Part 44: 08/02/09 - 08/05/09

Just got a few days to go before the Full Moon...



And, of course, our Sunday gets spent on having to do Sports.

Crisis
no really



> The opening ceremony has begun.



Athlete: ...to compete fairly and uphold the ideals of good sportsmanship!



> The roar of the crowd fills the air, as the participants put their hearts into competing.

> Soon, it will be your turn.



You ready to do this!?
Root for me, Yuko.
Okay! Leave the cheering to me!
Oh, yeah... Here, take this, Makoto-kun.



If you use it, you won't be tired anymore.

I'm pretty sure that's both against the rules and actively illegal.



You can only get this if you ask Yuko to cheer for you. That makes this dialogue choice way more relevant and important than many in these kindsa scenes end up being. (It's a full HP/SP restore for one person.)

Since this is your first big event, let me give you some advice.
Just give it everything you've got!
It takes guts to win!
Don't give in to fear!

> Kazushi has given you some advice.



Alright, dude!
Go for it!!





Whoa! Dude!

> Your body feels light as a feather because you worked so hard during summer vacation.

One fade to blue later...

> The competion has ended.

...and fade right back in.

Joy



You did great, dude!
Looks like all your hard work paid off.



They say Hayase annihilates his opponents.
I thought people were just exaggerating, but man, he's insane!
We could sure use someone like him on our team...
Aghhhh!
Next time, we won't lose!



Hey, isn't that him?



Dude... you were good.
I've been practicing.
Yeah, I can tell.
Hey, I was thinking...



Sure, I don't mind.
Cool.
You still need to work on your technique, but if you keep at it, you could be really great.
I think you might help push me to test my limits.



Stop by sometime if you feel like it.
My name's Mamoru...
Nice to meet you.

> You've met Mamoru Hayase, a rival from another school.

See ya around.

And with that, he leaves and... we don't get a new Social Link...? Huh, that sure seemed like it was gonna be one.



Hmph!
If you see him again...
tell him this...
Next time, I'll kick his ass!
Calm down, Kaz.
Good job today, Makoto-kun!
Let's get outta here.

> You decide to leave with your teammates.

Iwatodai Dorm



It's no big deal.
It's quite impressive, considering you've also had the Shadows to contend with.
That's great, Makoto-kun!
Not like SOMEONE I know, who doesn't participate in any activities...
Blah, blah, blah... Here we go again...
Anyway, we have more important things to worry about...
It'll be a full moon soon, right?
Yeah, next Thursday, the 6th.
Make sure you're ready.

Personally, I'm feeling pretty ready as we are now. Time's not quite so generous, though.



Let's go to Tartarus, man!



Well, he does have a point there.
I don't know how comfortable I am with a dog getting all the credit, either.
Alright, make sure you get me when you go to Tartarus.

We're not going to Tartarus today. We're not going to Tartarus tomorrow. We're not going to Tartarus any day before the 6th.



So, to avoid any similar mistakes in the future...
I'm going to do visualization training so I can react to any situation.
I will do my best to support you all.

Ah yes, good ol' Image Training. A classic anime staple that... makes no sense at all most of the time, really. It sorta does for Fuuka, at least.



...Dammit, not only did we miss the early day airing because of a dumb sports tournament we didn't even win, we missed the 6pm re-airing as well!



Icarus and... Garuda...? Sure. Sure, okay. Tokusatsu gonna keep on doin' what it does I guess.



But that's next Sunday. This Sunday, we're gonna mourn missing the show with a cool monk friend.



...Yep, shoulda seen that one coming. This is gonna be a bit of a trend with Mutatsu since by now the link really expects us to have a Tower person, but uh that's still a few levels off.



We're also not even all that close to Rank 5 academics if my terrible math skills are accurate.

Which they may very well not be.



But, hey, we're in summer now and we finally have a genuinely free day!



Since this is a Monday, though, we can't buy stuff off Tanaka. I'm sure he's ever-so-distraught over this.



This is sure to increase as I progress.
A high level of endurance is crucial in battle.



You may have already heard of it: southern Miami, in the USA! Let's see what they have to say!



