Click Here for Update 65
: “Do you think you could maybe come with me to see her?”
: “She’s waiting over at Big Bang Burger. Let’s go.”
: “What!?”
: “Does this have to do with Tsukasa?”
: Okay, Hashino? Can we have a single confidant plotline that wasn’t a substory in a Yakuza game? I get that Atlus got bought out by Sega, but Yakuza is already a turn-based RPG.
: “…He’s lying to you, Eiko. Don’t give him any money.”
: Now, while this kind of thing does happen in reality, I think it’s just kind of another anime cliche at this point.
: “So he calls you his special princess… what do you think, Akira-kun?”
: Morgana just chimes in from the bag: “The only special princess is gonna be Joker once I order all these cosplay supplies on his phone!”
: “…You’re not wrong about that. But did you ask anyone at his club about the broken bottle?”
: “…I think you should end your relationship with him. If you don’t put a stop to this, he might try to drag you into some suspicious line of work…”
: “Eiko…! You can’t just do what he says! He’s trying to deceive you…!”
: So what you’re saying is that Makoto may find herself behind the wheel of a large automobile? With a beautiful house? And a beautiful wife? And she asks herself… how did she get here?
: I mean, she won’t because she’s too boring.
: “I… I’m not sure yet. But be that as it may, you should still stay as far away from him as you can.”
: “Eiko, wait! I didn’t want to have to tell you this, but Tsukasa has been texting me almost constantly. Recently he’s been asking if my sister and I live alone, and that he’d be glad to help us out.”
: Why though. I don’t think Sae knows what a date is, and even if you tried she’d probably just turn it into an interrogation because she probably also does not understand the concept of a restaurant.
: “Even today he asked me if I’m still happy with my boyfriend… listen to me, Eiko: he’s not serious about you.”
: I love how Joker, who Eiko thinks is dating Makoto, is sitting right there and she’s not even questioning it.
: “It was mostly him texting me…”
: “Tsukasa is all she has…? You know, I think she’s exactly the kind of girl those gangs in Shinjuku are on the lookout for. Lonely, depressed girls who have nowhere to vent their frustrations…”
: Makoto is just kinda going zero to sixty here, isn’t she? I mean, first it’s the host and now she’s mere minutes away from being human trafficked by gangs.
: “Eiko’s family is quite well off. Her multi-talented younger brother seems to be the sole focus of her parents’ attention though. I’m sure that’s why she fell for Tsukasa in the first place. He treats her like she’s special.”
: Okay, so uh… why was this never mentioned before?
: “But… asking a high schooler for money isn’t normal boyfriend behavior. She needs to realize that. You’re going to help, right?”
: Know that if I didn’t have to pick the first option to not permafuck, I would pick the third one.
: “Thank you. It’s reassuring to hear you say that. Eiko’s blessed to have both money and a family… yet she’s still trying to break free from them. She’s almost the exact opposite of me.”
: No, that’d be Elly and Yukiko, and that’s why they’re the two best girls in the franchise.
: “…But I guess in a sense, watching her now is almost like looking back at my past self. I was so blinded by my own convictions that I never stopped to consider other alternative viewpoints on the world.”
: So what you’re saying is that you were blinded by the light? Revved up like a deuce, another runner in the night?
: “But… that’s not the right way to live. I want to show her that, just like you did for me.”
: “What is the right way to live…? At any rate, we’re going to catch that horrible host. I’ll let you know once I’ve thought of how to do it.”
: We now have an optional event with Ohya, which I’ll show off but which isn’t what we actually do tonight. If you’ll recall, we spent the night of the fifth teaching Yusuke Charge.
: Therefore, what we’re going to do is instead spend the night with Iwai.
: “Oh, not bad. It’s a bit far, but we can make it if we leave now. All right! Operation Secret Lovers, commence!”
: “Look, there’s a cute little ship over there! And a factory over THERE! Oh, isn’t this just wonderful, Kurusu-kun!? Going on a date is so much fun!”
: Joker’s real answer is something like: “Look, you’re kinda creeping me out trying to do the Maya thing, can you tone down the ‘Let’s Positive Thinking’ and bring back the ‘Let’s Constantly Drinking’ ?”
