Part 37: Chapter 2 Daily Life, Part 9

*Ding dong, bing bong*







: Good morning, everyone! It is now 7 a.m. and nighttime is officially over! Time to rise and shine! Get ready to greet another beee-yutiful day!





: Morning, huh? I hope Mondo and Taka survived...

Worried about the two of them, I hurried to the dining hall more quickly than usual. And when I entered...





: Bahahaha! What are you talkin' about, bro?



: Kahahaha! What are YOU talkin' about, bro!?
: What...the...?
: Hey, Makoto!
: Thank you so much for acting as our witness yesterday!
: Huh? Are they...friends now?



: They've been like this all morning. They were all buddy-buddy as soon as they walked in. It feels gross.
: Feels gross? Hell no. Feels *great*, more like!
: This almost feels like sexual harassment, somehow...



: Forget her, bro. A girl like her just doesn't get our manly bond!
: Friendship between men is stronger than blood! A woman could never understand!
: What you just said? Bro, that was cool as shit! I should get a tattoo of it!
: No, bro, you mustn't! Your body is a temple, given to you by your loving parents!
: So, um...who won the contest?



: Who gives a shit!?



: Yeah, don't ask stupid questions! What matters is that we both took part in it together!
: That's...completely different from what you were saying last night.



: Friendship between men seems very...simplistic. Nothing like what I'm used to with girls.
: Yeah, for real...



All throughout breakfast that morning the room was dominated by Mondo and Taka's overpowering "brotherhood"... All in all, it was a pretty unfortunate experience.





: So, what should I do today?

*Ding dong*

Hmm? Who could that be? Wondering who had come to visit, I opened the door, and someone forced their way in.





: T-Toko? What's the matter?
: Why are you s-so surprised? Am I really that an-noying?
: W-Well I already know I'm annoying. I came here kn-knowing that, so...that makes it o-okay...
: No, you're not annoying... I just wondered what was going on.



: I have a f-f-favor to ask... I want you to [g-go somewhere with me]...

> g-go somewhere with me

: And...where is it you want to go?
: W-Well...the library.
: Huh? Are you looking for a book or something? Why don't you just ask Byakuya? He spends all his time in the library, anyway.



: Kh--!
: D-Did I say something wrong...?



: You're not a b-b-blabbermouth, right? This h-has to be a secret!
: I honestly have no idea what you're talking about, but if you want me to be quiet, I'll be quiet.



: Then let's g-go to the library!
: Okay, I got it, the library...

Jeez, why so pushy?



: Qu-Quiet! Be quiet when you g-go in! ...Don't l-let him see you!

She actually *was* starting to get annoying, but I did what she said and gently crept into the library.



Unsurprisingly, Byakuya was there by himself, absorbed in a book.

(BG Music)
(Conversation)

: H-He's here... Ahaha...she's r-really here. Okay, M-Makoto. Go talk to him!
: What!?
: Stop b-being so loud! Just hurry up and g-go talk to him!
: *You* go talk to him, if you want to so bad...!
: I c-can't! I don't want to i-interrupt him...!

That's...kinda crazy.





: ...

He seems to really be focused on that book. It doesn't seem like the best time to talk to him...

: Hey, you. What are you doing back here? I hate even having to look at you.
: Ah--so you noticed me, huh?
: ...Of course. Now hurry up and leave.



: And take her with you.
: ...
: Hey, um...Byakuya?
: ...



: Remember how you said, "Don't be a woman who dominates w-weak men. Be a woman dominated by a s-strong man"?
: I never said that.
: W-Well, actually, I just thought it sounded like s-something you *might* say...



: ...Get out. And go take a bath. You smell.
: Ngh--!
: Don't make me say it again. Go now, before your stench latches onto the entire room.
: O-Okay...



: ...
: He really dug into us there. Maybe he's in a bad mood...
: ...

She seems super depressed. Did he really upset her that much?

: Byakuya... To go that far...



: He must be r-really concerned about me!
: ...Huh?
: He told me t-to take a bath and everything. He must really care a-about my well-being!
: ...



