Part 121: Free Time Roundup #8

School Mode Free Time Roundup #8: Hifumi Yamada



: I know I'm interrupting a climatic moment but if I don't put this in now, I won't get a chance until much later! Today, we're going to go through Hifumi's Free Time Events. Hifumi's FTE Chain is 5 events long. Like Taka's update, this one will probably be a little long due to wanting to put his remaining four events into one update.
: Hifumi's first event can be found in Chapter 3, Part 8.



> Spend time together



: Cosplayers these days are totally ignorant of the origin, the history, the significance of their hobby! And if you don't know your history, you can never have a complete cosplay experience!
: So, Mr. Naegi, prepare for a gloriously detailed history of the cosplay world. Now, in 1955...

I listened to Hifumi's half-obsessed ranting for way too long... Hifumi and I grew a little closer today.



> Yes, definitely



Potato Chips: A staple snack food made by frying thin potato slices in oil. Beware its dangerously high calorie count.

: Er, I mean, I guess it's okay!
: Anyway, if you wanted to hang out for a while...!

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



: Now then! This time, would you like to learn about one of my many legends?
: Your legends...?
: Naturally! You don't become the Ultimate Fanfic Creator without a few legends sprouting up around you! One legend is how, in middle school, I was able to convince the school to create a fanfic club!
: And from that day, I exposed myself and my fanfic to the world at large! By the way, do you happen to know what all my work is based on?
: Sorry, no idea...
: Well, surely you've heard of the highly acclaimed anime Demon Angel☆Pretty Pudgy Princess!



: Now, you might think that that sounds totally cliche, but you would be WRONG! I didn't simply copy the "pretty girl" Princess Piggles style. I took a total meta sci-fi approach! My perspective was seen as quite odd, of course, but if you really look at what I was doing, my version of Princess Piggles was the total antithesis of the new-wave sci-fi movement. In fact, it was my response to J.G. Ballard's speculative fiction stylings!
: Buwheh! Ahh, my geekdom is leaking out again. I apologize!
: Anyway, unlike most fans, I never saw Princess Piggles as your typical moe anime.
: Yeah, I definitely got that impression... But I can't believe you were able to single-handedly persuade the school to let you make a club...



: Oh, that's because I bribed them with a cut of my profits.

Profits...?

: And I've only gotten better at it! I'm blowin' up! Now then, up till now, I've always focused on taking part in Princess Piggles single-setting events.
: Single-setting...?
: It's when a circle gets together to come up with a project or event focused on only one show or series. So a Princess Piggles single-setting event would only allow works involving Princess Piggles, see? On the flipside, if there's no restriction on the number of properties, do you know what that's called?

A single-setting event only allows material from one show or series... And the opposite of that is when anything is allowed from any property...



> Free-for-all

: The opposite of the single-setting event... Is it just called a free-for-all?
: That's absolutely right! There are actually plenty of free-for-all events every year, and yet...



: More and more slackers are showing up with no idea what fanfic really means! It's so ANNOYING! So in order to crush these peons with all my might, I'm going to start taking part in more free-for-alls!
: Crush them...? That doesn't sound very friendly...
: I don't participate in these events to make friends! And I cannot forgive those lazy bastards! And don't tell me to ignore them! If you let some little wimp survive, you'll regret it later! Play any RPG where the villain spares the hero when he's level 1, and what happens? Boom! Dead!

I...kinda get it. But I kinda don't...

: It's a dog-eat-dog industry, where only the most brutal survive. Oh, but don't worry. I'm gonna start you off easy by getting you involved in some simple cosplay action!
: Huh? I'm gonna get involved? ...Wait, did you say cosplay!?



: You're a pretty good-looking guy. If your costume was decent enough, I might even let you work my booth!
: Bwehehe... I bet you could even net yourself a magical girl harem!
: So with that in mind, let's change the world of fanfic together!
: ...What does that even mean?
: This second event gives us SP+1.
: The third event takes place in the dojo.



: I know I look like I'm all about the cutting edge, but I have a profound love for retro games, too! Let's begin my four-part history of electronic games. Part 1: Ancient Babylonia...

I listened to Hifumi's half-obsessed ranting for longer than I would've liked... Hifumi and I grew a little closer today.



> Yes, definitely



Black Croissant: A baked good made from black ingredients. It looks burnt, but it's actually pretty good.

: Keh-heh. So you thought this would please me, huh? You thought this... This would...!
: Guhwaaaaahh!

I get the impression that he liked it. That's good...

: I don't get how this is a "Like" response but I'll take it?





: Makoto...
: Wh-What's wrong, Hifumi?
: It...hurts...!
: What hurts! Are you okay!?
: Gh--! Gh-gah-grh-guh!
: Y-You're really...uh, sweaty. I'll go get you some medicine! Er, wait! What kind of medicine do you need!?
: ...Coke...
: Huh?





