Part 16: 5/5/09-5/6/09

5/5/09

Today was the last day of Golden Week, always over too quickly.



> ……
> There’s a box in the room…
> It’s the delivery you ordered from the TV show!
> Obtained Yawn-B-Gone x 3 and Muscle Drink x 2.
> Your phone is ringing…

Junpei wanted to head out somewhere.



It’s okay.
Hey, wanna do something today?
Alright! I’ll be waitin’ downstairs, then.
> Junpei seems excited…

We got some lunch down at the strip mall.



> Junpei seems satisfied…
But man, you ate a lot too. You ordered the same stuff as me, right?
How in the world did all that fit inside your thin body…?
> Junpei is looking at you, impressed.
Remember how I told you the other day that there are guys that’re interested in you?
I bet they’d be shocked if they saw how much you can eat.
Meh, like I care.
You got a point. Worrying about stuff like that’ll just ruin the good food you’re eating.
Also, you seem so happy when you’re eating. It makes me feel good watching you.
> Junpei is laughing…
> You friendship is a lot stronger now.
> It’s getting late…
> You decide to go back to the dorm.

The Dark Hour diet is pretty great, if you don’t mind that you are constantly risking death. Pretty much everyone’s out tonight.



Yuka-tan said she’s gonna study… But not me, man. I’m gonna find something fun to do.

Oh well, gives me a chance to get some sleep.

5/6/09

Heard an interesting rumor on the way in to school.



Loud Student: You know, rabbits can die from sadness.
Gossiping Student: Okay… First, you’re not a rabbit. And second, that’s just a rumor.
Loud Student: What? No way! I thought it was scientific fact…
But speaking of being sad… I saw an elementary school kid at Naganaki Shrine the last time I visited.
She looked so sad playing all by herself. I felt sorry for her…
> The first bell has rung.

We’re getting close to exams, think they’re in a week or two.



I was watching TV last night, and there was a special on weight loss.
“The more you drink, the thinner you get!” Yeah, right!
What about the osmotic pressure, huh? It’s misinformation, but people believe what they see on TV…
A lot of companies say stuff like “Our product contains minerals!” But that’s a load of hooey.
There’s hardly more than trace elements of whatever they’re talking about. It’s meaningless.
Did you know that there are different names for water depending on its calcium or magnesium content?
You look like you know the answer, Aelita… Surprise me.
What do you call water without much calcium and magnesium?
Soft water.
That’s right. You’re better-informed than I thought!
Most of the water in Japan is soft water.
That’s why many Japanese find it strange to drink hard water, because they’re used to the other kind.
Remember, cooking rice with hard water ruins the flavor. Now, let’s look at the various ions in water…

Junpei’s pretty sad about the end of vacation.



Bummer, huh?
Yeah.
I wonder how many days it is until summer vacation…

I went down to the shrine, and sure enough there was a little girl there.



Who are you?
Mom and Dad said not to talk to bad people… Are you bad?
No, I’m good.
Reeeeally? You’re not lying, are you?
> Maiko looks as if she wants something.
I can’t play right now because I’m hungry.
There’s something I really want…

It just so happened that I’d picked up some of that weird takoyaki from the strip mall earlier, and it turns out she really likes that stuff so I let her have it.



This is my favorite! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!
> Maiko took your Weird Takoyaki.
That was so yummy, I ate them all!
But, now I’m thirsty…
> Maiko looks as if she wants something.

Luckily I had a soda I’d picked up the other night at the dorm.



This is my favorite! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!
> Maiko took your Mad Bull.
Wow! I’m having so much fun!
You’re nice. Will you be my friend?
Come play with me again, okay?
Of course!
Really!? Then, I’ll wait for you here!
You better not be lying!

I’ll have to find some time to swing back there soon, she seems like a nice kid. I ran into Rio in the halls on the way to Volleyball.



I was asleep that entire period…
Have you ever slept during class? Sometimes, it works like a charm…
…But not today. I’m still sleepy…

The rest of the club doesn’t seem to be taking things very seriously.



> You can hear Rio’s coaching voice…
Short-Haired Member: Rio, can we take a break yet…?
Huh? But we’re just getting started!
Short-Haired Member: But, we’re all tired! It’s not like we’re gonna make the finals or anything anyway!
……
We could if we tried!
Club Members: Huh…?
> The club members look at each other in confusion…
True, our team might be weak now, but who knows what we could do if we seriously put our minds to it!
Club Members: ……
> The club members fall into a sullen silence…
Member’s Voice: You’re the only one that wants to take it that far…
…Who said that?
Club Members: ……
You just need determination…
> Rio sighs…

They bagged out partway into practice, because they’re kind of lazy. I mean, Rio’s definitely too serious but I don’t think it’s unreasonable to ask people to practice volleyball for the majority of volleyball practice.



Member with Buns: Let’s just go, guys.
But the bell hasn’t—
…...
> All the other members leave…
……
Oh, Aelita-san…
Wh-Why don’t you leave too? Looks like practice is over for today anyway…
I’ll be fine on my own…

I’m here to work out, though, not mess around.



Okay…
…Thanks.
> Rio looks ready to cry a little…
> You and Rio finished practice together…
Ah, it’s almost time…
Um… About today…
Is it always like this?
…Yeah.
> Rio laughs…
All I want to do is play volleyball.
Everyone else just spends all practice talking about guys or loafing around…
……
Oh, I shouldn’t be saying this to someone who just joined up.
If… you wanna play volleyball, it’ll be a lot of work. But you’re welcome to change your mind if you want.
> Rio laughs…
> You feel like you understand Rio a little better now…

Rio could probably be nicer to the rest of the club, but that’s not really a thing you just straight tell a person.



Let’s clean up and go home.
I’m so hungry. Why don’t we go grab a burger or something?
> After finishing up with the club, you decided to stop by a burger place before returning to the dorm.

Yukari’s getting worried about the Lost.



Aelita, let’s go to Tartarus tonight…
I’m getting worried since nothing’s happened since that one day…
Is it just me, or are more people getting Apathy Syndrome lately?
I have a feeling something bad is going to happen. …Or, am I just being paranoid?

Akihiko’s still too hurt to go back to his boxing training.



Should I just start going to club when I feel like it, Aelita?
Definitely.
Hey, I was just kidding.
Even if I wanted to, Mitsuru would never let me.

Junpei is so weird sometimes.



…This is a perfect setup for me.
“Now, who wants to reach the top, hmmm?”
“Oh, me! Me! I wanna go to the top! I wanna go to the top!”
Well? Whaddya think?
* sigh *
Ignore him. He’s just trying to do his impressions again.

We went to Tartarus, the ordeal that kid spoke of is only a few days away and we want to be ready. We found a really weird Shadow, it was glowing yellow.



It was really fast and a pain to hit but Junpei managed to connect and it just sort of exploded. It left a weird dusty coin behind, might be worth something.



Oh and we found this weird golden cube.



It has this shirt that Junpei grabbed, I don’t have the heart to tell him it looks totally ridiculous.



I think we’re as ready as we’ll ever be for whatever is coming. We’ll just have to see what’s in store.