'i thought about you in the match... about the dorayaki pancakes you made, how you squished anko between them... when i thought about that, it calmed me down in an instant...' reiiii stopp like sthappp my heart is already so full and im kicking my legs and screaming into my pillow.... and hina changing the menu to make eating easier for rei... this is peak romance im afraid they care for each other so much 😭😭😭
that is to say. i am intensely satisfied with the conclusion of this arc, but it does make me wonder where shimada's character goes from here. i feel like he hasn't reached a 'rock-bottom' but my man really has been taking hit after hit like no other, and the whole 'lone-wolf' take on life (ie sidelining personal relationships in pursuit of his career) isnt doing him any favours either. at the same time i think a romantic relationship wouldnt "fix" him either... but i really do hope he finds some fufilment outside of shogi.. maybe pickup fishing as a hobby or something (at the same time the shipper in me wants akari x shimada endgame... or perhaps a pseudo-polycule type relationship w akari x hayashida-sensei lol)
i never want this manga to end but also it needs to end cause i need the closure.... i want the characters to be happy so bad 😭😭