Part 40: July 5 - July 7: A Rock and a Hard Place

-Heartbeat, Heartbreak-


Lonely boy: I can't come up with anything...

> The boy is looking for a rare sticker that is popular among kids. Will you give him the Tankiriman Sticker?

Lonely boy: ...A Tankiriman Sticker? Wow, thank you! This is cool-looking, so I'm sure they'll let me play after I show them this!

> The boy ran off cheerfully. Will he make lots of friends...? You should ask him another time.



-Like A Dream Come True-

> Souzai Daigaku...You finished today's training and came here with Chie.


...It might not even be cow meat. Just kidding...Whoa, thinking about it, that's kinda gross, haha...


Th-Then is this place really serving fake meat...?
Police officer: Excuse me.
Y-Yes? I haven't eaten any of the meat today, I swear!
Police officer: Lately, there's been several incidents with a group of teenagers bullying people around here.
...Bullying?
Police officer: Extortion, if you will. Have you seen anyone suspicious?
N-No, no one in particular...
Police officer: Hmmm, I see...Well, you two be careful then.


But still, bullying!? What cowards, ganging up on the weak like that!
Exactly.
It's so cruel! And stupid!

> Chie is outraged...

We'll grab 'em and make them apologize! Right, Leader?
Of course.
I knew you'd say that!

> Chie looks happy.

Mowing down villains and saving the weak, a lone female fighter stands...To protect the town's peace, she throws herself into the battlefield, unbeknownst to all...!
Ooh, yeah! That sounds cool! Sanzo-kun, leave it to me!
Though I'd feel better about it if you helped...And it'd make me...kinda happy...

> Chie seems somewhat embarrassed...





Note that "all" includes the enemy, as well as the team. Make sure you've got some other good physical fighters in play, and you're fighting something that can be critted. Then DESTROY EVERYTHING.

Alright, first, let's eat! "Don't think. Feel..." right? Actually, in this case, would it be, "Don't think. Eat...?"

> You walked back home with Chie, eating steak skewers.

-Signs of Love-


Next time, I'll learn how to go under water and how to swim fast!
Are you good at swimming, big bro?
I'm a gold medalist.
A gold medal? Wow! I want one too!
I can't wait until I can swim that good!



-Heartbeat, Heartbreak-


Lonely boy: Y'know the sticker you gave me? Everyone already knew about it...But I did make friends! I talked to them every time I got a new sticker, and they just kinda became my friends! It's thanks to you! Oh, and also the fox. I wrote my wish at the shrine. They said a fox grants wishes there. I'll go say thanks to the fox later!

> You accomplished the request written on the ema! You should report back to the fox...

-Like A Dream Come True-

> Junes grocery department...Yukiko brought you here.


Gotten any better yet?
That's...I hope so.

> Yukiko is smiling sheepishly...

I'm studying the basics of the basics. But it's not turning out quite like it does in the book, even though I'm following the directions.
Keep practicing.
Yes. Practice makes perfect.

> Yukiko nods...

I think there's no point unless I do it alone...
Our cooks help me out all the time. At first they just give me advice, but eventually they take the knife from me. So even if the meal turns out wonderfully, it doesn't mean anything that way...I told them to leave me alone, but they still stay and watch.
Are they that worried about my cooking...?
They care about you.
They care about...me? Do...Do you really think so?

> Yukiko looks surprised, but happy...

Last time the head chef took the knife from me, shouting "I can't stand to watch anymore!" and made the rest. The waitress saw it and said to the head cook, "Yukiko wants to make it herself, even if it's awful..."
Before I knew it, I was "studying how to cook for a boy I like"...My parents got involved and it exploded from there...*giggle* Funny, isn't it?
But...maybe it wasn't all a lie.
T-Taste my food again, okay...?

> Yukiko is blushing...You felt a faint hint of love from Yukiko...



...Uh oh.



Still, the risks might be worth it for skills that rule this hard.

Ummm...Oh yeah, shopping!

> You helped Yukiko with her shopping and walked home partway together.

-Signs of Love-



> Harvested 2 Red Paprika, White Paprika, Blue Paprika, and Green Paprika. You planted Barrier Corn.