: “I’m so glad that you’re such an attentive boyfriend, Kurusu-kun! Then again, I don’t think the chief would come all this way just to spy on me…”
: “Well, I told him you’re my boyfriend, so I guess I’ll use this date as evidence. So c’mon, act like a boyfriend! …But don’t forget to keep feeding me the info, too.”
: “…God, what’s happened to me? Taking a seaside stroll with one of my informants…”
: Let’s now get to what we’re actually doing tonight.
: “…It’s about that secret Tsuda mentioned. There’s more to it than my havin’ been in the yakuza. I just wanna make sure you don’t go sayin’ somethin’ stupid if you run into Kaoru 'round here…”
: “Back when I was workin’ with the Hashiba Clan, some crazy lady came 'round our office. Must’ve been over ten years ago.”
: “She had this baby with her, and the whole time she was there she kept goin’ on about how she wanted to sell it. Figured she was just some cracked-up junkie lookin’ for drug money.”
: Well no shit it must’ve been over ten years ago, Kaoru is a high schooler.
: “Thinkin’ back on it, I’m still not really sure why I took him in… not only did I have to leave the clan, but now I’m stuck runnin’ this shop I don’t even like. chuckle Every day’s an uphill battle.”
: “I still haven’t managed to tell Kaoru I was in the yakuza though…”
: “…Lemme ask you somethin’. How would you feel if you found out your parents were wrapped up in some dirty shit? That’s how my mom was. She’d spend every night out drinkin’, runnin’ around with all sortsa guys.”
: “I couldn’t stand to see her destroy herself like that. Often I wished I could’ve had someone else as my mom. So… I didn’t wanna make Kaoru go through the same thing. I wanted to make sure he had a good childhood.”
: “That’s why I left the clan. I did everythin’ according to the code, but now Tsuda’s draggin’ me back… once he remembered I run this fake gun shop, he came by askin’ me to make custom models for him.”
: “Truth is, Tsuda’s got all sortsa dirt. Not just on what happened when Kaoru was a baby, but on me and the rest of my family too. Who knows what’d happen if Kaoru learned the truth…”
: He’d basically just be Ichiban Kasuga except without ever having been in the yakuza? Though I suppose Ichiban barely qualifies as having been in the yakuza.
: “Who knows what’d happen if Kaoru learned the truth… Tsuda isn’t gonna stop there, though. When it’s all said and done, he’s gonna try and take everythin’ I have.”
: “If word gets out about my past, people’re gonna treat Kaoru like he’s no different than me. After all, everyone knows shitty parents end up makin’ shitty kids…”
: “And once he’s got that stigma, he’s stuck with it. When shit goes wrong, he’ll always be the one who gets blamed. That’s how it was with me. That’s why I turned to the yakuza. Nobody else would accept me.”
: “That’s also why I can’t turn Tsuda down. He’s just got too much power…”
: “chuckle You got that right. I bet Kaoru’s sick of havin’ a weak-ass dad like me. Anyways, I was tryin’ to stall Tsuda with bullshit prototypes while I figured out a way to stop him…”
: “But that bastard’s real good at keepin’ his cards close to his chest. Plus, he caught wind of what I was tryin’ to do and started keepin’ tabs on me 24/7.”
: “Thankfully, that’s just about when you showed up, kid. sigh Sorry for bringin’ all that shit up out of the blue. You prolly don’t want anythin’ to do with me after that, huh?”
: "Man… you’re seriously into this enthusiast shit. Oh, right. Just remembered I never gave you a reward for that info. You’re right… how 'bout I give you a discount on the special menu?
: “That should keep you quiet for a while. Pretty good deal, huh?”
: I kinda jumped the gun on this one, because I had already bought and customized new guns for the entire party yesterday.
: “…Damn, it’s late. Should be gettin’ home. Kaoru’s been eatin’ a ton lately after cram school. He’s prolly gonna have another growth spurt soon.”
: “But I gotta protect that secret, no matter what. For Kaoru’s sake.”
