A Rumination of Hashihime of The Old Book Town

HASHIHIME OF THE OLD BOOK TOWN

ADELTA │ GAME PAGE │ TRAILER │ STEAM │ 2016 │ R

*This translation is done with the help of AI.*

A masterfully written Boy’s Love visual novel delivered by well-known Japanese indie developer ADELTA. Playing through this entry thoroughly is definitely advised to truly enjoy it. The game is priced at $35 USD and comes fully voiced. With five routes, the story takes about 30 hours to complete.

Due to different intermediaries, the STEAM version is English only. For other languages, you’d have to get the SWITCH version, which comes in Chinese, English, and Japanese. Do note that partial content has been removed from the NS edition, but five more short stories are included in the appendix.

I started playing Hashihime of the Old Book Town in English towards the end of 2019 after buying it on STEAM. I thought about stopping to finish reading Dogura Magura while I was playing. Even though I haven't finished reading that brick of a novel, I had a hard time ignoring the game's numerous allusions and references to it. As soon as the game commenced, I was captivated by the writing's wit and visual direction. In one sitting, I beat it.

The protagonist’s name went by Tamamori. A clerk worked at Umebachidou, a used bookshop that was only open on wet days. He was a failed applicant to Imperial University and an unsuccessful fantasy writer. Tamamori regularly gave his writings to two childhood friends for feedback. Kawase believed his works had little to no value, but Minakami was understanding and compassionate.

Tamamori learned of his close friend's passing the day after Minakami failed to show up for their arranged excursion. Disregarding Kawase's logic, Tamamori maintained that Minakami's demise was a homicide and announced suspicions that the murderer must have been the enigmatic man in a mask who haunted the streets at night.

Follow the prescribed order of Minakami, Kawase, Hanazawa, Hikawa, and Masked Man to comprehend the entire narrative. The player has this order set up for them. Whether the order can be bypassed is uncertain. I’d say this placement appears to be the most sensible overall.

After completing the Minakami route and moving forward, it was initially perceived that the author had intentionally placed the lengthiest and most detailed Minakami route in the first lap to establish the foundation and explain the basic relationship between the world and the characters. Even if players choose to use the skip function later on, they can still easily transition to the new course.

The idea of exposition is true, but as I learned on the fifth round, this story differs from other romance ADVs in that each character's storyline does not conclude with their own ending. Instead, the protagonist Tamamori's likely outline is traced through all five of them together.

The story introduces the worldview and plot devices by the Minakami route, but it confines the players into a predetermined framework, and manipulates information.  As the story progresses, this structure gradually collapses, revealing the absence of a final explanation or resolution. Readers and participants are free to interpret and make any assumptions they approve of.

The character that most piqued my interest was Tamamori, the protagonist of the game, rather than any of the love interests.  Tamamori is an untrustworthy protagonist and narrator due to his memory impairment and propensity to engage with hallucinations. The storyline features an array of softcore science fiction settings, parallel worlds, looping time travel, and supernatural elements from folklore. Tamamori is both the maker and the bearer of this world.

In an instance that I were to provide critique, I would classify this visual novel as a kinetic novel, meaning that the player has no actual agency.  In nature, I think the old divergence approach can be executed given the script still handles the explanations required to be done for each route. Varying story sequences would be available to players to enjoy. That said, the trickiest and most complicated route is intended to be undertaken first. I believe that the only path that needs to be completed at the very end is the one that involves the Masked Man.

But that's the extent of it. It is, in my judgment, beyond critique at this point as an independent work. In terms of literary ambition, lay structure, voice acting, computer graphics, and soundtracks, it performs far better than plenty of commercial products. Particularly striking is the psychedelic art style, which uses paper-cutting imagery to highlight clashing symbols and colors. If you're interested in Japanese literature and have the time to read a visual novel that is fairly robust, I highly recommend it.

I wrote the above, like, four years ago?

When I learned that dramatic create was going to release this title on SWITCH, I was ecstatic. (My memory is hazy, but I believe this to be the first BL game that got translated into Chinese on the NS.) I purchased it as soon as it was published.

In any case, the rerun was postponed until I eventually decided on drafting a series of BL game reviews, figuring that the appropriate time had come for it to take place. 

…And no, I’m still not done with reading Dogura Magura.

After a few years, I’d like to say that my Japanese has improved slightly.  Due to the similarity in sentence patterns between Chinese and Japanese, I found myself pondering on words and jargon with some relish as I faced Hashihime of the Old Book Town Noma edition this time. Overall, the experience was still quite enjoyable, and I appreciated the companionship this game provided once again.

