Relationships[]
Kiyose Haruta[]
From the second half of season 1 until the current day, Kaoru and Haruta are shown to grow closer and closer, forming a very strong bond of friendship and mutual trust. They are very supportive of one another.
Kaoru was essentially the one who pushed Haruta's flower to bloom. They share a very close relationship to one another, as Kaoru's gentleness is compatible with Haruta's hot-headedness.
In Archive 1-15, after talking face-to-face with each other, they hugged because Kaoru "was a bit jealous that Haruta let Chise hugged him".
When Haruta's flower finally bloomed, Kaoru congratulated him, even tearing up from joy.
In season 3, Haruta is the first (and as of now the only) member to find out about Kaoru's memory issues and eating-disorder and comforts him, telling him that he will remember things in his stead. Ever since, the two have been even closer than before. However, it is implied that Haruta feels helpless about this incident and after talking to Chise, he decides to consult the doctors about Kaoru's problem.
In OTHER, it is implied that Haruta's memory of the incident might have been removed.
[This section contains spoilers. Expand to read.]
Yuki Mahiro[]
Mahiro and Kaoru are roommates. Mahiro was also the first person in Anthos* that Kaoru met when he first moved into the dormitories (Dollhouse). Since they share the same age, they can be comfortable around each other, and Kaoru was shown to be very caring towards Mahiro. In Project Archive: A 2-5, he stated that he would find it wonderful if he could call Mahiro his best friend, but is unsure whether Mahiro feels the same way about him. In Project Archive: A 2-7, Mahiro referred to him as his "equal, rival and best friend", and Kaoru happily replied that he feels the same way about him.
In a 2019 cooking showdown, they teamed up along with Haruta to cook together, and beat Ryoga, Lihito and Chise.
Their "rivalry" occasionally shows during competitions, like the treasure hunting competition or the second cooking showdown in "Rise to Stardom".
In season 2, Mahiro comes in on Kaoru right when Kaoru realises for the first time that experiencing memory loss, and later on, Kaoru seems to have forgotten he and Mahiro have been on a first-name basis for years and accidentally calls him "Yuuki-kun", alerting the other members. These two events probably cause Kaoru to distance himself from Mahiro, as he knows the other is still worried about his health sometimes. In season 3, they get the chance to appear in a drama together, which would fulfil a promise they had made at the beginning of season 2. However, upon hearing the offer, Kaoru gets a panic attack and tells them that "it's impossible for him", shocking Mahiro. The doctors later decide that Mahiro has to take up the offer by himself, as Kaoru is too unstable.
As of OTHER, Mahiro and Kaoru no longer have been sharing a room in the new dormitory since around February 2023, and Kaoru implies that he does no longer see his friendship with Mahiro as essential to his work as an idol.
[This section contains spoilers. Expand to read.]
Toudo Lihito[]
Lihito was shown to be rather fond of Kaoru. In Project Archive 1-8, he stated that he found his voice to be very pleasant to listen to. He was also the first person to notice Kaoru's strange behaviour previous to his flower blooming. Though being very calm initially, Kaoru becomes more confident over time and starts occassionally tearing the older member.
It is later revealed that Lihito's reason to be so caring towards Kaoru probably stems from the fact that his father used to be Kaoru's family's doctor. He knew about Kaoru's sickly condition as he had access to private data concerning some of the members, and therefore decided to watch over him a little.
[This section contains spoilers. Expand to read.]
Appellations[]
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| Refers to Kaoru | Kaoru | Watashi | Kao-nii | Kaoru | Kaoru |
| Refers to them | Mahiro | - | Haruta | Setsuna-san | Lihito-san |
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| Refers to Kaoru | Kaoru | Oru-kun | - | - | - |
| Refers to them | Ryoga-san | Chise-san | - | - | - |