Part 38: The Star Conception Festival (Part 2) + Valentine's Day

Special Events II – Star Conception Festival (Part 2) + Valentine’s Day



We’ll take a detailed look at Tarua and Mahiru this time. I’ll include Lillith/Lillie, Yuzuha, and Sue in the Beach/Flower Viewing Events. I know that Reone has a unique CG for the Flower Viewing Event, so we’ll save her inclusion for that. Collette already got a detailed event during the Autumn Festival, so she’s relegated to summaries for the remaining “Japan Events”.


~Star God Academy Field~



It’s like -17 degrees outside plus windchill for me right now. No part of that CG behind you implies that it’s anything even close to approaching 5. Don’t talk to me about cold, Tarua.

Well, it’s getting close to Christmas after all.

Oh, right! I heard about that from Mahiru. They have Christmas on Sora, right? What do you do for this “Christmas”?

Well, exchanging gifts is a big part of it.

Augh? What’s that?

We get gifts for each other and then exchange them on Christmas day.



Well, I don’t have anything with me right now.

Augh… That’s too bad… What else, what else? Is there anything else you do?

We send Christmas cards.

Yes. We’re really doing this. You might have thought that some new or interesting detail about Tarua would crop up in this event, but nope! We’re still talking about her letter delivery thing.

Augh? Christmas cards?



I want to send Christmas cards to everyone all around the country!

Are you planning to deliver them all? That’s going to be tough.

I’m sure everyone would like it. If I ask Boss, he’ll prepare the cards for me.



*Later on*

Augh! I had Boss help me make tons of Christmas cards!

That’s… that’s a lot of cards, Tarua…

Yup! All that’s left is to deliver them all! I’ll go and do that right now!

Let me help you this time.

Augh? There’s no need. I’m doing this because I want to.



These aren’t normal letters though. They’re coming from you.

Augh. Maybe… Hmmm… All right then, please help me! I guess it’d be easier if we worked together.

Right. Let’s get to it then.


~Granvania Shopping Center~

Phew… that’s finally the last of them. Well, except for this one anyway… Who is this for?

Itsuki!

*Tarua comes running in to frame*



I’m done with my share too. Glad they liked them.

Augh! It’s thanks to you helping out!

Hey, Tarua? I still have one card left, though. So… Merry Christmas, Tarua.

Augh? I-It’s… for me?

You’ve been working really hard. You deserve it.

Augh… I-I didn’t think I’d get one…



I’m sure they did.

R-Really? Hehe… That’d be nice. Augh augh. This makes me so happy, Itsuki. Merry Christmas. Hehe. Everyone liked the cards, and I even got one from you.



I think you should get a reward for your hard work.

Reward? Well, there’s something I want more than a Christmas card…

Can anyone guess? Think real hard about it now…

We haven’t done a gift exchange yet. So, what do you want?

Augh… Can I really say it?



There it is.

Um… I want you to pat my head more than usual. Tons and tons of times.

Is that really it?

Grrrr! You make it sound so insignificant! It’s important to me!

If you say so. Come here, then.



Hehe… It’s Christmas with Itsuki. I feel so happy. Play with me again sometime. Promise me, Itsuki!

Well, that’s done. I want to clarify that I don’t hate Tarua. I don’t find anything particularly offensive about her, other than maybe the creepy head patting fetish. I just wish that she had a character. She likes to run, she likes to deliver letters/be a mailman, and she likes Boss. I don’t think she ever goes beyond that or does anything with it. It’s so boring.



Anyway, the handful of Tarua fans out there have now had a chance to see one of her events in detail rather than just a summary. Let’s wrap this up with Mahiru and then we’ll take a look at the rest in summaries.


~Granvania Shopping Center~

People are getting ready for that Star Conception Festival… Has it really been a year already?

Technically it’s been longer than that (I think I’ve skipped through 3 or 4 years at this point), but let’s ignore that from a narrative perspective.


~Star God Academy Field~



Yeah, it looks positively freezing.

