Amnesic Academia 202- Let's Play Blue Reflection: Second Light

[Odd Wilson]

"As the last summer day fades, all is illuminated."


Blue Reflection is a a separate venture from Gust's more well-known Atelier franchise, and leans harder into the story focused JRPG side than those. It does still retain a crafting system and a strong slice of life presence, but tries to carve out it's own thing.

Blue Reflection - 2017
Blue Reflection Ray (Anime) - 2021
Blue Reflection Tie/Second Light - 2021 <- We are here
Blue Reflection Sun (Mobile)- In Development


Blue Reflection: Second Light follows the adventures of Ao Hoshizaki, a girl with nothing special going on in her life. That is, until she finds herself lost in an abandoned school with her only other company being a few other girls who have lost their memories entirely. They try and make the best of life as they chip away at the understanding the mystery they've fallen into, traveling through surreal landscapes both familiar and alien while they fight with their emotions.

I could tell you more, but honestly, I don't want to spoil anything. It's a well paced story with a great sense of developing mystery and excellent characters. We've got action, we've got slice of life, and it's even more gay than Atelier.

Stick around and give this a shot. It's honestly an excellent time.


Do I need to know anything about the first game?

Nope! This game may be a sequel, but it for the most part does a great job at making itself accessible to a newcomer. Some people. (me included,) would even suggest this as your entry point to Blue Reflection in the first place. I'll be following this with an LP of the first game anyways (and potentially of Ray), so you'll get to see it regardless. There's a number of small callbacks you won't notice, but it just makes revisiting this game more fun.

Now, it does definitely include content from both the all the other current Blue Reflection media, and at times the context helps. Where deemed absolutely necessary, I may provide relevant info or provide some context under spoiler bars but this will be rare.

Small, mostly inconsequential details from BR1 and Ray will get added in extra dialogue (more on that in a bit) but that's all.


odd, why do you only lp sequels

that's a good question, yeah

it's also *another* game with amnesia


odd, why do you only lp the anime games

that is untrue

...but it does look that way, i'll give you that


How's this LP going to go?

Formatting-wise, this will be primarily screenshot, but I will be providing video for most voiced cutscenes (although there's only JP voiceover, the scenes are often well done), some combat, and all bosses. The gameplay itself will be aiming for as close to 100% as I possibly can, but I can't guarantee I'll see every tiny bit of dialogue or unlabeled mini-event. I'll also be turning the difficulty up to Hard on a normal new game file to better show off the combat (maybe switching in and out the highest difficulty, Deathwish, where deemed possible.)

The flow of the LP itself will run strongly on following the narrative, and later on may be split into narratively appropriate days as chapters and updates get longer. To go with this at times I will add in small amounts of my own written dialogue, but only for the means of making bits flow to one another better or adding small amounts of context from either BR1 or Ray- not to overwrite or add onto what story is present. As result, expect a more serious approach to commentary than I've done before, with most of my input focused at the end of each update. The game's rather good at speaking for itself.

Noting again that the game is only voiced in Japanese, there's a number of lines that don't have localization that'll I'll be going out of my way to try and translate. I also have full scripts for English and Japanese (also Chinese) so I can point out any interesting localization changes that I pick up on. Although, as a disclaimer, I'm far from an expert in the language, so anything I'm not confident I can translate, I just won't. That said, expect just a rough idea of the line.


Voting?

If you've been around for any of my previous work, you should know that I'm a big fan of reader participation. For me, it's what makes an LP a Let's Play. I gotta have that voting, even if it is an exercise in shooting myself in the foot at times.

Second Light does make it a bit difficult to properly provide voting opportunities given it's design. Even though I'm going to try and show off as close to 100% as I can, I'll still let you influence which characters we do prioritize hanging out with in events where we have a choice. This influences how many events with the other girls we'll be able to see and does have mechanical implications, but we'll get to that when it becomes relevant.

The votes will be comparatively spread out, usually focused at the end of chapters.


Thread rules?

I've not really had any problems in any of my threads, but know that spoilers for either this or BR1 are entirely *off-limits*. I'd prefer you not spoil anything about Ray or Sun, but use black bars at the very least if you have to. If you do use spoiler bars for something, it'd be kind if you labeled that it's specifically a Ray or Sun spoiler.

Second Light does a great job of providing questions for the player to ask in it's continuing mystery, so discussion and speculation is welcome! Just, if you know the answer to something please don't go confirming others' guesses.

Also, follow the usual forum rules, don't be weird, etc.


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LP Format Style Guide:

(// This is my commentary. I'll try to not write too much. //)

CHARNAME: (dryly.) This is normal dialogue, with an indication of it's VO delivery.

CHARNAME: This is normal dialogue but is delivered with emphasis at a certain point and isn't already indicated.

CHARNAME: Dialogue added by me.

CHARNAME: "This is a voice line roughly translated into English."

(*Scene directions and general description.*)

*Notable sounds or onomatopoeia.*

And the text or dialogue follows.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

(Update schedule to be determined as time goes on!)



Journal Entry 01: Sunset Sky
Journal Entry 02: Summer Break
Journal Entry 03: The Faraway
Journal Entry 04: Idle Idols
Journal Entry 05: Recovering ReSources
Journal Entry 06: Our Inner Strength
Journal Entry 07: A Journey to Remember

Journal Entry 08: Taking Note
Journal Entry 09: The Secret Hideout
Journal Entry 10: Carrying Your Burdens Alone
Journal Entry 11: Heartscape
Journal Entry 12: Academic Exploration
Journal Entry 13: Hiding No Longer

Journal Entry 14: Meeting an Old Friend
Journal Entry 15: Sweetening A Bitter Situation
Journal Entry 16: Preparations and Pastimes
Journal Entry 17: Linear Departure
Journal Entry 18: Transit Delays
Journal Entry 19: Transferring Lines






(Versions of dates with the alternate choices are stored here.)

Kokoro Date 1: Trend Follower

Rena Date 1: The Heart Of Science

Yuki Date 1: With All You've Got

Shiho Date 1: Innocent Reaction




(Here's some extras that didn't make it into a main update for whatever reason.)

Extras Entry 01: Combat Overview - Ao, Kokoro, Rena
Extras Entry 02: Combat Overview - Shiho & Support Orders

[Odd Wilson]

Reserving a post or two, may need it.

[Odd Wilson]

Reserving this one too.

[Odd Wilson]

Journal Entry 01: Sunset Sky



// On PS4, Second Light has an expanded version of the box art set as the splash screen. Although answers as to what this is even showing will take some time to arrive. //

// Gust fans may already recognize this artstyle as Mel Kishida's, the character designer for the Arland Atelier games (Rorona, Totori, Meruru, and Lulua). He's part of the original concept team for Blue Reflection itself and is the artist for both current games. //



// Up next is the Koei Tecmo splash screen- they acquired Gust in 2011 and have held on since. //



// And of course, here's Gust themselves. //



// And so our first opening image is... a shot of somebody's shoes as they fidget in place a bit. Every handful of seconds or so it changes perspective as the title theme plays. Speaking of...//

MUSIC: TIE


// Music links will be all over the LP, and I recommend you give them a listen. Blue Reflection in general doesn't slack on it's soundtrack and they set the perfect mood. Any commentary I have to say on the tracks will usually be relegated to the descriptions of the videos. //



// From here we can see up at the nearly setting sun on a lightly cloudy day, a view fractured by stop lights and tree branches. //



// Following that, some girl looking up from her hands at the sky, framed by the city horizon. //



// ...And then back down to her idly scrolling through her smartphone. //



// ...And then a view of a curved street, mostly obscured by more traffic signaling, still in the same small city residential area.

I'm going out of my way to show this as the game's title screen changes quite frequently, and this is the only time you can see this outside of waiting a loooong time. //



// From there, we see the outside of some multi-floor school with benches spread between trees trapped in planters. Leaves fall gently to the grass, drifting on a light breeze.//



// And back to the girl, we get a side view shot that shows us a bit more of this residential district. Down beside her is a handbag, and in the blurry distance, a street cordoned off for construction. Dimly, some green fireflies can be seen beginning to dance in the failing light of sunset. //



// And back to the shoes we are. It's worth noting you have to see the title screen cycle multiple times to even see all of these. Only unique 4 scenes can show, excluding the opening shoes.

Was any of it relevant? Well, if anything it goes to show the level of effort I'm putting in here, but one or two things about it may stand out eventually.

From this point onwards, my commentary will be more sporadic in favor of letting the game shine. And if you want to see it in motion, videos are provided per update, with timestamped links to each scene/battle shown. //


VIDEO: Title Screen

VIDEO: Something Special


// (A content warning for very brief glitchy imagery on just this one, if you're sensitive to that.) //



// Now then, no more delay. A new game it is. //





(*Against a pure black void, a phone falls.*)



(*Everything begins to slow to a halt just before it connects with the cracked asphalt.*)



*Hollow clack*



MUSIC: Piercing Blue


(*And so it clatters to rest in a convenience store parking space, shaded from the evening sun.*)



(*A lone girl in a violet skirt walks on...*)



(*Past the evening sun...*)



(*Past the swingsets of a playground...*)





(*Down empty streets...*)



(*And over the crosswalks...*)




UNKNOWN GIRL: Ever since I can remember, I wanted to be somebody. Somebody special.



(*She looks down and sighs.*)



(*Then turns to look at the setting sun, shielding her eyes from it's harsh glare.*)




UNKNOWN GIRL: If I was, maybe this boring life I lead would transform itself into a whole different world.



(*She moves to continue on her route, but hesitates...*)





(*Checking her skirt pocket, she sighs.*)



(*And off she goes in hurry, back the way she came..*)




UNKNOWN GIRL: But our summer vacation together—



(*She stops to look, just outside the parking lot where her phone lies.*)







(*Her eyes light up when she sees the glint of the phone, and lets out another silent sigh.*)



(*She reaches--*)





(*--- down for it, before--*)






UNKNOWN GIRL: That was something special.

[Mercerino]

Oh, this game! I just finished a repeat playthrough on it on Switch. Can't wait to see a fresh perspective on this game (and the other games in Blue Reflection too.)

Are you going to cover the DLC, by the way?

[Odd Wilson]

Oh, this game! I just finished a repeat playthrough on it on Switch. Can't wait to see a fresh perspective on this game (and the other games in Blue Reflection too.)

Are you going to cover the DLC, by the way?

Glad to have you! Reflection 1's LP will definitely be a wait as this game is jam-packed with content to show first, but in spite of it's flaws I think it's still very much worth showing. There's a lot of very neat callbacks between it and Second Light as well that add some neat context on repeat playthroughs.

It's very likely I'll be covering the DLC, but that'll be towards the far end of the LP if I do. I don't currently own any of it, but I'll probably pick them up along the line.

[Odd Wilson]

Journal Entry 02: Summer Break



VIDEO: Waking Up




UNKNOWN: Ao...


(*A light, airy voice calls out from white nothingness.*)




UNKNOWN: Ao. You should wake up soon.



(*Our view fades in as she lazily opens her eyes.*)



(*She looks up at the voice, confused.*)




UNKNOWN: Just how long are you planning to sleep?


AO: (sleepily) Mm... Who are you...?



(*Taking up the whole of our view is a girl with pigtails.*)



(*The new girl's eyes widen in shock.*)




KOKORO: Still half-asleep, huh? It's me, Kokoro. Kokoro Utsubo.



(*Ao looks away, trying to remember...*)




AO: Kokoro... Right, of course.



(*As she stands up, the music begins.*)

MUSIC: Let's Girl Talk!




KOKORO: I thought something had happened to you. I kept messaging you on FreeSpace, but you never replied.


AO: My bad.


(*She reaches for her neck in a show embarassed fidgeting.*)




UNKNOWN: (annoyed) Seriously. Don't you know how worried she was?







(*Ao gives a knowing smile, looking towards the tall girl with curly hair who just walked in...*)




AO: Sorry, Rena...


(*Rena replies with a scowl, crossed arms, and a silent sigh.*)




RENA: Everything's been a mess since you showed up, Hoshizaki.


KOKORO: I think it's been fun. Things have been nice and lively.




AO: (proudly) Hear that?! I make this place NICE AND LIVELY!




RENA: (having none of it) Stop.


AO: Yes, ma'am.



(*Ao looks to the floor in defeat, as Kokoro smiles to herself.*)




KOKORO: Well, shall we go soon? We're exploring the Faraway again today, right?




AO: You know it. Let's go!



*As the others leave, Ao gives herself one last stretch to wake up...*



(*...And smiles to face the day ahead of her.*)






AO: Another great day to do some exploring!



// We are given control for the first time, but as it doesn't last long we'll take in our surroundings later. We are also bombarded with messages informing us of content added in updates/DLC, but nothing is gained from transcribing that.

Do note that Hoshizaki is just Ao's last name. Rena just refers to her and everyone by only last names- more on why later. //




AO: (...I shouldn't keep them waiting any longer.)



(*We exit out into the hallway of a high school. Bright noon sunlight pours through the windows. Ao's loafers tap against the hard flooring the whole way.*)



(*And into that sunlight she goes...*)



VIDEO: A Strange New Beginning



(*Ao exits looking up at the sun.*)




AO: (exasperated) So hot...


KOKORO: (cheerily) Perfect weather for laundry.




RENA: Which reminds me, did you hang up the laundry like I asked?


AO: 'Course. I made sure to do that before my nap.


RENA: Good.




RENA: We're the only ones here, so if even one person slacks off it affects all of us.


AO: (dismissively) I know, I know.



(*Kokoro yet again can't hold back smiling at the two.*)




KOKORO: That's good, though. It should dry quick in weather like this.


AO: Yeah.


(*The music goes silent, leaving only the sound of cicadas.*)




AO: (to herself) It's the same no matter how many times I wake up...




AO: I guess this is all real...



MUSIC: Bottled Message in the Sky



AO: (I remember I was going to summer classes... Everything was normal until I entered the classroom.)



*A door opens.*

(*Now in a sepia-toned flashback, Ao stares blankly at the floor--*)





(*--as if shaken awake, she looks up with wide eyes.*)



(*She begins to look around, confused.*)



(*A chalkboard covered in doodles, proudly proclaiming summer vacation...*)



(*A set of cupboards for school supplies...*)



(*And an already familiar face idly writing away in a notebook.*)



(*Shocked, she begins to approach the new face.*)




AO: (Then I met someone new...)



(*It takes all but a moment for Kokoro to notice her as well.*)




KOKORO: You surprised me! I didn't think anyone would come here...


KOKORO: I don't believe this! I have to introduce you to the others!




AO: Huh?


(*Kokoro gets up and nearly runs to her.*)




KOKORO: Hey.


AO: Wait, wh—





(*Kokoro takes her by the hand and is met with no resistance. The view centers itself to a ring on Ao's index finger.*)




KOKORO: Come with me!



