Iâd let you touch me for 10 seconds per day to see if I could end up seeing you in a romantic way and test out how it feels to be boyfriends but youâre not nerdy enough to understand
Predictions for Hirano to Kagiura Chapters 37, 38, & 39
I feel like there are a lot of possibilities of what could happen next- summer break, Hiranoâs birthday and then the cultural festival coming up. I think the basketball prelims and the 2nd year trip are also in September. Additionally, since they just started dating, we can wonder how their relationship will progress- will they tell anyone, etc.
Chapter 37 Predictions
Iâm going to say that Chapter 37 will briefly go over some cultural festival preparation (like a couple pages)- since its already been told to us what each class is doing for it and while Niibashiâs crossdressing seems relevant, Iâm guessing itâll be when the actual festival happens, since I donât think Kagiura can really help him with that kind of thing.Â
I think this chapter will primarily take place during summer break- we usually donât see a lot of what happens during breaks, but given they just started dating, I think itâd be unusual to skip 1 and half months right now.
ANYWAY, the once-a-day rule got added, so Iâm going to say that Kagiura is going to try to get as much as he can out of it- and Hirano will still not feel particularly excited for it, so he questions how they can go on if he canât reciprocate that same feeling.Â
Kagiura also mentioned that their relationship hadnât changed since they started dating- so Iâm thinking heâll try to talk about it- about the things each of them want or donât want to do. The topic of kissing comes up again- and Kagiura asks if he can kiss Hiranoâs hands or thighs (like he thought about before), to try and bridge the gap between his own feelings and the ones Hirano canât reciprocate yet.Â
Hirano would think about how it would be easier to kiss him if not on the face, but still can't muster up the feelings to do so. The chapter ends with Hirano questioning what he needs to do in order to feel comfortable doing that.
Chapter 38 Predictions
I was just going to predict 37, but I canât stop thinking about it, soo⌠CHAPTER 38 WOOOO!
Kagiura really wanted to see some younger pictures of Hirano a few chapters back, and Hirano was texting his father in Chapter 35, so Iâm going to say the two of them will go to visit Hiranoâs family. The big question is whether they tell them that theyâre dating, to which I think the answer is no. Not because I think Hiranoâs family is unsupportive, but because they seem like the type to not talk about their feelings. I say this because:
1) Hirano doesnât seem very in touch with what he feels- like not knowing if what heâs feeling is love, and repeatedly thinking âwhatâs going on with me?â
2) Hirano repeatedly states about how âthose kinds of conversationsâ are really awkward for him- which makes sense if your family isnât the type to have them.Â
3) Hirano doesnât seem to know a lot of things, especially around his relationships with others- like having to ask Hanzawa for advice for living with an underclassman, not knowing how much is âtoo farâ when spoiling Kagiura, and having to have Ichinose explain what it means when 2 people are âa thingâ.
4) It seems as though he (and by extension his family) may hold more traditional beliefs, like believing photos will take time off your life (lol). And his first thought when seeing Sasaki and Miyano hanging out more casually is âTheyâve really gotten closeâ followed by âI guess thereâs nothing wrong with thatâ- which makes me believe that heâs grown up where it's kind of weird for two guys to be close with one another, so his first instinct is to go âthatâs weirdâ. I think this would explain why Hirano is weirdly hesitant to call Sasaki a friend, too.
Regardless, it seems like Hirano is still questioning his ability to have those romantic kinds of feelings, so Iâm not sure if heâd want to tell his parents about something heâs still figuring out. I do think thereâs a chance that, given how Hirano has changed since he met Kagiura and how he acts around Kagiura, that they might figure out that something is going on between them, although Iâm not sure that they would immediately jump to the conclusion that theyâre going out.
In terms of events in the chapter- I think Kagiura will get along with Hiranoâs parents very well, and weâll get some brief history on Hirano- like what he was like as a kid and growing up- probably talking about how Hirano used to get into fights, since weâve been told Hirano is good in a fight at least a half-dozen times.
Anyway, I think that around Hiranoâs birthday, Kagiura will probably make the journey to visit his own family. I canât think of what Kagiura would give Hirano and I donât think weâve seen anything new on Hiranoâs person (besides the ring, which Iâm pretty sure is next year), so Iâm going to say that the manga will skip over it, and the next chapter will be about the cultural festival.
Chapter 39 PredictionsÂ
The Kagihira brainworms have disrupted my sleep, the only cure is to keep goingâŚ.
Kagiura and Hirano are working hard on their respective classâs events, and Kagi gets off first, going to visit Hirano at the delinquent fortune telling cafe. The other students there are surprised at how non-delinquent like he is when heâs around Kagiura, as opposed to usual. He gets his fortune told by Hanzawa and feels as though the fact that he and Hirano are dating is something Hanzawa is catching on to and gets scared.
The two of them go see the crossdressing contest, and on their way Hirano tells Kagiura about how one of his underclassmen in the disciplinary committee got begrudgingly convinced into doing it, and points out who it is while they watch. Kagiura cheers for Niibashi, who wins, and goes up to congratulate him when he sees Sasaki and the underclassmen from earlier talking to one another. He recognizes Sasakiâs change in personality and questions Hirano about it. Kagiura wonders if Sasaki likes Hiranoâs underclassman.
We see a brief Niibashi-Touou (student council president) interaction (since according to the HtK light novel, they seem to be on friendly terms). They talk about the festival this and last year and about feeding the cats around school (Iâm of the belief that Niibashi is the other member of the animal appreciation club, like this post mentions, also this post)
Kagiura looks around and spots a familiar face in the crowd, his former girlfriend. The two of them make friendly small talk- about how she came because she heard about the crossdressing contest. She leaves with a group of friends and Hirano asks who she was, and Kagiura answers that she was his girlfriend for a couple months back in middle school.
Hirano wonders if Kagiura would be happier if he would end up with someone like that as opposed to himself, as he still believes he cannot reciprocate all the feelings Kagiura has for him.
Hirano and Kagiura spend the rest of the cultural festival together, and the fireworks start while the two of them watch. Kagiura talks about how much fun he had in the past year and tells Hirano that the cultural festival marked one year that figured out he liked Hirano, to which Hirano is shocked that itâs been so long, and Kagiuraâs happy reminiscence about the two of them eases Hiranoâs concerns about Kagiura being happier with someone else. Hirano asks Kagiura if he can use their once-a-day and uses it to kiss Kagiuraâs hand.Â
Conclusion
This was a lot longer than I initially intended, I just had too much fun trying to predict this stuff! Iâll probably do this again-maybe Iâll adjust my chapter 38 and 39 ones once I see just how wrong my 37 one was? Anyway, Iâd like to see others make their own predictions- I love reading that kind of thing (nudge nudge lol). I hope you guys enjoyed reading as much as I enjoyed speculating about it!
something that I really enjoy about Hirano compared to other aro/ace characters in anime/manga is that, whereas most characters who are aro/ace have some sort of complex about how they arenât able to love and feel out of place, Hirano doesnât really seem to be affected much at all- not to say I donât like that typical archetype, but I relate to Hiranoâs experience (at least what weâve seen so far) a lot more.
