when i think about the sh i tend to pay attention to their individual demeanors and how they interact with others overall and i think it’s easy to see him as separate bc of how he’s quieter than them but one of the things i love the most about the sh is that they all come from isolating backgrounds so their relationships are influenced by that. they all have unique dynamics with each other and i tend to view their connections as different rather than “closer” if that makes sense! this is supported by jade’s comment in “soldier’s pay” about the sh having “strong and intimate” bonds that still allow for independence so we know that he’s sociable and has a deep connection to them but it’s not necessarily in ways we’d deem conventional. he may be in the corner but it’s not inherently the same as being disengaged

we learn from the web event “code action” and the lc “before the tutorial mission starts” that kafka was initially supposed to teach/monitor silver wolf after her recruitment but she assigned that to blade instead and says that they “hit it off quite well”. he doesn’t seem to be actively engaged with silver wolf’s hobbies but to me he comes off as the type to listen and show interest even if he isn’t participating himself. i say this bc he promised to play games with silver wolf once his hand healed but it hasn’t (we know he’s being genuine and not avoidant bc of his character story). silver wolf and the other sh use his phone and in the critter picker event silver wolf uses the nickname “bladie” for him which implies he’s comfortable with her using kafka’s nickname (i’ve mentioned the significance of his nickname here https://retrospring.net/@girlkisserkafka/a/112937110574485707)! to me this shows some level of involvement with her as well as how he’s comfortable being around her despite their differences. silver wolf also expresses interest in and appreciation for him so it’s implied she’s spent enough time with him to understand how he expresses himself and his attachment to them

it’s mentioned multiple times that he doesn’t like to talk but we learn from firefly that he’s willing to talk about “topics that relate to life” with her and to me this paired with his promise to silver wolf show that he is mindful of and cares for them even if his expressions seem limited. he talks to her mostly about their scripts but we see his concern for her in his reminder of her “bad habit” and i recommend revisiting firefly and silver wolf’s conversation here (https://honkai-star-rail.fandom.com/wiki/Unconquered) bc it shows how there’s a mutual care, appreciation and respect amongst them and blade is appreciative of their company and what they do for him

kafka’s case is a bit different bc she canonically tries to distance herself from those around her but it’s worth noting that she seems to accompany him the most on missions and that in itself gives them time to form a deeper bond and those interactions and the significance behind them aren’t solely limited to work. they’re both mindful of each other’s emotions and boundaries and he recognized her isolation and sadness from the beginning so it’s reasonable to assume that the thoughtfulness and attention he shows the others extends to her as well even though kafka keeps her emotions and history mostly to herself

this is a very long way of saying "i think he hangs out with them" but i hope it provides insight into how his quietness doesn't inherently limit his involvement! they've spent enough time together to learn each other's behaviors and have deeper personal conversations that require trust, patience and compassion so i think that he's not separate from them despite how it might seem at first glance