Kiku’s shadow is long. It’s heavy. If you’ve spent any time reading or watching Kotoyama’s Call of the Night (Yofukashi no Uta), you know the vibe is usually lo-fi beats and midnight snacks. But then there’s Kabura Honda. She’s the nurse. She’s the one with the dead-eyed stare that suggests she’s seen the end of the world and found it kind of boring.
Honestly, the first time Kabura Call of the Night shows up, she feels like a classic antagonist. She’s cold. She’s clinical. She basically kidnaps Yamori. You’re sitting there thinking she’s just another obstacle for Nazuna and Ko to overcome. But the reality is way more messed up than that. Kabura isn't a villain. She’s a survivor of a very specific kind of emotional trauma that only a vampire could understand.
The Human Life of Kabura Honda
Before she was a vampire, Kabura was just a sickly girl named Honda. She spent most of her time in a hospital bed. That’s where she met Kiku.
Imagine being a kid who’s basically waiting to die, and then this ethereal, beautiful woman walks in and starts visiting you. Kiku didn't just visit; she provided a reason to keep breathing. But it wasn’t healthy. It was never healthy. Kiku’s love is a predatory thing, even when she doesn't mean it to be. She fed Kabura her blood not out of a "saving" instinct, but because she wanted a companion.
Kabura became a vampire because she fell in love with a ghost. Not a literal ghost, but the idea of Kiku.
The transformation wasn't some grand, romantic gesture. It was a desperate attempt to stay in the orbit of a woman who was already looking for her next thrill. This is why Kabura Call of the Night acts the way she does in the present day. She’s been discarded. She was the "favorite" until she wasn't. When you've been the center of a vampire's universe and then get shoved into the periphery, it does things to your head. It makes you cold.
Why Her Relationship With Nazuna is So Complicated
Nazuna Nanakusa is the "miracle" child. She’s the vampire born from a human, which shouldn't even be possible. But to Kabura, Nazuna is something else entirely. She’s a living, breathing reminder of the woman Kabura loved and lost.
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When Kabura looks at Nazuna, she sees Kiku’s eyes. She sees Kiku’s hair.
It’s messy.
Most people think Kabura hates Nazuna. I don't think that’s true at all. She’s obsessed with her. She watched Nazuna grow up from a distance. She provided for her. She made sure Nazuna had a place in the vampire world without ever really stepping into the spotlight herself. It’s a weirdly parental but also deeply resentful dynamic. Kabura stayed a "servant" to the memory of a woman who had long since moved on to her next obsession (Mahiru).
The "Nurse" Persona Isn't Just a Job
Have you ever wondered why Kabura works as a nurse? It’s not just a convenient way to get blood.
It’s a loop.
She’s recreating the hospital environment where she first met Kiku. Every day, she walks the halls of a medical facility, smelling the antiseptic and seeing the white walls. It’s a form of self-torture. She’s stuck in the moment of her own "death" and rebirth. While Nazuna is out there playing video games and being a weirdo, Kabura is clocking in at a job that reminds her exactly how she ended up as a creature of the night.
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It’s grim.
In the manga, when we finally get the flashback arc, the tonal shift is jarring. We go from Ko’s teenage angst to this heavy, decades-long tragedy of unrequited loyalty. Kabura’s stoicism isn't cool. It’s a mask. She’s hiding the fact that she’s arguably the most emotional character in the entire series. She just doesn't have the luxury of showing it because if she starts crying, she might never stop.
That Fight With Nazuna Explained
When Kabura Call of the Night finally throws down with Nazuna, it’s not about who’s stronger.
Kabura is trying to provoke a reaction. She wants Nazuna to be "vampire enough" to survive what’s coming. She knows how dangerous Kiku is. She knows that Kiku’s "love" is a death sentence for humans like Mahiru. The fight is essentially a brutal, bloody intervention. Kabura is the only person who actually knows the truth about how vampires are made and how they fall apart, because she’s the one who lived through the most toxic version of it.
She’s testing Nazuna’s resolve. If Nazuna can’t beat her, she definitely can’t save Ko or deal with Kiku’s endgame. It’s "tough love" taken to a supernatural extreme.
The Tragic Reality of Vampire Loneliness
The core theme of Call of the Night is loneliness. Ko is lonely because he can't fit into school. Nazuna is lonely because she’s an anomaly.
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But Kabura?
Kabura is lonely because she chose a person who was incapable of staying. She represents the "bad ending" of a vampire romance. She’s what happens when the honeymoon phase ends and you realize you’ve traded your humanity for someone who views humans like we view pets—cute for a while, but ultimately replaceable.
Her interactions with the other vampires are also telling. She doesn't really fit in with the "coven." She’s too serious. Too grim. She’s the only one who seems to truly understand the weight of their existence. While the others are worried about their "territory" or their "servants," Kabura is just trying to make sure the past doesn't repeat itself.
The Narrative Pivot
What Kotoyama does so well is use Kabura to ground the stakes. Without her, the series might feel too light. Too much like a rom-com with fangs. Kabura brings the blood. She brings the history. When she enters a scene, the temperature drops because she carries the weight of all the people Kiku discarded over the years.
She’s a mirror.
She shows Ko what could happen if he rushes into this without understanding the cost. You want to be a vampire? Fine. But look at Kabura. Look at the nurse who works the night shift and stares at nothing for hours. That’s the potential future. It’s not all flying through the city and drinking beer. Sometimes, it’s just waiting a hundred years for a woman who doesn't love you to come back.
Actionable Takeaways for Call of the Night Fans
If you're trying to fully grasp the weight of the story, don't just skim the Kabura chapters. There's a lot of subtext in her dialogue.
- Re-read Chapters 70-85: This is where the shift happens. Pay attention to Kabura’s eyes in the panels where Kiku is mentioned. The art says more than the text.
- Watch the Nurse Persona: Look at how she handles blood in the series. It’s never a treat for her; it’s a necessity. It’s "food," not "pleasure." This distinguishes her from almost every other vampire we meet.
- Analyze the Parallels: Compare Kabura’s relationship with Kiku to Ko’s relationship with Nazuna. The series is essentially asking: "Is Ko going to end up like Kabura?"
- Focus on the Flashbacks: The hospital arc is the most important piece of world-building in the manga. It explains the mechanics of vampire "love" better than any exposition dump.
Kabura Honda is the heart of Call of the Night, even if that heart is barely beating. She’s the warning sign on the side of the road that Ko and Nazuna are speeding past. Understanding her isn't just about knowing her backstory; it's about understanding the fundamental tragedy of being a vampire in Kotoyama's world. She didn't choose the night because it was fun. She chose it because she had nowhere else to go.