Kaoru (薫, Kaoru) is a character featured in the canceled light novel The Anatomy Lesson of Dr. Nicolaes Tulp, based on the fourth part of JoJo's Bizarre Adventure, Diamond is Unbreakable.
He is a 9-year-old boy who moves to Morioh with his mother on June 1, 2000. He befriends Josuke Higashikata and learns about the mysterious phenomenon happening to his body being a Stand.
Appearance
Kaoru is a short young boy with thin arms. He is physically underdeveloped, having the height of an average five or six-year-old rather than a nine-year-old.
In Araki's artwork, he has short hair combed upwards and wears a bandana with various symbols resembling flowers. He also wears a loose crop top with flowered sleeves, which has the image of a face similar to Jolyne Cujoh printed on the front. His pants have guitar-like symbols.
Personality
Kaoru is a mature boy despite his age. He has a complex about his appearance, since he is often mistaken to be younger than he actually is. He also feels that he only causes trouble.
Due to his mother's paranoia, he becomes anxious as well and questions whether things are dangerous. For example, he searches an apartment room for bombs or anything else planted inside because he is suspicious of the low price. After a car accident in 1997, Kaoru loses his memory and barely remembers things from his childhood. However, he misses his father and wishes he was still alive, as he worries about his mother.
Kaoru and his mother are both big fans of Rohan Kishibe's Pink Dark Boy manga.
Abilities
Stand
Kaoru has an unnamed Stand that has the ability to create objects under his skin. When he uses his Stand, a horned figure appears behind him in Araki's artwork, though Kaoru isn't aware of its physical form yet.
History
As the novel was never finalized by Otsuichi, it is unknown how the story would have progressed.
Background
Kaoru used to be an elementary school student, but he does not remember anything about it. His earliest memory is being in a car with his father in 1997. His father said something to him while looking sad and patting his head. His mother told him that the car was in an accident after that, and his father was critically injured while shielding Kaoru. He was taken to a hospital and immediately underwent surgery, but passed away during the procedure. Since then, Kaoru would constantly move away with his mother from place to place without planning on the location beforehand, simply relying on her intuition. Kaoru would often listen to his mother's complaints about work. One day, she snaps at Kaoru for not saying anything in response to her venting as if she was drunk; another day, she claims Kaoru is the only one who listens to her.
In 1998, he meets another kid his age on a slide in the park and they quickly become friends, but Kaoru could no longer remember what they looked like after moving away.
Around August 1999, Kaoru takes a break from solving arithmetic worksheets at home. He rests his elbows on a windowsill while looking outside. Idly playing with his pencil, he notices a bruise on his left arm which he poked with the pencil's tip. Suddenly, his right elbow slips off the windowsill, causing the pencil to pierce about five millimeters through his left arm. Kaoru attempts to remove the pencil, but it is as if it is being sucked in by an unseen force. Upon pressing the area with his fingers, the irregular shape of the pencil is clearly discernible under the skin, as if the pencil had assimilated with his bones. Eventually, the wound closes on its own, and Kaoru could move his left arm normally without any discomfort from the pencil being inside him. Later, Kaoru starts habitually pressing various parts of body with his fingers, feeling irregular bumps and angular objects within his skin.
On a winter night in around 1999 to 2000, Kaoru and his mother have no choice but to sleep at a bus stop and nearly freeze to death. She reveals to Kaoru about a mysterious pursuer coming for him in the future, though she claims not to know who it is. They are rescued by a lady who passes by them while driving, who allows them to stay at her house.
The Anatomy Lesson of Dr. Nicolaes Tulp
Moving to Morioh
On June 1, 2000, Kaoru and his mother get off the bus at a random stop, not even knowing that the town's name is Morioh until they see the sign on the bus stop. They luckily find a real estate agency shortly after walking from the station. Kaoru's mother asks for a cheap apartment where she could move in immediately and where the landlord wouldn't ask too many details, which raises the agent's suspicions. He asks her to bring an adult guardian if she's a minor, angering her. She asserts her real age, so the agent reluctantly brings them to an apartment. The landlord shows them Room 306. Kaoru suspects whether a bomb or something else is planted inside the room since the rent is very low, but he couldn't find anything. However, he later learns that it is where Minako Okura and Satoru Nakae were killed. Kaoru and his mother celebrate their new residence by eating a giant frozen pizza. Not having beds or any furniture, the two sleep on sleeping bags for a while. His mother would also give him worksheets to study at home.