: “Yeah, I’ll do whatever it takes. I guess that’s why I brought it up at all. Right now, I still don’t know what Tsuda’s next move’s gonna be.”
: “We gotta stay on guard 24/7. Don’t wanna get killed in your sleep, right? All right, see you.”
: That’s uh, certainly a way to end a conversation. I actually like Iwai’s confidant. He’s not a ripoff of a Persona 2 character and even though his confidant follows a lot of the same plot beats (and he’s got more than a little Kazuma Kiryu in him) it’s at least interesting enough.
: Today, we meet the best confidant in the game, even though he’s kinda derivative of a similar S-Link in Persona 4.
: “-Is an important work in the history of literature for being the first to use the word ‘robot’.”
: What she’s talking about is Karel Capek’s genre-defining work “Rossum’s Universal Robots”, which was written in 1920. He didn’t come up with the term though - his brother did.
: Capek’s robots aren’t what we’d think of as robots, though. In the play, they’re described as being biological constructs rather than machines.
: “Hey! You’re in class right now! Quit talking about Okumura and the Phantom Thieves! Geez… Kurusu-kun! You were listening at least, right?”
: “Robot comes from a word in Czech… but where in Europe is the Czech Republic located?”
: “That’s right. The Czech Republic is in the center of Europe. The word ‘robot’ comes from the Czech word ‘robota’. ‘Robota’ actually means ‘slave labor’.”
: “Existing only for slave labor… even from the origin of their name, robots are pitiful. Well, you could argue we’re not too different ourselves, having to keep working in order to live…”
: “Kawakami seems tired… but anyhow, i Okumura doesn’t see others as people, we need to change his heart!”
: We need to do two things before we do the new confidant. The first is to get a Luck Reading for Kindness - this will be the last Luck Reading we will ever get.
: We also need to get an Affinity Reading for Iwai, because we were supposed to do that on the 6th but never actually did due to the change in schedule.
: We then need to head to Akihabara, which has its own arcade.
: Meet Shinya Oda, and more importantly, meet his hat, which became a near-instant meme among people who played the base game.
: Now, here’s the best part about that hat. That hat fits on EVERY SINGLE CHARACTER PORTRAIT IN THE GAME. And have people done that? You fucking bet they have. I have spent the past several months gathering these from various P5 threads on /v/ just for this particular moment.
: The best part is it even fits on portraits that have no reasonable way to wear a hat.
: People have even gotten it to fit on the re-done portraits for Royal.
: “…Nah. Sounds like too much work. Don’t take it personal; I turn everyone down… later.”
: “Invincible, huh…? You mean that guy who cheats, right? It really makes me mad when he does that… but I can still beat him, so I don’t really care. Just forget about him.”
: Does Hashino know how video games work? I mean, we know he doesn’t.
: “…You sound like the Phantom Thieves. So, you’re saying you wanna beat the cheater? You seem like a nice guy, but… just let it go.”
: “The Phantom Thieves are really cool, aren’t they!? Are you a fan, too? Have you ever met them?”
: “But, um… teaching you how to play Gun About won’t be easy… and I won’t get anything out of it.”
: “Geez, you’re really persistent. I’m just a grade schooler, y’know. How about this… I wanna get to know the Phantom Thieves.”
: “It’s probably impossible, but if you can help me to do that, then I’ll teach you how to play. Well, whaddya say? Is it a deal?”
: “Well, if you really want to THAT much, then… I thought for sure you were just gonna give up… wow, I didn’t see this coming.”
: “But the Phantom Thieves hide their true identities, right? Are you sure I can get to know them?”
: “Huh? You’re gonna tell them my name? …My name’s Shinya Oda. Tell the Phantom Thieves my name, and have them post it somewhere only they’d be able to access.”
: “That’ll be good enough as an autograph, and proof that they know my name.”
: “Proof that you really know the Phantom Thieves, huh… we need something credible for this kid to believe us. Didn’t Futaba say she hacked into Gun About’s server or something?”
: “Let’s discuss this with Futaba. She might have a good idea…”
: “So, did he tell you how to take down that cheater?”
