morning magic mimosa

omg, is this a short chapter? 😦

bwahaha, not me rejoicing at the thought of not having to spend like two weeks working on a post (i actually write slow) 😂

Anyways yea, almost 30 chapters, huh? That’s about 40% of the way through which is fair progress, I suppose.

Right, so let’s get this discussed~

Another day of “nothing is close to resolving itself” so Akiho needs to talk her concerns out.

Actually, to her knowledge, she only has one thing to worry about and that's Kaito.

After that day he called in “sick”, he went right back to work early the next morning.

But that hardly did anything to put Akiho’s heart at ease cuz Kaito is always like this. Always telling her that there’s nothing to worry about, that he’s fine even when he’s really not.

And of course she can sense it. They’ve been traveling together for years and she’s been observing him for just as long. Of course she would be able to tell when something’s wrong with him cuz he’s the person she’s been the closest to for pretty much all her life.

The thing is, even when she can tell he’s not feeling well, Kaito is very good at hiding what’s troubling him (隠すのがお上手で…) which makes it difficult for her to find out what the root of the problem is.

Whether he’s depressed or in pain, Kaito never shows that side to her. He never allows himself to appear vulnerable, even to Akiho. And that’s what makes her sad the most.

Because she loves him so it’s natural for her to want help him in whatever way she can.

But she can’t do that if she doesn’t know why he’s hurting. She can’t begin to do anything if he won't show her his true face.

There is not only anxiety in her eyes but also yearning. A desire to know the real Kaito, to be close to him and understand him so that she can share his burdens and help him feel less alone with whatever troubles he's facing.

Of course, given the current situation, it's better for Akiho not to know the truth (yet) as she's unaware of the magical bomb that’s been planted inside her which can be set off at anytime.

So it's not like Kaito can tell her even if he's willing to. The whole point of keeping everything a secret is so that Akiho won't fall to shambles upon learning what those magicians did to her. Her shock and despair at that would trigger the artifact to instantly take over her consciousness, ruining any chances of saving her.

Kaito has chosen to bear that burden alone. Because he believes he was the cause of it so he has to take responsibility. He has to protect Akiho at all costs and in order to do that, he absolutely cannot let her know why he's struggling.

Akiho's life is more important to him than his own well-being.

Nevertheless, it doesn't stop Akiho from worrying about him.

She can tell that behind his smile, Kaito is hiding his own scars. She doesn't know what those scars are (his guilt, his self-loathing, his lack of self-esteem due to his own neglected childhood, his desperation to save her) but she knows they're there.

Because Akiho’s been through a similar childhood. She understands what it's like to be hurt so deeply that the wounds can't be seen (その傷は目に見えないから). These are the wounds that will take more than time to heal. And even if they heal, the scars will remain, never letting them forget the hardships they experienced.

The pain from the scathing criticism and looks of disdain she received for not living up to her clan’s expectations of her…Akiho still carries that with her. Like Kaito, she also knows how to hide behind a smile most of the time so that her friends at school won’t notice. The matter is too personal for her to divulge to just anyone who she hasn’t reached that level of trust with yet.

She understands and that’s why she’s scared.

She’s not afraid to know. She wants to know what’s causing Kaito to suffer.

But she’s afraid of just how much he’s been hurt that he has to go the extra ten miles to pretend he’s okay. Why does he want to hide it so badly that he refuses to let her in? What affected him so horribly that he cannot bring himself to even trust the person closest to him?

裂かれてしまった心は簡単には繕えないから… (A heart that has been torn apart cannot be mended so easily…)

If Akiho were to reach out and take off his mask, will she be able to handle the damage she sees? More importantly, will she be enough to help him heal?

What she’s afraid of is probably that. That she won’t be of much help to him at all. That she will be “useless”, that hateful term her clansmen always labeled her as, for the most important person in her life.

But Akiho still wants to try. She’s determined to try even if she can’t do much because she just can’t give up on the one she loves.

She can’t give up and she won’t give up in her efforts not to lose Kaito.

Elsewhere, Kaito is totally unaware of the dilemma Akiho is going through.

His attention is immediately caught by the start of the magical girl episode happening at school before he goes back to preparing tea while letting it play like some background noise to work through, lol

And I find Momo’s “なに？” here so adorable cuz it’s written in hiragana instead of kanji which gives her speech a lighter, more relaxed tone. In translation, it’d be like “what’s up?” compared to a slightly more urgent “what’s wrong?”

Kaito even responds like he’s commenting about the weather, which makes this scene even more humorous:

“Oh, nothing. The weekly programming just came on, that’s all.”

“あ、そう” (Ah, ok)

Then Momo proceeds to munch down (むぐむぐ) her chocolates cuz choco-time is the most important time of the day, DUH 😂

No, but really. Akiho is worrying that Kaito might be DYING and these two…

Are making bets on whether or not the gacha mechanics will give them the SSR they’re aiming for 🤣

今度はお目当てのカードが出来そうなの？(Do you think you’ll get the card you’re looking for this time?) さあ、どうでしょう (Hmm, who knows? The rates are rather abysmal, I might just have to rely on pity.)

