Haruto Okonogi is a key member of the Japan Air Self-Defense Force’s maintenance team tasked with caring for Masotan, an organic transformed flyer stationed at Gifu Air Base. His role transcends technical responsibilities, rooted in his lineage as part of the Okonogi family, which bears partial stewardship over a cyclical, 74-year Ritual to guide the colossal dragon Mitatsu-sama to its throne—a duty anchoring him in a historical and ceremonial obligation central to the series’ conflict. Introduced as a potential love interest for Hisone Amakasu, his dynamic with her deepens as the Ritual’s demands escalate. The Okonogi family’s ceremonial role fuels tension, particularly through Natsume Misumi, a childhood friend and the Ritual’s lead miko, whose possessive romantic feelings toward Haruto clash with her resentment of Hisone. Natsume’s jealousy strains Haruto’s personal relationships, heightening the emotional stakes of his inherited duties. Bound by generations committed to the Ritual’s completion, Haruto’s choices are shaped by the imperative to fulfill this legacy without human sacrifice—a goal aligning with Hisone’s push to reshape tradition. His dual identity as both a military technician and a linchpin of ancestral rites underscores his pivotal position between institutional pragmatism and ancient custom. Haruto’s interactions with Hisone and Natsume mirror the series’ exploration of duty clashing with individual longing. As the Ritual culminates, his presence bridges the ceremonial past and the shifting alliances among the D-Pilots, with the resolution hinging on balancing inherited legacy against personal agency. His arc remains inextricably linked to the Ritual’s outcome, embodying the tension between destiny and self-determination.