Hey, Mahiru. I can’t believe you’re working on the flowerbed on a day like today.

Why? Is today some special day?

The Star Conception Festival is about to happen.

Ah… I completely forgot.



Why are you doing that barehanded? Here, let me help out.

No, I’m almost done. You missed your chance to help and deepen our bonds.

Well, if you say so. That’s fine with me.

Don’t say that. Why don’t we go check out the Star Conception Festival together?

I don’t mind… It’s basically Christmas, right?



That’s news to me. I thought Christmas only existed as a means to force you to hang around family and awkwardly stand around until you’re finally allowed to go home. I think you’re thinking of Valentine’s Day, Mahiru. Coincidentally, that happens to be today as of my typing this. What’s up to my fellow single peeps out there! Make sure to hit the stores tomorrow to snag all that sweet 50% discounted chocolate so that you can drown all your sorrows from today!

Sugar will always be there for you.

I think you’ve got a really skewed interpretation of this holiday. Don’t be weird about it, just relax and enjoy it. Come on.

Hold on. I’m going to wash my hands.

*Mahiru then leaves to wash her hands*


~Great Star Tree~



Everyone is doing the gift exchange.

But I didn’t bring one.

Yeah… I didn’t really plan that far ahead either…

I didn’t think we’d have nothing to do on Christmas day.



Why don’t we run out real quick and find some presents to exchange? I’m sure there’s something around here we can get.

Hmm… I guess that’s better than daydreaming here the whole time. I’ll go back to the dorm for now. Let’s meet back in an hour.

*One hour later*

Huff… Sorry… Did you wait long?

No, I just arrived.

Waiting for each other like this makes us look like a couple.



One hour wasn’t a lot of time. I didn’t have a lot of options as far as gifts go.

So, what did you get me?

It’s… uh… a charm for safe birth.

”Gardening Gloves” is the best choice here, but I liked this one better. Besides, we already had a “glove” moment with Farun. Besides, this fits better with the “I had one hour to rush out and grab whatever I could” situation.



I was thinking about it more from a Star Child angle. Maybe the meaning is different?

Yeah… I think it’s pretty different.

Sorry… I didn’t have a lot of time to think things over.

Thanks. I’m plenty happy receiving any gift from you. I never thought I’d be celebrating Christmas in Granvania… Well, it’s my turn now.

What did you manage to find?



Is this is a good luck talisman?

Yeah, a talisman for your safety. I put Star Energy into it with my wish.

Did you make this? It doesn’t look store bought. How did you do that in an hour?



So it’s a regift then.

So, in that sense, today was the perfect day.

Although, I guess I don’t have much room to talk. I basically did the same thing with Wake in CII. In terms of LP canon, Wake had a closet full of gift items that he just pulled from whenever he needed it.

Thanks, Mahiru. The labyrinths should go much smoother with this.

Just don’t get yourself killed… If you die, I’ll never forgive you.

I know, I know. I’m not going to leave you alone like that.



Fine. It’s a promise.

*sigh*… My breath is all white. It’s getting colder. There’s not much else to do, so let’s go home before we catch a cold.

Wimps.

This talisman is a lot heavier than it looks. What did you put inside it?

Oh, don’t look!

Why not?



If you open it, the Star Energy will escape, making the talisman useless.

…What was that part about “something of mine”?

…I’m sort of more curious now. What do you mean by “something of mine”?

It’s nothing big. You’ll just be disappointed even if you look.

I won’t open it. Just tell me what’s in there.

N-No… I don’t want to say.



Okay, I’ll leave it alone if it’s that embarrassing.

I’d rather not know, either. We’ll pretend that it’s a strand of hair or something. Still a bit creepy, but better than almost every other alternative.

I think that’s for the best. Looking inside will weaken its effect too.

Got it. Protection is more important to me than curiosity.

Hey, Itsuki. Look.

Hm? What?



Not very common on Sora. Seems like Granvania has it, though.

