It's really interesting how Kamiya echoes Yashiro's sentiments here.
Kamiya shared this chapter about his abuse at the hands of his father, heavily implying, too, that his sister died as a result of that same abuse. The parallels with Yashiro are obvious.
Kamiya tells Doumeki that he's lucky because he still has a family to go back to, and Tsunakawa, before this, questioned Doumeki about why he felt he couldn't get a regular job and live a normal life, given the circumstances surrounding his time spent in prison.
All of this mirrors what Yashiro tried to make Doumekie understand and accept before the time skip. None of the people in the Yakuza are as lucky as Doumeki. Yashiro in particular never had anyone growing up. An abusive step father and a mother who couldn't care less about him. He was totally alone, which is how he ended up being vulnerable to men like Misumi. But Doumeki has never been alone. He has a sister who loves him, and a mother who loves him too, despite her failings. I've said this before, but I think it's always particularly rankled Yashiro to see Doumekie essentially spurn the gift of a loving family, and instead decided to voluntarily join the Yakuza. It must be galling, because Yashiro never had a choice, and he probably couldn't understand why anyone would choose this life for themselves if they didn't have to. We see that same confusion in Tsunakawa and Kamiya.
It's just an interesting observation I made, and I wonder how it's going to play out through the rest of the story. I've had this idea in my head for a while that it isn't Yashiro, but Doumeki, who needs to learn a lesson about the importance of appreciating what you have. Thematically, it would make sense for Doumeki to end up being punished by the narrative for abandoning his family in pursuit of Yashiro, and I keep thinking the most dramatic way to drive that punishment home would be for Yashiro to die.
I'm probably totally wrong, lol, but it's just a theory of mine.
Either way, Yashiro is obviously going to go after Doumeki and try to save him. Doumeki's pretty much given up here, and no longer seems to have a will to live. Again, it would kind of make sense for him to watch Yashiro die in order to save his life, to jolt him out of his own, self-imposed misery, and to embrace the gift of a normal life and a loving family. More than anything, I think, that's what Yashiro always wanted for him, and in a way, it would be a way to honor Yashiro, to show the ultimate respect for him, by going back to a normal life.
Anyway, like I said, I'm sure I'm wrong, but something dramatic is definitely going to happen between Yashiro and Doumeki. I can't wait for the next chapter.
This whole thing is either going to end tragically, or maybe even have a bittersweet ending. A happy ending seems less likely, but you never really know.
