Like the canon anime, there is sure a lot of moments where the reader feels sad enough to cry.
First Half (Prologue - Chapter X)
- The beginning of Chapter V shows the time of Mother's Day. Except the fact that Ayase herself is saddened since her mother is no longer around. The fact that she lashes out at Shu and Heath before Tsugumi stops the dispute doesn't help.
- Ayase's backstory herself also counts. Since Lost Christmas, she has lost her father to the virus. As such, she and her mother are training for years in the efforts to combat GHQ. Then, the spider appears and kills her mother, her squad, and the crossfire that made Ayase lose her legs in the process. All the dreams of becoming a famous runner have been taken away by this monstrosity that Ayase clearly cursed herself.
- Let's not get into the part that since the incident, most of the student body turn their backs on Ayase in her high school, with only those like Tsugumi are by her side. Hitomi being the snobbish bully and rival, cruelly kicks Ayase off her wheelchair at one point. It's a good thing that Tsugumi defends Ayase with her missile kick.
- The state of the Phantom Thieves, who most of their friends and Confidants have perished back in Lost Christmas, leaving remnants of the related cast. Makoto takes it the worst of becoming a rage-fueled vigilante with PTSD since she lost all her family in leaving the last of the Niijima left.
- Hifumi becoming cold and rigid ever since the events of Lost Christmas and her fallout with Makoto. She has lost a lot of friends and took it much harder than others. It is no wonder why she and her daughter have such a strained relationship, to the point they have a furious argument in Chapter IX.
- Just like in the canon Episode 12, Chapter X adapting this shows Gai's first death when Shu mercy kills him in an attempt for Gai and Mana to rest in peace, even if it's in vain since Yuu captures Gai's soul and Mana's soul is inside Inori.