(*From here, we cut to them in the hallway still hand in hand, Ao lagging behind as she looks around in confusion...*)



(*And from there, to the entrance to the courtyard...*)




AO: (starting to panic) H-hang on, where are we—





(*She trails off, eyes widening as she takes in the view.*)


AO: Wh-what is this...?



(*A determined look strikes across her face as she walks forward...*)



(*As we fade back into the present.*)





(*The view arcs over to see...*)



(*A derelict, traditional building surrounded by trees and stone monuments upon a horizon of endless blue. The path from the door leads directly to it upon a strange railway. *)




AO: (As soon as I left the classroom, I found myself in this world.)



(*She slowly looks up at the pristine blue sky yet again...*)



KOKORO: Ao?



(*Kokoro looks to her with mild worry, and Rena does the same from further ahead with impatience instead.*)




AO: (shaking her head) Oh, sorry. It's nothing. Come on, let's go.




AO: (A school with nobody in it.)


(*A view of the deserted hallway...*)




AO: (Scenery that can't possibly be real.)


(*An entrance gate looking out onto an endless sea, the ground torn away.*)




AO: (Surrounded by water that extends as far as the eye can see... There's no escape from this school.)


(*A view of a dock, and the rocks beneath the strangely shallow waters...*)




AO: (I've already been living here with these girls for three days.)


(*We cut back to the three walking up the railroad track to the building in the distance.*)




AO: (And I still haven't found a way home.)


(*And we end with a view of the sun casting rays between the sparse foliage of the trees.*)




// And so we're introduced to our first three characters. The friendly but quiet Kokoro, the tired and terse Rena, and Ao the upbeat but introspective.

Alongside that is our first view of Second Light's in medias res approach to storytelling, at least for the first chapter or so. While I don't think it hits a complete 100%, I do enjoy how it wastes no time in throwing interesting hooks the player's way. I could have rearranged the story to be told sequentially, but I think the shock and perhaps disorientation works at the end of the day. //


// As to why Rena only uses last names, we have to talk about Japanese honorifics. One of the nuances often unavoidably lost to a degree in localization is that of Japanese honorifics and what they impply- our starting three are no exception to this. It's not a huge deal in this case, but it does add a little characterization. Here's a simplified explanation:

Rena -> Everyone: family name + "-san" ("Mr./Ms.", generically polite and formal, fine in workplace settings, but doesn't indicate any kind of relationship)

Kokoro -> Everyone: first name + "-chan" ("little", informal and rather friendly, cutesy way to address friends- typically other girls or kids)

Ao -> Kokoro: first name, no honorific (extremely informal, typically reserved for close friends or strong romantic relationships but sometimes used in very casual friendships )
Ao -> Rena: first name + "-san" (normal and polite, but friendlier than last name usage)

There's more to the specifics on honorifics, but this is enough to show what's up. Rena's insistence on last names might come across a harsher than it is depending where you are in the world, but there's an impersonal nature to it regardless that perhaps does match up. //


// These will get longer soon, but I'm working with the pacing. The intro is very heavy on cutscenes, something that will eventually spread itself out more later. But it's also a JRPG, so expect tons of cutscenes anyways. We will see actual gameplay next update. //




-------------------------

I woke up in an unfamiliar place with people I've never met. Though I still felt like I was dreaming, I got up ready to face a new day.

// Among other things, I'll be posting the relevant story summary pieces at the end of each update. There's a lot of these, often much longer than this and they're a good look at Ao's thoughts. They're also just useful if you don't remember what you were doing last. //

[Odd Wilson]

Journal Entry 03: The Faraway



*The sound of birdsong can be heard from above, all around.*



VIDEO: The Faraway

MUSIC: Transparent Shelter


(*The view fades in on the three walking forward, although extremely blurry.*)



(*As it begins to clear, we can see them exiting an overgrown tunnel...*)






AO: (We call this the Faraway.)


(*Our view returns in high grass, some colored yellow but most of it is an unnaturally bright red. We seem to be in some small town area, tall pine trees shading it from the late-morning sun.*)




AO: (It suddenly appeared yesterday, and connects to somewhere completely different than this waterlocked world. Hence, the Faraway.)




AO: (It's an even stranger place than the school, if you can believe that.)


(*We move to see a massive fallen tree upon the roof of a house... with a red stoplight bent at a right angle under it?*)




AO: (But it may be the key to finding our way back to my world.)


(*As the view lowers, we can see the country home is overgrown in kudzu, and in the distance many more signs either oversized or bent in odd ways. Many of these seem to prohibit actions, or warn of... bears?*)



MUSIC: Our Days




AO: Okay, here we go! Let's figure out what exactly this place is.


(*She gives an excited arm pump.*)


RENA: (sternly) Wait. We're just here to gather food today.




AO: Whaaat? Why?




RENA: We don't have much time because someone decided to take a nap.


AO: (in feigned desperation) Kokoro! Rena's bullying me!



(*Kokoro gently pats Ao's head while the latter looks on with the smuggest grin imaginable.*)



KOKORO: Ohh, there, there. She can be scary, can't she? But today we're going to have to just gather food and head home, okay?


AO: (happily) Okay.


// //




RENA: (exasperated) Oh, please...


(*The other two eventually turn around to face the way ahead.*)




AO: So, anything we want in particular today?


KOKORO: (thinking aloud) Those eggs yesterday were delicious. I wonder if we can find any more of them?





MUSIC: Transparent Shelter



AO: (I'll keep an eye out for any while we pick up the usual stuff.)



(*To the right of the entrance seems to be abandoned fences and stacked lumber, and up above it, terraced cobblestone walls.*)



(*To the distant left is a house, beyond more pine trees and oversized signage. *)



(*The tunnel that the girls came through is overgrown with oddly bent trees, and the path to the distant exit blocked by haphazardly placed signs. Green fireflies drift down all around.*)



// Just ahead, at the foot of one of the oversized signs, we find a strange sparkling sphere. This is a gathering point- we are playing a Gust game after all. //




AO: Found some of those cabbages!


AO: Hm... Sour things usually aren't very good for you. I'm not actually a big fan of them anyways...


RENA: You've still got a child's palate...


// Small dialogues will frequently play out on gathering, but there's also not a very large pool to pick from. For that reason, I'll try to space them out. //



*Just around that pole is a large container with some bright red barrels next to it. They notably say "WANDERER" in English.*



(*Back to the road, the path forks off with one way towards the house, the other to what looks like more buildings.*)



(*In the center are these religious stone statues depicting a figures in robes. They and standing stones that surround them are spread all about, usually clustered together.*)



(*There's also this dilapidated phone booth nearby, although its glass has turned a fully opaque cloudy grey.*)




AO: (This is the barricade we made so that we don't go too far and get lost.)


(*The path towards the other buildings is intentionally blocked off in a mix of fences, sheet metal, a ruined car, and various scrap.*)



// And so we keep gathering... //





(*Further up the road, lies a rural house so abandoned there's grass growing on the roof..*)



(*The girls look it over.*)




AO: I guess there really isn't anyone living here.


KOKORO: (sadly) Yeah, it didn't look like there was anyone here yesterday either.


RENA: Who would live in such a dangerous place, anyway?


AO: Should we look inside?


RENA: Let's not... We don't want to stir up any trouble.


AO: Didn't know you were such a scaredy cat.




RENA: What? I'm not scared...


(*She looks away, crossing her arms...*)


// Certain areas will trigger short, unvoiced cutscenes like these. We'll be looking to get all of them, and they're VERY missable. They aren't voiced, however, so they won't be included in the videos. //




AO: Oh, these!


AO: Sweets! I really shouldn't, but they just taste so good!


RENA: There's a scale in the nurse's office, you know, Ao...


AO: M-maybe I won't...



// Rena is giving zero slack today. Although, being able to put on weight in a survival scenario is probably preferable to the alternative.

As we go around the side of the house to look through a trash can, we collect a total of 4 items and trigger the next scene. Our total haul was 1 Balloon Cabbage, 1 Old Rags, 1 Milk Flower, and whatever was in the trash can (the game cuts away before we can see it). We'll discuss these items at a later time, specifically when I have a good chance to talk about crafting. Just like story events, every single item in the game has a database entry. //



VIDEO: Challenges of A New World



(*We cut to Kokoro laying in the grass, hands on her chin as Rena inspects something in the background.*)



(*It seems to be an extremely rusted car body, with a very cracked windshield.*)



(*Ao stands thinking not far away, hand on chin as she scans the area. It's interrupted as...*)



*Agitated growl*



MUSIC: Blue Reflection - KOSUICHINOKAKUSURANAKIKU.EXE



(*The camera pans to show a strange four legged beast, some sort of hound made of obsidian and magma!*)




RENA: Looks like they've come to play again.


AO: (hands on hips, annoyed) What, you want our food or something?


KOKORO: Be careful!



(*They both nod their heads and...*)



*A burst of energy crackles the air!*



(*From nowhere, strange weapons appear in their hands!*)



(*The girls now suddenly armed with strange weapons, the camera pans to their foe!*)



BATTLE START


VIDEO: Tutorial Battle

Music: W.P. NEURONS



RENA: "I'll defeat you gracefully!"


// The battle lines make up the majority of untranslated lines, but I will be spacing them out. Also, yes, we're just jumping into a fight, why do you ask? //



// The game throws a very basic tutorial here, which you can see in the video if you so want, but I'll wait to explain combat and everything currently on screen in it's own update soon. This fight is super easy regardless of difficulty and we don't really have any of the game's real mechanics on show. Just basic attacks and a healing move.

Instead, let's take in the situation a bit. //



(* Ao's currently wielding an oversized black scythe, with a faintly blue blade. The back of the head is fractured like blue horns and emits blue-violet electricity.*)



(*It cuts with violet trails that distort the air around it.*)


// For quick reference, Ao has rather balanced stats with a focus on critical hits. //



(*Kokoro now has a long futuristic rifle made of solid black and reflective lavender-teal metal, loaded with a strange looking magazine.*)



(*It fires rather explosively, with appropriately heavy recoil.*)


// Kokoro is a glass cannon with low defense, but high damage. //



(*Rena has what one can only call a hula hoop speckled with black and colors from blue to violet. It almost looks like a sort of stained glass.*)



(*It glows a light green as she swings it, faintly leaving behind trails of 4-leaf shamrocks and sparkles.*)


// For the time being, Rena is average with a defensive lean, and bears our only healing move. //



// It doesn't take too long to finish off the enemy. One of the really small details that's hard to catch in motion is the spent bullets being ejected from Kokoro's rifle. //



MUSIC: DAYDREAM



(*For her finishing pose, Kokoro lifts her gun up-*)



(*Swings it to the side, ejecting the last bullet-*)




KOKORO: "That's an easy win!"


(*And then poses with a smile, holding it behind her as some faint hearts emit..*)



// This being a JRPG and a tutorial battle, we of course level up. //





(*Ao twirls around and swings her scythe out behind her, ending with a hand on her hip and a determined expression.*)



(*Kokoro turns towards the screen and...*)



(*fires skyward...!*)



(*...Ending with the rifle raised triumphantly.*)



(*Rena tosses her hoop to the sky...*)



(*Twirls around with a rare smile on her face...*)



(*And catches it, swinging it to bring it back high and ending on a calm, graceful expression.*)



VIDEO: First Victories

MUSIC: A Glum Face on the Water





(*With a sparkle and a fizzle of energy, the weapons vanish.*)




KOKORO: Nice work, you two.


AO: You too, Kokoro!




AO: Still, I wonder what these rings are exactly?


(*Ao raises her hand to look at the ring on her index finger. It's plain silver, but with a deep blue triangle cut gemstone on top.*)



KOKORO: They were on our fingers before we realized. When did you put yours on, Ao?




AO: It was already on my finger when I got here.



(*The two look at their rings, searching for some kind of answer.*)




RENA: (encouragingly) We can think about this later. Let's focus on finding those eggs.


(*Ao and Kokoro nod in agreement. *)



MUSIC: Our Days



KOKORO: I don't see any... They were around here yesterday, weren't they?


AO: (thinking aloud) The fact that we found them here in the first place, must mean there's a nest nearby, right?


RENA: A nest...





(*The girls scan the area again, looking high...*)





(*Ao's eyes light up as she spies something- a nest perched on the very edge of the dilapidated house.*)




AO: Up there.


RENA: (growing concern) You're not planning to climb up there, are you?


AO: Sure am.


(*She begins to walk on, determined.*)




RENA: (sternly) Stop that. What if you fell?


KOKORO: You can wait down here, Rena. We'll go and get them!


(*Kokoro grins and goes to follow Ao.*)



(*Rena looks down, gritting her teeth...*)




RENA: ...If you two are going, I'm coming with you.



(*She's not happy about this.*)



MUSIC: Transparent Shelter




KOKORO: That looks dangerous. You might want to start from the higher ground over there!



// And so off we go, around the house. //



(*Behind the house is a cliffside, with a fallen tree bridging the gap between it and the house. More warning signs stick straight out of it like errant branches.*)



(*Just behind the house is some large gas canisters...*)



(*As well as another ruined car and a large blockage of construction materials cutting off the road forward. This one was likely already here.*)




AO: "Huh? What's this...?"


// Rarely, gathering spots will be golden colored. These either have a rarer material or drop a number of normal materials. //



VIDEO: Teamwork - Heights


(*As Ao approaches the cliffside...*)



(*Ao hops, one leg extended towards Rena...*)



(*She catches it, and...*)





(*Boosts Ao all the way up the cliff!*)



// Talk about gymnastics, huh? Easily a 12 ft. jump there. //



(*From here we can get a good view that this whole place seems to be nestled in a valley somewhere.*)



(*Standing out through contrast, a massive red pine stands out in the distance.*)



(*Down below, a country road and some small service building...*)





// As we cross over the fallen log and onto the roof cap of the house, Ao automatically begins treating it like a balance beam. This just slows movement a bit- there's no risk of falling. //



// And with the egg acquired... //

VIDEO: Egg Get




AO: Got 'em!




KOKORO: Should we keep looking for more food?


RENA: I think we should head back soon. Look, Kinjou is starting to get impatient.



(*Ao looks down to her phone and it's pink background.*)

RE-SOURCE: Oh, right. Ao, Kokoro, and Rena have the Reflector reaction, so they're the only ones who can use these weapons.


YUKI: Why am I the only one left out?!


-New Messages-



YUKI: Guyyyys where are you?


YUKI: I'm booooorrred


YUKI: If you don't come back soon I'm gonna cry (T_T)

KOKORO: Haha. Sounds just like Yuki.


RENA: (closing her eyes, frowning) I can imagine how she'd be lonely, being left all by herself in that big empty school.


AO: Let's get back there quick, then!



// And so we get our first look at quite a lot of things. I have to state first that I just love how the Faraway looks, especially combined with the surreal music. Nature-reclaimed ghost town, deep in the country and nestled in the hills? Sign me up.

