thinking a lot about how the three oddballs (sorry natsume and shu not you rn) character development are about finding home in their units and people who make them feel happy and who make them feel human
with wataru, it’s fine. “we already know this” you’re saying and yes i know and yes im throwing it at you more he loves eichi and he finds family in the rest of fine, where a place that was meant to just pass time until he got bored of them becomes the first place he’s ever felt true and genuine happiness, where he’s able to feel wanted for more than just his talents and grows to be able to stand on the same stage as eichi who keeps him tethered to this earth as opposed to drifting into the clouds (ie. letting his talents get the best of him and ignoring his own self in favour of putting on a new role)
with rei, it’s kaoru. kaoru who used to not care for him at all, who joined undead just because rei would let him do whatever - they grow to be there for each other, to help each other and to love each other. with undead, but specifically kaoru, rei feels understood. kaorus one of the first people to really put in that effort into understanding rei and doesn’t just pass him off as an enigma as many do, or treat him like the all-knowing god everyone else does. he treats rei like a human in reis own way, he works to understand rei instead of pressuring rei to become like everyone else
with kanata, it’s chiaki. chiaki teaches him humanity, teaches him normalcy while accepting kanatas quirks and doesn’t expect him to be normal after years of being treated like a god and not knowing what “normal” is supposed to feel like. he teaches kanata what a family is like, and he happily accepts his role in ryuseitai as a guardian (cue me crying over him referring to shinobu as his child in the current event story) because it’s how he can pay back chiaki for his kindness, but he grows to love them, afterall. he misses simpler times of being treated as a god, but he prefers the happiness, the humanity, that he gained with ryuseitai
yeah just oddballs each finding their happiness in their respective units even if it’s not exactly where they imagined being/somewhere their friends approve of (cough fine) they learn how to be happy, to be human from each of their separate places and support each other from the sidelines