Nothing else new inside the dorm. Ken's shut himself in his room again, and Junpei is out somewhere.

When The Moon's Reaching Out Stars / Way of Life



Mamoru's already hanging out opposite Bookworms. He's gonna be here, basically, every day from now on. So, uh, we'll just ignore him for the time being.



Let's go to Tartarus and level up some, man!

Junpei's hanging out at the mall, and is really jealous of Koromaru. He got to kill one Shadow and suddenly everyone seems threatened of him.



But, he's not the only one of note here. Just because we're not at school right now doesn't mean sidestories are gonna stop existing.

Then what...? I don't know why, but I get anxious when that happens.
Wait a sec... Am I obsessed with her, too...?



I was wondering what he'd do with his gum once he's done... And he spat it into the fountain!
So disgusting... What is he thinking!?

That is incredibly gross! She was already questioning what good qualities this guy even has, and it sure seems to be a continuing trend.



So, uh, let's just not deal with anything else and play video games.



Naturally, this is just a simple spend time event, again.



But next time we hang out with Maya, it's gonna be a rank up event.



But, as with all Maya things, that steals the entire day so...

Iwatodai Dorm



I don't want to get heat exhaustion, so I'm gonna stay in here.



Yes, I am.
Well, there's no need to worry. He's doing fine.
You should return your focus to Shadows.

There's really nothing to focus on re: Shadows right now.

As for stuff inside the dorm, both Junpei and Akihiko are out today. Junpei just repeats what he said yesterday, though, and Akihiko... is nowhere to be found.



But there is this. Which, uh, I completely forgot about because the game sure forgot to inform us about it as well. I'unno.

By which I totally definitely mean I didn't forget at all and was definitely saving it for a day that'd be mostly empty. Yep. Definitely.

The Result of Insecurity

Silence



So this was recorded in the midst of finals just before Yakushima, huh...



I wonder if I should have gone for the one-piece suit instead...
These halter top bikinis look almost like underwear...
It feels weird to have my belly button exposed...



But there wasn't much of a selection with the one-piece ones...
I wonder if I should ask Yukari-chan for one last opinion...
Although... I don't really exercise, so I probably wouldn't look very good standing next to her...
Oh, right! I have just the thing!



It said online it was very effective for its price, so if it helps even a little before we leave...
Now let's see... How do I turn this on...?





I-It tickles! Hahahaha... What am I gonna do!? Hahaha! Ahahahahaha!





Oh... It's Mitsuru-senpa--hahaha! I-I have to answer the door...!
Yes! I'm... I'm... heehee, coming!



Do... do you get it?

N-No, not at--hee-hee... No, not at all... hahahaha...!



Well, as far as wacky anime misunderstandings go... it could be worse?

Oh, Senpai...!
I-Is this... what it means... to train... your abs...?
Aaaah! Heeheeee! Someone help!

> The recording ends here...

End

Well, moving ever-so-swiftly on from... that.

When The Moon's Reaching Out Stars / Way of Life



I have to go to cram school... but I'm not going.
Will you play with me?
Sure.

I do appreciate that we have a bit of an excuse for why we can still hang out with Maiko, even though it's really not needed.



And, yet again, it's not even a scene. Boy did we hit a lull in things at the start of summer, huh?

Iwatodai Dorm



Let's kick some ass, man!

We couldn't find Akihiko before, but he's here now so let's see what he has to say.



How's your training going?
Good.
Well, keep it up. The Shadows are getting stronger.



Also, whoops, I forgot to check the TV earlier today apparently.

For extra luck, get yourself stuck in the train doors on purpose!

That, uh, doesn't really sound like a good idea to me but what do I know.



Anyway, it's Tuesday which means we get to see what Tanaka's got to say. And it's guaranteed to be, uh, something.

This Mysterious Feeling



...do you notice anything different about me?
Like what?
...Are you blind!?

> President Tanaka seems offended.

I had an appointment at the spa for facial peel... Isn't my skin simply radiant now?
I'm afraid it's all part of the job; I have my fans to think of...



