Part Time Fanfic Writer, Full Time Clown

Class 1-1 being overwhelmed by KEEL was something none of them could anticipate. As such, Suo couldn’t anticipate the docile Nirei thrusting himself into danger this time and running away from his protection. Nirei himself probably didn’t anticipate a sudden change in his resolve. But Nirei cannot go against his altruistic nature. Even if he’s too physically weak to fight and protect others, he still wants to help others. Nirei can’t keep relying on Suo’s or his peers' protection; he has to stand up for himself, because that's what it means to be a Furin student. 

It’s all spontaneous, without any rhyme or reason. Nirei can only deter his opponent, which leads to him getting beaten into the ground—and Suo snapping. 

What makes Chapter 50 so significant is that we don’t expect the ever-so calm Suo to display such an adverse emotional reaction. It’s nearly uncharacteristic. Even when the 2-1 trio take care of Nirei’s assailants and Kusumi escorts Nirei away from the danger, Suo is pissed. So pissed that he focuses all his anger on one person. Because if Hanesuke hadn’t kept his attention, Suo would’ve been able to stop Nirei from suddenly running away and badly injuring himself. 

Suo is known to beat a dead horse when it’s down, but his emotions are so extreme that he nearly punches Hanusuke even when he’s conked out. The same guy who prefers to defend others and deflect attacks using aikido. Heat of the moment and all. Spontaneity, even. 

Now Suo’s response could just be chalked up to the Chanpuru Instinct™︎ to protect those who intrude on your peace. And while this may be the case, it also stems from Suo's care for Nirei. While Suo’s spontaneous violent behavior is a sign that he represses his true strength (and that he may let ingrained intuition take over his rationale, ie. Chanpuru Instinct), his admonishment of Nirei only speaks volumes of his care. Even if they haven’t had much 1 on 1 interaction up to this point, they do value each other as friends. 

Outside of fights and protection, both Nirei and Suo are united by one common goal: to help Sakura to the best of their ability. When Suo nominates Sakura for class captain out of the blue, he also delegates Nirei as a vice (with the latter surprised), knowing that Nirei is fully capable of supporting Sakura. He does deeply admire Sakura after all, and in turn Sakura deeply cares for Nirei (even if he doesn’t show it). In this respect, both Suo and Nirei are on equal footing. 

After Suo and Nirei visit Sakura, we see Nirei open up to Suo for the first time. Suo of course is taken aback by Nirei’s sudden display of vulnerability; even if the conversation is centered around Sakura, Nirei does reveal something new about himself: he thinks he isn’t useful to Sakura. Which is simply untrue. Nirei is one of Sakura’s crutches as his vice captain. Whether it be as a navigator, to help Sakura know his peers better, or even just as a subconscious emotional anchor, Nirei is undoubtedly important to Sakura. Even if it seems that Sakura strives for his ideals all alone, he merely struggles with fully trusting other people.

It’s Nirei’s heartfelt confession, contrasted with Suo’s logical rationale, which makes the latter realize that Nirei… doesn’t have very good self-esteem. He is not only insecure about his lack of strength, but also his supposed lack of reliability. Even when Nirei has the strongest resolve to help Sakura out of everyone in their class. Even when Nirei is practically an open book when it comes to his emotions and desires, as opposed to Suo himself. The admission does come as a surprise to Suo, but he is endeared by how much Nirei cares for Sakura in the end. 

This exchange is expanded upon after Sakura’s recovery. Whilst Sakura banters with his class, Suo realizes the usually chatty and concerned Nirei is suddenly quiet. Nirei in turn doesn’t expect Suo to pick up on the shift in his behavior, and he offers an excuse to explain it away. Like his (soon to be) master, Nirei deflects, commenting on Sakura’s mood instead. 

It’s uncharacteristic of Nirei to act this way. But we soon learn that while Nirei expresses his emotions outwardly, he bottles up his insecurities. A contrast to Sakura, who wears his heart on his sleeve yet struggles to voice his emotions and desires outward.  When Suo points out Nirei’s low mood once again, Nirei is visibly startled. He’s small and weak and practically useless, so why would someone whom Nirei respects be concerned for his well-being? Not that Nirei knew about what Suo did during KEEL, either. 

It’s during this moment that Suo realizes the extent of Nirei’s low self-confidence: that despite his cheery demeanor, he is incredibly insecure beneath the surface. But despite all of that, Nirei’s resolve triumphs over these shortcomings. Even if he predicates his wish to improve on Sakura, Nirei still wants to be strong. To be proud of himself, to be worthy as a Furin student, to properly support and stay by Sakura’s side; even though he’s always shared that place with him.   

The request for training comes as spontaneous for Suo. Up to this point, he’s chosen to mainly support Sakura as a captain; the prospect of having to help his fellow vice captain as well is a surprise for him. And as Nii Satoru themselves said, it’s only natural for Nirei to seek out someone strong to help him become stronger in tandem. But Suo doesn’t just want Nirei to become strong just to fight: he needs to be able to protect himself first. Because Nirei lacks experience in fighting, he needs to learn not only the fundamentals and have a sturdy core, but also how to help himself before helping others. It’s not possible to fill a cup of water from an empty pitcher, after all. Not to mention that Suo has his own obligations as a Red Chanpuru officer and has to commute for four hours between Makochi and Bankoku-gai, he still makes time to train Nirei. 

