Part 36: Thrift Shop

Now that we've finished Chapter 1, the swingset has been replaced by this scaffold and Kaede's piano.

NEW MUSIC: V3 Gallery Music



Here's the extra menu, where you can spend Monocoins to access special images, cinematics, music and Free Time events whenever you want. I've gotten almost all of them in my old save file, which helps out a bit in the LP. Today, we'll be accessing the Monomono Machine from here.

MUSIC: Mr. Monokuma's Lesson V3



With the pretty penny I made from doing the trial twice, I decided to see if it was more efficient to insert coins one at a time regardless of the repeat rate. Someone in the thread attested to that effect.



This paid off at first.



Here's something I wish I could actually get for cheap from a vending machine, am I right?



But it wasn't long before I hit a dry spot. Maybe this might be a more efficient way to fill out the present list, but I only have so much patience.



Gee, thanks, game. I couldn't wait to get this rare drop.



This is about where I gave up. Getting a repeat rate of over 95% after spending less than 200 coins was a good place to quit it.



It was time to resort to the tried and true tactic of many an obsessive gamer: save-scumming.



A bit cheap, but I don't want to have wasted forty coins getting another one of these.



That's more like it.



I had to go all the way back to the title screen when things didn't go my way.



But after only several attempts, I finally got everything! Now I never have to use this machine again, and I can save my coins for something else.



With that out of the way, it's time to fire up the Wayback Machine.

MUSIC: Becoming Friends



As a commenter pointed out, Kaede has two free time events with each other student, while Shuichi has five. The thread opted to spread her stuff out instead of dumping it all in this update.



Let's check in on our favorite scene kid.





I think you've earned a little break.



Then let's take a break together.









Fifty-nine percent? That seems low for cleaning out a MonoMono Machine. Anyway, I gotcha a gag gift, Rantaro. Hope you like it!



I'll get you something special one day too. I have some pretty rare things myself.





Hey, are you hitting on me?

Ha, no, I'm not trying to hit on you. I guess people assume I'm a sleazy guy because of the way I look, but I'm not.



Hm... But maybe it's so old-school that it's looped around and become cool again.

Haha, yeah, maybe.



I'm surrounded by strong personalities... I like them, but it's a tad overwhelming at times.

Yeah, a lot of the Ultimate students here are pretty unique.



Is this a charitable or uncharitable assessment? You decide!

Now that's true, but he's a detective. Could be hiding his real personality, y'know?

But he's reliable in tough situations. That's not so bad, is it?



Would be...?

Nah, it's nothing.



Um...Miu.

Yeah, Miu's talent is...beyond understanding for ordinary people like us.

But I understand her thought process. She likes to be the one on top.

On top...?

Haha, sorry, I was trying to make a joke...

Hmm, I dunno about that. What's the opposite of a power bottom?

Hmmm...Kiyo.

Oh yeah, talk about first impressions...

But you know, he isn't so hard to understand if you talk to him a little. He's always calm, and he seems pretty sharp. I think he could end up being pretty reliable.

Keebo...

Being a robot is interesting enough that his personality barely matters.

But you know, I think Keebo is on our side...

What do you mean, on our side?

Have you ever heard of the Three Laws of Robotics? The long and short of it is... robots can't harm people. If Keebo's creator was a good scientist, he would have programmed that into Keebo's AI. We're all human, so we can assume that he's on our side.



...



Where did that come from?

From how you observe everyone and make rational judgments about their personalities.

You think so?



But that's a weird way to put it... There's no way he could be used to any of this.





Hahaha, okay, I get it.







*knock, knock*

...

*click*



Oh, sorry. I was just...thinking about something.













Hope's Peak... High School? Never heard of it. Maybe this thing's a bootleg.



I'll get you something special one day too. I have some pretty rare things myself.



You're serious about that, right?

Yeah, of course! Despite these circumstances, I'm happy to have met everyone... I'll always treasure that.



H-Huh? You don't seem too enthusiastic about the idea, Rantaro.

No, it's not that... I would be really happy if I could become friends with you and everyone else.



What if it's...not something to be proud of? Or some kind of useless talent... Or even worse, a talent that would make everyone hate me.



I dunno, I could be the Ultimate Murderous Fiend for all you know.

M-Murderous fiend? I doubt it. That would mess up this whole killing game.

It could be the reason why my memory was wiped, y'know?

N-No way... Rantaro definitely would not have that kind of talent!



The...opposite?

Maybe you're the Ultimate Mystery Writer and if your memory wasn't wiped, you'd solve all this!

...But Shuichi's the Ultimate Detective, and he didn't get his memory wiped.

I-I'm sure there's a reason for that... Maybe you're better at deducing than Shuichi is?



Hey, Shuichi's gonna be stealing her thunder big time in a little bit. She can be as mean to him as she wants.



Okay, you got me. Sorry, I know I'm teasing you.

Anyway, I don't know what you're so worried about...



The reason I'm spending time with you has nothing to do with your talent, Rantaro.

...Thank you. I also want to get out of here soon, to become friends with you all, y'know?



Once we escape this place, I wanna know more about everyone, not just their talents... But also what food they like, what kind of books they read, how they spend their weekends...





Yeah... Honestly, I can't even imagine what sort of stuff everyone's into.

That's why we all should talk more.



But it would be nice to meet up in person every now and then.

I know, I'll invite you to my next concert! You and everyone else!

AUDIO: Rantaro Free Time #1

...I'm looking forward to it, Kaede.

I want us all to meet again...and I'll work hard to make that happen.



...Yeah. You're right.

We nodded to each other. That's right. One person's strength may not be enough, but there are 16 of us here!

If only.







Next we have Shuichi. We'll have plenty more time to spend with him, but not like this.





It really helped that you were with me, Kaede.













