I really wanted Hakata to have a more positive outlook in Book 2, but that meant making him go through one final low point, to really see the contrast! Maybe he needed to realize the past wasn’t as great as he remembered before he could fully embrace his new life at Astronaut Academy. Possibly inspired by how I broke up with my girlfriend from high school a few months into college. I had a friend similar to Miyumi who helped me get through it and focus on all the new and exciting things at art school.