Well, I was expecting Tanaka to be telling us about some mean shit he did. Not quite like that though! That's just gross.

Let me give you an analogy...

> President Tanaka seems to be thinking.

...Vegetables! Perfect!
Imagine an organically grown cucumber that looks deformed...
Compare that to a cucumber that looks perfect, but was grown using chemical fertilizers and pesticides.
Which one do you think the supermarket would stock?
The one that looks good.
That's the simple truth...

> President Tanaka seems to be thinking.

Awkward-shaped cucumbers are difficult to stack, so stores prefer nice straight ones.



So, why do consumers still buy these cucumbers when they know the truth?
Simple. People trust what they see. Appearance matters most.
That's why, as much as I hate spending money, I buy expensive ties to win people's trust...



About me dressing like a slob and not showering everyday...
Don't tell ANYONE! I can't afford to have people start believing I'm ordinary!



> You sense that President Tanaka has strong feelings for you.

> You feel like you understand him a little better now.





...Well, I guess I can trust you. Run along, now...

> You said goodbye to President Tanaka.

I do kinda like that switch at the end there. It's nice that it pretends that Tanaka's gonna do his old schtick, but then spins it into "no Tanaka really is being nice."



I'm, uh, sorta beginning to question what we're gonna do at night when this is finished. I have a few ideas but we'll see what happens when we get there.



Last day of respite before the Full Moon...

Iwatodai Dorm



Let's do our best.



This illustrates that we are society's only hope.



This time, the pledge leader was a student from another winning school...

I feel like the implication here is meant to be that it's Mamoru, but it really could be anyone.

Anyway, Akihiko and Junpei are out somewhere again. Akihiko can't be found, like before, since he's busy doing a train.

When The Moon's Reaching Out Stars / Way of Life



It's like we should have our own theme song, y'know? "Who you gonna call? Shadowbusters!"

Just leaves the question of what're we gonna do for the day? Wednesday means we could spend the entire day boosting Academics for a +10 boost overall, but nah. We do not really have the time for that, so...



He said he can only come on Sundays, but I can't come that day.
I want to play with him, too...
...But, today I'll play with you!

Joy



...At least Mom and Dad didn't forget about my birthday this year...
They remembered!
Nobody could forget you.
Course not!



...We haven't really eaten together as a family for a while.
We used to eat dinner together every night...
How come Mom and Dad don't get along anymore?

> Maiko is absorbed in thought.

I know! I'll just ask them why they wanted a divorce.



I'm going to do whatever it takes to get my parents back together!
You'll do what you can to help, right?

> Maiko seems to really like you.

> Your relationship is stronger now!





So, maybe we can play again some other time.

> You returned to the dorm after saying goodbye to Maiko.

Iwatodai Dorm



Are you ready?
Yep.
Me too.
Let's do our best!

We've been as ready as we're gonna get for a while now, so...



Thanks.
Good luck on the next one as well. I'll be counting on you.



This mission's gonna be tough...

I'unno, they've all been fairly easy so far. I don't imagine that'll change any time soon.



But, of course, today IS Wednesday so...



...it's not +10 Academics, but it is still +6. Not a very flashy last act before the Full Moon but eh.






Speaking of the full moon, though!



It is the next thing we have to contend with, so let's see what folks can do. Yukari is still really lacking in offense, but is pretty solidish support. Definitely the best healer we have, if only because she has Media which no one else does, though.



Junpei is the same as before, which is pretty okay. He's lagging a bit since he doesn't have any fancy big equipment boosts to his Strength, and he sat out the previous Tartarus run, but he should be fine.



Akihiko's still busy Akihiko-ing. He's pretty okay at support, but his offense is really lacking right now. He's not really behind Junpei in Strength, but his lack of variety there is his biggest problem.



Mitsuru is, well, Mitsuru. She's very one-note but it is a competent one-note. Her Magic is only 1 behind Yukari, but she has mid-tier magic.



And, finally, Aigis is pretty much unchanged from before. That she hit level 30 is a nice bonus but it didn't matter much.

Unlike before, we have all 3 slots available for whoever we want to bring.

So, the question is which three get to come along?