It’s late sorry for typos and stream of consciousness… I’m just so happy Milgram has a confirmed queer character and is tackling genuinely difficult and realistic experiences (was hopeful that more of the cases would be handled this way)
Revisiting Half after the drama track.. it reads more to me as Kazui’s internal feelings towards his queerness and his relationship with the bartender…
The last few lines seem more broadly about queerness. Having experienced real happiness with the bartender, the feelings he tried to reject for so long are now resurging. In retrospect, it is easy to see the mistakes in how events unfolded, and he regrets being “a coward”
I feel like Kazui and Hinako’s relationship is meant to mirror that of Kochan and Sonoko… with Hinako representing the normalcy (or heteronormativity) he’s searching for. But more than that I like to think he does hold a platonic love for her and comfort in their companionship…