Hikaru Kusakabe

Job John (formerly, by friends)

Beyan (by Tani)

Okaru (by his sister)

Rihito Sajou (husband)

Hikaru Kusakabe is a second year high school student. He is an average student, but a talented musician.

## Appearance

Kusakabe has unkempt blond hair that reaches his shoulders and droopy eyes that imply he may have trouble getting a sufficient amount of sleep, though this 'droopy' appearance could be a result of his smoking habit. He has a thin, lanky build and seems to be a bit bow legged. He likes to wear jewelry including bracelets and earrings.

## Personality

Kusakabe is a free spirit. He likes people and they like him. These extroverted tendencies are supported by his ease when it comes to interacting with other people, as well as his attitude when onstage and performing. When the attention is on him, that's when he seems to thrive, his comfort level relatively high while performing or making friends. Likely due to his experiences with all sorts of people, he's very observant, as shown when he was able to easily pick out Sajou as being one of the students who was not singing during their first run through of the song their class would be performing, and later, when he notices his improvement, as well as his shift in mannerisms when upset.

Despite this comfort with other people, he has a tendency to overthink not only other people's actions, but their motivations, their thoughts, and their feelings. This is showcased fairly well during the choir performance that brought him and Sajou together in the first place. After noting that he's singing without a problem, the thought of Sajou singing well, not because he had truly wanted to learn or because he wanted to put the work he and Kusakabe had done to good use, but because he wanted to please their teacher had distracted him enough to make him fumble and cause the entire event to come to a screeching halt. With all eyes on him, the very same gaze that he normally thrived under became his worst enemy, driving him to tears and straight out of the building. These irrational thoughts often lead to him making assumptions of other people, showing his somewhat self-destructive nature. Allowing those thoughts to fester will lead to him breaking down, spouting everything that's on his mind, whether it be an assumption or a fact. This is shown when he confesses his love for Sajou while simultaneously vocalizing his view on the choir situation, drawing a rightfully bewildered reaction from the other.

During these breakdowns, he tends to explode suddenly, then will resort to disregarding his own feelings completely by repeating phrases such as "I'm fine," or "it's nothing," before recovering rather quickly. He also frequently pushes his problems and emotions to the side or avoids them until he simply can't anymore, which is shown when he skillfully dodges answering the question of what he's going to do after high school time and time again. This suggests that he projects his emotions onto other people as well, such as when he accused Sajou of "avoiding the issue" of his desired University, while he has been doing just that since the early scenes of the film.

As the earlier incidents of him rambling hint at, he normally speaks his mind, whether it's a good idea or not. Although he fails to effectively address his own emotions and problems, he is a fairly open book, making his intentions clear, as well as his thoughts on a subject. He will often go on nonsensical tangents about something that's stuck in his head or something he's curious about, especially when trying to change the subject. For example, during a counseling session with Hara-sen, rather than actually responding to the question at hand or doing what he needed to do, he repeated the beginning lines of a poem they had covered in class during the week, the ending of which he could not remember. These little episodes assist him in shifting the mood when things have gotten too serious, or when he has already moved on from the previous topic.

Essentially, Kusakabe is a friendly, open person who simply has a habit of getting into his own head. Though he disregards his outbursts, he still grows from them, and better understands himself and his emotional state afterward. He seems to fear the change the future will bring, but by the end of the film he and Sajou have come to a mutual understanding that no matter what they may face, they'll be able to withstand it because they have one another.

## Relationships

Rihito Sajou

Kusakabe and Sajou were classmates their second year, but the first time we see them truly interact is the start of their friendship. During the first run through of the music piece their class will perform, Hikaru notices that Sajou isn't singing, despite having the score right there on the blackboard. He makes the assumption that he is someone who thinks singing is lame or unnecessary, but is later proven wrong when he returns to the now "empty" classroom in search of his bento box, only to find Sajou practicing by himself. Sajou tells him that he couldn't read the blackboard due to his eyesight and glasses not matching, and Kusakabe offers to help him learn individually. Surprisingly, Sajou takes the offer, and the two slowly build their relationship up through their tutoring sessions.

It isn't until the night before the performance that Kusakabe realizes he's developing romantic feelings toward the other, and due to his impulsive nature, he ends up suddenly kissing Sajou when they both try and pick up a fallen sparkling water bottle. He then panics, opting to run away from the situation rather than hear Sajou's thoughts.

Later in the manga, they get married and move together.

## Trivia

* He is a tenor.
* Kusakabe has stated that he normally doesn't use an umbrella when it's raining.
* He often smokes cigarettes when he is with his band-mates, or in order to relieve stress when alone.
* Hikaru's role in his band is that of lead guitarist.
* The band's name is 'ZGOK.'
* He has a sister

## Quotes

"Do you think the glasses get in the way during kissing?" (To Sajou)

"I recorded it in my heart, I can play it anytime" (To Sajou)