Part 71: 10/02/09 - 10/06/09: Shinjiro Aragaki: Chaos Theory

So, before we carry on, we'll take a brief - and I do mean brief - detour back in time through the multiverse. We'll be seeing a couple variations this time...



We're not gonna be going through everything along the way, though. We'll be back for that. Instead, we're just gonna focus on everyone's favorite good boy.

I'm okay... I feel better after our talk.
...Take care of them. I believe in you.

> You feel an unbreakable bond between you and Shinjiro.

......
Shouldn't you be with the others...?
I can't give you anything or do anything for you.
I want to be with you.

Shinjiro Aragaki

Warm Feeling



Haven't you wasted enough time on me? What more do you want?
I love you.
......
D-Don't tease me like that!
I'm not teasing you.
Urgh...



Won't you come to my room?
I-I can't do that.
I mean, you're... Well, people are gonna get the wrong idea.
That just leaves your room, then.
Y-You moron.
I... I ain't a nice guy. I can't let you in my room.
...Don't you get it?
I know what I'm saying.
No way. It's not gonna happen.



I still love you, Senpai!
Idiot...



> Shinjiro's room is practically empty, except for a bed and a desk...



You're always pushing me around all the time...
You're just gonna ignore what I want, huh?
......
Yeah, well, two can play that game.

M-Maybe might wanna consider rephrasing that?



This is your fault, you know. I'm all confused.
You're all I can think about, day and night. Dammit, this isn't how it's supposed to be...

> ...Shinjiro lets you go.



If you don't go now, you're not gonna get another chance.
I'm not going anywhere!
*sigh*
You're a real piece of work, you know that...?
......
I'm gonna make myself clear...
...I ain't holding back any more.

> ......



Unlike normal, this isn't so much an implication as it is taking what little it can to not say it outright.



So, uh, how about that full moon?



We'll just trash the shadows pretty much effortlessly...



And skip to when Takaya's turned up. He does have a fancy new sprite that really makes it clear just how absurd his gun is. And it is very absurd:

AradoBalanga posted:

Not just any gun, but apparently it's the Smith and Wesson Model 500 hunting revolver. Aka, "that big-ass revolver the Mythbusters tested one time". Note how Adam gets hit with a 90 degree recoil on the gun (while holding it with both hands) at the 3:09 mark in the video. Takuya has been wielding that gun one-handed previously with almost no effort. Which means Takuya is either freakishly strong despite his scrawny appearance...or the more likely option is that Atlus did a quick Google search of "giant revolvers", went with the first image they found for modeling Takuya's gun and didn't think about things like recoil or other details.

So, uh, yeah. That's a thing.

Silence



Anyway, aside from one or two different lines that were added/removed, there's not much for most of this scene. We'll just skip even further to when Takaya tries to shoot Ken.

What...?
...Huh...!?
*cough*

> Shinjiro stood in front of Ken, taking two bullets to the chest as a result...

...What is the meaning of this? Why would you risk your life to save the child?
A...Ah...


can i just say that kens surprised sprite looks really awful because it does

Shinji!
*sigh* And now your comrades arrive. Is there any moment of joy they won't intrude upon...?
Perhaps another time, then...



Shinji, hey! Hang in there!
......

> As you chase after Mitsuru, you see Akihiko and Ken...

> You also see a blood-covered Shinjiro...



Senpai!
Shinjiro-senpai!
No...
Ken...
......



It's alright... Give yourself time... Let your anger be your strength.
You're still just a kid, Ken... You got your whole life ahead of ya...
So don't waste it... Make it your own... Okay?
But I... I...!
...Aki. Take care of 'im...
...I will.
......

So, at this point the scene branches. For the time being, we'll just follow the timeline the way it went for Makoto...



*cough* *cough*
*gasp* *gasp*
*gasp*
......
Ah...



Don't say it.
...Please don't say anything.
Shinjiro...



What the hell... Why is this happening...?
Ah... Ah...
Aaaaaaaaaagh...!



> That night, no one spoke a word.

> The following day...



And then it proceeds as we expect. There's a funeral, Akihiko gets Caesar etc. etc.

So, what if we did what we actually did in this timeline? If you've maxed the Moon S.Link by now, the scene changes a bit...



This is how... it should be...
*cough* *cough*
*gasp* *gasp*
*gasp*
......
Ah...



Y-Yes, let's waste no time...
......!
it's the Dark Hour... until it ends, the doctors won't be...
No...
Ah... Ah...
Aaaaaaaaaagh...!



> The doctor's prognosis was that there was no chance of him regaining consciousness...

> That night, no one spoke a word.

> The following day...



We'll just follow this through a bit. Since we completed his S.Link, we're rewarded by letting Shinji live.

He's just in a coma indefinitely instead. Totally different!



Anyway, since he's not dead there's no funeral scene. It just skips to Mitsuru coming into the classroom at lunch.



More important is that Akihiko's scene is in the hospital instead.



The scene itself is mostly the same as before, though. The only real difference is that since Shinji is totally not dead, Akihiko's one-scene long angst moment is marginally altered.



Still gets Gaius Julius Caesar out of it, though, so there's no negative ramifications thankfully.



And, well, Ken still bums around in the alley for a bit. Since Shinji's not dead, it just skips Akihiko's line about the dead not coming back. That's all.

So, that's that. There's some other October stuff we'll get to later, but they're not relevant to Shinjiro Aragaki so we'll get to those events in the past sometime in the future.