Part 171: 11/28-11/30: Long Time No See

Part 161: 11/28-11/30: Long Time No See



Anon: we do need new authority…
Anon: Akechi got the last laugh!
Anon: We’ll finally have peace
Anon: A worthy end for a villain



All the news ever talks about is the election…
It’s weird for it to be given this much attention.
Well, we might be getting new administration, so…
When are the polls again? Is it still a ways off?

Anon: So did he do it or not!?
Anon: Execute accomplices too!
Anon: Just like Akechi-kun said!
Anon: so he HAS to be guilty
Anon: Justice with Akechi!

Music: Disquiet




They were asked which politician they thought had the most promise… ...The name we heard most often was Masayoshi Shido, the leader of the United Future party. It’s just one more piece of evidence solidifying Mr. Shido as the front-runner in this race.
Just you wait! We’ll knock you off your high horse soon!





...Ah, I’m sorry! I was spacing out for a moment there. Um, would you like to check on the planters with me? I would appreciate the opportunity to speak with you…



That’s good to hear. Thank you. The truth is…



I thought it would be fun making coffee myself. It’s certainly not easy, but it’s an immensely satisfying process…

Music: Alleycat



…… Sorry about that… I just got a little dizzy for a second there…



I’m fine, honestly… Let’s see, next up is… dirt for the planters…




Ah…



I think I just need to rest a little…



Takakura-san has really been pushing for us to start a new business venture soon… In particular, he’s adamant about a chain of low-cost, intimate cafes.

Takakura’s gonna put Sojiro out of business, damn.

Some employees don’t think it’s a good idea though, so they want me to step in and put a stop to it… But I’m just a high schooler… There’s no way I could predict the success or failure of this idea… In the end, I’m just not sure what to do…




The idea does sound nice… The smell of a fresh cup of coffee always brings a smile to my face. And it certainly would be nice to be able to give that experience to as many people as possible… But… I don’t think you can truly gain the same joy from the low-cost chain Takakura-san is suggesting.



Huh…? You really think he’d listen to a high schooler with no prior work experience…?
*nod*




I’ll make him see what I’m really thinking… and what’s truly important to me.




By refusing to trust Takakura-san, I was also shutting myself off from any hope of having him trust me…! But that’s going to be different now… I’ll do my best, Maaku-kun!
I can sense a strong resolve from Haru...



This skill is nuts. It only takes like three days to harvest veggies now, meaning we’re gonna grab a lot of Moonlight Carrots. Fuck Sun Tomatoes.




A magic item that will help me convey my true feelings to Takakura-san… *giggle* It’s going to take some time to prepare though, so it will have to be my secret for now. But I’ll tell you next time, OK? Now then, shall we return home?

Music: Beneath the Mask




We get the two Hot Water Pouch(es) we ordered off the TV and the clothes we bought from Tanaka.




Music: Break it Down (Elp Version)



Buchiko… The story about this dog makes me cry every time…

But you’re a cat! Dogs are your mortal enemy!



A dog who kept waiting for his master in Shibuya, huh? A noble and loyal friend to the end…

If it wasn’t totally obvious, Buchiko is a reference to the famous story of Hachiko, the dog that kept waiting for its deceased master in Shibuya for years. You know, like that one episode of Futurama. There’s even a statue of Hachiko in Shibuya, with a matching statue of Buchiko in this game.

I have to admit that this story moves me. Can’t you feel its gentle warmth in your heart?

Maaku gains Kindness +3.



Anon: c’mon, leak his name!
Anon: he went down easy
Anon: he got what was coming
Anon: So did he do it or not!?

Music: Disquiet




We’re all fine.
I’m jelly you get to ditch school and all… Anyways, everything on TV and even online is irritating as shit.
Not a day goes by that we don’t see Shido on the news.
Same with Akechi. All that genius detective stuff is a load of bullcrap.
It makes me sick how quick they both are to act like heroes.
Honestly, the people who believe that rubbish are just as bad.

