Part 164: Free Time Roundup #14

School Mode Free Time Roundup #14: Toko Fukawa





: Today, we'll be going through Toko's Free Time Events. She has five events of varying length, so this will probably be a fairly long update. I'm gonna love typing out her stuttering!



> Spend time together



: I was p-perfectly happy spending time by m-myself...
: But I guess if you're so d-desperate for attention, I can h-hang out for a little bit...

I spent some time with a cold and distant Toko... Toko and I grew a little closer today.



> Yes, definitely



Water Flute: A unique type of flute. You pour water into the base and blow into the top, which can create a variety of sounds similar to a chirping bird.

: You don't really...! D-Do you...?
: N-No, you're just trying to trick me! Trying to m-make me the butt of your joke...

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



: ... ...

She's just standing there. Does she want something...?

: ...

But she's not saying anything...

: ...

Maybe I should try to start a conversation...

: U-Um, Toko...?



: What? You wanna t-talk to me? Well, I can't stop y-you. So talk already!

Okay, sure, but...what should I say?

: So, uh, what do you like to do in your spare time?
: Why do you w-wanna know...?
: Well, I mean, you know... We're trapped here together, right? If we're gonna be friends, it'd be nice to get to know each other.





: Huh? What'd you just s-say?
: Um...
: After that p-part about being trapped... We're gonna be wh-what?
: Uh...friends?
: Hmmmeeheheheeh... Whaddya mean, f-friends!? You think I'm s-stupid? You're trying to trick me!



: I've already been h-hurt once before... I'm not gonna l-let it happen again...!

You've been hurt? What happened...?

: Come on, y-you don't really care about m-me... You don't want to kn-know about me! Even I know that...!
: N-No, that's not true...!
: Fine. Then t-tell me...
: Tell you what?



: You know why they c-call me the Ultimate Writing Prodigy, right?
: Yeah, sure. You've won all kinds of literature prizes and stuff.
: Then tell me wh-what I'm good at... Tell m-me what my genre specialty is! If you r-really wanna convince me you give a crap, you should at least kn-know that!

The genre that the Ultimate Writing Prodigy specializes in...



> Romance

: It's romance, of course.





: Oh...you a-actually knew?
: Your biggest success was "So Lingers the Ocean," right? Everyone says it's your masterpiece. The book was such a hit that fishermen shot to the top of all the "Hottest Men" polls...right?
: How did y-you know all that...? There's no way you c-care about me...!
: I'm telling you, I do! I mean, we're friends, aren't we?
: Nng...! I'm blind! Your s-straightforward nature blinded me! Hyeeeeeeeehhh! *leaves*



Toko ran off, screaming like a banshee.

: I'm not really sure... Does she hate me now?
: This event unlocks the skill Vocabulary. It gives you a couple extra bullets to use when locking on during Bullet Time Battles. It's kind of useful, but there are more useful skills for BTBs. Then again, it's available as soon as you start the game, so availability is nice.
: The second event takes place at the Pool.



: You want to s-spend time with me...?
: I don't know what you're p-planning, but...

I spent some time with Toko... Toko and I grew a little closer today...



> Yes, definitely



Maiden Handbag: Available only at the posh Maiden Road, which is geared toward female fanfic fans. Please, PLEASE take me with you next time you go!

: I c-can't forgive this... I'll never forgive you f-for being this nice to me...!

Seeing Toko so pleased with something I gave her makes me happy!



: ...

I thought Toko totally hated me...

: ...

But it's not like she's going out of her way to avoid me. Still...we're not actually talking, either.

: H-Hey, Toko...?



: Wh-What? You have a question? You have a question f-for your classmate...!?

Huh? Is she...happy?

: So I kinda asked before, but what do you like to do in your spare time?
: I just w-write. I'm serialized, so I'm a-always really busy...! And when I'm not writing, I'm s-studying. I'm not an idiot l-like you...!



: Agh, d-dammit...! I had to go and open my b-big mouth again... You must hate me for s-sure now, right?
: No, it didn't really bother me... But I can't believe you actually write novels! And that people all over the world read them... So...how do you get your ideas for what you write? Is it like, real-life experience, or...?





: Are you stupid!?
: What...?
: I t-told you, didn't I? I write romance novels...! How could I use m-my real-life experiences for that...!?
: It's all from my i-imagination! It's just delusions! Delusions let you fall in l-love as much as you want, even if you n-never do in real life!
: Or are you s-saying you can't write romance unless you already have lots of experiences i-in love...?
: N-No, not at all...



: It's okay. I'm used to p-people making fun of me... B-But...
: Someday, I'll show them! I'll get pretty s-someday and show them all...! *leaves*



Boiling over like magma, Toko stormed off.

: This time I'm *sure* she hates me...
: This event gives us SP+1.
: The third event takes place in the Dressing Room.



> Yes, definitely



Glasses: They say that wearing these while performing incantations will help you better speak with the target of your spell.

: I c-can't forgive this... I'll never forgive you f-for being this nice to me...!

Seeing Toko so pleased with something I gave her makes me happy!



