Part 42: Final Bonding Events – Ophiuchus, Aries, Leo, Cancer + Virgo Summary (Part 1)
Bonding Update XVIII: Final Bonding Events – Ophiuchus, Aries, Leo, Cancer + Virgo Summary (Part 1)Time to get this done. We’ll be wrapping up every Star Maiden’s character arc and then (eventually) pitting them against each other in a vote.
Before we start, I should mention that we are firmly in parallel timeline territory now. A few of these final events are pretty definitive in terms of “Itsuki hooks up with [Star Maiden].” The true decision as to who he ends up with (for this LP anyway) will be left to the thread.
Alfie is up first. Her Matryoshka was doing something weird when we went to visit it in the Church Spirit Chamber. Let’s see what that’s all about.
Hm? Oh, it’s you, Itsuki. It’s unusual for you to come here alone.
Same goes for you. This place is quiet and calming. I can also meet old friends here. So, Alfie. Right?
Yeah. I stop by to say a prayer for her every now and then. I also tell her about how the Star Children are doing. Reporting to a Matryoshka? How very like you. What about you? Do you not talk to her when you’re here? Of course not. What’s the point in talking to a doll? Well, you say that, but you still come here to see her. I guess that’s very like you, though. You’ve disquieted my peace. I will make myself scarce now. Would you like to pray with me while you’re here? … 
Just… say the things you would normally say to her. Like she was standing right in front of you. That’s what I do.
That’s a fair summary.
…You regret not being able to make up with her, don’t you? This again… What’s the point of saying that now? You told me off when I started freaking out. You know, that time you told me about her lifespan. I realized something then… You accepted her becoming a Star Maiden. …That was a little clumsy, not going to lie. I see what they were going for, but I think the dialogue wasn’t quite there to make it work.
Come on, Mirei. Just pray with me. It’s for Alfie. She always wanted to become a Star Maiden even before you came to this world. On the other hand, I… 
That’s why I told her that she will always be a Star Child.So you tried to make up for the sins of your grandfather… by committing a new sin and imposing your own will on her against her wishes. …Not sure that was the right choice, Mirei.
But… looking back, that was a mistake.*The screen turns white as we are transported very temporarily to flashback world*
Itsuki…
*Back to the world of the present*
Regardless of what I said to you, I am the one restricted by my past. 
And… I’m sorry.
Forgive me for being so foolish… Mirei…*After a few seconds of silence*
*The screen then goes white again briefly. When we fade back in…*
Y-You’re…
Mirei and Instructor Itsuki. It’s kinda embarrassing, but I’m back now!That sure did happen! …..How exactly did it happen?
A-Alfie?! …Wait, who are you calling “Instructor”? You’re my instructor who taught me the power of love… Impossible… You’re not a Star Child, so how…?Oh Christ, please don’t do the—
Of course they would…
Hey, that line… That’s from an anime the God’s Gift from back then loved. Um… Alfie…? Itsuki… I think I heard your voice even when I was inside the Matryoshka. 
Your kind voice kept me here. …Welcome home, Alfie. I’m home, Itsuki. … I’m home, Mirei. I heard your voice, too, Mirei. The whole time. So then you were coming here to talk to the Matryoshka. B-Be quiet!
Huh? This is supposed to be the scene where we both cry and hug! It’s to reaffirm our friendship! Come on, Mirei! You should jump into my arms!Come on, Mirei. Give in to this dumb anime bullshit. You know you want to.
You and that nerdy God’s Gift from 30 years ago are one in the same… Again, the implication from Mirei is that she knew Alfie’s God’s Gift. I just don’t see that as being possible. Mirei would have to be a minimum of 36 or 38 (she would have needed to be old enough at the time to comprehend what was going on around her). There’s no way in hell that Mirei is in her 40’s or 50’s. On top of her looks, there’s also the fact that it’s possible for her to enter a romantic relationship with Itsuki, who would be less than half her age.
