In the previous chapter, I regarded Ren's actions as ridiculous, and unsound. Every thing he did was the contrary from what a normal person would do in the same situation. But as of this chapter, it starts to make sense to me.
Cooking this Omu rice this is like a memento. This is one of those important memories he have of Rick. Although Ren doesn't believe in magic, he at least wanted to try, and remember. Asking Kyouko to do the ketchup was the "magic" that Rick taught him. But the infinity symbol was his own creation. A symbol of endless possibilities. Eating a badly created Omu Rice was form of challenge for him. It signifies overcoming a difficulty. He probably also counted on Kyouko being willing enough to go through this with him.
Ren is also, seemingly trying to imagine this as way of Kyouko encouraging him. As Rick suggested, this "magic" was like a girl boosting your morale with "You can do this", "You'll definitely win". He was hoping for some encouragement from her, but couldn't ask for it directly. Towards the end, Kyouko says to him that he must know his limits, and not overdo things. A shot-down of what he was trying to imagine her say to him. She probably was talking about the car stunt, and was trying to tell him not to force himself to do it. She did eventually used her own way to give him confidence. She believes he is worried about the car stunt, and she doesn't know about Ren's internal struggle. Even so, she gave her Princess Rosa, hoping that it will grant Ren the fortune that it had bestowed her. Princess Rosa is precious to her, yet she was willing to part with it, if it meant helping him out in some way.
Other things are also starting to make sense now. Ren mentioned to Lory before, that he had been involved in too many relationships. And this chapter proved that as Kuon, he shifted through many girlfriends. One girl dumps him, another one picks him up. Kyouko probably meant too much to him, compared to his past girlfriends. It would make perfect sense for him to not try to pick Kyouko up as one of his girlfriends, only to have her leave him in the end, just like all his previous girlfriends. Furthermore, he is fully aware that Kyouko is not like the other girls, who believe in relationships. It's not that she's not important enough to him, it's that he doesn't want history to repeat. That's why he plays this yo-yo with her, pulls her back and forth. He keeps her close, yet not too close. In addition, he is afraid that if he doesn't hold himself back, and went for her, the result would be that she would erase his existence from within her. Considering her reactions towards his Emperor of the Night mode, it's not surprising why he chooses not to act.
There are still some things that didn't add up though. Such as Reino seeing Ren as having a violent past. But this chapter itself hinted that Kuon was much of a pacifist, and avoided conflict. It would also not make sense for Ren to be so desperate to seal away his past, if he was merely a coward. What I can deduce is that Kuon changed after Rick died. After Rick's death, he became very violent, and hurt many people.
I'm not sure what "Reluck" actually means. It probably meant luck coming once, and again. When I first saw the word, I saw it as something else. I didn't see the "R" and the "L", and that "E" seems to have the lower stroke disjointed, so I saw it as another letter. So needless to say, I saw it initially as another word. You can guess what that word is. :)
I am no Mentalist. But here is what I can deduce of Rick. Rick is a man who believes in symbolism. Probably superstitious too. He believes that one simple thing symbolizes a bigger thing. He's probably a lot alike Kuon's father. Talks loud, speaks harsh, but means well at heart. He's cool, relaxed most of the time. Confident about himself. Not very rich, but happy with the way he is living. Does his job well. Takes his friends and family seriously. Possibly will go full out just to help his friends at his own expense.
This is my prediction for the next chapter. Ren finally gets the confidence he needs, to face his inner demons. He decided that the best way to deal with the darkness within him, wasn't to fight it, run away from it, or seal it away. He decides to understand, and face it. So for the first time in years, he confronts, and embraces Kuon, a side of him that he had sealed away for so long. He faces both of Kuon's gentle and violent side, and eventually, he sees. The best way is not to run away from this side of himself, but to face it and understand it. At the end of it all, he will come out of it, enlightened.
Anyway, so, these are my current views. What do you guys think? What are your predictions? (Post comments in 169 section.)
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