Kaoru Hana wa Rin to Saku Episode 10 Recap & Characters (Spoiler-Free)

Episode Summary

Summer Storm

Rintaro, Shohei, Saku, Ayato, Kaoruko and Subaru meet at a restaurant to study, and after eating they work through problems together. Saku solves a problem that Subaru is stuck on in seconds, amazing everyone, but his explanation is so terse that no one can follow it. A few days later Rintaro and Shohei learn they passed their finals, and Makoto announces summer break. The boys then go bowling, where Rintaro and Ayato talk about dating, and the episode ends with the group chat planning a beach trip and Subaru telling Rintaro Kaoruko's birthday is on July 22.

• Study session at the restaurant

  The group eats together and then studies, with Rintaro choosing to work problems out on his own before asking Kaoruko for help. Saku instantly solves a problem Subaru is stuck on, but his explanation is so terse that Ayato tells Saku he is bad at teaching.

• Exam results and summer break

  Rintaro and Shohei find out they passed their finals, and Makoto tells the students to enjoy summer rather than study all the time. Afterward the boys decide to go bowling.

• Bowling outing and dating talk

  On the way to bowling, Shohei asks Rintaro if he is dating Kaoruko; Rintaro denies it, but his crush is obvious to his friends. At the alley he asks Ayato what dating means, and Ayato admits he doesn't know either; the two then team up to beat Shohei's team. That night, as the group chat plans a beach trip, Subaru privately tells Rintaro that Kaoruko's birthday is July 22.

Recent Timeline

• Rintaro's disclosure, Ayato's stand, and reconciliation (Episode 7)

  Rintaro asks Kaoruko and Subaru for permission to tell his friends about their relationship, since he no longer wants to hide anything from them; both agree, and Subaru praises his sincerity. When an upperclassman gang confronts the group, Ayato alone knocks down all seven delinquents and warns one of them.

  When Shohei lets slip that they followed him, Rintaro realizes his friends overheard him; Saku apologizes for his harshness and says he fully trusts his three friends, and Rintaro is reconciled with them. At the sports festival, Rintaro's home run, backed by Saku, wins the team a finals berth.

• Park apologies and aquarium date (Episode 8)

  At the park, Subaru apologizes to Shohei for her earlier rashness at the library, and Saku apologizes for his irrationality. Subaru initially refuses to share treats, fearing resentment toward her as a Kikyo student, but the boys assure her it does not matter and the group shares them together.

  On a date at the aquarium, Kaoruko helps a lost child named Mika find her family, and Mika mistakes them for a couple. Afterward, watching the dolphin show, Rintaro realizes he is in love with Kaoruko.

• Friends visit Rintaro's home (Episode 9)

  Shohei, Ayato, and Saku visit Rintaro's family cake shop and home, meeting his mother Kyoko. Kaoruko and Subaru join them after coming to buy cakes, and Kyoko invites them all to stay, presuming they are friends. It is Rintaro's first time bringing friends home, and Kyoko is visibly happy about it.

• Finals results and summer break (Episode 10)

  Rintaro and Shohei learn they passed their finals at Chidori. Shohei credits a great teacher, which leads failing students to assume the credit belongs to Saku. Makoto then announces that summer break is near and urges his students to make memories and have fun rather than spend their student years studying.

• Class bowling outing (Episode 10)

  The boys' class goes bowling to kick off the summer. Rattled by Shohei's question about dating Kaoruko, Rintaro asks Ayato at the drink bar what dating someone even means; Ayato admits he doesn't know either and promises to support him. Ayato then suggests getting back at Shohei for the teasing, and his and Rintaro's team beats Shohei and Saku's team.

Character Graph

Keiichiro

Rintaro's father and Kyoko's husband, a pastry chef who runs the cake shop with her. He hopes Rintaro will one day notice what his mother did for him.

• Kyoko (Family, Affinity)

  His wife; he once asked if she dyed her hair and pierced her ears for Rintaro's sake.

Kyoko

Rintaro's mother, who runs the cake shop and warmly welcomes his friends, the first he has ever brought home. Years ago she dyed her hair and pierced her ears first so Rintaro could change his look without worry.

• Rintaro (Family, Affinity)

  Son she has always quietly supported; she is moved to tears when he thanks her.

