Part 12: 4/23/11-4/25/11

4/23/11

With Yukiko safe, things returned to a fragile state of normalcy.



Chatty Girl: I heard they've put up ads for part-time jobs on the town bulletin board!
I wonder if there's anything there I can make some easy cash with.
Braided Girl: Hmm… I don't think you have the Diligence to handle a job that takes a lot of time.
Chatty Girl: That's so mean!
Maybe I don't… But, I bet I'll be more diligent if I get a job!
I bet you wouldn't do too well with a job where you have to work with others because you lack Understanding, huh?

Yosuke was in trouble in class, as usual.



Ms. Sofue: Mesopotamia means "the land between the two rivers" in Greek.
In other words, the civilization was built between the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers.
Mesopotamia, Indas, Egypt, Huang He… All of the four great ancient civilizations rose from river land.
The rivers provided many blessings, which allowed the cultures to flourish. Mesopotamia had some distinctive laws…
Mr. Hanamura, wake up! Pop quiz! What was the commonality among the four great ancient civilizations!?
Ngh!? …What?
Souji, h-help me out! What does she mean by commonality?

Obviously, as Yosuke is my bro, I needed to help him out.



Ms. Sofue: Hmph, I guess you were paying attention. You're right, civilization began near rivers.
You should keep those words in mind. "Civilizations" and "by the river." It'll be helpful when you need it.
Anyhow… I'm glad you got it right.
"An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth." …You'd be in big trouble if you were in Mesopotamia.
…What's she mean by that?
I owe you big time for this, Souji. I better stay awake next time…

I headed into town to check out the job openings. Turned out that the gas station did not actually have an opening. There was a crummy-ass job I could do making envelopes in my room at night.



There was another one to translate some stuff into Japanese.



One was a volunteer position folding cranes for the hospital.



The most 'real' job was one assisting at the local day-care center.



I'm not huge on kids but I am huge on having money to buy things that keep me from dying.



> The children are extremely interested in you…
Boy: Mister, do you have a girlfriend?
Girl: Don't ask him that, you creep!
Boy: Let's play tag, Mister!
You're it!
> You survived the children tugging you in every direction.

There was one kid left behind at the end.



> It seems his guardian hasn't come to pick him up.
Day Care Supervisor: How are things, Souji-kun? Has everyone been picked up?
Looks like Yuuta-kun is still here.
It's always like this, though…

A woman showed up for him just then. I got a really odd vibe off of her.



Boy: …Whatever.
Are you… one of the supervisors?
I see…
I'm sure Yuu-kun will cause you trouble, but please take care of him…
Day Care Supervisor: Yuuta Minami…
He's full of energy during his play sessions… Maybe too much energy.
But once she arrives, he's a totally different kid… She's his stepmother, so I guess it can't be helped.
Yuuta-kun's father got remarried to that woman you just met.
I heard she's from the city… I really don't know what she's thinking.
Perhaps that's why Yuuta-kun is a troublemaker at school, too…
The other day, he…
> The caretaker continues gossiping…

After nearly being burned to a cinder by a creepy bird monster, I have to say a day like this feels pretty damn good.

4/24/11

Kou called me up earlier today, we decided to grab Daisuke and hang out.



If you're bored, let's hang out. I'll call up Daisuke too.
How's that sound?
Sure.
Sweet! Don't forget, okay?
> You made plans to go out.

We got on the train to Okina.



> You came here with Kou and Daisuke…
Ahhh, I haven't breathed air this bad in a long time.
I know what you mean, I can't relax here…
How 'bout you, Souji? Do you prefer urban places like this to more rural towns like Inaba?

I've actually been liking Inaba, monsters and all.



Is the town you come from as backwater as Inaba then, Souji?
I bet you had way more to do than go to Junes, though.
Hey, I like Junes.
It's super convenient, and they've got like, everything. That Yosuke dude is hilarious, too.
Huh? What does Yosuke have to do with anything?
Although now that I think about it, aren't you friends with him, Souji?
The four of us should hang out sometime.
> The three of you have a good time together…

4/25/11

With Yukiko still not feeling well, there's not much we can do. I did hear something interesting on the way to school this morning.



Chatty Girl: The cultural clubs are accepting new applicants starting today!
You're welcome to join, even if you're already in a sports club. Hmm… Which cultural club should I join?
Braided Girl: Huh? You mean you joined a sports club after all that whining? And now you're trying to join a cultural club!?
Don't say you're confident just because you wished for luck in your exams!
Chatty Girl: Look, colleges look more at your extracurricular activities than your grades, right?
I think I should be joining clubs so I can show that I'm a real team player!