Did you know girls who stand under mistletoe can’t refuse a kiss?

Isn’t that just a foreign custom?



I bet you wouldn’t have the guts to go kiss her.

You wish. It’s not that big a deal.

Oh? You sure about that?

*Mahiru then wanders off towards the tree*

Look. Now I’m under the mistletoe. I can’t refuse your kiss now… What will you do?

Coming on strong here, Mahiru. I won’t knock that though.

…There’s only one thing to do.



Just a cheek kiss, though. You can move away if you can’t handle that.

O-Okay… If you did do something so bold, you think I’d back off, huh? You won’t ever kiss me in a public place like this.

Same goes for you, you know. You’re always talking about how unbelievable it is in games and on TV.



No way. Here I go!

I won’t run away! Go ahead and try me!

*Itsuki then kisses Mahiru… on the cheek I presume. That’s what he said*

There. Now you can’t say anything about those romance dramas or video games.



Merry Christmas, Mahiru.

Merry Christmas, Itsuki…


~Summaries of Others~



Yuzuha’s event has her talking about going to sketch the Great Star Tree and then hanging up the drawing. She also mentions that she’s a Star Maiden and therefore has to go celebrate Star God’s birthday (which makes sense, but the other Star Maidens don’t say anything about being required to go). Yuzuha and Itsuki make plans to do a gift exchange with each other and Yuzuha has a brief moment of “Are you sure you want to spend the festival with me…?” Yuzuha also mentions that she has to get ready, because her hands get cold during the festival (yes, we’re giving gloves as a gift again).

At the Star Tree, Yuzuha does her drawing and then goes to hang it up, but says that it didn’t turn out too well because her hands are numb from the cold. She goes to tie it to the tree anyway, but finds that she’s too short. Itsuki offers to boost her up, which Yuzuha finds embarrassing. Itsuki does it anyway, because she did work on the drawing and it wouldn’t be right to just leave without hanging it.



Yuzuha starts moving around too much and Itsuki can’t hold her up properly, so Yuzuha falls and is left face-to-face with Itsuki. She then says that she can’t move away because the threads on their clothes are tangled (how the fuck is that even possible?). The two eventually manage to get free of each other and Yuzuha mentions that she managed to get her picture hung up in a place where it doesn’t stand out (which she is happy about). The two then do their gift exchange, with Itsuki giving Yuzuha a pair of gloves and Yuzuha giving him a handmade scarf which is apparently like two meters long. The event wraps up around there, with Itsuki offering to wrap the scarf around the both of them for the trip home.




Itsuki asks Reone what she’s doing for the Star Conception Festival, but she replies that she’ll probably just drink champagne at home by herself. Itsuki asks if they could celebrate it together since he doesn’t really know how this festival works. Reone tells him about the Gift Exchange and expresses interest in seeing what Itsuki would get her. She agrees to go with him and the two plan to meet up later that evening.



Itsuki ends up waiting around for Reone to show up. When she arrives, she says that she was running late because she was trying to prepare his gift. She wonders if Itsuki was cold waiting for her, but he brushes if off because he’s a real manly man. Reone thinks that’s adorable. Gift Exchange time happens and Reone reveals that she got Itsuki some sexy lucky underwear and that he should try wearing them during the ritual to feel more motivated. Itsuki is less than enthused about this and Reone mentions that she couldn’t find one she liked in the men’s section, so she got the woman’s piece. She then reveals that she was joking and that it’s just a stomach warmer. She wants Itsuki to stay warm this season. Itsuki’s gift-



At first seems a little hard to figure out. Sexy lingerie is obviously the wrong answer, despite who we’re dealing with. Alcohol-free champagne seems like the wrong choice as well, but it actually is the best option. Itsuki gives his reasoning by explaining that this way he’ll be able to celebrate with Reone, who had planned on drinking alone. Reone thinks that’s pretty perceptive of him. Later on, the two make their wish to Star God. Reone says that she’ll wish for the same thing that Itsuki did: for him to get back home soon. Itsuki tells her that she should really wish for something for herself and Reone replies that in that case she’ll wish to be able to do this again with him next year. They eventually settle on wishing for everyone to be happy and then head off to go pop that bubbly.