Honestly, the way the mood around Kaito and Momo often shifts back and forth between “YUNA D. KAITO, YOU STOP THAT THIS INSTANCE! 💢” and “let’s just chill here while the plot drags itself” is kind of hilarious.

I’m almost tempted to call this a comedy if the overall writing for this story wasn’t so poor.

But back to the topic and being serious, the next pages are pretty much a bag of clues and hints dumped for what’s to occur 40-ish something chapters from now.

Kaito needs a specific card to switch his pocketwatch with the artifact inside Akiho. But the more cards that are created, the better cuz those combined with all of his magic will serve as the needed energy to “move” Momo’s taboo book (aka activate its spell to rewrite people’s memories).

Yada yada yada, we know, we know.

And apparently, it’s been over 100 years since Momo’s book has last been used, too. Although that time, it ended in failure because there wasn’t enough magic to supply the book. Nonetheless, this is all VERY fascinating lore that I still think should’ve been delved into.

But nope. Cuz making profit off a generic plot is more prioritized these days than anything.

It’s really disappointing because when you break the story down into its components, the character who is the most active (with a motive, plan or goal) fits the description of a lead better than one who simply reacts to whatever the plot throws at them. The one facing the bigger risks and more dire conflict drives the plot because they actually have to work for a solution out of the problem.

Kaito would’ve made a good anti-hero if he was the protagonist of his own story (in a different genre). He’s far from the ideal person with his obvious flaws and questionable methods. However, his cunning, determination and ability to long-term plan are what makes his character so engaging. And his aim is ultimately proven to be noble in the end because he acted out of love.

Akiho also would’ve been just as good as a contrasting but complementing deuteroganist. She’s the hope to Kaito’s cynicism, the one who’s capable of changing him into the better person he’s meant to be. If the story allowed her to get close to Kaito and have an effective conversation with him, thereby giving him the chance to believe in someone and open his heart, she definitely would succeeded in convincing him that he's important to her.

It wouldn't have stopped Kaito from transferring the artifact into himself (he could survive it, Akiho would not) but at least, he wouldn't have to go through the hassle of gathering such a huge amount of magic just to rewrite everyone’s memories. He’d only need to erase those of the magicians so that they never chase after him and Akiho ever again.

He never would have needed to make Akiho forget him at all if he knew how much she cared about him.

As for the issue of how he would exchange the artifact with his pocketwatch and get rid of the artifact itself, that can easily be substituted by another method. Cuz we're dealing with magic here so you can write any kind of miracle as long as you properly build it up.

It's only because Kaito and Akiho's story was placed into the context of magical girl series that the supplier for that miracle had to come from a magical girl.

Which is a disservice to Sakura as well because her function was limited to just that, magical girl, for 15ish volumes before the author finally let her be the heroine in vol 16. They could've done something better for her character arc in the sequel (like training herself to be a better magician, meeting her boyfriend's family, figuring out what she wants to be in her future, etc). Instead, she's just doing the same thing she did in the original series. And it's not even for herself, it's on behalf on someone else and she had no clue what was going on the entire time.

Two potentially better stories with more complex dialogue. Wasted opportunity.

Anyways, I've gone and made this post longer than it should be but what else is new?

Nothing else to comment...except now that I think about it, I don't like Kaito's expression in this last page spread. It makes little sense for him to be smiling here since he's talking about the magicians (aka their abusers) and Akiho housing the artifact, both of which are very grave matters for him.

That and he's alone with Momo in this scene, too. She knows the real him so he shouldn't have to hide behind his butler facade in front of her.

He should look more grim but also with strong resolve like he did in chapter 24:

Yea, this face aligns more accurately with Kaito's true self than the one above which leans too much towards crazy for no particularly good reason 🙄

*SIGH*

I'm done. Have a nice June, bye-onara~ 👋

<- Previous: Chapter 28

A minor difference in ep 20 from canon, Kaito actually princess carries Akiho to the sofa before putting her to sleep.

And I think it's so sweet and funny at the same time because it's clearly just an extra bit of YunaAki fanservice above the shoulder support in this panel:

But in anime!Kaito's head, he's so extra.

He’s likely thinking "no, this seat is not suitable for Akiho-san to sleep on. I must relocate her to a spot that's more comfortable with a proper headrest" and proceeds to do that à la kdrama male lead 🤣

Like, he won't even let her feet touch the ground.

"She's a lady [my lady] and therefore, I must escort her."

Such special treatment 🤭

But the most important part of this scene is still this line.

“側にいます”/"I'll stay by your side" (until I can't anymore)

Soft eyes, gentle voice...he really gave her his everything.

...bet Akiho gave him hell for that after she got her memories back, mhhmmm~

Oooh, this chapter is full of Kaito goodness, hehe 😊✨

Happy May, btw. It’s almost summer~

Expect a very long post ahead cuz as always, I’m not leaving a single detail out when it comes to my favorite boi in the whole world!! 😆💖

Akiho can come fight me on that, I’ll gladly lose to her 🤣

So some magic stuff happened in chapter 27, nothing really YunaAki-relevant.