• Keiichiro (Family, Affinity)

  Her husband, who asked whether she changed her look because of Rintaro.

Ayato

Chidori

Gentle, easygoing Chidori classmate in Rintaro's group who becomes fierce when a friend is hurt. He bluntly tells Saku he is bad at teaching, and at bowling he listens to Rintaro's worries about dating and promises to support him.

• Defending Rintaro

  Confronts the delinquents who injured Rintaro and warns them against further trouble.

• Supportive friend

  Promises to keep Rintaro's crush on Kaoruko secret and to support him whatever happens.

• Rintaro (Friend, Affinity)

  Close friend; he promises to keep Rintaro's crush secret and to support him, then teams up with him at bowling to get back at Shohei.

• Saku (Friend, Affinity)

  Friend he bluntly tells is bad at teaching; at bowling they are on opposing teams.

Kaoruko Waguri

Kikyo

A Kikyo student and longtime regular at Rintaro's family cake shop who has never seen him as scary. At the group study session she offers to help Rintaro and is impressed when he insists on trying problems on his own first.

• Kikyo student

  Attends Kikyo, the school for prestigious young ladies, as shown when Rintaro sees her there.

• Feelings for Rintaro

  Admits to liking Rintaro and says she loves him.

• Aquarium outing

  When Rintaro asks what she would like in return for her study help, she says she wants to go somewhere together, which leads to their aquarium outing.

• Tutoring

  Offers Rintaro help with his studies and is noticed for her intense concentration.

• Rintaro (Friend, Other, Affinity)

  She has come to see him as kind and is drawn to him; their friends can tell he has a crush on her.

• Subaru (Friend, Affinity)

  Childhood friend from Kikyo who studies alongside her in the group.

Rintaro

Chidori

The protagonist, a Chidori student feared for his looks who is actually kind. Determined not to slip back into being bad at studying, he works problems out on his own and avoids failing his finals, but his crush on Kaoruko is plain to his friends, and he learns from Subaru that her birthday is July 22.

• Reputation

  Rumored to be a scary delinquent because of his looks; in the past he was bullied and shunned for his appearance.

• Openness with friends

  Decides to tell Saku, Shohei and Ayato about his relationship with Kaoruko and Subaru, since he no longer wants to hide anything.

• Feelings for Kaoruko

  After a date at the aquarium, he realizes he is in love with Kaoruko, a feeling he never expected to have for anyone.

• Study resolve

  Refuses Kaoruko's offer of help at first, preferring to work problems out alone.

• Kaoruko Waguri (Friend, Other, Mentor, Affinity)

  Kikyo girl who helps him study and whom he loves; when Shohei asks if they are dating, he denies it but cannot hide his feelings.

• Subaru (Other, Affinity)

  Kaoruko's childhood friend, now part of the group, who quietly tells him Kaoruko's birthday.

• Saku (Friend, Affinity)

  Close friend he made up with at the sports festival; they now trust each other fully.

• Kyoko (Family, Affinity)

  Mother who dyed her hair and pierced her ears first so he could change his look; he has thanked her for it.

• Shohei (Friend, Affinity)

  Close friend who can read his crush on Kaoruko at a glance.

• Ayato (Friend, Affinity)

  Close friend who listens to his worries about dating, promises to keep his crush secret, and teams up with him at bowling.

Saku

Chidori

Sharp-tongued, clever Chidori classmate in Rintaro's group who fully trusts his friends. He instantly solves a Kikyo problem that stumps Subaru, but his explanation is so terse that Ayato tells him he is bad at teaching, and classmates assume he was the 'great teacher' who helped Shohei pass.

• Reconciliation with Rintaro

  Apologizes for eavesdropping and for being too harsh, and says he fully trusts his three friends.

• Teaching style

  Gives barebones explanations and takes over Subaru's workbook to teach her and Kaoruko.

• Rintaro (Friend, Affinity)

  Close friend he made up with; he now fully trusts Rintaro.

• Shohei (Friend, Affinity)

  Noisy friend he bickers with; they are on the same team at bowling.

• Ayato (Friend, Affinity)

  Friend who bluntly tells him he is bad at teaching; at bowling they are on opposing teams.

