fun kanji fact: Ishikawa [spoiler] rubs out his edgy signature "Kyoutaro" 狂死狼 because he used the kanji for "Mad Dead Wolf", not his actual normie characters 京太郎.
I just reread the entire thing (including the raws) and hoooolyyy shit there is progress. The emotional distance closes so much and to anyone reading these comments I assure you it is satisfying as all hell.