Hirano seems like a complete character, he has his idiosyncrasies, motivations, friendships, etc., I had a clear idea of who he was outside of romance, which I donât really see in other aro/ace characters. He has a fulfilling life outside of romance, and therefore doesnât need to have a life inside of romance.
Perhaps I am projecting onto Hirano a little with this, but i think its very likely that Hirano just doesnât think about romance and grew up in an environment where it wasnât super important- Iâm inclined to believe his parents werenât super close and werenât very lovey-dovey, and since itâs mentioned a lot how he was good in a fight- Iâm guessing he wasnât super close to anyone in middle school that would have been into romance. It would explain how clueless he is around the whole subject since Kagiura is basically his first exposure to the topic of romance.
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People like to dunk on Hirano for being so dense in terms of love, but I think itâs a lot more clear to us as readers then Hirano because we know what Kagiura feels and know what heâs thinking, and if you add that with the fact that Hiranoâs never exposed to this kind of love, itâs pretty reasonable. Honestly, if I imagine myself in the scenarios he gets put in- I think I'd do the same things he does.Â
Like imagine youâve been roommates with someone like Kagiura for 4 months and they give you a set of earrings- I would too think âoh, thatâs a little much, but he is just kind and giving like thatâ
Or imagine your roommate struggling to wake up, study, and eat certain foods, I would also be like âWell, he is a good friend and he tries, so I donât mind helping him wake up and study, since I can just study more in the morning.â and âItâd be a waste if food was wasted, so I donât mind eating some of the food he doesnât likeâ
Or being told âI likeâŚâ, like okay, maybe Iâm a little dense as well- but Kagiura hadnât really done anything since he realized his own feelings to convey that he liked him romantically, and after seeing him have so much fun, why wouldnât it be the the game?
Or perhaps your roommate mentioned having his gifts bundled up for his birthday and christmas, Iâd make sure they were getting separate gifts as well.Â
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Anyway, I also really like how normal Hiranoâs and Kagiuraâs friendship was (i.e. the HtK light novel), they just seem like close friends. I think if you read the manga with the context of the light novel, Hiranoâs desire to keep him close makes a lot more since- because Hirano isnât super close to anyone like he is Kagiura, so its only natural to think âKagiura seems to like me a lot, thatâs nice. Itâll suck when weâll change rooms, oh but weâll still both be in the dorms, so we can still hang out. He likes me romantically, but I really value our friendship, so Iâll try my best to to listen to him and understand him so we can be on the same pageâ
ANYWAY, Iâm not sure if Hiranoâs behavior is a typical experience, and I know that it's technically not even canon, but it really mirrored my own feelings and thoughts (or lack thereof), so Iâd like to know if anyone else feels the same wayâŚ
I had a dream this morning about there being a game of Hirano to Kagiura where basically you play as Hirano in this game, which disguises itself as a platonic dating sim (the reason being Hirano supposedly canât fall in love, so he chooses the one heâs closest to). However, there is a secret love meter in which only Hirano has for Kagiura, but you canât see it (because Hirano doesnât know heâs falling in love). To the average player, youâd pick one of 7 platonic love interests by raising the friendship meter to the maximum level.
To get the true ending you have to raise the secret love meter to the max and only then will Hirano realize his feelings. The problem is that you canât only interact with Kagiura to raise it, you need other characters to trigger events. For example, a girl that Hirano knows from middle school will invite him to dance with her at her school (which she does at a certain level of friendship), which will later trigger Kagiura to be jealous and will ask you to dance with him instead.
Other events may also affect what you can't do- so in one case, Hirano is hanging out with someone outside of school and sees something Kagiura might like- but he doesnât have the money for, so you might have to go back and not spend so much while hanging out with someone else. It's a balancing game of deciding which things to do and not do- because other friendships are important in triggering events, but doing things for Kagiura directly will increase the lover meter, too.
I imagine if you donât go for the Kagiura route, Hirano will still talk about him and think things like âdang, I havenât seen him in a whileâ and stuff like that- hinting to the player that Hiranoâs feelings for Kagiura are⌠not exactly platonic. I imagine by talking to some other characters, youâll reveal some of the things that occurred before the game takes place. I think itâd be funny for someone who doesnât know these characters to experience this and be like âwtf" at all the things Hirano does and yet doesn't realize how unusual he and Kagiura are sometimes.
I only remember a couple of the characters that were in the game, but here they are:
Girl from Hiranoâs middle school - You scared off her bullies for her, so she is very grateful. You and her often run into one another while out.
Guy from the basketball team - Guy you see at Kagiuraâs basketball games. He and Kagiura seem to talk about you a lot
Kagiura - Your roommate. He seems very fond of you
Girl who âlarpsâ as a guy to get into Hiranoâs school (I donât remember what her deal was except that she was clingy and really affectionate. Realistically if this were an actual game, I would replace her with someone else)
Anyway, thatâs the product of my dream, I figured y'all might appreciate it :3
hi. thatâs me. kiri I mean. firstly I realize Iâve arrives about a month late to the party. Iâm sure much of what Iâm going to say about ch 27 has already been discussed, but I still wanted to go through each chapter and give my thoughts on them before I go out and see what everyone else has been saying! Iâm keeping this post under the cut for length, not spoilers lol
okay! starting off from the color page. I adore this caption: âtowards an as-yet-unmet spring.â hiranoâs gaze, trained not just at kagiâs lips, but his brilliant smile (ââŚman, that sun is dazzling todayâŚâ â ch 12, hirano to kagiura), and the pink flush to his faceâaltogether it captures the image of love in bloom. that burgeoning newness is right in line with the spring season, and an âas-yet-unmet springâ suggests that while weâre not quite there yet (at the point of a realization of love), it is something that will be happening.
(side note: I will be using the mangadex scanlations as my main reference point here, but I have heard that it might be good to look at some alternate translations regarding ch 28 and 29, so Iâll be doing so when I get there)
now to discuss page one. hanzawa and ichinose are like catnip so me so I have a lot of words about this moment. to start, I think itâs so fascinating that both hanzawa & ichinose ascribe a sense of âhomeâ to the dorm (and thus feel homesickness), even though, as hirano points out, the dorm isnât actually their home. to me this illuminates a lot about hanzawa and ichinoseâs characters, particularly the reasons as to why they were dorm heads.
both hanzawa and ichinose are presumably here for studying reasonsâichinose will get caught up in video games if he goes home (ch 23b, hirano to kagiura), and hanzawaâs household is too busy and chaotic to study at (ch 33.7, sasaki to miyano)âbut the dorm is more than just a study space to them. after all, being dorm head requires an extra level of connection to the dorm⌠a connection that I would argue, for them, stems from a level of disconnection with their actual homes.
at home, hanzawaâs âmaa-kun,â and his older brother masaomi will start asking him questions about his love life, and I imagine itâs often enough since he does it in public, and asks if miyanoâs his boyfriend without skipping a beat (ch 28, sasaki to miyano). in this same chapter, hanzawa does not⌠react well, to romance. heâs still grappling with the lasting memory of his motherâs relief when he said he was straight. at home, hanzawaâs not in control. I think heâs internalized the idea that heâs not allowed to display any kind of queerness, and while that may still be true to an extent within the confines of the dorm, the situation is different. here, heâs the dorm head, heâs the captain of the ping pong team, president of the disciplinary club⌠his hair is dyed black, like a âgood student.â he can control, to a larger extent, the way heâs perceived, and has more freedom of action.
as ogasawara suggests in the second anime guidebook, âah, but⌠youâve been here for three years, so itâs not quite home, but⌠thereâs still an attachment?â and heâs right! I donât think hanzawa dreads his home, but I think that he was able to build a new feeling of stability during his time at school and in the dorm, and having that is really precious to him. thereâs reason he then asks ogasawara to attend his university, and then starts complaining about how hirano moved out of the dorm as soon as he was able.
