Nati

initially i thought it could be interpreted either of two ways: kagi jumping the gun because he assumes hirano likes him back, or, kagi thinking this is the only moment he'll ever be able to touch hirano again before hirano rejects him for good.

knowing what their relationship is looking like now makes the meaning of that moment so much clearer, and the reason it had to happen so forcefully.

when hirano tells him he has his reply kagi at this point knows there is really only one answer: hirano loves him too. i do not need to explain how he knows if you have read the manga.

so he takes what he thinks is the natural next step. kagi knows hirano loves him before he even needs to hear it, and mutual love means they get to redefine their boundaries. it means he no longer needs to hold back from touching hirano, or even kissing him, because that's what people in love do, right? we've all seen it a million times. they kiss. so he does.

but then hirano pushes him away, quite aggressively, and if it wasn't clear before, to kagiura and to the reader, this moment is not just the manga but harusono herself telling us explicitly: this couple is not going to be like the other couples. their love is not going to look like other romances you've read where they fall in love, confess, then kiss and so on. it's saying look, just because they're in love doesn't mean they get to kiss about it. not at this moment at least, but maybe not ever. and if it feels like a slap on the face like it did kagi, well. that's kind of exactly the point of this scene. what is it about, then, if not about kissing?

it's about patience, my friend. it's about learning. what love can look like beyond what's expected. it is a beautiful gift in which someone gets to ask "what if my love is different" and it answers "it's still love".

and i just adore that so much. sooo much. it's meta. it's realistic. and it's queer as fuck.

hirano rejects the kiss but he loves kagi anyway. that's what this scene is representing and why it does it so brilliantly and effectively. kagi was always so so afraid of stepping out of line, but when it happens it is not the end of the world. it wasn't a death sentence and hirano doesn't love him less for getting it wrong and crossing a boundary. their love is about learning, and being patient as both parties stumble while they figure out how to be together, because they want to be together so so bad. that's what this love is. what's what hirano and kagiura is. it is not about the kissing.

the set is complete!

crawling out of the spreadsheets covered in blood

have YOU ever wanted a one stop shop for major events and when they take place in the Sasaki to Miyano and Hirano to Kagiura series ?!?!??!!!??!?!?!? HAVE I GOT THE THING FOR YOU !!!!

ITS HERE !!! not 100% perfect because it'd never get posted if i tried to make it perfect. there are inconsistencies and probably typos and a fair amount of bias but its something. and also a testament to how crazy this series makes me.

for a little backstory. timestamp on the original document says it was made May 22, 2022, at 8:41 PM. it was intended for personal use when i was in peak kagihira analysis mode, to figure out when things were happening in each series and how they related to each other. if that makes sense. and THEN i started taking extensive and biased notes. probably over-noted too many chapters but WHO CARES ! Anyways and Then i figured the whole world could use this. So here we are

HE'S SO CUTE LOOK AT THE TINY BLUSH I CANNTTTT

BRO JUST EXPERIENCED THE BIGGEST IRL VINE BOOM KNOWN TO MAN IM CRYING ALSO SCREAMING RN AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA FIRST INSTANCE OF HIM THINKING KAGI IS CUTE IN THE MANGA ????? CEEEEELEBRATE GOOD TIMES COME ON!!!

gaslight gatekeep girlboss

Sasahira? In my Hirano to Kagiura? It's more likely than you think. Guy did NOT just say that aloud, I'm actually yelling. Keep your inside thoughts inside Hirano you got a boyfriend rn 😭😭😭✋(technically)

Um. Most gorgeous shot of Hirano wth. This is the Hirano thinking of Kagi as a romantic partner. Look at that EXPRESSION. Also he's so silly secondguessing himself for that brief moment help

This is so sad...he thinks he doesnt love Kagi enough.....bro you love kagi SO MUCH pls trust.....

the white outlines make his hair look even curlier than ever looool giving him a sort of almost deflated look bc of his expression, or smth 🤣

HAD TO STOP MYSELF FROM DRY SCREECHING DUE TO MY PREVIOUS VOCAL STRAIN BUT AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

HELLA OLD FLASHBACK LETS GO. hirano remembering every little thing kagi has said or done my beloved

BRO GOT HIT WITH THE 9/11 OF DOKI'S

IM cRYING THIS IS LEGIT SUCH A ROMCOM HIRANOS WHOLE POV OF THE CHAPTER IS TURNING OUT AMAZING. ALL THOSE LITTLE MOMENTS OF HIS FACE AND THOUGHTS WE NEVER SAW, CHRISTTTT

this is so soft

SQUEEZING HIM TIL HE POPS

oh my god both their delayed blushes once they're out of sight from each other im dead