I still maintain that Mirei must be in her 20’s at most. I don’t believe for a second that her or Reone are over 30. Anyway, Mirei was being a tsundere or something. Let’s get back to that.
One of these days, your brain will rot from watching too many dramas. Remember to water it to grow the flowers that will grow out of it. 
Farewell now.*And then Mirei takes her leave*
She’s never honest with herself. But it’s so like her to be that way. That’s true. Well, Itsuki… shall we? Uhh… This is the church where we Classmate, right? There’s only one thing to do here. You want to do the ritual? That’s the one!
Yeah, you’re right. Let’s do it Alfie. Let’s make a Star Child. Of course.
*Back from the dead Classmating happens*
… … Itsuki… you don’t have to worry anymore. But if I had been more careful, you wouldn’t have gotten that big scar on your back. Well, I’m [sic] come back to life now, so it’s no biggie. And I’m satisfied with how you protected me.
Come on, SC. You’re spiralling again. Keep it together. That should read “You told me not to go”.
If you hadn’t, then I would have been the one to die. Then this is like a badge of honor for me. A scar like this will heal in no time anyway.I don’t know about that. That was a bad enough wound to kill you, I don’t think a scar that size or that deep is just going to fade away.
…Oh, who am I kidding. It’s anime, of course it’s going to disappear. Can’t go tarnishing beauty or anything after all.
Even still, I want to do something to thank you. Then… please take me to the beach when my scar goes away. The beach? Why do you want to go there? It’s like the quintessential date. We’d have the whole beach to ourselves… 
Then we’d draw a heart and our names in the sand…Got this all planned out, don’t ya? Is this how you were spending your time in limbo?
J-Just kidding, haha… You don’t have to kid. We’ll do it. Really?! Yes. I promise you.And that’s it for Alfie’s first event of the finale. You know, after thinking on it a bit, her coming back to life doesn’t bother me quite as much as I thought it would (Not the fact that she did come back, I meant how she came back). Don’t get me wrong, it’s cliché no matter how you try and spin this, but to be fair to the narrative, it’s not like anyone knew for sure that Alfie could permanently die after becoming a Star Maiden. She’s the only Star Child to ever “grow up” and she’s the only “Artificial Star Maiden”. Her inability to return to a Matryoshka and be revived was really just theory.
Again, it’s still an asspull. But at least it’s not like any firmly established rules were broken in regards to how this all works.
Arie is up next. Last time we saw her, she was getting increasingly lusty.
~Church Spirit Chamber~
… … …Phew. Oh, Itsuki.
I didn’t want to interrupt you. Were you waiting for me to finish praying? Yeah. Were you trying to prepare yourself for the ritual again?
I was expressing my gratitude and joy to be able to Classmate with you today. I prayed for today’s ritual to be yet another wonderful experience.
You don’t have to pull, Arie. Come…*Classmating happens*
*sigh*… My heart’s being enveloped by all these warm emotions. Classmating with you always feels so good… But… I still haven’t had enough.Calm down, Arie. You know the rule.
Wait, what?
Everybody gets one! Uh… Arie, I think that’s… I mean, I could go again if you wanted. How wonderful. You and I feel the same way. Let’s Classmate right now… I think we should leave it at that, though. But…Everybody. Gets. One.
We have stuff to do. We can’t sit here all day and watch you two dry hump each other. Don’t look like that. It’s not like this is the last time we’ll Classmate. We can do more later. It’s just not enough for me… But, if you insist… …Then all right. But, I do want to do it more often.You’ve got maybe 2 or 3 more Classmating chances at this point. I need to make another batch of 12 Star Children at some point (whenever you people get to voting/suggesting
) and that will probably be it for Classmating entirely. Won’t really need any more Star Children after the final team is in place. Better savour those moments, Arie. I want to hold you even more. If that’s what you want, then why don’t we just hold each other outside of the ritual?
I think holding hands and hugging can feel just as good. Why don’t we try? Huh…? What? Is that not good? H-Hugging… You mean me, Itsuki?Well he ain’t talking about the columns, Arie.