: “He’s going to, on one condition: he wants us to introduce him to the Phantom Thieves. We can’t just give ourselves away though. That’s where you come in.”
: “Maybe you could hack into the Gun About server and do something?”
: Couldn’t she just, I dunno, hack into the server and ban that guy?
: “But we won’t be able to get in touch with him that way…”
: “A calling card…? What are we going to steal?”
: “Oh, how about the home page? I already hacked into it, so it’s as good as stolen!”
: “Hm, okay. I’ll write a calling card saying that we’re going to steal the Gun About home page. After that, you’ll need to leave evidence that the Phantom Thieves hacked into it.”
: “The King will have no choice but to believe it was really us.”
: “Oooh, this sounds like fun. I’ll put our logo smack dab at the top of the front page.”
: “Perfect. We’ll go see the King. Oh, and we’ll let you know before we talk to him, so wait for our word to start the hacking.”
: “All right, you can count on me.”
: While we’re here, there’s a thing we can get for Joker’s room.
: "Huh? HUH? There’s something written on it… ‘Thanks for your support. Please help those in need. This is a promise to you from the Phantom Thieves. We’re going to post a secret message, just for you, on the game’s official website.’ "
: “Is… is this for real? I mean, you can probably just buy one of these cards at the store…”
: “Just like they did on Medjed’s site! Which means… you were able to contact the real Phantom Thieves! No way! How’d you do it?”
: “That’s so cool… so they want to remain anonymous… wow, I can’t believe they sent me a message… I wasn’t expecting much from you, Kurusu-san, but you’re actually pretty cool.”
: “I wish I was able to talk with them or something though… but you fulfilled your part of the deal, so I’ll teach you how to shoot.”
: “…Let’s get started.”
: “Are you taking this seriously!? You gotta focus on your second shot!”
: “I think you’ll be able to beat that cheater now. I have a bad habit of swearing when I get all worked up… sorry. But I think you have a lot of potential! More than most people!”
: “If you want… I can teach you a few other moves too! I have the ultimate trump card. So tell me more about the Phantom Thieves!”
: And now, I hope you are ready for the dumbest fucking Sae cutscene in this entire game.
: “But no one could figure out that you pull the trigger to make the bullets come out! I had to undergo years of training to figure that out! Special police training that’s only available to the police!”
: The dumb thing about this is there’s no way for her to know that Joker actually knows how to handle a gun properly - remember, she caught him with what she thinks is a very expensive model gun.
: This ability was heavily nerfed from the base game, where it instead used all of one character’s bullets to instantly down an enemy.
: “…It’s earlier than usual today. I gotta go. See ya later!”
: And there we have it. That’s every social stat maxed. We’re a full day ahead of schedule, and we’re even ahead of where the reset-heavy route maxes everything out.
: “I’m so glad I caught you. Hey, we should exchange IDs. It’s not like I’m here every day, so…”
: “Cool! …There, got it. I’ll hit you up when I have time to train you in Gun About. See you later, Kurusu-san.”
: Unfortunately, Akechi is at Leblanc tonight… and we need to do his confidant.
: “I expect we’ve both had a long day. I was out until now with work, but I think I can finally take a break… you’re not planning on anything too strenuous tonight, are you?”
: “Then perhaps we can talk over some of Boss’s coffee…”
: “Not that I’m complaining, but if you two are so tired, maybe you could use a bath more than a coffee. I mean, there’s a bathhouse right there.”
: “A bathhouse? That doesn’t sound too bad. Want to come with me, Kurusu-kun? I’d appreciate it if you could show me the way.”
: Joker: “Sounds like a great idea. I’ll call Yusuke. Bye, Akechi.”
: “Years. I used to frequent one when I was younger. Of course, these days I’m the Detective Prince, but my family situation was… well, complicated.”
: “By the time I was old enough to realize it, my father was already gone. My mother was all I had.”
: We get it, you’re Reiji.
: “My mother worked at a nightclub. Whenever she had to bring a man home, she’d send me off to the local bathhouse.”
: I’m wondering if this line is a localization failure, because this sure makes Akechi’s mother sound like she was doing sex work.
