Part 58: 09/12/09 - 09/14/09

Alright, so, uh, this is an awkward stretch of time for my cunning plan of just blitzing Kenji's link to get it done. He's only available for 3 days a week after all...

Changing Seasons / Sun



Kamakura is cool and all, but it can't beat the Sengoku era!
Have we covered enough of this yet? I can skip over to the Sengoku era, yeah?
All right, let's take a close look at the Sengoku era, from the beginning.



After that, the next big event in the Sengoku era's formation was the Coup of Meiou in 1493.
Let's look closer at the Ohnin War. In 1467...



We're only up to 1467, but there's still a lot to cover... I guess it can't be helped.
Next time, we'll jump to 1468.

Didn't really get any info there, at all, to keep in mind for way down the line. Oh well.

Troubled



...But, they said we can't give you back your Evoker.
...I wasn't expecting them to. That's why they started watching me in the first place.
...Oh, how's that cut doin'?
...Prolly already healed, huh.
...So, how come you're not drawing today...?
...Does it matter?
Well, uh, not really...



It's okay. I'll take care of it...



...Huh, that's an unexpected use for magic all things considered.



...I made them healthy again.
You can do that!?
That's incredible, Chidori!
It's nothing special.
You have powers too, don't you?
Well, yeah, I guess... but...



Without that... I'd be a nobody.
I just talk a big game... pretendin' like I'm some kinda hero.
But in reality... don't know what the hell I'm fighting for...



Why...
Why we are here...?
When I was a kid, I had this crazy dream...
...What kind of dream?



That's both kinda very not stupid, and also implicitly still a thing. Junpei holds his swords like a baseball bat, swings it like a bat rather than using it like, well, a sword... and even yells out "home run!" when attacking.

I guess that's part of bein' a kid.
Is that so...?
I don't remember much from my childhood.
All I remember is...



Huh?
I hate hospitals...
Yeah, me too...
......
I'm sorry...
But, I don't mind that much this time...



Chidori...
I... I understand.
I won't let you down.

The only thing that, to me anyway, sorta detracts from this scene is that it's not super clear if Chidori is being sincere or still just trying to manipulate Junpei. It feels like the latter, but...



Well, anyway, we'll just go and hang out with Fuuka. This'll enable the Sunday date to be genuinely useful.

Joy



Sorry... I guess people brought all the good ones...
I should've called to ask before we came all the way here...

> Fuuka seems to be feeling guilty.

...Do you remember what I told you, Makoto-kun?



We were just in one...
Well, about that...
Something happened in a bookstore that I want to forget...
It was last April...
Someone took a picture of me...



Well, I'm short...
And when I was reaching for the top shelf, I accidentally knocked some books down...
Somehow, they landed in my bag. But when I went to take them out and put them back on the shelf...



She threatened to show my parents the picture.

...So, what did she get out of this, exactly? She took a photo and used it as blackmail material for [benefit missing]?

......
You probably think that sounds ridiculous...
You probably think I should've defended myself...
...Well, you're right.
But I... I couldn't say anything.



I thought that no matter what I said, it wouldn't do any good.



I feel like if you're around, I won't think so negatively...
That must sound so selfish...
But...

> Fuuka is staring at her feet.

...Sorry. I don't know what I'm saying...
It seems like I'm trying to take advantage of you, doesn't it...?



I guess what I'm trying to say is...
It's okay. Just calm down.
......
I've come to really depend on you, Makoto-kun...
And I just wanted to say that I appreciate you...

> Fuuka has expressed her feelings for you...

> Your relationship with her has reached a new level...





This really genuinely feels misplaced. It doesn't make sense to occur at this point. It seems like this is just because it can't really run the risk of being an issue if it was any later than rank 7. The way to solve that is either: pace these things better, or don't do this terrible and stupid mechanic.



I'll explain to you how I feel when I understand it myself...
I'm really sorry...

> Fuuka ran away...

> ......

> You have decided to go back to the dorm.