Suo and Nirei’s interpersonal relationship even comes as a surprise externally. Sakura doesn’t expect Nirei, whom he’s deemed as someone to protect, to be able to… fight back? He also doesn’t expect Suo to tell him to trust Nirei either. Regardless, Sakura chooses to rely on Nirei, even wishing that he’d told Sakura he can fight for himself now. 

Speaking of which, Nirei’s fighting style hinges on taking his opponent off guard. Suo says it himself: most people aim for the face, so suddenly ducking will cause them to lose focus. Then it’s taking advantage of that distraction to spontaneously topple them over with one’s body. It’s tailor-made for Nirei, as he’s always tried to push people down with his body weight in an attempt to suddenly deter them. It also ensures that he’s able to protect himself whilst taking out the opponent, much like Suo’s own aikido. 

After all is said and done, both Nirei’s fighting skills and confidence slowly improve the longer he trains with Suo. Everything’s fine and dandy… until the dreaded Chapters 208-209. 

Despite being off the grid for three days straight without answering anyone’s calls, Suo spontaneously shows up at Makochi’s local park. Just to meet Nirei. Even Nirei himself doesn’t expect Suo to not only answer his phone after tens of missed calls (to which Suo only advises Nirei to bundle up), but also appear physically in front of him.

Though Suo isn’t here to answer questions: he’s here to report his sudden departure. Nirei is so surprised that he thinks Suo’s joking as he always is…

…and when Nirei questions Suo further, Suo deflects by merely apologizing and reassuring Nirei that everything will be alright. But when Nirei asks about Sakura, Suo is unable to provide a response. He can only give Nirei a strained smile—the wrinkle near his eye being first crack in his carefully constructed mask—and the latter is taken aback by it. 

Nirei attempts to stop Suo, demanding more answers from him, before challenging him to a fight. It’s candid, and a last resort, because Nirei is not the type of person to even initiate physical conflict like this. But what choice does he have? Suo has been so nice and helpful to not only Sakura but Nirei as well—how could he think their relationship amounts to nothing after all the time they’ve spent together?

Well, the very same nice and helpful Suo says this to Nirei:

Throughout the manga, we’ve seen Suo display kindness and patience when interacting with other people. Even if he’s particularly cruel to his opponents, it’s obvious he cares for his friends—and Suo’s relationship with Nirei especially highlights this characteristic of his. We do not expect Suo to not get angry so suddenly, but flat-out admit that he hates one of Nirei’s strongest qualities. Maybe it’s an attempt to make Nirei hate him to ensure a clear breakage. Maybe he’s being brutally honest despite everything. Either way, it’s spontaneous. 

When Nirei is inevitably overpowered by Suo, he still tries to drag him back. He is so desperate for answers that Nirei literally drops his keigo—Japanese formal/polite speech—that he speaks with in the middle of his monologue (though this nuance can’t really be conveyed in English well). 

And Suo just… mocks Nirei by laughing. Candidly. Then he belittles Nirei’s emotional state. Two things he’s never done before.

This causes Nirei to muster up the energy (and rage) for another punch. And Suo lets the attack hit him. The same person who’s known to never sweat in a fight, much less get injured. Nirei too is shocked that his punch connected (and for another reason that will be revealed soon).

After Suo sets Nirei against the suspiciously gravestone-shaped structure, he suddenly considers lending Nirei his jacket. The weather is chilly, and he’ll get cold if he doesn’t bundle up after all. But Suo decides against it; he cannot offer any more of himself to Nirei. Because even if Suo has to betray and hurt Nirei’s feelings, it won’t stop him from caring about his friend. As compensation, he simply places a wayward leaf (that suddenly landed on Suo’s own body) on Nirei’s head as a gesture of concern. It’s spontaneous or whatever. 

Post-fight, it’s Nirei’s words that help uplift not only Sakura but Class 1-1’s spirits. We know that Nirei can see through Suo’s bullshit, but nobody else in the room expects those words from the very person Suo unfairly attacked. Despite everything, Nirei still thinks Suo is a good and genuine person. He just needs help. 

(ran into image limit so pretend the page from Chapter 213 is here)

I think these very explicit yet sudden developments between Suo and Nirei has enraptured the fandom (for better and for worse). Even if the manga is mostly about Sakura finding connection, even if readers claim that they are only friends because of Sakura (or the opposite, where they supposedly like each other more than Sakura), the care and respect Nirei and Suo have for each other doesn’t diminish. Their relationship emerges and grows organically; we see new sides to Suo and Nirei within their dynamic that even Sakura himself can’t bring out. Because that’s just how friendship is, no? No matter if it's premeditated or spontaneous, the bonds forged from just interacting within the same space not only becomes strong within itself, but it strengthens the individuals involved as well.