FREAKTASTIC!

I'll start by addressing the elephant in the room:

Absolutely wild. You what, Sakura? YOU'VE ALWAYS WHAT?? A lot of people have joked about a love confession here (which would be great but unlikely). I don't really care about deducing what he was going to say so much but my best guess would be something like "For you, I've always felt gratitude/trust." Besides Nirei, Suo was one of the first to encourage and vouch for Sakura. He helped smooth out the fight between Sakura and Sugishita, he accepted Sakura's goal to be the strongest, and he nominated him to be grade captain then basically said "I'll be your right hand man". So yeah, again and again, Suo has supported him along with Nirei. BFF status.

Speaking of right hands, let's talk about these flowers.

This is the clearest picture I could get. Of course I'm going to try to figure out what flower this is. At first glance, you might think they're cherry blossoms, but they're not. So how do I find out what they are? 2 clues: 4 diamond-shaped petals, and it grows on a branch-like structure not a stem. So a tree or bush flower. My first thought, predictably, was that they're sappanwood flowers. Most Furin character names incorporate trees and according to the Windbreaker wiki the two kanji in 'Suo' can be read as sappanwood. But the sappan flowers have 5 petals and long filaments. So maybe not quite right. After some digging my current theory is dogwood.

Dogwood has several symbolic meanings, one of which is resilience due to its "hardy nature, being able to withstand various environmental stresses, mirrors the human spirit's ability to endure and thrive despite difficulties." After what we've seen of the state of Red Chanpuru, that seems to suit Suo's situation.

Regardless of if I guessed the right flower and flower symbolism, I consider the flowers to represent Suo in Sakura's dream. From the very beginning, Suo has been Sakura's right-hand man and Nirei his left.

Where are the flowers protruding from? Sakura's right arm. Who do the tendrils connect to? Suo. Cool, cool. I'm so normal about that detail. Also, tree/flower imagery is a repeated symbol used to depict character and relationship growth.

Sakura is often shown as a seed that's finally taken root and is starting to grow. During the conversation between Sakura and Momijikawa after the funeral, Sakura clearly states that he found the place he belongs. He's put down his roots completely.

Which is why this particular panel in the new chapter is so devastating:

After seeing Suo in the distance, Sakura tries to go to him but is stopped by thick, viney restraints. This is a symbol of those very roots, and, I believe, of Sakura's unconscious mind reminding him that he can't just chase after Suo recklessly because there are people counting on him, and who care about him, in Makochi. He is now held back by the same sense of belonging that felt liberating not too long ago.

But Sakura isn't the only one putting down roots. The small seeds of friendship planted months ago have rooted and bloomed fully. There is mutual trust between him and his friends now, and more than that, there is love and acceptance. Suo was one of Sakura's first and closest friends. So in this dream, or nightmare, we see the symbol of Sakura and Suo's friendship--a friendship so deeply meaningful and ingrained in Sakura that it's roots are buried deep in his flesh to the point of pain--being physically torn out of him by the strings connected to Suo. This is such a heart-wrenching way to show how devastated Sakura is by Suo's deception and defection. And to hear that Suo denied that very friendship to Nirei's face on top of it all...ouch.

So yeah, the violent act of Suo ripping out the flowers of the very friendship he planted in Sakura is quite a poignant display of Sakura's emotional pain. Like, Suo is literally ripping pieces out of him :( Coupled with Sakura's confused, desperate, and angry pleas withing the dream...well, I certainly was not okay after reading that.

NOTE: I'm glad I was able to participate, since any excuse to paint False is a good one & I really do love her Jellyfish build :3