Quote:
Originally Posted by relentlessflame
I don't really buy "fear", and here's why: she doesn't really reject him. All she displays at first is shock, but then makes two gestures: 1) that they'll discuss this when they get home, and 2) to beckon him to keep following her. If she were really afraid, she would have run away, or it would have taken her a lot longer to recover.
Now maybe there's uncertainty/anxiety there, and I'm sure the concern about where all this could lead is in both of their minds (which is why they took this path in the first place), but I think it's not fear.
So I think there's truth in what you're saying (she is no doubt concerned about the repercussions, and would certainly be worried about taking another step), but I think she still chooses him anyway. And I would argue that's the key message of that final scene.
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My apologies, I used the wrong word to display my thoughts. After reading your post, I think a better term to describe what I thought was "cautiousness". Fear was just the first thing that came to my mind when I wrote the post but I believe cautiousness is the best term to use when describing how I interpreted her reaction. I think this term also can be applied to how you have interpreted the story since for the most part, I agree with the interpretations you made for the story.
I.E. being cautious about how to handle the relationship after the second kiss sounds more logical than being fearful of the second kiss based on the context of the story, which I thank you for helping me to figure out.
I firmly believe that companionship is what they both desire above all else, and that in itself, will not make them outcasts to society but they both realize(to different degrees) that they have to be careful of what they believe they are entitled to do because of this companionship they now share.
Another reason I had for using fear was when I realized that Kyousuke was the one person who she would change her mind for when it came to big issues. During the fifth volume and 12th volume, it is Kyousuke who manages to convince Kirino to change her mind about important decisions that she made. Based on that line of reasoning, being fearful of him after the second kiss made sense since he was the only person who could convince her to change her mind on issues that others could not i.e. her best friends and even mother and father. I don't think that the momentary fear that she had was enough to counteract her desire to be with him though. :/