While there are some repetitive sections and leisurely times in the manuscript, it is crucial to thoroughly review the major points with a focused attitude, much as when reading literature. This is particularly true for the first lap, the Minakami route.  The game required a lot of cerebral labor and was academically and mentally exorbitant. The quotes contain an abundance of analogies and symbolism, and the words themselves are deeply meaningful. It’s a work that follows you into your dreams.

I sporadically compared the Noma edition's deleted section with the Steam version. All of the sequences that included sexual acts had been changed, cut, or removed, as far as I could tell. For a system such as the Nintendo Switch, the intended user base is evident. But Hashihime's sex scenes were primarily plot-related, which took attention away from the relationships and growth of the characters. The Hanazawa route, for instance, suffered the most narratively and in terms of pace. 

The new Spin-Off feature won't be available until the fifth route is finished. There are five novellas with animal themes, along with dubbed afterwords of each route. (I suppose they were also chopped, based on the strange breaking point in them.)

The Afterwords are adorable and charming. I wouldn't consider them to be canonical, though. 

To avoid giving anything away, I'll pen briefly about how I feel about the characters (read at your own risk, as it may alter your perception).

Tamamori, oh, how should I describe Tamamori? If I were to play on shock value, I'd refer to him as "Taisho Yumedanshi* Novelist." 

*Taisho: a period in Japanese history spanning from 1912 to 1926; Yumedanshi: a guy who, in order to satisfy his yearning to get close to fictitious characters, self-inserted himself into his own creation. As the word is gender specific, a woman would be "yumejoshi".

Whichever Tamamori they were, they each exhibited a certain amount of arrogance along with egotistical and self-centered qualities. Tamamori's motivation for pursuing a particular love interest changed throughout the course of the tortuous journey he took after taking numerous impacts. From seeking to stabilize his own life to admitting his own inadequacies, he eventually grew increasingly reliant on the other individual. 

To romanticize Tamamori, it can be said that Tamamori continued to cheat through his time-backtracking ability and in the process of trial and error, he learned to cherish and understand others. To put it cruelly however, Tamamori was an immature kid who was only aware of asking and had no idea how to reciprocate a favor in return. It wasn't until he lost relationships that he started to value them. But really, how many chances do people get to turn from their previous transgressions?

In the tale, disregarding all reason and morality, Tamamori committed heinous deeds and went to great measures in order to get back three childhood friends - "If you can't let go of the other no matter what, can it not be considered love?" This sentiment might be accurate if the story weren't so determined to break it up with disparate narratives. 

With every path Tamamori progressively let go, he first succumbed to grief upon learning of the unexpected passing of his best friend Minakami. He then turned to Kawase, Minakami's complete opposite, for comfort. Next came Hanazawa, who had previously served as his protector; Hikawa, the wealthy scientist who harbored a passionate devotion for Tamamori; and lastly, the enigmatic adopted son who saw nothing but his own foster father.

It's disheartening that the mate selection curve appears to go from defying fate to just giving up, even if pathways should be looked at individually.

Ignoring the strong romantic undertones in the Afterwords, Tamamori implored others to "love me, understand me, stay with me, choose me," without imparting a clear response. Seeing him as a self-centered, hypocritical man who couldn't tell his own desires apart could be perplexing at times. But as a player, I hoped that  the fool that was trapped in his own delusions would soon come to his senses, which would serve to alleviate me as well.

Unquestionably, this game appeals to a very sensitive and vulnerable area of many people's hearts, including mine: the universal experience of loneliness, or "personally perceived loneliness," which might be interpersonal, psychological, or ideological; and the sadness and frustration that come from not being able to get sympathy, acknowledgement, and attention.  

It is evident that Tamamori was very affixed to his childhood companions. His best recollections were of the times he spent discovering his ambition with a selection of close acquaintances. But as they grew older, this group life—which had started in a secluded setting in the country—became more daunting for them. They fell apart not soon after they arrived in the city. It appeared as though Tamamori was the only one who was still living out his charming ideal of friendship and the satisfaction of old whims.

At first glance, it feels like the game progressively breaks the protagonist's connection to the past and places him in a new reality. This concept exemplifies maturing, establishing a sense of self, and coming to terms with isolation. 

Even so, aren't such peaceful, ideal dreams still immensely beautiful? Wouldn't it be nice to occasionally lose oneself in them? When will this recurring cycle come to an end? I fear that it will go on until one's true curiosity ultimately subsides.

