#loop mafuyu was on How bad it was

[arolesbianism]

Stares at the sekai writers with my big wet brown eyes. Pls don't forget abt how Kanade hid the fact that she met with Mafuyu's mom from them and that Mafuyu knows abt that now

[prsk-krow]

Heya there! 🌻 anon here! here to make another request:D

First I want to say, Merry Christmas everyone!! well I'm not sure if it's already Christmas for you all or even celebrate it. But still, Merry Christmas!^^

Now for the request, since it's Christmas today.. can I get a (R)omantic Ena and Kanade x reader(seperate) where the reader and them are under a mistletoe, then they both realize they have to kiss?(and probably get embarrassed while realizing they have to kiss-)

You can also do the other two members of N25(Mizuki and Mafuyu) if you only feel like it, of course! don't force yourself, Krow!

Well, that's all I wanted to request! and as usual, take your time while doing this request!<3

Thank you and Merry Christmas again!! ✮\(^o^)/✮

{Kanade/Ena and the reader under a mistletoe!} [R]

First romantic ask with actual truly romantic action in it, and man did I struggle... It was kinda hard, and I'm not too confident about it, but I hope you like it! And also I may have messed up the intentions, but I think this still came out nicely! Happy late holidays!

Kanade Yoisaki

Kanade would never in a million years see this coming. She's spent so much of her life out of the loop of classic traditions, and even though she may know of a few she still wouldn't see them coming.

Especially the mistletoe one, as she was never one to care too much for any cheesy romantic themes on the internet, since she definitely couldn't find about it another way...

Even as she gets into a relationship, she seems clueless about the standard activities to do in one, and you have to guide her along and teach her everything... No, you won't teach her everything! Because seeing her reactions to some of these things is a truly unforgettable experience!

And these are the prime example! You already had a mistletoe ready for the special day, so you put it up right above the door to her room for some 'decorative purpose', but you also tell her to keep it a secret from the group! Why? You'll tell her tomorrow!

Then, the day arrives, and you knock on her door. She opens it, and there you are, both of you standing below it! The grin on your face couldn't be any wider and the confusion on her face couldn't be any more clear...

You calmly explain to her that the mistletoe is a tradition, and that when two people stand below it, they must do something quite special together...

You can't help but laugh at the look on her face once you finish telling her about it! Her cheeks brighten up intensely, as she nervously looks at you, shaking eyes telling you everything you need to know...

"W-wait wait, y-you're not serious right? U-um, I-I know I've h-heard about this before, b-but this is t-too sudden... I-I mean, a k, a k-kiss? I-i'm not ready yet-"

Before she can say another word, you use her flustered state to swoop in and connect your lips with hers. You can feel how badly she tenses up, even if you aren't holding her, but your gentle press is making sure that she doesn't try to run...

Before she can make up her mind, you embrace her. The kiss can't be too intense either, as she would probably overheat if that was the case! You resist the temptation to make it more passionate, keeping it sweet and separating soon after.

Once you let go, she stares down at the ground as her whole body tenses up. Now you feel sort of bad for the little girl, but you need to be the lead for things like this and she has to get used to them eventually!

For now though, you simply lead her to the bed, and let her relax as you put on some relaxing music. She buries herself in your touch, hugging you as she hides her face. She was still trying to process what just happened, but even still your touch helped her calm down...

She will spend the next few days of her life thinking about that kiss. Poor girl has spent so much of her life alone and without affectionate touch that a sudden kiss like that couldn't fade away so easily!

You'll try to remember her reaction forever, and you'll be more careful next time. After all, she is so vulnerable to touches and actions like that, that you feel bad for her...

Ena Shinonome

Ohh, now this one's an interesting one. Ena is more aware than Kanade about traditions like this one, but she considers things like that childish, and as a result, doesn't expect them either! Too bad for her...

There is a chance she will mention this to you before the holidays and alongside that, tell you that she doesn't care about stuff like that! Well no worries, you'll make her care soon enough!

Even though she does enjoy this romantic relationship she has with you, she is still not the best at initiating affectionate actions, as she isn't used to being the one who offers them! She is way more comfortable letting you take charge of those!

