Hakaru Shiratori

* Anime
* Manga

**Hakaru Shiratori** (白鳥 策, *Shiratori Hakaru*) is one of the supporting characters of *Taisho Otome Fairy Tale* series.

## Appearance

Hakaru is a rather tall man with pale, grey hair and possesses purple eyes like his twin sister, Kotori.

## Personality

Hakaru is shown to be upbeat and a bit mischievous. He takes delight in teasing people and has no qualms about being the twin brother of the famous Kotori, despite the unwanted attention it brings him.

He takes an interest in Tamahiko on their first day at school and immediately considers themselves to be friends. He also takes an interest in Tamahiko's younger sister, Tamako, with whom he quarrels but it is shown that he is interested in her.

## Background

Hakaru is the older twin brother of Kotori and they hail from a wealthy family from Kyoto. Both had a knack and love for music in their early childhood. Both had dreams of becoming musicians until Hakaru fell ill with turberculosis and it took him three years to recover. This left him exhausted to the point he quit music entirely, forcing his sister to pursue her dream alone. According to Hakaru, he never saw Kotori truly smile after that, but in reality it was he who never truly smiled after that.

## Plot

### *Taisho Otome Fairy Tale*

Hakaru enrolls in the same school and at the same time as Tamahiko. Tamahiko is shocked to learn Hakaru is Kotori's twin brother, and allows him to hang out with him. Hakaru is the only student in class who doesn't bully Tamahiko and continues to hang out with him despite the snide remarks the other students say. During art class, they are tasked with drawing someone important. Tamahiko naturally picks Yuzuki whereas Hakaru picks Kotori but both of their drawings are so terrible that they are ordered to redo them. Hakaru goes to Tamahiko's house to do homework, which is to draw each other, and he meets Yuzuki. During a break from their homework, he overhears Tamahiko lie to Yuzuki that his first day at school went well and everyone was nice to him. Hakaru criticizes him for lying but understands Tamahiko's reason was noble, so he keeps this a secret from Yuzuki. Hakaru then has dinner with them and remarks how he and Tamahiko are friends, which deeply touches Tamahiko as Hakaru is the first person to call him a friend.

Hakaru brings Kotori with him to Tamahiko's house so that she can seek advice on writing a love song. After three days of trying to come up with lyrics, Hakaru is ready to leave but she refuses to leave, causing them to quarrel. Kotori reveals how Hakaru wanted to be a musician too but his sickness prevented him pursuing his dream. While Kotori sits on the patio, Hakaru takes her guitar and begins singing, which leaves his hand and voice worn out. The siblings reconcile as Hakaru knows he can never catch up to Kotori as a musician but he will support her. The siblings later go to Kyoto to celebrate New Years with their grandparents despite being invited to celebrate Yuzuki's birthday at the same time.

Hakaru begins volunteering at Tamahiko's uncle's hospital and he becomes acquainted with Tamako. He is exhausted after having been 'worked to death' by Tamasuke, who says he will be a great doctor. This causes Tamako to retort she will be a doctor because she has been studying to become one longer. Hakaru decides to become a doctor after all, making Tamako more angry.

A year later, he attends Tamako's 15th birthday party and compliments her dress. When Tamako says no man will want to marry a woman who is aspiring to be a doctor, he jokingly suggests she marry him. He later attends Tamahiko and Yuzuki's wedding ceremony.

### *Shōwa Otome Otogi Banashi*

Hakaru is studying as a doctor apprentice in Germany and keeps in contact with Tamako, with whom he is now in a relationship, by letters. In one letter, he leaves a kiss mark on it and asks her to send him a reply letter with a kiss mark, much to her embarrassment.

When Tokoyo bexomes seriously I’ll and begins coughing up blood, Hakaru and his mentor, a German doctor who is a friend of Liselotte Meggendorfer, are called in by Liselotte in to examine her. They take careful not of her symptoms and diagnosis her with tuberculosis. Tokoyo reveals her mother died from the disease and believes she inherited it from her mother. Hakaru corrects her that it’s not hereditary but is very contagious and while there is no cure, she can combat it by building robust nourishment and get plenty of rest. He and Tamako become her primary caregivers from then on. Jintaro and Tokoyo are surprised when the two arrive together to take care of Tokoyo. Hakaru tries to explain they are lovers but Tamako stops him. Jintaro and Tokoyo deduce it anyway because Tamako is wearing new earrings, meant to impress Hakaru. They visit her at her mountain house frequently for checkups, which consist of laying in the sun (as Hakaru explains the radiation can destroy the germ cells). After a year, when Tokoyo doubts it’s effectiveness, Hakaru distracts her with folk remedies used in the past and offers her encouragement. Some time later, Hakaru leaves to pursue his career as a doctor overseas and Tamako accompanies him. When Jintaro is drafted into the Second Sino-Japanese War, he asks Hikaru and Tamako to take care of Tokoyo while he is away. Hikaru and Tamako later attend Jintaro and Tokoyo’s wedding.

Over the next five years, Hakaru marries Tamako and they operate their own clinic. They look after Tokoyo while Jintaro is away. When Jintaro is presumed to have been killed in combat, Hakaru and Tamako continue caring for Tokoyo for several more years until the war ends and Jintaro returns alive.

## Relationships

### Kotori Shiratori

Hakaru has a typical relationship with his sister. They quarrel but are shown to deeply care about each other. Although he can no longer practice music and lost all desire to do so, he supports his sister's dream at being a famous singer.

### Tamahiko Shima

Hakaru is the first person to call Tamahiko a friend, and was the only one of their peers who didn't bully or look down on him. Although Tamahiko tends to get annoyed with Hakaru’s mischievous nature, the two become good friends.

### Yuzuki Tachibana

When he first met her, Hakaru was instantly charmed by Yuzuki, and grew fond of her.

### Tamako Shima

Hakaru and Tamako started off on the wrong foot due to her uncle believing he would make a fine doctor despite Tamako training longer than Hakaru to be one. However, Hakaru is shown to be interested in her. Although he may have been joking and/or was drunk when he said it, he suggested they get married. Years later, they eventually became a couple, got married (which now makes her **Tamako Shiratori**) and opened their own clinic.

## Etymology

* The name **Hakaru** means "measure, policy, plan" (策).
* Hakaru's surname **Shiratori** means "swan" (白鳥).
	+ It can also mean "white" (白) (**shira**) and "bird, poultry, fowl" (鳥) (**tori**) separately.

## Trivia

* Hakaru is shown to be horrible at art, and his artwork is just as terrible as Tamahiko's.
* Hakaru is a fan of the same pornographic magazine Tamahiko is subscribed to.