From left to right: Minakami → Kawase → Hanazawa → Hikawa → Masked Man

It took nearly 10 hours to complete the Minakami routes alone, even with some skipping.

As mentioned before, all routes are divergences/rewrites/transformations/extensions of the Minakami route.

To Tamamori, Minakami was like oxygen, and in return, Tamamori held the same place in Minakami's mind. I wouldn't have much affection for the good-friend character in most BL games. But it was Tamamori's desperation, not Minakami's appeal, that made me realize how significant Minakami was through his persistent efforts. 

For the dislike of giving anything away, I won't discuss specifics. To put it simply,  Tamamori was Minakami's destiny, and the latter could not envision lives without him. However, Minakami’s self preservation was of no importance to himself. In this universe, with varying mindsets, their disagreements arose. Since it was a fateful relationship, should its weight be as light as a feather or as heavy as the ocean?

There was a  D/s dynamic in Kawase and Tamamori's relationship, despite the fact that their roles were not immediately apparent. Their friendship stood in mirroring contrast in theme, personality, behavior, and sentiment between Minakami and Tamamori. One couldn't help but feel twinned associations toward "Kawase and Minakami '' with a competitive undertone given their identical group placement and the troubling events they went through with Tamamori when they were children.

Tamamori endured the desolation of the Minakami route alone. The Kawase route, however,  erasing the gloominess, was a theatrical display of a horror comedy. "The comical hero must win out to save his brave, sardonic friend as the killer closes in!" That would be Tamamori's ideal result for him and Kawase—a glorified demonstration of genuine friendship—but the lovely Kurosawa Rinko, the author, would never approve of a corny love story in which the lead character simply remedies the psychological problem of his prospective romantic partner. 

The route was a voyage of remorse and jealousy, fear and want, dissatisfaction and fondness, almost as vibrant as seeing through a kaleidoscope.

Last but not least, Kawase's voice actor did an outstanding job.

Before the Hanazawa route, the Minakami route alluded to the man's nature, whereas the Kawase route presented it in full. Like Tamamori, I was initially impressed by Hanazawa's strength and decisiveness, demonstrating remarkable adaptability for a wartime soldier with limited wants.  His numbing courage came with great mental sacrifice, it was all or nothing for the man, even when harboring an unspeakable, almost incestuous obsession towards Tamamori, he’d still cut down anything and everything between him and his objective.

As previously stated, Hanazawa's scenes were unfortunately drastically trimmed in the NS version. The omitted content contained Hanazawa's suppressed sentiments towards Tamamori, as well as Tamamori's shock and shame for their physical interactions. 

A disjointed script would only lead to a ragged rhythm.

I had to read the text multiple times even in its full form before I could truly comprehend Hanazawa's suppressed feelings—let alone the truncated version?

From the Hanazawa to the Hikawa routes, the science fiction tone grew more intense, eventually developing into a fantastical science fiction plot. It goes overboard in terms of comparing narratives. I will admit that I find it hard to consider this path seriously. 

Hikawa did not conceal his feelings for Tamamori due to his personal history. After Hikawa apologized numerous times and let out hundreds of agonizing and humiliating screams, Tamamori realized he had someone he could take advantage of.

My disenchantment with this particular narrative thread stems primarily from this. Repayment and replacement are the foundation of this relationship, with an overly cheery resolution that extended into the afterword, almost too wonderful that it all seemed artificial. Many grew a liking to Hikawa, myself, I fail to see the appeal.

Finally, in evaluation of traditional BL game design, the character of Kaoru/Mask Man may elicit strong opinions from players. This is because, unlike other routes, Masked Man serves as a tool to reflect other characters and lacks individual depth. However, he does exhibit some humanity in the afterword and is solely devoted to his master, Tamamori.

It is evident that in the final route of the main game, the creators made a concerted effort to establish a shared history and sense of connection between the Kaoru and Tamamori using only a few words. However, this proved to be a challenging task.

It is undeniable, however, that the character of the Masked Man makes the story much more interesting and spicy.

The following is my personal understanding and reflections on the story, written to jog my memory, as well as some additional thoughts on the characters.  

Spoilers ahead.

• Thinking on The Supernatural

Two scenarios: the first is that there is no Hashihime, and the second is that there is Hashihime.

If the former is accurate, then Tamamori in the final route is authentic and all else is just his illusions, hallucinations, and delusions; if the latter is true, then Tamamori exists in parallel space and time and should be accepted differently for his experiences in each path. 