However, she is quite sharp, so you have to be sneaky about the mistletoe placement. As her partner, you know a lot about how she acts every time she visits your house, and that gives you an idea!

She has shown how much she dislikes having to wait for you to open the front door, so she uses a copy of your keys to enter and go to your room! You set the mistletoe on the inside, and as you hear the door opening, you stand near the door!

You open your arms as she opens the door to your room, and she gives in and hugs you! After all, she does tend to want your touch every time she arrives from outside! And that's exactly what you use to bait her into the correct position!

You can't help but giggle excitedly as you hold her even tighter so she doesn't escape, and when she asks about how you're acting, you tell her to look upwards with the biggest grin on your face!

"... No. No, that's a joke, right?... Are you freaking serious?? N-no, no no no! S-stop holding me so t-tight! I-I though you said that y-you weren't interested?? You f-freaking liar! I-I... W-we can't!"

The more she speaks, the more she stutters and the brighter the blush in her face gets! You resist the intense urge to call her absolutely adorable and decide to close the distance and initiate the kiss!

Her voice turns into protestant muffles as she tries to separate the kiss, but in her flustered state she can do nothing except submit to your lead and simple lean in to enjoy it! And that's when you get an even better idea...

As soon as the artist starts getting into it, you separate the kiss and let go of the hug, using her earlier resistance as an excuse to stop it! Sure, the kiss was enjoyable, but you know better than anyone that her reactions are way more valuable...

And you were right! She's frozen stiff, stuck in between the feelings of enjoying the kiss and being angry at your attempts to start it! In the end, she starts scolding you because of the latter, but she stops soon afterwards!

She can't resist, and admits that she did enjoy the kiss, and will forgive you if you continue it! You can't help but laugh, knowing that this weakness of her is something that she would never show to anyone else...

And of course you have to accept? After all, she looks so cute trying to convince you to continue kissing her! Although that's something that you won't say to her face right now! Now, it's time to give her what she wants...

[magicpotatoobsession]

GIVEN | Ugetsu Murata Character Deep Dive

Ugetsu Murata is one of my absolute favourite characters out of any anime and manga because as a composer and musician, I can relate to his struggles on a spiritual level. I thought it might be kind of fun to really see how much we can try and understand this beautiful and flawed individual who is still very very deserving of love and a happy ending.

Ugetsu's Personality

Nonchalant and aloof exterior but extremely sensitive interior

Pivots between being a bit needy and dismissive, hot and cold

When it comes to the topic of music, he is extremely honest, sometimes a bit brutally honest.

Finds it hard to verbalise his true needs and wants - constantly self-sabotages.

Basically a walking human contradiction

Ugetsu and music is a matter of SURVIVAL

Let's first talk about Ugetsu's relationship with music. Ugetsu is an exceptional violinist deemed by others as having bestowed with genius talent. Everyone, including Akihiko and later of course Mafuyu when they go and attend one of Ugetsu's concerts are absolutely mesmerised by the way he plays and connects with the music. Everyone is so incredibly moved by the way he plays because

Ugetsu can be his authentic himself when he plays the violin.

For those few minutes on stage, Ugetsu doesn't need to hold back and can show people his emotions, his sensitivity, his overwhelming vulnerability and feelings for the world, he can let it all out because holding it in, would have probably killed him.

When Ugetsu says that he wanted to be with Akihiko but he's in love with music. What he really means is that music is his source of life, without it, he simply can't live. As an artist, I can actually really relate to that. Sometimes the overwhelming feelings of emotions need to be turned into art or music, there needs to be an outlet, it's unhealthy to actually keep it all in. We must understand that for Ugetsu, playing music is a matter of SURVIVAL otherwise his emotions all become a bit too much.

Ugetsu as we have established is an incredibly sensitive person. He knew that the relationship with Akihiko was suffocating the both of them because he realised how much his playing held back Akihiko as a person. Akihiko consciously or subconsciouly began to dedicate himself entirely to Ugetsu's happiness and lost his own drive and passion as a person. Ugetsu picks up on this so he began to also hold back (consciously or subconsciously) on how freely he could express himself with his music, which I believe became terrible for his own mental health. Music for Ugetsu is a form of therapy.

