Part 148: 10/19/09

10/19/09

Aced the exams, like there was going to be any other result.



> You decide to go look at the exam results.
> You scored the highest in your class!
> Everyone is looking at you with respect!
> You suddenly remember something.
> Mitsuru promised to give you a gift if you scored the highest.
> You should talk to Mitsuru when she’s at school…
> Lunchtime is almost over.
> You decide to go back to your classroom.

We went over them the rest of the day, it was pretty boring.



Oh question 1, you had to use the formula we spent several days on to solve it. Remember?
The next question was a word problem about calendars.
Does anyone here buy a new calendar every year? If you do, you’re wasting your money.
You see, calendars have only a set number of patterns.
After all, how many days can January 1st possibly fall on?
I’ll pick a student mathematically. Let’s see… Aelita.
How many calendar patterns are there?
Fourteen.
Correct! Well done!
Obviously, January 1st can only fall on seven days: Monday through Sunday.
But you must factor in the possibility of a leap day at the end of February.
Which gives you seven more patterns… Two variations based on seven days gives you fourteen patterns in all.
Any year you can name falls into one of these fourteen.

Oh, I guess Ms. Toriumi is teaching Mrs. Terauchi to play mahjong.



> Mrs. Terauchi, the Japanese teacher, is here muttering to herself…
Odoroita… How did it get so late already?
My darling’s not home today, and I’m so samishii…
Hmm, maybe I should go to dinner with Ms. Toriumi… That restaurant with the interesting game…
What was it… A mahjong parlor…?
I hope I don’t lose again… But I don’t think I can win at all against Ms. Toriumi…
Konnichiwa, Aelita-san. How are you?
Ms. Toriumi isn’t here. I was just looking for her myself, actually.
…Say, Aelita-san, do you play mahjong?
It’s very omoshiroi. The technical terms, in particular, are so interesting.
If I play too much, I can’t get them out of my head for days.
Mentan pin doradora! Riichi ippatsu chiitoitsu tsumo!
I’ve said that stuff even in my sleep… My poor darling hasn’t slept very well as a result.
Shall I teach you the other technical terms? I’m just repeating what Ms. Toriumi taught me, but…

By that I mean she’s robbing her blind, of course. Just to be clear.



Then a few intermediate phrases… “I got a reverse dora!”
“Looks like you’re waiting for one tile,” or “You’ve gotta have more than two han.”
Ooh, or advanced stuff… “You have a hand, don’t you?”
“I have all the tiles you’re waiting for,” and “Mangan booyah!”
…So far, I’ve only had chances to use the beginner’s phrases, though.
But Ms. Toriumi is a very patient teacher. She’ll tell me “You should throw this one away,” or…
“You won’t get many points if you call that one, so I wouldn’t,” and…
“I dropped that tile by accident, so you can’t Ron it”…
She’s taught me so much, but I haven’t been able to win a single match.
> You learned technical terms for mahjong…
> Mr. Ono doesn’t seem to be returning.
> You decide to give up for today.

So yeah learned not to play mahjong with Ms. Toriumi I guess. Anyway Fuuka wanted to show me something she had been working on.



It’ll be really delicious, so look forward to it!
What are you going to make today, Aelita-chan?
Chocolate Truffle.
> You decided to make Chocolate Truffles.
> They came out pretty well.
> Obtained Chocolate Truffle x 2.
Are you done, Aelita-chan?
I just finished up now, too. * giggle * I got done pretty fast.
Look, look.
> Rows of triangular rice balls are lined up on the plate that Fuuka handed you.
> The rice looks moist and delicious…
This one has pickled plum, this one’s salmon, and this one’s seaweed…
Try whichever one you like.
> You picked one and ate it.
> …It’s very good.
This is really delicious.

She’s figured out a way to cook that works for her, which is what she was always missing I think.



There are 22 conditions that must be met for making a good rice ball.
I’ve met all those conditions, so there’s no possible way that it wouldn’t be delicious.
> Fuuka seems proud of her culinary handiwork…
I don’t think I was making enough of an effort before.
No, that’s not it. I just wasn’t putting in enough effort in the correct way. I just thought about trying harder.
That wasn’t right. Thinking about how you can fix your mistakes is how to really put forth a better effort…
If you can’t do something that others can, then that’s the effort you need to reach their level…
It seems so obvious now, but I didn’t understand it at all… All I did was envy your skills.
I’ll never again think that my goals are doomed from the start.
Thanks, Aelita-chan.
> Fuuka let out a relieved laugh…
> You feel like you’ve grown even closer to Fuuka…

I’m just happy she’s happy about it.



Oh, I have more on this plate too.
This one’s tuna, that one’s natto, and this one’s mentaiko.
And on top of that… I even have a supreme one where I mixed in all the ingredients!
Eat up!
> You ate as much as you could before heading back to the dorm.

When we got back I checked in with everyone on how their exams went.



I need to work on my strength.
Time spent worrying about grades should be spent training.

I think most of them are pretty much ‘over’ exams already.



…so let’s turn our focus back to Tartarus.
We are almost done.

I can sort of see that, it’s really about time for our last big push.



She must save her concentration for battle…

Still, we’ve all got to be ready for, well, life to go on. Even Aigis, I will whack the first person who suggests she should just shut down with a hockey stick, even if it’s her.



My concentration is reserved for battle.

We’re not losing anyone else.



Even Shinjiro-san’s working really hard right now. I can’t do any less.

That’s not a hope, that’s a damn fact.



But it seems like everyone has recovered surprisingly well. He’d be proud of us if he could see us now.

Not just because I say it is, but because I’m going to make it true.



I was obviously affected by what happened to Shinjiro-senpai.
* sigh * I’m so ashamed. I shouldn’t use that as my excuse. I just have to study harder…

Whatever it takes.



> Koromaru is scratching himself with his hind leg…
> You recall that happened once before…
> If you recall correctly, what you did was…
Brushed him.
> You asked Koromaru if he wants you to brush him.
Woof!
> Koromaru is wagging his tail…
> Koromaru joyfully brought a brush.
Arf.
> Koromaru rolled over.
> Where should you start brushing him…?
The back.
Arf…
> Koromaru seems pleased…
……
> ……?

Hah, I probably sound a bit scary for someone who spent all night playing with their dog.



> When you look closely, you see traces of a stitched wound.
> You recall that he didn’t like having his stomach touched…
* whine *
> Koromaru is looking up at you with his big eyes…
> Even when you touch his stomach, Koromaru doesn’t shy away from it…
> You feel as if Koromaru has opened up to you…

I just… I’m not going to lose anyone else.



Arf…
> Koromaru is yawning contentedly…
> You spent a quiet moment with Koromaru…