...Well, I'm glad the scene is finally about something other than "hey Fuuka is bad at cooking!" even if it's just a blatant and bizarrely lazy reskin of a similar plot beat from Chihiro's link.

Iwatodai Dorm



I sense a feeling of... happiness.
I wonder what happened to him...



Koromaru-san seems to really like it.

I do like stuff like this and Shinji having fed Koromaru before the latter came to the dorm. It's a nice way to have Shinji demonstrate that he's not just a stand offish generic badass.

...It's still pretty cliche, but hey. Koromaru owns.



No.
I didn't before either. But, I've been thinking about it a lot lately...
...especially when I look at her. She makes me think about what I'm living for.



If I do, great. If I don't, whatever.
I'm not going to change my style for you or anyone else...



It's kinda nice, but also weird, that one of the most recurring segments from the TV is just an update on the exchange rate. It's a world building thing, but man.



And since it's Saturday, we'll just... hang out with Mutatsu for the first time on a Saturday.

The Voice Someone Calls





Time goes by so quickly, and many things change.
Yet, some things will always remain the same...
Don't you agree?
Everything changes.
Hmmmm...



Talking with you has stirred up certain memories...



I've been thinking about it lately...
I wonder... Will our relationship stay the same...?
Or, will it evolve...?



...That is for certain.



Huh, well, that ends that pattern then! For the first time, this hits an even number.



Well, we know pretty clearly what we're gonna be doing today since we've already made plans in advance and all.

When the Moon's Reaching Out Stars (Reincarnation) / Way of Life -Deep Inside My Mind-



I've been wondering how it was going to end...
I'm relieved now that I was finally able to finish it.



Oh, so it's the proto Shokugeki no Soma. Or, uh, the one that isn't Yakitate!! Japan at least.

> Fuuka seems to be enjoying herself.

By the way, Makoto-kun...

> Fuuka seems a bit nervous.

Have you ever filleted a fish before?
Yeah, I'm not too bad.
Wow, really?



Plus, I'm clumsy with a knife...
You'll have to teach me how to do it the right way, Makoto-kun.



> It's getting dark out.

> You decide to go back to the dorm.

So, uh, this was actually a lot more important than it seemed. See, we need 40 points to get Fuuka to rank 8, right? And the rank 7 scene gives a maximum of, uh, 0.

Iwatodai Dorm



He's a little rough around the edges...
But, deep down, he's a really nice guy. Just give him a chance.



I can't say from experience, though.
I've never had anything he's made.

This implicitly raises a good point, though. If Shinji's a great cook, who does the cooking here...? Presumably no one, really, but...



He can be satisfied just eating a meal.
*sigh* I wish my life was that simple.





The sudden introduction of a new group of antagonists is some primo tokusatsu stuff right there.



Junpei seems to be less mope-y now, so he's hanging out with people again!

He's physically strong, but he also knows how to keep his cool.
Yeah.
He looks scary, but in reality, he's more like a big brother.



With Junpei-san here, the atmosphere is so much childish...
Ouch! That hurt, Ai-chan.
I have no comeback for that.

Junpei has such an "Oh God, that's never happened before!" reaction here. Huh.



This is the ideal time for us to ascend Tartarus.
Yep. The best defense is a good offense. That's how you win...



But, I need to be careful.
If I rely too much on his skill, I'll never realize my full potential.
Wow, you're amazing...
Instead of being amazed, maybe you should try to be more like her.



Well, hey, it's Sunday so we'll go finish off the week by spending time with Mutatsu.

This Mysterious Feeling



...The detective called me and said he found my wife and son...
He said they're runnin' a small restaurant. I guess it's pretty popular.



I decided I'd leave after I saw you. So... I'll be goin' tonight.
...I won't be back until they've forgiven me.



I-I've been thinkin' about what I'm gonna say to my wife... even though I'm not so good with words...



...Well? How's that sound?

Honestly, ridiculously cheesy and over-the-top but... not in a way that owns...

