Part 5: Summer 1995, part 2 - These Six Times at Band Camp
Chapter 4: Summer 1995, Part 2 - These Six Times at Band CampThat was a strange little diversion. But time and high school stop for no man, and we march on!
7/24-7/29: Exercise
Goon: Summer vacation starts tomorrow!
Summer vacation in Japanese schools is mercilessly short. It's six weeks long, and in-game, one of those weeks is a compulsory club activity. Two things make summer vacation incredibly precious to us: one, since we're not in school, we won't meet anyone for building stats; two, activities during summer vacation are two to three times more effective than regular schooldays for building stats. Our Sports stat has slipped to 25 with all the studying we're doing, but with just these few weeks of work, we can climb up a huge amount in a short time.
7/30 (Sunday): Call Shiori
This is the last possible day to call Shiori and invite her to Ennichi. Seize the day! Ready the reload button!
There are a few date spots that are only available during the summer. They include going to the ocean and going to the public swimming pool. On Ennichi and on New Year's Day, you can also invite people to go to the local shrine.
(the formalities have been skipped since they are the same as last time)
Goon: Want to go to the shrine on 8/6?
Shiori: Let me check... yes, that's fine.
Goon: Alright, let's meet in front of the shrine on that day.
Shiori: Yes, let's. Don't forget, okay?
Goon: No way will I forget. Okay, talk to you later.
(click)
Goon: Yes! I can't wait for the 6th.
7/31-8/5: Preen
8/6 (Sunday): Date with Shiori
Goon: Have you been waiting long?
Shiori: No, I just got here myself.
Goon: Phew, glad I wasn't late.
Shiori: It's so lively around here!
Yukata are amusing to me. While they're now considered to be fancy-yet-light summer wear, the style comes from bathrobes and towels used by nobility a thousand years ago. The kanji literally mean "bathing clothes". Hurray for fashion!
Option 1: Praise her yukata
Option 2: Eh, no need to praise her yukata
Gee. What should we do.
Goon: That yukata really suits you. You look cute!
Shiori: Th, thanks. I'm happy to hear it.
There it is, the bright red blush of one of the most popular 2D girls in Japan. We're going to have to get used to her making this face pretty soon.
Goon: Okay, let's get started! Want to go goldfish scooping?
Hurray for Mini-games!
Goldfish scooping is a very traditional Japanese festival game. Imagine a kiddie pool filled with goldfish, where you score points by scooping them up and putting them in a bowl/bucket. The catch is that instead of something useful like a net or a big cup, you're supposed to catch them with an oversized bubble blower covered with paper. The paper is a little stronger than you'd think, but you have to stop as soon as it breaks. To do well, you have to make quick, darting movements into the water, and you also have to make sure that you catch the fish as close to the edge of your scooper as possible to keep the paper strong. At the end, you can pick one of the goldfish you caught and they'll give it to you in a little baggie to take home. Alternately, you can put them all back like a true sportsman.
For reference, my personal record is 23 fish. I didn't keep any of them.
Use the d-pad to move your scoop.
Press the Circle button to put your scoop in the water.
Release the Circle button to lift the goldfish out of the water!
It's been at least a decade since I played this mini-game, and I forgot that the mini-game adheres to video game physics and not real-world physics. Instead of dip, move, scoop, you can pretty much catch fish by putting your scoop directly over them and pressing Circle.
Old man: Didn't catch any? Here, you can have one to take home.
At this time, I would like to repeat that my personal record is 23. In real life, I would not have needed this old man's pity.
Goon: Here, Shiori, I want you to have it.
Shiori: Thank you so much!
Shiori: Today was a lot of fun. We should do this again some time, okay?
Goon: Definitely. I'll call you again some time.
Shiori: We should head home, Gunpei-kun.
Shiori will back me up on this. I just had a bad day today, but I could get 23 if I tried again. I just want to keep moving instead of reloading to do a mini-game.
8/7-8/12: Preen
8/13 (Sunday): Study lit
8/14-8/19: Summer camp!
Goon: (Here I am at camp.)
For the most part, TokiMemo summer camp just forces us to participate in club activities for a week. But...
8/15: Event!
Shiori: Oh, Gunpei-kun! How's the band treating you?
Goon: Well, it's nice to be part of the band, but I don't even know where I should start...
Shiori: For starters, make sure you learn how to read music, okay?
Goon: Read music, eh...
Shiori: Good luck in your studies!
...it's a forced participation in club activities that also lets us talk to whichever girl is in our club. There are some events that we can only see if we're in the right club with the right girl.
8/19: Event!
Goon: (Whew... the last night of summer camp.)
(The sound of running water)
Goon: (Wha?! It looks like there's someone in the showers!)
Option 1: Jackpot! Time to peek.
Option 2: Let's not...
The spirit of Porky's lives! Choosing to peek leads to the following choices:
Goon: (Which one should I peek through?)
Option 1: Peek in the left window.
Option 2: Peek in the middle window.
Option 3: Peek in the right window.
Alright. Let's pick the left window for now. What could possibly go wrong?
Goon: #%&$^*#%!#@$%$@%&
Man: Hey there. Care to join us?
Goon: N...no thanks.
Goon: (That was awful...)
The contents of each window are randomized, again to prevent save scumming. If we peek and see the musclemen, our stress goes up by 12. Welp.
RELOAD COUNT: 2
8/14-8/19: Summer camp! (see above)
8/15: Event! (see above)
8/16: New Event!
Goon: Uggggghhhhh, my stomach...
Goon: (Everyone in the club has collapsed, too. Is it food poisoning?)
Shiori: This is all happening because I was careless. I'm so sorry!
