Part 39: 7/12/11-7/14/11

7/12/11

I keep trying to make myself forget that exams are right around the corner, but everyone won't stop talking about them.



Depressed Girl: Finals start next week. *siiiiiiiiiiiiigh *
Easygoing Boy: Senpai, you look pretty down.
That's not good for you, y'know? Once they're over, summer vacation isn't far behind, right?
Depressed Girl: Shut it, puny underclassman! I have to study for my college entrance exams!
Once you're a third-year student, you'll get a taste of what it's like to take tests all year.
*sigh *

Also I never thought I'd say this but I really miss Morooka.



Well, don't worry about that for now. …The hot and humid days just keep on coming.
It's the perfect time to have eel. I just loooove that slimy texture.
By the way… Does anyone know why eels are slimy?
They have a protein called mucin that, due to agglutination, can precipitate the small particles.
I learned all that on TV. And they say it makes your skin smoother!
I'd recommend that channel. I'm sure one day you'll all look back and thank me for this precious information.

I wanted to hit the Velvet Room so I headed down to the shopping district. That gas station attendant noticed me passing and we had a chat.



Attendant: Country life has gotten a lot more convenient than it used to be, but…
Convenience isn't the only good thing in life, is it?
Or something like that, ahaha… I've been here for a while, so I think like that sometimes.
…But compared to the city, I bet it's still pretty inconvenient here.

When I finished up I headed back to school. Chie's been stressing out about the exams so I decided to help her out.



Ugh…
…Souji-kun, you free today? Maybe you could tutor me… Or not…
Alright! Let's head for the library!

We got a lot done, I was pretty happy with it.



Got it! Thanks for helping me, Souji-kun!
> You were able to get more studying done by teaming up with Chie.

We had some ingredients around, so I decided to delve again into the land of dessert.



> You have the ingredients to make crème caramel.
> You decided to make crème caramel.
> ……
> You made the base with egg, milk, sugar, and other ingredients…
> How should you give it some scent…?

I mean we only had one thing a civilized person would consider using.



> It's done to perfection.
> Obtained Smooth Crème Caramel.

I'm pretty happy with how it turned out, and it's not going to be terrible tomorrow so I'll even get to enjoy it.

7/13/11

No point having a delicious dessert if you're not going to share it with someone. Yumi's been really down about her father, so I decided to try and cheer her up.



I think I like men who know how to cook. Do you think you could make me something for next time, too?
…Thanks a bunch!

Mr. Kondo was still pretty shaken up about Morooka dying I think.



Mr. Kondo: …I still can't believe Mr. Morooka was taken from us. The faculty office is still in shock too…
But we can't sob about it all day! Today we're gonna put the "physical" back in education!
We're gonna play rugby! And don't even think about getting lazy because it's hot!
I know some of you probably don't know how to play, but don't worry! Rome wasn't built in a day!
Don't space out, Souji! I've got a question for you!
What does "Rome wasn't built in a day" mean!?

I mean this one is so old I can't believe anyone doesn't know it.



Mr. Kondo: Excellent!
Of course, "keep trying" would have been close! You can't give up before you build your empire! Keep at it!
By the way, that proverb was originally written in French! Mr. Hosoi told me that.
What a great proverb! I just might put that on the test! Don't forget it!

I think I found the person who made that last wish, but I'm not quite sure how to handle this one.



Female Student: Wh-What, don't just walk up to me and talk to me all of a sudden! Don't you know that's rude!?
Oh…
Umm…
S-Sorry for blowing up like that. It's fine. I'm not in a hurry to go anywhere or anything.
So…
> The female student is mumbling and obviously flustered.
> Perhaps she's the one who wrote the ema request the fox showed you.
> She wants to improve her conversational abilities.
Awkward Girl: What do you want? S-Stop staring at my face!
> Her word are harsh…
> You don't have enough Understanding to continue the conversation.
> Maybe if your Understanding was Generous you would be able to talk to her.
> The awkward girl raw away.
> Maybe you should talk to her again next time you see her…

That Namatame guy was by the river, poor guy seems really bent out of shape over something.



Mayumi…
……

Yukiko was going to pick up some things at the grocery so I went along to consult.



> Yukiko brought you here…
I wrote down everything I need, so this shouldn't take that long.
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.

She clearly wants to learn this for herself, this goes beyond just being about cooking.



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…?

I think Yukiko doesn't realize how much the people who work at the inn care about her.