Until Akiho is in danger, then Kaito will naturally already be there ahead of everyone else to move her away from the threat.

Before that though, Momo has to make a comment about how fake (“like a lie”, 嘘っぽい) his smile is. This surprises him because he thought he made it seem natural (自然) enough.

To which Momo counters “if you have to put in effort to look natural, then it’s not natural at all 😑”, hahaha

And she’s right cuz that’s his customer service smile. By now, we can all tell which one is which, yea?

This smile is the one that appears friendly and approachable but hides who Kaito truly is.

If he were greeting guests at the house, it wouldn’t be out of place but in this situation, it’s just plain weird and belies what he’s scheming underneath that pleasant mask he always wears.

But since time has stopped and nobody can hear him anyway, Kaito drops the façade to revert back to his real self. You can see it in his expression, especially his hooded eyes.

He’s a guy in the middle of a mission and he’s nowhere near done with his job. He’s weary but pushing through because there’s something he must do no matter what.

He goes on to explain that since the last time he came here to pick Akiho up, he can now confirm that someone had chosen (『選んだ』) this spot to serve as the home of the Kinomoto family.

Because this location possesses a power similar to that of a kekkai so it can protect those living within its boundary.

As usual, Kaito is very thorough in his investigation. He plans to entrust Akiho into this family’s custody following his sacrifice, after all.

Even if none of them had magic and were just normal people living ordinary lives, he’d still comb through everything to make sure the place Akiho will live in is suitable and safe for her.

But since the family is entangled in magic, then that’s all the more reason to ask all the questions he needs to ask before transferring Akiho over.

In this case, who was the one who chose this house? This house which not only protects those living inside but is also capable of storing strong magic. Such as the cards and guardians left behind by Clow Reed, the most powerful sorcerer in history.

That’s definitely something he shouldn’t ignore. Especially if there’s a possibility that Akiho might be rejected because she doesn’t meet the “criteria” set by the person who chose this house.

They determined it couldn’t be anyone from the current generation, meaning the home was chosen before Sakura was born.

However, there’s another pressing matter (今すぐ対処しなければならない問題) Kaito must deal with first and he leaps on over to where Akiho is to inspect it.

Interesting to note here, in the manga, he’s drawn as very light and agile on his feet, almost as if gliding through the air like Peter Pan or something.

While in the anime, they chose to show him walking instead by having him descend like he’s going down a flight of stairs.

Either way, it serves the same purpose. Kaito is portrayed as someone who knows how to control his magic well enough to the point that it looks effortless.

It supports the information that has already been presented about him. That he’s powerful and capable of doing what he sets his mind to.

Whether that be something as simple as levitating or crazy like completely shutting out interference from another magician, even a reincarnation of Clow Reed. For him, he can do it.

We’re reminded that Yuna D. Kaito is formidable. Not just because of his enormous magical strength but by how far he’s willing to go to achieve his objective.

Which we will see in a bit in a few more panels later…

Back to the problem at hand, what’s “inside”/中 (aka the artifact) has been “opened” (開きかけた).

Appropriate but still frightening terminology he’s using here since the artifact is indeed a book. But one that overtakes the host’s consciousness once it has been activated.

And what else can get a magical item to react if not contact with something else that is also magical in nature? In this case, the Kinomoto basement library that Akiho had set foot in moments ago. The same library where the original Clow Cards had been sealed in for a period of time.

This is a reiteration of how dangerous it is for Akiho to be near anything that possesses supernatural power. The book that’s been planted inside her is programmed to absorb as much magic as possible into its pages and it does not have an “off” button.

So letting Akiho get close to someone like Sakura is actually the worst idea. Not only is her friend a magic user, she’s practically descended from the most powerful sorcerer and is always surrounded by magic in other forms (her boyfriend, her guardians, her cards, even her own damn house).

Having Akiho near them would constantly be setting the artifact off and hastening it towards completion. And perhaps the reason that hasn’t happened yet is probably because Kaito had placed many seals on Akiho beforehand.

However, for his plan to transfer the artifact into himself to succeed, having the two girls develop a good friendship is necessary. If there were any other way, he surely wouldn’t have gone for this method because it risks Akiho’s safety too much.

But the happy ending he wants for Akiho outweighs the dangers. Her survival is worth the risks so he has no other option but to let them interact while always keeping a watchful eye on whatever activity happens around her. Even if the artifact so much as slightly shifts, he has to get to Akiho immediately so that he can contain it.

He also needs to monitor Sakura’s fluctuating power levels and learn just how deep her magical capacity is. Not just to prevent the issue with the artifact from escalating but also to keep himself prepared for any situation where he might clash with her.

Momo then calls Kaito out on having “bad taste” for having Akiho bring over sweets that have been enchanted by him to peek into Sakura’s memories.

Which is an odd thing for her to accuse him of because frankly, this is just gathering intel? Yea, it’s not an honorable thing to do but it’s not the worst thing a magician in this series has ever done either. Like say, a 30/40 something year old man posing as a grade schooler. 😑

This is all for the sake of making sure Akiho can be left in the right hands and not with people who would mistreat or abandon her.

