Part 46: Can't Stop Won't Stop
Chapter 15: Can't Stop Won't Stop4/1: Bomb-clearing date at the park with Hikari
Goon: (Hikari's pretty late today...)
Hikari: Sorry! I probably kept you waiting, huh?
Goon: I don't really care about the waiting, but what's with the outfit?
Hikari: I figure, the weather's so nice we have to go cycling!
Hikari: I ended up being late because I was getting my bike ready.
Goon: "We have to go cycling!", you say, but...
Goon: You didn't tell me a thing, and I don't have a bike.
Hikari: What? Oh, you're right.
Hikari: Damn, that's a downer.
Goon: ...
Goon: Hikari, want to ride in back?
Hikari: Huh?
Goon: I'm saying I'll pedal, and you can ride in the back.
Goon: The other way's kind of indecent, so I'll take the front!
Hikari: Wow, the breeze feels great!
Goon: Which way should we turn next?
Hikari: Let's head to the lake!
Goon: Okay! Time to fly - hang on tight!
Hikari: I'll be fine! This is easy.
4/5: School starts
Jun: Looks like we're in the same class again.
Goon: Yeah. Let's keep it going smoothly.
Takumi: Hey, I'm in too!
Jun: ...
Goon: ...
Takumi: Hey, what's with the cold shoulder?
Takumi: Geez, whose notes have you two been relying on, huh?
Jun: Ack...
Goon: Ack...
Takumi: Well, You know what they say, we're all in the same boat now. Let's keep it friendly.
Jun: Yeah...
Goon: ...Yessir.
The saying that Takumi quotes here reads 呉越同舟 "Go Etsu doushuu" and literally means "Wu and Yue on the same boat." It comes from a passage in Sun Tzu's Art of War, where he writes "The men of Wu and the men of Yue are enemies; yet if they are crossing a river in the same boat and are caught by a storm, they will come to each other's assistance just as the left hand helps the right." So it implies that sometimes, you have to work with someone you hate to get something done, not just share their fate like the usual "we're in the same boat" can imply in English.
Takumi: Now, there are some introductions to be made, and so I'll see you guys later.
Jun: I, uh, have something I need to take care of too.
Goon: You gonna say hi to Minazuki-san?
Goon: Hey, do your thing.
Jun: Y, yeah.
Goon: (He's so innocent...)
Miho: Fudou-san!
Goon: Oh, hi Shirayuki-chan.
Miho: *giggle* I'm so glad we're in the same class this year.
Goon: Y, yeah? I'm glad too.
Miho: But...
Miho: I wonder if this is cheating?
Goon: Huh? Cheating at what?
Miho: *giggle* I used a little hocus-pocus to put us in the same class together.
Miho: Oh no, I said it out loud...
Goon: (Wait, seriously? Well, I'm moved, at least.)
Goon: (What?!)
Kasumi: My name is Asou Kasumi, one of the new teachers here.
Kasumi: I'll be your homeroom teacher for this year. Nice to meet you, everyone.
Goon: (Kasumi-san?)
Kasumi: Gunma-kun.
Goon: Kasumi-san, if you were going to start teaching here, you could have at least mentioned it to me.
Kasumi: *giggle*
Hikari: Kasumi-san!
Hikari: It worked great, right?
Kasumi: Like a charm. He was sitting there with his mouth hanging open.
Goon: Wait, Hikari, you knew about this?
Hikari: Yup! She told me over the phone, and I promised to keep it a secret.
Kasumi: That's pretty much all there is to it.
Goon: Hahaha, you got me pretty good.
4/12: Black Magic Woman, part 1
Goon: Hey, Shirayuki-chan.
Miho: Oh no! The sign of calamity is on you!
Goon: What? Oh no! What should I do?
Miho: ...
Miho: As long as you go shopping with me on Sunday, everything will be fine.
Option 1: P, please, take me with you.
Option 2: B, but I already have plans.
Goon: P, please, take me with you.
Miho: Yay! This is going to be so much fun!
Goon: (What? What just happened?)
I have to admit, Miho's game is... at least unique.
4/15: Lucky shopping date
Miho here - that's 3 out of 4 when Miho does the inviting.
Miho: I'm not sure what to get. Could you help me choose?
Option 1: How about the leather trunk in the back?
Option 2: How about the kinchaku in the traditional corner?
Option 3: How about the brand name handbag in the trendy corner?
We've seen this conversation before, and the good answer is 1.
Goon: How about the leather trunk in the back?
Miho: It's very cute! I love the little buckle. I'll buy it!
Goon: (Looks like I made a great impression!)
Miho: Um, I feel like getting some dessert. Could you accompany me?
Goon: Yeah, I wanted some too. It feels like that's exactly what I've been waiting for.