(side note: thatâs a really fun look into the future, isnât it? that the hirano whoâs so deeply missing kagiura in this chapter moved out as soon as it was possible to do so. perhaps thatâs just another aspect of his ruthless kind of bluntness, but I think the fact that it happened means that he and kagiura are at a stable place. also, this scene ends with him deciding to drop by the dorm, so clearly thereâs someone he wants to seeâŚ)
we donât know much about ichinoseâs home life, but Iâd pin him as a bit introverted. I might be making this conclusion based off the fact that heâs wearing glasses in a flashback we see of him. but also like⌠he plays video games. he gets bad stomach cramps and some of them are anxiety-induced. he gets really shy around the dorm manager, who he does have a crush on, but also I think heâs just that type of person. speaking of the dorm manager, he and ichinose are chatting even before hirano or hanzawa show up, so Iâd suspect a part of his homesickness is missing the dorm manager, too. thereâs a fun tension to this situation⌠heâs graduating, and his crush probably feels pretty useless, but he nonetheless wants to chase that pleasure. itâs not an outward or direct expression of queerness, but I like to imagine that ichinose, too, feels more in control when heâs in the dorm, feels more like he can be a little truer to himself.
that distance from your closest judgementsâthe ones coming from you familyâis something I like to think that ichinose and hanzawa cherish.
speaking of ichinose and hanzawa, I love this chapter cover. the angle reminds me of a security camera? hiranoâs stares at it with a blank kind of surprise, but hanzawa and ichinose both look like theyâre making deliberate eye contact. I think the difference between them is representative to how those three interact with the idea of public perception and persona⌠that being, hirano doesnât do it at all, while hanzawa and ichinose are hyper aware of it, even though their approaches and responses differ.
(side note: Iâm aware that a lot of what I say regarding ichinose is speculation. I just have a lot of headcanons about him. as a shameless self plug I will say that that you should read violeta fantasy)
next we have ichinose & hirano discussing kagiura, and not only does hirano look glum when talking about how he and kagiura rarely get to see each other, he wears the fondest smile Iâve ever seen when he calls kagiura âone of a kind.â I love how bright that specific page looksâitâs like when hiranoâs around kagiura, he, too, is dazzling. I also really love the choice of words here, those being âone of a kind.â it might be a translation liberty, but I think it just emphasizes the way that kagiura is a unique existence to hirano. even if heâs not special in the romantic sense, he is so obviously special to hirano. I love that hirano calls him âone of a kindâ as heâs specifically recalling the way kagiura in ch 26 said that being with him, like this, is his favorite part of the day. here, reflecting on that moment, hirano gets to appreciate and love the way that kagiura loves him, and it just leaves him soft and pleased. itâs nice to see.
the next scene I want to discuss is the section where kagiura catches hirano & hanzawa Being Friends. I am such a fan of this because I love seeing hirano and hanzawaâs friendship. on hanzawaâs character profile for the knight of sub-characters popularity poll, itâs mentioned that heâs often seen with hirano, and then in the snapshot of his daily life that we got for his 2024 birthday, hiranoâs again mentioned as his friend⌠they go to the same university! hirano asked him for advice on how to approach kagi-kun! sure, part of that was because hanzawa was the dorm head, but a lot of it was because theyâre just friends. itâs fascinating to see how badly kagiura reacts to this, and the way he bitterly thinks, hirano-san only lets me touch him for 10 seconds a dayâŚ
kagi. I love you. but you made that rule up. you are also forgetting that hirano keeps claiming heâs got his own 10 seconds, too. this touch constraint is so fascinating because kagiura and hirano wouldâve casually touched all the time, before this. but ever since having a proper realization of his Feelings, kagiuraâs essentially⌠deprived himself of touch, by choice? because as they stand, even if hiranoâs Fine with it, because he wonât register it as romantic, kagiura canât touch him with romantic intention and have him not know. as he thinks right after his bitter thought, itâs not even the same kind of touching. it would cross some kind of line that heâs made up. I love this kidâs issues. heâs really so good⌠but I think he worries a lot about not being good, especially towards the guy he loves so much.
(side note: in this section we also flash back to the hanzawa homophobia allegations, which. Iâd love to write up a post abt this whole deal just bc 1) weâre all aware that hanzawaâs not Actually Homophobic, yes? and 2) I find it so fun to introspect and speculate about his relationship to queerness, and 3) can we talk about how strange yashiro is? like. forget hanzawa shutting down that play-acted kabedon in ch 24. what kind of person just bluntly says, âeveryone knows he canât stand when two guys do that kind of stuff togetherâ to a guy who clearly⌠does not know that? hanzawa canât be looking that actively homophobic, if kagiuraâs never noticed it before. making that statement says just as much about yashiro, then, as it does about hanzawa.)
now of course I have to talk the moment where kagiura realizes that hirano misses them hanging out. Iâll take this moment to note that hirano missing him, and hirano wanting to study with him, are all great continuing repudiations of the suggestion that ichinose gave early on: that he might focus better, without kagiura as his roommate. that maybe theyâd do best, working hard individually. I think this was part of what separated them in the adult au, but time and time again, hirano to kagiura shows that they make each other better, stronger people. we kind of knew all of this, though. why, then, does hirano go 0 to 100 red, the moment that kagiura realizes this fact?
well. this⌠actually isnât the first time, isnât it? back in ch 22, hiranoâs missing kagiura, and recalls what miyano was rambling about in his BL: âhe thinks about how much he wants to see the person heâs in love with, and with the best timing ever, he finds himself embraced, and his heart starts poundingâŚâ
then, too, his face turns totally red. and, crucially: his heart starts to race.
heart racing, in this context, is a signifier of love. hirano had pointed out that you can just have your heart race when youâre surprised, and being hugged could do that naturally, but now his heart has started jackrabbiting when thereâs no one there to touch him. how to make sense of this feeling?
