Hanako Kobayashi

**Hanako Kobayashi** (小林 花子, *Kobayashi Hanako*) is a character in Collar x Malice and the 8th Executioner of Adonis. Hana is a hardcore fan of Yasuhiro Isshiki and is very... VERY obsessed with him. She dresses loudly, and is always looking for a way to get closer to Isshiki.

## Appearance

Hana has long, blond hair in two ponytails, each held by a pink bow that drapes over the front, out from her hoodie. She wears a cream-colored hoodie with bunny ears and fluffy fur. Her skin is fair and she has green eyes.

## Personality

Hana is largely presented as a peppy and outgoing person, with a cheery personality, particularly when it comes to Isshiki, whom she calls Hiro. Her obsession is maniacal, as she will kill for him, even if he does not express any desire for death. She is thoroughly sadistic with Fuji, having shot him multiple times and let him run around for her amusement before she shot him fatally through the heart. She claims to hate who Isshiki hates and declares all his enemies her own. Her fanaticism shows in less egregious degrees, such as buy four extra tickets to their concert to ensure she has a spot.

## History

Hanako is often just referred to as Hana, simply. She works in an apparel store in the area near Shinjuku station, where she sells clothing similarly fashioned like her own. She is affiliated with Adonis, though it is not clear how she came to be a pawn in her organization. The police state that she is not an actual member, and was merely used to cause chaos. During the X-Day events of April and May, she exacted revenge through torture and eventual execution onto Fujii, who had falsely arrested Isshiki. She claims to have followed Isshiki closely through his music, even before he arose to fame. However, Isshiki seems to regard her as a nuisance and Kazuki calls her a stalker.

### Game Events

Hana first appears in a side story, where she is talking to a disembodied voice, assumed to be a member of Adonis. She states she will do whatever it takes to give her and Hiro (Isshiki) a bright future. Isshiki's career had recently built back up after his false arrest toppled his initial debut, and he was taking the stage with Kazuki and Akito. In preparation for their first concert, Hana follows Kazuki home after practice, meeting Ichika for the first time.

Hana is oblivious at first to Ichika being a police officer due to Kazuki being mum about the issue on account of Kazuki. She tells Ichika about the concert and offers to sell her a ticket when Ichika is unable to get one herself. The next day, Ichika meets Hana near her store and buys her own ticket, but requests an extra for Enomoto. In response, Hana hands her the other extra tickets for free, saying she's glad more fans will hear Isshiki's music.

At the concert venue, Hana spots Ichika and Enomoto. In a bid to get an audience with Isshiki, Enomoto poses as a fan and wins Hana's trust. Hana helps them sneak into Isshiki's dressing room. Isshiki shoos her out while he talks to Ichika and Enomoto about his false arrest and Fujii's actions. However, Hana hears everything, including how Ichika is actually a cop. When their conversation ends, Ichika realizes Hana overheard, but doesn't think anything about it as the concert is about to start.

After the first few seconds of the concert beginning, Hana causes a panic by pulling a gun on Kazuki and taking him hostage, saying she would exact justice onto the sinners in the room. She mentions she was supposed to do this at a later date, but it didn't matter. She announces her love for Isshiki and her hatred of all cops for having falsely accused him. She blames Kazuki for having hid his relations to a police officer and states she will kill him as one of the sinners.

As Isshiki tries to hold Hana's attention, Ichika, Saeki, and Enomoto make their move to rescue Kazuki and neutralize Hana. Hana gloats about how she killed Fuji, enraging Enomoto. However, Ichika calms Enomoto down so he doesn't immediately try to kill Hana. As Saeki prepares to grab Kazuki, Enomoto and Ichika take nonlethal aim. This triggers a shooting sequence for the player.

* If the player misses their shot, Enomoto's shot hits, but Ichika's misses. This allows Hana enough mobility to shoot and kill Kazuki. In a furious rage, Ichika shoots and kills Hana, emptying her clip entirely. She then cries and mourns for her brother, and the screen shows a Bad End.

When Enomoto and Ichika make their shots, Saeki is able to grab Kazuki. However, Hana manages to shoot Saeki in the back just as Enomoto tries to disarm her. Once he gets the gun away from her, Hana tells Enomoto to kill her if he hates her so much for what she did to Fuji. Enomoto states he will have her go through the entire legal process because he is not kind enough to kill her. The ambulance and police then arrive to clear the scene. Ichika later finds out that Hana is suffering from amnesia and cannot recall anything related to her crimes or Adonis.

## Etymology

* The name **Hanako** means "flower, blossom" (花) (**hana**) and "child" (子) (**ko**).
* Hanako's surname **Kobayashi** means "small" (小) (**ko**) and "forest" (林) (**hayashi**/**bayashi**).