: “It’s in the past. I have no reason to blame her either.”
: I mean, at least they kind of fixed the logic with Akechi where he actually wants to kill his father. Kandori was Reiji’s half-brother.
: “Sorry. I didn’t mean for our conversation to get so depressing. Actually, are you all right? I know the hot water can make people dizzy…”
: Joker has every social stat maxed. He doesn’t give a fuck.
: “I’m still good to go too. I feel like I’m barely starting to feel warmed up.”
: “Oof… I think I feel a little lightheaded.”
: “Haha, I thought so. Your face is bright red, you know. This is the first time I’ve ever taken a bath like this. I’ve never told anyone about my family situation, either. I wonder why I told you? Curious indeed.”
: “Now that you mention it, maybe we are pretty similar deep down… we’re both victims of the adults who unfairly impacted our lives.”
: “I’m even more sure of that after having talked with you. Then again… this probably isn’t a conversation we should be having naked. Let’s get dressed, shall we?”
: “My skin still feels like it’s radiating heat… next time, let’s keep the competition out of the bath. Best to save it for the baize, right?”
: Baize is the material that they use for the tops of pool tables. It’s like felt, but it’s not felt.
: “…Though we could always see who changes faster. First to leave wins. Are you ready?”
: “It’s nice to spend the day as Goro Akechi for once, rather than the Detective Prince. You know? I don’t know if it’s because of the whole Prince image, but everyone seems to think I’m some brilliant prodigy…”
: “It’s really nothing like that. But people always seem to misunderstand. If they saw how I was acting today, perhaps they’d say I wasn’t acting like the Detective Prince.”
: I honestly don’t know that what Akechi’s VA does counts as acting.
: “Oh, I didn’t mean for that to sound negative… I’m sorry if I offended. If anything, I envy you. You fit right in with the retro vibe back there.”
: “Honestly, though… I just can’t figure you out, no matter how I try. You and I have common ground in some aspects, but in others, we’re total opposites. It’s intriguing.”
: “The more I get to know you, the more it makes me think. I wonder why that is. …Ah, now I’m veering into strange territory. I should let you go for now. See you.”
: This event is one that the guide covers rather poorly. We commit immediately.
: “Yeah, the heat and noise would drive anyone crazy… shopping for new stuff is kind of exciting, isn’t it?”
: “I’ve never liked air conditioners much. They make me too cold… but the hum of an electric fan bothers me. It makes it hard to concentrate on my strategy books…”
: She acts like an air conditioner is going to be less noisy… though I suppose if you’re looking at a through-the-wall unit like they apparently are, most of the actual lifting is done outside.
: “I’m sorry I’m holding us up…”
: “Thank you. Still, I shouldn’t indulge my indecisiveness too much. That could turn into a terrible weakness in shogi. I shall try to reach an answer soon.”
: “And she is…? Hm…? Where do I know her from…?”
: “You’re Kitagawa-kun, from the art track, yes? I’m Hifumi Togo… I go to Kosei as well.”
: She also goes to High School High School.
: “Togo… ah, the professional shogi player. I’m Yusuke Kitagawa. It’s a pleasure to meet you. Did you two also come to bask in the cool air?”
: “No, he’s helping me pick out an air conditioner. Kitagawa-kun, are you here because…?”
: “Thus, the clear solution was to find a place of more comfort, so that my creativity might flow once more.”
: I’m not normally into shipping, but in the alternate non-canon timeline in which Yusuke is straight I could see Yusuke and Hifumi as this pairing that absolutely must not happen under any circumstances or they’d break down and become increasingly weird anime gremlins.
: It’s so hot that even Joker is forced to be horny.
: “Yes, a most ingenious idea. But I fear it wouldn’t be wise to do so here… my funds are wholly devoted to acquiring more art supplies. Yet this interminable heat has dulled my creative edge…”
: “Here, I may enjoy the cooling breeze, and find inspiration in next-generation technology. What more could I ask for?”
: “I see… you make a compelling case, Kitagawa-kun.”
: “Oh? So you understand as well, Togo-san?”
: And now, the best exchange in this entire event.
