| abstract | - Hanabishi (Honjō) Kaoru(花菱(本条) 薫)
* Voiced by: Sōichirō Hoshi(Japanese), Dave Wittenberg (English) The primary male protagonist of the series. He's a fairly average person and he doesn't fit the mold of the stereotypical male hero in most harem anime series. For the most part, he's shown to be a fairly good student, and isn't prone to emotional outbursts unlike other leading males in harem anime. He's generally well liked and is a member of the photography club at Meiritsu University. He harbors a deep dislike for the Hanabishi clan due to their inhumane treatment of himself and his mother, which was due in turn to that clan's disapproval of his parents' relationship. Kaoru's mother and father never married, and he was an illegitimate child. His back is scarred from when he was tortured with a bamboo cane for trying to prevent his grandfather from burning mementos of his dead mother. Living alone in self-imposed exile up till now, he has led an average, if not lonely, life. When Aoi came he was, at first, perplexed at her visit, not remembering almost anything prior. The idea of marriage took him aback, but very quickly likes, and even eventually looks forward to it. Note: In the manga, there's another Kaoru Hanabishi who claims to be the legitimate heir of the Hanabishi Zaibatsu and insists on referring to Aoi's Kaoru by his mother's surname, Honjō. He also claims that the marriage agreement between the Hanabishi and the Sakuraba is still in effect and that duty requires Aoi to marry him instead. His character is two-faced in nature, though he tries to show nothing but kindness, charity and honor to Aoi. However, Aoi does not reciprocate these overtures and remains faithful to the first Kaoru, even up to the point in which she declares she would sooner give up her family name rather than abandon her true love. His given name, Kaoru, means "fragrant." In the final chapter, which happens four years after Tina has returned to the US, Kaoru had returned to using his mother's surname, Honjō (本条). He's also married to Aoi. Despite giving up the fortunes of the Hanabishi family to his half-brother, Kaoru has no regrets, and the last characters to be seen in the manga were the couple, seen through the viewfinder of Tina's camera.
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