Part 57: 6/27/09

6/27/09

The Shadows are definitely returning in force.



Gossiping Student: I guess they were all in pairs.
Loud Student: What, like they were attempting a double suicide?
Gossiping Student: I don’t know. But if I could pass out with someone I liked, I wouldn’t mind being unconscious!
Loud Student: I would mind!

Anyway Fuuka and I tried something new today.



Tadaa…! “Sweet Fries”! Everyone loves them!
I bought a lot of sweet potatoes for them, so even if we mess up a little, it won’t be a problem!
So, you can relax a little too, Aelita-chan.
Let’s do our best.
Yep!
> Fuuka seems to be motivated…
> You follow the recipe from the book Fuuka brought.
> ……
> ……
> ……
> Cutting up all the potatoes took a bit of time, but otherwise it went smoothly.
> …?
“1 tablespoon of melted butter”…
……
I didn’t melt the butter yet, though… What do I do? There’s no time now…
Oh! Butter is just hardened oil, right? I can probably substitute oil. Olive oil should do the trick…
> Fuuka is muttering something to herself…
Okay, the final step is to put this in the oven. I’ll put yours in too, Aelita-chan.

Fuuka may not be a good cook but she’s actually pretty amazing with machines.



> …!?
> Fuuka is operating the oven extremely quickly…
Huh? Oh, um… I’m pretty good with machines…
I like taking my time and reading through the instruction manuals for electronic devices, too…
D-Does that make me seem weird?
That’s impressive!
Huh? I-It’s nothing, really…
…But, I’m happy to hear that.
I thought it was embarrassing because it wasn’t really girl-like…
* giggle * …I think this is the first time I’ve said something like that.
……
To tell the truth… I knew that you wouldn’t judge me over that…
> You sense affection from Fuuka…
> You feel as if you’ve gotten even closer to Fuuka…

She just needs to actually read the recipes the same way.



> You chatted with Fuuka while waiting for the sweet fries to bake…
Oh, I think it’s done.
Hot hot… Ah, I forgot that we have oven mitts.
Look, Aelita-chan. They look so beauti…ful?
> The sweet potatoes lining the pan look nothing like sweet fries…
> Actually, they don’t even look like food…
> You’re especially confused by the texture of Fuuka’s fries…
Oh… These ones look normal. They’re the ones that you made, Aelita-chan…
…Th-Thank goodness! They look really delicious!
I’ll give you some.
Huh? Oh, yes, thanks…
> Fuuka seems a little depressed…
Thanks for the food…
…!
It’s delicious…

I mean I feel bad because she’s trying really hard but then she substitutes olive oil for butter.



……
I guess… I’m no match for our leader…
That’s not true.
…Thanks.
> Fuuka is smiling again…
Oh, it’s almost time for us to go home. Let’s clean up and go back.
> You decided to take the sweet fries that turned out good.
> Obtained Sweet Fries x 2.
> If you give them to someone when you go out on days off, it might make them happy…
> You finished your activities at the cooking club and decide to go back to the dorm.

The others have been hearing the same rumors I was earlier.



I’m not going to say what they were doing when it happened, but…
Do you think that means the next Shadow is starting to wake up?

With the Lost on the rise, it was pretty clear that we needed to get back to work.



If things keep going like this, a Shadow will appear during the full moon…
…just like Ikutsuki-san said.

Oh, it turned out Fuuka knew what Elizabeth was talking about when she asked for a Christmas Star.



That’s… the ornament at the top of the tree, right?
What do you want one of those for?
And where would I find one…?
……
Ohh… I think I might know what you’re talking about.
If I’m right, it might not refer to an ornament at all.
There’s a type of plant that’s sometimes called the “Christmas Star.”
I think it’s pretty common, too…
Could you wait a few minutes? I’ll go look it up.
Sorry for the wait!
I think a poinsettia is what you’re looking for.
It’s usually a Christmas flower, so you won’t find it in stores now.
Fortunately, I had some in my room. Here you go.
> Obtained Poinsettia.

I’m glad nobody’s ever really pried into why I need these ridiculous things.



…Oh?
Then where is it…?
Hm… I’m somewhat disappointed.
I was led to believe there would be presents growing from this plant.
This fulfills my request, but you can take it back with you.
Although once the presents are in bloom, I’d like for these plants to fill this room…
Please accept your reward.
> Obtained Cyber Shoes.

I didn’t have the heart to tell her the thing just grows flowers. Anyway, Fuuka’s thinking over what it might mean that the Shadows are targeting couples.



There must be some reason why…
Maybe it’s part of the Shadows’ plan.
Well, whatever it is, we should be prepared for anything.

We returned to Tartarus once more.



……
……
Sorry, it’s a bit too far…
Can you go a little higher?

This ridiculous place just keeps going.



I wonder how tall this tower really is…

Even Fuuka was having problems getting accurate information for us.



……
……
Hmm… No luck.
Can you please go on to the next floor?

Not that it’s reassuring to know there are still more Guardians to face, but it’s good to have some warning. Oh, this was around when we found the guy who was lost.



It’s on the 59th floor.
Please be careful.
There’s someone on this floor! Find them, please!

Unfortunately the woman wasn’t with him.



And according to Elizabeth, we’d need to get past the Guardian to save her. Before we set out again I gave Elizabeth something she’d asked for, we got lucky and found one of those weird golden hands.



The Treasure Hand is more difficult to defeat than the Wealth Hand, is it not?
I never thought you’d be able to fulfill this request.
Please accept your reward.
> Obtained Spiked Bat.

Junpei was pretty excited to get a bat with nails sticking out, I’m not sure why he couldn’t just make one himself though.



But, why…? Is it because of this place…?

We pushed up several more floors without incident, until we finally found ourselves on the 59th.



Be careful.

We returned to the lobby for a moment to prepare, and I took the opportunity to hand Elizabeth some more bits of Shadows I’d collected. These things are kind of creepy and I don’t like keeping them around.



The Lustful Snake is quite a strong enemy, but still you were able to defeat it.
As I suspected, great power sleeps deep inside you.
I look forward to seeing you unlock your true potential…
Please accept your reward.
> Obtained 46000 yen.

The Guardian was a huge knight.



Video- “Intrepid Knight”

Watch

Boss Battle: Intrepid Knight
It’s a big scary knight that uses powerful physical attacks and has Hama. Stick with powerful magic while keeping people healed and you should be in good shape. He’s susceptible to Rage, as you see in the video, which will stop him casting but does increase the healing you need to do a bit. These things are just getting to be more and more nasty, and it’s only going to get worse.

Still, we put it down. On the next floor we managed to find the lost woman.



A few floors later and we were blocked by another dead end.



Good job. Please come back to the entrance.

I really wonder who wrote these.



If Elizabeth knows, she isn’t telling.



Of course, it was written by a human.
But, who…?
I’m sure you’ll find the answer higher in the tower…
Please accept your reward.
> Obtained 50000 yen.

Anyway we finished up for the night relatively early, so we won’t be so dead tired. I hope to find another night to come back in and get some more training done soon, because it’s hard to say what might be waiting for us when the full moon comes.