The physicality of the scene is also important. It sets the blueprint for how the pair will continue to interact throughout, with Ash continuing to struggle with his traumas and feelings of self-loathing while Eiji does his best to pull Ash back from the brink and to be an uplifting presence in his life. This scene, with Ash laying bare his emotional damage and Eiji reacting not with revulsion but with love and acceptance, is a critical point in the series. Eiji simply smiles and says “Forever” and he lets Ash rest up against him. He points out how Ash is hurting regardless of his negative self-image, and it’s here that we get the first of several moments that are effectively love confessions:įollowing Eiji’s bold declaration, Ash rests his head upon Eiji’s lap and asks the other boy to stay with him for the time being, though he won’t ask for forever. Eiji, emotionally intuitive and caring as he is, is Ash’s peak supporter. The discussion by extension covers Ash’s history of physical violence and killing in self-defense, and Ash’s emotional reaction: disgust at himself because he seems to feel nothing. One of the most striking examples of this comes in a pivotal scene from volume seven, where Ash and Eiji have their first real conversation about about Ash’s history of being sexually abused. Ash, meanwhile, worries about putting Eiji in danger but nonetheless comes to care for him and slowly feels his walls crumbling even as his anxiety keeps him scared of the implications. Eiji is consistently earnest and supportive of Ash in a way he’s never experienced. This action is largely emblematic of their developing relationship as a whole. Later on in the manga, Ash remarks that this was the first time anyone ever helped him without looking for something in return. Eiji used to be a competitive pole vaulter, and he still has it in him to try one desperate jump over the wall (with no mat or protection of any sort on the other side) in order to run to find help. Luckily, there’s a conveniently placed metal pole. Toward the end of volume one, Ash’s gang’s hideout comes under fire and the pair finds themselves trapped in an alley with a seemingly insurmountable wall blocking their path as danger looms closer. Nonetheless, Eiji is more outwardly friendly than Ash, and has an air of innocence and emotional authenticity that Ash has long had beaten out of himself. Eiji is also nursing emotional problems of his own as he tries to make a new life for himself after his old status quo as an athlete fell apart following an injury. Ash is closed off, distrustful, sharp to a fault, and scarily competent for someone so young.
Equally important to where the two boys start geographically, and in terms of social standing, is where they both stand emotionally.