Keep in mind that this is simply a work of fiction and everyone has unique views regarding what reality is.

In my opinion, the two situations are parallel at least in terms of how they are presented practically and philosophically. Going back to the point made in the preceding paragraph, the flavor of this work is that both exist and are in conflict with one another.

Described in the first four routes are Hashihime's ability to time-travel, and, uh, let's say the overall plot that Tamamori being chased around by Masked Man, forbidden from having a lover.

80% of the fifth route is a duplicate of Minakami's route. only revealed until the very end is the fact that Tamamori appropriated every character from other works of literature. Minakami, Kawase and Hanazawa were already deceased in Tamamori’s youth, all interactions with them were just Tamamori’s imagination.

As for the Shopkeeper of Umebachidou, another Tamamori from the future timeline, was killed with dubious weapons by Player’s Tamamori. After the killing, Tamamori replaced the Shopkeeper, lived along with Masked Man whom he later named Kaoru.

For my own sanity, let’s use these terms from now on:

• Shopkeeper = Tamamori from a future timeline disguising himself as the employer of player’s Tamamori

• PC Tamamori = Player’s Tamamori, if I’m referring to a certain route, I’ll use a number, for instance, 1st Tamamori being the Tamamori in Minakami route, 2nd Tamamori is in Kawase route, so on and so forth.

Unlike previous routes, the fifth route's confrontation between PC Tamamori and the Shopkeeper highlighted that neither of them possessed the power of Hashihime. The Shopkeeper in this route should also be Tamamori's imagination.

My own conjecture goes roughly like this:

1. Death → Tamamori's actions in the fifth line to exact revenge on (killing/taking away) his friends—murdering the Shopkeeper—amount to suicide, or the death of the body.

2. Survive → Same as above, but killing the Shopkeeper means letting go of the past and recognizing reality...probably

In the Minakami route it was revealed that Kaoru was a war orphan taken in by the Shopkeeper, however, it was an 1st route information. Regardless of Kaoru’s true nature and the substance given in the afterword, reality or ideality matters little in the above conjectures, eventually, he might just be another “companion figure” inside 5th Tamamori’s head.

If Kaoru was indeed an orphan taken in by Tamamori , there may be a discrepancy between the facts and the real circumstances in the game. It was possible that Tamamori had raised Kaoru in an unconventional manner, or that trauma/birth abnormalities prevented Kaoru from developing speech capability. 

For over 10 years Kaoru watched as Tamamori slowly collapsed mentally, falling into a fictional world. In that era and background, it was actually difficult to believe that there would be an ending of them relying on each other.

The story of the three Teru teru bōzu in the 5th route most perplexes me. What prior events led to the occurrence of such a dire circumstance? 

The exact date of the three friends' deaths is unknown, although it's plausible that Tamamori lost them unexpectedly when he was a little child, during a war, or after an earthquake. Given that he was the sole survivor, Tamamori might have suffered from survivor syndrome.

The game suggested through The Shopkeeper's speech that 5th Tamamori was the one responsible for the three deaths, although the terms used to characterize the cause of death were ambiguous. In his heart, Tamamori blamed himself regardless of the circumstances.

Considering each Tamamori as separate individuals is, in my opinion, a more sensible and practical approach. Naturally, the in-game text made reference to correlations between routes; as a result, players may view this as an interactive design that subtly breaks the fourth wall; ultimately, it's up to the player to decide. 

However, the appearance of Kaijaku Ranpei, the pen name of Yumeno Kyuusaku, at the end of the fifth route is vital to establishing the veracity of the route.  However, I want to stress once more that Tamamori has been a shaky lead character the entire time. "Kaijaku Ranpei" does not imply that all that is seen and thought is true, even if it is genuine.

Just why is this game so confusing lol

• My Thoughts on The Legion of Tamamori (With or Without Hashihime)

The Shopkeeper from a parallel future world uses his experience and abilities to influence PC Tamamori’s perspective, urging him to mature quickly, achieve success, pursue his dreams, and become a great writer.

One could argue that the irate Shopkeeper desired to use PC Tamamori to carry out his unfulfilled endeavor. His quest for a secure life led him to become a miserable editor in the past. He observed others' successes and haloes eclipsing him. Despite his deep love for Minakami, he was powerless to change their relationship until it was too late.

It turns out that PC Tamamori is just as resilient as he is. He removed the presence of Minakami, Kawase, and Hanazawa from the life of PC Tamamori based on his own recollections, but the youthful and vivacious PC Tamamori was unable to accept the altered situation. The youthful Tamamori aspired to a joyful and carefree existence despite not having been exposed to society and being baptized by both natural and man-made tragedies.