Not that good...
You don't know nothin'! She's gonna burst into tears when she hears that!



Even though I'm a monk. I'm still attached to my family... I guess I'm a "worldly" monk, eh?
But, I finally faced the fact that I was drinkin' to hide my true feelings.
I feel so free now.
...Tch, it's all your fault, kid.
You reminded me of my son.



If I hadn't met you, I'd never have seen my family ever again.
I owe ya, kid...

> Mutatsu thanked you from the bottom of his heart...

> You feel like you fully understand him now.

The Path is Open









This Mysterious Feeling



Chi You is, uh, something that we might not even get to honestly! Much like with how Beelzebub was a very high level, Chi You is as well. He's level 86, which puts him even higher than Beelzebub. Yeesh!





...When you mix Cointreau with white rum, lemon juice, and ice...
...you get a cocktail called "XYZ."
Movies and manga often use the initials "XYZ" to symbolize the end of something.



...Plus, it tastes sooo good goin' down.
I'll be prayin' that your future is XYZ...
...So long, kid.

> You watched Mutatsu walk away with his head held high...

> You carried the Reserve Tag back to the dorm.

I'm not sure we really needed the cocktail ingredients for that metaphor, but okay.



I am noticing a bit of a trend where Makoto is "helping" people by... not helping them, really. The less he does, the better things are turning out. Mostly.

Changing Seasons / Sun



Listening: A haunted house. I bet I'll be stuck playing the ghost.
Gossiping: Being a ghost isn't so bad. You can just show up and put on the costume. I have to do a magic show... By the way, did you hear a typhoon is on its way? I hear it's a big one... The school will be empty.

Well, that might present a bit of a problem if it really does happen. Fortunately(???), I don't think there's gonna be a typhoon at the same time as anything important or relevant. Or as anime as a Culture Festival.



Imagine a nuclear reaction in which a massive nucleus splits into smaller nuclei, releasing energy as it does.
I believe you all know that much.
The reaction emits massive quantities of energy, which is why it's used in nuclear power plants.
...You all know that Japan has three nuclear prohibitions in place, right?
Let's see... Makoto.
Which of these is NOT one of Japan's prohibitions on nuclear weapons?
Can't let others produce.



The third prohibition is a little controversial, but this is physics class, not political science.
Now as for nuclear fission...

Probably noticed by now that I have a bit of a habit of tempting fate when we hit a 3rd/4th day depending on length. The game usually responds by throwing an Edogawa lecture at us. I almost did it again here, but didn't and so we just got nuclear energy laws instead. Whew.



Man, I've been so busy thinkin' about Chidori that I completely forgot.
Well, screw that. I've got enough to worry about, so I'm gonna slack off.

Junpei's hangin' around at school today, which is a bit of a surprise. He's still being pretty Junpei though, and utilising a convenient excuse to not do work.



There's someone over there... Hey, that guy looks familiar.



All I seem to do these days is follow her around...
What should I do?

Well, uh, she is stood right there so maybe, I dunno, go talk to her...???



Speaking of just talking to someone, we'll just go see Fuuka again. We do have that pesky timelimit thing to deal with now, so the quicker we get this done the better.

Joy



I've been thinking a lot about how I feel, since then...



I often wonder what your thought process is when you have to make an important decision...
I've been thinking about this for a long time...
No one knows what the future holds...
No matter how prepared you are, you can't predict what will happen.



You have to think positively, as if the future is smiling upon you.
...I don't think I'm quite there yet, though...
Sorry...
You seem to know all that already...
So, Makoto-kun...



This can seem very out of place here. A lot of times, Makoto might easily come off as not all that positive.

I believe in myself.
...Oh, I see.
You're really strong, Makoto-kun.



I...



> You understand how Fuuka feels.

> Your relationship with her has grown...





I thought that after I paid everyone back for their kindness...
I wouldn't have anything to talk with you about...
But, now I know that that doesn't matter...
......



I want to be with you too.

