Part 8: Surviving midterms

Update 7 - Surviving midterms



I forgot to mention it last time, but since we have multiple people in our party now, there's one more part of the Friendship system: a character's "Special Person." Almost every character has a Special Person, and if that person falls in battle then the character will become enraged and grow stronger. Leroy's Special Person is simply whoever is given the most FP, with the default being Daichi if everybody has the same amount of FP.



Now, let's get going to Newtown.



BGM: Newtown (Night)

(If you think this theme sounds familiar, it's probably because it sounds like and is very likely the inspiration for one of the Deep Dungeon battle themes from Final Fantasy Tactics)

Newtown has a few new things going for it now that it's night.



The food stands sell Ramen and Miso Ramen, both of which are used to heal HP.



There's also Awahime (Bubble Princess), which sells some... racy equipment and items.



It's also possible to run into enemies at night. The flashing sign in the back reads "Fast - Cheap - Good?"

But we're here for the Mamejima warehouse, so let's head over there.









Or not.



: What's a you-know-what?



: Yeah, that's right! We heard that some... merchandise was coming in tonight.
: Well, that makes things much easier. Come in.

Cool, so you'll just let us in?





Oh, the sewers. Right, I was gonna suggest that...

: All the customers are already there, so be quick. So long!
: Looks like we fooled him into thinking we're here to buy the exam questions too.



Guess we've got no choice.



BGM: Dungeon



There's a locked room down here, because obviously you wanna set up your base in the sewers.



Some free stuff, too.



If you travel to the top right, you'll find another entrance/exit.



There's some creepy crawlies down here. The One-Eyed Eel can sap your GP, while the Killer Bat has the annoying ability to call more Killer Bats over.



There's also some Part-Time Penguins lurking about.



Made it. The warehouse is a pretty basic conveyor belt maze, as any warehouse worth its salt should be.



The warehouse is also home to the next level of penguin, the Twilight Penguin. Twilight Penguins can call Part-Time Penguins into battle.



If you leave through the front entrance, you'll have to go back through the sewers to get in again.





Upstairs is a student who can cure us and let us save our game, as we're about to get our big scoop.









: Oh, pretending to be a tough nut to crack, eh?
: Haiya! Evil, freezedoer! Er, I mean... FREEZE, EVILDOER!



: Hospo is here to save the day and undo your evil shady dealings! Prepare your buttocks of vice for a spanking of righteousness!
: Gaah! Get them!



The Pink Penguins (the Twilight Penguins' special force, perhaps?) are a powered-up version of the Twilight Penguins with no special abilities. Daichi's Club level had gone up and he had learned Triple Thrust, effectively tripling his attack power per turn, so Leroy and company made short work of the penguins.



: Oh, give me a break. It was the Twilight Penguins who stole them!
: Of course not! We--







: of the Twilight Penguins, Sagohachi Kamifukuoka! The Public Safety Committee hereby arrests you under suspicion of kidnapping at the Athletics Festival and the theft of the exam questions, in addition to other crimes!



: We only came here to take back our stolen exam questions. The real thief who tried to sell the questions is none other than... Taizou Mamejima, the corrupt owner of Mamejima Logistics!
: Sadly, it seems he's already sold them off to several students.



: Tut, tut... My dear lady, did you really not know who stole the questions? Next time, do your research before you start chasing people around. Farewell.

Kamifukuoka leaps towards the heavens...





...and lands on the other side of the wall.



I see you peeking over there.





: I haven't introduced myself yet. I'm Beatrice Kanuma of the Public Safety Committee. You must be those...Hospo people.
: What happened here today must be kept secret. Got it? Then scram!
: Oh, and contact me if anything comes up. Got it?



Beatrice is another novel-original character, appearing in the novel "First Love of Hourai High!" (Hourai Gakuen no Hatsukoi!)



: Ugghh...











: Wait a second! This is a Silver ID Card! Only club and class representatives can get these! He must have used it to steal the exam questions!



: Nice! Now we can get into locked rooms!
: Not so fast. I hear there's also a Gold ID Card that unlocks even more rooms.



But who persuaded the corrupt businessman Taizou Mamejima to steal the the exam questions in the first place? With many mysteries still unsolved, Leroy and the rest of the Hospo team faced the mid-term exams...



LAST GREAT HURDLE BEFORE SUMMER HOLIDAYS: MIDTERM EXAMS BEGIN IN EARNEST

Though there may be a few serious Hourai students, most are infamous for trading in fake sample tests, selling bogus charms and practising their cheating this time of year.

However, despite tight, strict security on the school's part, a scandalous theft of exam papers has taken place! Involved in the case was the head of the Mamejima Group, Taizou Mamejima.

"I was paid to do it! They made me do it! You gotta let me off for that!" squealed Mr Mamejima in a manner not unlike that of a stuck pig. Mr Mamejima claims the person who paid him to do it was a stranger.

The Twilight Penguins, rumoured to be the true culprits, held a press conference today to deny any connection with today's events. The investigation continues.