Part 43: 07/10/09 - 07/29/09: The Butterfly Effect

Alright, time to pick up where we left off. I really didn't expect to split July in two quite like this, but here we are.



And also here's Akihiko for good measure.

After School





Man, it's crowded in here. Is there a promotion going on?
That reminds me, the other day Mitsuru...



> A small boy sitting with his family at the next table begins screaming...



> The mother's voice is getting louder as she argues with her child...

> It's reached the point that your ears are hurting...

Senpai, should we leave?
Huh? Is something wrong?

> Akihiko is surprised...

> It seems that Akihiko wasn't bothered by the commotion at all...

> The family at the table next to you has gotten embarrassed and begins to leave.

> The child's screaming slowly recedes into the distance...



> Akihiko is absentmindedly watching them off...

He's just a child.
Then you shouldn't hold it against him that he's acting like one...



> Akihiko suddenly falls silent...

Warm Feeling



Do you think I'm... strange?
You're charming.
Th-That's not what I asked.
.....



Sometimes people tell me that I'm a weird guy, or that I act kind of strange...
Normally, I wouldn't let that kind of thing get to me...
But back in the day...



It's not like I could do anything about that...
That's why... I wanted to show them that they were wrong.
Psh... That doesn't matter now. That all happened back when I was a kid anyway...
...I mean, the orphanage wasn't all bad, either.

> Akihiko smiles gently...

Oh, sorry... I don't think I ever told you.
I don't have any parents. My sister and I grew up in an orphanage.



We've even seen a couple hints about this already, even in the main playthrough. The most obvious one was during one of Aki's one-to-one conversations with Shinji, naturally.

...That reminds me, you don't have parents either.
Ah, sorry. I shouldn't have brought that up...
.....
No, wait... I think that might be why I wanted you to hear what I had to say about this.
...Because I think I can depend on you to understand me.

> Akihiko smiles wryly...

> You feel like you understand Akihiko a little better now...





> You returned to the dorm with Akihiko.

It's nice getting to see stuff lieke this from Akihiko sometimes. Helps flesh him out a bit, too.

Anyway, uh, now we'll have our first real skip through a large period of July since there's not much else we can do that's new. We're rapidly approaching finals again, after all, so we'll pick right back up immediately afterwards.

Joy



I was just in a bad mood and I took it all out on you...
I know it wasn't too cool of me...
It's okay.
Alright... Thanks.
Let's go back to how things used to be between us, okay?
Alright, let's get going.

Not overly different to how it was before, but it shows that no matter what Junpei can realise that, yeah, he messed up and apologises for it of his own volition.



But, hey, the most important difference is, like, A Lot Of Yakushima so let's enjoy a vacation!

Silence



W-wow, so many tropical plants...!
Take a look at that one...
.....
.....

> But the atmosphere is still heavy...

Um...
I-It's totally amazing, huh! Man, this is so awesome... I'm not even kidding!
Junpei-kun...
*sigh*

This is just a mini-scene to replace the animated cutscene, since they don't exist here for space reasons.

The scene at the mansion is the same, minus character models, which is sensible enough. The beach...

Joy





Yup! Summer's here!

> You can tell even at this distance that Junpei is extremely excited...



But yikes, what's with Akihiko-senpai's swimsuit...?
I can feel my face getting red just looking at it...



.....?
Something wrong, Yukari?
That's a pretty... small... swimsuit...
What, don't you know?
Swimsuits like this reduce water resistance and--
Oh, that's okay... It doesn't need to be justified.
...Hey Junpei, what's the matter? You look even dumber than usual.



Yuka-tan's wearing a more aggressive model than I had imagined!



What!?
And check out our leader! She's one cute mermaid herself!



Thanks!
Maaaan, the beach is so great. I love this place!

Fuuka and Mitsuru's relevant bits are functionally identical to before, so we'll gloss over them for sensible reasons.



.....

> Akihiko and Junpei are whispering to each other...

Huh!? Really!?



Maaan, really? No joke?
What're you two smirking about?
Nothing?
...Okaaay.
Man, this is great! I'm in heaven!
How 'bout a swim!?
Buh buh buh bump ba baaa! Charge!
Whoa! I'm not letting you win that easily!

The bit about Aigis spying on us from off-screen still happens, naturally.



The general dialogue is mostly the same, but Akihiko mentions relaxing under the parasol. This is because he doesn't function as a way to leave/save any more.



He just hints at the parasol being a save point, which I guess is nice for if you're not using these icons for one reason or another.



But that's all there is today and the Aigis stuff is the main event anyway.

Yeah, Yukari's event plays out the same but without the option to give her a hug which... you'd really think they'd keep.



The initial dialogue goes the same, but you get Yukari mentioning this outright because, well, no character models any more.

Joy



...But what about Akihiko and Junpei's terrible antics?



Man, what lazybones! The ocean's not gonna sit around and wait for us, ya know?
You're right. Once the sun sets, the water temperature drops, tiring you out much faster.
Huh? Uhh, I guess... Is that what you're worried about...?
That reminds me. One of the maids gave me a letter as we were leaving...
Whoa, hey, Junpei!



No buts! I ain't letting any love letter from a lovely maid slip through my fingers!
How dumb can you get?
Uhh, let's see here...



...Huh!?
It looks like Fuuka's handwriting...
Aw man!
We're at an island resort in the middle of summer! Why don't they go to the beach!?
That's just not right!!
Well, it is your fault.
Whaddya mean? I-I just wanted to lighten up the mood...
I don't want to hear it.
Well, it doesn't matter, anyway...
We're on our own now, just the guys!
If you're outta ammo, you pick it up on the battlefield! That's one of the most basic military tactics!