(heâd also conveniently tuned out the part where miyano said that in some cases there wasnât any heart racing because the couple was already like family. I think family is a really key word in how exactly kagiura loves hirano. it really is a desire not just for love, but cohabitation.)
miyano says some other stuff in his BL spiel, too. Iâd like to point to his earlier impassioned cry of, âyou should just try getting embraced by a tall puppy-dog seme, have your heart start racing, and realize âwowâŚis this love?!â!!!â
sounds a little similar to⌠oh, whatâs happening right now in ch 27, doesnât it?
sasaki to miyano plays a lot with BL tropes, particularly in the ways that its fiction interacts with the reality of miyanoâs life. hirano to kagiura does this to a lesser extent, but the theme is still clearly presentâin ch 13, miyano tells hirano that he âcanât recognize an iota of BL development potential,â and hirano thinks for a moment that heâs talking about him and kagi-kun before he decides it had nothing to do with their situation.
so. what weâre going to see in ch 28, I suspect, is not going to be a sudden âwowâŚis this love?!â moment. Iâd love to say Iâve made this prediction just from sheer analysis alone, and while I think harusono senseiâs general trend of playing with BL tropes and expectations makes this a pretty easy prediction, I also just⌠have an inkling or two about what ch 28 is about. no clue about ch 29, but I know that neither of them are going to end with hirano being âwow, Iâm totally in love with kagi,â because if it did, I think my tumblr dashboard wouldâve exploded.
thatâs all from me on ch 27! excited to discuss whateverâs coming upâŚ
hello everyone. thatâs me. kiri that is. again. I already gave my introductory spiel when I talked about ch 27 so Iâll get right into it for ch 28. lots to talk about again so the rest is under the cut for length.
before I get into it, I thought Iâd address the elephant in the room: the translation thatâs available on mangadex is a little⌠contentious. for this chapter, I consulted this twitter thread that goes into the mangadex translation and offers some alternative takes and translations. personally, this alternate translation is the version I prefer, so itâs what Iâm going to be quoting from for my analysis, but I wonât really be doing any kind of translation comparison here, since I have the feeling itâs likely already been discussed, and for this post Iâd like to focus on my actual thoughts as it pertains to the text. I just thought Iâd put all of this upfront so itâs clear what Iâm quoting later on.
with that settled⌠letâs start by looking at the first page! we open with heavy rain, which offers the whole chapter a little bit of a moodier vibe. I am, of course, delighted to see ichinose. itâs really lovely to see him hanging out in the dorm even after heâs graduated, because it, again, emphasizes the sense of homesickness he has about this place, but it also adds some interesting context to his relationship with the dorm manager? in ch 22 of hirano to kagiura, upon seeing hirano and kagiura playing basketball and studying together, ichinose flashes to an image the dorm manager and thinks, âŚtheyâve still got a year left together. lucky stiffs. coupling that with what he says in ch 23bââI always just feel⌠impatientâ and âthis game I really love (âŚ) had this thing about how if you never move on, then itâs all been a wasteââI have some conclusions to draw.
in ch 23b we see that ichinose and kagiura have vastly differing hunger patterns. kagiuraâs got a crazy fast metabolism and seems to always be slightly hungry. he stops studying to go to dinner, immediately. on the other hand, ichinose is pretty bad about listening to his own body, and ends up skipping dinner if he doesnât have an alarm to keep him on track. if we think of hunger as a kind of desire, and extrapolate that to each character, it suggests that while kagiuraâs this almost bottomless pit of desire, who canât ignore or push down his yearning, because heâs too damn obvious (ch 8, hirano to kagiura), ichinose is the type to ignore or move past his own desires. thatâs how his impatience expresses himselfâheâs so focused on his goal, so impatient about moving on, moving forward, that heâs not good at focusing on himself.
this is perhaps⌠not the healthiest of ways to live. ichinose gets stomach cramps from just food, sure (ch 20.5, hirano to kagiura), but itâs clear that at least some of his stomach pains are stress-related, too (ch 15.5, hirano to kagiura). and, well. I imagine that having an unrequited crush and grappling with that unexpressed queerness would not only incite its own kind of stress, it would be something that ichinose would love to move on from and ignore. thus far, a lot of the interactions weâve seen between ichinose and the dorm manager have been tumultuous. as we see in the chapters cited above, heâs someone who alleviates his stress, but also someone who sets his heart all aflutter.
here, post-graduation, ichinose is lingering. even though he sees the rain and knows he needs to be heading home, he still offers to help the dorm manager out. and while Iâm sure theyâve had many pleasant and comfortable conversations during ichinoseâs tenure as a dorm head, and outside of that, too, itâs nice to see him so chill. at this moment, heâs, for some reason or the other, decided to stick around at a place heâs kind of supposed to have moved past already. the optimist in me likes to think heâs trying to focus on himself a little more, but considering all my statements about ichinose are still filtered through a mountain of my own speculation and headcanons about his three years of high school⌠you might have to take my words with a grain of salt.
ahem. ichinose spiel over (for now). I just wanted to express some of my thoughts on him as a character because heâs got a pretty important appearance later in this chapter, but Iâm very indulgent about it.
next we have kagiura & hirano on the chapter cover! kagi posing as the dog in this photo is almost⌠too obvious to talk about? itâs a fun hint to whatâs to come, for certain. but itâs also just⌠that boy is so dog / puppy-coded. that stuffed animal gift that he got jealous of. his phone charm. itâs almost too obvious to talk about. as for the pose and expressions themselves, I think theyâre so cute. itâs important to note how freely delighted hirano is, here, as heâs touching kagiuraâs hands⌠he enjoys this kind of carefree, loving treatment! and we are, in fact, going to see him enjoy something just like this very soon!
now. onto our hug sequence. I think this whole scene is so fun, so Iâm going to try to break it down into more elemental parts and analyze whatâs going on here. overall, this hug and the response to it are hirano and kagiura doing their best to communicate with each other. these two are really sensitive to each other, and my favorite thing about this scene is the way that hirano and kagiura respond to the other, because theyâre always considering each otherâs feelings. theyâre not two characters who align by magicâinstead they do their best to convey their feelings and match each other, because they want to stay together. in ch 15 of hirano to kagiura, even when theyâre so very clearly not having the same kinds of thoughts, they turn to face each other at the exact same moment, because theyâre always thinking of each other. I love them to pieces.
to begin with: letâs discuss heights! in the beginning of this situation, hirano is sitting while kagiura stands. this arrangement, with kagiura above him, adds a fun tension to the scene. itâs not like kagiuraâs, I dunno, this oppressive force, or anything? itâs just that hirano, looking up, looks a little diminished. in general, harusono loves to play with heights between these two. like, kagiura, just by default, is taller than hirano, but thereâs so many different scenes you can point to him where hirano is above him in some form or the other. iâd have to catalogue all of these appearances to figure out if thereâs any throughline⌠maybe hirano likes having kagiura under him? whoâs to say, since I havenât gone through everything yet. harusono might just like to flip around the height framing a lot. but itâs something fun to take note of.