Of course. So? Do you want to try and see how it feels?*Hugging happens*
Ah… Well?
Itsuki, this feels very good… I didn’t think I could feel this way outside of the ritual…Another sign that Classmating in the game is more of a spiritual/emotional thing rather than the physical thing the Anime depicts it as. Arie is getting worked up over a hug.
Do you prefer one over the other? I… can’t compare them. They both fill my heart so… I… I’m going limp… Itsuki, please hold me tighter… Of course…[/i]
Okay, you’re getting carried away now. Let’s move on to your actual event.
~Star God Academy Church~
… Hey, Arie.
S-Sorry, I haven’t really been able to concentrate on cleaning… Your face looks really red. Are you coming down with something? No, it’s not that… I just… When I think of you, I can’t think of anything else. Um, Itsuki. Can we do it again?
Jesus, Arie. Take it easy. You’ve got a bad case of Itsuki Fever.
You mean you want another hug? Um… Yes. Itsuki, I want to be held by your strong arms. I couldn’t forget about when you held me in the last Classmating ritual. Well, I don’t mind. Do you want me to do it here? The place doesn’t matter. So long as you’re here, I don’t mind… Please, Itsuki…*Hugging happens… again*
Is this okay? Yes… I feel so much at ease… You’re wonderful, Itsuki. My heart is so fulfilled, even without the Classmating ritual. 
Yeah, our world doesn’t really need God to send in tiny spirit warrior children in order to beat back the sex monsters, regardless of what the Catholic Church might tell you.
So is this how the people of your world touch each other’s hearts? Well, it’s one way of doing it. If I ever go to your world, I’d like to do this every day…There’s something oddly charming about how innocent this is. Itsuki is giving her a hug and she’s absolutely melting as though it is the greatest intimate action you can engage in.
Then… why don’t you visit my world some day? Huh? But I have my duty to serve the church here… Oh… right… But thank you for the gesture. My heart races when you say things like that while hugging me… I feel at ease when you hold me like this. I’m fine now. Thank you. Are you sure? Yes. Though, my heart was racing the whole time. 
Is there anything that would make my heart beat even faster?Oh, you pure innocent child. You don’t even know.
I’m not sure…Also, apparently Itsuki doesn’t either. Or he’s playing dumb out of shyness. One or the other.
I thought Classmating made my heart pound the fastest… But you’ve taught me of many more things that do the same. I want to do more of these and make my heart feel hotter…And that’s it for Arie. As you can see, some of these events will push right up against the line of “official couple” and then back away ever so slightly. I think it’s usually the final event where the game goes “Okay, you’re going all in on this relationship now.”
Of course, this isn’t a full-on dating sim, so you’re never actually locked in to a particular route.
~Church Spirit Chamber~
Itsuki, do you want to Classmate with me? Of course. Let’s get started.
*Immediate Classmating happens*
Hmph… I think I’ve gotten used to the assertiveness thing with you, but are you really sure that you want me to act like that? I-It is not about what I want. Just do as you wish. I cannot refuse when you plead so strongly. 
I-I would want you to always speak to me in such a manner. It’s going to be tough to keep that up all the time. Would you be okay with me just doing it occasionally? I-I do not mind that. But… you should only speak that way to me. You better not talk to the other Star Maidens in this fashion during the ritual. Only for you, Femiruna. You would never lie to me, would you?
I’ve definitely never talked like this to them on purpose, that’s for sure. (I think some of them would probably kill me if I did…) I-I see… I understand. Then it appears that I am the only one… who can properly deal with your improper manners due to my kind heart.
Sure, that’s what it is.
…What… am I to you? Hm? What do you mean?That’s a loaded question.
There is no deep meaning behind it… but…
…What… what does that mean? I apologize… That was a strange question.Please don’t tell me that you’ve got some kind of shortened lifespan as well. Don’t start pulling this at the eleventh hour, Conception.