Well, I mean, they’re not, like, murderers, Yusuke.

Totally. Everyone’s been going on about the end of year elections like it’s some kinda festival.
Yes, this political season is nothing more than a party for most of them. But depending on how we approach it, this might actually be a good opportunity for us.
We will take advatnage of this commotion to execute our mission. It will be a great distraction.
Considering all the attention they’re getting, the appearance of the Phantom Thieves will be huge.
Let’s show ‘em the Phantom Thieves are still going strong as ever!
It’s your call when we meet. Just be careful, OK?




Wait… Hm? If I take this and they take that, will I have enough pawns…? Wh-Whoa! I’m in trouble…
…What?







Again, it’s crazy how fast these things grow. We’re getting one carrot per day at this rate!



I generally try to avoid hanging out with the same person twice in the same update, let alone on consecutive days, but with the nature of our schedule, with Haru at Rank 7 and the rest of our unmaxed party at Rank 8 or 9, this is honestly the best option.



I’ve thought a great deal… both about Takakura-san and the company. Do you have some time to talk today…?



OK. Thank you… You see…

Music: Break it Down (Elp Version)



The thing that will help me show Takakura-san how I really feel… is right here.





It’s soft, it’s warm, it has good drainage… and it’s full of nutrients. This… This is the magic I need.



I’m not very good at expressing myself with words… Just thinking about it makes my heart race… But I’ve been pouring my heart and soul into this soil for months now. It knows exactly how I feel. That’s why I’m going to use it to grow my coffee plants. Then once they’re ready, I’m going to make coffee with the beans! It shouldn’t be much longer now.

I never mentioned it, Haru, but your green thumb is terrifying. What black magic are you resorting to that allows you to grow carrots in three days?

Honestly… just raising those plants has taken considerable effort. I’ve checked on them every day, given them water, put them in the sun… But… all of that love and care has found its way into the beans themselves. Combining that with the nurturing warmth of this soil should give me the perfect way to convey how I feel. I wonder what Takakura-san will think when he tries it…




I’m not particularly confident in the flavor though… After all, this is my first attempt. By the way, I’ve thought about it some more, and… I wouldn’t necessarily be opposed to Takakura-san’s idea. If that’s what management decides to do, I won’t get in their way.



What I mean is, people don’t think of Okumura Foods very highly right now. So… I’m afraid management is trying to use this new chain to sneak under the radar rather than rebuild our image. Of course, I understand how hard it is to rid yourself of a negative label…





...Just kidding.



It’s because of you that I was able to cultivate this soil… And because of you that I have the courage to tell Takakura-san how I feel.



As long as you’re with me, I won’t be afraid to say what I’m thinking.

Maaku nods.

I can sense an earnest resolve from Haru...




Could you carry a bag for me?
*nod*
Well, see you later.

Music: Beneath the Mask



He was going to get the death penalty, anyway. It’s not perfect, but it’s no big tragedy, either.
That’s true. I suppose it’s fine if this settles everything. I almost missed hearing about this. News of the suicide’s been eclipsed by elections coverage.



We opt to read tonight. We have six books left.




However, there’s an interesting twist here.

Don’t you already know about Maihama? You don’t really need to read that anymore.



That’s right, any book that’s about a place we’ve already been to can be read instantly! Let’s just blow through all of the remaining books tonight, then.




Shitamachi Reborn covers Asakusa.




Fishpond Spotter is about Ichigaya.




Yoncha Wanderer is about Yongen-Jaya. Now, you may be wondering why there’s a book about Yongen, a default location. Well, this book is actually pointless! It just unlocks fast travel to the batting cages and the bathhouse, both of which unlock normally if you just visit those places once. It’s incredibly stupid.




Musty Pages is Jinbocho.




Finally, Weekend Parks covers Inokashira. And that’s every book in the game! We got the stupid worthless trophy!

So, we need to find something else to do tonight. Well, I’ve got the perfect idea.



Laundry!






