#Ayano really is the Rose Quartz of Kagepro huh

[ask-ayaki]

For the mun, how do you feel about the scene with Yaki saying they should eliminate Mary?

(Note: Packaging this response with the latter two asks since I already basically answered them in-character here and here, so I'll just take the opportunity to expand upon my own thoughts on the matter.)

As a preface, I've been a big fan of Ayano ever since AToH initially dropped, and Toumei Answer was one of the first PVs I watched that got me into the series. That said, I always wanted to know more about her as a person and not simply a "sacrificial lamb"/"smiling sad angel". I actually really appreciate the manga route as a whole for giving us a closer look at her complexities and personality beyond her "death" merely being used as a device to drive the plot forward, proving she's not always such a "pure, perfect saint" placed on a pedestal by others. She's just as prone to falling into despair and desperation, if given different circumstances. It makes her a lot more interesting and relatable by acknowledging her flaws IMO, however controversial the "contradiction" to her prior image may be.

I think Ayano's "familial" relationship with Marry is important to draw parallels between her and Shintaro, and turning against her own "little sister" creates a conflict/contrast not seen before. This time, Shintaro is the one to snap her out of a bitter, defeatist mindset; by demonstrating the strength of a "hero" and how to be a true "big sibling" despite his own suffering. As someone who never actually cared for the ShinAya ship before (in part due to being aromantic myself) in the main timelines of other media - at least from Ayano's POV since Shintaro always treated her like shit before her apparent “suicide” - it makes so much more sense to me now why Ayano would fall for this side of him. Since becoming (A)Yaki, I'm sure those feelings only deepen over time as she gets to bear witness to his development over all the routes firsthand, and his ultimate desire to save everyone - including Marry - no matter what.

With the roles reversed, it makes her own "hero's journey" to atonement vastly more impressive in my eyes; where similar to Shin who grows from a jerkass stuck in self-pity (and later grief/guilt) to someone willing to sacrifice for another's sake - whether directly "related" to them or not - Ayaki represents a "redemption arc" of sorts. Personally I find the story of "falling from grace" before learning to be better and seek another alternative solution to sororicide far more fascinating than a version who is naturally kind and forgiving to a fault. So from a meta perspective, I say let her be angry, mournful, heck even spiteful in the heat of moment's loss to displace her rage onto another "easy" target... But in the end above all: regretful for her own actions and take the steps to correct such cruel, awful behavior and change her ways.