I am acting quite strange today. Something has been on my mind lately… Please forget I asked that. I must go now.*And Femiruna leaves*
…Did something happen? I wonder what’s wrong with her…Well, let’s find out, shall we? At least, I guess we’ll find out. The game could always be a jerk and hold off on it until the final event.
~Granvania Shopping Center~
Femiruna? What’s the matter? *sigh*… Uh… Femiruna? Hello? *sigh*… Femiruna!
Well I tried to get your attention a few times and you just stood there. Oh, really? I did not hear you at all. Do you want something from me? I was curious about how dinner with your parents went. You haven’t talked about it. I thought you were excited about it. I-It… It was quite fun. 
*sigh*… Something happened during the talk, didn’t it? It is nothing… Telling you will not help solve it. You don’t know that for sure unless you tell me.Stop being so nosy, Itsuki. Although, I kind of want to know as well.
I suppose so…
What about your future?Arranged marriage? It’s probably an arranged marriage. Seems like a popular thing for wealthy types to do.
This had already been decided prior to my entering of the academy… Once I graduate, I will debut in the association alongside Mother and Father. I will formally be acknowledged as an adult then. Never heard of that “Association”. It sounds important, though. Yes. It is a world common folk would never be able to experience. I will be unable to act so thoughtlessly any longer.That’s it? Some stuffy rich people club is why you’re so depressed?
Of course I would be happy about it… Originally, I was supposed to have fully assimilated, considering my age. But as I was selected as a Star Maiden, the timing was skewed. So that’s what this is about… I feel lucky to have been able to attend the academy… I was able to experience a life I never would have otherwise. 
…That is the path Father has prepared for me.I’m not sure if something is off with this line or not. I get what it was going for. But the way it’s phrased doesn’t really sound like it could flow into whatever the reason was. The only thing I can think of is “of my family and promised to [enter the name of her arranged husband here].” And who knows, maybe that’s what it is. Seems like a weird way to phrase it though.
…But is that what you want? That does not matter. It is the future Father has chosen for me. Defying Father is futile. Besides…
Um… Why are you staring at me like that? Nothing at all! You are so dense!She’s right. Itsuki is kind of an idiot. Even more so than Official Wake was.
When one’s future is already decided, it is not all that exciting.Speak for yourself. I wish I had a future planned out for me, because my attempt at making my own is going like dogshit so far.
But that was my everything before I came to this academy. That is why the time I have spent here will be a nice memory for me. I only knew a secluded world, so every day feels like a grand adventure. I cherish each class and every break period. I want to build upon these memories. I am sure they will be a treasure for me. I see… If you did not come to this world, mine would still be restricted to that manor. I know it is only a coincidence, but I…
I’m thankful for you as well, Femiruna. I-I will give you the honor of cherishing this time we spend together! That is why you should feel indebted to our interactions. Femiruna… Apologies… I suppose there is no point in talking to you about this. It is not something I should be worrying about in the first place. I am only returning to the path I was originally on. Nothing more, nothing less. 
Good day to you. I believe I will sleep well tonight.*Femiruna leaves*
Once again, I feel like this is a very weird situation for a family like Femiruna’s. Itsuki is a saviour of the world. He had a shaky start because of the Star Chaos, but it seems like his notoriety is getting more positive (those thugs in Reone’s route were scared shitless of him from his newspaper appearances and the rumors of his power).
I know Femiruna’s family is one of those rich business minded types that’s all about agreements and handshakes and that shit, but don’t you think they’d be ecstatic at the prospect that their only daughter was getting along with God’s Gift so well? She became a Star Maiden and is working directly with Star God’s chosen warrior in order to save the entire world. I can’t believe there has been no attempt by her parents to try and get her married to Itsuki.
Although I guess that would mean everyone ends up happy (in a Femiruna Ending anyway), which doesn’t really generate the same drama as her family trying to separate her from the one she truly loves.