The more Kaito knows about the family he chose to entrust Akiho to, the better. Questioning the methods used are for those who have the luxury to do so.

Which he and Akiho, on their limited time, do not have.

Additionally, Kaito said that the spell he used to peek into Sakura’s memories is one that only allows you to observe at a mere fraction of what you’re looking into (あの程度の術では読めるものなんてほんの一部).

Which sounds like he’s making up excuses but it’s believable because he’s not looking for any super private information. He just wants to know if this family is a good fit for the person he loves most in the world.

Also, if there was magic that was so convenient to let you know everything, then it’s totally possible Kaito could’ve found a better method to resolve this issue earlier. He wouldn’t have had to resort to using someone else’s power or maybe even bring Akiho all the way to Japan if there was another way he could remove the artifact himself.

But from the information he gathered (or rather, what he was told) and growing urgency locking him out of any other available options as the years went on, transferring the artifact into himself became the only plan he could rely on without it seriously damaging Akiho.

The ends over the means. It doesn’t matter how he does it, it’s the result that’s more important.

For Akiho who did not have a home nor kind friends or a warm family or any happy memories growing up.

Kaito is so desperate for her to have all that.

The more he saw other kids like Sakura living a normal life, the more it highlighted everything Akiho was missing. Everything that he knew Akiho deserved.

It pains him because he, too, had none of those things when he was little.

He empathizes with Akiho on being born into a society without love. He understands exactly what it’s like to be mistreated and exploited. To be alone.

He wants to comfort her which is why he reaches out to her with his arms outstretched. He wishes to envelop her into his embrace, to be her shield against anything that can harm her and reassure her that she she isn’t “useless” as those wretched magicians said she was. That she has worth and that she is loved and cherished.

He cares about Akiho’s emotional wounds even more than his own because unlike him whose magic afforded him at least some protection, Akiho didn’t have any. That’s why she was criticized and abused even further.

Kaito can’t stand that. He can’t accept that someone as innocent and good as Akiho should be fated to a miserable existence as the property of those twisted magicians, her will completely erased so that she can never fight back.

The hatred of that thought and his guilt over accidentally contributing to the experimentation on Akiho are what drives his determination to save her.

More than correcting his mistake, he must save her. He has to ensure that those monsters can never reach her again. That she is in environment where she can thrive and be happy.

Kaito’s willing to do anything and everything he can, even become the villain who will eventually be defeated in the story, so that his wish for his beloved Akiho can come true.

We don’t get to see the expression that shows all those emotions that Kaito is feeling during this scene but… Momo does.

“If only you can see the face you’re making right now, Yuna D. Kaito.”

Upon hearing that, Kaito is alarmed.

Because for a moment, he actually let his guard down and wasn’t aware he was doing it.

Kaito, who always makes it a point to not let any of his weaknesses show, ended up doing just that.

He lost himself to the feelings that overcame him. The feelings he has for Akiho.

In other words, Akiho is his greatest weakness because she’s the only one he’s not willing to compromise anything for but also the only one who he’s willing to give up everything for.

That must be what his face looked like then. From that one look, anyone can tell what it is he’s fighting for, who it is he’s fighting for.

And he’s afraid. It shows in the way his head perks up. He might be aware of his feelings but he’s not ready to acknowledge them. He’s not ready to admit just how much Akiho means to him as that would no doubt affect his concentration on what he needs to do save her.

Fortunately, Sakura showing movement within the stopped time gives Kaito a chance to distract himself from confronting his true feelings for now.

Because he can’t have his target catching on to his scheme. Not when the card he needs hasn’t manifested yet and not when there’s not enough magic (カードはまだ足りていません) to fuel the taboo spell that will rewrite everyone’s memories.

He has to undo everything that would have Sakura chasing after his tail. Starting with her witnessing the activation of the artifact through Akiho in the library.

Momo instantly panics when he intends to rewind time as far back as before Akiho left to go to her friend’s house.

She’s yelling all the reasons why he shouldn’t. That simply using time magic already causes an immeasurable burden on the caster, taking their life force (命を消するもの) in order to fulfill the spell.

What’s worse is that we learn Kaito also used time magic multiple times already. If freezing time is taking so much from him, there’s no telling what would happen if he rewinds time back several hours. He could collapse or worse, die.

But it’s clear that Kaito won’t heed Momo’s warnings because if he doesn’t undo the incident in the library now, then his whole plan to save Akiho will be derailed.

Still, Momo is demanding that he scale it down, going only as far back as before Akiho entered the library. This is the first time we see her so frantic. She forces Kaito to listen to her by threatening to change back into her true form. And it’s only then does Kaito agree to do what she says because he does not wish to fight head to head with her (mhm, mummy was gonna whoop his stubborn butt 😂).

Maybe Kaito conceded because he thought it would be too much of a hassle to argue with Momo on top of shouldering the strain of rewinding time…

But it’s important to note that this is one of the more prominent moments where Momo is undeniably fighting for Kaito’s sake. Meaning, she cares about him and is not okay with seeing him hurt. She doesn’t want him to die. Not just for Akiho but also for himself.

She wants him to live just as much he wants Akiho to live.