: I like to think that there’s an Oracle of Maia on “this side”, and Yusuke dating Hifumi is the last step in bringing Nyarlathotep’s reign of terror back.
: “You think so? To have such a firm, personalized view of the world… yes, I daresay it’s a wonderful thing.”
: “Is something wrong, you two?”
: “No. Nothing in particular. By the way, Togo-san, have you settled on an air conditioner?”
: “No, I’m trying to decide between an air conditioner and an electric fan… between the two, I’d prefer an electric fan, but the noise would still bother me.”
: “I did see an electric fan that functioned with no blades. Perhaps that would suffice?”
: “A bladeless fan?”
: Bladeless fans are, of course, a lie. They have blades, they’re just hidden in the fan itself rather than out in the open.
: “I saw a tower fan where the tower was hollow, yet air was still flowing out of it. Technology has truly come a long way.”
: “That settles it. I’ll go with that one, then. With such revolutionary technology, I may be driven to create innovative new stratagems.”
: “Bladeless” fans are by no means a new technology. A quick search tells me that Toshiba first introduced them in 1981 - they just weren’t widely available until 2009.
: “I’m glad I was able to assist. If I might ask - what do you plan to do with your old electric fan? I would be happy to take it off your hands…”
: The guide up until this point had nothing but wrong answers, so I figured that they were probably off when they said that Chihaya shows up in this scene. I don’t think I did this one the first time I played.
: “Another acquaintance of yours? You’re very well-connected, Kurusu-kun.”
: “Ah, if it isn’t Mifune-san. She’s an accomplished fortune teller.”
: I like to think that the reason Yusuke knows who she is has to do with him getting several affinity readings with Joker.
: “Fascinating. What kinds of fortunes does she tell?”
: “Not everything! And without my tarot cards, I can’t divine much anyway… oh, but I can tell a little bit based on your personal aura.”
: “Ah, I see… the two of you seem to bear a very interesting connection with Kurusu-san… it’s somewhat different from ordinary friendship… I sense quite an unusual bond indeed.”
: Congrats, she can tell that two people talking to Joker probably know him. I remind you that she is supposed to actually be psychic.
: “I see… well, you aren’t wrong there.”
: Yusuke knows.
: “Yes, that sounds about right.”
: “You really are a mysterious person. Their stars burn with such intensity… what strange destiny could draw them together?”
: “By the way, Mifune-san, why are you here?”
: “Oh, right. I was looking for a replacement for my old electric fan. I know the worst of the heat is past, but I can’t make it through these Tokyo summers without one.”
: She was trying to find Joker to give him Yusuke’s bribe money.
: “What a coincidence - that’s what I was looking for, too. These two were just helping me decide what model to buy.”
: “My goodness! Another strange coincidence…”
: “Perhaps the fates conspired to bring us all here. Now we can peruse the bladeless fans together, yes?”
: I mean, she’s right, but it’s basically due to using a much smaller set of blades on a very heavily optimized aerofoil.
: There’s a TV quiz we could do tonight, but… why. We’re already maxed out.
: “The punishment is too soft in both those answers! That’s why people are turning to us…”
: This is probably the last one of these I’m going to bother showing off, because the reset-heavy route needs it to max knowledge.
: It sounds strange that the reset-heavy route would be behind us on stats, but the reason for that is that all those nights we spend doing the unique non-rankup events, they spend doing darts or jazz club.
: They also grab Tetrakarn and Makarakarn from the jazz club for maximum reflects (the speedrun does this as well) but we don’t really need that given how overleveled we are.
: Did I mention the part where we’re level 42 and Okumura’s shadow is level 43? Or the part where the red shadow in his dungeon is also level 43?
: We end the night by doing Sojiro’s confidant.
: “Thanks. Futaba’s coming to eat today too. I’ll get the curry ready. I’m leaving the coffee to you.”
: “How was the curry, Futaba?”
: “Delicious! I’m gonna be dreaming of that stuff tonight!”
: “Um… did it taste the same as you remember it?”
