Characters/Haruka Hamasaki
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| Personal Information | |
|---|---|
| Surname Name | Hamasaki Haruka |
| Birthday (Age) | June 20th (n/a) |
| Type of Character | Side |
| Additional Information | |
| Hair Color | Pink |
| Eye Color | Purple |
| Height | 5′ 8′′ (173cm) |
| Job(s) | Owner of Koi Cafe |
| Family | Haruka's Husband (Husband) |
| First Appearance | Haruka (Event) |
Haruka Hamasaki is part of the Side Cast of in Lessons In Love. She is owner of Koi Cafe and, as a result, is Rin and Molly's boss.
Background
Growing up, Haruka wasn't particularly popular or outgoing. She often kept to herself, studying and hanging out with her whole group of friends as most teenage girls would. Around 18, she got into her first relationship with an unnamed man, later marrying him. Three years before the start of the game, her husband was drafted for the Space War. At some indeterminate point, she opened Koi Cafe.
Characteristics
Haruka is known among her friends and employees as a faithful and friendly older woman. She's admired by her employees, easily making conversation due to years in customer service and managing to handle the day-to-day logistics of running a store without a sweat. Her friendliness extends to her employees, lightly bantering with them and keeping in constant contact, even offering them time off work out of the goodness of her heart.
Behind this persona, though, Haruka reveals herself to be a deeply lonely, easily swayed woman. Her extreme dedication to her husband has resulted in his absence ruining her emotionally. She is desperate for affection and, unable to find it, tries to find a multitude of distractions to keep herself afloat. This desperation allows her to be easily swayed, even potentially to the point of adultery. In addition, she's deeply insecure, often insulting herself for her bad decisions and giving herself degrading nicknames.
She shares Sensei's interest in the girls, albeit to a much more casual degree.
Relationships
Sensei
Haruka's relationship with Sensei is heavily dependent on player choice.
- If the player chooses to "be a gentleman" during Invisible Worm and Roses, Sensei and Haruka maintain a friendly relationship for the duration of the game. Haruka still holds some uncomfortable feelings and thoughts about Sensei, but she's able to push past them ultimately and confide in him about her loneliness platonically.
- If the player chooses to take "another man’s wife" during Invisible Worm or during Roses, the relationship between the two becomes more complicated. While Haruka still confides in Sensei about her loneliness, the physical aspect of the relationship becomes something that’s both deeply uncomfortable to her and something she becomes dependent on. She notably becomes a lot more self-deprecating if the said choice is chosen.
Rin
Rin is one of Haruka's employees, usually being slotted into the morning shifts. The two are very friendly with each other, teasing and bantering in between the breaks and swarms of customers. They're in a group chat together with Molly where the three share updates on each other's lives, as well as schedule their shifts.
Molly
Molly is one of Haruka's employees, usually being slotted into the night shifts due to Molly's tendency to stay up late. While they're said to be friends, Haruka is often shown to be easily exhausted by her personality and has little to no faith in her ability as a barista.
Sara
One of Haruka's few friends, the two knew each other from high school, though weren't in the same year. It was only after the two of them graduated and opened their businesses that they reunited. From then on, the two are close friends, often hanging out with each other and drinking during the holidays. They're also, potentially, comfortable being intimate with or near each other, though this is only seen if Sensei pursued a relationship with Sara and Haruka.
Maki
Maki is another one of Haruka's friends, and the two are often seen together at events and Haruka often confides in Maki about her loneliness. The two are also very physically close with each other, often found glued to each other's sides after a few drinks.
Haruka's Husband
Very little is said about Haruka's Husband himself, but the loneliness Haruka feels after his draft into the army has left an emotional scar on her. Her natural desperation has become amplified and she longs for the affection he used to shower her. Until she hears almost nothing about his status, leaving her constantly anxious about if he'll ever come home. She says she loves him deeply.
Memorable Quotes
- "Just...thanks, I guess."
- "For kind of...brute forcing me into realizing that I don’t understand why I do certain things or...or feel certain things."
- "I don’t want to hear it. Friendship ended with Sara. Maki is my best friend now."