While he continued to provoke Akihiko to take music seriously again, he could tell when Akihiko was not confident in his playing knew he had to put an end to it. He knew it was bad for the both of them.

Ugetsu and the loneliness of the Genius

While music is just naturally a matter of emotional outlet and survival for Ugetsu, other people put him on a pedestal. Overwhelmed by the intensity of his emotions and playing, the audience cannot see him simply as a human being but as a genius. This is why, Ugetsu although admired by all and envied by all, we don't really see him get any sort of emotional satisfaction from winning a competition or playing well at a concert. It's just something he has to do and the consequence is that others idolise him and isolate him from their normal day to day interactions.

Although this is something that was sort of pushed on him, he himself fuels this victim mindset of 'loneliness' as well. @morievna explains it so well in this post about Ugetsu being stuck in the Ni-Ti loop, I'll leave it here.

I find it absolutely brilliant where through watching Mafuyu perform, Ugetsu also identified him as a genius. He not only means that Mafuyu has talent, but music perhaps is a matter of survival for him as well. Mafuyu communicates better through music than any other medium. I think there is so much weight in this line because Ugetsu I think predicts that Mafuyu is dealing with some level of loneliness as well and therefore is able to give such an outstanding performance.

Ugetsu is honest when it comes to music

Ugetsu also is not only incredibly perceptive but incredibly blunt when it comes to music as well. We see that he doesn't hold back on harsh feedback when Mafuyu comes to visit and play for him. He tells it as it is because music is easy for him to understand. Music doesn't lie.

But it seems like Ugetsu is only ever honest when he's playing music. Anything outside of that, he struggles to be vulnerable. Akihiko actually has a really hard time with that because he is getting two different versions of Ugetsu, one of authentic Ugetsu when he's performing and one of nonchalant hurtful Ugetsu who seems to not care about Akihiko at all.

I cover how this musically manifests between Akigetsu in much more detail in my blogpost the extraordinary link between Akigetsu and Tchaikovsky's violin Concerto in D.

Ugetsu's Love Languages

Ugetsu does sort of follow a bit of the genius stereotype a bit in the sense that outside of his music, he acts like a bit like a foetus. Of course, post-breakup in his New York apartment, we definitely see an improvement on his independence (makes me very happy).

1. His top love language is acts of service. Multiple times throughout, we see Ugetsu asking Akihiko for coffee, to be fed breakfast or dinner as a means of getting attention, love and care. In Chapter 21.5, it is revealed that his father was a diplomat and grandfather a politician and he's kind of just thrown into this concrete basement as a young adult. I think he can't help but continuously return to the Tender-Loving-Care that Akihiko provides that he so desperately lacked as a child due to his absent parents.

2. Second love language would be physical touch. I think more so than sex, he just wants to be held sometimes. I literally don't think Ugetsu enjoys sex all that much but more so the feeling of being truly desired by someone. That's why I believe he always has such a hard time saying no to Akihiko's advances even after they broke up. Everytime Ugetsu sleeps with someone else, it's actually a very conscious attempt to break things off with Akihiko.

Quality time just doesn't seem possible with being a renowned violinist and honestly, as a musician, I really relate to that. Dating is hard for artists because schedules and performances are all over the place.

Words of affirmation I don't think is even a thing between Akihiko and Ugetsu. Ugetsu communicates through provoking Akihiko to try and get him to be more confident and serious in his music. But anything outside of music, Ugetsu cannot be honest. The two actually insult each other more than they give each other compliments.

Least favourite love language is probably receiving gifts, as shown with Ugetsu slapping away the mug that Akihiko got for him. It seemed like an overly dramatic moment at the time when I first watched the Given Movie but I think in all honesty, I think it was a good representation to show how Ugetsu began to take Akihiko and his TLC for granted after a while and the moment the mug broke, it was a metaphor for him realising how much he was hurting Akihiko and taking advantage of the Akihiko's overwhelming love for him.

