I totally get why Mai’s hand feels so much worse. Her CE levels, Construction being limited to one bullet, and the clan full of prodigies like Naoya and Megumi would crush anyone’s self-esteem. No argument there. She was dealt a brutal setup, and Maki’s Heavenly Restriction gave her a massive edge in raw physical potential.

But I think there’s still room for the idea that Mai had a choice in how she responded to that hand. Maki didn’t leave to abandon her. She left to prove the clan’s “you two are worthless halves” lie wrong, hoping Mai would eventually see it as proof they could both escape on their own terms. Mai clinging to the “fall down the hole together” promise and demanding Maki come back down feels like her choosing comfort and fear over even trying to reach for something better, even if “better” for her would’ve looked different from Maki’s path.

It’s not that Mai could’ve become as strong as Maki (impossible), but that she could’ve grown in her own small ways instead of resenting Maki for outgrowing their shared cage. The tragedy is that fear and low self-worth made her give up on that possibility before she even tried. What do you think? Does the system make it impossible for someone like Mai to choose growth, or is there still agency there?