: Coke! Diet Coke! Bring me some Diet Coke right nooooooowww!

Whoa! He just pulled a total 180!

: But...I don't think I've seen any Diet Coke here in the school.
: I-I know... I've looked all over...
: And now I'm going through Diet Coke withdrawal!

Withdrawal...?



: Kh--! If only I'd mastered the hypno-eye technique... Then I'd take over Monokuma's brain and use him to go get me some Diet Coke! But I never did learn that one... You got lucky this time, bear... So, uh...
: I can't take it anymore! I would literally murder everyone in here for a can of Diet Coke!
: D-Don't say stuff like that! You gotta get through this, man!
: You can say that cuz you don't understand the glory and splendor of Diet Coke!



: Diet Coke is...a friend to all mankind... A single sip and your body melts like butter! It's the kind of high nothing can match. It clears my mind, and even the most boring conversation sounds like a cinematic masterpiece!
: Kh...! I knew I was going through withdrawal...! Am I hallucinating now!?
: Kyaaaaahhh! Away, vile spirits! I cast thee out!
: Hifumi, calm down!
: Nng... Here come the auditory hallucinations. That voice...!



: Ah! Princess Piggles! It's you!
: S-Snap out of it, man!
: The princess told me to snap out of it...!
: You can't let Diet Coke beat you!
: You're right, I won't lose... I'm a strong boy! I can endure this! For you, my princess!
: Now let's play tag! Hooray! Hooray! Tag, you're it! *leaves*





Squealing like a little girl, Hifumi ran off to who knows where...

: Umm... He's gonna be okay...right?

Yeah. He'll be fine. For sure.

: This event gives us SP+1.
: The fourth event takes place at the pool.



: So you want to be around me, eh? That means you must have realized that I have certain...powers.
: Yes, that's right! My greatest power is my ability to negate the powers of others! I've never actually used it in a fight yet, but I'm not worried. Cuz whatever abilities they have...all I need is my power of negation!

Hifumi cornered me and made me take part in his delusion... Hifumi and I grew a little closer today.



> Yes, definitely



Tips & Tips: A thick book that has hints and codes for every game ever released. A must-have for any true gaming fanatic.


: Er, I mean, I guess it's okay!
: Anyway, if you wanted to hang out for a while...!

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



: Hey, Mr. Naegi?
: Yeah? What's up?
: I feel like you're worthy of my trust, you know? You're the only one...I can confess to.



: I've reached my limit. I need to get out of here. Right now.
: H-Hey, come on. Don't talk like that when you've got that creepy grin on your face...
: I need to see her. I need to get to a TV. I need to see the real Princess Piggles.

What's he mean, "real"? She's a cartoon cahracter. But now might be a bad time to bring that up...

: L-Listen, don't get so upset. I'm sure you'll see her again really soon! You'll see your...uh, what was it? Something angel pretty pudgy princess?





: "Something" angel...? SOMETHING angel!?
: How dare you insult the princess like that!? Say her name right, swine!

Her official name... Uh...what was it again? I know it was definitely "something" angel...



> Demon

: Oh! Now I remember! The full title is Demon Angel Pretty Pudgy Princess, right!?
: It's actually Demon Angel☆Pretty Pudgy Princess, to be precise. You left out the star. But I suppose I'll let that slide.
: Th-Thanks... But jeez, Hifumi... You really love that anime, huh?
: Of course. She's my guiding angel. She opened my eyes to life.





: Before her, I didn't have a single friend. I was just a mild-mannered boy who liked to draw. I hurt everything I touched. I was a model young lad who fell to the Dark Side... For example! Sometimes a nicey-nice type girl would come try to talk to me, right?
: You know, be nice to the weird, dorky kid. And I'd scream at her, "You're such a hypocrite!"
: I'd just yell right in her face and make her cry. Man I loved doing that...

That's awful... He probably traumatized that poor girl!

: But by total chance, I happened to catch an episode of Demon Angel☆Pretty Pudgy Princess one day. At first, I felt nothing but contempt for it. I thought it was just another magical girl anime.



: However...after that, she came to me in my dreams.
: Your dreams...?
: I dreamed that I went on date after lovely date with Princess Piggles. It was...so much fun. When I woke up and realized it was a dream, I got depressed. But I also realized...I was in love. I wanted to experience that sensation again, so I started buying all the Princess Piggles stuff I could.
: Unfortunately, in the show itself, the princess never falls in love... So as much as I wanted to, I never got to see her face filled with love, the way I did in my dream.
: The face she made when she was in love was the cutest thing I've ever seen...



