nekonotabi: I’m not surprised if somebody is interested in Eugeo...

nekonotabi:

I’m not surprised if somebody is interested in Eugeo in-universe. He’s clearly the better senpai if you compare him with Kirito, nicer & more responsible, no wonder Tiese would go for him if she considers her future. It may sound like she has somewhat selfish motive though I don’t doubt she truly crushes on him. In a society like this it’s definitely important for marriages to keep the traditions of their families going, so many marriages are not for love but for obligations, so it’s better to take any chances you can get to safeguard your future.

The surprising thing is that Eugeo didn’t reject her but gave a somewhat vague answer that he understood what she wants and he’ll go see her after the tournament (to give her a more definite answer I think). This is the first crack on what we’ve known about him so far, but it gives me some interesting angles to think about.

Eugeo’s a too nice person to outright refuse her advance there (she even cried and hugged his arms during the confession after all), but he’s a straight-laced enough person so I don’t think he ever wants to lead her on. I read that as him considering his future as well. I don’t think he has ever considered Alice in a true romantic sense at all. They’re childhood friends and he certainly has a lot of guilty conscience about her being taken away, but that doesn’t make a good argument that his feelings are romantic (tbh among the 3 friends Kirito & Eugeo look like a closer pair than any of them with Alice). People might think he’s in love with Alice, but the last time they interact was when they’re 10 years old and they haven’t met for a long time, so Alice has now become more of an idea than a true person. Even if he felt anything for her when they’re young, there is no sure thing it would feel the same if they meet again now, hell he’s not even sure she’s still alive. Of course, he’ll climb the social ladder to find out about Alice anyway, so it’s better for him to leave the Tiese issue there (or even considering dating her to see if they’re compatible) and wait until that appropriate time to give her a definite answer. This might be more or less a calculating thing to do for someone like Eugeo, but I do trust his good heart that he knows what to do if the situation with Tiese ever gets out of hand.