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I really like this story and it's an interesting commentary on phobias.
But that moment when Kousaka was waiting for Sanagi and a lot of time had gone by without her showing up. It started to hit me personally. That moment reminded me so much of several times in my life, where I felt like I was completely alone. No one in the world is there for me. No one will listen to me. No one will even care if I am gone.
That moment when you lose that hope that kept you together. It feels like you are slowly dying. The warmth escapes your body, a growing pain keeps rising in your heart and you just want to cry, but the tears are coming ever so slowly. All of that takes so long and it's like torture. It's like you are ever so slowly becoming a lonely, empty shell, that has no difference to a corpse at this point.
I am happy to have overcome these days and am living my days in a more positive light. But the memories are ever so clear even after so many years.
After looking back at both their dates, I have better understood what good both of these relationships can bring.
Rei's date: It was certainly more cute than romantic and felt more like two friends or siblings hanging out than lovers having a date. It didn't help that we got some really good characterization for Sauro in between and that Arsenio admits at every turn how handsome Sauro is(he is really proud about that point). But what is speaking for this ship, is definitely how Rei reassures Arsenio about him being a monster and how that is nothing bad. She basically helps him love himself.
Sauro's date: By how it had been going I was anticipating that Sauro would be really into their date(which he was), while Arsenio would not be that interested and just treat him as a friend. But what was shocking to see, was that it was way more romantic. It wasn't the most exciting date but it had weight. What is speaking for that ship, is how caring Sauro is. It is weird to go on a date with your best friend. Sauro though instead of forcing it, he made it smoothly feel like a date. Plus when they were about to kiss, he first calmed Arsenio down and didn't just force a kiss on him while Arsenio was shrieking away because of nervousness. Most importantly Sauro gives him a way to heal from his past. (Reassures him that it's ok to get in contact with his parents and that it's ok to enter a church, to show him that he is not blasphemous for doing so)
That is what I got from it at least.