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 chef, "Yuki-chan 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…

Yukiko's a real kidder.



Ummm… Oh yeah, shopping!
> You helped Yukiko with her shopping and walked home partway together.

Dojima and I had a talk about a few things, nothing major.

7/14/11

So today we learned the dire truth behind at least one major mystery.



Mr. Hosoi: Well, to be honest, us teachers are kind of afraid ourselves. The culprit is still on the loose.
But there's no sense wasting time moaning about it. The bright, warm sun is shining on us. Let's get to work.
…Open your textbooks and find the excerpts from… The Pillow Book.
In fact, I just remembered. There're a few passages about sunlight here, like one called "In Spring it is the Dawn."
Interestingly, the term "dawn" has many meanings. For example, there's both civil and nautical dawn. Souji-chan!
Here's a question for you. Nautical dawn or civil dawn, which one's brighter?

Clearly it's civil dawn. I shouldn't have to explain why.



Mr. Hosoi: Yep, civil dawn is brighter! I'm surprised you knew. There really isn't that much difference, really.
Nautical dawn is when you can barely see the sunlight, and civil dawn is when it's bright enough to distinguish objects.
I'm gonna put this on next week's test! Make sure you memorize that, mmmkay?
By the way, my wife made this doll for me by hand. Don't you think she did a great job making it look like me?

Kanji wanted to get some food so we went to Aiya.



> You came here at Kanji's request…
Man, I'm starving for some Chinese!
But if I eat and then go home, I can't finish Mom's food… She serves so much, you'd think I have five brothers.
She's tryin' to make my stomach burst.
Middle-Aged Man: Aren't you Kanji Tatsumi? What are you doing here?
Can't you tell?
Hey, you're a cop. What do you mean, what am I doing?
Police Officer: Just what I said. There's been quite a commotion around here lately.
Well maybe if you did your job, thing's get quieter, huh?
Police Officer: Y-You need to fix that attitude…
…Oh well. Just don't pull anything, got it?
I didn't…
Police Officer: *sigh * I'm gonna eat somewhere else.
Asshole.

I guess this happens to Kanji a lot.



Meh, I'm used to it…
……
Sorry for getting' you mixed up in this, Senpai…
I really am just a troublemaker. For you… and for Mom.
She's always apologizing for me. She's been sprouting more and more white hairs…

I mean if he's really concerned about it he should tell her that.



I-I know, but… It's just kinda awkward…
> Kanji looks troubled…
Filial piety, right? I don't really know what to do…
…Or so I thought.
I'm gonna use this power I got to make this town peaceful!
I've been causing nothing but trouble, but now I can finally return the favor!
So let's get to it, Senpai!
> You can feel Kanji's enthusiasm…
You feel you understand Kanji even more…

Little by little it seems Kanji is trying to change.



…Hey Chief, the food ready yet?
Aiya Owner: Huh? You ordered something, Kan-chan?
I told you not to call me Kan-chan! And I did order: liver-leek stir fry and pot stickers!
Tch! I'm gonna tear your store apart so fast you won't have time to file for insurance!
Oh, uh, well…
I'm gonna tear it apart and rebuild it twice as good! I-I'm gonna RENOVATE your ass!
Aiya Owner: …Sounds good to me.
> You went home after eating at Aiya.

I watched some TV with Nanako, something was bothering her.



> It's a documentary about a young man searching for his real father…
> ……
> Nanako is staring into the TV.
Real… father…
What do they mean by "real"?
A person you love a lot.
Oh, okay… Then you're my real big brother.
> Nanako looks really happy…
And Dad's my real father!
……
But I don't think Dad really loves me…
Maybe…
……
Maybe I'm not "real" to him?
Daddy doesn't come home because I'm not his "real" daughter?

I'm certain that's not it.



…No.
> It looks like Nanako has stopped worrying…
Mom…
Why'd she leave me?
…When Mom was still here, we all went out together…
We picked flowers at Samegawa…
> Nanako talked a bit about her memories…
You understood Nanako's true feelings a little better.

Poor Nanako. I wish I could spend every night with her.



Hey… Big bro…
> It's about Nanako's bedtime…
> What should you do…?

We stayed up talking a bit past her normal bedtime.



Yay!
Ummmm… Ummmm… Then, let's play the word game!
> Nanako looks happy.
Then we'll start with... "w" from "word!" W… W… Worm!
> You played a word game with Nanako.

We can't do anything for now, just have to wait things out.