And yet, Kaito still doesn’t (or perhaps, refuses to) see what Momo wants him to understand because he doesn’t think his life is worth caring about! バカ！🥺

Well, anyway, the rewind worked.

Right before the girls are about to go down to the basement, a message on Akiho’s phone stops them.

And her shocked reaction upon reading it is as expected.

“Kaito” told her he suddenly came down with a fever so he won’t be able to do his chores like usual.

The message makes it sound like it’s no big deal. It’s just a notice of sickness, which is normal.

But for Akiho, who has known Kaito long enough to also know that it’s super rare for him to take a sick day or actually inform her that he’s not feeling well, this is a very serious matter.

Because even around Akiho, there isn’t a moment where Kaito is not pretending he’s okay. He’s always in peak condition, ready to assist and serve her. He’s afraid to be honest with his own feelings so of course he won’t let Akiho know if there’s something wrong with him (具合が悪くてもわたしには何もおっしゃらないんです).

Basically, it’s out of character for him to not be “perfect”.

For Kaito, it detracts from his mask that he uses to hide his weaknesses and true self. The real him that he doesn’t want anybody to see.

For Akiho, it means he really must be hurt or suffering somewhere and that scares her. Even the thought of it being a high fever (but not a fatal one) sends her clutching her phone in a tight grip 👆

Akiho loves her hubby Kaito more than anything so it’s natural she would be very worried when he’s in pain. It’s a given that once she starts worrying about him, she can’t think of anything else except rushing back to his side to make sure he’s alright and wanting to care for him till he’s better again.

So they take a rain check. The library can wait but right now, she has to go home to be with the person she loves most.

Meanwhile, lol, a lesson in how to be dramatic so your wife will come home faster 🤣

But seriously, this scene is hilarious. Akiho was freaking out while Momo was pretty much telling Kaito “That’s how you do things properly! Work smarter, not harder, you idiot!” and he’s so light-hearted in his response like “yea yea, problem solved, yaaaay~” 😂

Cuz his head is so filled with Akiho that he’s already forgotten that he almost could’ve died with that rewind 🙄😅

Kaito is so touched by her concern, though. Akiho would give up the chance to see more of the books she loved so much because she’s more worried about “somebody” getting sick. He has such a hard time believing she was born into “that clan” (and the disdain can even be heard in print with that “あの”) when they’re so evil and she’s an absolute angel.

He says all this with the softest eyes and the gentlest smile on his face, too. Like, does he even realize his guard is still down? That he’s showing his weakness right there in the open where anyone can see him as he gazes down fondly at the girl rushing home to him?

Akiho really is the only person who can get him to act this way. To be able to bring his true self to the surface and have it stay there. It’s so obvious he’s in love with her, why won’t he just acknolwedge it?!!?!?

ლ(ʘ言ʘ ლ )💢 💢 💢

Oh, because he’s dumb about emotions 😑

In fact, he’s so infuriatingly oblivious (whether by his choice or not, it’s still annoying) that Momo looks like she’s ready to pummel him into the future.

“It isn’t just “somebody” (that Akiho is worried about)” she grumbles to his face.

Alas, Kaito is clueless and hopeless so the best she can do is shoo him home, tell him to quickly put on his jammies, get into bed and do his best to act like he’s terribly sick so that Akiho will pamper the f*ck outta him that he’ll have to admit his feelings for her and they’ll mutually confess their love to one another and avoid all the unnecessary drama in the next 50 chapters won’t suspect something odd.

Kaito is like “ok~, I can do that~” because hey, he doesn’t have to do chores tonight so he gets to spend time with Akiho, yea? Sounds great, he’s so happy~ 😄

aaaaAAAAAAaaaaagghhhhHHHHHHH 😩

Now I need that whole scene where Akiho’s fretting over Kaito while he’s smiling like a dummy in bed, pretending to be sick but actually enjoying the attention he’s getting from her!! 😫❤️💦

<- Previous: Chapter 26

The rollcake scene from ep 17 aired today, May 6th.

The anime follows the manga pretty closely with some nice little additions. Like this exchange:

Where we actually get to see Kaito accept the gift with his own hands.

Before that, look at his expression. How even when he’s caught by surprise, his eyes are always so soft and unguarded when they’re looking at Akiho.

And that gentleness carries over into how he handles her gift as well.

He’s likely thinking ‘Akiho-san made this (for me), I must be careful with it’ on top of how he’s already being careful to not even let his fingers touch hers. Because he respects her and that would be unprofessional. That would cross the line he knows not to cross <- this is a crucial point to keep in mind.

Then the way Akiho goes from nervous to overjoyed once he takes the box because this is the first thing she’s ever made for anyone.

And not just anyone but a special someone. Her special someone.

So of course, she’d be anxious over whether he would accept it. Of course, she’d be so thrilled when he did.

They didn’t even start eating yet but she’s already so happy that she was able to take one step closer in conveying her feelings to him and that he didn’t reject her.

Then the part where the scene diverges for a moment from canon. Unlike in the manga, where Akiho quickly runs away out of shyness, here she doesn’t have an excuse to hide behind.

