TV Special
Description
Kaoru Hanabishi is the main male protagonist of the story. He is a university student at Meiritsu University, where he is a member of the photography club and leads a fairly average and well-liked life. His outward appearance is that of a kind, intelligent, and caring young man who is generally calm and not prone to emotional outbursts. However, this placid exterior masks a deep and painful past.
Kaoru is the eldest son of Yuji Hanabishi, the head of the powerful Hanabishi business empire, but he was born as an illegitimate child as his parents never married. This fact led to his family disapproving of his mother, Kumi, and subjecting both of them to inhumane treatment. After his father died when Kaoru was five years old, his paternal grandfather, Genichiro, forced Kaoru away from his mother to raise him as the family's next heir. Kaoru suffered years of physical and emotional abuse from his grandfather, a period of his life that left him with deep psychological scars and prominent physical scars across his back from being beaten with a bamboo cane. The final breaking point came when his grandfather burned all of his late mother’s possessions; when Kaoru tried to stop him, he was brutally beaten, an event that caused him to finally sever all ties with the Hanabishi clan and go into a self-imposed exile. He has since rejected his family name and its legacy, vowing never to wear traditional Japanese clothing again because of his traumatic memories.
His primary motivation throughout the story is to build a new, peaceful life for himself, separate from his family's cruelty. He is initially perplexed and taken aback when Aoi Sakuraba, his childhood friend and former betrothed, finds him and expresses her continued desire to marry him. Although he does not initially remember her well due to his traumatic past, he quickly warms to the idea of a future with her, as she represents the unconditional kindness and love that was absent from his childhood. Despite his painful memories, Aoi becomes his reason for living, and protecting their relationship and future together becomes his central drive. This is demonstrated when he confronts Aoi's father to defend their engagement and when he works multiple part-time jobs to try to give her a special gift.
In the story, Kaoru is the anchor around which the plot revolves. His decision to leave the Hanabishi family sets the events in motion, and his reunion with Aoi is the core of the narrative. To avoid a scandal for Aoi’s family, they must keep their renewed engagement a secret while living in a large mansion owned by the Sakuraba family, where Aoi acts as the landlady and Kaoru as a simple tenant. This secret living situation is complicated when several other young women, all of whom are drawn to Kaoru’s kindness, come to live in the house as well, creating an unwanted harem-like situation. Unlike many male leads in similar stories, he does not struggle with his studies and is not indecisive; he remains devoted to Aoi throughout, fending off the affections of the other female tenants—which include his cheerful American friend Tina Foster, the shy Taeko Minazuki, and the wealthy Mayu Miyuki—and reaffirming his commitment to her.
His most important relationship is, of course, with Aoi Sakuraba. Theirs is a childhood friend romance that develops into a deep and mutual love as adults, with Aoi’s gentle and patient nature helping to heal his emotional scars. He also shares a significant relationship with Miyabi Kagurazaki, Aoi’s guardian, who is initially distrustful of him but later becomes a key ally, even helping him foil plans to separate him from Aoi. His relationship with his own family, particularly his brother, is antagonistic, but his bond with the memory of his loving mother remains a strong, positive influence.
Throughout the series, Kaoru undergoes significant development. He transitions from a lonely young man simply going through the motions of life to someone who has found a purpose and a family of his own making. He learns to confront his past instead of just running from it, as evidenced when he faces Aoi’s father and stands up for their love. By the end of the story, his deep emotional scars have begun to heal, and the physical ones on his back have started to fade, symbolically marking his liberation from his traumatic history. Ultimately, he marries Aoi, solidifying his new life away from the Hanabishi legacy. While he has no supernatural or combat abilities, his notable strengths lie in his deep reserves of kindness, his quiet intelligence, and the stubborn determination with which he protects the people and the life he loves.
Kaoru is the eldest son of Yuji Hanabishi, the head of the powerful Hanabishi business empire, but he was born as an illegitimate child as his parents never married. This fact led to his family disapproving of his mother, Kumi, and subjecting both of them to inhumane treatment. After his father died when Kaoru was five years old, his paternal grandfather, Genichiro, forced Kaoru away from his mother to raise him as the family's next heir. Kaoru suffered years of physical and emotional abuse from his grandfather, a period of his life that left him with deep psychological scars and prominent physical scars across his back from being beaten with a bamboo cane. The final breaking point came when his grandfather burned all of his late mother’s possessions; when Kaoru tried to stop him, he was brutally beaten, an event that caused him to finally sever all ties with the Hanabishi clan and go into a self-imposed exile. He has since rejected his family name and its legacy, vowing never to wear traditional Japanese clothing again because of his traumatic memories.
His primary motivation throughout the story is to build a new, peaceful life for himself, separate from his family's cruelty. He is initially perplexed and taken aback when Aoi Sakuraba, his childhood friend and former betrothed, finds him and expresses her continued desire to marry him. Although he does not initially remember her well due to his traumatic past, he quickly warms to the idea of a future with her, as she represents the unconditional kindness and love that was absent from his childhood. Despite his painful memories, Aoi becomes his reason for living, and protecting their relationship and future together becomes his central drive. This is demonstrated when he confronts Aoi's father to defend their engagement and when he works multiple part-time jobs to try to give her a special gift.
In the story, Kaoru is the anchor around which the plot revolves. His decision to leave the Hanabishi family sets the events in motion, and his reunion with Aoi is the core of the narrative. To avoid a scandal for Aoi’s family, they must keep their renewed engagement a secret while living in a large mansion owned by the Sakuraba family, where Aoi acts as the landlady and Kaoru as a simple tenant. This secret living situation is complicated when several other young women, all of whom are drawn to Kaoru’s kindness, come to live in the house as well, creating an unwanted harem-like situation. Unlike many male leads in similar stories, he does not struggle with his studies and is not indecisive; he remains devoted to Aoi throughout, fending off the affections of the other female tenants—which include his cheerful American friend Tina Foster, the shy Taeko Minazuki, and the wealthy Mayu Miyuki—and reaffirming his commitment to her.
His most important relationship is, of course, with Aoi Sakuraba. Theirs is a childhood friend romance that develops into a deep and mutual love as adults, with Aoi’s gentle and patient nature helping to heal his emotional scars. He also shares a significant relationship with Miyabi Kagurazaki, Aoi’s guardian, who is initially distrustful of him but later becomes a key ally, even helping him foil plans to separate him from Aoi. His relationship with his own family, particularly his brother, is antagonistic, but his bond with the memory of his loving mother remains a strong, positive influence.
Throughout the series, Kaoru undergoes significant development. He transitions from a lonely young man simply going through the motions of life to someone who has found a purpose and a family of his own making. He learns to confront his past instead of just running from it, as evidenced when he faces Aoi’s father and stands up for their love. By the end of the story, his deep emotional scars have begun to heal, and the physical ones on his back have started to fade, symbolically marking his liberation from his traumatic history. Ultimately, he marries Aoi, solidifying his new life away from the Hanabishi legacy. While he has no supernatural or combat abilities, his notable strengths lie in his deep reserves of kindness, his quiet intelligence, and the stubborn determination with which he protects the people and the life he loves.