Miho: Are you okay on time?
Goon: Time? Yeah, we're fine.
Looks like Miho's at the point where she asks for extra time on dates, too. There's no real harm in it, and it's probably good to spend some time with Miho to make absolutely sure there's no bomb, either (I keep having to tell her no after school, which adds up)
Miho: Oh, is that the pudding a la mode?
Goon: Yeah, I got it because you were thinking about it for so long, and I figured I'd like it too.
Miho: Was I really taking that long to make a decision? That's a little embarrassing.
Goon: Want the whole thing?
Miho: Th, thanks, but I can't eat that much.
Goon: How about we split it?
Miho: Okay! Thanks.
For anti-bomb purposes, I didn't actually reload this one, since I want to fend off the bombs, more out of pride than anything else.
4/24: Homura and Bakuretsuzan
Homura: Yo! I was about to head to the principal's office, want to come with me?
Goon: Are you in trouble again?
Homura: Nah, I'm just bored and want to hang out with him. Stop asking questions and c'mon!
Goon: Hang out? Is that what you do in the principal's office?
Homura: Hey, Kazumi-chan! We're here to kill some time.
Goon: Shouldn't you be more respectful toward the principal?
Bakuretsuzan's office contains a flag, a tanuki statue, a daisho koshirae, a pair of spears, a statue of a fist, and the phrase 一刀両断 "ittou ryoudan", which means "Cut in two with a single sword stroke" and often is used as a saying to get straight to the point and take swift action. It also is used in the martial arts for... cutting things in half with a single stroke. Bakuretsuzan is kind of manly.
Bakuretsuzan: Oh, if it isn't Homura! What's up?
Homura: Nothing's up, that's why we're here.
Goon: (...)
Bakuretsuzan: Well, it must be peaceful out if the student body president has nothing to do. Wonderful, wonderful.
Homura: I knew you'd understand, Kazumi-chan! That's totally right.
Bakuretsuzan: Gahahahahaha!
Homura: Nyahahahahaha!
Goon: (What's with these two?)
4/29: Call Takumi and ask about date spots
This is a mechanic we haven't really had to use in previous playthroughs, but for some reason, I was unable to invite Miho out to the pool earlier. So, calling Yoshio and Takumi allows you to ask about date spots, where they can point out things you've missed in previous Memorial Spots and Hibikino Watchers.
Takumi: Did you know that the indoor pool is open now?
Takumi: This is your chance to see girls in swimsuits!
After this, I was able to ask Miho out to the pool during Golden Week, and she said yes. Thanks, Takumi, you were actually useful!
This is Takumi's new profile of Hikari, which pretty much confirms our suspicions about his target.
Hinomoto Hikari
Born June 25th
Sign: Cancer | Blood type: A
Height: 157cm
Club: Track team
MEMO: A sporty girl who loves training.
I love her short hair.
Take good care of her, Takumi. Or the goon squad will wring your tiny little neck.
5/1: We're not getting off that easy
Under normal circumstances, when Takumi is going after a girl, that girl will be less likely to invite Goon out on dates and less likely to have free time to go on dates. Hikari is an exception.
Hikari: Gunma-kun!
Goon: Hey, Hikari. What's up?
Hikari: I'm planning on going to the indoor pool this Sunday, want to come with me?
Goon: Yeah, gladly.
Hikari: Great! Haha, I think my heart skipped a beat for a second there.
Saying no to a date accelerates the bomb meter quite a bit, and we have more than enough leeway to say yes.
5/4: B-ho at the pool
B-ho showed up this time.
Goon: Indoor pools are nice, you can swim whenever you want, no matter what the weather is like.
B-ho: Sure, but it's not that nice for someone like me, who doesn't like swimming.
Goon: Don't say that. There's more to do than just swim. Let's go, Shirayuki-chan.
B-ho: I picked this out based on my horoscope. Does it look good?
Option 1: It's a cute swimsuit, it matches you perfectly.
Option 2: That's the latest style, isn't it? It suits you well.
Option 3: That doesn't work for you at all.
Again, the choice is obvious.
Goon: That's the latest style, isn't it? It suits you well.
B-ho: I didn't even take my own tastes into account when I picked, and this is how it turned out. I was surprised!
Uh-huh. Sure.
Follow-up date excised because the dialogue is still the same.
5/6: Hikari at the pool
Goon: It's really nice to have a place to swim when it isn't summer.
Hikari: Definitely.
Hikari: Wow, everyone's wearing such daring swimsuits. I can't wear anything like that at all.
Option 1: No way, it'd look good on you.
Option 2: Maybe going plain would be better.
Option 3: Anything would work on you, Hikari.
Goon: Anything would work on you, Hikari.
Hikari: What? No way! Me?