"Babe Hunt"...?
You mean, like, pick up girls...?
Whaddya think, Akihiko-san? With you on the squad, we're guaranteed to succeed!
Nah, I'll pass...



Wh-What!?
Hey, I'm not judging you. Most guys would rather back down than lose.
All right... we're doing this!



Huh...?



Commence the operation!
Loser? Whaddya mean loser?

...You mentioned it first. You explicitly turned it into a competition. Which, arguably, makes this event even worse somehow. Fortunately!

Wait, we're gonna go hit on them separately!?



...Oh, I see. You're here with your boyfriend...

Notably, for starters, each scene here is heavily truncated and only shows one side of the - very brief - conversations.



Say, do you know the most efficient swimming technique? The butterfly stroke uses your leg strength to...
...Oh, I-I see.



Oh, don't worry. I'm really good at it.
Huh? You're trying to get a tan? I'm in the way...? Oh, 'scuse me, then...

And the best part is that it even removed the transphobia that didn't need to exist in the first place. A much better scene all around, really.



Whaddaya mean...?
That indirect approach of yours isn't gonna help you score...
What?
So you're saying I should use cheesy come-ons like yours?
Honesty is the best policy!
I mean, who wants to listen to a guy drone on about muscles and...
.....
What's up? You see something...?



Yeah, Aigis is still just hanging out on the pier for whatever reason. The scene here is the same as before, but without the irrelevant RPS bit.



When it gets to the part when Makoto went to talk to her, however, it diverges slightly.

.....
Awww, she took off...
...It wasn't because of us, was it?
Who knows...
Wait, she's heading into the forest!



Why, you think there might be bears or something?
I... don't know about that, but... We should go after her!

Troubled



...I really wanna know how that happened.

> .....?

> You sense a strong gaze, more palpably than before...



> It's a girl...

> She must be the one who has been watching you.

Hello.
I was correct...
I have found you.



I have been searching for you.
My highest priority is to be with you!

> It doesn't seem like she wants to let go...



> Junpei and Akihiko have arrived...

> Even then, it doesn't seem like she plans on letting go...



That explains why we got the cold shoulder...

This is also surprisingly good for a modern Persona game. Just a "oh, I see, okay" and then immediately moving on. Things like this really stand out because they feel like they were written by someone different entirely and that's a very good thing.



Huh!? Junpei!?
What are you doing here!? We've been looking all over for you!
Um... What're you doing in the middle of the woods, in your swimsuits...?
You have no idea what we've--
Huh!?



She says I'm her priority.
...What?
Listen, we've encountered a problem.
I'm sorry to interrupt your vacation, but I need you all to go back to the house and prepare for battle.

And from there, the scene ends the same way as before.



The second part also plays out identically, but it's really weird that Aigis walks in, we get "this is Aigis" and... she's not on-screen. I dunno, that just strikes me as weird.

Joy



The 3rd day's beach scene is mostly the same as before, but the end has a very large and very clear divergence...

Got it.



Akihiko-sempai!
This again...? I guess we should go too, Kotone.



Aaaaaack!
Junpei-kun is down!
Alright, here's our chance for an All-Out Attack!



I've been waiting for this!

Whoa, whoa, time out! I seriously can't take much more of this...! Gyaaaaah!

> You had a fun time with your friends at Yakushima...

> With Aigis joining, things are likely to get livelier...



> SEES's determination in battle has been enhanced...



Also, yeah, new mechanic unlocked and this one is backported from Persona 4. Key difference is that this is unlocked for everyone, as opposed to requiring it to be done piecemeal. HP death is definitely more likely than normal against bosses thanks to being on Maniac, but like it's generally because it's a massive oneshot even at full HP anyway so...

> The Yakushima vacation has ended. You returned to the dormitory...



Skipping way ahead now to when we get told about Sports and, yeah, that still happens but I feel like it makes more sense here? I dunno. That might just be me, since we're in a volleyball club and all.



And, hey, let's have one last hang out with someone before summer hits and, uh.... Fuuka? Sure, Fuuka sounds good.

Joy



> Various sweets are in the book that Fuuka brought for today...

> Based on the ingredients you have on hand, you decide to make cupcakes.

D-Do you think I can make something that difficult...?
Let's make it together.
O-Okay. I'll try my best not to get in your way!



Let's do this. Let me know if I do something wrong.
Um... First I need to sift the flour, right?



...H-How?! How do you make a mistake even remotely close to that.

That's sugar.
Huh? ..Oh, you're right.
It was white, so I thought it was flour... Th-Thanks for stopping me.
Um, I sift it into the bowl and then mix butter in...
...Should I use my hands to mix it in? I know that you use your hands when making hamburger patties.
Use a whisk.



> You had some leftover bananas, so you tried mashing them in, even though the recipe didn't call for it.

> ..You poured the batter into the cups. All you need to do now is bake them.

> A light, sweet smell permeates the room.



...Whenever I try that...
You did your best, too.
Kotone-chan... Yeah, thanks...



*giggle* They're delicious.
I'm so happy that I was able to make something so difficult. ...It's all thanks to you, Kotone-chan.

> Fuuka seems to have gained some self-confidence...

> Together, you've overcome a difficult task, and you feel as if you've grown closer to Fuuka.





I don't want to enjoy them at all once... I wish they'd last forever.



> You cleaned up the room with Fuuka and headed back to the dorm...

Time



Just one last little thing here. For whatever reason, the sports stuff gets pushed forward by 1 whole day to August 1st instead!



Oh, and obviously we have Rio yelling stuff instead of Yuko. Makes sense, though.



But we can't end there, so we'll just go forward a tiny bit more.



This scene isn't different, but you can see Koromaru look even cuter and better.

That's it. That's the entire reason for this.

...Oh shit, I nearly forgot. There's a full moon in like 5 days. Uhh....