Next is more of the medias-res storytelling striking again with the text messages. The game keeps very close track of these for flashback sequences in fact, and we're not even allowed to look at our phone on our own time just yet. Regardless, this won't be the last of Ao's phone and FreeSpace messages.

As for the combat, there will be a much better fight to talk about it all pretty soon- I estimate that'll be in about three updates. At the moment, we really do just have basic attacks and a healing move. The game hooks with its story first and paces out how it hands out the mechanics. That being said, we'll have the large majority of mechanics opened by the end of Chapter 2, and the game will hit its usual flow by Chapter 1. //



-------------------------

One day during summer vacation, I suddenly found myself in this strange world. There, I met a few other girls who are around my age.

This world is connected to another world, which we call "the Faraway." To gather the things we need to survive, and to solve the mysteries of this world, we started exploring the Faraway as part of our daily routine.

...Seriously, what the heck is this place?!

There's all kinds of stuff in the Faraway. I'm glad we don't have to worry about food anymore, but there are also these things there who just love to get in our way! Fortunately, the rings we wear grant us the power to fight them, so we managed to overcome them...

Anyway, where are those eggs that the others were talking about? If I were a bird...I guess I'd keep my eggs somewhere high up? Guess it's time for some climbing. Just gotta be careful not to slip and fall...

Birthday: July 22

Height/Weight: 157 cm (5'1"), 45kg (99 lbs.)

Likes: Anime, YA Novels

Dislikes: Studying, boring stuff

Detailed Profile:
A totally ordinary girl. She was supposed to spend her summer vacation going to class, but instead finds herself in a strange and mysterious world. This unthinkable turn of events has rendered her lost and confused, but that won't stop her from enjoying her new home in this fantastical world!

// Just as I've been showing the story updates, there's a changing profile for every character, plus a full notebook of every item and location in the game. I'll be putting these out where possible. If I can't find a good time to drop them for a while, I'll just do an update full of logbook entries.

Her Japanese profile specifies "Light Novels", or LNs if you prefer, though those are a section of YA to begin with so it's not really a significant change. Still, she's already proven herself to be a little less than "totally ordinary", if you ask me. In time, she'll really exceed expectations. //

// Names in Japanese have meanings just like names in any other language, although they can be kinda complicated. Without diving too hard into the specifics, the meaning is derived from the characters used to spell the name. Again, not an expert on this subject, but here's the most consistent results pulled from multiple dictionaries:

星 (hoshi) = star (as in the astronomical kind)
崎 (zaki) = promontory (a cliff peninsula), cape

愛 (a) = love, affection
央 (o) = center, middle

As a notable aside, "ao" happens to be the word for blue (and in some cases, green) when written in normal kana. Family names being descriptive of a natural features is generally pretty common as well, but it doesn't mean there isn't a narrative purpose for it. //

// I'll include details on the name with every profile. I would have put this profile in the last update, but I already dumped a lot of info about honorifics there and reasoned it'd be best to space this out. //

[Mercerino]

The battle theme is a bop, but shame that most battles I find tend to end quite quickly before it gets to the hype part. Then again, the slow pace of the beginning does help me appreciate the full song while playing.

Can't wait for the rest of the Faraway. I'd like to say more, but eh, spoilers.

[Odd Wilson]

The battle theme is a bop, but shame that most battles I find tend to end quite quickly before it gets to the hype part. Then again, the slow pace of the beginning does help me appreciate the full song while playing.

Can't wait for the rest of the Faraway. I'd like to say more, but eh, spoilers.

Yeah, once you know what you're doing the enemy encounters can be cleared quickly, but the slow front pacing does help as battles that do take longer than expected get to feel cool. I still really enjoy W.P. NEURONS though, the pacing really help to keep it fresh throughout the game.

I don't really consider saying this much of a spoiler, so: Blue Reflection 1 has this issue x10 as it's normal battle theme, OVERDOSE, opens a very high pace and that game's normal encounters are frequently ended in about 11 seconds. It's doubly unfortunate as that's just when the drop is too. I have a strange sort of nostalgia for KOSUICHI.EXE now as the song that was almost a relief to hear after too much of the normal track.

On that note, I can't wait for our first taste of boss music in general. Asano is usually quite good when it comes to boss tracks and he absolutely sends it out of the park with both Blue Reflections.

[Mercerino]

Speaking of battle themes, Sun's battle theme is pretty great. I don't know the over-under chances of getting Sun in English, but I want it for the music. I mean, I also would like it for the characters, but the music is the big thing.

Also, thanks for the recommendation for KOSUICHI.EXE. I haven't played the first Blue Reflection nor watched the anime, sue me.

[Odd Wilson]

Speaking of battle themes, Sun's battle theme is pretty great. I don't know the over-under chances of getting Sun in English, but I want it for the music. I mean, I also would like it for the characters, but the music is the big thing.

Also, thanks for the recommendation for KOSUICHI.EXE. I haven't played the first Blue Reflection nor watched the anime, sue me.

KOSUICHI.EXE is just the miniboss music. The boss music for BR1 goes super hard, although a number of them are bettered by how well the mesh into the moment. My favorite full three is binGe if you wanted to hear it now and not in like 2 years or when we get to it, but the surprise of the music enhances the scenes a lot.

I don't expect most people to have played BR1 or watched the anime, they're both more of a tough recommendation. Heck, the first Blue Reflection costs way more than Second Light if you want a PS4 copy. That said, BR1's an odd prototype with a slew of its own problems, and Ray's animation is pretty rough and, not spoiling anything, it's also probably the darkest Blue Reflection media despite the name. Still, Ray's story is really good for 24 episodes and despite everything going against it, BR1 does build up to a really great conclusion. I'll still be showing off both eventually after we finish this for a reason.

I could probably do Ray earlier, really. It depends. There's only 1 part of it that BR1 adds any context to.

Edit: Maybe I ought to look into seeing if I can play through Sun on my own time, that is if I can even manage to get it in BlueStacks or something.

[Odd Wilson]

Journal Entry 04: Idle Idols

// Are you ready for 20 minutes of nearly uninterrupted cutscenes? I sure am! //



VIDEO: The Hungry Kinjou

MUSIC: Let's Girl Talk!


(*We return to find the girls walking towards the school, the area now bathed in sunset.*)




KOKORO: All right, where could Yuki be?


AO: Probably in the work room, as usual.


(*They all look off to the left at a door just barely visible in the school's hallway.*)



(*We fade to black as the girls start walking, Rena wasting no time in moving ahead.*)






AO: We're home!



(*Our view cuts to a girl in yellow with long hair done up in buns turning around...*)




YUKI: (happily) Finally!




YUKI: (annoyed) I've been waiting forever!


(*Her expression quickly shifts from a big grin to a frown.*)




RENA: Oh, quit complaining. We've brought lots of ingredients.


YUKI: Yaaaay! Tonight we feast!


(*Aaand she's back to being happy.*)




RENA: (sternly) Wait. We need to ration these carefully.


(*Rena puts her hands on her hips...*)



(*And Yuki replies with a huge grin.*)



YUKI: But we have so much now! We've gotta enjoy it!


RENA: (sighing) Oh, jeez...


YUKI: So, did you find anything out about the Faraway?




KOKORO: We weren't able to investigate much today, unfortunately. We had some...unforeseen difficulties.


(*Kokoro looks towards Ao, the latter of whom dodges eye contact.*)




RENA: Yes... Unforeseen difficulties...


(*With Rena now glaring her way, Ao's flustered expression more than gives away her guilt. *)


// //




AO: (*nervously*) Yeah, what they said! Tons of 'em.


RENA: (*thinking aloud*) That place was as strange as ever.




YUKI: I think we got pretty lucky! A whole other world just appearing like that!


AO: Yeah. It might offer up some clues about how we got here in the first place.


(*We get a slowly panning shot of the Faraway's entrance before cutting back to the girls.*)




YUKI: Well, that too, I guess. But I was thinking about all the food we can get there!


(*Yuki shakes her head and strikes a miserable expression.*)



YUKI: I was getting tired of nothing but nuts and berries and fish.




KOKORO: What I wouldn't give for some rice...


RENA: You'll just have to put up with what we can get. Be thankful you won't starve to death.


AO: There might be rice somewhere in the Faraway. Let's explore deeper next time.




KOKORO: I can't wait!


(*Kokoro stares off wistfully, imagining the rice to be had...*)



RENA: Save it for tomorrow. Let's worry about what's in front of us for now.




YUKI: I'll get dinner started! Hmm, what to make...


KOKORO: I'd love some tamagoyaki again.


YUKI: We do have some eggs, but let's change things up a little.




YUKI: Hey, Ao. See if you can find any herbs or spices! Maybe try the courtyard?


AO: (with a nod) Got it. Be right back!



(*The scene fades out as she turns to leave.*)


// Yuki will quickly prove herself to be Ao's competition in best expressions. Her VA is very dynamic to go with that, and it honestly sounds like they were having a lot of fun with the role. //





*Door sliding*



(*We return to see Yuki grinning as she picks up a knife...*)





(*...Only for it to vanish as she's met with reproach from Rena. Kokoro's off in the background, looking at some boxes on the floor.*)

*Door sliding*




AO: I'm back!


(*Everyone looks to Ao, who arrives with a wave.*)




YUKI: Oh, thanks! That should be everything now.


KOKORO: As long as everyone is here, why don't we all cook together?




RENA: Agreed. It's getting dark, so we should get dinner ready quickly.


(*And so the scene ends with a smile from Rena...*)





MUSIC: Let's Girl Talk!


// We are now afforded control to talk to the others before we head into the crafting tutorial. Crafting's not particularly deep, but on with it we go. //




RENA: Climbing on the roof... Well, don't do anything too crazy.


YUKI: Oooh! What'dja do today? I wanna hear all about it later!




KOKORO: I'm excited for some tamagoyaki!


AO: I haven't done a lot of cooking, so...


YUKI: Don't worry, Kokoro will show you how.




YUKI: How many eggs did you bring again?


RENA: Just the one.


YUKI: These eggs are huge anyways, this should make plenty...




AO: ...I think I understand. What next?


KOKORO: Can you hand me the spices?




AO: Here you go!


KOKORO: And you go like this...




RENA: Are we ready?


YUKI: This looks perfect!


// Crafting is very simple, it either asks for a specific item (in this case a Giant Egg,) or for something that matches a category, (Red Grass matches Herbs and Spicy categories.) There's more to it later, but not a lot more.

The game donates us the items to make this as we otherwise wouldn't have anything that qualifies for herbs. //



VIDEO: Cooking Together



(*We cut to the 4 all working in the kitchen.*)



(* Rena collects plates from a high shelf with a smile in the foreground...*)



(*Yuki hurries over to the table and puts her hands together happily...*)





(*All while Ao and Kokoro finish working at the stove together with a smile.*)





(*And it all ends with a quick fade to white as the group looks in on what they've made. Rena smiles pleasantly, Ao looks on in wonder, while Yuki and Kokoro stare on with big grins.*)




RENA: That went well.


// That little scene shows every time you cook, with only very small differences unrelated to the item you're making. It is still rather cute though.

Tamagoyaki ("grilled/rolled egg") itself is basically omelettes rolled into a sort of loaf. //



VIDEO: Memories



MUSIC: Our Days



AO: All done! Looks great!


RENA: Everyone grab a plate.


(*And so we fade out, but...*)




YUKI: (*wailing*) Aaaah! Spicy!!




KOKORO: Wh-what happened?


YUKI: (*rapidly, breathless*) I made one super spicy and hid it. Can't believe I'm the one who got it...




RENA: What were you thinking...




YUKI: Ahh, but that was just as much fun as I thought it'd be! I'll get one of you next time!


AO: Ahaha, didn't learn your lesson, huh?


(*We fade out with Ao laughing as Yuki psychs herself up.*)




AO: Phew, I'm stuffed. I'm gonna head back to the room and get ready for bed.

(*A short view of Ao outside the work room follows, as we quickly change scene to...*)


MUSIC: Chatting into the Night


(*...The other three girls sitting at the low table in the classroom. Yuki nods to Rena who looks down with a sigh, Kokoro looking onwards. Eventually Yuki looks up to the roof.*)




YUKI: Still, I wonder what that place really is.



*Door sliding, footsteps*

(*Yuki looks towards the source...*)




AO: What'cha talking about?


(*Ao sits down at the table with them.*)



KOKORO: The Faraway. Don't you think it's strange?


AO: (*frowning*) This whole world is strange, if you ask me.


KOKORO: Compared to the world you came from, you mean?




AO: Yeah, the field and road were totally gone!


(*She looks down to her lap.*)



AO: I was like, "It was just there a second ago!" I thought I was losing it.


KOKORO: We were surprised too, having a stranger appear out of thin air. It was just us three for so long.




KOKORO: (sadly) We didn't even realize how strange it was that we were the only ones here.




RENA: We only realized when you appeared all of a sudden.


YUKI: Like, "What is this place? Why can't we remember anything?"




KOKORO: Though we of course remembered some things, like the names of objects and how to use them.


KOKORO: But memories of people or where we used to live... All gone, no matter how hard we try to remember.




AO: I see...


(*She looks away, taking on a troubled expression as she thinks to herself.*)




YUKI: Are you worried?


AO: Huh? What do you mean?


(*She looks back, shaken from her brief gloom.*)



YUKI: Well, we don't remember anything. We don't even know if there's somewhere for us to go back to...




YUKI: To be honest, we still don't really have any desire to "go back."


RENA: (solemnly) Yes... That's true.


YUKI: But you remember, don't you, Ao?




AO: I-it's okay!


AO: (upbeat) I have all of you here with me. I'm not worried.


AO: In fact, I'm having a lot of fun! It's like we're in a movie or something!




AO: I'm just a normal girl... I've always wanted to be part of something special.


YUKI: Ahaha, really? Well then, that's good!




RENA: Be that as it may, you can't stay here forever, right?


KOKORO: We should take a closer look at the Faraway tomorrow.


RENA: It may hold some clues about our memories.


(*A smile comes to both of their faces.*)




YUKI: Got it! Guess we should get ready for bed then.


(*And as Yuki gets up from the floor, the scene ends.*)





MUSIC: Let's Girl Talk!



AO: (I'm not feeling tired enough yet to sleep. I should see what everyone is up to.)


AO: (Kokoro is writing again... is that her diary?)


// From here we have to talk to all the girls individually before we can end the day. //


VIDEO: Kokoro's Diary




AO: Is that a diary?


KOKORO: Yes. I write in it every day.


(*Following this, she stops writing to look at Ao, who sits down next to her.*)




AO: You were writing in it when we first met, weren't you? What do you write about?


KOKORO: What we ate that day, what I talked about with Yuki and Rena...




KOKORO: Things never changed much from day to day, so that's pretty much all I've written about up to now.


AO: Huh...



(*She lifts her pen up as the view turns toward the diary itself.*)



KOKORO: But it has been helpful to have a log of what we ate. It helps us remember what turned out well.


