Same here, I can understand Shintani, I don't get what he's thinking, he's all over the place.
Was he missing Kikuchi and used Sudo while conforting him ? Does he actually like Sudo ? Does he like both ? Where is he planning to go with Sudo ?
So much question but no clues
Anyway, I'm rooting for Kikuchi and I hope they're meeting again in the next volume, I holding onto that promise to comeback to Kikuchi he made when leaving with Sudo.
Agreed, I'm hoping Shintani will hold true to his promise as well.
The more I try to understand where Shintani's head is at in this situation, the more I think back to vol.3 ch.15 when Sudo said Shintani loves when they're (Sudo and Kikuchi) being pitiful, not for who they actually are. He relies on them being pitiful and the more he sympathizes with them, the more he'll want them.
Although I know these were Sudo's words and not Shintani's, I feel like what Sudo said is true and reflects what kind of person Shintani is.
I could be looking at this all wrong and once we get to vol.5 perhaps I'll change my mind on this topic but right now I think Shintani does love Kikuchi and (maybe?) Sudo.
I'm hoping with this next volume it will be told from Shintani's perspective and get a clear answer to where he stands in all this.
Also I'm really worried about Kikuchi, if he will find out or not what has happened between Shintani and Sudo and if he does what that will do to him.
UGH so many questions >.<
Oh my god, that scene... I hated it too. I understood how Shintani wanted to save his sister but he was just heartless in the way he talked and with how he easily went along with Sudo. I feel like that scene just portrayed how selfish Sudo and Shintani are. Sudo for taking his pain on other and Shintani for feeding his ego as a savior by appearing somehow unapologetic (well he apologived if I remember correctly but it felt shallow compared to Kikuchi's state in that situation) to what he did with Sudo cause obviously he did it since the guy is pitiful so that's ok.
(I feel like my english got messy here excuse that, so much feeling from remembering that scene)
I'll be posting the spoilers for volume 4 here so if you don't want to be spoiled don't continue reading this.
So we start off vol. 4 where we left off in vol. 3 with Sudo, Kikuchi, and Shintani in the hotel room.
* Kikuchi's phone starts ringing and Sudo tells Kikuchi that he'll answer the call and put it on speaker, and so he does.
* It's Saji, he tells Kikuchi the plan again of killing Yoshitsugu and making sure he'll go through with it but he noticed Kikuchi's voice sounds weird and then Sudo ends the call.
* Sudo asks Kikuchi if Saji set him up to kill Yoshitsugu to which Kikuchi nods his head, this angers Sudo and attempts to shoot Kikuchi but misses. He then leaves.
* The bullet ends up hitting the drawer and splinters off, cutting Shintani on the shoulder.
* Shintani then tells Kikuchi that he will go after Sudo.
* Then we cut to the hospital, where Yoshitsugu is getting ready to leave but then spots Sudo about ready to shoot him. He does but (again) missing him, and the Shintani shows up and him and Sudo basically run off together.
* Sudo then tells him that Miyuki is at a warehouse. Shintani than calls Kikuchi and tells him where Miyuki is and to go save her.
* He also tells Kikuchi that after he saves Miyuki to have them both hide out at his grandparents house. Kikuchi agrees to do so.
* At this point, Shintani decides to stay with Sudo because he needs help (getting off the drugs) and doesn't want to leave him alone.
* He takes Sudo to Ashida's place because he's now sick from withdraws. Ashida gives him an IV and then Shintani asks him about Sudo's past.
* We learn that Sudo had a really rough upbringing.
* Both he and his mother were being physically abused/beaten by his father.
* Also Sudo was being molested by this older guy and getting paid for it.
* His mom was cheating on his father with this guy who gets into a fight with this other guy who we find out is Yoshitsugu.
* Sudo ends up witnessing this whole fight and Yoshitsugu notices him and confronts his mother, saying how shameful it is of her to have to her child see this, and calls her an idiot.
* Eventually his mother and the chairman end up having an affair to which Sudo finds out by peeking in on them in the act.
* The chairman knows that Sudo and his mother are being abused.
* He tells the mother to leave the father but she refuses.
* The chairman then decides to take matters into his own hands and kills the father.
* This upsets Sudo's mother so much that she yells at Yoshitsugu to "bring him back"
* With his mother being so depressed she ends up hanging herself.
* Now we cut to the present, Sudo wakes up from his overdose (yes he overdosed) with Shintani sleeping in the bed next to him.
* Ashida asks him how he's feeling and makes him some tea.
* Shintani then wakes up and both of them leave Ashida's place.
* Shintani tells Sudo that he doesn't want to leave and asks him where he wants to go.
* Shintani then calls his grandparents to check on Kikuchi and Miyuki to make sure they're safe, to which they are.
* After the phone call, Sudo asks him how Miyuki is doing, if she's okay, again to which they are.
* So after this both Shintani and Sudo end up going to a hotel ( -____- )
* They talk and what not, Sudo bringing up his past and explaining what happened after his mother died.
* When he was 16, he got a job at a factory where he ended up prostituting himself and low and behold who did he end up meeting again? Yoshitsugu
* Sudo calls this a "fated reunion"
* Yoshitsugu took Sudo in his care and they both start this weird relationship.
* Sudo comes on to Yoshitsugu acting like his mother, or rather, being a replacement for his mother but Yoshitsugu turns him down telling him to stop.
* However according to Sudo, Yoshitsugu would "caress him gently" but never once slept with him.
* Shintani then hugs Sudo, embracing him.
* And of course, the two end up having sex but it's not like the other times they had sex where it was rough, it's GENTLE sex, and Sudo tells Shintani that he knows he isn't no match for Kikuchi but he still loves him.
So that's the end of vol. 4
Personally I don't know what to make of this situation with Shintani and Sudo, I mean I saw the sex between them coming and with Sudo admitting his feelings towards Shintani didn't surprise me but I'm having a hard time understanding Shintani in this situation. Like what is he thinking? Also he is thinking about Kikuchi in all this? I guess he feels pity maybe towards Sudo and that's why he did what he did with him?? Idk I guess we'll have to see what happen in the next volume.