What Shizune assumes doesn't really matter as much as what Hanako believes Shizune assumes. Shizune does have empathy problems...her conflict with Misha comes about because Shizune couldn't grasp that Misha was still smarting over that rejection. Shizune has the tendency to think in compartments which is the opposite of Misha and Hanako who are still wrestling with something that happened in the past, they can't just neatly tie it up the day afterwards. If Shizune couldn't deal properly with Misha over this, I doubt she'd have more success with Hanako.Helbereth wrote:I don't agree there. If anything, Shizune could have been an extremely positive influence on Hanako because of her automatically assuming the other person is similarly intelligent, capable and valuable. In their chess game(s), Shizune didn't pull any punches (except in the first game when she was testing her ability), and Hanako responded quite well to the competition. Shizune may be hard-edged, but she's not that obtuse, nor does she lack empathy. Recall the panic attack in science class: Shizune snapped into a motherly mode as soon as the situation was realized.Oddball wrote:Shizune is far too confrontational and lacks empathy. Shizune would have utterly broke her.
Hanako, I think, would benefit greatly to have both Lilly and Shizune as friends since they would function as the yin and yang of support systems; Lilly being the accepting, diplomatic, quiet friend, while Shizune assumes the role of the determined, questioning, loud(heh, yeah... the mute girl is loud) friend. It's really too bad Lilly and Shizune don't get along.
Also, Shizune likes to toy with people...all in good fun and she doesn't mean anything by it, but detrimental to someone like Hanako who was betrayed by her friends in the past and has SEVERE trouble trusting people as a result. Before her good end, she didn't even trust Lilly and Hisao completely. I doubt Shizune would be even get to that point.
Shizune COULD have been a valuable person to inspire Hanako if she could tone down her more extreme traits, but since Shizune is Shizune, I don't see that happening.