uwahgg...

First, a quote from Araki on the idea behind SBR, which leads me to believe the whole story was Johnny's pilgrimage (and maybe Gyro's):

I like walking along a pilgrimage route like the Kumano Kodō across multiple days and visiting the shrines there. I like to wonder what the religious significance is and what effect it has on people. After walking for a long time, my feet start to ache and I feel like I want to throw away some of my things. That's when I started to understand what’s necessary to me. ... I also brought some onigiri with me, but I just wanted to eat them all quickly because I wanted to lighten my load (laughs).I like that kind of thing, and that was my first motivation for starting SBR.

The journey is a reflective, spiritual journey. Now, while it was not ever stated that Johnny was a believer/a christian, the religious imagery employed by Araki in the story was from christianity, right? (some said Mormon version, but since I'm not familiar with it, I will not go there)

So, I couldn’t help but compare Johnny’s story to a story from the New Testament, about a paraplegic man who, after what must have been quite an arduous journey searching for Jesus, aided by his friends, could finally walk again, but only after he was told that his sins were forgiven.

Johnny, from being paraplegic to walking again,

Some men arrived carrying a paraplegic on a stretcher. They were looking for a way to get into the house and set him before Jesus. When they couldn’t find a way in because of the crowd, they went up on the roof, removed some tiles, and let him down in the middle of everyone, right in front of Jesus. Impressed by their bold belief, he said, “Friend, I forgive your sins.”

from being, in his own mind, less than zero, ‘sinful’, burdened by Nicholas' death,

to being someone who can go home.

Jesus now spoke directly to the paraplegic: “Get up. Take your bedroll and go home.” Without a moment’s hesitation, he did it—got up, took his blanket, and left for home, giving glory to God all the way.

Johnny, who, at the end of the story, reminisced about how often they prayed along the way.

In Araki's own words, maybe about these particular scenes of "journey of prayer":

"Sometimes I wonder what the right path even is. I wonder what would happen if I were to go down the wrong path, in pursuit of love or justice. What are the right and wrong paths, and how are we supposed to distinguish between the two? Will anyone ever tell us? If we hurt the ones we love because we love them, how can we escape it? Gyro and Johnny, as well as everyone else involved in the race, are in that situation. Can they do anything other than pray?"

The men in the bible story didn't know for sure either whether they would actually gain anything in searching for Jesus, for opening up a roof and presenting themselves in that surprising way in front of others, being adamant in their vulnerability. But they must have prayed, and believed.

Now, in Gyro, I saw someone who acted as the ‘friend who brought his friend to receive a miracle so that he might walk again.’ Gyro, who was trying to understand every words/teachings passed down from the Zeppeli family tree, including those on “miracles.” Meanwhile, Johnny was someone who had been left with nothing else except to believe in such things.

Alright, that's just my roundabout thought on how the SBR reminded me of a story taught in my childhood sunday schools.

But, God, maybe I just want to believe that Johnny became a bit of a believer at the end, finding peace about Gyro’s death because, in his mind, one day he’ll go to the same home as Gyro (in the afterlife).