Goon: (Shiori was in charge of making breakfast this morning, wasn't she?)
Shiori: I'm so sorry. I'm so so sorry!
Goon: (We can't even try to practice today. It hurts so much...!)
Game: By the next day, everyone had miraculously recovered.
Goon: (Alright, we can start practicing again. Shiori seems to have gotten a hold of herself, too.)
And with that, it's back to band practiWHERE DID ALL OF OUR HEALTH GO?
Sweet monkey Jesus, woman, that event gave us -35 Stamina! What did you put in those eggs?!
8/19: Porky's II
Goon: Jackpot! Today is the greatest day of my life.
Girl: EEK! A Peeping Tom!
(Splash!)
Goon: (Crap. I was so happy that I said that out loud.)
That's nice for you, Goon, but this version of summer camp has been a disaster.
RELOAD COUNT: 3
8/14-8/19: Summer camp! (see above)
8/15: Event! (see above)
8/19: Porky's Revenge!
RELOAD COUNT: 4
8/14-8/19: Summer camp! (see above)
8/15: Event! (see above)
8/19: Live Free or Porky's
Goon: What the hell is this? Who decorated this place?
Goon: Is this the Ijuuin's bath?
Goon: I just can't understand how rich people think.
Well at least there was no change in stress. Time to move on!
Ah, who're we kidding. Goon, enjoy your youth while you can for the sake of us old folk.
RELOAD COUNT: 5
8/14-8/19: Summer camp! (see above)
8/15: Event! (see above)
8/19: A Good Day to Porky's
RELOAD COUNT: 6
8/14-8/19: Summer camp! (see above)
8/15: Event! (see above)
8/19: Episode VI: Return of the Porky's
Goon: Jackpot! Today is the greatest day of my life.
Girl: EEK! A Peeping Tom!
(Splash!)
Goon: (Crap. I was so happy that I said that out loud.)
Honestly, the best option at the end of summer camp is to avoid peeking on anyone and just go home. But I wanted to show everyone what happens, and how much Konami discourages people from save scumming things like summer camp.
8/20 (Sunday): Time to check the latest issue of Memorial Spot!
Memorial Spot September/October/November
The museum is open!
Current movie playing: "Forres and Gump" (romance)
Concert: Chage and Asu (rock) (Based on Chage and Aska)
Events: The works of a famous painter are on display at the museum.
Goon: (A museum, eh?)
The Konami ad is Jikkyou Powerful Pro Yakyuu, an arcade-style baseball game that was new as of the publishing of TokiMemo, and is now approaching its 20th installment.
8/20 (Sunday): Sleep
8/21-8/26: Exercise
8/27 (Sunday): Study lit
8/28-9/2: Exercise
8/31: Special notification
Goon: (The new semester starts tomorrow.)
I forgot to mention this, but the music changes along with the background color every season.
9/3 (Sunday): Call Shiori
Shiori likes romances, so let's go see Forres and Gump, which is totally not Forrest Gump.
(pleasantries)
Goon: Want to go to the theater on 10/1?
Shiori: Let me check... I'm sorry, I'm busy that day. I wish I could go, but...
Goon: D, don't worry about it. I don't mind.
Shiori: We'll try and make it work next time, okay?
First she poisons our stomachs, and now she poisons our hearts... she is a cruel mistress indeed.
RELOAD COUNT: 7
8/28-9/2: Exercise
8/31: Special notification
Goon: (The new semester starts tomorrow.)
9/3 (Sunday) Call Shiori
(pleasantries)
Goon: Want to go to the theater on 10/1?
Shiori: Let me check... I'm sorry, I'm busy that day. I wish I could go, but...
Goon: D, don't worry about it. I don't mind.
Shiori: We'll try and make it work next time, okay?
It was worth a shot.
RELOAD COUNT: 8
8/28-9/2: Exercise
8/31: Special notification
Goon: (The new semester starts tomorrow.)
9/3 (Sunday): Study Lit
9/4-9/9: Sleep
9/10 (Sunday): Call Shiori
(formalities)
Goon: Want to go to the theater on 10/8?
Shiori: Let me check... yes, that's fine.
Goon: Alright, let's meet in front of the theater on that day.
Shiori: Yes, let's. Don't forget, okay?
Goon: No way will I forget. Okay, talk to you later.
(click)
Goon: Yes! I can't wait for the 8th.
It's the home stretch of 1995, and this is a good time to check on Goon's stats!
Goon's stats as of September 10th, 1994:
Stamina 65 | Lit 78 | Science 71
Art 80 | Sports 72 | General Knowledge 54
Looks 65 | Guts 25 | Stress 6
Things are progressing well. Quite well. Summer was very good to our stats, with a whopping +50 to Sports. It looks like this fall, we'll be meeting Nijino Saki because the Concert Band will raise Guts above her threshold. We should also prepare for the Ijuuin Christmas Party.
Next time: Fall semester, Christmas, and New Year's!
In case you missed it, the current poll is what to do about Yuina:
A) Stick to the original plan! There are 9* more girls to meet, let's meet more of them instead of getting distracted!
B) Modify the plan slightly to make friends with Yuina. We finish Shiori's route as planned and go straight through to Tokimeki Memorial 2, where we can vote again and stuff the ballot in favor of
C) Do a second, less detailed playthrough with Yuina after Shiori's path is done. Note that this will delay progress through the series by at least a month, based on how difficult it is for me to translate Yuina.
The poll closes at Midnight Pacific time on Saturday, December 7th. I'll be at EA's holiday party and probably pretty drunk at that point, so you can probably sneak in some votes until the morning of the 8th without me noticing.