Oh well, that’s Femiruna stuff. It’s Ruka time now.
~Church Spirit Chamber~
Have you finally gotten used to the Classmating ritual?
It is weird that he keeps doing stuff like that.
You always talk about such meaningless things despite how aloof you are. All you ever do is breathe heavily during the ritual. Why don’t you try saying more considerate things when we Classmate? I’m doing my best, you know. This ritual stuff isn’t easy on me, either. I honestly don’t expect much out of you. But if you don’t do that, our bond will never deepen all that much.How about pulling your own weight before you start lecturing others on pulling theirs?
Well… If that’s what you think. I guess I could try whispering some sweet nothings into your ear this time.
It’s a Mana thing. Try and ignore it.
Oh, you mean like cake or dessert names… right?…Sure.
I was talking more along the lines of compliments and stuff. There’s a lot I can give you. Wh-Wh-Wh-Wha…?! What are you saying? Are you stupid or something? 
Just act like you normally do. Geez… Why do I always get like this in front of you…It’s a tsundere thing. Try and ignore it… or don’t ignore it, so that you can be more conscious of it… Just, stop being a tsundere, okay? That’s what I’m driving at here.
I think it’s cute, personally. Ugh…Hey! That was my reaction too!
I only act this way because you say embarrassing things like that! I’m done here! Just stop talking! *sigh*… Shall we start? I’m ready anytime. Same for me.
It’s sort of a routine. Nothing to worry about.Which is not surprising. I think I’ve cranked out like 70 Star Children at this point. This place is basically Itsuki’s second home.
I-I know that. I-It’s just humiliating seeing you so calm… It makes me look dumb when my heart’s the only one that’s racing… I mean… I still get nervous. It just doesn’t show as much. I think that would make you more restless if you saw me like that. J-Jerk… I may be nervous, but I’m not restless.
Classmate! Hurry up! We’ve still got an event to do for god’s sake.
N-Now… let’s start.*Classmating finally happens*
Huff… Huff… I-I really did try my best today… I think we’ll make a powerful Star Child with that. Thanks for everything, Ruka. D-Don’t look at my face! It’s probably bright red right now! I’m going home now! Goodbye!Thank god that’s done with. In truth it was only about 100 words longer than Femiruna’s, but it felt a lot longer than that.
Now, what were we doing with Ruka before the break? …Right, we won a hot springs trip or some crap. Tickets to a hot spring that is never occupied and is sitting out in the middle of a forest with no structures or amenities built around it.
~Front of Orphanage~
Looks like we’ve got a good day for this. The weather is great.
I dunno. I feel like the rain would definitely ruin the experience. Like getting into a hot bath while a cold shower runs over your shoulders.
A-Anyway, let’s go.*Ruka leaves the screen to the left*
Hey, Ruka? You’re going the wrong way.*Ruka then runs back on screen, looking embarrassed*
I-I know that.
That… doesn’t make sense. Ruka, are you nervous about this being our first date? Huh? First date…? H-How do you know I’ve never gone on a date? I don’t remember saying that to you.Call it a hunch.
Actually, I meant that it was the first date for us. Oh… R-Right… I guess this is the first date we’ve had. 
*sigh*… To tell you the truth, I’m so nervous my hand is shaking. I’m not used to it, and it’s not really like me to do these sorts of things… Oh, then here, give me your hand. Wh-What?! Why? I’ll hold your hand. That’ll help stop the shaking. To stop the sh-shaking… F-Fine. I’ll hold your hand… Here goes…
Death grip. Got it. Time to flex those monster clubbing arms, Itsuki.
~Forest Hot Springs~
Wh-What is this… There’s only one bath here.
Yeah. What’s the big deal? We’ll be wearing bathing suits, remember?Well, Ruka will. Itsuki is going to presumably rock his man-banana pouch again. Not sure that qualifies as a “suit”.
R-Right… I didn’t think we had to go in naked or anything like that. Hmph… That’s a relief. I’ll go change first. But, um… where do I get changed? I don’t see a changing room… I’m pretty sure we just change right here.