Sue isn’t particularly concerned about the festival, since she has a lot to take care of at the ranch during the winter (preparing extra food, closing up the ranch to keep the cold out, etc). She does mention that she’s wanted to try going, but she has to take care of her animals. Itsuki offers to help so that Sue will be able to go to the festival with him, which makes her happy.



The pair manage to make it to the festival just as it’s wrapping up. They decide to at least make wishes/prayers and decide to pray for the safety of Sue’s animals. Sue also wants to pray for Itsuki’s safety. Praying happens and Itsuki reveals that he prayed for Sue to always be healthy. Sue says she had fun, but the next time she comes to the festival she only wants to pray for Itsuki. Things wrap up there. It’s a fairly straightforward event.






Going to invite Collette has her talking about how sad it is that Itsuki is all alone on a day that tests his abilities as a man. After some back and forth about Itsuki insisting that he wouldn’t be sad about being alone on Christmas and Collette doing her strange teasing, Itsuki asks what the situation is like at her bakery. She says that Star Conception Festival day is a major day for business, but she does still close at night. Both her and Itsuki make plans to meet up at the Star Tree later.

At the tree, Itsuki asks how things went at the bakery. Collette says it was a great day for sales and that she can probably spend a nice New Year’s with the income. Collette and Itsuki then talk about having to do something romantic and Collette says to go ahead. Itsuki isn’t sure what she means, but figures that it would be weird for a man not to do anything. Collette then has a-



…strange animation that I don’t think was intentional. Anyway, she’s embarrassed because his face is really close, then changes the topic to prayers. Collette says she prayed in a very romantic way, then asks Itsuki what he was thinking she meant by “romantic”. Collette asks if he was thinking of stealing a kiss, Itsuki goes “Who wouldn’t?”, and then Collette starts doing her creepy “I’m just a pure little girl” routine. Collette says she’ll reward him for not lying, then… I think kisses him? It’s not clear what happens. Either way, Collette moves on to “Strawberry Time”, which Itsuki is unclear about. Collette says that it’s normally called a gift exchange. She then hands over a fruitcake to Itsuki and explains how it’s made. Collette jokes that it was a leftover from the bakery, but clarifies that she actually baked it for herself originally. Itsuki then realizes that he forgot to get Collette anything, which she mocks him for. Collette still agrees to spend the festival with Itsuki the big loser. They then share the fruitcake together.




Lillith starts off the event by talking about how worn out she is from all the customers coming by at this time of year. Itsuki explains that it’s probably because of the Star Conception Festival, since it’s a big time for lovers. Itsuki asks her if she plans to go see the tree, but Lillith says she has nobody to go with. Itsuki offers to take her, which makes her a bit self-conscious since she’s never gone to a place for lovers before. Itsuki eventually convinces her to go.



At the Great Tree, Lillith gets caught up in the sights of the festival. Lillith then starts getting shy and mentions that her heart is racing and her body feels warm. She asks if this might be love that she’s feeling, but Itsuki feels her forehead and thinks that it’s probably a fever. Itsuki offers to take her home, but Lillith says that it felt like a comfortable sort of nervousness… then she drops like a rock.



Back at Lillith’s house, she finally comes to and asks if Itsuki brought her there. Itsuki says that he’ll get going now, but Lillith stops him to thank him for taking her to the festival. The event wraps up shortly afterward with Itsuki wishing Lillith “Merry Christmas” and then explaining what the hell he means by that (she doesn’t know what Christmas is after all).



Speaking of Valentine’s Day and drowning sorrows in chocolate, it’s time for Valentine’s Day in Granvania. Valentine’s Day will initially trigger in the fourth week of January (which is when this conversation with Mana will happen).

That’s the day where you give chocolates to someone you like, right?

