I need Narumi & Ashiro being friends to get more content. Or just acknowledgment. Like, from B-Side it seems that they joined the defense force around the same time (and seem to be about the same age), so it makes sense that the two people seen as “monsters” with unnaturally high releases so quickly would find some solace in each other, being the only one who understand somewhat what they’re going through
I’m not talking best friends (though I would enjoy that lol) or siblings, more like work friends maybe? Or just good friends? Like they’re not texting 24/7, but they definitely complain about captain-related duties they have to deal with (“istg there is no reason we’ve had to have 2 entire captains meetings with the higher-ups this month alone. Things are for sure busier, but they’re not that interesting!!”). Think sharing a look across the meeting room like “these idiots that have never seen combat are disregarding my input again like I haven’t been right every time.”
If you think Hoshina is the only one that rags on Narumi for beating him for one of the “best” records absolutely think again. It’s nowhere near as often, but when Narumi’s being a bitch during a joint exercise (like he inevitably will be), Mina will toss out a comment like “sounds like you’re not spending any time training to beat my record, how surprising” and Narumi’ll go “oh fUck yOu,” rising to the slight a bit less than when Hoshina does it
As much as they have the rivalry of their divisions, they both definitely trust each other, as I think we’ve seen in the last fight in the manga. They trust and respect each other’s skills, strength, and dependability when it comes down to it, and that’s honestly the best foundation of any dynamic