For PC Tamamori, nothing at all matters about what the Shopkeeper went through in another universe.  To the players, it's simply another Tamamori story. 

Eliminating the three friends' influence on PC Tamamori is his stated objective. But in contrast to his beloved Minakami's freedom to go out on his own, Kawase and Hanazawa received treatment that can only be described as violent and vicious, making his thirst for vengeance clear.

Without Hashihime, Tamamori was just an insane creator who frequently blended together the actual world and the world that was not. "Hashihime" is just one of his creations; in the end, this insane Tamamori became a stellar writer, his dream fulfilled—at least in his own mind.

• Characters’ Past

Mentioned sparsely in the manuscript, it’s possible that I got something mixed up.

【Shopkeeper ’s past】

Tamamori possessed the ability of Hashihime. To protect him, Minakami pretended to have powers and was subsequently imprisoned by Hanazawa and the military to be used as a weapon in the war. Kawase, who became a military doctor, agreed to inhumane human experiments to send soldiers to the battlefield as a way to atone for his father's actions. Kaoru was adopted by Tamamori after surviving a wartime airstrike.

【PC Tamamori and co’s past】

After his mother ran away, leaving Kawase alone with his violent father, who later got into an altercation with Hanazawa's father and killed him without ever being held responsible. Though he was unable to aid his friend, young Tamamori was aware of Kawase's maltreatment until one night , Kawase asked him to assist in disposing of his dad’s corpse into the river.

(This part was narrated via surrogate imagination and blurred memory. It was not made clear, but it should be true.)

Later, after dozens of attempts, Minakami, who then possessed the power of Hashihime, stopped Kawase from killing Tamamori as well. To make up for this deed, Minakami had to sacrifice Tamamori's mother, for it was the curse of Hashihime.

Uncertain of precisely when, Hanazawa once pleaded with Minakami to utilize Hashihime's ability to save his father, but Minakami turned him down.

There is some overlap in Shopkeeper and PC Tamamori's prior histories. Based on Minakami's submission to the shopkeeper and Kawase's response to the shopkeeper's remarks in the game, it appears that their upbringing was similar. The Shopkeeper's plagiarism of Yumeno Kyuusaku's later work and Tamamori's banishment from the Oizumi family should be the true points of deviation.

As for the other party that are without Hashihime, the situation is even more unclear, all we have is what is said in the 5th route.

• Let’s Talk 3 Friends, Again

I'm a little embarrassed to say that my favorite character is Kawase... Sure do feel like I'm exposing myself shamelessly.

For a worthy reason, Kawase is arguably the most awkward and sentimental member of the group. His route exhibited excellent harmony between carrot and whip, tart and sweet. He's another "affectionate bad guy" example.

Despite being sardonic and caustic, Kawase might be the one that appreciates PC Tamamori the most. Minakami's mindset is "No matter how many lives I’ve lived, they’re always with you, I will reunite with you, it doesn’t matter this time." Thus, he has means to end the bond with ease in this life. And there comes Hanazawa and Hikawa who are both adept at deploying Hashihime's abilities, Tamamori can be sacrificed and replaced before the greater good.

Prior to the Minakami incident, Kawase and Tamamori would shoot the breeze virtually every day. When anyone approached Tamamori (mainly Hikawa), he would almost always display his fangs and show overt animosity and jealousy. He would also completely disregard any grace and force Tamamori to respond to such petty questions as "Who would you choose, me or him? You like me better, right?")

Due to information gaps, it’d be difficult for players to understand Kawase's true emotions in display of sarcasm and despicable comments when in Minakami route. However, after experiencing the Kawase route, one can never forget Kawase’s miserable desire for Tamamori’s attention. It’s almost adorable, seeing him all twisted and burning inside.

(Gemophobic-Oni Kawase’s most impressive love confession: “You might be the only person I can touch.” Tamamori: “??? Who are you and what did you do to Kawase???”)

Before the end of the Kawase route, after he had done the deed with Tamamori, he still asked Tamamori to pay a visit to Minakami. I couldn't help but guess that in his mind, it was best for Tamamori and Minakami to be together.

Kawase has always regretted that he made Tamamori an accomplice in his killing. He felt that he was unworthy of being with Tamamori since he had contaminated him.

(Let’s traceback to the idea of "mirroring opposites" mentioned before. Minakami also believed that he was responsible for Tamamori’s motherless childhood.)