Shuichi's a hard guy to shop for.



If it was, they must have quite the budget... They can afford to have aesthetic items like this.

So hard that we didn't get an event from giving him that tracksuit even though two different guides told me he'd like it.





There's a whole day left... but I'm starting to get nervous.





See, this is the thing about characters with low self-esteem. The writer has to walk a fine line or it's easy for a reader without low self-esteem to get fed up with them. I used to be like this, but I'm getting better and I didn't need to be stuck in a death game to do it.



I'm also taking tea recommendations, because I've never made a habit of drinking it before, and I want to see if there's a flavor that won't make my taste buds scream in revolt.







Symbolism! Now here's something that seems like a much better fit for Shuichi.



It'll help soothe my anxiety at dark times like this.



Huh? What do I do?

Do you wear a cap, smoke a pipe, and use a magnifying glass to investigate crime scenes?

Do you say stuff like, "Indeed, most intriguing!"



Um, I'm not old enough to smoke a pipe...

Hahaha, I guess that classic old-fashioned detective look is pretty outdated, huh...

Yeah...I don't do much investigating either...



No, actually... My uncle's detective office is actually fairly popular, so we receive lots of cases...



Sounds pretty routine.

You only see flashy detectives in movies and novels... It's actually better that way.

Yeah, I guess it'd be bad if flashy murder cases kept happening around you! People might think you're the male version of Jessica Fletcher or something!

Ahaha...

Infidelity cases sound intense...

Yeah... Honestly, there are times when it gets pretty hard.

Yeah...I'm sure he's seen some pretty rough things.

Are you alright, Shuichi? You're not weirded out by romance or women, right?

Ah...no?

Oh! And just because you see it happen a lot, that doesn't mean cheating is okay!

N-Never! I would never do something so dishonest!

Shuichi's frantically shaking his head. Yeah, he doesn't seem like the type who would do that.

Sounds boring, but you still work hard.

Ah, well...I'm pretty good at doing boring research...

Oooh, I see. You would be good at that stuff. I can tell by your eyes.

You can tell...by my eyes?

I'm kidding, but...you do come across as someone who dives into the deep-end of their work. I think that's pretty impressive.

Y-You really think so? Thank you...



The other cases are just stuff like...finding runaways and stuff.

Ooh! That could be part of an even bigger case!



It's my job to find them before it comes to that. And it's after they're found that's the hard part.

After they're found?



Detectives have to follow up with them, too?



And it's a policy I agree with. People have reasons for running away...so the case is only closed when all parties are happy.

That's true...



I didn't know detectives were so considerate. Or is Shuichi just a special case?





Because of my bad gift choice, I have to go back to the start of free time yet again.



Thanks for nothing, Poo-ichi.





There are a lot of weird things around here. Maybe we should investigate more?





You could really help me out, Kaede. I'd like to hear from a different perspective.









I could have given Shuichi some sweet cufflinks, but I wasn't feeling too generous to him at the moment, so I gave him this instead. Now he can be Ghost Trick, Phantom Detective.



It'll help soothe my anxiety at dark times like this.



Did your uncle ask you to help him?

Ah, not really. It just kind of happened. It was also a kind of thanks for taking care of me.

He took care of you?





Ah, no, there's not a sad story behind it or anything. My parents went overseas for business.

I see. What are they doing overseas?

One's an actor and one's a screenwriter.



Well, for me, they're just a mom and dad who have a...hands-off approach to parenting. So I don't really see them as celebrities or anything...

Shuichi's smile seems bitter. I wonder if his parents jerk him around a lot...



What was your first case?

First case...?

The first case you personally oversaw. First times are usually a big deal for people, right? I still remember my first piano recital.

Without a doubt, the experience of my first performance is still with me to this day.



It's actually not a case that came through my uncle's office. I accepted it on my own.

Huh? What do you mean?



His first case as a detective was to find a missing pet?

...You look like you weren't expecting that.

...That obvious, huh? I guess you don't need to be the Ultimate Detective to deduce that.



My uncle's office doesn't have a big staff, so he usually just recommends an ace pet detective.

Hopefully he doesn't recommend that guy to his trans customers.

I didn't know pet detectives were a thing...

I couldn't say no, so I accepted the case...but I didn't expect I'd have to find an alligator.



Ah, well, it was a *miniature* alligator. One that you can keep as a pet.

Surprisingly real, though most of the results I got were for dwarf caimans.

Okay, but still...that's pretty intense.



I had to climb around mountains and swim up rivers... It was a lot of work. Compared to that, the first fight I came across during an infidelity case was nothing.



Yes, of course.

That's a relief! Your classmate must've been happy too, right?



Chocolate!?

...I'm pretty sure it was just as friends, though.



Heh, you might be right... But I think it was reward enough.

Are you sure...?



And...I was so happy to be of use to someone. I can still hear her "thank you" to this day.

Shuichi laughed bashfully. He seems pretty satisfied with how everything turned out.



I think you were destined to be a detective.

...What makes you say that?

When you told me how you follow up with your clients... It never once occurred to me that detectives could show that kind of compassion. Compassion makes people trust you. If you offer them your hand, they'll reach for it... The world needs more detectives like you. So...I hope you'll stay a detective forever.



Oh, but that's just my opinion! In the end, it's your decision, Shuichi.

Yeah, of course... But thank you, Kaede.

Wh-Why are you thanking me? I just gave you my opinion, that's all.



AUDIO: Shuichi Free Time

I'll never forget this moment. I'll be able to believe in myself and be proud of being a detective.

I can feel the resolve behind that statement. I'm not sure how Shuichi interpreted my words... But if it helped him in any way, then that's good enough for me.





Having 40% more free time events means that many more Friendship Fragments, but it'll be a while before we spend them. For now, back to the main story.