Instead, she starts criticizing herself again. Apologizing for “saying something weird” when she did nothing of the sort.

As pointed out in the previous episode (and in chapter 60), it’s obvious that Kaito doesn’t like it when Akiho puts herself down.

Even though she really stunned him speechless this time with her request for him to laugh more, he’s already thinking of what to say to refute these negative thoughts about herself.

But unlike how he usually tries to reassure her (gently and subtly), this time he’s significantly more forward with his approach.

He puts a halt to her downward spiral by placing his hand over hers, crossing the line he has been so careful not to all this time.

He outright says to her there’s no need for her to apologize, that she didn’t do anything wrong.

And for the first time, he dares to be honest with his feelings for her, crossing that line again.

It’s just one line. But with that one line, Kaito lays himself bare before Akiho. He’s not playing the part of her servant, polite and considerate but always at an arm’s length.

He’s being himself for once, his true personal self.

And his true self wants Akiho to know how happy she’s made him.

Just with her simple gesture and her words to see him smile more, he knows how much she appreciates him. How much she cares about him.

Which is the biggest deal for Kaito because nobody has ever cared about him before. He had always been treated as a thing to be ordered around and used by others.

So to hear something so kind from the person he loves most…it makes him want to respond to that.

It seems anime!Kaito wants to reciprocate in what little way he will allow himself to (he’s staring so deeply and intently into her eyes, letting them say what he can’t) before the inevitable where he would have to separate himself from Akiho in order to save her.

There’s not enough time left for him to enjoy being with her, to show her how grateful he is for her presence in his life. He knows there are only a few chances to do that and this moment is one of them. It has to be now because if not now, then it’s never.

Even though he puts her to sleep shortly after to bar her off from inquiring further. Even though he thinks she will won’t remember him after he rewrites everyone’s memories and erases himself so telling her these feelings might’ve been pointless…he still wanted to let Akiho know at least once before she forgets.

That she made him feel loved and taught him how to love someone in return.

April 29th marks the anniversary of this YunaAki scene in episode 16.

The moment doesn't last more than 2 minutes before Kaito's uncharacteristic slip-up causes him to rewind time but it's enough to show how much he cares about Akiho's well-being and how highly he thinks of her.

He goes out of his way to meet her as she's walking home. Even though the neighborhood seems relatively safe and it's still light out, he's concerned for her safety. Understandable since at this point, the magical artifact hasn’t been removed yet so her clan and the Association are still targeting Akiho. She has no powers of her own and therefore, no means to protect herself so Kaito can't possibly leave her alone and vulnerable to being kidnapped.

But Kaito is always careful not to alarm Akiho so he greets her with a distraction. Yet even that distraction is heartwarming because it's a compliment of Akiho's voice. It would've been sufficient to say he was worried or use that same old line "I'm just doing my job (to take care of you)” but instead, he chooses to tell her how beautiful her singing is.

The fact that Akiho wasn't even singing but humming and he could hear her "quite clearly" says a lot about how much he admires her.

However, due to the harsh criticisms she often received during her early childhood, Akiho can't even begin to accept an honest compliment without feeling uneasy about it. Her instant reaction is to want to deny it, like she feels she doesn't deserve such kind words or any form of approval.

It's so sad that the abuse inflicted upon her has conditioned her into always having a low opinion of herself ("I'm clumsy", "I can't do anything", "I'm useless") and it must hurt Kaito a lot to see the person he cares about most think that way when none of it is true. Which is why he is often reassuring her that she has many great qualities, hoping she would one day see herself the way he does.

At the same time, he knows that Akiho is particularly sensitive to any comments regarding herself so he doesn't push it and steers the conversation to a topic she's more comfortable with: her new friends.

Akiho brightens immediately at the mention of them and the troubled expression on her face disappears. Kaito was able to cheer her up but again, it's sad to see how difficult it is for Akiho to accept value in herself as opposed to how readily she praises other people for theirs.

But it goes on to show that if anything, Kaito is ever the determined type (haha, oh yea)

Their conversation leads back to another sensitive subject for Akiho: her clan.

The clan that always thought poorly of Akiho for having no magic. The clan that jumped at the opportunity to turn her into a object that they could use to store all their greed in.

Even though it's their fault that Akiho's self-esteem is so low, she still directs that blame towards herself.

"if I wasn't so shy, if I was more capable, if I could just do better"

It's heartbreaking. For both of them.

Because Akiho is further chipping her confidence away, little by little, and it must be all Kaito can do to hold back his anger at those magicians for causing her to turn out like this.

But even if he were to berate them or curse them, it wouldn't make Akiho feel any better. It'd just make her sadder than she is now over her circumstances.

It would be counterproductive to his goal of wanting her to be happy.

And for her to be truly happy, she needs to be free of them.

The only way to do that is to lessen the hold the clan has over Akiho, to replace that negative influence with something stronger for her to believe in.

Every time she's about to put herself down, Kaito gently counters her with encouragement and support.

"(That's not true) You're a wonderful person, Akiho-san"

"Akiho-san will surely be able to achieve it (I believe in you)"

"You're better than they can ever hope to be (and I love you for that)"

And by the way Akiho smiles even just a tiny bit at his words, you know it's working. It's been working since the moment they met all those years ago. Gradually and carefully, he helped her repair and build up her self-esteem to the point where she can now make friends with no problem.

