Loved Saihate Station. This view of it is really cool and something I heavily agree with, especially with how characters like Shion are viewed. Obviously, he is not a good person, but I feel like people ignore a lot of the reasons as to why other than him being "crazy" or a "yandere" (not saying these terms can't fit, but it's more than that). Shion is a character that when I tried to explain him and his motivations to someone aloud, I stumbled over my words like crazy because there's so many layers. For context, I have not played the DLC, so I can't comment on the context there. Still, within the main game, it feels like Shion is a person who is unable to properly explain his own actions due to not wanting to acknowledge the root cause, which is why he insists him killing people was just for Haru, when it doesn't feel like just that. The manager was ableist. If she knew how Shion really was, she would have hated him, too. She was a reflector of his parents. The bullies targeted Haru presumably for his "abnormalities," which, within the games context, are likely his penchant for activities deemed feminine (like cooking). If Shion was more open about who he was, he'd be harassed and bullied as well, even if it's for somewhat different reasons. With Aoi, it's obviously not just Haru. It's everything with their family. Still, Shion believes so firmly in doing good that he convinces himself it's for Haru. Shion is defending himself, in a way, even if he doesn't realize it, and it's not the right way to go about it. Ending Z really encapsulated these feelings for me because it allows us to see a more honest Shion. One where his fascination with Haru is more than a desire for superiority, but a sense of genuine connection between them that Shion couldn't/refused to understand in the other endings. A connection in their shared "abnormalities". Their shared "weakness". In Ending Z, they are codependent, but we also see why. Haru isn't "normal" either, though in a different way from Shion. Haru is also a man with sadistic tendencies, and I feel like that's why he accepts Shion in such a way in Ending Z. They're mirrors the other doesn't want to see themselves in, but they do in Ending Z, even if they've abandoned everything else. It's a sad ending — bittersweet — but one that makes sense with the characters.
They can be together in their own world, a place of their creaion, a place where the pain of the world they once knew ends. A place where they're safe. Because the real world wasn't made for "people like them" to live in. The real world ostracizes those who are unwell and drives them to their limits. There is no need to fantasize about escaping through the form of a balcony. No need to crumble under responsibilities you never asked for. Just them, together, forever.
