#Hisako is so strong but she doesnt even realize it 's the real reason why I love her

[yakuzen-ryori-blog]

 (( ESSAY NIGHT ON HISAKO X ERINA BECAUSE OF @gallowsgrove

So a huge, huge part of their general dynamic is a massive amount of ironclad loyalty. Hisako would do absolutely anything for Erina good or bad and vice versa. This is important to understand before I proceed because even without applying any shipping this is a hard to break constant in their relationship. 

From the very first time we see them together Erina puts on a professional front to maintain her stubborn arrogance against people in public (to not do so to her would ruin her reputation and not let her be taken seriously); however deep down inside she trusts Hisako and wants her to be ok. She shares her famous recipes with her as they’re created, something others would literally kill for. She tells her to take time for her own relaxation if she notices shes really tired/stressed, and talks to her with a sense of respect (respect and Erina being two things that are one in a million of ever coming together) at all times. Erina handles Hisako with her own way of care and gentleness; craving her companionship above anyone else’s. She even extends this into openly complimenting her abilities (found in an Extra of vol 7). Finally and most important of all I’d say, is that when Erina is bored or lonely, or feels like she needs someone to run to, Hisako has been the first one she latches on to no matter what (the extra side story about her summer vacation before the Autumn Elections and an Extra in vol 8 being prime examples before we even count how she acted when Hisako left the first time). She also incredibly values Hisako being independent and using her own skills in cooking, stating that this is how any aide of hers should truly be. It helps that the two have been friends since they were merely infants still breastfeeding, and raised together for an entire lifetime. Even during their early childhood all Erina wanted was for Hisako to come to her and stand with not behind her. One could say they were meant to be together in some form (this primarily being Hisako serving Erina as both servant and secretary though that is not all they turned out to be). 

When Hisako took it upon herself to leave with only a letter to Erina explaining why after losing to Akira, Erina was so heartbroken that it took time for the reality to mentally set in.  She tries to go about her regular daily routine as best she can, but ultimately fails (god I can’t even begin to describe how sad it made me feel when she’s reading the Shoujo manga she likes, that Hisako ran around getting for her to the point of bags forming around her eyes, and she asks her out loud to pass the next volume but theres no one there. THEN WHEN THE DOORBELL RINGS AND SHE THINKS ITS HISAKO AND COMES RUNNING SAYING IVE BEEN WAITING FOR YOU AFTER ALSO SAYING THAT HISAKO HAS ALWAYS BEEN THERE FOR HER JUST FUCK MY SHIT UP) 

Then when Hisako finally does come back she fights for control of her emotions and warmly welcomes her, more than likely wishing with all her might that she’ll never leave her again. It’s very touching, and it moved my heart strongly to truly see that Erina of all people can and does love with all her heart if someone is important to her. 

Hisako herself on the opposite end has done nothing but dedicate her entire life’s purpose to serving, caring, and making Erina happy. Any victory she wants to achieve, she does it for Erina not only to cement Erina’s prestige but also because she believes only victory will satisfy Erina and make her give praise (which is completely wrong in Hisako’s case because even though Erina does say she’d like it if Hisako won something its because she believes so strongly in Hisako’s abilities and because she cares for her so much that she wants to see her succeed). For Erina to ever share something with her or ask something she treats as the highest honor anyone can ever grant. She’s also extremely protective and willing to pick a fight for so much as perceiving right or wrong that someone would be a threat to Erina. When she opens up to Soma during their first Staginaire, Hisako describes Erina as being perfect in her eyes; a person who deserves only the best. However because of this she not only admires her but feels distant and out of reach. She thinks that on a fundamental level unless she herself is also perfect with no flaws or failures, she is nothing at all. When she recalls with pain Akira’s  honest criticisms after her loss, Erina again flashes before her mind, throwing her into a fit of rage at having let the one person who matters most to her down. In fact she herself even says that because of her loss to Akira she cannot return to Erina because her loss would shame Erina’s image; essentially destroying the beauty she finds in her imagined perfection of Erina as a person. And to hurt Erina knowingly in any way is something Hisako can never do.

It’s through Soma telling her that the only way to move forward is to change herself to stand beside Erina and not behind, that we finally see her attitude shift. This was absolutely a moment that not only made Hisako start to evolve as a person, but represented a drastic turnaround in her view on Erina. Pretty much before then, Hisako was so wrapped up in thinking she was out of Erina’s league that she couldnt see how she not only stagnated herself but couldnt realize how happy and grateful she makes Erina feel everyday. She wouldnt be too honest about her love for Erina to the girl’s face because she hadn’t learned to so much as give herself a chance (and see past her anxiety and low self esteem). During the time they were first separated they were nothing short of a mess without the other. Because unknowingly for years and years they’d built their lives around taking each other for granted, Erina in needing someone to ease her problems and Hisako in wanting someone to ground herself in her loyalty to ( in essence she seeks to find her “place” where ever she imagines that to be, which until she spoke with Soma was at rock bottom.) 

Now I’m not caught up to the latest arc in the SnS manga, in fact I just finished the anime maybe a week or two ago (I am reading the manga right now actually). However I do know that Erina’s dad comes in and takes over the school. In doing so he seeks to control Erina as well for his whims. To fully achieve this, he went for an artery of her heart by getting rid of Hisako and slipping himself into a mockery of her place. Being her father, he knows for a fact that Hisako is one of the few cornerstones in Erina’s life and who has been so from the moment she learned to walk. He’s fully aware of all of Erina’s emotional weaknesses, and making Hisako suddenly and in Erina’s mind permanently disappear I’d say would be shell shocking to her. Maybe even traumatizing to an extent. I mean imagine the one or one of the people you’d do anything for and hold dear, friends, family, lovers etc. being taken away without your warning or consent. I’ve heard that this experience among many other bad things end up forcing Erina to break out of her stuck up shell and evolve just as Hisako had to. I also accidentally spoiled myself by seeing a panel where Erina decides to commit to changing by being more open to working with others so she can save the Expelled Ones (Hisako being one of the people who flash before her). While I’m really excited to keep reading and see all the advancements before Season 3 of the anime is out, it did feel really satisfying to see that their relationship remains strong even with severe distance; this time coming in a form that neither of them wanted. They have an amazing and compelling bond. Something that frankly I have rarely seen in a Shonen. At least of the one’s I’ve read that stuck with me growing up and otherwise. Normally someone like Hisako would be exactly what I mistakenly assumed she’d be, a nameless side character who functions solely as a plot device. Erina, being her prissy master, would pay her hardly a thought and go on to be more important. That’s the usual bread and butter you’d expect a relationship like this to go in Shonens, but goddamn am I glad I was wrong. As with the rest of the series, color me impressed (especially being someone who loves Seinen more than anything) 

So as just best friends or ultimately lovers in the future, I expect to keep continuously enjoying everything they have to offer for both each other and the reader. Kinda still hoping for the latter though because I’m a sucker for loves where both sides would sacrifice anything for the other and I’m also a Hisako fangirl so I want her crush to be fulfilled but its up to the writer