Ugetsu has Anxious Avoidant Attachment Style

According to psychologists Nicolas Favez and Herve Tissot, the researchers behind the 2019 study from Journal of Sex & Marital Therapy, these are some of the traits of the Anxious Avoidant Partner:

Severe difficulty regulating their emotions in relationships - 100% he is always pivoting between hot and cold

Responding poorly or inappropriately to negative emotions - because Ugetsu is so sensitive, he actually internalises all of Akihiko's insecurity and pain while at the same time hurts Akihiko to break things off, which in turn hurts himself even more, it's a vicious cycle

Negative view of themselves - actually admits that he is the "lowest son of a bitch towards Akihiko"

Perceiving other people and their support negatively - doesn't trust Akihiko's sacrifice of wanting to be with him

Less commitment and satisfaction in romantic relationships - well, this point explains itself.

Higher likelihood of showing violence in their relationships - well, point explains itself.

Having a very high number of sexual partners - point explains itself

More sexual compliance (when asked for sex, you're likely to say yes) - everytime Akihiko makes any advances, Ugetsu accepts.

Elevated anxiety - everytime Akihiko leaves, Ugetsu is just emotionally completely going crazy hoping he would come back. The basement is completely in disarray.

Fear of intimacy or fear of relationships - He loves Akihiko to death. On one hand he's doing it for Aki's mental wellbeing. On another, he's self-sabotaging.

People like that often say:

I want to get emotionally close to my partner, but I worry about them hurting my feelings.

I want to feel close to my partner, but I also don’t trust them to want to be close to me.

I can’t live without my partner, even though being with them isn’t working.

I don't know about you but that sounds very much like Ugetsu. Ugetsu self-sabotages and it's because as a child he's been neglected for so long, he wants to be loved but he also craves to be alone. He is always so anxious whenever he pushes Akihiko away and hopes that he will come back.

So how can Ugetsu heal?

I think Ugetsu is well and truly on the path of healing. A period of independence will actually do him a lot of good in New York. Ugetsu needs to learn how to stand on his own two feet as an adult and practise proper hygiene and self-care without being completely reliant on music as a way of outlet and therapy.

Ugetsu if he is to find the right kind of partner, they need to have a secure attachment style and have lots of patience with him. Someone who initiates conversation and actually asks and says,

"Hey, what's wrong? Why are you doing this? What is the actual meaning behind your actions?"

Someone who holds him accountable whenever he tries to self-sabotage. Ugetsu needs to then step forward and start practising and noticing his new partner's love languages and meet in the middle, rather than have one person in the role of the caretaker and one in the role of the child.

He probably shouldn't date anyone in the music industry is my honest opinion, or date someone that's in a completely different field of music than he is.

HAHAHA the person that actually comes to mind is Iwaizumi from Haikyuu because I can't help but see some similarities between Oikawa and Ugetsu. Iwaizumi definitely seems like that type to be able to call people out on their bullshit while also being able to be a bit goofy and fun as well. Yeah I ship it.

Also, Ugetsu needs to spend more time working on building genuine, strong platonic friendships. I think he is actually doing well in that department, replying to Mafuyu's congratulatory message straight away. Ugetsu needs to take risks and put himself out there a bit more and become less codependent and enmeshed with other people's feelings. Harder done than said but I believe in him :)

---

Masterlist of my Given Metas

If you like what you read, all I post is Given analysis content! Give my blog a follow to be notified of new posts! #metapotato

[cheerystarlightwish]

Hi guys! So, the latest chapter just got up. How are we feeling?

I can’t say I didn’t really expect this, because I know we all sort of did one way or another. Who wouldn’t? Especially, given the build up from the previous chapters? Still though, expecting it doesn’t necessarily take the pain away from the experience of reading it. Despite that, I’m glad we got to see even a fraction of Mafuyu’s point of view. I remembered how we all wanted to get inside his head even just a little to see what state he is in. I’m at least at ease that we get to see that and learn to understand him more during this arc. Going back though, I know there is a possibility that people in the fandom will take sides and come to disagreements but, I would just like to remind everyone that that is normal. So, for those who are quite uncomfortable with such things, please be rest assured, avoid it, and just keep on enjoying Kizu Natsuki’s work. Additionally, I believe that nothing too bad or “toxic” (as they say in fandom terms) will happen so long as we remain respectful of one another. Besides, it only gives us more things to discuss about! 