AO: Like recipes and stuff, yeah?




KOKORO: But there's been so much going on recently that my entries have been getting longer and longer.


AO: Like what?


(*Kokoro looks down to the diary, idly thinking through all the recent events.*)



KOKORO: Well, for starters, you came.


KOKORO: And then the Faraway appeared.


KOKORO: There were demons there, and fighting them was a little scary...




KOKORO: I was serious about what I said, you know? Things are nice and lively with you here.


KOKORO: (cheerfully) I'm glad you came to us, Ao.


AO: Aw, you're embarrassing me...




KOKORO: (seriously) But you have somewhere you need to get back to.


KOKORO: It'll be sad to see you go, but the most important thing is to be where you belong.


KOKORO: We have to find a way to get you back. We'll try again tomorrow, okay?




AO: Thank you.


(*Thus it ends, with a light smile on Ao's face.*)



// I have the texture for Kokoro's diary, however the text is surprisingly low resolution and it makes it particularly difficult to get anything out of it. //



AO: (Hm... Yuki's still wide awake. I wonder what she's doing on her phone?)


VIDEO: FreeSpace 101




YUKI: Heya! Not going to sleep yet?


AO: Nope. Not feeling very sleepy.


YUKI: Oh, have you gotten used to FreeSpace yet?




AO: I'm getting there. It's taken a bit, though.


YUKI: I still can't believe that you didn't already have one. I thought everyone was using it these days.


YUKI: Here, I'll show you one more time. Open the app!


AO: All right.

YUKI: Welcome to FreeSpace 101!


RENA: Uh oh.


KOKORO: 101? How many levels of this are there?


YUKI: So yeah, it's an app you can use to message us


YUKI: If you make a group, you can talk to just the people invited to that group


YUKI: Not that we have any other groups than this one. (^▽^)

AO: I see. So this thing at the top is the group name? ₁


YUKI: Yep! Whoever came up with it must be like, a super genius!


AO: So it was you! ₂

YUKI: And that's pretty much it!


AO: Thanks, that was a lot of help.




AO: So... If we can charge our phones, that means we have electricity here, doesn't it?


YUKI: Mm, I guess so?


AO: And if we're able to message each other, that means we have reception too.


YUKI: Yep.


AO: We seem to have running water and gas too, so... Where is it all coming from?




YUKI: ...Huh, good point! I've never thought about that before!


(*She hits her fist against her palm, eyes wide at this revelation.*)



AO: There's something off about this world...


(*Ao looks out the window towards the night horizon.*)




YUKI: (grinning) We have everything we need, so no harm, no foul, right?



// It's worth noting our choice of reply text in FreeSpace conversations doesn't really matter, it's just flavor. For this, I'll just picking what I think is funnier and/or fits Ao best in the moment. Moments with alternate responses are marked with subscript numbers, after which I'll indicate the other possible responses. FreeSpace's primary use will reveal itself next update. //

// Alternate texts are: "Idle Idols...?" and "Whoa, don't know who came up with that, but they must be a genius!" //



AO: (Rena's been looking this way. I'll go see what's on her mind.)


VIDEO: Rena's Worries




RENA: (softly) Hoshizaki... Have you been sleeping all right?


(*Ao wakes up from a brief daze and looks her way.*)



AO: Huh? Why?




RENA: You were sleeping so soundly this afternoon, I thought you might not be getting enough sleep at night.


RENA: If there's anything on your mind, make sure you let us know. We're all stuck here together after all.


RENA: It hasn't been long since you arrived. I wouldn't be surprised if you're still getting used to everything.


AO: Are you...worried about me?


RENA: (usual harshness) O-of course not. I just want to make sure our lives here go smoothly.




AO: Oh reeeally?


RENA: Stop that.


AO: I'm more worried about you, Rena. Isn't it scary not having any memories?




RENA: I didn't even know that I'd had a memory to lose, so I wasn't particularly upset about it.


RENA: (solemnly) Though now that I know, it is quite disturbing.


(*She closes her eyes, falling quiet.*)



AO: Do you want to get it back?


RENA: I suppose so. But even more than that...




RENA: I want to know why it happened.


AO: Oh, really? Huh...


RENA: Something extraordinary must have happened for us to completely lose our memories.




RENA: I just hope it's not something we'll regret learning.


(*Her fears made known, the scene ends.*)



// The game normally interrupts with a tutorial regarding Talent Points here, (basically relationship points), but there's a better time for those in the next update. //



VIDEO: Goodnight, Restless Thoughts

MUSIC: Blue Reflection Theme - Sleep Jingle


(*The girls prepare to sleep, Yuki and Kokoro walking off together...*)



(*... Rena stretches while Ao idly looks around. From there, we fade to black.*)



// What plays here is a short few notes of the main Blue Reflection piano theme, a musical motif that shows up often. This clip is the same section from the actual piano solo of it as the clip the game uses is hidden deep in the files somewhere. //

// This scene will play every time we go to sleep in the future, although it does get a number of changes as the story goes on. //



*Bedsheet rustle*



MUSIC: A Glum Face on the Water


(*We find Ao lying down in her bed, staring at the ceiling, wide awake.*)



AO: (Kokoro Utsubo.)


AO: (Rena Miyauchi.)


AO: (Yuki Kinjou.)


(*She turns on her side.*)




AO: (Has it already been three days since we met?)


AO: (Just what is this world, anyway?)


AO: (It could just be a particularly long dream.)


AO: (It could be a prank that's gone on a little too long. I could still laugh this all off I think.)




AO: (Or maybe... This is the afterlife? No, no way!)



(*Her brief shock fades back into a troubled expression...*)



(*The view slowly pulls away as she faces the wall in the darkness.*)



AO: (Mom... Dad... Are you worried about me?)


AO: (I bet my professor's mad I never made it to class...)




AO: *Sniff*









(*We cut to see the other three girls, all of them awake as well. Rena closes her eyes while Kokoro and Yuki look towards Ao, their expressions suggesting they heard that sniffle. *)





(*Time passes, with our view returning on that of the night sky outside.*)


*Rustle*




AO: (Ugh, no way I'm getting back to sleep now. Maybe I'll go up to the roof.)


MUSIC: Thorns That Still Sting


(*From there we find Ao at top of the school. From here, we can see there truly is nothing but water in all directions.*)




AO: Phew...


AO: Totally surrounded by water.


AO: Just the four of us.


(*She looks out to the starry sky above the Faraway's entrance.*)




AO: And everyone but me has lost their memory...


AO: Not to mention that we don't understand a thing about the Faraway...




AO: Just that we fight demons using weapons that come out of these rings we all have.


(*Our view moves to her hand, centering on the ring.*)




AO: (yelling) Ugh, I just don’t understand! What is this place?!



*Phone notification*



AO: Hmm? My FreeSpace?

YUKI: Where'd you go, Ao? The bathroom?


AO: Way up high ₁


YUKI: ???

// Alternate response: "Look up" //




AO: Haha.


(*She laughs for a moment, but her smile quickly fades.*)




AO: FreeSpace, huh...


AO: (I'd never heard of any app called "FreeSpace" until I came here.)


AO: (I remember dropping my phone on the way to summer classes...)


AO: (When I found it, this app was on it. And then...)

UNKNOWN: Be Reborn

(*The profile picture is just a default cartoon silhouette of a person.*)



AO: (This message was on the screen.)


AO: (And I couldn't use any of my apps other than FreeSpace.)




AO: (Is this how I was sent to this world?)


AO: (If that's the case, whoever put FreeSpace on my phone is the one who brought me here.)




AO: Hmmmm...



(*The music grows silent as an unknown figure approaches with quiet footsteps.*)




UNKNOWN: You...




AO: Aah! Who's there?!


(*Ao recoils and quickly looks to see...*)



(*...a girl with blonde, braided pigtails looking at her, arms crossed.*)




UNKNOWN: (angrily) Who are you? Why are you here?






AO: Huh...?



MUSIC: A Glum Face on the Water




AO: Who are you? Why are you here?


(*We fade from white to a view of the school's courtyard entrance in daytime.*)




AO: I wonder how many people can answer that question with confidence.


(*A view of the front gate, cast in shadow...*)




AO: Ever since I can remember, I wanted to be somebody. Somebody special.


(*Sunflowers in the planter, surrounding the railway's staircase...*)




AO: I was just a lost girl, looking for her way home.




AO: I found the "special" that I had been looking for.


(*Obscured shots of various figures cut by, some of them familiar, most of them not.*)



(*Ao stands alone, looking-- *)





(*-- all of her friends-- *)





(* --up to the sky above the Faraway...*)




AO: It was the beginning of a long, long summer.



BLUE REFLECTION 帝
-Second Light-


*Cicada chirping*





// The energetic Yuki, a strange text message, and an enigmatic girl with braided pigtails. There's power here, cell reception seemingly to just each other, and Ao seems to be the only one who remembers anything of who she is. Any time we get an answer, we end up with more questions. The only thing I can say is that we're halfway through the prologue, and one step closer to picking away at the mystery. //

// Ao mentions her professor, which does bring up the fact that she is a college student and not a high schooler. It's hard to say specifically if this is exclusively a change made in localization though. It's a topic that doesn't get brought up often in-game, but a later conversation uses 学"生" ("gakusei") to refer to them which is usually used for university students but rarely just means students generically (the localization uses "college students" there, of course).

The age of the characters isn't ever directly stated, and we really only have things we learn from their backstory and small amounts of later dialogue to go off of. Is this particularly important? Not really.

We at least learned that Ao has parents, therefore setting her apart from most JRPG protagonists //

// Interestingly, there seems to be a cut portion of events where Ao goes and collects the grass where you'd go and get a specific color depending on one of the girls tastes. Red grass would have played out the same for Yuki, Pink is sweet and matches Kokoro's tastes, and Yellow is sour matching Rena's tastes. Notably, the sour one goes poorly, but everyone acknowledges that Rena just wanted something to lighten everyone's fatigue. //

// As a final note, Yuki never uses any honorific for any of the girls in the group, even Rena. Rena still uses the same "Kinjou-san" as usual for her, Ao uses no honorific, and Kokoro the usual "-chan". //



-------------------------

We got the food! Now that we're all set, let's get cooking! I've never really cooked before, though...

Oh well, it'll be fine! We'll figure it out together!

It looks like no one remembers anything from before they came here. But I think they're probably from another world, just like me. There's still so many things we have to figure out.

The more I think about it, the harder it is to fall asleep... Maybe I should try and talk to the others.

[Mercerino]

Oh, this would be the spot where the demo ends, if I remember correctly. The insert song wouldn't appear until later, but I find that it's a good place to end the demo on. It sets up the mystery of the story, the characters' personalities, as well as some of the system's players interact with in the main game.

Even from the start, the game shows its charm with the characters. The main story itself may take a bit to get going, but I highly appreciate the writing and the character acting (both models and the VA) so far. It felt comfy, in a way, but there's that mystery that, yes you could spoil yourself on, but it's begging you to experience. It's what got me to buy the game (...and the DLC.)

Oh, and if I may chime in regarding Ao's age, what we do know is that she's younger relative to some of the later characters. That is, if I remember the dialogue correctly.

EDIT: That Blue Reflection leitmotif. I'm not sure if it appears in TIE (the song,) but it appears in stuff like the battle themes. At least, it appears in Sun's, but Sun's battle theme feels like an amalgamation of a lot of themes.

[Odd Wilson]

Oh, this would be the spot where the demo ends, if I remember correctly. The insert song wouldn't appear until later, but I find that it's a good place to end the demo on. It sets up the mystery of the story, the characters' personalities, as well as some of the system's players interact with in the main game.

Even from the start, the game shows its charm with the characters. The main story itself may take a bit to get going, but I highly appreciate the writing and the character acting (both models and the VA) so far. It felt comfy, in a way, but there's that mystery that, yes you could spoil yourself on, but it's begging you to experience. It's what got me to buy the game (...and the DLC.)

Oh, and if I may chime in regarding Ao's age, what we do know is that she's younger relative to some of the later characters. That is, if I remember the dialogue correctly.

EDIT: That Blue Reflection leitmotif. I'm not sure if it appears in TIE (the song,) but it appears in stuff like the battle themes. At least, it appears in Sun's, but Sun's battle theme feels like an amalgamation of a lot of themes.

I thought this might be where the the demo ended (the insert song and opening video is coming later), and it's quite a teaser to end it here. I do have to agree, it lays out all the cards the game has on the table quite well- I was hooked by this point. Although I will say a single tutorial battle doesn't do the game's combat much justice, but I don't know any other way they could manage it.

It's definitely a slow start, which why I think it helps that the game just throws you into the middle of it. It knows it needs to keep you for a while, and wastes no time putting out charm and mystery. I do want to point out again that for anyone coming to this from Reflection 1 or Ray, you just have a whole suite of different questions and no real answers.

There is in fact dialogue that states Ao is younger than some other characters- combined with other information we learn by that point, we can better place the age of a decent portion of the cast. It's not really a spoiler to say there's more characters than just the 4 (plus the 2 others we've seen) as the game just showed us that fact to close it off.

The leitmotif does appear in TIE, but it's a different section of BLUE REFLECTION- the ending section. It shows up in TIE's backing string section in the later half, and is the very specific melody being played on the electric piano tuned into a harpsichord at the end before it fades to cicadas. It's not the only musical callback, "Let's Girl Talk!" is significantly remixed and re-imagined from BR1's cutscene slice-of-life tune, Aruella, which I believe we'll hear eventually. (BR1's normal daily theme is very different and gets it's reference elsewhere.)

There's a lot of musical callbacks in the soundtrack, given this game "tie"s together all the other media. Asano's music direction does not disappoint.


Edit: I did forget to mention, I do love the voice work and the acting of the cutscenes. The cinematic direction much of the main story scenes is very well done especially compared to previous Gust work, and can feel like a short film on its own sometimes. The expressiveness is really off the charts in that regard as well even in spite of a still limited pool (BR1 very much suffers here) and it's part of why it takes so much work to put out these updates. It can be difficult to decide what to take screenshots of, and how many to take because there's often so much worth a screenshot. Let alone my attempts to transcribe as much of the visuals and direction as I can.

It's where a lot of my own personal commentary lives on with this LP as the game can regularly speak for itself without me needing to. It's a rather different style than what I have done, trying to present the game to the reader rather than just play along. Although in that same regard, my other LP work is often of games I don't have such a complete knowledge of, nor are so deeply story focused.

[Odd Wilson]

Update will be out tomorrow: the actual update is ready, it's just I don't have the scenes video uploaded and won't be able to until tomorrow.

Convenient that these last two weeks have been covered in distractions and delays now that I'm starting a new LP. It's never when I have an update backlog, only when I need to make one.