Given what happened the last time I joined a club, I figured I should look into this one after classes were done.



Mr. Kondo: Just because it's such nice, warm weather doesn't mean you have time to be drowsy!
It's dangerous to fall asleep sometimes, you know that?
I mean, you could get mugged, or a thief could sneak into your house!
Hey, Souji!
Tell me, what time are thieves most likely to sneak into your house here in Japan?

I remembered hearing about this a while back, it's early in the morning when everyone's left for work.



> You gave the answer you thought was right…
Mr. Kondo: Yup, as Souji says, mornings are the most dangerous time! You should be ready to react to anything in the morning!
Hm? You don't care because you're at school by that time?
……
Well, alright! Lets shake the sleepies out with a little endurance training! Line up, ladies and gentlemen!
Let's take a jog around the school!

Some guy in our class wanted some help.



Male Student: My first thought was, "This is horrible! I'm stuck with King Moron as my homeroom teacher!" But, now…
My spring… It isn't over just yet…
…*sigh* Can I ask you to do something for me?

I said sure.



Male Student: Do you know that girl from our class who always goes up to the roof?
…I want you to go see what she's up to. No! Th-That's not what I meant!
I, uh… I just wonder what she does up there, that's all. Think you can ask her for me? Like, what's her hobby…

I told him I'd give it a shot, and headed up to the roof.



Long-Haired Girl: Huh? What's the matter?

I asked her about her hobbies.



I didn't think I'd quite gotten all the information the guy had wanted, so I decided to try again some other time. Anyway, it was time to suck it up and go ask Morooka about the cultural clubs.



The cultural clubs? You'd better not be interested in them just so you can meet girls, Mister!
…You can join either the drama club or the band.
Both clubs meet on the ground floor of the Practice Building. Go find them yourself!
Before you go… The culture clubs meet on Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday!
So are we done here!?
Go home already! Are you staying at school to hang out with a girl later on or something!?

I'm pretty much useless at music, so drama was an obvious choice.

VIDEO- "The Sun"

Click Here For Video!

Male Student: Let's move on to tongue twisters.
Ready? The sixth chick cheek's shixth cheep… Argh!

It's a good thing someone at least could do it, because I wasn't even sure what the tongue twister was at first.



…You're still not saying it correctly. Come on, you're our club president.
Male Student: Oh, a new guy?
You're Seta, from second year, right? The transfer student?
I see, I see. Welcome to the drama club!
I'm the club president, Nagai. And this is…

A very gung-ho person indeed.



I'm in the second year, same as you. It's nice to meet you.
Suspicious Student: Yumi, are you trying to get your hooks into the new guy already?
Huh? Not in the slightest.
Anyway, let's continue practicing.
Drama Club President: We don't have a stage, and we haven't decided on a script yet, so we're just training. I'm sure you'll catch on.
Our club meets on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays.
Kind Student: We're not gonna throw you out if you don't show up, but the more you train, the better you get, right?
I think being in the drama club helps you learn how to express yourself more eloquently.
Oh yeah, I'm the club's vice president. I'm not really much help, though…
Drama Club President: That's okay, Maaya. I know you put a lot of effort into it. Besides, you're so cute…
Drama Club Vice President: Don't call me Maaya in front of everyone!
> it seems to be a friendly club…

While they were busy flirting, Yumi pulled me aside and offered to practice with me. She seemed pretty serious about all of this, so I agreed.



We'll start with voice lessons.
That's right, focus on your stomach…
Push the air out… Now, say "Ahh"!
Ahhh…
That was good! You've gotten a lot better than when we started!
> Yumi seems proud of you.
Huh! School's over already!
Everybody's already gone!
I didn't even notice…
I'll see you next time. Come to practice, okay?

It's hard to say no when someone's being this forceful.



I'm glad to see you can take orders.
> Yumi smiles cheerfully.
Well, fate must've brought us here. Let's do the best with what we have.
> You joined the drama club and became acquaintances with Yumi Ozawa.
> Yumi is enthusiastically devoting her time to acting…
> You feel a faint bond forming between Yumi and yourself…

I should maybe look up what these Arcana are even supposed to mean some time.



Oh, yeah. Have you ever gone to see a play or a musical being performed live?
I have a DVD you can borrow. It'll definitely help your technique.
The other members in the drama club don't watch this kind of stuff, or even talk about it…
> Yumi passionately discussed acting as you walked home together…

Chie's not sure when Yukiko will be feeling better, I'm just hoping it's soon. There's still a killer on the loose, and who knows when he might strike again?