With that though, here are my two cents about the upcoming conflict between Mafuyu and Ritsuka, I feel like they are both at fault. When I read the recent chapter, I found their circumstances to be quite unfortunate. This is because their problem can be solved if they try and learn to communicate with each other better, as everyone has realized and come to the conclusion of. An undeniable solid solution but one that never comes easy to do. Especially true, given their current situation.

For Mafuyu, he believes that he still can’t express himself rather well which is quite ironic because he occasionally closes himself off. He tends to run away from the conflict by saying that he doesn’t know how to say what he feels. If one rechecks his actions, he doesn’t really try. He doesn’t because he’s too afraid of how it may come across (his trauma about his past contributes to this fear). It’s understandably relatable that one can’t really fault him, if I were to say so myself. With that though, he may be unconsciously repeating his so called “mistake in the past”. A conflict that came about through different ways but has the same core substance. The only things that can be different here is that Mafuyu has other people to turn to and get advice from (Akihiko and Haruki) and that Ritsuka is Ritsuka, he most probably will not act similarly to Yuki. If one thinks about it, that in itself makes a whole lot of differences already. This may be where the next chapter will lead to and I am eager to see how it will play out if so. 

Ritsuka, in hindsight, is immersing himself with his rediscovery of his passion for music. This is also ironic because he is essentially ignoring one of the catalysts for him reigniting that passion, his boyfriend. Additionally, what got him in this situation in the first place is his ego and insecurity. He felt so in the shadow of someone that he saw the need to prove himself and in the end, wanted to complete the song which he believes (at least in my opinion) will provide some sort of closure for something he himself does not know of yet. Furthermore, as much as I love Ritsuka’s sensitivity (a part of him I attribute to the upbringing of his sister and parents), I feel like he is underestimating his boyfriend. He is so afraid of making mistakes in his relationship, probably due to inexperience, that he too backs off at times. He is so scared and out of his element that he bottles up these feelings and insecurities until he overflows. (Yes, I am referring to their fight in the classroom regarding Ritsuka’s jealousy.) Again, it is so understandably relatable that one can’t really fault him for it at the moment.  

In conclusion, they feel like they are so attentive of each other’s feelings and emotions while in actuality, they aren’t as attentive as they think they are. They are so so afraid to make mistakes that they are currently creating one by being so “careful” with one another. What I meant by being “careful” is to bottle up feelings that one assumes the other can’t handle or would be disturbed and worried by. It’s a little woeful but I guess some sort of deadlock’s to be expected since they are a new relationship and their circumstances aren’t really ideal. Therefore,unless one of them becomes proactive and causes a disturbance in this “balance” (not really a balance, we all are aware of this), they will continue in this unending loop of this type of conflict. On the bright side though, they have people they can go to for advice and help to knock them to their senses. (e.g. Haruki, Akihiko, Ugetsu, Yayoi, etc.)  They are after all, always there for one another if need be. So with all that and despite not yet getting a clear understanding of Hiiragi and Shizusumi’s actions, they will be fine in the end.  

P.S I have missed seeing Akihiko and Haruki! I’m glad we got to see Akihiko in the recent chapter! I hope we can see Yayoi and Take-chan soon too. 

Stay safe guys and have a nice day! 😊

[morievna]

Ni-Ti loop curse - Ugetsu’s arc and predictions

I noticed that most of fandom thinks that after chapters 27-28 Ugetsu’s story is finished. It surprised me a little since I have different opinion that in fact he will definitely play role in upcoming final arc and that him getting happy ending is still possible.

Whole Given basically

Spoilers for manga below.

