A little more on OnB 16.
These two go on and on about how they know nothing about each other. Even in later chapters (let's not forget Nao uses the fact he knows Ritsu better than Takano against him in his battle for Ritsu's heart).
HOWEVER. Even at this point in OnB 16, they actually know quite a bit about each other. I'm pretty sure Takano's FULLY aware of Ritsu coming from an overbearing family that even had a fiancee picked out for him. That situation alone caused Takano a lot of emotional pain as he didn't know if Ritsu was going through with his parent's wishes or not. But just knowing That right there gives a great look into who Ritsu is and where he comes from. And if he remembers Oda correctly, Ritsu is very shy and overly polite with others besides Takano. Ritsu's attitude with him is only because Takano makes him feel super hyper aware of his presence. And Takano picks up on that BIG TIME.
On Ritsu's end, he should grasp by now that Takano is the victim of neglect with virtually NOBODY around him he could call close friends or family. This means he's probably spending major holidays where families gather by himself. Like new year's for instance. Back in OnB 7(?) During the birthday drive, we see him tell Ritsu that both parents have other families. And his dad isnt his biological father. Now before you say "What about Yokozawa?" I'll say that Yokozawa DOES have his own family and friends he goes back home to(found this in the light novels). In other words, though Yokozawa was the only one there for Takano, it wasn't the case for Yokozawa.
Going back to the first Takano no Baai, we see Oda catching on to Saga's hurting. One of the reasons why Oda didnt get emotional after Saga went off on him. He knew he was just in a lot of pain and took Saga's snapping at him as a cry for help. Going on to say "Please talk to me...it'll help get some of those ugly feelings out..." Basically telling a hurting Saga that he'll be there to listen and help him cope. And this is what ultimately makes Saga fall so hard for him. Someone finally CARED.
And though Ritsu tried his best to forget, we're seeing now with the most recent chapters that HE HAS NOT FORGOTTEN ANYTHING. He was reminded in dreams of the past and Takano himself reminded him of things that seemed so small but weren't.
These two actually do know each other and I scream everytime they think they don't. What they had back then still connects them now. And yeah I get there's still so much more they need to learn about each other, but that sort of stuff they can learn over time.
Like in the page above, Takano learns that Ritsu might be getting extremely pressured by his family, which might be the reason he's taking it too far. Takano is doing his best to teach Ritsu all he knows, but Ritsu has to understand this shit takes time. But yeah, definitely sure Takano knows Ritsu's family is expecting way too much from him. I'm sure even Takano can feel the pressure everytime Ritsu tells him about phone calls from his parents.
Seeing the way these two connect gives me big hype x3
