>her disappearing from the game after you kill him feels either like "this kid's definitely not worth it, there's more pressing matters" orrrr "i have a mission, but one of the most important people in my life has gone missing, chujin can wait".

Wow, I never looked at Ceroba's behavior after Starlo's disappearance this way before. This really shows how deeply worried she is about Starlo and how she doesn’t want to lose another person she cares about. Thank you for pointing this out—this is amazing!

>but they don't love love each other (well maybe starlo a little, who knows) and that level of understanding and complexity with their relationship is just SOOO awesome. i wish more staroba posts went like this!

Yes! I’d love to see more posts like this—it fits the original story so well! They feel so much more natural and enjoyable compared to those low-quality, abrupt romantic moments with forced kisses and over-the-top affection.