1. Ugetsu compared to rest of characters

Since Ugetsu was introduced I was clearly intrigued by him, but no means I expected him grow to be my favorite character. I was rather surprised that instead of presenting him in a bad-ex trope way he got full-fleshed and nuanced. I like how he is one of mysteries of the story – at first we know that he is responsible for Akihiko views of love as painful thing and we got tidbits of theirs domestic life where they seems to be intimate but we get vibe that there is something wrong. Then we got chapter 17 and we know what went wrong and it is heartbreaking. I think it interesting choice that we simultaneously got both Akihiko and Ugetsu perspective on it and we get why it went that way. Natsuki-sensei not only spent lot of time fleshing out story from his perspective to sympathize with him and clearly puts a lot of effort in showing all emotions on his face. Compared to other supporting characters he got the most of time in manga and we get him to know relatively very well – from little information about childhood, his motivation and so on. Besides, what also distinguish him from them the most is the way he impact main storyline – he is important both to Akihiko’s as well as Mafuyu’s story, while rest orbits primarily around one character.

But what I found truly fascinating is how he is foil and contrast with rest of characters, because he is such extremum when it comes to music and relationships.

Uenoyama – he is called prodigy too; before meeting Mafuyu his life was centered only on music but it didn’t go well for him

Haruki -  totally opposite in almost everything from acting towards others, living space, views on music to relationship with Akihiko

Mafuyu – another prodigy who express feelings via music, but who wants to cultivate bonds with others

Yuki – both are dedicated to music at cost of their wellbeing and relationship

Akihiko – since he and Ugetsu are paralleled a lot with Yuuki-Mafuyu I will use Hiiragi’s quote “together, they filled in each other’s missing pieces” – in terms of character qualities and simple things as providing home and support, whose they respectively needed.

By all this I wanted to show you how his story entwines with rest of characters, so cutting him from main plot would be for me at least weird.

2. Ni-Ti loop and CAC song

To be honest I was worried that we may get negative character arc to contrast him with Mafuyu. But after rereading whole story I have more hope about this. So let’s start what is core of positive/negative character arc

“The Central Problem: This is the damaging belief your character must face to complete their arc. They may believe they’re weak or inferior to others, or they may refuse to trust anyone but themselves. This inner struggle will be confronted at the Climax and their ability to overcome it will determine if they succeed or fail in the conflict of your story.”

https://thenovelsmithy.com/positive-negative-character-arcs/

Applying it to Ugetsu he believes that being isolated from others is only way to be dedicated to music, thus pushing away others and acting inconsiderate to them.

It reminds me also of Ni-Ti loop:

“Instead of a healthy balance of introverted and extroverted functions, the INFJ becomes stuck in their introverted processes, keeping them trapped within their own mind in a seemingly endless loop of thought.

As our introverted iNtuition (Ni) ponders theories, concepts and possibilities, it feeds these ideas to our Ti which seeks facts and logic to back up and solidify these thoughts.  As it obtains this information, it feeds it back to our Ni which creates even more theories and concepts.

Each time this loop goes full circle, the thoughts become more and more radical and outlandish, pushing us further from reality and deeper into our minds.”

http://www.jennifersoldner.com/2016/02/ni-ti-loop.html

So we get Ugetsu thinking about how they chasing each other and neglecting music, then instead of talking to Akihiko about his insecurities he decided to push him away since prior to their meeting he was alone and fine this way. When declaring breakup didn’t work, he fallen further in this way of thinking and tried to discourage Akihiko by sleeping with other men. However, logic doesn’t apply well to love, so he is conflicted about his feelings constantly. So there is cycle in their relationship of pulling and pushing away resulting only in more pain and violence.

But even after Akihiko leaves him after their argument, it got even worse – he got more isolated from rest of world and depressed. His solution didn’t work at all.

During CAC we can observe that he starts to understand this. He seems to be stunned that not only Mafuyu can perform music on his level and be connected to others and Akihiko’s skill in drums got so much better thanks to Haruki’s influence.

Theoretically this could be end with him failing to change but…

CAC song is about ending and begging. It conveys that positive change is possible. I like how Mafuyu is not only referencing his experience about trauma and healing, but want to help others persons in his life and reassure them that everything will be alright. And there is this frame:

Of course it has double meaning – Mafuyu want to resonate feelings via music like Ugetsu as well as to resonate meaning of song to him.