[Odd Wilson]

Journal Entry 05: Recovering ReSources

MUSIC: TIE







// Ever since we began the game, the title screen has updated to this. The crew of 4 walking along the Faraway tracks, with Rena ahead pointing to their destination, Yuki treating the iron ties like a balance beam, and Kokoro looking back to Ao who's running to catch up. //

// A few various views of the deserted school follow, but we'll save those for another time. For now we return to... //



VIDEO: Endless Blue



Prologue-
Endless Blue

*Piano chord*



(*It fades out, reverses back and cuts out in a flash, sending the chapter letters floating away.*)



(*Our view then focuses on Ao, sitting alone on the pier in the morning sun. Lost in thought, she stares on with a blank expression.*)




KOKORO: Hey, Ao.


(*Shaken to attention, Ao look behind her to Kokoro. She gives a little wave in return.*)




AO: Hmm? Oh, hi Kokoro. What's up?


KOKORO: I saw you sitting out here, so I thought I'd come talk to you.


(*Following this, she moves to sit down next to her, knees up.*)




AO: I've actually been meaning to ask you, are we really the only people in this world?


KOKORO: What do you mean?




AO: Last night, I saw someone that I'd never seen before. A girl with pigtails.


KOKORO: Ah, you mean Yuko?


AO: (confused) Yuko...?




KOKORO: Yeah, we call her that cause she just kind of looked like a Yuko to us.


AO: You know her?




KOKORO: You could say that. Not very well, though.


KOKORO: She never answers when we try to talk to her, and she just disappears as suddenly as she arrived.


(*Kokoro closes her eyes, looking down.*)




AO: That's exactly what happened to me. She was gone before I knew it.


AO: Is she a...ghost?


(*Ao looks away, as serious expression crossing her face.*)



KOKORO: (sadly) I wonder... But she's never done anything to us, so I don't think she's bad.




KOKORO: Sorry, we should have warned you.


AO: (smiling) No, it's okay.



(*Kokoro turns her gaze to the Faraway before sitting forward and hanging her legs from the pier.*)




KOKORO: Hey, we're going again today, right? To the Faraway.


AO: Yeah. We've gotta be able to find some clues over there.





MUSIC: Let's Girl Talk!


(*Time passes as we fade to Ao standing up.*)

*Phone notification*

YUKI: This is bad! This is bad! This is bad!


AO: Whatwhatwhatwhat! ₁


YUKI: At any rate, someone needs to come to the Study Room ASAP!

// Alternate Texts: 1 - "...What's with you all of a sudden?" //




KOKORO: I wonder what happened?


AO: Let's go check on her.



// And so ends the short unvoiced scene. "Study Room" should be "work room", and given there's script in the files with an accurate translation, I have no idea what happened. //



// And so we are set free to roam the school once more. //





// Following the pathway into the school, we find Rena looking at a collection of awards and trophies. //




AO: Rena, did you-


RENA: -see Kinjou's text? I'll be there in a minute.


AO: Gotcha.




AO: (There are a lot of trophies and awards here. My name will never be on one of these...)


AO: (...Never mind that. I need to check on Yuki.)



(*And so down the long hall and into the work room we go.*)



VIDEO: Yuki's Dilemma



(*We arrive to find Yuki facing away from the camera, staring in the direction of the yellow fridge.*)



AO: What's up?


YUKI: (impatiently) It's gone.


AO: Gone? What's gone?


(*Yuki turns around, her expression a mix of emptiness and anger.*)




YUKI: Our food. It's all gone.


AO: Huh?




YUKI: (gesturing frantically) Don't give me that! You snuck in here and had yourself a midnight snack, didn't you?!




AO: What?! No, I would never...


(*Ao recoils at the accusation.*)




YUKI: (with a hollow expression) Don't you know how important food is in this harsh world devoid of pleasures?


YUKI: I'm talking about our quality of life here!


(*She throws her hands down in frustration and ends with a sad expression*)




AO: Thank you for always cooking for us, Yuki.


(*She gives a cute cheer with a smile.*)



YUKI: (happily) Oh, it's my pleasure!




YUKI: Wait, no! This is important!




AO: (thinking) But I doubt Kokoro and Rena would do something like that...


YUKI: It's gotta be one of us! There's no one else here!


AO: Yeah, I can go and get whatever we need.


YUKI: Well if you're offering...




YUKI: Grr, I'm sure that I set some aside, though!


(*And with Yuki grumbling to herself, the scene ends.*)



// If you watch the video, you'll note Yuki says "quality of life" in English, or at least nearly English. Japanese has a surprisingly large amount of loanwords and phrases. //



// The game drops a tutorial on requests here... //




YUKI: This is pretty weird. Did our food grow legs and walk away?

Our food! This is terrible! We're all out of Balloon Cabbage! Hurry and go get more! I'm counting on you!

// Requests form one of the two main ways to gain relationship points, and serve as sidequests when they're not being used as part of the main story. //



// Yuki isn't the only one with a request however... //




RENA: Why would I go out of my way to steal food? I'm sure this is just a wild fantasy of Kinjou's.


RENA: We need to get stronger. The Faraway's dangerous.

Do you have a moment, Hoshizaki?

RENA: I've been thinking.


AO: What about?


RENA: The way you fight, you put yourself in too much danger. I feel anxious just watching you.


AO: You think so? We're winning, so all's well that ends well, right?




RENA: (sighing) Things may not always go this well. Just the other day, you were cutting it close.


RENA: You need to think more about your stamina. You can't be constantly attacking all the time.


AO: I could do that if I really wanted. All the demons we've fought so far were so weak, I just didn't have to.


RENA: Then prove it to me.


AO: Okay! I'll go get Kokoro and meet you at the entrance.






KOKORO: A food thief... It wasn't me, you know!


AO: I told Yuki there was no way you or Rena did it. Anyway, we're headed to the Faraway early today.


KOKORO: I'll come along in just a moment.



// Now that requests are unlocked, we can freely use FreeSpace. There are some more unseen texts in the Group Chat, but we'll flashback to those in not too long. The other important feature is that of private messaging, namely to get a refresher or hints on requests. //

AO: Hey Yuki, where did you say we can find balloon cabbage?


YUKI: I'm pretty sure they grow in the ground in the Faraway


YUKI: Maybe the demons took them all


AO: Do they even eat cabbage?


YUKI: Who knows.

AO: Which demon should I fight next?


RENA: How about that little one that was always walking around the entrance? That should be perfect.


RENA: I wouldn't underestimate him just because of his size though.


AO: ->

// With this, we also get our first view of the FreeSpace stamps, all of which are maximum

In the future, I may convert some of the request hint conversations to be in-person if it matches, but I left this as-is because of the stamp.

With that done, off we go! //



>> First Layer: Breezy Woodland Path <<



MUSIC: Faraway Jingle


(*We cut to a brief view of Rena, Ao, and Kokoro walking up the rails to the Faraway before fading to white.*)


// This little musical tune plays here. It's an excerpt from... something. I can't place it at the moment. It is however very similar to tracks from and the musical style of Blue Reflection 1. //





MUSIC: Transparent Shelter


AO: (Here we are again... still as strange as ever.)


// Having been given more proper freedom, we've now unlocked a few new features to play with. //



// The first of which is the map. This is the only time I'll post this screen in full, I'll just be putting up the maps separately and more zoomed up after this.

Given you have the minimap, this is mostly only useful for a few particularly large zones, and the button it gives to to warp back to the school instantly. Spares a lot of backtracking. //



// The other new thing is being able to swing Ao's scythe around while running around the Faraway. Hitting enemies with it starts a battle with advantage, and can otherwise be used to cut tall grass. It creates an explosion of petals when you do so. It does serve a purpose though... //




AO: Oh, a coin! I knew I'd find something!


KOKORO: I've never seen one like it. I wonder where it's from?


// ...very rarely, you'll pick up coins for doing it. It's also just strangely fun, which is probably why there's an achievement for doing a lot of it. //






RENA: Hoshizaki, Utsubo! Demon incoming!



// We are thrown in to a forced "miniboss" fight as we move forward, but the fight only serves to demonstrate using items in combat and poses no real challenge. A critical hit from it did only a third of Ao's HP. //




AO: This is my moment!







*In her victory flourish, Ao expertly twirls her scythe overhead 4 times...*



*And then catches it on the 5th time around, bringing it behind her and across her back with a smile. *



AO: Easy win, easy win... you won't beat me like that!



// The demons we need to fight for Rena are spread about the area instead. The one we just fought is a later enemy that I think they used to not confuse new players on how overworld encounters work. //




KOKORO: This is going to be tough...


AO: We'll be fine! They're n-




AO: No way...!


RENA: Be careful, Hoshizaki! I told you not to underestimate them.


KOKORO: Are you all right? Why don't you rest for a bit?




AO: Y-yeah... sorry.


// And like that, Ao is KO'd in two attacks by Calm Erythros, the first enemies in the game. Neither attack was critical, and both do about half our current HP. Welcome to Hard difficulty!

Not having a chance to heal the crit Ao took is a major part in this though, Rena could have prevented this if we had the time to heal. //



// Kokoro and Rena can clean up from here, but it's not easy. At the very least, anyone KO'd gets back up with 1 HP after the end of a battle... provided the whole party doesn't go down.

Downed party members still get full EXP- in fact, everyone gets equal experience even if they're not in the party. //




AO: (I guess they really do eat cabbage. Huh.)


// We also get item drops from enemies for the first time- the spoils screen comes after level-ups, if any. We did level again, but there's nothing new there, just a few points up. //




AO: (Okay, I've learned my lesson. I'll take them seriously from now on.)


AO: (I need to show Rena I can do this!)



// It's about time I explain some basic combat while Ao focuses on this next fight. We open by hitting the Erythro with the scythe. It doesn't matter if Ao is behind the enemy, as long as she connects. //



// Second Light's combat is controlled by it's ATB meter, the timeline on the lower right. As time passes, combatants build up Ether, tracked on the timelinein 1000 point increments to to a maximum of 5000. We can't go higher than 1k at our current level.

The pre-emptive strike with the scythe immediately pushes Ao up to 1000ep on the timeline as soon as combat starts. //



// In order to act, we have to meet the Ether requirement for the skill. Most actions are multiples of 1000ep or the occasional 500ep. Everything we have right now, (including using an item,) is a flat 1k Ether. //



// Ao does a glorious 3 damage with her basic attack right now. This prompts the combo tracker to appear on the right. //



// The higher the combo, the higher a multiplier on damage output we get. The combo meter only goes up and doesn't fade away on it's own, so you will progressively do more and more damage as combat goes on. //



// Most enemy attacks need around 4k Ether to use- you can find them going from right to left on the timeline.

I should also mention Erythros have only 2 attacks, Headbutt and Bomb Through. The first is self-explanatory, the second has them fire a small fireball in an arc from their mouth like a mortar. They do roughly the same damage (about half health to anyone not named Rena) although the bomb does a bit more on regular. //



// The only other thing to explain is those green diamonds above the skill description. That's Ether Acceleration, an abstracted value added to a character's hidden Ether Recovery Speed. Basically, it makes our characters act even faster as the battle goes on.

Some later abilities have red diamonds, which slow the character down instead. I believe using an item (also 1k Ether) might be a small minus on acceleration but I geniunely cannot remember as items aren't particularly necessary on lower difficulties. //



// With the current mechanics, that's about all I can say. You might able to tell that later fights can get rather fast and chaotic.

The last thing to really note is that in any normal monster fight, as long as someone has 1k Ether built up, you can escape. Escape is 100% guaranteed. You can even pre-emptive strike with the scythe, immediately escape, and run through the enemy if it's blocking your way.

Rena gets the final blow in this fight. So we get to see her victory animation. //





(*She lightly tosses her hoop, catches it on the back of her hand...*)



(*Rolls it across her back to the tip of other hand's index finger, lightly tosses and catches it with a flick off her hand...*)



(*And rests it on her shoulder with a smile.*)



RENA: Well, maybe next time, hm?



// We hit level 4 and Kokoro learns Sparkle Ball, although peculiarly it doesn't show up in her ability list yet. //




KOKORO: That was a rough battle. I think we should take time to regroup.


RENA: Good idea. We've already gathered more food than we had.


AO: I can't wait to show this to Yuki!



// Before we leave, I do fight one more group of Erythros to complete Rena's homework. We end up coming back with a grand total of 9 Balloon Cabbage, so I can't help but feel the gathering points are maybe skewed for this part.

We rejoin the girls back at the isolated school, Ao bringing today's haul to Yuki. //


MUSIC: Let's Girl Talk!

VIDEO: Mission Complete




AO: All right, think this'll be enough?


YUKI: That's perfect! You're the best, Ao!



*And before we fade out, we get a short shot of Ao posing proudly with a confident smirk. *



// Normally, I wouldn't put something so short in the video clips, but I can't not do it after that pose. //




AO: (I never finished my conversation with Kokoro. I want to talk to her more.)


AO: (I should probably find Rena along the way if I can.)

Hoshizaki. Watching you fight drives me crazy. Your fighting style needs to be steadier and more consistent. If you think you can do that, then prove it to me.

AO: How about that?


RENA: It seems I was wrong. You can fight very well.


AO: Told you I was awesome!




RENA: If you had just fought like that from the start, I wouldn't have had to...


(*Rena looks away.*)



AO: What, were you worried for me?


RENA: (grimly) It would be trouble if you were to get hurt.


AO: Hehe, that's true.



// We gain a good 5 TP for that request, and since we're about to walk into another story section, we may as well talk about it now. //



// As briefly mentioned before, Talent Points are basically our relationship points with the other girls. As you gain more, you gain Talent Levels and eventually recieve some passive buffs. For the moment, this is what all of our 4 girls have: //


AO: An Ordinary Girl - Critical Hit Damage Up

KOKORO: A Shy Girl - Ailment Infliction Chance Up

RENA: A Cold-Hearted Girl - Granted Support Duration Up

YUKI: A Cheerful Girl - Item Drop Rate Up



// In addition, we can individually allocate those points to buy other smaller passive buffs and sometimes even new moves. (This doesn't subtract from our progress to the next Talent Level, of course.)

Each character has 4 different lists to spend on, each representing a part of who they are. Currently the ones we can see are: //


KOKORO: Country Girl; Unwavering Spirit




RENA: Calm, Cool, Collected; Conservative Attitude



YUKI: Carefree; Act First, Think Later


// As Yuki does not fight, her talents are generally more substantial, more expensive, and target characters other than her. +7 Damage absolutely isn't anything to scoff at at this point in the game, and that's far from her best talents. //



AO: Energetic; Rational; Gentle; Creative


// Ao is also an exception in that we have access to all 4 lists from the start. She only gains TP when other girls gain Talent Levels, which means she'll generally be slower to upgrade. I mean, what else would she gain TP from? She can't really improve her relationship with herself after all. //

// For the most part, there's not a lot to say about available Talents yet. More unlock with combat level, items collected, enemies defeated, and usually just story progression. When notable ones do show up, I'll tell you. After all, it may be relevant to your voting. //



// For now, we rejoin Ao on her way back to the dock at sunset. //


VIDEO: ReSource



(*Ao walks up to Kokoro, each footstep a hollow drum upon the dock.*)



(*She turns away from gazing at the Faraway...*)



(*To be met with a silent wave from Ao.*)



MUSIC: Kept Me Waiting



(*We fade to them sitting together on the dock just as they were this morning, now in the fading light of the evening.*)




AO: We were talking like this when the Faraway first appeared, weren't we?


