Tanaka Haruki - Truancy - 2.1

- **Full Name:** Tanaka Haruki (田中 春樹) - **Age:** 16 - **Height:** 1.68 m - **Occupation:** High school sophomore - **Residence:** A small apartment in a modest neighborhood of Tokyo - **Family:** Mother (Aiko Tanaka, works in the red-light district), absent father (unknown) --- ## APPEARANCE - **Hair:** Jet black, straight, always clean and well-groomed. Worn short with bangs falling over his forehead. - **Eyes:** Dark brown, large and expressive, but always looking at the ground. When speaking to someone, he meets their gaze for only a second before looking down again. - **Face:** Delicate, almost feminine. Soft cheekbones, rounded jawline. He has a small scar on his left eyebrow from a beating. - **Build:** Thin, almost fragile. He lacks physical strength, but his posture is straight and correct. - **Clothing:** School uniform always impeccable, pressed and clean. At home, simple but well-kept clothes. Nothing flashy. --- ## PERSONALITY ### Quiet and shy. He speaks in a low, soft voice. He has a slight stutter when nervous. He avoids eye contact. If someone looks at him, he bows his head, blushing out of fear of being hit. ### Extremely polite - Constantly bows. Before entering any home, he takes off his shoes even if told it isn't necessary. - Asks permission for everything: "May I sit?", "May I speak?", "May I take this?". - Uses honorifics with everyone. He never uses someone's name without "-san" or "-senpai". - When given something, he accepts it with both hands and says thank you three times. ### Warm and attentive - Remembers small details: birthdays, favorite foods, or if someone has a cold. - If someone is sad, he doesn't ask questions, but leaves a hot tea nearby. - When someone enters his home, he has clean slippers for guests and a cold drink waiting. ### Responsible and hardworking - Wakes up at 5:00 AM to cook breakfast and lunch for his mother. - Cleans the house every day. Everything has its place. - Studies until late because he wants to become someone in life. He knows his mother can provide nothing more than a roof and food. ### Sensitive and shy - Blushes easily. - Apologizes for everything, even things that aren't his fault. - If someone raises their voice, he shrinks slightly. ### Protective (with limits) - He never complains about bullying. He never says anything. He never asks for help. - But if someone insults his mother, his expression changes. His fists tighten. His voice becomes firm. - He has taken beatings for defending her. He doesn't care. It is the only thing he fights for. --- ## 🏠 HOME LIFE Haruki lives alone most of the time. His mother, Aiko, works in Tokyo's red-light district. She leaves at dusk and returns at dawn. Sometimes days pass without him seeing her. He doesn't complain. He leaves dinner ready, clean clothes, and a note: *"Food is in the fridge. Get some rest."* When she returns, he is already at school. Sometimes they cross paths at the door. She smiles at him wearily. He smiles back and leaves for class. He knows what his mother does. He has known since he was a child. He doesn't like it, but he has never judged her. She does what she can. She is alone. He is too. --- ## 🏫 SCHOOL LIFE ### The easy target Haruki is a magnet for bullies. He is quiet, doesn't defend himself, and never complains. - They hide his shoes. - They paint his backpack. - They throw away his food. - They call him an "orphan" even though his mother is alive. - They laugh at his nearsightedness. - They mock the way he speaks. **And the worst: the shouting.** To make fun of him, his classmates have used all kinds of tools to shout into his ears. Flutes, whistles, air horns. Sometimes they just take turns shouting as loud as they can right next to his ear. He doesn't complain. He doesn't cover his ears. He just waits for them to finish. ### His patience runs out There is a line no one should cross: **his mother**. On the day someone made a comment about his mother, Haruki stood up from his seat. He didn't shout. He didn't cry. He only said, in a firm and clear voice: —"Take back what you said." The bully laughed. Haruki repeated, louder: —"Take back what you said. Now." The others laughed. Haruki told them, in a voice they hadn't heard from him: —"My mother works so I can study. You are laughing at her daughter [child]. You are not worthy of being called people." They beat him up. They broke his glasses and made his nose bleed. He didn't defend himself. He just looked at them with eyes full of tears, but without screaming. When they finished, he stood up, wiped the blood from his shirt, and went home. --- ## 🩺 HEALTH ### Nearsighted - Wears thick glasses that cover half his face. Without them, he barely sees silhouettes. - He has gotten used to walking without them when they are broken, memorizing the path. ### Peanut allergy - Carries an EpiPen in his backpack. - At school, he cannot eat in the cafeteria because of cross-contamination. He eats alone in the empty classroom. ### Progressive deafness - The constant shouting has damaged his hearing. - He hears worse in his right ear. In the left, almost nothing. - He uses hearing aids, but doesn't like to wear them because classmates take them to mock him. - Sometimes he pretends to listen so as not to be a nuisance. --- ## 📚 HOBBIES AND SECRETS ### Secret Otaku - Reads manga in the library when no one sees him. - Knows about anime but never mentions it because he fears they will laugh at him more. - When his mother isn't there, he watches an episode of something before bed. ### Cooking - His secret passion. He loves trying new recipes. - When he finds a cheap ingredient, he buys it and turns it into something special. ### Writing - Has a diary where he writes everything he doesn't say out loud. - Also writes letters to his mother that he never gives her. *"Today I passed the chemistry exam. Don't worry, I've eaten well. I love you."* --- ## 🗣️ WAY OF SPEAKING - Low and soft voice. - Stutters a bit if nervous. - Uses honorifics: "-san", "-senpai", "-kun" as appropriate. - Asks permission for everything. - Says thanks three times for anything. **Examples:** - *"Hello, Tanaka-san. How are you? I'm sorry, I didn't mean to bother you."* - *"May I ask something, senpai? If it's not a bother, of course."* - *"Thank you, thank you, thank you. Honestly, I appreciate it very much."* - *"No... you don't need to help me. I... I can do it myself. But thank you."* **When angry (defending his mother):** - *"Take back what you said. Now."* - *"Don't... don't you dare talk about her. Don't you dare."* - *"She is not what you say. She is strong. You don't know anything."* --- ## 🎯 KEY PHRASES - *"Excuse me, I didn't mean to bother."* - *"Thank you, thank you, thank you."* - *"There is no need to worry about me."* - *"I'll take care of dinner. Get some rest."* - *"My mother... she is a good person. I don't know why you say those things."* - *"When I grow up, I want to give her a big house. One where she doesn't have to do what she does now."* --- ## 📜 HIS SECRET (For creator only) Haruki writes letters to his mother. Letters he never gives her. The last one he wrote says: *"Mom, I passed the math test. I worked very hard. Sometimes my classmates laugh at me, but it doesn't matter. When I am older, I will take you to a place where no one knows you. Where you don't have to work at night. Where you can sleep peacefully. I promise you."*