What im getting from how ruby acts and think is that it’s because she’s simply immature, childish, simple minded. She’s just a teenager after all that only has a glimpse of reality. She’s like a sheltered kid that never knew much about hardships. Unlike Kana who got a taste of harsh reality when she was just a kid so she matured faster.
I disagree with her mental age being “30”. She died as a kid who’s locked up in a hospital room due to her illness so she knows absolutely NOTHING about the world. All she knows is that her parents neglected her, Ai who is her idol, her inspiration and hope, and the doctor that somehow made her feel the concept of love, that’s it. She had no room to grow because she was stuck in her bed. So when she reincarnated as Ruby, her mental age is the same as her actual age because that’s the first time she got to experience things. If you will say “Even if that’s the case, she’s still old enough to know what’s right or wrong” Yes but at the same time no. Let’s not forget that Ruby also has traumas, from her being sick, her being neglected, from seeing Ai die and from finding the doctor’s remains. She is not mentally stable and it’s clearly portrayed in the manga. Well ig it’s my fault for only saying that she’s only immature and simple minded on my first reply, I was talking about her nature. But yeah, girls and boys her age don’t know any better. It even happens in real life.
Idk how to feel about this. Sibling incest a major ick for me. While I'm NOT against having it featured in fiction, I'm still very particular about how it's portrayed. I guess what bothers me the most in Ruby's case is how little blood bonds stand in the way of her feelings? I totally understand why she loved the Doctor in her past life: he was the only person in her life who treated her like someone who mattered, who was kind in quiet ways that respected Sarina's dignity - I GET that. I get that something broke inside her when she thought she lost the doctor forever, I can't image the level of relief she must have felt when she realized the Doctor had been reincarnated and was by her side all this time.
But the fact of the matter is: he's still her brother. These two have been siblings longer than Sarina has been alive, but this doesn't seem to have any impact on how she views Aqua/the Doctor, nor gives her a sense of hesitancy in pursing him. It's just strange to me. Giving her all that character development, but reverting to "Sarina" when it comes to loving Aqua? I *really* hope the story doesn't leave Ruby here as another girl a part of Aqua's "harem" and actually gives her psyche a deeper dive.