Anyway, Kawase’s ending! It’s delightfully twisted! Just to my liking.

(Me: Professor, at what point in the parallel universe will there be a result of polyamorous relationship between these three? 🙏)

I guess I still like Hanazawa despite him being dumped on in the fandom for his dullness and abrasive behaviors. Like Minakami, the lack of communication, albeit reasonable if given the information, was truly challenging while gaming. Unlike Minakami, Hanazawa didn't have the benefit of getting designed to be experienced first; furthermore, the relationship between Tamamori and Minakami was still endearing—with Hanazawa, however, it’s tension and resentful emotions.

In the limited scenes Hanazawa got to express his feelings, one was when they were switching dreams, and the other, uh, yeah, Hanazawa confessed his adoration while assaulting Tamamori in the same time to rip Hashihime’s ability away from him. 

I assume Hanazawa's true goal is to ensure that he is able to utilize Hashihime's strength to win the war and restore peace to Japan. He can then travel back in time to his early years and establish a genuine friendship with Tamamori. In this way, even if he has to go back to the front again, he can ensure the safety of "the Tamamori who’d choose to see him as a friend."

Hanazawa, who underwent severe discipline from his father, yearned for a wilder world, or rather, the imagined realm introduced to him through Tamamori's stories.

He was envious of Tamamori's easy friendship with Minakami and Kawase, two people of Tamamori's age. As the oldest member of the gang, he was revered as the protector and had full trust from Tamamori. He served as both their brother and refuge. Hanazawa wanted none of that. 

The narrative in the 3rd route paid some attention to Hanazawa's marital engagement. Although it was never declared, Tamamori did hold a disapproving opinion on homosexual relationships, which is why he consistently insisted on just referring to any of the route objects as "friends."

It is precisely this relationship that fits the Hell Ending. Eloping to a world without civilization and moral standards, their immorality could be forgotten. All they would have was the gim nature and each other. Alongside their lingering fear of past ethics in their heart they would live on, in isolation.

Minakami, the destined lover.

My opinion of Minakami has always been as bitter as bile, and I still get anxious thinking about him taking his own life over and again. Even though I know that everything he did was driven by Tamamori, I still have misgivings about this relationship. Feeling disoriented for no apparent cause.

Minakami has a condition known as hypermnesia. Furthermore, Minakami claims to recall everything, even former lives, for thousands of years, possibly due to the ability of being a member of the Hashihime-possessed family. 

Whatever creature Minakami has been, Tamamori is always there to accompany it. He could easily sacrifice himself as long as it was for Tamamori. Because of his extremely terrible childhood memories, he followed Tamamori around and protected him at all times.

On the Minakami route, one of the most heartwarming moments was when Minakami purchased new shoes for Tamamori. This gesture ensures that Tamamori can step into the future, whether or not Minakami is by his side. The detail is truly touching, also gut-wrenching.

Ignoring the Afterword episode, my guess to Kaoru’s nature, based on 5th Tamamori's statement, is that he may be the personification of Tamamori’s mental illness, or his insight on recognizing that he was sick.

Some suggestive clues, such as the Masked Man's ethnicity, his superhuman strength, or that he ignores physical boundaries, etc. The most obvious would be the Buddha beads Kaoru wears.

In Tamamori's recount, he had carried around Buddha beads all time for it was a protective charm given to him by his deceased friend’s mother. The only character with Buddhist beliefs in the whole story is Minakami, who is most likely the "deceased friend". And Kaoru has an exact match of such beads. The 5th route literally began with Tamamori picking the beads from the ground.

Tamamori’s descriptions towards Kaoru are “You are the only constant/When I see you for the first time, I know that I can no longer distinguish between reality and illusion/I am afraid of you.” (I’m paraphrasing from my memory.)

As for why Tamamori is called "ojisan" by Kaoru, I, ahem, don't quite understand.

The story revolves around water, and the names of the five characters are all related to it. In the 5th route, Tamamori describes water as 'a lonely existence.' 

In their designated routes, the 3 friends all had a scene with them submerging in the water with Tamamori. As for Hikawa, he fed Tamamori with melted glacier water from tens of thousands of years ago. Kaoru is the only exception for his association with flowers, as the name Kaoru means fragrance in Japanese.

It’s just a thought in my head, seeing Tamamori drifting ashore, leading by the smell of blossom, but see no petals nor their colors,

The official website has a long list of QA from Rinko-san. My Japanese skills are weak, so I haven’t read it yet.

…I’m not sure if I should read it, after all, I’m quite happy exploring it myself already.