I should clarify that this isn’t actually Valentine’s Day, at least not how it’s known in the West. This is Valentine’s Day as it’s known in Southeast Asia. Valentine’s Day in the West involves people just giving cards or chocolates or roses or whatever to someone they like, either a special someone or a friend or family. Guys and gals both do it. Valentine’s Day in Southeast Asia (primarily Japan) is all about the ladies giving chocolates to gents. There’s love chocolate, friendship chocolate, family chocolate, and obligation chocolate. It can be store-bought or handmade, but generally if you get handmade then it carries a little more weight (they went to the trouble to actually bake you chocolate instead of just grabbing it from Wal-Mart after all).

It also has a counterpart day called White Day, which is one month after Valentine’s. March 14th is when the guys have to man up and give chocolate of their own. This way chocolate companies can spread the love (and profits) out over a longer time! Hurray!

The reason I make this distinction is because Itsuki will not be giving any chocolates of his own. There’s no “White Day” in this game where we have to pick Star Maidens to give God’s Gift Chocolate to. Wasted opportunity in my opinion. You could have used that event as a Bond Booster thing.

What else but that?

I’m a little surprised that you celebrate that here.

Granvania has incorporated a ton of Sora’s culture into its own. God’s Gifts receive chocolate from Star Maidens. You should really get them on your good side for that.

*sigh* Thanks for letting me know that in advance…

Nar and the King are your biggest rivals. Prepare yourself.



After this, the actual Valentine’s Day moment of truth will happen during Week 2 of February.



I’m looking forward to seeing how much chocolate you’ll get from the Star Maidens! Let’s just hope they genuinely give it to you instead of out of obligation.

Spoiler Alert: The Star Maidens do not do “obligation chocolate.” Well, Ruka will call it that, but she’s clearly lying because she’s a tsundere. If you haven’t bonded with a particular Maiden enough, Itsuki gets jack shit from them on this day (I think you need a bond level of 2 or 3 in order to get to Friendship level chocolate. It might even be as low as Level 1). If Itsuki ends up without any chocolate, then Mana will feel bad for him and give him a Marble Candy gift item.

The Star Maidens have class today. Let’s hurry to the academy.


~Star God Academy Hallway~

Looks like they’re not in class right now. …Oh, someone’s coming. I’m gonna hide. Do you best!



Each Maiden that you have a high enough bond with will give you a “Choco” item. They all do the same thing when used (Restore 50% HP). I won’t document each Maiden here, because they all only have a single line that’s a variation of “Here you go.” I will show off all the different chocolate designs though.























Alfie doesn’t seem to get a Valentine’s Day thing, but that’s not a major surprise since she seems to be excluded from all side events. Also, she’s currently dead. I cannot stress enough just how dead she is.



It’s hard to believe, but look…

R-R-R-Really?!



I’ve got nothing left to teach you to swoon the hearts of women.

Since when have you been teaching me anything about that?

And that’s it! …Okay, well not entirely. It is possible to get “Love” chocolates. These involve slightly more elaborate scenes of the Maiden pulling Itsuki aside and talking to him about wanting to give something special.



These will only happen once the Bond Gauge has been completely maxed.



The “Favor” chocolate items are different from the friendship versions. Each Maiden’s love chocolate has a different effect. I don’t have all of them just yet, because I’m still in the process of grinding Bond Levels to Max. I’ll show off all the different box/chocolate designs, descriptions, and their associated events later on. The best time for this will probably be once we’ve seen the Level 5 events.


Next time: It’s back to the Labyrinths for us as we tackle our Sixth Star Offering. We’ll discuss the strange Polyoshka and what it doesn’t seem to do, we’ll get to complete our collection of Star Child classes, we'll talk a little about the soundtrack to this game (and the Maidens' individual themes) and we’ll get ready for what could be the last Star Child Team Vote. As for me…



I have an anime to start watching… That’s right, the time is nearly nigh for us to explore the (supposedly) slapped together marketing tie-in for this game.