Why does Shin always feel cold?
-A character analysis of Shin Tsukimi and my speculation on his past
It is quite clear that on a physical level, Shin cannot sustain his warmth and always needs an external source of heat. He can only stomach hot soup, always turns the heater to maximum, and wears a scarf even on tropical island. If we think of it metaphorically, this mirrors how Shin psychologically experiences himself as cold, unsupported and incapable of navigating through life on his own, therefore, needing to align himself with others.
This perceived weakness comes from Shin's distrust of himself. We know nothing about his upbringing, but from Shin's words about how he's parents 'spoiled him', his past relationship with Midori, and his unemployed status, we can catch a glimpse of why Shin turned out the way he did.
The idea of being spoiled can be interpreted in many ways, but the most fitting, in my opinion, conveys over-dependency and lack of need for a child to navigate the world independently and to take responsibility for his own choices. Such upbringing leads to individuals with underdeveloped autonomy, who are 'frail', lacking the ability to survive in a hostile world and, most importantly, unable to trust their own judgement and life path. Shin's unemployed status could also hint at his lack of faith in his ability to choose and to take responsibility for it.
Sou&Shin and symbolism of scarf
If an individual cannot trust himself, he has to place faith in something external, often excessively seeking guidance from others.
A child brought up dependent on parents may feel insecure about his own abilities and decisions, therefore seeks support and guidance from others. Sou took advantage of Shin's naivety and need for warmth, manipulating him and making Shin dependent on him under the disguise of friendship. His death left Shin traumatized, and Shin took his scarf out of loneliness. This action carries important symbolic meanings.
Scarf symbolizes warmth. As discussed earlier, coldness and frailty indicates a person's inability to sustain himself without external source of protection and heat. In Shin's case, this dependence manifests as a distrust toward himself and a need for guidance. Sou, who used to fulfil this role, guiding him, to a point of subtly taking control of his life, is now gone. This relationship of total dependency further striped away Shin's faith in himself. Taking Sou's scarf is Shin's attempt to preserve this lost guidance. This explains why he reflexively clutches his scarf when he feels scared or nervous. In moments where he does not know what to do, this gesture feels almost like an unconscious attempt to ask for Sou's guidance again.
If this relationship brings Shin something else, that is deep belief that others, as well, should never be trusted. The strong will not protect, but exploit the weak. And Shin himself identifies with the weak, persecuted and hunted down by a threatening world. This belief is so strong that even when manipulating others, even when he had already become the strong one, he continue seeing himself as weak and a victim.
This 0 percent, therefore, is only a reinforcement of Shin's preexisting belief that he is the weak one, the victim, the persecuted.
That's why this result of an AI simulation can devastate him so much. He already believed in it long before, this result just solidified his insecurities, that he is doomed to be a victim and no matter what he do, he cannot escape this identity.