So concluding – with the both facts that Ugetsu does no longer believe in his previous standpoint and we have positive message of the song, we can discard option that his story ends here. But what comes next?

3. 3-act structure and what it means for the story

Quoting Wikipedia:

“The three-act structure is a model used in narrative fiction that divides a story into three parts, often called the Setup, the Confrontation and the Resolution.”

For Given as whole it would look like that (image from wikipedia, little changed by me):

3-act structure is one of most common used in stories. I think it can be applied to Given too, because of the way stakes are gradually rising and evolution of Mafuyu’s songs (first one about his trauma and past love, second about positive change and final will be most likely about his feelings for Uenoyama – well technically second one mentions it too, but I think it will be explored more). For now I rather want to use that structure as tool to predict what can happen. Let’s look again at what Wikipedia says about final act:

“The third act features the resolution of the story and its subplots. The climax is the scene or sequence in which the main tensions of the story are brought to their most intense point and the dramatic question answered, leaving the protagonist and other characters with a new sense of who they really are.”

How to grow more tension?

For me the most interesting it would be instead of *insert some cliché drama* getting all main four character confronted with someone who foils all of them on both music and personal level. It would cause to challenge their perspectives, disrupt the routine and reevaluate their standpoints. In the end it would be resulting in character grow for all of them.

In less vague terms my theory is that Ugetsu will perform together with Given on debut in festival. To break Ni-Ti loop the best is interacting with people and outside world. To step out of comfort zone and leave basement.

I envision this scenario roughly like that:

Since it is very likely that Mafuyu will write new song (probably together with Uenoyama)

Then he would consult it with Ugetsu

Mafuyu would be concerned about the other wellbeing hence trying to help him the same way it worked for him in begging of the story 

Tensions during rehearsals – mainly due to Ugetsu being critical of their skills at music

After some time Ugetsu will start open towards rest of group and genuine wanting to help them performing at their the best – even if it would took some sacrifice from him (like resignation from violin competition or concert)

Thus resulting in final reconciliation with Akihiko (not necessary in romantic sense, more like healing each other wounds they caused before)

Climax at debut

Of course, maybe I went too far with this theory, but it would wrap up things nicely in my opinion. This was written emphasizing Ugetsu’s story, maybe I will expand it in relation to rest characters another time.

Finally I want to point out certain issues that would tie into this from recent chapter:

1.    Mafuyu’s hesitation about debut - his fear of taking music seriously is rooted in Yuuki’s death and Ugetsu’s story as well. As chapter 18 showed he want to learn from their mistakes and I think he is afraid of losing himself too much in music and breaking up with Uenoyama in result. In order to move forward he has to make peace with music in some sense like discussing his insecurities with certain some who embodies music basically XD

2.    Akihiko pursuing both violin and drums – these two instruments are so loaded with double meaning (drums – fun, escaping pain and violin – passion and lost dreams). But regardless if Akihiko has to choose one of them or not – pursing violin corresponds to confronting why he given up on violinist career earlier and by this confronting Ugetsu

Bonus:

Doesn’t sound it like foreshadowing?

So this is all for today. I don’t remember writing this much since my thesis – I hope it is coherent and that there is not that many errors XD If there is something unclear – feel free to ask.

[prsk-krow]

Hello!!!>.< Kanade and mafuyu separate please!! , see how hard working reader is , TOO much, what they do? Sorry for bad english :(

{Kanade/Mafuyu caring for overworking reader!}

Don't worry, I understand what you wanted to say! Although there is a proper word for it, it should be interesting! Caw.

Kanade Yoisaki

Every time you spoke to her over the phone, exhausted and clearly lacking in sleep, she couldn't help but feel a little guilty. Not towards you, but towards the rest of N25. Was this what they thought about each time they noticed how badly she was treating herself? It made her reflect, that's for sure.

The first few times didn't alert her, as she had, sadly, grown accustomed to this vice that both her and you had fallen victim to. However, once she started to note that these events were increasing in frequency, the alarms inside her started to go off.