-Who's There?-

> The old lady in mourning garb is standing there again...


I'm sorry about what happened last time, when I was staring at your face. You just...You looked like someone I knew.

> The old woman smiles gently...

Do you work here?
Only part-time...
My, is that so. That's wonderful...I have a granddaughter about your age...She went back home today, though. Thinking about it...Meeting you here is a wonder...But I won't be coming back here anymore...
What were you here for?
Haha...This isn't a big town; we might run into each other eventually. I like to take in the sun at the riverbank when I have days off. The river sparkles so beautifully...It all feels so good, it saddens me. Haha, I'll be going now.

> The old woman left...


That room over there needs some work done in it. Perhaps you could...? Oh, whatever, just get in there.

-Like A Dream Come True-


The patient who had been in this room left just a little while ago. I want you to mop the floor...Don't ask what happened here.
I'd rather not know.
Oho, I was just kidding. The patient who was here was released today. He returned right from the brink of death!

> Sayoko smiles mischievously...

He was a good patient, who always listened to what I said. Plus, he was the president of his company at a young age. He was handsome, didn't complain, and independent. He wanted to get back to his work...Desperately. And, thanks to his perseverance, he was able to leave even earlier than we had scheduled to release him. "Thank you for caring for me," he said, bowing to me so happily...Then he turned around and walked out. He said such stupid things, like that he loved me.
...Everyone leaves. They only need me when they're my patients...In the end, they all leave me.
Why don't you switch jobs?
You make it sound easy...Well, I guess that's to be expected. You're still a high school student...and a stranger to this town.

> Sayoko smiles sadly...

...I must not have been making sense. Forget about what I was saying. I'll ask another janitor to handle this room. You go on home. The streets are dark...You shouldn't be here. You wouldn't want to get caught...by me.

> Sayoko gives you a faint smile...You feel that you saw just a bit of Sayoko's inner self...


Nice work.
Hey, that wasn't so bad!...I hope she's not sick or anything.



-Specialist-


Mr. Hosoi: This "Gakumon no Susume" has a reference to the U.S. Declaration of Independence. It's apparent once you start reading. There's a famous line at the beginning: "It is said that heaven does not create one man above or below another man." "Gakumon no Susume" is famous for this line, however, the "It is said" portion shows that it is a reference. So this famous quote is a quotation in itself...Are you listening, Sanzo-chan?


The U.S. Declaration of Independence.
Mr. Hosoi: Yes, it is referencing the U.S. Declaration of Independence. Before writing "Gakumon no Susume," Fukuzawa wrote "Seiyo Jijo," or "Conditions of the West." In that book, he actually translates the entire Declaration into Japanese. So he similarly used the reference in "Gakumon no Susume." Well, let's move on. "Any existing distinction between the wise and the stupid..."



-Traumerei-

> Central shopping district, Chinese Diner Aiya...You came with Naoki, who has finished helping his parents.


I usually eat here a lot because it's so close to our place, but for some reason, I haven't eaten here lately.
Tired of the food?
Nah. I've been coming here since I was a kid, but for some reason I've never really gotten tired of it...

> Naoki is tilting his head.

The liquor store is pretty busy, but...I can't do much to help. I mean, it's not actually our business that's busy...Most of the media has stopped coming around, but if there's nothing new to report on, sometimes they'll pop up...Lately, the neighbors have been coming one after the other..."Poor thing," they'll sob. Even the lady from the neighborhood association came. Funny how she never actually spoke to Sis before...Then they all tell me, "You need to live an admirable life for your sister's sake." It's suffocating. I mean...What exactly is an "admirable life," anyway?
I don't know.
So you're looking for the answer, too? Living is hard, huh? Even though we're already going through it...it's like we're still learning how.

> Naoki laughs awkwardly...

Oh, I'm sorry. I just seem to talk about odd things when I'm around you.

> You feel that Naoki is slowly opening up to you.


Anyway, let's eat. Chinese food isn't good once it gets cold.
Haha, the chef's glaring at us.

> You went home after eating with Naoki.