Part 122: 9/13/09

9/13/09

Fuuka called me up this morning, we hung out a bit during the day.



Yeah, I read on the Internet that the Kirijo Group owns Paulownia Mall…
I think the Kirijo Group is also the parent organization of our school…
Interesting, huh…?
> Fuuka seems to be enjoying her day off…
Oh, that’s right. Speaking of stores…
> Fuuka seems troubled for some reason…
When I talked to the owner of Aohige Pharmacy about cooking…
He was adamant about convincing me to try using his prized dried pit viper…
He told me I should try using it in the cooking club…
That sounds cool.
Huh, seriously…? D-Do I have to cook something with pit viper?
W-Well… I might as well try my best with it…
……
Um, I don’t think I can…
> Fuuka seems to be having some fun.
> Today, you learned something new about her.

I’d never thought about it until that conversation with Ken but I’m amazed they’ve made the new Featherman so compelling. Though I hear it’s picking up a weird following.



Narrator: Episode 30: Three Demons Awaken! Stop kidnapping my lover!
Newscaster: …And now, the news.

Despite how good a cook Shinjiro is, I think we actually got really lucky even getting to try his cooking.



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

I sometimes forget Aigis even is a robot, since she lands devastating snaps on Junpei every so often.



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

Anyway Junpei’s right, and given how close we are to having this all be over I think it’s a good thing we’re getting serious.



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.

It also means we can really push into Tartarus.



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

Though Fuuka is right, we can’t just rely on any one person if we hope to get stronger.



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

Oh, there was another one of those creepy surveillance videos, this time from the lobby about a week ago.

Video- “Cooking”

Watch

At least I know better than to be surprised by what it caught.



> It’s the lounge. Shinjiro and Koromaru are watching TV.
……
TV Chef: –You, too, can follow along on page 39 of this month’s issue.
Today we’re making spicy pepper pasta. It’s a great dish to keep your energy up through the summer heat.
The key ingredient is green cayenne pepper. Remember to remove the seeds first!
After that, we’ll prepare some kelp broth. You’ll need a pasta cooker about this size, and…
Pasta cooker… Do we have one here…?
Arf…?

I also wasn’t surprised by what happened next.



Voice from Outside: It requires energy to maintain an appropriate external temperature.
Aw crap…!
Woof!
> Fuuka and Aigis came home…
> ……?
> For some reason, Shinjiro is pretending to be asleep…
> …He has a magazine in his hands.
We have returned.
Woof, woof!
We’re home, Koro-chan!
Oh… shhh! We should be quiet. It looks like Shinjiro-senpai’s asleep…
Arf!
He says that… “Shinjiro-san is not asleep.”
Huh?
Senpai’s magazine… It’s the monthly guide to the “Family Cooking” show…
Does Shinjiro-senpai enjoy cooking shows…?
Oh, that’s a new issue… I didn’t know this month’s was out.
Woof.
“Shinjiro-san frequently watches programs like…”

At least Fuuka had the sense to get that they were on a sensitive subject.



C’mon, let’s go.
> After Fuuka and Aigis left, Shinjiro got up…
……
Dammit… I forgot she understands dog talk…
* whine *
Ahhh, don’t sweat it. It ain’t your fault.
Don’t worry, boy… Next time, I’ll make you something too, Koro-chan.
Arf!

Anyway, Bunkichi was lost in Tartarus and that meant it was time to go to the Tower once again. Elizabeth gave me an idea where we needed to look.



There seems to be someone inside Tartarus, between floors 118 and 123.
It would be best for you to search the tower for them and find them as soon as you can.

We found ourselves in a new block for the first time in a bit.



The enemies are different, too.
I’ll scan the floors above you. Please give me some time.

We pushed on ahead, as usual it took Fuuka a while to find the next Guardian.



The 122nd floor.
Please be aware.

On the way there we found Bunkichi, I was starting to get worried before honestly.



Anyway we pushed on after bringing him back to the entrance, the next Guardian was a trio of horrible tank things.



Just like you’d expect, they were pretty brutal.

Video- “Arcane Turrets”

Watch

Boss Battle: Arcane Turret x 3
These things are pretty terrible I’m not going to lie. They’ve got the ability to debuff your defense, Mind Charge, and powerful fire and electrical magic. Making things worse, their regular attack also hits very hard. My party is definitely a bit weak and it shows in this fight, but trying to grind out a bunch of extra levels isn’t something I’m terribly excited about at this point. This is all about enduring their firepower while bringing them down one by one.

We were all pretty tired after the fight, so we decided to call it a night for now. Plenty of time to finish up here another night.