KOKORO: Yeah, that's right—


(*We fade into a flashback of a previous morning.*)




KOKORO: I like this place. There's just something about it that makes me feel safe and secure.


(*Kokoro looks to the school behind her.*)



AO: How so?


KOKORO: It's like my own secret hideout.




AO: Did you ever build secret hideouts as a kid?



MUSIC: Thorns That Still Sting



(*Kokoro looks to her in a brief shock that lasts for a moment before falling into a troubled expression.*)



KOKORO: Did I...?




KOKORO: Secret hideout... Secret hideout...


(*She closes her eyes for a moment, desperate to remember...*)



KOKORO: Something tells me maybe I—



*DISTANT EXPLOSION*


MUSIC: "There's nothing we can't do, right?"




AO: Wh-what's going on?!


(*Ao jumps to her feet as Kokoro points into the distance.*)




KOKORO: Look! Over there...





*Loud buzzing*



(*The two look on as the horizon in front of them begins to distort, crossed in lines of static.*)



(*The buzz warps into a hollow ring as the familiar sight of the Faraway flashes into existence before them.*)




AO: That thing came out of nowhere.


AO: Is this normal here?



(*Ao looks to Kokoro whose surprise renders her silent for a moment as she stares on.*)




KOKORO: (shaking her head) No... I've never seen anything like it.


AO: What is it...?



*Phone notification*

(*Both of them jump in shock before pulling out their phones.*)

NOTIFICATION: ReSource joined the group.


RE-SOURCE: Hey! What have you done?!

(*It's profile picture is that of a chibi television with a smile.*)




AO: Who is this...?


(*Ao looks over to Kokoro, whose eyes are glued to her phone.*)



KOKORO: I have no idea...

KOKORO: ReSource...


KOKORO: Who are you?


RE-SOURCE: I'm ReSource! Your super-duper guide to help you with everything you need to live here!


AO: By "here," do you mean this world? Do you know something about this place?!


RE-SOURCE: As that has nothing to do with living here, I'm afraid I can't answer that!

AO: Aww... I thought you would tell us whatever we wanted...

KOKORO: So, what's that thing that suddenly appeared?


RE-SOURCE: That place is super dangerous! You should NOT, under ANY CIRCUMSTANCES, go near it!


KOKORO: Dangerous? Why?


RE-SOURCE: Because it's connected to a different world from this one!


AO: A different world from this one?????


RE-SOURCE: Yes, so do not go near it! There's no telling what might happen if you do.

(*The excitement and tension dissolved, the music fades as Ao looks up from her phone with a dismal expression.*)




AO: Dangerous, huh...


(*She hangs her head, looking down into the water.*)




KOKORO: ...




KOKORO: We should go. To the other world.


AO: What?! But ReSource said it was dangerous...




KOKORO: But we might be able to get some clues there—about how you can get back to your world.




AO: ...!


(*Ao stares on in shocked realization as the flashback ends.*)




AO: (That's how we met ReSource.)




AO: That sure was a surprise, huh?


KOKORO: I wonder what made it appear...


(*She stands up, both of their gazes fixed upon the derelict building in the horizon. Kokoro looks down at the water for a moment, before looking to Ao.*)




KOKORO: Oh, maybe ReSource would know something.


AO: You think?


KOKORO: Yeah. Let's ask.


(*Kokoro gets up as well and pulls out her phone.*)

KOKORO: ReSource?


RE-SOURCE: Hello hello hello! How can I help you?


KOKORO: Why did that world appear all of a sudden?


RE-SOURCE: That has nothing to do with living here, so I'm afraid I can't answer that!


AO: Gimme a break!! ₁

// Alternate Texts: 1 - "How rude!" //

YUKI: Yeah, you're mean!


AO: Oh, hey Yuki


YUKI: Hiya! Dinner's almost ready, get over here!


AO: Yes, ma'am!

(*The two put away their phones, Ao looking to Kokoro.*)



(*And she nods and smiles in response.*)



// And there we have it. The surprisingly unhelpful but chipper ReSource, the appearance of the Faraway, and more commentary from me than usual thanks to some overdue mechanical explanations. As it turns out, last update is where the demo would have ended, thus the fade out on the title and this update beginning with an actual chapter declaration. //

// A detail lost in translation is ReSource's way of speaking as even though it retains most of its upbeat nature, some of it is left behind. It ends it's texts with ♪ and ☆ constantly in Japanese, and otherwise there's an 80% chance it's using exclamation points to end everything! It's very excited! And happy! And not particularly helpful, evidently.

// Commentary vs. story will eventually find a balance in time, but I will always defer to the game's storytelling over my own. So any cutscene heavy segments will likely end up like last update with the large majority of commentary towards the end. Today's update was more of just a gameplay segment, and we'll definitely hit those. //

// A track we haven't heard yet briefly plays at the moment Kokoro suggests going into the Faraway despite the danger, "I Shall Go On", but I refrained from specifically linking it as it only plays for a handful of seconds before being replaced by "Bottled Message In the Sky". This isn't important to know, I just thought it flowed better without another link so shortly after. I hope you can forgive me for taking such creative liberties. //

// As an aside, I love that Ao and Yuki just don't bother with proper punctuation sometimes in their texts. It's very fitting, but not as hard to read as super abbreviated texts might be. //



-------------------------

I met a girl on the rooftop while I was lost in thought. I mentioned it to Kokoro, and she said they've spotted a girl around here who looks like a ghost. Could she really be a ghost? ...No way!

Just as we were talking about that, I got a message from Yuki. It sounds like there was a big problem. I better go see what happened.

All our ingredients just up and disappeared... I have no clue who the culprit is, but I know it wasn't me!

Well, guess we have no choice but to go and gather some more. We've got a certain quality of life to maintain here!

Problem solved! Quality of life restored! For now, at least. We still don't know why our ingredients disappeared in the first place...

Oh, wasn't I in the middle of talking to Kokoro earlier? I wonder if she's still on the pier.

There are still so many things we don't know about this world. Especially about the Faraway. What is that place? Why did it appear? And then there's the thing that popped up at the same time the Faraway did... The mysterious account called ReSource. It says it's here to help us with what we need to live here, but I still don't know if I trust it.

The mysteries just keep piling up... For now, I should go see if they're done cooking.

Birthday: ???

Height/Weight: ???

Likes: ???

Dislikes: ???

Detailed Profile: The first girl that Ao encountered in this strange world. She's been living in the school with Rena and Yuki, and seems to be unable to recall anything prior to waking up here. She's mild-mannered and kind, but also surprisingly bold. She can't recall exactly why, but she remembers being drawn to the idea of a secret hideout.

// I couldn't put out Kokoro or Rena's profile before last update as they both talk about Yuki. We also don't get any information on them outside of the normal profile until their talent level rises and the story progresses. //

// Name Information:

靭 (utsubo) = soft, pliable, archery quiver
こころ (kokoro) = mind, heart, spirit

Notably, her given name isn't kanji- it's not for lack of a kanji to use, it just isn't written with any. This normally can have some implications of being unrefined or rarely a foreigner, but in this case the likely cause is that Kokoro does it as writing one's name in only hiragana is a very girly thing to do. As an added bonus, I suppose nobody will ever mistake it's pronunciation.

I guess it explains the heart effects on her victory pose. And of course, she is our ranged user. Those connections are obvious at least. //

// Database entries on the monsters and items will be next update as it's a better time for it. When possible, I'll probably try to work them into the main update section as we come across them. //

[Odd Wilson]

Journal Entry 06: Our Inner Strength


VIDEO: Darkening Skies

MUSIC: Let's Girl Talk!



(*We return to the view of a rainy sky at dusk, before cutting to Ao, Yuki, and Rena at the classroom table.*)




AO: (satisfied) Whew, that was great.


*Door slide*



KOKORO: Everybody! We have a problem!




AO: Whoa, what happened?! You're soaked...


KOKORO: Just come with me!



(*We return to find them at the top of the staircase on the second floor....*)



MUSIC: Blue Reflection - A Captive Heart


(*...And with it, a bucket in a puddle of water in the hallway just ahead.*)




RENA: What is this... A leak?


KOKORO: I noticed a crack in the floor of the roof. I think that's where the water is coming from.


AO: Well, we don't really use the second floor anyway. Can't we just leave it?


YUKI: (nodding) It'll dry once the rain stops, right?


*Phone notification*



AO: Hm? What's this?

RE-SOURCE: You miiiiight not want to just leave it!


RE-SOURCE: The walls inside are susceptible to water damage! You don't want the school to fall apart, do you?!


RE-SOURCE: Taking proper care of leaks is key to a happy and comfy home!

YUKI: Wait, has ReSource been able to hear our conversations this whole time?!


RENA: How in the world...?


AO: (confused) Well...




RENA: (worried) How are we supposed to fix this thing?


AO: It's getting late. Let's pick this up again tomorrow.




AO: We can check the Faraway too. There might be something useful there.


KOKORO: (nodding) That's true.


YUKI: (gloomily) I wonder if it'll stop raining by then...



MUSIC: Thorns That Still Sting



(*We fade to a view of the rainy sky once again, faintly lit up by the morning but with the rain unrelenting.*)



(*We find Ao watching the raindrops run down the windows, until...*)


*Door opening*





AO: How was it?


(*Ao and Rena are siting on the blue couch in the classroom as Yuki stands nearby.*)




KOKORO:(shaking her head) It still seems to be leaking.


(*Rena leans forward, crossing her legs as Yuki raises a hand to her chin.*)




YUKI: I guess we'll have to fix it properly after all.




AO: Should we go to the Faraway like we planned, then?


KOKORO: Yes. We need to find something we can use to fix it.


RENA: Watch the place while we're gone, Kinjou.




YUKI: Whaaaat! I wanna go too!




RENA: It's too dangerous. You know you can't fight.




YUKI: Ugh, why am I the only one who can't fight?




AO: (That's right... Yuki can't use her ring's powers, unlike the rest of us.)


AO: (It was our first time in the Faraway that we learned our rings had special powers.)


(*Ao looks down to her hands, the music fading out as we begin a flashback.*)





(*The girls standing in the Faraway with Ao up front with a blank expression and the others in shock behind her.*)



(*In front of them are two Erythros...!*)





MUSIC: "There's nothing we can't do, right?"


(*Ao finally processes what she's looking at-*)



(*-and they all flee. Yuki looks behind for a brief moment before closing her eyes and running even harder. *)





(*We catch up to them, exhausted, Yuki barely standing.*)




RENA: *Pant* *pant* What. Was that.


(*She looks in the direction they ran from.*)



AO: ...ReSource! Let's ask it!




YUKI: Good idea! Kokoro!


KOKORO: On it!

KOKORO: Um, ReSource?


RE-SOURCE: Hello hello hello! What's up?


KOKORO: So, you know that world we talked about before? Something crazy appeared...


RE-SOURCE: Didn't I tell you to stay away? That's what you get!


AO: Okay, we're sorry! Please, just help us!

RE-SOURCE: Well, you've already gone in, so no point in warning you anymore. Let me explain!


RE-SOURCE: Here in this world, hostile creatures known as demons will appear!


RE-SOURCE: They may look majorly scary, but don't worry! There's a way to deal with these pesky things!


AO: Really?

RE-SOURCE: Call forth your Reflector weapon by infusing the rings you're wearing with your feelings!


KOKORO: Reflector...?


RE-SOURCE: Oh, right. Ao, Kokoro, and Rena have the Reflector reaction, so they're the only ones who can use these weapons.


YUKI: Why am I the only one left out?!

*Shuffling behind*







(*The sound pulls Ao's attention, and she looks behind to see the demons have caught up!*)




YUKI: Wha—?! Hey, guys! I don't think this is a good time to talk! Demons!


RENA: So soon?!




YUKI: I think it's do or die time... Everyone use your rings! Well, everyone except me!


(*Ao, Rena, and Kokoro all look to their rings.*)




AO: Our rings...




RENA: What did they mean infuse our feelings?!


YUKI: I dunno! Just...feelings ya know? Like, a craving for ramen. Or cake! Whatever you can come up with!




RENA: All you think about is food!


(*Yuki is left speechless.*)




KOKORO: Feelings... Feelings...


AO: Feelings...









(*Everything goes white as the girls close their eyes and desperately try to infuse their feelings. *)




AO: I want to be somebody...



MUSIC: W.P. NEURONS


(*A hollow chime sounds out as the rings begin to glow brightly!*)





(*Three small spheres of light rise up from them...*)



(*Before suddenly transforming into their weapons!*)






KOKORO: ...Ah! What's happening?



MUSIC: Thorns That Still Sting




AO: (...And that's how we discovered the powers the rings had.)


(*We return to the present day.*)




YUKI: No, I'm going too! It's so lonely here all by myself.


RENA: (worried)That's not the point...


AO: Well, there shouldn't be a problem if we just protect her. ...Right?




YUKI: Yaaaay! I love you, Ao!


AO: But if things get nasty, you have to run away. Got it?


YUKI: Yes, ma'am!





// The scene ends, and we're back in control of Ao in the classroom. //




AO: (I can doodle all I want on the chalkboard. It's a pretty fun way to pass the time.)


AO: (...I've already done enough today.)




AO: (I think I've got everything. I'll go find them.)





(*Rena and Kokoro are upstairs, trying to stave off the leak.*)




RENA: Maybe we can bring something useful back from the Faraway.


KOKORO: I wonder if we'll find any rice, or any other new ingredients.


AO: (She really wants that rice... I kinda do too.)


RENA: Go find Kinjou, we'll be done in a moment.




YUKI: Since I'm tagging along, I'll keep an eye out for stuff we might be able to use!


AO: Just be sure to hide if anything shows up.


YUKI: I know, I know! They'll never find me!



// The crew gathered, there's nothing left to do but head on to the Faraway. //



MUSIC: Faraway Jingle



// We have free rein to run about the Faraway in the usual area right now, but we don't have a need to. //



// Instead, we approach the makeshift barrier to trigger the next cutscene. //



VIDEO: Moving Forward

MUSIC: Kept Me Waiting




KOKORO: We've had a good look through this area, I doubt we'll find anything useful.



(*They all turn to look at the makeshift barricade.*)




AO: I guess that means we have to go this way...


RENA: That's where the powerful demon we saw before was. We blocked this off for a reason.


AO: Hm, I wonder...


*Phone notification*

RE-SOURCE: The power that all of you got is not simply a weapon!