kagiura asks if he can embrace him, and says itâs something that lovers would do. this ideaâof being Like Loversâis something thatâs plagued hirano for the entirety of the manga. what does it really mean, to be lovers? itâs normal, to want to kiss a lover. what does normal mean?
this is why I love to headcanon hirano as some variety of aspec. when I think about asexuality and aromanticism, questions like these come to the forefront. what separates love from like? and, taking the chapter title (âitâs just like a treasureâ) into account: what does it mean for hirano and kagiura to treasure each other?
from day one, itâs clear as day that these two love each other. right now, the disconnect between them exists because kagiura wants a relationship that is Like Lovers, and hirano feels like he doesnât know how to match that. I think thereâs a lot of things that we think of as ânormalâ or âexpectedâ for relationships, but ultimately every relationship is about the people involved in it. for hirano, some of what is standard for Like Lovers might not be true to him, and Iâm excited to see kagiura and him work through that. thereâs a lot of ways it could go, and I have a couple of different things I want to happen⌠part of me wonders if hirano would better conceptualize being Like Lovers as a wanting to be family. that sense of domestic married bliss, you know? (âwhen I get married, I sure hope itâs to someone as open and honest as you!â â ch 18.5, sasaki to miyano)
in this chapter, we get to see hirano and kagiura be more unconventional, and personal, about the way they express their love for each other. for now, though, I think hirano still reacts intensely to the idea of acting Like Lovers, because he hasnât yet come to a proper conclusion about it. in ch 25, hirano invites kagiura to touch his hair, and then gets confused when kagiura says itâs something Like Lovers. that wasnât what heâd intended by it, after all. then he hears that wanting to kiss someone, too, is Like Lovers, which isnât something heâs ever actively thought about. if the way he interacts with kagiura is both Like Lovers and Unlike, how does that explain his own actions? how does that explain himself? in ch 6, after hearing that kagiura wants to marry hirano be family with him, like his parents, niibashi asks, âdo you want to kiss him?â itâs a question that asks whether what kagiura feels for hirano is really romantic love. like niibashi says later, maybe hiranoâs just going through all of these stages. maybe one day heâll wake up and understand everything. But hiranoâs not the type to wait around for things like that. instead, hirano wants to consider this relationship, as it exists now, as seriously as possible.
(side note: while I do think hiranoâs going through the stages of falling in love, I think the way he approaches it and responds to it is pretty different, compared to kagiura. Iâm kind of curious to see whether heâll have his own do you want to kiss him? moment, considering he actually does consider it himself in ch 25 before going to sleep and avoiding the question. on a personal level Iâd like him to match kagi without entirely mirroring him, just because I think it makes sense for them)
that level of consideration that hirano has towards kagiura, and his struggles to really Get what is meant by Like Lovers makes him hesitant. I think this is what motivates him to ask, âcan⌠I say⌠I donât want to?â
immediately, kagiura steps back in surprise. itâs not a melodramatic moveâitâs just his instinctual, reflexive response to hirano expressing some level of discomfort. at this, hirano exhales, and some of the tension deflates. this response is why hirano decides to go for the hugging after all. itâs not just because he knows that he can say no, itâs because itâs just so clear that kagi treasures him.
I also think that his initial half-refusal, and then his acceptance, make hirano feel like heâs taking a bit more initiative in the situation, which is certainly something he wants. in the same way that kagiura wants more of an equal footing with hirano, when it comes to their relationship I think hirano doesnât want kagi to be putting in effort all my himself. theyâre in a mutualistic relationshipâeach wants to benefit the other.
so then we get the hug, and The Momentâthat bit of discomfort! again: immediately, kagiura shifts his position, and moves his hands up to squeeze hirano into a hug that looks a bit fluffier and less intimate than the last. itâs such a brilliant response from kagiuraâitâs likely motivated in part by the fact that he still wants to hug hirano, but I also think a simple shift of positions is much less awkward then flinching away. though hiranoâs clearly a little distressed by his own reaction, this hug is clearly not causing him any kind of physical discomfort. and kagiura probably knew this would be the case, since he actually hugs hirano quite similarly in ch 20 of hirano to kagiura. hirano, actually, has an interestingly similar set of expressions on his face then.
hiranoâs thoughts during this part of the hug are so interesting. he knows he likes kagi as person⌠so what does that Like mean, compared against Like Lovers? this is a question Iâm always asking myself, too. because heâs good with holding hands, which is pretty Like Lovers. and that time when he patted kagiuraâs head⌠that made both of them happy. a mutual, shared joy. thatâs what hirano wants.
when he exits that hug, it doesnât feel like he can offer that. kagiura tentatively asks him how it was and hirano thinks, itâs not like I want you to make that face. this is what I mean by sensitivityâhirano just wants kagiura to look happy when they touch, to the point that he gets mad when kagiura doesnât look happy (ch 23b, hirano to kagiura). heâs meant to enjoy this, and how is hirano going to enjoy it if kagi doesnât look like heâs enjoying it, either?
my favorite part of this moment is that though hirano is considering his words carefully, he also refuses to be anything but truthful. so he considers the situation deeply, going through everything theyâve tried before, trying to isolate the variable. the fact that he recalls each moment so well tells us how meaningful his interactions with kagi are, too. once hirano figures out that the variable is initiative, he tells kagi, clear and direct: I donât really like being hugged. so why donât I hug you, instead. that blunt, bright honesty, that willingness to face kagi properly⌠it dazzles me. Iâm sure kagiâs dazzled by it, too.
and the hug is good. hirano, now that the height differences have been reversed, gets to apply things he knows that he likes⌠patting kagiâs head, for example. Iâm so in love with the expression he makes when he sees kagi, blushing all lovely-like in his arms⌠it looks like heâs been enchanted. sure, as kagiura says, what theyâre doing right now isnât traditionally Like Lovers. but whatâs happening here is something that works for them.
I donât believe in love languages with any kind of seriousness, since they fall into that same pop psychology category of like⌠MBTI and Enneagrams to me. But I think the underlying conceptâof loving someone in a way they understandâis important. so here, even though itâs not really Like Lovers, itâs intimate in a way that works for themâhiranoâs comfortable, and kagi is blushing so hard that heâs clearly feeling some kind of way about it. crucially, he also says that heâs happy. they are both trying to treasure each other, and they know this.
kagi getting jealous of a dog that hirano literally hasnât gotten is also super cute. reminds me of when he got jealous of that stuffed animal he gave him. I think it also makes the chapter cover super cute, since kagiâs playacting as a dog there. most importantly, this comment makes hirano laugh, so they break from this embrace without tension, except forâ
well. hirano sees ichinose, who sees them. what a blank, open stare⌠his expression is so tantalizingly unreadable here. from what I can tell, though, ichinoseâs natural instinct, here, is to back away. I genuinely think he was just planning to leave them alone and skedaddle. maybe theyâd talk about it later. but then, when heâs about to leave, he spots hanzawa. according to hanzawaâs reputation, he would definitely not approve of whatâs going on here, and ichinose just immediately starts covering for them. he loudly announces hanzawaâs presence while pretending he didnât see them, so kagiura doesnât realize theyâve been spotted, but also so they can collect themselves before hanzawa sees them in any kind of compromising position.