Hey, it’s not his fault that the prize was stupid.
And we’re outdoors… What if someone sees us? Then why not change over behind the bushes? That’s what I was going to do. O-Oh, fine… I guess there’s no other option. When you get changed, you can go in first. I’ll change over there. Sure thing.*After a quick wardrobe change*
Ahh… that feels nice… I wonder what’s taking Ruka so long? Th-Th-Thank you for waiting…
Is this a new background CG? I feel like we haven’t seen this one before. Then again, all of these hot springs things are kind of blending together and not especially memorable. Maybe I just forgot about it.
All the way over there? Are you sure? …Well, I guess I’ll just stay over here. Y-You do that. That’s for the best… Yeah.Now that I think about it… I wonder if there are any Maidens that don’t get a hot springs event? Ruka, Mirei, Mahiru, Mahiru again, and Farun have all had one so far. I guess there’s only one event left for Arie and Femiruna, and it doesn’t seem like either of them will be randomly hiking out here. Alfie looks like she’ll be getting a beach event, which I guess kind of counts (although everyone gets a beach event in the Summer).
… U-Um… Thank you for being considerate… No problem. Yeah, same here… … 
I think this distance is good enough… Don’t worry about that. Let’s just relax.Stop ruining the tranquility, Ruka.
You’re so calm about this it’s irritating… 
Again, this implies that the ritual is like what the anime depicts, except that the Maidens’ reactions to things like this all contradict that idea.
So it’s probably a little too late to be embarrassed… Listen, Ruka… I know you don’t like to be touched by people. So, thanks for going along with the ritual in spite of that. Wh-What’s with you all of a sudden? I don’t do it because I want to get thanked by you. But… I welcome your appreciation. Thanks to you, I’m able to talk to people now… 
And I don’t feel as distant with the kids anymore. I-I’m thankful to you for all that. I’m glad to hear that things are going well with the kids. Although, it kind of feels like there’s still some distance between us… Th-That’s not true! We’re in a hot spring together… A-And we’re practically naked right now…Ehhh, not really. Itsuki, yes. Assuming he’s wearing his speedo thing anyway. You? Nah. Farun and Mahiru during these events? They were practically naked.
We’re even outdoors… How much courage do you think I had to gather to do this? Well, there’s still the distance of the hot spring from edge to edge. Ugh… Fine… I’ll go over there, so just wait.*Ruka wanders closer*
I’d like to see that, actually. Do it!
Do you want to hold hands again? You’re shaking. Ugh… H-Hmph. Go ahead if you want. Here. If you’re going to do it, hurry up…*And then the hot springs portion of the event just kind of ends*
~Front of Orphanage~
*sigh*… I’m tired. Thanks for walking me back. But I think I’m done with hot springs… 
We shouldn’t have held hands… Hm? What was that? N-Nothing! Geez… This guy…It really does feel like he stops listening completely at random times. I always imagine that he gets distracted by a passing bird or something.
I’ll drop by again later for the club meeting. Oh, about that…
Nnnnoo—well, it was kind of a gigantic waste of time. We found out that the little barefoot girl wasn’t being bullied like 2 bonding levels ago.
Really? Why? Well, the girl you carried back was adopted yesterday. She was the only one commuting to the academy from the orphanage…She only made a single fucking appearance in this entire game… and I had to make a character pic for her. Yet we didn’t get any generic NPC sprites for the ton of Students that popped up.
So… that’s why we’re disbanding.
Oh… that’s too bad… There won’t be anymore meetings after hours, but we can still meet up. You can come chat when you feel like it. O-Oh, and forget about what you saw at the hot springs after we held hands…
Wait… did we miss a wardrobe malfunction? Was that cut as part of the translation/remake, or was that left out on purpose?