: So, filled to the brim with my overflowing affection for the princess, I decided to draw that face myself! I was consumed with passion, and I finished one Princess Piggles project after another. I was so happy with the reults, I decided to put it up on my personal website, just to see what happened.
: And it was an instant success! That was the moment I was reborn as a true fanfic creator!
: So that's why, huh?
: I was so happy... I had no idea there were other people on the planet who'd felt the same things I had. I can't thank her, I know that! So instead...
: I'll ball up all my love and affection, and use it to do incredibly embarrassing things to her!



I think he missed the mark...by a mile. But...maybe I'm better off for hearing what he had to say. I think I understand him a little better now...

: She's still developing as a woman, you know! And I can keep developing her in all sorts of ways!

...And maybe understanding him just a *little* better is good enough.

: This event unlocks the skill Delusion. It takes 5 SP. It's actually a really helpful skill if you know you're likely to take damage during a trial because it will slowly restore your HP gauge while you're Focusing. It combos well with other Focus Gauge-related skills and is overall a solid choice. The major downside again is that it's locked behind Hifumi's FTEs so you'd need to know of its existence on the first playthrough or get really lucky and choose to do his events before he dies. The other downside is that it uses a lot of SP, meaning you have less opportunity to use other skills. It's one of only three skills to use 5 SP.
: The fifth and final event starts in the laundry room.





: You wanna hear what I have to say, huh? Well, what would you like to talk about? Comics? Video games? Anime? Collectible figures? Take your pick!

I listened to Hifumi's half-obsessed ranting for longer than I would've liked... Hifumi and I grew a little closer today.



> Yes, definitely



Demon Angel Princess Figure: A collectible figure of Princess Piggles, the popular heroine from "Demon Angel Pretty Pudgy Princess."

: I was once a ruthless ubermensch, but Mr. Naegi has awakened my heart through the power of friendship! May I call you...my master? What is thy bidding, my master?

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



: Hi there, Mr. Naegi. It's kind of embarrassing, but there was something I was hoping to talk to you about...
: I'll be waiting in my room...! Come as soon as you can! *leaves*

Without another word, Hifumi ran off.

: I wonder what's going on...

To go our of his way to invite me to his room... What could he want to talk to me about?

I did what Hifumi asked and headed straight for his room.



: Gwehehe... Welcome, Mr. Naegi, to my secret flower garden...!
: So, what did you want to talk about? Is it about Princess Piggles again?
: Piggles...?
: No! Who cares about her!?
: What do you mean, who cares? I thought *you* cared! Like, a lot!





: Oh, well, maybe I misspoke. It's just that I don't have room to think about her right now. See, I was kinda starting to think about...just maybe...creating something original.
: Original...?
: It's actually been in the back of my mind the whole time I've been doing fanfic. Fanfic is amazing, don't get me wrong. It's a way to connect people to a shared dream, so to speak.
: But I think I have more to offer. I'm ready for the challenge of creating that dream myself! I was thinking...if I could create something that might save someone, the way the princess saved me...



: I want to create a masterpiece that will astound a mainstream audience! I only watch anime on the weekend, and I only really know the most popular comics... I want to try and make something that has the same reach as stuff like that! I guess what I really want to do, is create something that other people will want to make fanfic of...
: Of course, I'll still keep making fanfic myself! That's my life's work, after all! But if that can coexist alongside original work, that's like the best of both worlds!
: So that's your dream?
: Uwah! A dream...!? When you put it like that...! Ahh, stop! You're embarrassing me!
: But...having a dream to work toward is really nice. I'll be cheering you on...in private.



: No, Mr. Naegi! In private is unacceptable!
: ...Huh?
: I want you to become my assistant. That's right, a legendary assistant-slash-historian!





: Oh man, how cool is that!? You'll be like my own personal narrator!
: Long ago, there was a man named Hifumi Yamada. He was an incredibly famous fanfic creator...
: His grandpa went up the mountain to cut and cut and cut...and cut...gwehehe... His grandma spent her days washing clothes. Washing pants. Washing...all kinds of stuff... Here comes a rare giant peach down the river... Grab it! Sell it to the highest bidder!
: ...Hifumi?



: Oh, sorry. I just got a little carried away in my latest plot.

That's what that was...?

: Anyway, I'll be counting on you to give the world a play-by-play as I ascend into godhood. Um, I mean...if I'm successful...
: I'll be counting on your unique perspective...as my friend.



I'm glad I got to learn about Hifumi's dreams... I feel like I've come to understand Hifumi a lot better... I think we've finally become friends in the truest sense of the word.

: This final event gives us SP+1. It also gives us a star on his report card and unlocks a bronze Playstation trophy titled Lost in Scanslation.


Hifumi Yamada's Character Art