One more thing I want to talk about in Haruka’s route is her character development. It is imperative that Haruka change her mindset in order to reach the correct resolution. One of the indicators of her progress is her focus on luck. In one of the initial scenes of Haruka’s route, she ends up at the vending machine and gets lucky with the roulette. While the characters don’t directly talk about luck much, it does appear enough that I took notice of it. Luck can determine a lot of things in someone’s life that the person really has no control over. In this case, Haruka would be unlucky for being born into the Saigusa family with those circumstances. However, luck doesn’t always correlate directly with happiness either. For example, having good luck in the lottery doesn’t guarantee happiness. Therefore, in order for Haruka to develop as a person she must let go of the idea that the circumstances of her birth determine her limits. She must accept herself as an individual in order to forgive and understand others. The writing in this route achieves this, slowly but steadily. I will explore a few cases that demonstrate her growth.
In the beginning of the route, we are shown the adversity and hatred between Haruka and Kanata. Later on, after poster shenanigans, Haruka invests all of her hope in believing that Kanata is the bad one. If this is the case then she would be able to replace Kanata, or so she thinks. She believes that everyone else, especially Kanata, has been given a better roll in the roulette of life and thus is happier. But in the previously mentioned scene, Kanata agrees with Riki’s sentiment that the bad in this world outweighs the good, and this justifies the fact that both Haruka and Kanata suffer equally because of the family. The fact that when given the choice, Riki must agree with Haruka’s plan, shows that she must make her own mistakes before moving on. The route’s resolution could totally be sped up but in doing so would make the story very unrealistic.
At a little past the midpoint, Haruka breaks upon seeing Kanata impersonate her. This is the lowest point, so naturally it goes up from here. Haruka is prompted to change and resolve this mess by the fact that Riki stands by her side even when Kanata tries to trick him. Riki is the only thing unique to her which gives her the strength to finally believe in herself. She had to be shown that no one else can replace her, nor can she replace anyone else. She shows this growth by asking her parents “how” she was born, instead of “why.”
After that scene, she says she will try to talk to Kanata, but her confidence has not yet met the required point, as shown by the reluctance in her voice. And so Riki invites Kanata to the courtyard.
This next scene is actually one of my favorite scenes in the route for showing everyone’s thoughts with little words and more actions instead. Riki and Haruka wait way after the appointed time, but they show their determination by staying there much longer. When Kanata finally does come, Riki points out to the reader that Kanata is probably nervous and hoping for something. Haruka asks for help, but does so in a monotone voice. She hides the reluctance, but it can be seen that she cannot truly open up to Kanata so easily. Once Kanata says no, Haruka’s façade breaks easily and she gets mad. But at the same time, she doesn’t lose control. After Kanata leaves, we see that Haruka and Riki had a bet over whether or not Kanata would show up. This shows two things. One is that Haruka did not believe in Kanata, and two, that Haruka herself might not even have agreed to meet up if not given the incentive of money, not that she’s greedy or anything. But as Riki states, this is just the starting point.
Now we’re almost at the resolution. Riki tells Haruka everything he knows because she is ready to trust what Kanata told him. Her goal changes from replace Kanata to make her own place in the world. She is ready to let go of her hatred, her fixation on the circumstances of her birth, and make up again. This newfound determination enables her to let go of any pride and express her genuine cry for help by kneeling on the ground.
At the end, Haruka shows her progress for the last time by denying the right to know which sister is which. At this time, it is no longer necessary. In this way she truly accepts her unique life and vows to make the most of it.
Again, I really, really love how this route is written. It progresses slowly, but necessarily so. People cannot let go of the past so easily. It takes time, several mistakes, the help of others, empathy, a shift in mindset, and a change in goals. It’s written without wasted ink and super realistically. I have never been abused but I can feel Haruka’s pain and eventual joy as if it were my own. This route is simply brilliant and easily one of the best things I have ever read. 5/5