: “Yup. I feel like a dummy for not wanting to eat it back when I was depressed about my mom…”
: This part’s a little strange, because anime doesn’t work that way. Each year has four anime seasons which last roughly three months each - the summer season usually starts in July and runs to late September, and the fall season usually starts in October and runs through December.
: That’s not to say it’s not possible for a show to span multiple seasons. In fact, there was a pretty huge one in 2016: that being the Jojo Part 4 anime, which ran from the spring season in April to December.
: However, it’s unlikely that any production company would launch a new show outside of the usual season start dates - even Jojo started in April with the rest of the spring season. A quick glance shows that the earliest fall anime start in 2016 was September 27th.
: “Eyes in front when you walk, okay? No spacing out. You ran head first into a pole last time you went for a walk…”
: That might explain why she thinks there’s a new anime premiering this week.
: “Well you stubbed your toe on the dresser the other day!”
: “Aw crap! It’s gonna start! Making like a leaf and - eh, screw it. Bye!”
: “And what about you?”
: “Really…? I guess you have pretty good taste if you can understand how incredible that curry is. Now then… there’s something I should probably tell you. Here, take a seat. I’ll pour you some coffee.”
: “You might’ve realized by now, but that genius was Futaba’s mother, Wakaba. In other words, that curry is one of the last remaining connections Futaba has to her mom.”
: “I first met Wakaba back when I was doing work for the government. She was real trouble, let me tell you. Logic prevailed over emotion for her, and she had an intricate knowledge of the human mind.”
: “I thought my pick-up lines were the best in town, but not a single one worked on her… heh…”
: Sojiro tried being smug, and that was… honestly about all he tried.
: “You can probably get a good idea just from looking at Futaba. Wakaba was like the adult version of that. It was almost impossible to keep up with her.”
: “Wakaba rejected me time and time again… but there was one instance I managed to surprise her. And that was when I gave her a plate of my homemade curry.”
: “The very next day she came asking all about the ingredients and what goes into the cooking process… then just a few days later, she handed me a scientifically-enhanced version of my recipe.”
: “…It was incredible. She had used my curry as the basis, but it was miles better than anything I made. Curry was Wakaba’s specialty from then on. Naturally, Futaba grew to love it in no time as well.”
: “But then after Wakaba’s accident… Futaba stopped eating it entirely. The flavor would make her remember the pain… I’ve heard even smells can bring back memories too.”
: “But… that curry was the only point of connection I had with Futaba. That’s why when I took her in, I vowed to keep this recipe alive until she could eat it again.”
: “Yeah. It felt like a huge weight was lifted off my shoulders when she said it was delicious. The whole idea of pairing the curry with a nice brew is thanks to Wakaba’s refinement too.”
: “Despite how introverted she seemed, she was extraordinarily perceptive of the people around her… I never even told her about my love of coffee. She figured it out just from looking at me.”
: Once she knew the curry recipe she probably figured the other stains on his shirt were from the coffee.
: “That was when I realized she was totally out of my league. Not like I really stood a chance to begin with though. She already had Futaba by then, after all.”
: “All right, that’s enough of this for tonight! Things are getting downright sappy in here. Futaba’s waiting for me at home too, so I should probably be heading back.”
: “Make sure you clean up before you go to bed.”
: “Futaba’s still watching anime. As long as she’s in a good mood, though, I don’t mind it. Seeing her so happy now makes me glad that I kept Wakaba’s curry alive.”
: “…It’s only a problem when she asks for it three times a day.”
: “That’s exactly my problem. Futaba’s still growing. I gotta be strict with her. She needs to eat balanced meals so she gets vitamins that curry can’t give her…”
: “But man, the expression on Futaba’s face when she took a bite of that curry… eh, forget it. Maybe I’ll have to stick with curry as the staple, but I can sneak in some veggies here and there.”
: I’m going to cut the update here, because we have Hifumi’s Rank 9 coming up on the 24th. Naturally, I’ll be doing her Rank 10 in the same update.
: Next time, we’ll finish Hifumi’s confidant, go to a maid cafe, and blow off visiting Yoshida in favor of teaching Makoto Concentrate. We might also finish billiards, it depends.