: Hey...! I want to t-talk to you.

Huh? That's strange. Toko never wants to talk to me... I thought she hated my guts.

: Are you l-listening to me?
: Oh, sorry! Yeah, I'm listening!
: I just w-wanted to clear something up. I mean, I *have* to clear it up. What I said before... I d-don't want you to get the wrong idea, o-okay?
: Huh? What did you say?



: About not having any love in r-real life.
: I don't want you thinking I-I don't have any experience a-at all! Even someone like m-me has...gone on a date.
: Oh...
: It's true! I'm not l-lying! I'll tell you all about it if y-you really wanna hear!
: Um, no, it's okay...



: I was in junior h-high, and out of nowhere this g-guy from another class just asked me o-out.

Okay, guess I'm hearing it anyway...

: He asked m-me to make plans for the date. I stayed up all n-night for three days planning it. And what I came up with w-was... It was our f-frst date, so I wanted to do something t-traditional. I decided on going to see s-something.
: What was it...?
: Are you stupid!? When you're talking t-traditional date stuff what do you THINK it w-was!?

On a traditional date, you go to see something... What else could it be but...?



> A movie

: You planned to go see a movie?
: Y-Yeah. It's pretty cool, right? You do w-watch it, then afterward talk about it all p-passionately... In other words, it's i-ideal first-date material.

You stayed up for three days, and that's what you came up with...?

: Next I had to d-decide what to go see. Since we were in junior h-high, we couldn't go see some kid's m-movie, right? I wanted something really a-action packed.
: Yeah, a guy would definitely like that kinda thing. And it could get you both pumped up!





: So we d-decided to check out a Seijun Suzuki t-triple feature. "Tokyo Drifter," "Fighting Elegy," and "Branded to Kill." I-Irresistable for any guy, right?
: Umm...and those are all...?
: You don't know who S-Seijun Suzuki is!? He's world-famous for h-his one-of-a-kind aesthetic, his u-unique blending of color!
: S-Sorry...
: The killer's the main character, and he gets r-riled up by the smell of cooking rice. A murder masterpiece!
: Honestly, I think there's probably not a lot of guys my age who have any idea who he is...



: Ngggh! You're right... I learned that f-fact the hard way. He musta h-hated it, cuz he disappeared right i-in the middle of the first movie!
: What!? He just left!? And after you'd put all that effort into planning everything out? That's awful...
: W-Well, it is what it is. Besides, I found out i-it was just a dare, anyway...
: A dare...?
: Yeah. He lost a b-bet with his friends, so he had to go o-out on a date with me... And there I was, s-spending three days to come up with something for us to d-do...



: This is all y-your fault! You made me remember that terrible t-trauma!
: My fault!?
: Do you like h-humiliating me that much? Is th-that how you get your kicks? I've finally seen the r-real you...
: N-No, I...!
: I c-can't be around you and your perverted f-fetish anymore...! I'm l-l-leaving! *leaves*





Eyes burning with hatred, Toko glared at me before stomping off.

: Okay, seriously. Now she's *gotta* hate me...
: This event gives us SP+1.
: The fourth event takes place in the Art Room.



: What, more p-pity? Aren't you such a g-good person, showing me all this pity...?

I spent some time with Toko... Toko and I grew a little closer today.



> Yes, definitely



Novelist's Fountain Pen: It once belonged to a late, great novelist. They say the writer's soul is sealed within the pen, and any user can only write one sentence: "I have become something not human."

: Sorry, but I'm already e-engaged to Master. So I can't g-go on a date with you... If you're okay with th-that, I don't mind if you...think about m-me.

Seeing Toko so pleased with something I gave her makes me happy!





: ... ...

I could feel Toko's silent pressure on me, stronger than ever...

: Take r-responsibility...
: ...Huh? Responsibility? Me...?
: I've been t-trapped in here too long. There's nothing to do. The boredom's s-started killing me... So I thought maybe I could write my n-next novel... The p-pinnacle of romance literature!
: But I c-can't do it...
: Huh? Why not?



: I've got a writer's b-block... My powers of delusion are i-in a complete slump...! This has never h-happened before...
: What caused it?
: You d-did! When you opened up all those o-old wounds!
: You're blaming me!?



: Ghh...! I can't t-take it anymore No more writing for me! I'm r-retiring!
: Retiring? But that's such a waste! You've got so much talent!
: No, I'm d-done. I was never all that good i-in the first place...! And now I don't have the m-motivation or willpower anymore, e-either...

Damn... It's like she's haunted by all those ghosts of her past...

: Listen, Toko... Why not take this opportunity to look back at why you started doing this in the first place?
: Why I started...?
: Yeah, why you started writing at all. Reflect on that, and I'm sure it'll give you at least a little motivation.





: ...It all started...w-with a single love letter.
: A love letter...?
: When I was in e-elementary school, I...fell in l-love for the first time... He was a friend of mine. There weren't any feelings a-at first. He was the only boy I c-could talk to without getting h-hung up... But then he told me...h-his family was moving to Shikoku... As soon as he said that, I could f-feel my chest start to tighten...