Since we can wash any four items, we just wash the bottom four (Classified, two Corrupt, and a Smokestained), which are sorted as to be the best.




Go ahead and call her, then!



Laundry? Got it. Leave it to me!



You go ahead and enjoy your free time. Geez, I’m actually kind of jealous…




Now, for real, let’s craft some tools.

Music: Everyday Days



As Morgana points out, if we get Kawakami to make tools for us, she can only make one thing per night.



Now, we’re just going for the “craft one of everything” trophy, so we start on the left page and work our way down. We get six crafts for being at Rank 5 Proficiency, so we craft a Vanish Ball (instant escape from battle, worthless and redundant due to Hifumi’s skill), a Spotlight (Raises an ally’s chance of being targeted, which I guess would be useful in extremely specific situations, maybe), a Limelight (a more effective version of Spotlight), a Megido Bomb (100 Almighty Damage to all foes), an Element Set (gives one each of Molotov Cocktail, Freeze Spray, Stun Gun, and Air Cannon, which each do 50 damage of Fire, Ice, Electricity and Wind damage respectively to one foe), and the Forces Set (gives one each of Psycho Bomb, Atom Match, Happy Bomb, and Curse Bomb, which deal 50 Psy, Nuke, Bless and Curse damage respectively to one foe).

Maaku gains Proficiency +2.

Music: Beneath the Mask




All right. I’ll see you later.



Anon: Evil is destined to perish.
Anon: he shoulda confessed first
Anon: so he HAS to be guilty
Anon: hope things are safer now

Music: So Boring



A charismatic politician can make even apathetic young people excited, hm? Not only does Mr. Shido have good judgment and decisiveness, he has important qualities as a leader. Like communication skills. Don’t you think his words are easy to understand and resonate with you?
...Everyone’s getting tricked by his facade. They don’t know it’s all lies…! We have to make him show his true colors…!

Music: Disquiet




We’re here in front of Marukyu Tofu, which is the home of the famous idol Risette!
Rise Kujikawa went on hiatus for a bit, but maybe her unwavering appeal is from the power of tofu?

Gah, leave Rise alone, dammit.



Even you’re talking politics? I don’t get this Shido fever.
I’ve just never seriously thoughts about it before. Maybe because I’d never seen a politician like him. I think he’s got real potential. If nothing else, he’s better than the people we’ve got now.



So, what’s the plan for today?



Ummm, are you sure that’s gonna be OK? Shouldn’t we figure out where the Treasure is first?



Really…? Eh, I guess there’s not much point in worrying if you’re so sure…



Do you have time today?



Thanks. The truth is, Shiho’s moving away today… and before she goes, she wants to see the school roof again.

SHIHO ALERT. THIS IS NOT A DRILL

It’s still hard for her to climb stairs though, so do you think you could help me carry her?



Hey, Shiho. It’s been a while, hasn’t it? In fact, it’s been a while since you were even mentioned!

Ann, Maaku-kun… I’m pretty heavy, huh? Thanks for the help.

I know better than to answer that.

Isn’t Maaku super reliable?



Anyway, something about Shiho’s portrait kinda strikes me as… off? If you know what I mean? It’s like it’s from an earlier style of portraits from the character designer’s drafts for this game. I think it might be her eyes, they’re just a little too big.



Music: Alleycat




It’s occurring to me that this might have been a bad idea. I’m not saying anything will happen, but this seems like a bad situation.




To tell you the truth… I wanted to reenact that moment. Wearing these clothes, standing here again… I wanted to know what it would feel like.

Oh, that’s the reason you’re dressed like this. It’s not at all that they didn’t want to draw a new portrait and make a new character model, how silly of me!

...What about back then? What were you thinking?
I… I didn’t want to die. I just needed to escape… It was like another person inside of me was screaming, telling me to come up here… It almost felt like that person was trying to kill me…




So, I wanted to see if she would show up again now.

“You know, just trying to reenact my suicide attempt to see if I still wanna. It’s cool.”



