i'm going to address this thread as someone who largely disagrees with (most of) it

https://x.com/kusanagicanary/status/1856000705917530420

the tweet you quoted wasn't even about it being a 2-parter. it simply stated that there would be no after-talk for the event. unless the radio show explained that the story will be a 2-parter, i'm going to call bullshit at your main claim

"first and foremost--this specific point is a narrative built between ena and mizuki. this is their plotline from 4 years ago that is specifically between these two. the story cannot move on until the two of them reach a resolution with each other and themselves" true. but the intimacy of the secret died the minute kanade and mafuyu were informed from mizuki that she would be talking to them about her secret at a later date. you also missed the whole point of nightchord's stories, which is about finding solace in each other. yes, you may argue that kanade and mafuyu had their own personal conflict to resolve in order for mafuyu Specifically to move forward. but that would not have been the case without mizuki's and ena's help. the same is true for mizuki. kanade wasn't the only person who saved mafuyu. in the same way, it would be unfair to expect ena to be the ONLY person to do all the work when that's what niigo has never been about. it's true that they can't move on unless mizuki and ena themselves resolve their conflict. but ena can't do it alone. and putting ena at the spotlight without the other relationships that mizuki cherishes (even if these will only support ena's resolution on how she would reach out to mizuki) would be doing a disservice to mizuki's importance to so many other people. that's largely why people speculate kana5 (especially considering how kanade's been so left in the dark with mizuki's vague statements on how she was "saved" by her. and she's already caught mizuki in the act of deprecating herself); ena's already shown that she struggles to empathize with others (secret distance with meiko). she NEEDS the push from the other important people in mizuki's life in order to know how to reach out to mizuki in a way that doesn't set her off. she NEEDS output. and she's not getting the output needed to understand mizuki's position in one event

"kanade and mafuyu are blatantly not aware of what is going on between the two. and frankly, they shouldn't know. do you think it would help mizuki to have her agency to come out taken away even further? do you think it would be incharacter for ena to air mizuki's secret publicly?" you are acting like ena can't find a way to keep mizuki's secret WHILE informing kanade and mafuyu about what happened. this outlook just completely diminishes not just mizuki's relationships with other people but also the fact that ena's love and care is not limited to mizuki. kanade lost the people she cherished three times. do you not think ena is going to consider that? there are so many ways for her to tell kanade and mafuyu what happened to mizuki without touching on mizuki's secret. they can be aware without knowing the root source of it

""but its non canon, why does that matter" it's about the vibes. seriously. i don't know how to phrase it any better than this, but these things would actually hurt fan's moods, immersion, and lower the overall reception of events. both ingame and out of game" and all the other statements related to this. i think it would hurt more for the fans if the story is resolved in a way that mizuki would act like all that didn't happen. and i will admit it's clpl's fault for extending the influence of mizu5 to the menu lines. that's a poor choice that did not take into consideration the reception of the fans. it's a double edged sword, really. but i'm going to play devil's advocate here. if everything went back to normal and mizuena's conflicts were resolved, where would the story go for them? for mizuki? because yes she's been accepted by the people she loves. but what's in it for her after? kanade's + mafuyu's + ena's arcs have been prolonged for so long and yet you can't even allow for mizuki's to be same (not saying that she has to be dark and empty forever. but she's not going to go back to being as happy as she used to be. it's kind of like mafuyu all over again). that's already on the fans for not understanding the gravity of mizuki's situation and why the lack of immersion is relevant. and this split / conflict has been hinted since pre-release of the game (i've been a fan since the month they hinted at the characters. i latched onto mizuki the minute they dropped the character profiles for niigo). you can't expect the actual fall to last for two months when it's been over-emphasized across all official content

i'm also going to plug in this user's thread: https://x.com/kanachez/status/1856368152927486011. you're literally a killjoy and i don't think it's right for you to shut down other theories this rudely when people like us are coming from a place of KNOWING that ena isn't the only important person in mizuki's life. because again, we understand that niigo has always been about mutual help and support. just like mafuyu couldn't have run away without the help of the other three, mizuki's conflict isn't going to be resolved with JUST ena. ena can be at the forefront (and she should since for so long until mizuki told kanade and mafuyu that she has something to say to them, ena was alone). but she cannot do it without seeing how it affects kanade and mafuyu and knowing how else she can reach out to mizuki in a way that doesn't worsen the discord between them. there's basis for us inasmuch as there is basis for yours.