: At first I d-didn't even understand what I was feeling. It was a total mystery... B-But I was too embarrassed to tell him h-how I felt directly. So instead...I wr-wrote him a love letter. And then...
: And then...?
: The next day, the d-day he left...I saw he'd hung the letter up o-on the school bulletin board...
: What...?
: I got to talk to him a-again later on... Apparently h-he hated the fact that I talked to h-him so much... All the other kids u-used to make fun of him for it... I guess that was his revenge, to sh-show the world my letter r-right before running off...!

That's the most miserable "first love" story I've ever heard...!

: But one of the t-teachers that read the letter...said I h-had a talent for writing... And that's what s-sparked my interest in writing.
: So that's what happened, huh?





: Grrhh! And now I dug up TH-THAT terrible memory! It's all your f-fault! All this trauma...! It's all p-pointless! I'll never write another sublime love story ever ag-gain!
: Well then...why don't you try writing something besides romance stuff?
: ...Huh?
: What I mean is, why don't you just write about what you're actually feeling? Write from the heart.
: You're saying I sh-should take these feelings of anger and emptiness...and turn them into a novel?

Honestly, I think that'd probably do her a lot of good...



: Aha...ahaha! That's n-not a bad idea...! Fine! I'm g-gonna do it! Write from the h-heart! Ahaheeheha...! I...I'm gonna d-do it! Ahohuhehueh...! *leaves*





Toko dragged her screeching laughter behind her as she ran off.

: Well...she definitely seems motivated. But is that a good thing...?
: This event gives us SP+1.
: The fifth and final event starts off in the Laundry Room.



> Yes, definitely



Antique Doll: A porcelain doll. Due to the exquisite craftsmanship of the doll and its clothing, many people still collect and prize them to this very day.

: I c-can't forgive this... I'll never forgive you f-for being this nice to me...!

Seeing Toko so pleased with something I gave her makes me happy!



: Hey, M-Makoto? Could you come to my room...?
: Huh...?
: I want to sh-show you something. I'll be waiting th-there... *leaves*



That's not like her, to just talk to someone so opened like that... And she wants me to come to her room...?

: Well, I'd better do what she asked.



I quickly made my way to Toko's room...



: Th-Thanks for coming...
: But don't get the wrong i-idea! I didn't ask you here for a-anything...like that! If you lay a hand on me, I'll b-bite my own tongue off and choke o-on the blood! Till I'm d-dead!
: Trust me, that's not gonna happen... Anyway, what's going on? You said you had something you wanted to show me?
: I was hoping you would...r-read this.

Toko handed me a massive stack of thick paper. I saw handwriting on the top sheet, the neat letters packed close together.

: Is this...?



: I took your advice and s-started writing. I wanted you to be th-the first one to read it...
: Th-Thanks...

I started scanning the text. A few seconds later, I was still reading... The words kept flowing into my head, the scenery unfolding before my very eyes...!

: It's good... This is really good, Toko! I dunno if I've ever read anything this good!
: It's pretty g-good, right? Hehehe...!

But... It's really dark! Super dark! Reading it kinda makes me wanna die!

: You know what they c-call the type of writing where the author has directly experienced the subject matter? It's a kind of naturalistic style popular in Japan. Katai Tayama's "Futon" started it all...

Novels that use the author's own experiences... I'm pretty sure I learned about that at some point...



> I-Novel

: Are you talking about an I-Novel?
: C-Correct...! Mine's still a w-work in progress, though. But as soon a-as it's finished...



: ...it's going to b-become a shocking masterpiece that'll change the face of the I-Novel f-forever!

Knowing her...she might actually be right about that... It'd definitely some dark, heavy stuff. But it's the kind of thing you just can't put down.

: It *will* be a masterpiece, I have no doubt about that.
: And it's all th-thanks to you, Makoto. Thanks to you, I-I... ...





: Ahh, I'm s-so embarrassed...! I'll express my a-appreciation in the form of a poem!
: A poem...?
:

"On a locked and rusted door
I dug my nails in and dragged them down

Warm blood mixed with old rust
Flowing down my wrist
Coils like a snake
Embracing my body

You watch me
A smile in your eyes
You watch

Time runs away
And you with it
You leave me drowning in a red sea."

: ...Well? Now do you understand how I feel?

God I hope not... But if it makes her happy, that's all that matters. Can I say that because I've finally started to understand her, even if only a little bit...?



: S-So...that's it for now. You've helped me find m-my motivation. Now I have to do my b-best to bring the story to an end. And when there's someone there t-to support me for that...
: ...that's what you c-call a friend...right?



Friend... I never imagined I'd hear Toko say that word. But yes...Toko and I had finally become true friends.

: Now get out b-before you decide to lunge for m-me after all!

Toko kicked me out of her room, so I headed back to my own.

: This final event gives us SP+1.
: Unlike the rest of the characters though...



: It does not give us the star on our Report Card. Why is that? Well... Don't forget, there's still one more person that survived...


Toko Fukawa's Character Art