaki encourages him to speak to his mother's spirit by sharing her achievements from the past year. This provides Haruhiko with a new perspective, helping him realize he can talk about better things, such as his feelings for Misaki, and that the day is not cursed. More broadly, while he attempted to win Misaki's love and was consistently rejected, his feelings for Misaki persisted. More importantly, Misaki's encouragement directly led to Haruhiko abandoning his resentment and emotional constraints to finally pursue his lifelong dream of becoming an architect, which allowed him to genuinely smile for the first time.
In terms of notable abilities, Haruhiko is highly competent in business as a managing director of a major corporate group. His true passion and talent, however, lie in architectural design, which he was forced to abandon for the sake of the family business before reclaiming it.