Yeah… She doesn’t exist anymore.
...You’re so strong, Shiho. The only reason you can stand here now is because of how hard you worked for your rehab.
Maybe… but that was all thanks to you, Ann.
Me…?
Because I saw how hard you were trying too. Trying to be strong, to be cool… Wanting to be an action star… Striving to be a better model… You were so positive… Your eyes sparkled with motivation. With you putting that much effort in, I couldn’t just let my life go to waste in a hospital bed. That’s why I wanted to stand again… It was because of you.

It’s really cool how the survivor of both physical and implied sexual abuse disappears from the game the instant their trauma can be used to push the plot forward, and then only pops back up to prop up another character’s arc. I love it.

Being able to change others… That’s what true strength is.
Shiho…



I’m nothing without you.



Ann… I’m sorry… for deciding to transfer schools…
Shiho…



That way you’ll be able to keep seeing me… and keep giving life your all… I’m gonna be in a bunch of magazines, and I’ll say tons of good stuff in interviews… So…







WHOA

Once I can smile again from the bottom of my heart, I’ll come visit…



Shiho left with her family...

Well, bye forever Shiho. We'll never hear from you ever again.

Music: Sunset Bridge



I made a promise with Shiho, so there’s no turning back now.

Maaku nods, but Ann isn’t facing him at that moment so he just looks like a complete putz.

I’m gonna study how to properly exercise, and even relearn how to walk the runway. I want to pick up on some other languages and cultures too so I can start doing overseas events. Because, well… the only way I can help Shiho is to show her how hard I’m working.




If I can do that, Shiho… She’ll definitely…



But it just… won’t stop…





I love this response. “Not me, though! I don’t give a fuuuuuuck!”

Oh… You’re right… I have our team now. There are people suffering out there, just waiting for us to save them… That’s why I need to do my best… Not just for our team, but for everyone who needs our help.



Maaku nods, and she actually sees it this time.

Ann is showing an even greater resolve than ever before...




Oh, and thanks for going out with me today… U-Um, I didn’t mean it like that… Of course not… ...See you later!
Ann ran off… I should go home…

Music: Beneath the Mask





Let’s get Kawakami to make some curry for us.

I see. If you ask her to do that for you, then you’ll have time to do something else.
I’m about to head home, but… Careful with the stove, all right?



I quit that maid job, but I’ll still take requests from you, you know. ...I’ll head over there. Just wait for me a bit.






I’m Maaku “The Tool Man” Hamiru. ...Doesn’t really work, does it?

Music: Everyday Days



First up, an Eternal Lockpick, which is a lockpick that will never break.



One thing we have to watch out for is that if we’re going for the “all crafted tools” trophy, we have to craft them all ourselves, no using Kawakami. This is an issue for two reasons: one: the parts for certain items like Reserve Ammo and the Eternal Lockpick here are scarce and you’re not likely to obtain enough to make more than one in a playthrough. The other, worse issue is that you can only craft the Eternal Lockpick once per playthrough. If you have Kawakami make it, you can’t get the trophy until New Game +.



Hilariously, though, the double craft procs here and we get TWO Eternal Lockpicks! I had just assumed that was impossible.

We also make Stealthanol (reduces security level), Covertizer (greatly reduces security level), Smokescreen (renders us undetectable temporarily), Hypno Mist (puts nearby enemies to sleep), and Reserve Ammo (lets us restock our ammunition while in a Palace, the only way in the game besides a DLC accessory to do so!). The double craft procs on Reserve Ammo for me too, which is very lucky. We still don’t have the trophy, though, because while we have a few Goho-Ms that Morgana gave us at the beginning of the game, we haven’t crafted any ourselves yet. Oh well, we’ll get to that next time.

Maaku gains Proficiency +3.

Music: Beneath the Mask





It’s cool but weird that Kawakami can make Sojiro’s Master Curry and coffee without any training.

All right. I’ll see you later.