#aqua's self-destructive tendencies and guilt over “using” akane

[skania]

It's so funny how Aqua talks big about manipulating Akane, yet she ends up being the person he is most honest with in the entire manga (alongside Gotanda) 😂

It's even funnier when you realize this trend started from the very moment he set out to lead Akane on!

He deliberately kisses her to trap her in a fake relationship with him, but Akane sees right through him and to the fact that he isn't looking to date her because he is romantically interested in her.

I believe this is when Aqua first begins to realize Akane is not someone who can be easily fooled, and he rewards her perceptiveness with a truth.

To me, dating is just an extension of my work: This is part of my revenge plan

I'm highly interested in you as an actress: The way you get inside Ai's mind and understand her so perfectly is extremely useful to me

So of course, Akane reads in between the lines and realizes he wants to use her for something.

From the get-go, the one time Aqua intended to lie and manipulate Akane, he couldn't do it. She immediately shot it down.

What's more, Aqua here is telling her a truth while hiding his real motives. But Akane sees through that either way.

Aqua intended for his relationship with Akane to be a lie, but from the very beginning the truth starts to slip in.

At first, it's only because Akane sees right through him. But this soon changes, and Aqua starts sharing his truths all on his own.

(Spoilers for the entire manga below the cut!)

She is also the person he opens up to about his thoughts and feelings once he thinks his revenge is over. He tells her literally everything, from the DNA tests he ran and his struggles throughout all these years, to how relieved he feels now that it's all over.

She also knows that Himekawa and the twins are related.

But this honesty streak doesn't only apply to Aqua's revenge. She's even the first person he allows to see his old acting videos!

The one thing Aqua can't tell Akane about is that he is Goro's reincarnation, but he still goes and shares his entire backstory with her either way.

He later talks big about feeding Akane information so she would find the corpse for him, but sharing Goro's backstory and feelings wasn't relevant at all!

This all gets to a point that Aqua turns to Akane for answers when he is going through an existential crisis about what to do.

What it comes down to is that Akane makes Aqua feel understood. After spending so many years hiding his truth, Aqua craves that feeling.

That's why he can't help but to reveal more and more pieces of himself to Akane, including as much as he can of the one truth he can't say to anyone at all.

Akane, thank you for finding me.

tl;dr It's hilarious how Aqua intended for his relationship with Akane to be a lie, only for it to practically become the relationship he's most honest in lol