WAIT WHAT?? NIIBASHI SNAPPED?? HE'S DRAGGING KAGI AWAY??? NOWAYNOWAYNOWAY--

no context hirabashi confession scene--

OHHHHHH

MYHYYYYYY

GODDDDDDDDDDDDUHHHHHHHh

"Job well done, me. 😌👏"

when i tell you this is the funniest freaking post-dating-confirmation scene i've seen

the way hirano paused and clearly vividly recollected not being as explicit about it as he couldve been but stubbornly stood his ground never change hirano and never change kagi arguing back and standing your own ground aflkasjfsjsflkajflkajk i love them wth

crying

beautiful frame of niibashi oh my god

giving some kinda butai ni sake vibe for some reason...

It has always occurred to me that Hirano was never against the idea of "marrying" Kagiura

Maybe it's different when it comes to "dating" him, because he's very aware that he sometimes doesn't know how to deal with people, he's always asking for advice for things that seem like a basic knowledge, and he does things he thinks are normal. Overall, he's aware of his lack of social abilities. I believe that he didn't give so much thought about dating Kagiura (at the main manga) because he didn't know how he should deal with Kagi's feelings.

I like to draw a line of similarity between Kagi's view of a marriage partner that is just like his parents "best friends", and Hirano's.

Even when he's an adult his idea of marriage is just a friend you feel comfortable with the most, understands how he can't deal with some things, and someone you have fun with, a best friend.

He's a very straightforward man, and he believes that if he could marry Kagiura, there shouldn't be such problems again as Kagiura understands him and he's an honest person when it comes to how he feels, that even if Hirano didn't have the ability to know or didn't know how to deal with it, Kagiura is here to tell him, we can also see how they both always try to talk calmly about their differences and attempting to meet each other halfway.

Coming back to why it's "Marriage" and not "Dating" because I think in his mind marriage is something constant, where Kagi's unable to run away from him and we know now that Hirano is kinda possessive ( btw I do believe that Hirano have an attachment issues I just don't have enough evidence😭) and that's also a line of similarity between him and Kagiura because Kagiura mentioned before how he wanted to marry Hirano so he can be "his" alone.

- rain_aktg on twt realized that hirano held the same hand that had touched niibashi's WHICH IS THE MOST INSANE OF BEHAVIOUR WHEN I TELL YOU I SCREECHED

- so. it's come to this. the 10 seconds are a freaky cherished mainstay of their relationship and they still havent even given thought to getting rid of it. amazing /lh

- i hope they get even freakier. Hrkg Chp 34: Next person to make eye contact with Kagi-kun gets sniped by Hirano

- was saying earlier that you mark my words in the future chapters they're going to be doing the craziest kinds of touching and then they'll stop it RIGHT at 10 seconds . like. we can not yet FATHOM their insane future behaviour

- so that was hirano's first hand squeeze right. that was a reassurance seeking yet strangely possessive squeeze. definitely possessive. i am on another plane of existence

- idk if it's just a japanese wording thing but page 1, after niibashi asks if kagi forgot to buy anything, kagi says "tabun" - probably/maybe, which i thought was so comedic. "Okay then. Let's make some sweets!" 😭 - from mel's tl of sensei's twt space

THIS IS HIM CALM???

- the sasahira fact that sasaki was actually using the vocab cards hirano worked hard to make him instead of just stuffing them away and not trying. GRRRRRRRRRRRR MAKES ME FERAL - his little bow was so cute too. like ik its just cultural norm but omg. and towards the person that freaks him out.

- just realized their bumping shoulders probably feeling comforting, and okay since it's not skin to skin like they'd talked about earlier

- can we just talk about how crazy good that hug must've felt. Hirano who's barely experienced hugs (presumably), and only forward ones at that, being lovingly embraced from BEHIND. feeling ENVELOPED in kagi's warmth (we know that boy is a human heater). likely feeling his breaths on the back of his neck, before his head drops down, adding more comforting weight to what was already comforting to begin with. BOOOOOOIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII YOU COULD SEE JUST HOW MUCH HIRANO WAS RELISHING ALLA THAT CAN WE JUST PUT OUR HANDSS TOGETHER FOR THESE TWO THEY'VE COME SO FAR CLAPCLAPCLAPCLAP WAHOOOOOO

- this chp could've just been called Possession. both boys staking their claim over each other in their own ways.