Meeting Josuke
During an evening stroll in the shopping area on June 20, Kaoru accidentally collides with a middle-aged man, causing him to drop a wooden crate he was carrying. The sound of breaking glass is heard as the crate hits the pavement. The man checks if Kaoru is okay and then, quite vexed, explains that Kaoru's clumsiness has resulted in the breaking of a costly vase he was delivering to a customer. Arriving at the scene, Kaoru's mother tries to defuse the situation by apologizing and offering to compensate for the broken item. However, the man continues to berate both Kaoru and his mother. At this point, Josuke Higashikata appears and advises the man to inspect the contents of the crate before demanding any compensation. Despite his initial reluctance and belief that the vase is broken, the man discovers that the vase is miraculously intact upon opening the crate. Both Kaoru and the man are stunned, but Kaoru's mother quickly seizes the moment to whisk Kaoru away. However, Kaoru catches a brief sight of a translucent arm appear when Josuke interacted with the crate. The man, puzzled but grateful, thanks Josuke, only to unintentionally provoke him by mocking his hair, leading Josuke to forcibly punch the man through the window of a luxury boutique with his ability. Kaoru points out the figure he saw to his mother, but she quickly dismisses it as a figment of his imagination when they return home.
The following day, as Kaoru is visiting the Owson convenience store, he is tripped by a high schooler. It is a group of four delinquents, one sporting a distinctly shaped nose. They demand Kaoru's money, but scatter in fear when Josuke arrives and takes notice of Kaoru. Josuke expresses regret for intervening too soon, wondering if Kaoru's own Stand might have emerged. Josuke explains everything about Stands to Kaoru. He summons Crazy Diamond and performs a demonstration: he picks up a leaf, releases it, and the leaf flies back to its branch. Josuke then cautions Kaoru about the potential dangers of possessing a Stand and provides his own contact details for emergencies.
As he walks home, Kaoru feels pain on his cheek from the earlier fall. Probing the area, he discovers a disk-like item embedded under his skin. Attempting to push it out through his eyelid, he reconsiders due to fear. Once home and assured of his mother's absence, Kaoru cuts into his cheek with a knife, resulting in a foreign gold coin clattering into the sink. His mother returns briefly during her work break, but Kaoru conceals the facial injury. She apologizes for her absence and asks Kaoru to have dinner alone due to a meeting with friends.
Old Man at the Park
Kaoru frequently encounters Josuke in town and they strike up a friendship. Josuke grimaces when he sees Kaoru reading Pink Dark Boy at Owson. Kaoru reveals that he and his mother were concerned about Rohan's wellbeing during his hiatus, suspecting a car accident. Later, Kaoru discovers that the real reason for the hiatus was because Josuke beat up Rohan. Kaoru harbors fears of eventually forgetting Josuke upon departing Morioh, considering him his sole companion over the last three years, except for his brief friend when he was 7 who he could no longer remember.
Noticing Kaoru's happy yet restless demeanor, his mother asks if he's made a new friend. Kaoru reveals his bond with Josuke which distresses his mother. She expresses concern about Josuke's age and possible delinquent behavior, but Kaoru defends Josuke's character. His mother, choosing to trust Kaoru's judgment, shifts the conversation to her workday. Kaoru feels a sense of relief, recalling his mother's constant complaints about her previous jobs.
Dedicated to uncovering the origin of the coin from his cheek, Kaoru visits the library daily in Morioh, yet finds no answers. On July 2, Josuke invites Kaoru to hang out at his house. On the way there, Kaoru is captivated by the town's orderly layout and a particular house's well-kept lawn. Josuke tells him stories of a serial killer and lingering spirits in Morioh.
On July 5, on his way back home from the library, Kaoru pauses at a park bench. He appreciates the tranquil setting near the pond. An elderly man beside him initiates a casual conversation, reminiscing about Morioh's transformation from a quaint village to a modern suburb.
The elderly man inquires about Kaoru's arrival in Morioh with his parents. Kaoru shares the story of his father's demise in a car crash and the challenges his mother faces raising him alone. The old man's questioning turns peculiar, probing about potential hidden assets and valuable items in Kaoru's mother's possession. The man's demeanor becomes increasingly eerie, with an intense stare, blood on his neck from scratching it, and cryptic mutterings suggesting Kaoru's father might still be alive. The man's assertions grow more menacing, vowing to find Kaoru wherever he goes and demanding to know the whereabouts of hidden valuables.
Feeling uneasy, Kaoru attempts to leave but is restrained by the man's firm grip. Thankfully, a nurse arrives, who gently coaxes the old man away. As they depart, Kaoru is left contemplating the incident, speculating the old man could be a patient from the nearby hospital. As Kaoru watches the children play in the park, the imprint of the man's grip on Kaoru's arm remains.[1]
