#anyways this is just my interpretation based on my fast and messy reread of the manga

[shounenforgirls]

can't stop thinking about adult kazutora and chifuyu and how they represent atonement and forgiveness respectively. the pet shop & bad toman timelines gave me a clear sight that grief connected them in the most transformative way possible. if chifuyu was less kind or ken wakui decided to destroy his character perhaps revenge/grudge would be quite a possible path for him to go down but instead, by being the first person to see kazutora upon his release from juvie and helps him w life after, wakui really shows how compassion and mercy are integral parts of chifuyu's strength.

kazutora, on the other hand, must've still haunted by both guilt and grief, yet in those 10 years he had greatly matured, resulting in one of the best character development in the series. the way he grew out his hair long in resemblance to baji is most likely intentional, however i got the impression that it is done to honor baji rather than to "become" him. it is a subtle remembrance. kazutora might want to make amends through chifuyu, the person who was closest to baji, but to me him wanting to save chifuyu is purely rooted in their friendship that has bloomed over a period since his release. (him tearing up over chifuyu's death is enough proof that he genuinely cared for him.)

and then we have chifuyu, whose loyalty hasn't faded even after more than a decade has passed. him forgiving kazutora and wanting to save toman are his way of holding tight to this loyalty – both towards baji and toman, as baji was a part of toman and toman was a part of baji. because he knew how important kazutora was to baji. and the thing that touched me the most is the whole pet shop thing.

it has been mentioned that baji's dream was to own a pet shop, and mikey said in his letter that chifuyu's gonna do something that makes him think of baji. chifuyu's initial dream was to become a pilot. choosing to pursue his late best friend's dream over his is devotion in its ultimate form. here is also where i think kazutora's atonement lies on. while chifuyu owning a pet shop is most likely motivated by his undying reverence for baji (and his own love for animals!), kazutora helping chifuyu out could be his attempt to atone for the tragedy he has caused (and baji was his old friend too, one that holds the biggest importance in his character arc). either way, the pet shop is not only a further realization of kazutora's atonement and chifuyu's devotion. it is also a bridge that reconnects both men, and a monument to keep a part of baji alive.