#but she's arguably one of THE kindest cast members and yes she can be a little shit like iris

[brawlqueen]

the way mizuki just immediately thinks of home being date. it isn't just that, it's iris, it's hitomi, hell, it's even ota . it's aiba, at any age, be it as a partner shared or just a part of the family .

mizuki rationally has so many insecurities about date, she isn't sure if he adopted her a lot out of pity because no one really wanted her, her parents certainly didn't, the pity of the results of the horrible case in which she and date respectively were in different ways in the eye of the storm. the way despite all her doubt about date, there is a faith that's small, and natural to have, because her trust and trauma is so vast it's suffocating her, mizuki doesn't know anything else. her friends she considers family. aiba becomes even more like family from what little crumbs i take from a.ini. she loves her and partnering with her she has learned SO much about different sides. it doesn't diminish aiba and date, it's just there's a new, younger date who needs her too.

but despite all these doubts, these cemented thoughts that she's an afterthought, something pitied, not even in his top three important people . . . someone he just felt obligated to save . . . she loves date. it's why she struggles to even work on at either age, openly saying the word 'dad'. she still has nightmares of his somn.ium, waking up and being pushed away. being told he isn't what she needs, and shoved three times.

she wants to be needed by date. because she needs him. it doesn't have to be perfect, but she wants to know that if she wasn't in his life it would matter.

....she wants to know she matters. that's why post-game she is struggling so so much. i also really just cannot stress that if hit.omi and date are end game then - why did we not get a scene with mizuki also with iris and hitomi and date? to cement they are a family regardless of romantic or not between the adults ?

this is why mizuki route in terms of growth and relational bonds, is canon to me, plotwise it's unsolved, but the growth and relationships should be carried over to be a true resolution route to me.