Hikari: D, Don't make fun of me like that.
Goon: (Looks like I made a great impression!)
For once, I actually said no to the follow-up date. Let's not get TOO accommodating.
Goon: Sorry, I have to hurry home.
Hikari: Is, is that so?
Hikari: Sorry. Bye!
6/2: The final Sports Festival!
Goon: Man, it's lunch already?
Hikari: Ta-dah!
Goon: Hey, Hikari. What's with the entrance?
Hikari: Hey! Let's eat our bento over there.
Goon: Sure, why not?
Hikari: Haha! Today, I made us special Sports Festival bento, full of energy.
Goon: Whoa! That piece looks delicious. Yoink!
Hikari: Hey, no fair! Fine, I'll start too.
Goon: Oh no, that one was my favorite!
Hikari: That's your own fault for not grabbing it, then!
Goon: Dammit! Fine, if that's the way it is, no more mister nice guy.
Hikari: That's fine by me. It's no holds barred when we're hungry.
Goon: I don't quite know how it happened, but I feel really full right now.
Hikari: Geez! It's because you ate nearly all of my special bento!
Goon: Hey, you ate most of mine, too!
Hikari: Hahahaha, oh yeah, huh? I guess we're both guilty.
For the third year in a row, I chose kibasen as my event. It lets me get the most aggression out of my system. Also, I can't look at this pose the same way since I found out about the Hawkeye Initiative.
B-ho: Fudou-san!
Goon: Hey, Shirayuki-chan. What's up?
B-ho: Have you picked your kibasen team yet?
Goon: No, not yet.
B-ho: Then do you want to be on my team?
Goon: Of course!
B-ho: Thanks!
Goon: Let's kick some butt!
Butt was kicked. Since B-ho's requirements were met long ago, the only things left to build stats for are graduation day and boss fights. So Goon's Exercise stat is pretty respectable now.
B-ho: Awesome! You carried the whole team to victory!
B-ho: That was so exciting!
Goon: Y, you think so?
Goon: (She's so excited about it, she's making me blush.)
6/10: Rainy date with B-ho
Man, B-ho is really interested in showing off the goods.
By that, of course, I mean the brand logo on her umbrella, which is the same VK as her handbag and backpack.
B-ho: Oh, there's a jacuzzi here.
Option 1: Do you like jacuzzis, Shirayuki-chan?
Option 2: Yeah, there's one at every indoor pool.
Option 3: Forget about that, we should go swimming.
Goon: Do you like jacuzzis, Shirayuki-chan?
B-ho: Yeah, I love them. It feels so nice in a jacuzzi, right?
Goon: (Looks like I made a great impression.)
Follow-up excised; the dialogue is still the same.
The cruelest thing about this date is that in order to get a B-ho event, Miho has to be the one who shows up! Sigh. The RNG is so cruel.
RELOAD COUNT: 127
Miho this time. Good!
Goon: You look really cute, Shirayuki-chan.
Miho: Oh... don't look at me like that, it's embarrassing!
Goon: Oh, sorry! Was I staring?
Miho: No, but I feel so self-conscious in a swimsuit.
Goon: (Wow, she looks even cuter when she's acting shy. Wait, what am I thinking about? Change the subject!)
Goon: Let's go on the water slide, Shirayuki-chan.
Miho: What? N, no, that looks really scary. I'll pass.
Goon: Don't worry about it! It's not dangerous at all, so you shouldn't be scared.
Miho: B, but my legs might get all tangled up and I could get stuck.
Goon: Fine, I'll show you it's not scary at all. Wait here.
Miho: Okay.
Goon: (Ugh. I told her it wasn't scary, but from up here, it actually is pretty scary.)
Goon: (I just need to calm down, and...)
Goon: What? Shirayuki-chan?!
Miho(?): !!
Goon: When did you get here? You were at the bottom just a second ago.
Miho(?): ...
Goon: Hey, don't be like that, say something.
(push)
Goon: AUGH!
Miho(?): How was the slide?
Goon: AAAAAUGH!
Miho(?): What's wrong? Why are you acting so spooked?
Goon: Wait, what?
Miho(?): Now, let's just relax and enjoy ourselves.
Goon: Y, yeah. Good idea.
For Miho purposes, this counts as a good-but-not-great date. For reference, the game's name for this event is "Teleportation".
6/10: Read Memorial Spot
New Spot (top left): Sculpture exhibit at the museum! 9/11-11/30.
Movie (bottom left): LA Continental.
The roller coaster is closing! (top right): It closes on 8/31!
Upcoming events (Bottom right): Beach opens 7/1.
Night Parade at the amusement park starts mid-August
Ennichi on the 4th Sunday of July.
Fireworks show at the end of August.
Next time: Searching for a worthy opponent.
