Warning: If you haven’t read it yet, please skip my post.
There are a lot of things I want to say about this chapter, but since it’s full of riddles—and unfortunately I’m not really good at solving riddles—I need to reread the story. For now, I just want to talk about the ghouls in this chapter that I found interesting, along with some questions that still confuse me.
First is Haku. In this chapter, we finally learn a bit more about him. From what Professor Dante said to him in the staff room, I think Haku is the type of person who isn’t good at relying on others and prefers to do things by himself. As far as I’ve read, especially in Hotarubi’s episode, he rarely asks for help. For example, in episode 5 he worked alone to gather information about the shrine and contacted his acquaintance by himself. And now, in this chapter, he again chooses to check the staff’s name by himself. It seems kinda suspicious why he wants to do it alone this time. But aside from that, I think it’s just his habit—he forgets he can solve things together with others. I don’t think it’s because he doesn’t trust anyone. Looking at his background as the heir of a prestigious shrine, where he’s expected to do everything perfectly, it makes sense that he developed the habit of working hard and not relying on others. And if the theory about Haku being a spy is true, it also makes sense that he wouldn’t want to risk involving others in his actions. If that’s the case, it’s kind of sad. Maybe that’s why Professor Dante reminded him to ask for help when needed. Haku boy, don’t push yourself too hard to carry all the weight alone. I also feel relieved that Haku isn’t on bad terms with Haru and Jiro. You know Haku is one of my favorite ghouls, and since we still don’t know much about him, I’m really curious about his relationships with the ghouls from other dorms. So far, after this episode, it seems like he only has bad tension with Tohma. I’m not sure about Jin. And Yuri? I’m not sure either.
Haku initiated a conversation with Yuri in this episode, but Yuri looked surprised and nervous. I don’t know if it was just Yuri’s reaction to suddenly seeing Haku, since it seems they’ve barely met in person after moving from Frostheim.
Second, I really liked the unexpected banter between Haru and Taiga. At first, I thought Haru was a little afraid of Taiga, because sometimes when he talked to him he seemed scared. But actually, it turns out he was just anxious about Peekaboo’s safety whenever that cute little furball was near Taiga. In this episode, without Peekaboo around, I finally saw another side of him—he was more stern toward Taiga.
Based on Rui and Haku’s comments about their past, it seems Haru and Taiga were like this from the very beginning. I think he’s actually on good terms with Taiga, but because of Shion, their relationship looks strained. Now I really want to know more about the relationship between Dionysia and Sinostra students from a year ago. Maybe we’ll get more answers in the second season?
Third is Taiga. I knew this guy would be more cooperative in this episode. Before his memory impairment, I believe he was just as smart as Jin and reliable when it came to missions. You can see several times he gave logical opinions during their discussions. Also, I don’t think he’d cause a big ruckus this time, since this mission is the MC’s last chance to break her curse—and because he knows something about this mission. Every time his chat box shows the “…” I feel like he’s planning something. Please, Taiga, just tell us your plan already! Don’t stay silent all the time. And about his relationship with Haku, I think I finally found the answer. Some people say Taiga doesn’t like Haku, pointing to his reactions in the prologue and during the second Sinostra mission. But I think their relationship isn’t good or bad—it’s just neutral. His reaction to Haku seems the same as his reaction to everyone. So I don’t think the claim that Taiga doesn’t like Haku is valid. It's just Taiga is being Taiga.
Next is Rui. If we look at it without context, Rui’s statement in this episode almost sounds like a typical “poor second male lead” who unfortunately isn’t chosen by the FL, LOL. But aside from that, I really liked the way Rui treated us in this episode. He genuinely cared for and prioritized the MC. His quick reactions whenever the MC yelped or seemed in danger, and the way he volunteered to join the mission and give the effort to keep the team together—Rui, you are the man! But what surprised me is why no one, especially the MC, asked about his clothes. I mean, is it okay for him to wear loose clothes that reveal so much skin in such a crowded place? In previous episodes, Rui was always cautious about both his clothes and being in a crowd. Maybe I’m just overthinking, but it feels odd.
Also, in the last chapter when he told the MC he had something to do, it seemed Rui was suspicious of Haku and decided to follow him.
Another interesting thing is the female staff member. I’ve always believed side characters in this game have deeper connections with the plot. And after finishing the story, I found her really suspicious. Nancy said humans can’t see the denizens, but based on her reaction, the female staff could see the mice. That makes me think she’s not an ordinary human. Could she be connected to the denizens or Kyklos? Could it be... she is the denizen? What if she’s the one who killed Robin, the oldest brother mouse, and Humpty Dumpty? Maybe she was the denizen disguised as staff who entered the storage room before the mice brothers went in, as Nancy mentioned and then poisons the mouse. And since she was in human form, she could have pushed Humpty Dumpty from the wall.
Also, when Haku said the denizens seemed harmless, Taiga looked doubtful. Could it be that Taiga knows something about the female staff or the denizens—that they aren’t as harmless as they seem? Here’s another absurd theory: what if she is Kyklos herself? She said she had just started working at the park recently, and we know Kyklos has been around the park not long ago. The timing feels too strange to be a coincidence. She might even be the “something horrible” Nancy said was watching her. And maybe it’s just me, but her voice somehow feels similar to Kyklos’s.
Oh, and about Professor Hyde. When he appeared after Haku and the MC left, he said Professor Dante was “walking on the ice.” Could it be that Dante wasn’t supposed to give advice to Haku and the MC, because it would help them catch Kyklos, which goes against Darkwick’s plan? I’m not sure.
Finally, the ending. I still felt the tension when the MC picked up the phone, Haku’s voice wasn’t clear, and suddenly the MC returned to Kisaragi. Honestly, it scared me because all of a sudden, she was alone. Where are Taiga and Haru? Does Kyklos have the ability to open a domain that isolates someone, like the anomaly in Waves of Love? If so, then why were Taiga and Haku able to enter Kisaragi station in the prologue?
We finally in the climax of the story. It's really a long time to reach this point. I hope she’s okay, and the ghouls can save her. Or maybe we’ll finally get a conversation with Kyklos—like why she decided to show herself to the MC now?
There are so many questions left in this episode. Hopefully, we’ll get answers in the next one. For now, I’m still confused, but I really enjoyed reading it.