It won’t ever be perfect because her trauma runs too deep for those scars to be erased completely… but Akiho has come so far from the little girl who would run away whenever someone approached her because she was afraid of being criticized, of getting hurt. And that's all thanks to Kaito being there for her when nobody else cared.

Akiho would not be the person she is now if it weren't for Kaito refusing to give up on her. He defied everything that would deny her the happiness he repeatedly said she deserved. Including, occasionally, Akiho herself.

hahaha, Momo creeping into the top images because it’s not allowed to talk about Akiho and Kaito without her 😂

Just like chapter 25 did for Akiho, this one goes over Kaito’s background more than it has any YunaAki moments.

But Kaito didn’t really start living until after he met Akiho so knowing what he was like before that is important in understanding just how much she has changed him.

Paralleling Akiho in the previous chapter, Kaito’s past is presented in a very storybook manner. He is labeled “the boy” (男の子) in this short narrative and what really stands out is the emphasis on the fact that he was alone.

Out of nowhere, he appeared and he was alone. From as far back as he could remember, he was alone.

He had no one to call parents, whom he was mentioned to have separated from immediately after he was born (産まれてすぐに親から離されたらしく). And once he developed consciousness, he quickly realized that all the people around him were not related to him by blood (まわりにいるひとたちの中には血族といる者は全くおりませんでした).

He had no family. No one claimed him as their own. And so he didn’t have anywhere to truly belong to.

Which is utterly sad because look at him in these panels at THIS age. He definitely couldn’t have been older than 5 years old and the first intelligent thought that formed in his head was “I have no one beside me in this world”

Kaito… 🥺

What’s even more alarming was his reaction or rather, lack of it to that realization.

Kaito didn’t cry for help from the adults around him or question why he was alone. He made no expression at all or even registered the feeling of loneliness. Instead, his thought process was like that of a machine:

What do I do now?

Based entirely on cognitive reasoning. Pragmatic to the point where he even knew how to weigh the pros and cons before deciding what was the next best course of action (得策).

Like the above panels where Kaito chose to stay with the group of people he found himself in rather than leave because he understood that he was too young to venture into the world by himself even though his intelligence was far more advanced than that of any child his age.

It’s a little scary, really. We don’t have any more information about Kaito’s earlier childhood beyond what was shown in this chapter so it almost seems like all the normal emotions he’s supposed to have were traded for the capacity to comprehend what he needed to do in order to survive.

Kids shouldn’t have to worry about that kind of stuff but Kaito had no one to look out for him so he could only rely on the abilities he was gifted with.

One of which was magic.

And Kaito didn’t just have magic. He was enormously talented in it as well.

Every type of magic out there, Kaito could perform it with ease (簡単なことです). He could cast any spell much better than any adult could and soon surpassed even the most skilled magicians.

They were no match for him (敵いません) and the expressions of those faceless people show they knew that very well.

They knew this boy was exceptionally strong and because of that, they were afraid of him.

Consequently, this fear then led Kaito to become even more isolated from others. Even among his own peers, he was treated as an anomaly. No one wanted to get close to him or connect with him because he was too powerful.

And so his solitude persisted. He continued to be alone.

Eventually, as he grew older, Kaito caught the attention of the Association.

They approached him with the obvious intent of exploiting his powers, barely masking it as a “request” for Kaito to “assist” them (その魔力をつかって自分たちの手伝いをしてほしいという人たち).

With no one to shield him from these monsters or to advise him otherwise, the still alone Kaito was faced with another decision to make again.

But before that, do you notice something eerily familiar about this panel?

It’s this.

Ominous hooded figures towering over a vulnerable little kid, leering down at them from a position of dominance.

It made no difference whether the child possessed magic or not because to these magicians, the child before them was not a human being but a tool to be used.

And because the child was very young and had nobody to protect them, it made it even easier to control and manipulate them to the magicians’ will.

Akiho and Kaito may not share the same abilities but they were still abused the same way by these horrible psychopaths.

They were not allowed to defy these authoritative figures. They didn’t even know how to.

Hell, Kaito’s sense of self was so weakly developed that despite not having a desire to do anything for anybody’s sake (even calling such things a “hassle”/面倒), he didn’t have a strong enough resistance to flat out tell them “no, I don’t want to”.

どうしてもいやだという程の気持ちも湧き上がっては来ないので -> The feeling of refusal just didn’t well up inside of him.

He had the cognizance alright but with no emotion attached to his thoughts, all Kaito could usually respond with was “I don’t really care” or “whatever” (まぁいいか).

In that state with no will of his own, he was no better than a doll for malicious people to order around as they please.

So he joined the Association and his magic became even stronger from what he learned there.

He grew so formidable that no other magician could ever win against him. Any competition for the title of strongest pretty much disappeared (勝てる魔術師はいなくなっておりました).

But as this panel 👆 demonstrates with the effect of shadows, the same problem remained. No matter how much power he gained, no matter how much his magic grew, Kaito did not have anyone beside him.