RE-SOURCE: You can become anything you want with enough emotional energy!


RE-SOURCE: Now, try transforming! Unlock the true power of a Reflector!

YUKI: Transform...? What does that mean...?


KOKORO: I don't know... I guess we have more power that we can use?


RENA: It's possible...




AO: Either way, we're a lot more used to fighting now. We should be okay to continue in.


KOKORO: (nodding) I think we should give it a try.


AO: All right then, here we go.



(*We cut to Kokoro and Rena talking in the foreground as Ao watches Yuki attempt to lift the car.*)



(*Cut again. They're still discussing, Rena pointing at something offscreen. Yuki is lying face down on the ground, exhausted as Ao attempts the car herself.*)



(*Cut again. Rena now exasperated, as Ao joins Yuki on the ground with Kokoro watching over them. The car has at least been moved...?*)



(*A final cut to Ao and Yuki scrambling away as Rena yells at them. *)



*Rustling, crumbling*



(*At last, the barrier is gone and the path forward is open.*)




AO: All right then, here we go.



(*They start to walk onwards...*)



MUSIC: Blue Reflection - KOSUICHINOKAKUSURANAKIKU.EXE


*Agitated roar*

(*One of the dog-like demons appears!*)




RENA: There it is! Kinjou, hide!


(*She's already running off camera in panic as the three draw their weapons.*)




AO: Come on, guys! We can do this!



VIDEO: Gear Tutorial

VIDEO: Anoia Tapir - Deathwish


// We are tossed into a battle immediately. The first video shows a normal tutorial, but the second is what I'm going to use for the next segment- a battle against this same kind of enemy on Deathwish difficulty. I end up sandbagging towards the end in both for reasons that may be apparent soon. //



MUSIC: W.P. NEURONS



// Trust me when I say this is nothing like the first tutorial fight in the game. The Anoia Tapir, a regular enemy following this, is tough to deal with on such a high difficulty. //



// Our attacks do very little as usual, and the enemy has even more HP than Hard. //



// But we now have Gear shifting in our arsenal. Basically, as we build up Ether recovery speed, we hit a new gear. This ups our maximum Ether and even changes what skills we have to use. Ether maximum is always 1000 times the current Gear (2 * 1000 in this case). //



// Enemies have Gears as well, and given Deathwish, our enemy has started at 3 already. Gear 3 is the highest anyone can go right now. //



// Both of the Tapir's attacks do high damage, but nothing special aside from nearly one-shotting us on this difficulty. //






RENA: Don't push yourself too hard!



// With a higher Ether maximum, we can also queue in multiple attacks. This not only reduces the delay between attacks, it also lets us build up significant stagger on the enemy. //






AO: This is our chance! Press the advantage!


// Once an enemy or one of the girls gets fully staggered (represented by the glowing circle around them), they'll go into Knockdown.//



// A knocked down combatant is kicked back to 0 EP, kicked down a Gear level, and is slowed down to the point of inaction for a short time.

All stagger is recovered upon taking an action, therefore the need to queue up a number of attacks in short succession. //



// But Gear is the focus of this battle, and something special happens when one of the girls hits 3. More than the usual golden flash and ether changes... //





(*As Kokoro's gear increases, we get a transition covered in pink hearts...!*)






KOKORO: Come to me, other self!


(*She raises her rifle to the now blackened sky, firing it!*)



(*Huge wings of bright orange light emerge from her back!*)





(*We see this from two other angles before...*)



(*The wings wrap around...!*)









(*And she emerges in an entirely new outfit of sliced open black leather, many straps, belts, and zippers. The only remaining detail of her old look being the red plaid of her skirt, crossed halfway into her top and new skirt.*)


(*Her hair has also gone to a shade of pink, and her eyes a reddish-violet, similar to the scarlet energy that occasionally pulses around her.*)





(*Ao similarly lights up in orange light as the screen transitions in an upwards fall of light violet feathers!*)





(*She raises her scythe back...*)



(*And cuts open a dark violet vortex in reality, cracking the air and sending it away in shards of glass!*)



(*She embraces the violet lightning and energy bursting forth...!*)








AO: Special... this is it!



(*Ao's outfit changes into a black minidress, covered in heart motifs accented by a blue green color and violet plaid. White gloves and heeled boots to contrast alongside her now blonde hair. *)

(*A glowing heart on her chest spreads out in cracks, and a single wing of sparkling violet energy pulses as she throws her arm back.*)





(*As Rena too hits third gear, a transition of shamrocks fall across the screen...*)




RENA: Time for the real performance!


(*Rena lifts her sparkling hoop into the air above, where it remains floating...!*)







(*She raises her arms into the air as chain-like rings surround her...!*)





(*And her outfit changes to a plaid minidress overlaid in drapes of pitch-black! The sides have many slashes of glowing light blue through them, while the front of the dress and her hands are accented by a large golden filigree, almost bone-like in appearance.*)

(*Her eyes have taken on a shade of light green, much lighter than the energy around her, and her hair has gone white towards the tips.*)



// You weren't expecting magical girls, were you? The tapir stands little chance at this point, of course. And the fight is pretty much over by the time everyone hits Gear 3. It's actually a significant challenge to not win before everyone transforms. //



MUSIC: DAYDREAM




AO: (playfully) Another trivial thing cut down... wouldn't you say?









// And some shots of the level up profile and scenes to show off the new outfits some more. //



VIDEO: Reflector Reaction

MUSIC: Transparent Shelter




YUKI: Whoa, what was that!?




AO: I-I don't know! Before I knew it, my clothes were all different!


(*Ao looks down at her body, clothes back to normal. *)



KOKORO: (excitedly) But I felt so strong.




AO: Yeah... My body felt so light, it was like I could do anything.


(*Ao closes her eyes, holding her hands over her heart.*)




RENA: We should be able to continue even further in like this.


YUKI: (complaining) Aww, that's so cool! I wanna transform too!


(*With this the girls look ahead to the path beyond.*)





(*Just ahead down the path, a strange and spiky object floats off the ground. It shines as it reflects the sunlight.*)


VIDEO: Lasting Friendship





AO: What is this...?


(*The girls all stare at it, thinking. It's a ball of a few sharp, triangular points with each of the ends glowing in blue lights.*)




KOKORO: I wonder if it's safe to touch it...


AO: Let's see here...


(*Ao begins to walk forward.*)





(*She reaches out to touch it and it flashes with a soft white light, chiming in response!*)




AO: Whoa!



(*Everything goes white...*)




UNKNOWN: Are you okay?! You're not hurt, are you?


UNKNOWN: ...No, I'm fine. Sorry to always make you do this.


UNKNOWN: No need to apologize. We're friends, aren't we?


(*As the voices speak, they fade in and out, making it difficult to hear them.*)




AO: Wh-what was that?!


YUKI: Did you guys hear that voice?




KOKORO: (sadly) It almost sounded like someone's memories.




RENA: Just what exactly is this world...


AO: Maybe these are the memories we lost?




RENA: Impossible. There's no way.



(*Everyone begins to walk on, but...*)




KOKORO: ...





// Surprise, it's magical girls! And they've got some really out-there outfits. At the very least, this provides some context for the splashscreen and boxart, although what it and the Reflector forms symbolize have yet to be seen. //

// Still, you wouldn't believe how many takes I had to do of the Tapir fight to get one where Rena got a chance to transform. Right nowShe has a slow Ether acceleration by comparison to the two DPS girls she plays support for, so she's usually last to hit her transformation, if at all. //

// The Gear system changing up your moveset as combat gets faster and faster is one of the more fun parts of the game's combat, and it should start to shine later when we've got a more varied selection of moves. I'll talk about our attacks, what their names translate to, and a bit more on combat strategy after this chapter is over. That's where I'll start talking about items we pick up, enemies, and crafting as well. //

// The depths of the Faraway (and one of the best songs in the game) await us... next time. //

-------------------------

The school's roof has sprung a leak after the rain yesterday. We were going to fix it up properly, but it looks like we don't have all the materials we need on hand. Guess it's time to visit the Faraway again and see what we can find.

Birthday: ???

Height/Weight: ???

Likes: ???

Dislikes: ???

Detailed Profile: One of the girls who was already residing in this world before Ao arrived. She seems to be unable to recall anything prior to waking up here. As the kind of person who says whatever is on her mind, she often finds herself scolding the more cheerful and carefree Ao and Yuki.

// Name Information:

宮 (miya) = shrine, palace, constellations, princess
内 (uchi) = within, inside, home,

伶 (re) = actor
那 (na) = Kanji that's just "na", sometimes used in names. Online English dictionaries will frequently mark it as being part of "nani" (what?) but this is for historical and/or Chinese reasons. A thanks goes to Polsy for clearing that up.


There's nothing immediately obvious to Rena's name right now, only leaving guesses to be made. Again, we lack any particular info on the other girls for quite a while. Regardless, she remains the very serious person she's always been while at the same time somewhat taking the role of team mom. //



// The game does feature a photo mode, and while limited in some regards, you can still make some good scenes with it. So have a group shot looking out over the cliff of the Faraway... just because. I may make more as the LP goes on, it's pretty fun to do. //

[Odd Wilson]

I apologize if these are coming out slow, I meant to get a real update backlog started but life found a way to dogpile me as soon as I launched this. We'll get back on pace soon enough, probably when we finally get to Chapter 1 and my ability to organize these updates gets better.

A whole week of less that 4 hours of sleep and assorted other problems? You can't stop me that easily, world.

[Mercerino]

Oh, hey, you're back!

Also,

// All stagger is recovered upon taking an action, therefore the need to queue up a number of attacks in short succession. //

I didn't know that! I was just mashing the buttons to (hopefully) get actions as fast as possible.

Can't wait for the next one. Not just for the battles, but also for a certain mechanic (the one that's optional later on but is still a pain if going for 100%.)

[Odd Wilson]

Oh, hey, you're back!

Also,

I didn't know that! I was just mashing the buttons to (hopefully) get actions as fast as possible.

Can't wait for the next one. Not just for the battles, but also for a certain mechanic (the one that's optional later on but is still a pain if going for 100%.)

Yeah, I'm still here! I've just had to temporarily slow down to a weekly schedule rather than a biweekly one. These updates take surprisingly long to write compared to everything else I've ever done, but I'm hoping to pick up the pace again soon.

The stagger isn't something I picked up on until a bit later myself, although my combat strategy leaned more on burst damage than knockdown anyways. Having to play to knockdown will be particularly relevant running this difficulty, and even in fighting a tapir on Deathwish it's unlikely to be able to stay up on healing without items unless you go for knockdowns.

We'll see what mechanic you're talking about next time then. If it's what I'm thinking of, I didn't have a lot of trouble with it but I'll readily admit it gets a bit egregious at times.

[Odd Wilson]

Journal Entry 07: A Journey to Remember



MUSIC: Transparent Shelter


// Ao's adventures in the Faraway resume. //







(*Off to the right of where we found the strange crystal is a small yard between some rural houses, shaded by the high cliffs nearby. In the shafts of sunlight glitter the strange particles falling from the sky.*)



(*With nothing but a few demons milling about, the group heads back to the main road...*)



(*Ahead, down a dirt path sparsely reinforced with wooden planks, lies more of the town. A dead tree forms an arch between two houses ahead- with ominous mist glowing in it's shade.*)






AO: There are some strong-looking demons around here. I wonder if there's any way to avoid them.


(*Ahead lies blue versions of the Tapir demons we've seen thus far, their feet leaving behind a frosty mist from inside their menacing aura.*)





// It's safe to say, we don't stand a chance against these currently. Attempting to run past is possible, but frequently folly as they move incredibly quick. //








AO: (Crawling through here might work, but I don't want to get ambushed...)


(*To the right is another small yard with a path that peculiarly runs underneath the nearby house.*)



(*On the side of the house nestled against the cliffside to the left of the demon hounds is a ladder.*)




AO: (There's a house here too. The door won't open, and there's no sign of anybody here.)







(*As we ascend the ladder, we balance our way across the roof cap to the base of the fallen tree. Just below, we can see the path ahead further down into the valley.*)



(*The fallen tree itself is hewn into a flat bridge on top, making for a surprisingly good walkway.*)



(*The girls look down to the ground 2 stories below..*)




YUKI: Whew! You'd walk away with more than a scratch if you fell from this height!


AO: Wanna race to see who can get across faster?


YUKI: You're on!


(*Yuki starts to psych herself up.*)



KOKORO: (worried) Th-that's dangerous! How about we try to be a little more careful?




RENA: (annoyed) How can you two be enjoying this...?



(*The short scene ends and Ao makes her descent down the ladder on th other side of the vine-covered house.*)




KOKORO: They're not going to follow behind us, are they?


RENA: Let's hope not.


YUKI: Guys! Speaking of behind us-!



(*Blocking the path just ahead is a giant demon! Its one-eyed, blocky body floats above a yellow core attached to quadrapedal, mechanical looking legs.*)



(*It spins its body around rapidly and we're pulled into the fight!*)



VIDEO: Cyclops Battle (Hard)

VIDEO: Cyclops Battle (Deathwish)


// The Hard fight is a less aggressive approach, while the Deathwish seeks to just flex on this miniboss since it's not that difficult. Neither are that different, but I included them both anyways. //



(*It enters the battle jumping in, throwing dirt and dust everywhere!*)





MUSIC: My REAL


// If you listen to anything, listen to this. It's one of the best tracks in the entire game. //



// Cyclops is our first real miniboss of the game, though he also gets to be part of a tutorial. //



(*It spins it's upper body around once...*)



(*And a red energy begins to swirl around its core, distorting the air around it!*)




AO: (I have to do something!)




AO: I'll cover everyone!


(*With a violet energy surrounding her, Ao raises a sparkling hand to the sky-*)





(*- and it disperses into a sparkling, rippling barrier before her!*)







(*Just in time for the demon to reform itself into a sort of cannon, blasting lightning everywhere!*)



// Real enemies like these have supermoves, their activation designated by the flashing DANGER above their head and the short animation that plays. These attacks are most threatening for being the one thing in the game to kill your combo count if you get hit by them. As we do rather minor damage without a combo, this can really shift the momentum of the fight.

Ao's Regn skill will provide a short lasting barrier that can prevent that. Keep in mind that only at higher Gears does Regn provide any defense bonuses. //



// Cyclops's basic attack, Wild Shot, only deals moderate damage on even Deathwish, as really the only tricky factor to this fight is keeping up on HP to survive Ultimate Ray.

Given that Ultimate Ray only does about 5 damage (around 8 -10 on Deathwish) to each girl, being a semi-tutorial boss, it's not terribly difficult. //



// If it's been some time since the boss last used it's super, you're going to want to make sure Ao keeps somewhere around 1k Ether on hand. //



// Alternatively, you can hit your foe with Knockdown to cancel it. I vaguely remember this not working sometimes, but I know it works on most fights. //



// The Cyclops's main strategy really is to try and get it's supermove off as quickly as possible before you start dealing real damage to it. //





// Before the boss has even reached half health, Ao and Kokoro are already in Reflector forms and Ao can easily pop Valregn. I did this one a bit early though, and it goes to show how short of a barrier it actually is with lasting barely the time for this boss to go between 2k ep and 4k ep.

