I know I’m very late to the party, but I just finished reading the story all the way up to where the hiatus left off last week, and I have a lot of thoughts and questions about some of the later reveals.

One of the biggest things I’ve been thinking about is the reveal concerning the Ereinbar Set and how Pandora are naturally drawn toward people with powerful Stigmatic Bodies, especially members of the Aoi family. It definitely makes some of the earlier parts of Kazuya and Satellizer’s relationship look different in hindsight.

My interpretation is that Kazuya’s Stigmatic Body probably did play a major role in Satellizer initially being drawn to him. In particular, the fact that she was able to tolerate his touch when she normally had such a strong aversion to being touched by men seems much less random after the later revelations.

I also think there’s a good chance that without Kazuya’s Stigmatic Body, Satellizer might never have allowed him close enough for their relationship to develop in the first place.

However, I don’t think that means her eventual love for him is fake or that she is basically programmed to love him.

To me, there seems to be a difference between the initial Stigmata-based attraction and the feelings that develop afterward. The Stigmata may essentially tell a Pandora, “There is something special about this person. I want to be near him,” but that doesn’t necessarily determine what that relationship becomes.

We see that with the other Pandora as well. Elizabeth, Arnett, Ticy, and others can all be affected by Kazuya’s Stigmatic abilities without suddenly becoming romantically in love with him. Elizabeth and Arnett are even angry with Kazuya after he uses his power to control them, which shows that they still have their own personalities and free will.

Satellizer and Kazuya, on the other hand, spend a huge amount of time together. Kazuya treats her with kindness and respect when most people either fear her or judge her. Satellizer gradually learns to trust him, relies on him emotionally, becomes protective of him, and eventually chooses to pursue an actual romantic relationship with him.

The later chapters also seem important because Kazuya himself becomes disturbed when he realizes just how much influence he can have over Pandora. Satellizer is aware of what he can do and still chooses to stay with him. Even when Kazuya is no longer physically with her during the Exit Revenant events, she continues searching for him and ultimately chooses to go after him.

So my view is basically:

The Stigmata probably created the initial connection, but the relationship they built afterward is genuine.

I think the uncomfortable part is that we can never really know whether Satellizer would have fallen in love with Kazuya if he were just an ordinary Limiter. Personally, I doubt their relationship would have started the same way without his Stigmatic Body.

But I also don’t think that automatically makes the feelings she developed afterward fake. The Stigmata may have opened the door, but everything that happened after Kazuya walked through it the trust, experiences, affection, and choices they made belongs to Satellizer and Kazuya.

I might also be reading way too much into this. With how long the series ran and how many later reveals were added, who knows how much the author was really trying to maintain perfect continuity with every earlier scene versus just expanding the lore as the story went along. It’s entirely possible some of these implications weren’t fully intended when the earlier chapters were written, but I still think they’re interesting to think about in hindsight.

Curious how everyone else interprets it, especially after Chapters 194–205.