OK OK UM I like to think of them as star-crossed lovers. like some kimi no na wa type of shit. they are the vanilla friends to lovers type of ship... and I do love having sweet to intake amongst my pile of rotten dead doves. they are my comfort ship....
but also I like to think that since they're pretty much the only people of the same age in the village they get to talk to each other and get closer, but there's also the angst factor of protag looking at their friend and feeling homesick, like they're just a shadow of the friend they used to know before they get sent into hisui, so it feels like their friend will never really live up to the friend they had back in sinnoh T_T
BUT LIKE, I also like to think of them going through excursions together, senpai teaching their kouhai how to traverse in the lands but also protag teaching senpai how to be braver :') I also just. really like thinking about them sitting under a tree, rei with his head on akari's lap and they nap together IT'S JUST SO CUTE ARGHHGSFGHSDKFG LIKE THEY'RE THE HIGH SCHOOL SWEETHEARTS TYPE OF SHIP U KNOW JUST PUPPY LOVE AND ALL and like. imagining akari scolding rei for being reckless and patching him up and there's all that Romantic Tension and the cliche they're fighting each other for being reckless during excursions and almost getting injured and one of them blurting out "I'M WORRIED BECAUSE I LOVE YOU!!!" LIKE GIVE ME THAT STRAWBERRY SHORTCAKE FLUFF I NEED IT I WANT IT