itâs such a considerate and subtle way of acting⌠you can really tell why he was dorm head, here. and this actually isnât the first time ichinose has intervened for the both of them. in ch 20, he cuts in when hirano grabs kagiuraâs collar, and we specifically see that thereâs a couple students who are looking at the two of them and wondering if thereâs a fight going on. ichinose rushes in, is like, oh wow youâve hurt your hand! go to the nurseâs office, now! and lets them talk things out calmly and privately. like I said last chapter, heâs a guy whoâs aware of public perception. not all of my ichinose thoughts are entirely speculation.
hanzawa presenting this sort of like⌠scare, though, is quite interesting. the worlds of sasaki to miyano and hirano to kagiura are pretty⌠light on homophobia, as far as things go? itâs definitely real and present, but the struggles that our main characters face donât involve crazy drama, or feeling like the entire world is out to persecute them. so hanzawa, who I think gets touchy about people âacting gayâ because heâs aware of how tough it is to deal with discrimination, almost acts as a filter / barrier between the wider world and the world of the manga. we get a touch of that wider world stuff from him and his attitude, but we donât actually get the wider world homophobia.
I think hanzawaâs strict about relationships because heâs seen them not end well, and probably feels that on a risk level, itâs not worth it. better to shut it down early. better to make things look normal, because itâs safer. on a personal level, when both of his brothers came out as gay and hanzawa awkwardly said he just liked girls, his mother stated that everything was alright because hanzawa was there to carry on the family line. in a certain sense, Iâd bet that hanzawa thinks of himself as a filter / barrier in that situation, too. since heâs there, his parents remain fully accepting of his brothers. whether that would change with hanzawa being queer or not, we donât know for certain, but I do think thatâs hanzawaâs fears surrounding the situation⌠what would happen to him, if he was less normal? thereâs a reason that hanzawa has the most piercings of the cast, has dyed hair, and still reads as a smart and studious upperclassman. heâs careful about his image.
Iâm interested to see what happens with hanzawa, here. seeing sasaki and miyano clearly makes him feel a little more hopeful about gay relationships, and even though we see hanzawa express concern when first seeing sasaki and miyano together, none of that concern is ever directly conveyed to miyano. heâs filtering himself, because he knows that itâs probably not right to intervene, here.
to tie off my thoughts on this chapter, Iâm really interested in the ichinose-hanzawa exchange about using the study rooms in the dorm, versus hanging out in the dorm managerâs room. because what ichinose is doing right now⌠itâs a bit unconventional, isnât it? but he brings up his justification easilyâcanât study in the study rooms that are for the actual dorm residents, since heâs no longer paying for the dorm. there might be a bit of truth in that, but to me heâs walking a careful line, trying not to be too obvious of what other feelings might be motivating him, here. right at the end of the chapter, he spills the fabric softener. it might have just been a routine error. it might also be that heâs a little more nervous than heâs letting onâŚ
and thatâs all from me on ch 28! ch 29, Iâm sure, will be a doozy⌠Iâm really hoping that we get to see actual thoughts from ichinose, because weâve only seen his actions from an audience perspective, and here, he doesnât really let on his thoughts at all, right? I wonder how much of my speculations about him are actually correct. I hope they are, but itâll be fun to learn where Iâm wrong, too. and the hirano & kagiura progress! canât wait to see where that leads, too
HRKG Ch. 24 Analysis (I'm late and I never posted it)
Note that I know a lot of this has already been said but wanted to put this out there. Also Buckle Up this is a bit long
in order to properly analyze this chapter as part of a standalone series (meaning I won't bring up sasamiya in it), I reread every other chapter leading up to this one.
I'm not gonna analyze previous chapters in reference to 24 but vice versa. Or I'll try. In other words, I want to explain what's going on in ch. 24 referencing past chapters. And not explaining past chapters referencing 24, if that makes sense?
(Also I'm using the scans as I can view it page by page and flip between chapters on the site and use it in screenshots).
Starting with in the splash art, Kagiura and Hirano are "walking" somewhere, it seems, and I'm noting that it's saying "I want to walk in step with you" (side by side) and Kagiura is in front of him, looking back as Hirano walks toward him. Hmmm. Almost like Hirano is going to catch up, going to walk to his side and they will walk together, in step. This to me is only proof of this chapter's huge theme, of Hirano beginning the process of falling in love for real.
Now it's obvious to me that he started this process a long damn time ago, but from this moment forward, it is ridiculously important. And I think I may be able to draw some comparisons to earlier chapters. Again, not analyzing those chapters, but using them to analyze this chapter.
24 starts with Kagiura, who is regretting what he did in ch. 23, jumping to the conclusion that Hirano wants to stop trying to see him romantically, and ends up pushing him to keep trying, and also pushing the physical boundary. And he also says he cheated (ch. 22 head on shoulder thing, then holding hirano's hand against his chest, same day). At everything, Niibashi mentions how there has been progress, and that maybe, like Kagiura had, Hirano is going through the process of falling in love. So, what does that look like? We will see!
Kagiura and Niibashi plan to go watch the basketball game before Kagiura's dodgeball game. The meet-up with Hirano and Sasaki is like a clash in each other's school lives. Hirano with his classmate/friend, and Kagiura with his. Hence, both of them see a side of each other they rarely ever see (though this is Kagiuraâs perspective so emphasis is placed on how he sees this side of Hirano). And we know by now that Kagiura is a jealous person, which I think partly comes from insecurity, but I digress. And in this sequence, he realizes just how much Sasaki has influenced Hirano, to the point where Kagiura himself feels the effects of said influence. And he feels jealous of it. But that's because Kagiura is HIMSELF, and sometimes you don't notice the effects of your own influence. Hirano tells him this, he reassures him.
First of all, can I talk about how refreshing this was? Kagiura was jealous and felt a tad upset and removed himself from making a scene in any way. He walked it off, really. And Hirano went to ask about it (and he *sensed* that there was a problem. He sensed this and told Sasaki he would be late to the game. Mind you, he scolded sasaki earlier for being late. Hypocrite...). Anyway, Hirano asked about it and Kagiura was honest! And they immediately talked about it and cleared it up! Ch 14 anyone...
Also, Hirano reassured Kagiura of his influence on him, but can we talk about that too? Hirano knows of Kagiuraâs romantic feelings toward him. He knows that Kagiura loves him which is why he's jealous of how close Hirano is with Sasaki. So Hirano tells Kagiura not to worry because it's YOU who has influenced me the most without a doubt. Hirano was reassuring Kagiuraâs love for him, and his love for Kagiura (i mean really!) To me, that was Hirano's way of saying, "It's you that I'm open to, that I'm after". That reassurance was confirmation that Hirano WANTS it to be Kagiura. If that's not progress from 14, the jealousy Hirano faced before by basically brushing it off, I don't know what is. And he uses that opportunity as well to do the ten seconds because he told Kagiura they wouldn't stop, and they agreed they could both use it. So to reassure him in his own way, he indulges in the agreement they made. He's showing Kagiura he's serious about it.