Technically there aren't any "wrong" answers here. They all count as "right," but this one that you could easily see as a pretty manipulative answer is the best one.

...!
*nod*
...Thank you...



Well then, I'm going back to the dorm now.
...I'll see you later.

> After saying goodbye to Fuuka, you decided to go back to the dorm.

In my opinion, this makes a better spot to put the dumb timelimit if you really have to do it here. At least technically this time we get the pretense of having agency over whether or not this goes in this direction. It'd be better if you actually DID have that agency, but, well...

Iwatodai Dorm



Ohey, Ikutsuki's here tonight. That's a bit unexpected, considering there's no plot scene and we're a week after the full moon.

...which means only three remain.
That's fantastic!
We are so close to the end. Please keep up the good work.



And you've already beat nine of 'em, huh?
Not bad...

And you were there for the ninth and even fought against it.



We're in the locker room to interview the winners! You guys did great out there! Yeeek! Th-The beer's... so cold...!



I hope it doesn't just pass by...
Because if it did, we wouldn't get a day off, so we'd have to walk to school in the rain.
And that would totally suck!

Junpei bringing up the typhoon doesn't mean much on its own, I guess, but notable is that he doesn't mention it impeding the hospital or Chidori.

I can only presume from there that things are, in their own way at least, beginning to settle down and he's genuinely becme less mopey in general now. Which sorta makes sense, all things considered.





But, hey, I think now's as good a time as any to finally go back to Tartarus and see what's in store for us there.



To that end, we need ot consider our options here. Yukari's technically pretty good for damage, but she's definitely better at utility and support. In a few levels, she'll become even better at it but the sad irony is that anything that (Me) Petra cures... prevents her from casting it. Which'd be more of a problem if it mattered, at all, ever.



With Shinji around now, Junpei's signficantly less useful at his one thing. That his next skill is Counter just really highlights that. He's no longer the most useful Strength guy, he's not a great tank, his actual attacking skills are all pretty weak and need upgrading, one of his two support spells is Re Patra which is reprehensibly bad...



Akihiko's not quite got the same Strength as Junpei, but... it's very, very close wow. The difference here is that Akihiko's only Strength skill is still Sonic Punch which has looooong since been outclassed in every way. That he still has Dia means he's technically our worst person for healing (even Junpei has two Medicinal Powders), but he has all 3 single target -ndas now so he can debuff anything. A few levels away from being the first person to learn an elemental boost skill naturally isn't too shabby either. Probably won't happen for a while, but it's something.



Mitsuru hasn't changed overly much since pre-Hermit. Her skillset isn't gonna get an upgrade for 9 levels which is a gap we haven't seen since very early game Yukari. The Varuna Bracers help make up for it somewhat, plus she can just keep going without needing to return to the 1F, which helps immensely. On paper anyway.



Aigis is a level away from being similar to Junpei, but even less effective at attacking but much better at surviving. And she has more support as well, sorta.



On paper, Koromaru might just be our worst party member. He makes up for it with those two immunities of course, but he's pretty lacking in terms of combat use outside of being the hardest dog to hit.

...and he makes up for it by being Koromaru in the first place which is much more important, sure.



Ken's simple, but not super-great. Like Akihiko, he's sort of a generalist statistically but with marginally better Magic and worse Strength. He's not as useful at support, Cruel Attack gives him a useful edge if we can't get an AOA due to like missing or something I guess, and Hama is straight up handy at removing trash. Hamaon is even better, of course, but neither means much for fights that matter.



Shinji's the exact opposite. He's simple, but to his benefit. He only has 2 skills that are actively usable, but Fatal End is still realy dang strong (especially with Shinji's 35 Strength) and Evil Smile inflicts Fear on every enemy which makes it even stronger. He's not got much in the way of variety, so if something resists Phys he's pretty much shit outta luck, and his next skill being Counterstrike isn't super-great either. It's an upgrde to Counter, sure, but he already has the best version thanks to Elizabeth.

Same as usual here:

3 slots to fill. Who gets 'em?