Kanade is naturally caring, always making sure that everyone around her is in top shape no matter how bad her own may be, so of course she would take action! She would invite you to her home without any pretexts, and she would prepare her bed for you, something that she would never have done otherwise!

You would arrive at her house, using part of her desk that she separated for you inside her room, (She would sacrifice one of her monitors today, just for you.) And she would sit next to you, giving you her most comfortable chair as she used a common one that she took from her kitchen!

At first you felt guilty, but Kanade made sure to alleviate your feelings by reminding you that she knows that you need these things to work better! However, that was also part of her plan, as you subconsciously started to lean back into the chair, getting more and more tired...

Before you fully fell asleep, Kanade would tell you to stand up real quick, and lead you to her bed, letting you rest upon it as you nuzzled into the pillows! Meanwhile, she would sit down on the chair you were using, and move it close to the bed as she started speaking softly, in her comforting, breathy voice...

"... You've been working hard, haven't you? Very hard... It's something that I can admire. However... Have you forgotten that I know what that feels like? I'm sorry, but you can't hide those things from me. I know how horrible it feels at times, and how you sometimes need someone else to pull you out of the loop by force. So... Please take a rest. I'll be here with you, next to you, for as long as it takes."

You haven't slept that well in so long... When you woke up, you hardly wanted to leave the covers, something that Kanade found amusing! You went to grab your things and preparing to leave before realizing something...

"What...? Oh... It's my turn now...? What do you mean-..."

Her eyes shrank as it dawned on her. She set herself up, and you also took your chance! Now she was out of excuses as well! Guess that you both needed to work on that, huh?

Mafuyu Asahina

If there is something in this life, that didn't seem too hard at first, but now it's pretty much impossible, it has to be hiding your true state from Mafuyu. Be it physical, emotional, psychological... She's faaar too perceptive for anyone to try and fool her with these things. So what happens when it's about someone she pays a lot of attention to?

Not even a week into your 'slightly longer' work sessions, there was a foreboding message left on your phone from her. You didn't bother to read it, since you could do it after you were done with this part, but after the door bell mysteriously rang, you regretted that decision...

[I'm coming over. I'll help you with your work.]

Opening the door, Mafuyu's stare would greet you, something that you weren't expecting to see for the day! However, even if you wanted to, you couldn't just close the door on her. Not on Mafuyu, one of the most stubborn members of N25. Stubborn in a good way though, since you really needed some help...

She quickly spotted the work that you've been doing for the past few hours, and pulled over a chair to guide you along. She was smarter than you, so you were simply listening and typing along. Already, this was much less taxing than before!

However, before you were done, Mafuyu grabbed your mouse, saved the project and told you to stand up and separate yourself from the screen for a bit. You knew better than to ignore her, and when you listened, she started speaking more than usual...

"Why are you doing this to yourself? You already know that I have no problems helping you in private. We've done it before, many times, and yet you continue to mindlessly worsen your health and wellness, while refusing to acknowledge the help that you could so easily get. I don't mind coming over to help, but if you don't try and help yourself as well, there's not much I can do either."

It definitely struck you as odd. Most of the time, Mafuyu simply lets you live your own life with little interference on her part, but suddenly this was happening? Oh wait... Maybe she's slowly coming to realize that she cares about you...?

You resist the urge to say it out loud however, and you silently nod your head, as you walk together to your bed. She insists on staying until she sees you asleep, so you, once again, have no other choice.

It doesn't take long for your tired body to fall asleep, and the stoic eyes watching over you slightly soften at this sight. All this time that you were overworking yourself, she felt uncomfortable, like there was an itch she couldn't scratch. However now, her chest felt... Light. As if a weight was pulled out from her shoulders...

She would wonder what was all about all the way towards her house, as the image of you in this better state seemed to make her breathing easier and lighter... How strange.

Ahh, now this was a fun one! Also, as a personal lover of fluff, this was pretty relaxing for me as well... Just gotta make sure that I also take breaks! Thanks for the ask! Caw.