So Kagiura feels it all, Hirano's statement and Hirano's touch and he runs to the gym to watch his game. Because Hirano told him to hurry if he's gonna watch the game. Watch how your influence is paying off. CATCH UP. And guess what? This is where this chapter's theme reaches its critical point and really, really shines.
Let it be known that this is a whole chapter in Kagiuraâs perspective. And I'd like to point out now that I believe this chapter parallels chapter one, an important aspect of what the theme of this chapter is (Hirano's road to falling in love). The parallels start right here, when Kagiura goes to watch Hirano's game.
He walks into the gym, view from the top, late.
He watches him play and thinks about the time they have spent together.
The game ends, and he looks up at the stands...
...and he smiles.
The roles have quite literally reversed. A whole half-page for each of them, of the smile and the reaction to it??? COME. ON.
But listen when I say this. Kagiura sat there and watched Hirano play and realized it was his influence. It's something he was able to do that changed Hirano, even just a littleâit helped him put up a fight in a basketball game. He didn't win, no, but later he wants to see a game of someone his height winning. He wants to see someone like him SUCCEED. Do you see what I'm getting at. (And he didn't even have to win because it's a team sport and it's no use if your teammates aren't working just as hard. I mean... there's a lot to get from this. Do you know what else takes effort from another person...)
Let me summarize. Hirano is playing an unfamiliar game but he's playing it and doing so, so well with Kagiuraâs influence. And he sees Kagiura watching him and he smiles, just like he had with Kagiura back in chapter one. And if basketball is love in this instance then where does that leave them? Where does that leave Hirano?
He's working for it. He's working TO it!
(And then when Kagiura is playing dodgeball, Hirano runs there, literally RUNS to catch up to him, to cheer him on, to tell him he's got this. And haven't we talked about how Hirano wants Kagiura to keep loving him? How he's cheering him on in all of his passions and he IS one of is passions? Remember? Kagiura gets a little too intense, realizes it, tones it down (sound familiar??) and wins. He wins. He literally does that! And when Kagiura wins, the first thing he wants to do, more than Hirano saying I love you, is to say I love you to Hirano. Hirano cheered him on and Kagiura wanted to tell him that it worked and keeps working. (Kagiura working hard made Hirano wanna work hard too. Is this relevant? Yes it is) Are you hearing this?!!!!)
I have to continue the chapter because it's literally so important. It connects. Please bear with me.
Back in the room, like I mentioned previously, Hirano learns that people his height and smaller are pretty damn good. And the ball games are over but he wants to see it because he still is interested and wants to learn URRRGGH.
Kagiura yawns and is ready to go to bed. I want you to look at a scene in chapter 1 from Kagiuraâs perspective--
And then at 24 in his perspective.
First of all, this contrast is hilarious. We have a Kagiura that is sleeping (and needs to wake up) and is abruptly woken up by Hirano. Then we have a Hirano that is going to sleep and is abruptly STOPPED by Kagiura (because Hirano is clearly uneasy). Like, the guy that is always ready to go to sleep is suddenly wide awake, and he's the one keeping the guy that always wakes him up awake. Huh!
And why is Hirano uneasy?
Bro...
I don't think I have much to say here except this one little detail: Hirano goes out of his way to wake Kagiura up every morning, which is why Kagiura has the thought that Hirano makes him not want to get up yet.
Here, Kagiura and Hirano have established a new routine of sorts. And that routine hadn't been fulfilled today. In other words, Kagiura made Hirano not want to sleep yet. Bro. BRO.
This point in the time-line has the luxury of Kagiuraâs feelings being mostly (emphasis on mostly) sorted out. He knows he's in love with Hirano, and the whole routine they have is based around the idea of falling in love. So Kagiura views this and goes, whoa, wait. This isn't something Hirano would normally do, let alone be embarrassed about. Freaking chapter 16 has Hirano questioning what the significance of the touching even is, but now he's so committed to it that when it's missing he KNOWS it and it BOTHERS him (does this mean he was waiting for it to come all day and it never did? holy shit)
I'm still not sure if Hirano flinches up after confirming "those are MY ten seconds and not yours" because he realized what he said, or because Kagiura's expression. Maybe it's even both. But either way, I think Hirano realizes how wild this sounds which is why he doubles down and is like I'm not ASKING you to do it. But then he says that the reason he even thought this in the first place was because of yesterday, Kagiura touched him and then Hirano touched Kagiura. So in his mind, they separated then (ten seconds have become 20). Then he's regretting the whole thing because he sounds crazy overthinking this. Because he's becoming conscious of it.
And that whole convo still reminds me of chapter 1. Once again, the luxury of context; Hirano gets embarrassed about this and is like whoa whoa wait. He holds out his hand to Kagiura's face. He feels exposed... like this.
Kagiura offers that he has already spent his ten seconds, right? Because of the cheek pinch. Kinda like this:
Then Hirano is like, no? Because that was mine and this is YOURS. Uh, like this?
(Also, "that's your basis for nice" is literally what Niibashi says in this chapter. At least translated. Coincidence? Ha ha. **WRONG**)
But then Hirano shuts up. Like.... this?
Like, the same freaking framing with slightly different composition to match the different scenario?? Are you KIDDING me? (If what I mean is unclear, Chapter 1 Kagiura is a parallel of Chapter 24 Hirano, and Chapter 1 Hirano for Chapter 24 Kagiura)
If I view this entire chapter as the START for Hirano, the fact that it's in Kagiuraâs perspective in both scenes makes so much sense. Because it's Kagiura who thinks he's recognizing (what Niibashi said) that Hirano may be where he was. Right now, it's not just a parallel. It's like his memory.
So this is where Hirano is. (And I cannot wait to see the next chapter of Hirano's perspective considering we haven't seen his FULL, unshared perspective of a scene since chapter 23a when he's thinking of Kagiura and literally blushing, then sees Kagiura and blushes again and says "that's not what's happening". Then the reader sits on that and reads chapter 24 in Kagiuraâs perspective, when we cannot even see his thoughts and we all conclude that that IS what's happening). Hirano is really at the stage that Kagiura was at in chapter 1. And in chapter one we already know that Kagiura loves Hirano but no confirmation that it's even romantic until later. He is unaware of the true extent of his feelings yet. And this is where Hirano is right now. He just doesnt know. But readers, we are gonna watch him get there because ch 24 is where his "love story" begins. Do you know what I fucking mean???
ITS HIS TURN!!! ITS THE NARRATIVE SHIFT!! because these aren't mutually exclusive at all! This whole time, we have been getting the story of Kagiuraâs love and their life together. But never have we been introduced to the story of Hirano's love until right now. This is historical. I'm gonna scream.