: Hey, M-Makoto...what do you think?
: Think...about what?
: Do you think B-Byakuya and I would be...g-good together?
: Um, well now...I-I don't really know.



: That's t-true. There's really no w-way to know...
: But the distance between u-us doesn't change out love...! Because as soon as you realize your f-feelings the love is born. That's h-how love works!
: O...kay.
: There m-might come a day when y-you understand. Maybe. S-Someday. Well...bye. *leaves*
: ...





: Ahh, young love!
: Uwah!
: Who would've ever guessed she would go for someone like him?
: But eager passion can also be scary! Sometimes that leads people off in the wrong direction!



: Nyooohohohoho! *leaves*



: ...All of a sudden, I feel exhausted. Maybe I'll head back to my room for now.





: There's still some time left in the day. What to do...?



: There's one more Free Time allowed in the day. I tried speaking to Byakuya but he's too absorbed in his book to even trigger an event at all so once again, we're gonna talk to Mondo. He's just too much fun.



: We can find him in the dining hall.



: Hey, Makoto! What's up?



> Spend some time with Mondo



: You're kinda weird, ya know that? You ain't afraid of me, all wantin' to hang out... Well, whatever. You wanna go get somethin' to drink?

Mondo and I went to the dining hall and had some tea. Mondo and I grew a little closer today.



> Yes, definitely



Fresh Bindings: Strips of cotton cloth. They were once commonly used for underwear and bandages. They say when you wrap it around yourself, both body and soul become taut.



: Damn, seriously!? This thing is like, super rare!
: Don't mind if I do! Damn, I'm lucky as shit...!

Seeing Mondo so pleased with something I gave him makes me happy!





: Hey, Makoto... Listen, there's somethin' I gotta ask you...
: Wh-What is it? You sound really serious...
: Just shut up and listen.





: So...are you a dog person or a cat person?
: ...Huh?



: Just tell me before I beat the shit outta you! I'm a dog person, by the way! So what are you!? C'mon, tell me!

Am I a dog person, or a cat person? Well Mondo's a dog person, so...



> Dog person

: (I'm really curious what the bear person answer gives, though getting a wrong answer just makes you select again.)
: I-I'm kind of a dog person, too...



: Really? You're not just sayin' that, right!?
: N-No, it's true! Actually I grew up with a dog in the house. It was a mutt, but it was still pretty cute.



: Right!? Cats are okay, but dogs are WAY cuter! So, how old is your dog?
: Oh, uh... Well, we had it when I was a kid. It's...dead now.
: O-Oh... I know how that feels man... It's tough to lose a dog you love so much. I totally know how you feel!
: So you used to have a dog, too?



: Yeah, Chuck. A maltese. He died when he was nine...

A maltese? I figured Mondo would be more of a pitbull guy, or a doberman...



: He was so smart, man. He'd bring in the newspaper every morning.
: Really? That's so cool!
: Right? And then he'd beg me to take him for a walk. He'd look up at me with those eyes of his, and wiggle that little butt...



: Gah! I don't wanna remember this shit! Ugh...this seriously sucks! Don't look at me right now!



: Ah, god dammit...! I gotta go! Ngaaah...! Chuck! My baby boy! *leaves*



Mondo left in a state I'd never seen him in before...

: I had no idea he loved dogs that much...

I feel like I've learned a little more about him today.

: This event gives us the skill Upshift. It's the counterpart to Downshift that I mentioned. It increases the cursor movement speed during Nonstop Debates, Hangman's Gambit and the Closing Argument. It's way more handy than Downshift because being able to move the cursor faster helps out when future mechanics are introduced to the Nonstop Debate.



Once we were all done, I headed back to my room for a little while...



♪ No Music. ♪



*Ding dong, bing bong*





: Ahem! School announcement, school announcement. Nighttime is quickly approaching, but before it arrives... All students, please gather in the gym immediately. Emergency! Emergency!



: Gather in the gym...? Why now all of a sudden? ...

I really don't like the sound of this... I have a terrible feeling...