I-It wasn’t to give you a show or anything! You better not misunderstand! G-Goodbye!Weird. It’s not like this game to leave out pervy dating sim stuff like that. Not that I’m complaining, mind you. That sounds like it would have ruined an otherwise fairly sweet scene between these two. Oh well. This whole game has been one weird decision after another.
~Bottom 7 Summaries: Virgo~
#7.
Mahiru’s Classmating event has her continuing with the book or cosmo magazine or whatever the hell she’s reading that tells her of ways to improve the ritual.
Apparently a previous God’s Gift left behind a little nugget of wisdom saying that being in a relationship with a Star Maiden where they are both hot for each other was the most effective way of improving the results of the ritual. Mahiru also mentions that they learned in their Maiden History class thing that a lot of the God’s Gifts and Star Maidens in the past wound up getting married afterward (which is pretty understandable given the nature of how this all works). Itsuki thinks that means that he’s got a shot and hooking up with a Star Maiden himself, although Mahiru tries to brush it off as just being ancient history or something (despite the fact that this God’s Gift thing happens every 10 years). She also points out that Itsuki has 12 Star Maidens, not just 1. Anyway, Itsuki mentions that they are going back home after the world is saved anyway, so it’s not like shacking up with a Star Maiden seems probable in his case. Mahiru obviously gets bummed about hearing him say that, since she desperately wants him and all that. Mahiru then mentions that the books don’t really have much useful information for improving the rituals so she’s just going to let Itsuki take the lead and she’ll follow at whatever pace he moves at. She uses a Captain and Passenger analogy or something. I just want to mention that because I think this comes up in her event later and it’ll confuse you if I don’t bring it up here. After Classmating, Mahiru talks about Itsuki’s scent and the event ends.
In Mahiru’s event, Itsuki finds the cafeteria to be busier than usual and that everyone is eating some kind of cake. Mahiru mentions that hers finally got onto the menu. Itsuki orders one for himself and eats while Mahiru wraps up her shift. He tells her that it was good when she asks about it afterward. Some awkward silence happens where Mahiru is expecting more to Itsuki’s opinions, but he just tells her that he’s terrible at giving compliments.
Female Student C then rolls up and recognizes Itsuki. She manages to work up the courage to ask him on a date (the NPC students in this game are way more ballsy than in CII. I think Wake only gets kind of asked out at one point in the game where he’s also with Alec). Itsuki looks to Mahiru when the student asks if he’s dating someone else, which causes Mahiru to ask him what he’s staring at her for. Then Itsuki pulls the same “We’re on a mission” thing that Mahiru used to ditch that Male Student a while back. Itsuki and Mahiru then bolt and Female Student C calls out after him.
Mahiru and Itsuki manage to lose the love-stricken student (who apparently chased them). They do the Captain thing again. They take a seat on the bench and start getting nervous because they’re alone together in a park where a bunch of couples are apparently hanging around. Mahiru gets embarrassed because apparently one of the couples starts making out or something. She then says another couple over there are going at it even harder. Mahiru and Itsuki then decide to leave and go somewhere else, because I guess the sight of public displays of affection is too much for their innocent Japanese sensibilities or something.
Out in the forest, the two start reminiscing about that rabbit chase from 10 years ago. Mahiru then asks if Itsuki will stay with her from now on and she looks shy while saying it. So what she’s really asking is if he’s going to fulfill that old childhood marriage promise. For a Mahiru route, Itsuki obviously says that he promises to do just that. There’s a suspiciously long fade to black, but it may just be a time skip because when it comes back it is now evening. Mahiru says that it’s getting dark and Itsuki says they should really head back, but Mahiru stops him. She says that she wants to knit him a hat as a gift for next time, so she needs to measure the size of his head.
They’re cousins, by the way. Have I mentioned that? I feel like I have, but I want to make sure everyone is clear on it.
Of course Mahiru is just using that as an excuse to go for a kiss. The event wraps up shortly afterward, with Itsuki mentioning how soft Mahiru’s lips were and Mahiru talking about how bad Itsuki is at compliments.