Saying this as a huge Nirei fan, but I’ve lost hope that Nirei is actually bottling up his emotions… I think us fans are understandably trying to make sense of his lacklustre reaction to the situation, but in reality it feels like Nii-sensei doesn’t have any plans for him. There aren’t any hints that’s he’s still suffering or is putting on a happy face for Sakura’s sake. He feels too normal and is actually acting the same way he did before Suo ever left. The fact that there’s not even a single difference in his behaviour really makes me concerned about the direction he’s going in. He’s an optimist character of course, but idk this just feels extremely unrealistic. We’ve seen the way he bottles up his emotions before (after the KEEL arc), he’s quiet and appears to zone out. This isn’t anything like that… sorry for the ramble but I’m worried. I want to have hope again so please prove me wrong
AHH DW ABOUT THE RAMBLE!!! I do completely understand where you're coming from and it would be ignorant of me to ignore my own bias when it comes to this topic, cause I’m always going to want Nirei to get attention.
I think the most important thing to remember right now is we are only about 10 chapters into this arc. It makes sense for the primary focus to be Sakura at the moment, because with him being the protagonist, the story is incapable of progressing without him getting out there and leading the pack. However I do have full faith in Nii-sensei.
We had a LOT of Nirei focus for 3-4 chapters, 2 of those chapters didn't even include Sakura. That is already a pretty decent amount for the character who could be considered the deuteragonist (although some may argue that's Suo or Ume)
My personal theory is that, with Sakura being so wrapped up in his own head over Suo, any signs that Nirei isn't doing well may be missed by him, and by extension, the audience if we follow his POV from now on. It's also been established that Nirei has low self confidence and puts others before himself (esp when he threatened to fight Endo, even though that would obviously not end well.) I think that aspect of his character still has room to be explored, and with Nii-sensei stating that this will be a trio heavy arc, I could see him dipping into that.
It has been established that Suo was very attentive to Nirei, both before but especially after the KEEL incident, therefore I think Nirei will get another big, emotional moment, be it a crashout, getting sick, or however his built up stress manifests, once Suo is back home safe, or the situation is at least resolved.
That, of course, is based on absolutely nothing. However, I feel we are long due a Nirei arc that further delves into his experiences in middle school, and possibly even before then depending on how long he was suffering from bullying. Finishing the Suo arc with him being the one to confront Nirei about his bad habit of bottling things up could be a good segue into that.
I think i ended up rambling a bit too, haha.
Thank you for sending me this ask, feels really validating when people ask for my opinion on Nirei. I try really hard to not mischaracterise him, but when I can so easily project my teenage experience onto him, I'm aware I probably say things that don't align with canon. Regardless, this was a nice ask to receive, and I appreciate your wording. I don't know if you're a twitter user, but some foul things were being said about both the characters and the author this past week, so for you to articulate how you feel so clearly is refreshing.
There is nothing wrong with feeling doubtful about a stories direction, especially if you think you're favourite character may not be as well represented by the author as they deserve. What I will say, is that if you haven't been let down by the story so far, don't expect it to happen now. Go in with an open mind and look forward to each week!