Hikari Sakishima is the main character of *A Lull in the Sea*. He has a short temper and tends to speak harshly, but deep down, he is very caring and always helps his friends. Hikari is in love with Manaka Mukaido, but he cannot express his feelings honestly. Throughout the story, Hikari goes through many struggles involving his friends, his place in the world, and his own feelings. After a long sleep of five years, he wakes up to find that everything has changed, which challenges him to grow and understand what true love and destiny mean.
Hikari has the appearance of a typical middle school boy. Even after awakening from his five-year sleep, his body and looks do not change, so he still looks the same as before.
Hikari can be rude and quick to anger, but he is fiercely loyal and has a strong sense of right and wrong.
He often acts before thinking, especially when it comes to protecting his friends.
Despite his stubborn nature, he cares deeply about those around him.
He takes care of people and tries to help, even if he pretends not to care.
Hikari is an excellent cook, surprising many with his skills.
He is brave and willing to stand up for what he believes is right, even if he is scared or unsure.
Hikari has a crush on Manaka Mukaido, but struggles to admit his feelings.
He sees Tsumugu Kihara as a rival because Manaka pays attention to Tsumugu.
Hikari doesn’t realize at first that Tsumugu likes Chisaki Hiradaira, while Kaname Isaki understands these complex feelings and watches over everyone.
Miuna Shiodome has feelings for Hikari, but he is too focused on his own problems to notice at first.
His relationship with his older sister, Akari Sakishima, is important, and he wants her to be happy.
The Struggles with Feelings
As a boy from the sea village and a second-year middle school student, Hikari is stubborn and protective.
He is jealous of Tsumugu because Manaka likes talking to him, so Hikari treats Tsumugu as a rival.
At first, Hikari has trouble with people from the surface and starts off being aggressive toward them.
But as he faces the problems with his sister Akari, the village, and Manaka’s changing feelings, he learns to understand those from the land.
He starts to think he should back away and care more about Manaka’s happiness than his own.
Planning the Ofunehiki Festival
After talking with Manaka and Tsumugu, Hikari decides to help bring happiness to Akari and everyone in the village by reviving the Ofunehiki, a festival that has been stopped for years.
He takes charge and works hard to prepare for the festival, making many new friends among the surface people during this time.
As he gets ready for the festival and learns about the approaching cold and the coming hibernation, his feelings for Manaka begin to change, too.
Confessions and the Day of The Ofunehiki
With the festival day coming, Kaname helps Hikari gather the courage to confess to Manaka.
But Manaka is confused and runs away; then, right after, Chisaki confesses her own feelings to Hikari.
After thinking about himself and his feelings, Hikari tries again to tell Manaka how he feels.
She says she’ll answer him after the Ofunehiki.
On the festival day, Manaka tries to become the sacrifice instead of Akari.
Hikari tries to save her, but he is swept away by powerful waves.
He disappears into the sea, and everyone believes he is gone.
The Second Arc: Five Years Later
Five years pass, and the people on land have all grown up.
Nobody knows what happened to the sea village.
One night, Tsumugu and Miuna find Hikari lying on the frozen sea, and he hasn’t aged at all—he looks just as he did five years ago.
Although Hikari tries to act like he is fine, inside he feels lost and can’t accept how much everything has changed.
Seeing Akari as a mother and his friends as grown-ups is hard for him, and he tells Tsumugu he is afraid to see the changed Chisaki.
When he meets Chisaki again and sees that, even if her appearance has changed, she is still the same inside, he finds the courage to accept the new world.
He joins Miuna’s class at Mihama Middle School.
He finally wears the school uniform he once disliked, and quickly makes friends.
With new events like Miuna’s Ena (the sea skin) appearing and Kaname waking up, Hikari works hard to rescue Manaka from her deep sleep in the sea.
Hikari was born and raised in the sea village.
He is known for being stubborn, but also takes care of others around him.
At first, he doesn’t like people from the land, but over time, he becomes close to them.
- Hikari is called “Hiikun” by Manaka.
- He believes in fate at the beginning, thinking Manaka and Tsumugu met by destiny.
- He eventually learns that destiny is something you can change by your own actions.
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