I don't have the mental capacity to dig into the last few pages of chapter 24, mostly because it focuses on a different aspect of the plot of this entire Manga, which is Hanzawa and his effect on their relationship. I think this sets up something for the future (future burry here: i was totally right). But right now. Man. Right now. I can look at chapter 24 and know that this is like the renaissance of the plot. This is the manifestation of Hirano's love. This is the beginning of his fall. And I cannot wait to see it.
Every single chapter is important. Every panel, all the dialogue, every page and how it transfers into the next one... I 100% believe no questions that every single decision made in hrkg is intentional. Even the tiny chapters that are like seven pages, they're important! Even if it feels like nothing happened in the chapter, something did. Something important. If it's not glaring, it may be a tiny reflection. If it's not super loud, it might just be quiet. But it's there. I promise you it's there. A lot of this comes from the fact that i am obsessed with this piece of media and I don't expect casual enjoyers to analyze every chapter, but just because you don't see it doesnt mean it's not there. The development, the meaning, the purpose, it's all there and always has been, it reveals itself bit by bit and i stand by that
In the hirano to kagiura novel, it mentions the student council president, Touou, is âinvolvedâ with Niibashi. I watched the sasamiya anime ova, and it mentions the student council president feeding the cats, and that a student caught him doing that so he formed a club. The club only has 2 members, and hanzawa mentioned that the other member is âjust an ordinary studentâ.
IS THE OTHER MEMBER NIIBASHI?????
IS THIS HOW NIIBASHI IS âINVOLVEDâ WITH TOUOU????
Perceptions and thoughts about ch. 26 (a little late...)
Well, it's February 15th and that means chapter 27 has already been published! And while there are already spoilers out, I've been trying to avoid them since I don't want to know what happened (yet), I'm still finishing organizing my thoughts on ch 26 because it's always good to give it a deeper reading, right?
First, they are such a married couple! in the everyday they find their harmonious life as newlyweds, and that is seen in how the first thing Hirano thinks is that they are starting their last year of living together. Why would he worry about that if he didn't care about it beyond a good friendship?
âIrreplaceable days, with my sleepy kouhai besides meâ
Sensei loves to draw Hirano's waist, every time she can she subtly emphasizes it, as in the cover of this chapter, where she not only lets us see the difference in size and build between them, but also Hirano's slender waist.
And in this chapter she really let herself go for the pleasure of drawing handsome guys, we finally get to see Kagi's good physical condition! We've all been able to see him except Hirano... and god knows he's eager to see those abs (in a totally platonic way of course).
While this seems to be a somewhat slow chapter or superfluously focused on the everyday, there are a couple of things that stand out for me and give enormous value to this chapter, and is that here we are given good clues to understand that Hirano's feelings have been changing, that even imagining suspending those morning studies makes him miss those moments together and make him call Kagi in an almost unconscious way.
Or when Kagi mentions that his favorite time of the day is studying with him in the mornings, the first thing that happens is that Hirano looks at him with a mixture of shock and wonder, then touches his heart (yes, I like to think that) because until a couple of minutes ago he was longing for those moments he thought he would lose.
Afterwards, he fails to concentrate and keeps glancing at Kagi who is so focused on his homework that he doesn't notice Hirano looking at him with those attentive and curious eyes, accompanied by that thought about how much it amazes him how Kagi gives his best in everything he does, feeling all that admiration for his roommate; and the last panel, where the word suki/like stands out (as mentioned in this community post that points very well what this last panel implies) and the beating of Hirano's heart, thinking about what's going on with him at that momentâŚ
And let's remember, Hirano stated that his ideal partner is the one who gives his all, who is honest and open (and that basically is Kagi-kun), so let's hope that he can make those little advances to, with a little luck, have a kiss at the end of this year.
The end of chapter 26 gives me hope because now he sees Kagi and not only thinks about how he likes the distance they have, or that he feels calm being with him, but he thinks about how much he likes studying with him, and how much he admires him for his effort and dedication. And maybe tomorrow he can understand that he likes to have dinner with him, and practice basketball with him, and spend time with him in general. And as he comes to understand what a lovers' relationship means to him, he can slowly put together that puzzle where his own conception of romance converges with what he enjoys being with Kagi. And that all those ideas such as I like to study with him, I like to spend time with him, I like to take care of him, become simply I like him.
About the next chapters... I think Hirano will continue to be so calm next to Kagi, seeing him more and more attractive, decisive and admiring him through those huge blue cat eyes, but I still don't think he is in a position to fit all the pieces together. Also I think something else needs to happen for him to realize that he is indeed reciprocating Kagi's feelings, as the touching doesn't work, the closeness doesn't work (he recognizes it as brotherly love or deep friendship), so I think it takes another, a different twist for him to notice. I've considered the jealousy theme, but I don't think Hirano is an inherently jealous person, so it seems to me that it must be something that directly âthreatensâ Kagi for him to react. maybe a minor accident on the court? (he is an athlete, there are usually falls and bumps in practices and games) and we already saw that just because he knew he was in the infirmary he ran to see him regardless of rules or classes,
So it seems to me that if something like that happened, he would not hesitate to go to see him and maybe that way he could go fit his feelings and finally react (I am a believer that Hirano will be the one who kisses him first, probably in a burst of impulsivity). That, or one day he'll see Kagi shirtless and his heterosexuality and decency will fly out the window (there's a reason sensei still won't let him see his roommate's six pack).
And one last comment: I'm really worried about Hanzawa and how he will react when he confirms his suspicions because he definitely knows that Kagi likes Hirano, but he still doesn't see a real âdangerâ since Hirano seems to be so far from understanding what a crush is, but he definitely can feel how fond and close his friend is to Kagiura, and that it's just a matter of time before he falls... what will Hanzawa do when he confirms his suspicions?
This page never fails to make me laugh (in a good way) because I just have to imagine being sasaki here. Every previous impression of Kagiura (that wasn't because of what Hirano has said about him) has been wiped from his memory (e.g. ch. 12). You think you're having a normal conversation with your friend and you look up and your friend's roommate is giving you the CRAZIEST look and we've yet to see what the look is. I find it so funny particularly because of how tense this moment was. Like I FELT it. And the fact that it's sasakagi makes me have to laugh. This is (at least some) the context of their awkward "i don't like him" thing we've been waiting for.
Which makes me wonder why in ch. 46 sasaki was asking about him, like considering the state of their relationship were seeing currently, I couldn't imagine sasaki going out of his way to talk to him, so why ask about him at all lol also he really does not retain any info about kagiura only "kagi-kun" because that's what hirano calls him and that's he's on the basketball team. They're so funny dawg. I bet kagiura couldn't even tell u anything about sasaki at all. They're too funny
Also, I rlly hope we get to see them interact again... preferably alone bc that would be hilarious. Can yall tell I love them they're so awkward and stupid and weird. It's the funniest dynamic in the series by far and they've interacted (directly) once. I don't have them but there were graduation messages for each character from sempai to kouhai and vice versa after the movie, and Kagiura did thank Sasaki (reluctantly) and Sasaki did acknowledge Kagiura (reluctantly) which makes me think they do interact again. And my God they're just so funny. I could write an essay on how funny I find them
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