Still in Love, with relation to the law of conservation of energy
One of the most common mischaracterizations of Still in Love is the portrayal of her as one-sidedly covetous of her trainer, in such a manner that it continues indefinitely, irrespective of her trainer's feelings. Many a joke post has been made referencing the notion of her "locking them up in her basement" and whatnot. While it's true that Still is intensely, absolutely and singlemindedly in love with them, her clinginess isn't a stable or constant behavior. And her love isn't sustained by nothing.
In Still's relationship with her trainer, her pattern of behavior is defined by a constant fluctuation between periods of intense closeness, and periods of intense withdrawal. Still has spent her entire life being told, over and over again, in some form or another, that she is strange, disgusting and monstrous, and now, she is predisposed to see herself as such. She has been rejected by the world on a fundamental level, such that the only way for her to avoid that hurt is to disappear; to become somebody who does not exist in the eyes of others at all. Thus, whenever she perceives something that her trainer does or says as a rejection, or she does something that seems to hurt them -- when she feels that she is a burden upon them, is not wanted by them, or other things of that nature -- her immediate reflex is to apologize, forcibly extricate herself from them, and disappear into the shadows without another word. She is, at her core, a deeply wounded, sensitive and softhearted girl who is inclined to blame herself for everything that goes wrong, and thinks that everybody would be better off if she just disappeared.
When Still initiates these periods of self-isolation, she does not voluntarily initiate an attempt to reconnect afterward. The inciting cause of their reconnection is, in actuality, her trainer's response to that disconnection. They immediately notice her absence, and are distressed by it. They actively choose to search for her, and keep searching for her until they find her. When they do find her, they reassure her, warmly and straightforwardly. They tell her that she is not a burden, that they cherish her presence, that she's fine the way she is, that they want to be with her and support her, no matter what that may look like.
The context of the aishiteru scene is that it happens after Still's trainer witnesses onlookers speaking derogatorily of Still when her instinct comes out during a race, refuses to let her be alone when she runs away, chases after her to make sure she's okay, tells her they were worried about her, expresses interest in hearing about what she's going through, listens to her when she tells them her story, validates her feelings, and tells her that she is beautiful. Again, Still sees herself as a burden that everybody would be better off without, and acts accordingly in the form of purposeful self-exile, yet her trainer is repeatedly telling her that this isn't true. That she does have a place in this world, that they do want her around, that she is accepted and in fact wanted exactly the way that she is. There is no need for her to be anything in particular other than what she is, and will be.
What follows is thus. When Still is met with this, how does she respond? By stabilizing, and reciprocating. She trusts them enough to hear their words of love and reassurance, and know that they speak the truth. She accepts their affections, affirms her affections for them, and slips back into a period of closeness. Even though Still is plagued by self-doubt, her trust and affection for her trainer is ultimately stronger than those feelings, and wins out over them when she is put in a position where her self-doubt is directly challenged, and she has to choose between either reaching out her hand despite fearing it may be slapped away, or keeping her hand to herself and turning away so as not to risk the pain. Every time, she chooses the former, is embraced lovingly and warmly, and embraces them back. Vulnerability is met with vulnerability, and on both sides, it is returned as acceptance.
Still is extremely affectionate with and devoted to her trainer. She pays close attention to and expresses genuine interest in their feelings, and makes use of what she learns. She prioritizes spending time with them and working hard for their sake. She goes out of her way to do things that she hopes will make them happy, and protect their happiness. She tells them, in no uncertain terms, how much they mean to her. She praises them, reassures them, encourages them. This is all true. And they do all these things for her, too. They pay close attention to and express genuine interest in her feelings, and make use of what they learn. They prioritize spending time with her and working hard for her sake. They go out of their way to do things that they hope will make her happy, and protect her happiness. They tell her, in no uncertain terms, how much she means to them. They praise her, reassure her, encourage her. They provide her with fertile grounds upon which their connection can grow further, and diligently continue to care for the delicate flowers they have planted together.
Still's intense feelings don't come from nowhere; she is continuously returning the love that she has been given by them, in the form of renewed and strengthened love for them. It's a feedback loop of mutually reinforced love and affection between two people who unambiguously adore each other, prioritize each other, and want to be together no matter what.
Most people don't like to admit this, but love is a fragile thing. Passion can only keep it alive for so long; time and distance and conflict and so many other things can and will kill it permanently, if you allow them to. If you want to keep love alive, you need to make the choice every moment of every day to keep loving, and to do everything in your power to protect it and feed it so it can continue to survive and grow. Love isn't just a feeling, or an action that you only take once. Love is a choice that you make over and over again. Love is a privilege that must be actively maintained (by all involved individuals) in order to perpetuate, and, to begin with, you don't reap what you don't sow.
The love between Still and her trainer would die if it was one-sided. If Still's trainer didn't love Still, she would have run away and been forgotten by them. If Still didn't love her trainer, the gentle hand they reached out to her would have been met with empty air. The love survives because they always follow after her and never forget her. The love survives because she accepts them and allows them to embrace her and embraces them back. The love survives because they both open their hearts to each other, look directly at what lies inside the other, and make the choice to stay together. The love survives because it is mutual.
Still in Love is undeniably a "girl who really loves her beloved", but this love didn't form out of thin air. This love came from something.
So, here is the story as I would tell it, in as few words as possible: Still in Love is a "girl who really loves her beloved because they provide her with an environment where she feels loved by them, and feels safe enough to keep loving them back".
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