• Subaru (Colleague, Neutral)

  Kikyo study partner whose problem he solves, though his explanation leaves her lost.

Shohei

Chidori

Rintaro's cheerful Chidori classmate and the group's mood-maker. He shows up late to the study session, avoids failing his finals for the second time in a row, and on the way to bowling bluntly asks Rintaro whether he is dating Kaoruko.

• Bowling skill

  Shows off bowling prowess with Saku.

• Rintaro (Friend, Affinity)

  Close friend whose crush on Kaoruko he sees through; he offers to help if anything comes up.

• Saku (Friend, Affinity)

  Friend he bickers with; they are on the same team at bowling.

Subaru

Kikyo

Kaoruko's silver-haired childhood friend at Kikyo, cool on the surface and fiercely protective of her. She studies with the group, gets stuck on a problem that Saku solves, and quietly tells Rintaro that Kaoruko's birthday is July 22.

• Childhood bond

  Shares a childhood photo with Kaoruko and becomes tearful over it.

• Confrontation with Rintaro

  Asked Rintaro to stop seeing Kaoruko and later admitted this to Kaoruko; later met Rintaro and asked whether they could one day become friends.

• Reconciliation with Shohei

  She apologizes for her rash behavior at the library and Shohei says he is not bothered by it.

• Study struggle

  Gets stuck on a question and is taught by Saku.

• Kaoruko Waguri (Friend, Affinity)

  Childhood friend and her hero, who studies alongside her in the group.

• Rintaro (Other, Friend, Affinity)

  Chidori boy she once tried to keep away from Kaoruko and now spends time with; she lets him know Kaoruko's birthday.

• Shohei (Other, Affinity)

  Chidori boy she clashed with at the library; when she apologized at the park, he said he didn't even remember.

• Saku (Colleague, Neutral)

  Chidori study partner who solves her problem but explains it too tersely.

Clue Board

• Why Kaoruko came back (Episode 2)

  Rintaro wondered why Kaoruko came back to the shop even after learning he attends Chidori. The next morning she answered herself: Chidori and Kikyo don't matter — she wants to know him because he is Rintaro.

• Childhood photo with Kaoruko (Episode 3)

  Subaru stares at a childhood photo of herself and Kaoruko and begins to tear up. Resolved in episode 6: the two have been friends since early childhood, and Subaru has looked up to Kaoruko as her hero ever since Kaoruko rescued her from being bullied over her silver hair.

• Note from Kaoruko in Rintaro's notebook (Episode 5)

  Saku finds a note from Kaoruko in Rintaro's notebook, and Rintaro's refusal to explain it strains their friendship. Resolved in episode 7: Rintaro decides to stop hiding his friendship with Kaoruko and Subaru, and after his friends overhear him say so, Saku apologizes and they make up.

• Kaoruko's dressed-up outing after school (Episode 5)

  Kaoruko comes to meet Subaru a little dressed up after going somewhere after school. Earlier that evening she had dropped by Rintaro's family cake shop, secretly hoping she might see him.

• Subaru's change of heart (Episode 6)

  Subaru asks Rintaro if they could one day become friends, despite the hostility between Chidori and Kikyo. Rintaro asks whether something happened since they last met, and Subaru says it is a secret.

Season Summary

Season 1 — Season 1

Episodes 1–10

Rintaro, a Chidori student feared for his looks, meets Kaoruko, a regular at his family's cake shop who attends the elite girls' school Kikyo next door. The two schools are bitterly at odds, but Kaoruko never sees him as scary, and they grow close as she helps him study.

Despite pushback from Kaoruko's protective childhood friend Subaru and a falling-out with his friend Saku over his secrecy, Rintaro opens up to everyone; Subaru warms to him, and the boys make up after Ayato drives off an upperclassman gang.

The four boys and the two Kikyo girls become friends; Rintaro realizes he loves Kaoruko on an aquarium outing, and his friends accept him when he explains his blond hair and piercings at his family's cake shop. After a group study session, Rintaro and Shohei avoid failing their finals. Shohei sees through Rintaro's crush, and as summer break begins, Subaru tells Rintaro that Kaoruko's birthday is July 22.

Music Releases

• Your Gaze, Crepuscular (OP)
• On a Good Day (ED)