He was stuck in the same place, where he always was ever since he could begin to remember.

Having everything at one end (power) and being alone with nothing (friends, family) on the other.

Now we go back to present where it is revealed that Momo was the one who had been narrating Kaito’s past all along.

And she seemed to be enjoying it as well, ending the story with a smirk and saying “the boy’s personality became quite twisted” (男の子の性格はすっかり曲ってしまっていた) by his enormous power.

Kaito feigns cheery ignorance, asking “who might you be referring to?” to which she sassily replies “who else but YOU am I talking about?”

This almost feels like whiplash because Kaito’s past is supposed to be depressing (and it IS depressing) but his contractor is poking fun at him and he’s just taking it in stride like they’ve gone through this a couple of times already.

The mood in these panels is very light-hearted as the conversation moves along to the subject of magicians in general. Kaito points out that there are many people with strong magic who get twisted by their powers.

To which Momo reiterates, “Yea, that includes YOU (you silly boy)” and he doesn’t deny it.

I suppose this scene is meant to depict what is considered normal in the society of magicians, where Kaito was born into and where Momo has existed among for ages in secrecy. To a person who leads an ordinary life, they would probably find these kind of individuals strange but to those who practice magic, that’s just their reality. Their perspectives are different so their principles, methods in how they do things and understanding of the world would also be slightly skewed from what is thought of as the “standard” for normal people.

But that doesn’t necessarily make them evil (well, a select few anyway). It just makes them a little weird, that’s all.

So yea, Momo is essentially calling Kaito a “weirdo”.

Not disparagingly but teasingly. Perhaps even with a dab of affection mixed in there somewhere (you know there is cuz Momo can be quite tsundere towards Kaito sometimes 😉)

She knows the real him behind the smiley masks he always wears so of course, she isn’t fooled by his professional butler facade that he presents to everybody else. Maybe her poking fun at him is her way of subtly reminding him not to lose himself too much into his “job” (aka his goal of saving Akiho) that he forgets himself in the process and her chocolate cuz that’s important, too.

“You act all polite and friendly and capable but the truth is, you’re just an awkward kid who’s trying too hard. So stop pretending to be perfect so much.”

At least that’s how I’m interpreting it.

Unfortunately, all her warnings, subtle or not, from here on out will go unheeded because Kaito has come too far to back down now.

Magic comes easy to him. Even this dangerous taboo magic he’s seeking in order to rewrite Akiho into a happier, safer life is not an issue.

Why?

Because unlike the time when he was being ordered around in the Association with no will of his own, this time he has a reason to drive him towards wanting something.

He made the decision that he was going to save Akiho from this doomed fate. It was the first choice he had ever made in his life. The impact of making that choice is so great after so many years of feeling nothing that it would be incredibly difficult to stop it.

Especially since after meeting Akiho and taking care of her, his feelings for her grew deeper, further fueling his determination to succeed in his plan.

Kaito loves her. And because he loves her, he wants what’s best for her. He wants her away from the magician society that abused her, away from anything that can potentially hurt her. He’ll do whatever it takes even if that means changing the “records” of her past so that she never learns of all the horrifying things the magicians had done to her and intended to do to her.

Even if that means giving up what’s important (大切なものを犠牲にして) including their shared time together, making Akiho forget him (and her happiness with him) and losing his connection with her…

Nothing matters more to Kaito than Akiho’s safety. He would willingly trade everything he has for her to survive and live well.

*sob* 😭💔

Meanwhile, unaware of everything that is happening as mandated by the plot, Akiho is geeking out at someone else’s library, lmao (her books at home are gonna be JEALOUS!) 😂

There’s not much to say here. She’s just being super adorable and it’s so great to see her happy like this ☺️

It’s completely understandable why Kaito would go as far as he did for her. He wants her to be smiling like this always 🥹

But Akiho’s love for books isn’t unrelated to his concerns either.

If anything, what he has to be worried about the most besides all the other magical residents in the area are the books Akiho picks up to read.

Because it’s through reading and memorizing the content of the books that the artifact records magic into its pages (and therefore, Akiho’s body). The more content she “consumes” from reading, the closer the artifact reaches completion and inevitably, the erasure of Akiho’s soul. The very tragedy Kaito must prevent.

It might’ve been easier to stop her, to not let her read any more books after they they escaped the watchful eyes of the magicians in Europe. But how could Kaito bring himself to say that to Akiho? Akiho, whose only friends (わたしの唯一のお友達でしたから) before she met him were the books that kept her company during her lonely childhood?

He couldn’t possibly do something so cruel because he knew it would break her heart to hear that from him, whom she’s come to trust over the years they spent living together.

It’s another anxiety he has to shoulder and one we will discuss in chapter 33 👆 when we get to it. But this really goes to show that when it comes to Akiho’s happiness, Kaito is unwilling to sacrifice any part of it even if there’s a practical, more efficient way around a problem.

He loves Akiho so naturally, he will see whatever or whomever she treasures as important as well.

*sigh* If only he could realize that he’s the one she treasures the most.

uuuuuu… ( ;___________;)

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