Why did Haruki cover for his friend all the time? Did they have some kind of deal? Was the friend blackmailing…
Haven't read the novel but from what I got from the series Haruki was a bad influence on Kyohei. He was the one who introduced him to shoplifting etc. Even after Haruki tried to improve himself (because of Jin) Kyohei was still getting into trouble doing what Haruki taught him. Haruki just feels a very strong sense of responsible for leading him down the wrong path. The novel might go deeper but it fits with Haruki's personality. He even felt responsible for what happened to his father, which blew me.