is a Japanese shōjo manga series written and illustrated by Arina Tanemura. The Gentlemen's Alliance Cross premiered in the September 2004 issue of Ribon, running until the June 2008 issue. The 47 chapters were collected and published in 11 tankōbon volumes by Shueisha. The series is licensed for English language release in North America by Viz Media which published the first volume on March 6, 2007. The eleventh and final volume was released in English in April 2010. In this fictional work, a 15-year-old student was sold by her father to another family.
Plot
Haine Otomiya, a 15-year-old high school student at the elite private Imperial Academy (帝国学園 Teikoku Gakuen), was apparently sold to the Otomiya family by her father, Kazuhito Kamiya, for 50 million yen. Disoriented with her place in life, she became a gang member until she met Shizumasa Tōgū, who told her to live life how she wanted to. Recognizing Shizumasa as the author of a treasured picture book given to her from father, Haine reformed herself and entered the Imperial Academy to try and win his love.
However, Shizumasa is the Emperor of the school, the sole Gold rank student as the admired President of the Student Council. Through various circumstances, the Bronze-ranked Haine is tricked into becoming Shizumasa's bodyguard and assigned the special rank of Platinum - which designates her as the Koutei's companion. To Haine's surprise and disappointment, Shizumasa claims not to know her and acts coldly toward her. Still determined to win his love, she soon learns that the Koutei is not Shizumasa, but his twin brother Takanari. In the brothers' childhood, Shizumasa won the right to be recognized as the heir to the prestigious Tōgū family, which left Takanari to become his brother's "shadow" and was reported to have died. Because Shizumasa is sickly, Takanari is forced to assume Shizumasa's identity and reluctantly falls in love with Haine. Their relationship is strained by Haine's uncertainty as to whether she loves Shizumasa, whose kind words saved her during her darkest crisis of identity, or Takanari, who is revealed to be the author of her beloved story book. In the end, she decides to marry Takanari.
Characters
Student Council
Haine is a fifteen-year-old student at the Imperial Academy who is enlisted to become the bodyguard of the student council president and given the platinum ranking. Haine was born to the Kamiya family but was adopted into the Otomiya family when she was 10 years old for . Out of disillusionment with her new step-family, Haine became a delinquent in 9th grade under the nickname "Seashore Cinderella." However, Shizumasa inspires her to change her ways. Tanemura stated that she picked the character for "ash" in her name as a reference to Cinderella.
Takanari is a student at the Imperial Academy and the emperor of the student council. Takanari is cold and distant, but after meeting Haine, he becomes kinder and later falls in love with her.
Shizumasa is a student at the Imperial Academy and the emperor of the student council. He has had leukemia from a young age, and his older twin brother, Takanari, is forced to make public appearances under his identity.
Ushio is Haine's best friend. Despite finding boys repulsive, she is popular with them and is given the nickname . Having known Haine since their delinquent days, she is very protective of her and joins the student council as their secretary to be with her. Ushio is in love with Haine, but she soon realizes that the only reason why she was so attached to her was because she didn't think anyone else would accept her. When Senri does so, however, she discovers that she has fallen in love with him.
The treasurer and brains of the Student Council. Maora is actually a male, his real name being Yoshitaka Ichinomiya, and is childhood friends with Maguri. He is secretly the of the Imperial Academy.
The vice president of the Student Council and Takanari's best friend.
Other families
The former Emperor of the student council and secret boyfriend of Maika.
Itsuki's wife, and claims she fell in love with him at first sight. Before her marriage to Itsuki, Ryouka had already been married and had a son, Kusame, though her first husband is now deceased. She is a cheerful woman who likes to tease both her son and Haine, whom she cares for like her own daughter.
Haine's stepbrother and Itsuki's stepson, Kusame is the heir to the Otomiya family. Secretly in love with Haine. Kusame is an honor student and vice president of Imperial Academy Junior section's Student Council.