The meter for it is that little shield under the combo tracker. I was about a half of a second barely safe here. //



// Unable to win the battle of attrition, it goes down pretty quickly after missing all 3 chances to stop our combo, ending the fight at a x4.5 damage multiplier. //



(*With a failing groan, it explodes...*)





(*...and slumps down, fading away in a violet and light blue mist.*)







(*With the demon gone, a broken fence line opens to a long path ahead..*)





VIDEO: Welcoming Party



(*We return to find the girls walking in a darker forest, the surrounding atmosphere with a more blue coloration. The craggy cliff face of the mountains far behind them rises higher than our eyes can see.*)



*Loud roar*


(*The roar so violent as to shake the screen, the girls look around in shock for the source.*)





MUSIC: "There's nothing we can't do, right?"


(*Suddenly, a massive, hulking demon drops down in front of them, swinging a black armblade in the opposite direction,!*)



(*It turns to look behind,..!*)





(*...to see nothing, as the girls hide very close by, just behind a bush and leftover construction materials.*)




YUKI: That thing is huge!




RENA: Not good. It seems much stronger than the other demons we've fought.



(*The hulk looks away and the scene ends...*)



*Freespace opening chime*

RE-SOURCE: Oh haaaay. Need anything?


YUKI: This thing is giant! And there's a ton of other enemies too!


AO: ReSource! Do we have some kind of power that can take care of these things?


RE-SOURCE: I don't think you'll be able to beat them as you are.


KOKORO: I guess that means we'll have to try and not let them see us.

RE-SOURCE: You may not be able to defeat any of them, but I'll let you in on something nice for sneaking past them!


RE-SOURCE: You can use your rings to sense if there are any demons around you!


AO: Sense demons...?


RE-SOURCE: By focusing your power to your rings, you can feel where demons are and where they're looking!


RENA: Which leaves it up to us to avoid them... I wonder if it's really that easy.


AO: Let's give it a try.

// We're now pushed into our first Stealth Mission of the game. During this, we can't use Ao's scythe and pulling aggro from any enemy resets us at the start.

But we do have a tool to assist us in this. //



// We can now activate Search Mode, darkening the whole world, but putting Ao into a crouch with a red highlight shader on her and any demons around. Their exact view cones are fully visible now.

Search Mode does reduce Ao's movement speed whille active, but if you have a good idea of the demons' aggro ranges you can do stealth segments at full sprint if so desired. //




RENA: There are a lot of demons here, so let's be careful.


KOKORO: It might be better to take a detour to avoid the demons.


(*The area ahead is a house settled right in a fork in the road. The road to the right is barricaded off and watched over by the hulking demon, but a ladder catches the eye on the side of the house.*)



(*The hulking demon takes occasional swings in fits of rage, the armblades' swings being loudly audible even from a far distance. All around, ghostly demons in tattered black robes float about, actively searching for the girls.*)




RENA: I want to get over past that house, but demons are patrolling this area...


KOKORO: I wonder if we can't get by them?


AO: As long as we keep hiding behind stuff, I think we'll be okay.



(*Out from behind the box, the other fork of the road leads to an area obscured in fog that's too thick to permit any further progress.*)





(*A large ceramic pot ahead makes for another good hiding spot, letting the team get through.*)





// Reaching the ladder's not very difficult, and it's a climb up to and over the roof cap just like last time. We make our way down into a cutscene. //





(*We rejoin the girls walking onwards from the ladder down...*)


*Loud roar, explosive rumbling*



(*The giant has slammed the ground with both arms...*)





(*And it proceeds to jump all the way over to threaten the path ahead.*)




YUKI: That one is after us! We can't let it find us!


AO: To get past it... I guess our only choice is to go under the building.


RENA: I'd prefer if we didn't have to, but it looks like we don't have a choice...



(*As we move forward, Ao takes notice of something.*)




AO: (I don't know why, but I've got a feeling we'll find something in it.)


(*More peculiarly, next to this trashcan and barrels is distorted mess of a fence... how very strange.*)



(*The area ahead is a T-section of road, with one lone home to our left and more homes and demons off to the right.*)





// This crawlspace under the lone house is technically optional as the hulk moves away occasionally, but here it is anyways. I won't deny this angle is... awkward, so I won't screenshot it unless I have to. The only thing of note under here right now is more of those odd stone statues. //






AO: The garbage bin's got... dirt inside it?


AO: Nope, it's clay. How did this kind of stuff get clogged up in here anyway...?




AO: Although, it could be used to to fill up cracks. Let's take it back with us.


// This, and the following collection scenes are voiced, but are very short. I put them in anyways, but this is something I'd usually cut. //




AO: (I feel like there's something up ahead... But there's no way for me to get through right now.)


(*Impassable as it may currently be, there seems to be a dirt path beyond and more of those cobblestone terrace walls.*)





(*A crawlspace under a house on tall stilts is our next path forward, bringing us to the center of this little town...*)




RENA: Going through a place like this is insanity... But I think we made it out safely.





(*Only a couple of dilapidated, overgrown houses make up the last of the town nestled in these mountainous crags, forming a small town circle with a path up a hill just to our left.*)



(*The next thing to catch Ao's eye is a box with a tarp on it underneath a shed with no walls. More of those statues inside.*)




AO: Huh... A tarp.




AO: Better take it. We might be able to cover up the leak.



(*The hulk begins approaching our location, so Ao climbs up the nearby ladder.*)







(*With a new vantage point, we can see that we are truly deep in some valley now as the sun shimmers on high through the blue haze from very far above. A red shrine lantern stands on the hill below and beyond it a deeper valley filled wih red trees. High upon the cliffs in the distance is a massive towering structure, though it's identity is only silhouetted against the sun. *)







(*As Ao crosses another fallen tree bridge between the buldings, her eye catches on a pair of blue and yellow crates next to the house below. *)




YUKI: I bet we could use that demon's cape thing to hide if we took it.


AO: Good idea! We'll wait here while you do that.


YUKI: C-come on, I was just joking...



// Across the rest of the bridges is just a gathering point, so we climb down from here. Doing so puts us right next to what Ao spotted. //




AO: Is this...packing tape?


AO: Better take it. We might be able to use it.


(*From there, the scene ends with a fade out...*)



VIDEO: Making A Retreat





(*We rejoin the girls back at the entrance to this area, at the foot of one of those bear signs.*)




AO: I think we can fix the leak with this stuff.


RENA: I think we can start heading back then.



*Stomping*



MUSIC: "There's nothing we can't do, right?"


(*Ao's brief shock changes to that of determined anger...*)



(*The hulk runs by the house in the distance, stopping...*)





(*And lets out a great roar as it sees the girls!*)




AO: Run! Now!



(*They begin to make their escape, Ao trailing behind as she gives the demon one last glance...*)





MUSIC: A Glum Face on the Water


(*We fade back in on the girls in the school's courtyard, exhausted and being rained on. Ao's left barely standing, with Rena being the only one to be mostly composed.*)




AO: *Pant* *pant* ...That thing was definitely bad news.




RENA: (out of breath) If there are more like the thing we just saw, we'll have to be careful going deeper.




KOKORO: (quietly) Right...


KOKORO: Hmm...


(*Kokoro holds a hand to her chest as she hangs her head, expression melancholy.*)




AO: At least we got some stuff to fix the leak, right?


YUKI: Yeah! Let's head to the work room and make something with it!



(*And inside they go, to escape the rain...*)



MUSIC: Let's Girl Talk!




AO: We're back! Now let's make some tools!


YUKI: All set! Now's the perfect time to show off my DIY skills!




KOKORO: Exploring while trying to avoid being caught by demons was intense...


RENA: We'll need to keep our guards up if there's more like we just saw...


// Our excursion for repair materials proving more dangerous than planned but still successful, all that's left is to make our fixes. //



// The Leak Repair Kit uses all three items we picked up, the Old Packing Tape, the Blue Tarp, and the Clay Soil. This obviously isn't food, so we get a different crafting scene this time... //



VIDEO: Workshopping Together



(*The camera pans around the table, now covered in diagrams, journals, and simple tools as the girls look on to an orange crystal on the table...*)



(*Yuki writes something down with audible scribbling...*)



(*The gem glows violet as Kokoro hammers something with Rena looking on intently, elbows on the table and hand covering a fist...*)





(*And everyone gives a sychronized victory cheer as their work is completed, Rena with an uncharacteristic smirk as the created item sparkles and shines with energy in the background.*)




YUKI: All done~!



VIDEO: To Find That Special Something




AO: All done! This should fix that pesky leak!


YUKI: Let's give it a try!


(*Ao stands proudly with her hands on her hips as we fade out...*)



MUSIC: A Glum Face on the Water



(*We return to Ao on the second floor, looking up at their solution. Sticking out sorely is a blue tarp somewhat clumsily fastened with duct tape.*)

*Distant rain*



AO: I think this should do the trick...




KOKORO: Yuki is going to pour some water down from the roof, right?


AO: Yep. And we'll check to see if it leaks through.




KOKORO: (cheerfully) What a busy day it's been.


AO: Yeah. Dangerous, too.


(*Kokoro stands with with a lean, arms behind her smiling. It fades for a brief moment at this comment, but it returns easily.*)




KOKORO: Yes... It was quite scary.


KOKORO: ...But I also thought it was a little fun.


KOKORO: Like I said, I've had much more to write in my diary since you arrived.




KOKORO: I realized something when I was looking through my old entries.


KOKORO: (sadly)We had been spending everyday the exact same way.




KOKORO: But now...we're all working together and doing all sorts of things... I'm having fun.


AO: Kokoro...


*Phone notification*

YUKI: We're all done up here on the roof! How's things on your end?


YUKI: Hellooo? Did anything happen?

AO: Oops...


(*The two look up to the patched ceiling.*)




AO: I don't think it leaked, did it?


KOKORO: No... It seems to be fine.




AO: Yay! We did it!


KOKORO: Yes! We should tell Yuki and Rena too!


(*The girls briefly celebrate before they leave.*)







(*We return to find the girls once again seated around the classroom table, the room set up to go to sleep. Yuki leans forward, hugging a large rubber duck sitting on the table as Ao stares downwards.*)

*Gentle rainfall*




YUKI: Whew! Mission accomplished!


RENA: I'm glad everything worked out all right. We had a few close calls.




AO: (gloomily) Yeah... We probably shouldn't go too far into the Faraway. It's just too dangerous.


YUKI: But that's where we have to go if we want to find any information on getting you home, right?




YUKI: Are you giving up on that?



(*Ao looks down once again, her expression darkening.*)




AO: Well... If I was able to go home, of course I'd want to...


AO: But I can't put all of you in danger just for that.


RENA: ...




AO: (unconvincingly) Don't worry, everything will work out somehow!


AO: I just showed up here all of a sudden, so who's to say I won't get home the same way?



(*The other three look at one another seriously, Kokoro nodding to them.*)



(*Rena and Yuki nod back...*)



(*Ending with a smile and a big grin.*)



(*Ao, continues to look away, her expression growing gloomier.*)



MUSIC: Blue Reflection - Talking Until Sunset Under that Same Fateful Sky



KOKORO: ...I think we should go deeper into the Faraway.


AO: Wha— Kokoro?




RENA: Agreed. We should investigate it as thoroughly as we can.


AO: You too?! You guys realize how dangerous it is, don't you?!


KOKORO: Yes. But even so.



(*Ao fights with her emotions...*)




KOKORO: (quietly) Also... Those memories we saw in the Faraway? I think they might be mine.


YUKI: What?! Seriously?!


KOKORO: Yes.


(*She gives a certain nod, then closes her eyes and smiles to herself..*)




KOKORO: Ever since we first went in, I felt it. Like I'd seen it all before.




KOKORO: (seriously) So, if we explore all the way... Maybe I'd be able to regain my memory.


KOKORO: And perhaps we'll learn something about Ao's world as well.


(*She looks down and closes her eyes, still determined.*)






KOKORO: ...Actually, no. I have to admit that my reasons are selfish.


AO: Kokoro...


RENA: If those memories are yours, then mine might be somewhere in there too.




RENA: (smiling brightly) If that's the case, it's certainly worth looking into.


AO: Rena...




YUKI: It'll be fun as long as we're together!


AO: Yuki...




KOKORO: So, Ao—


(*The three rise from the floor.*)




KOKORO: We'd like you to come with us!




AO: ...


(*She's speechless for a moment, but it gives way to a smile...*)




AO: Okay.


YUKI: All right! Our adventure shall begin on the morrow!


(*Our view begins to pan upwards to the ceiling, as Ao stands up with them...*)




RENA: We should get to bed soon. It'll be a big day.


KOKORO: Yes, that's right. Goodnight!




AO: Goodnight!


(*And we fade out, looking at the roof above...*)





MUSIC: Bottled Message in the Sky




AO: Just like that, we had decided.


(*A lone pair of shoes walks down the concrete path on a sunny morning...*)




AO: Despite our memories missing, and having no way to get home...


(*Ao looks upwards to the horizon.*)




AO: The four of us started walking forward again.


(*Kokoro arrives next to her with a bright smile.*)




AO: Seeking something new.


(*And on the other side, Yuki and Rena, smiling on as well.*)



*Distant birdsong*



(*Ao looks onward as the four stand at the staircase to the Faraway's rails.*)




AO: To find our memories.


AO: To find a way home.


AO: And...




AO: To find that special, important something.



BLUE REFLECTION 帝
-Second Light-







// And so the prologue ends and the game begins for real. Next time we start the first chapter.

Also just to tell you now, the game isn't going to keep displaying a title card, the first one's just an exception for the demo. This is actually the end of the game's opening movie alongside its lyrical theme titled "Glitter", but for the sake of gigantic spoilers, I won't talk about it yet. There's a very specific point I have planned to show it, much, much later.

If you don't care about the spoilers, or want to see them for a different flavor of anticpation, you can find it in the following link. Regardless, I will consider it's contents spoilers until then. //

VIDEO: GLITTER

// Anyways, the Faraway's aesthetic keeps getting better. A deeply shaded forest surrounding a ghost town, leading to a somewhat autumn colored deep mountain valley? You're hitting all the checkboxes for me, game. Although, I'll be honest, the Faraway never disappoints visually.

There's a sign with some text on it on a few of the houses in the Faraway, but I can't accurately tell you what it says. What's more important is that the rubber duck has tiny, girly eyelashes. This is important information. //

-------------------------

I found this weird shiny thing while exploring. When I touched it, I heard a voice... It was like someone else's memories were pouring into my mind. Could this be a clue to solving one of this world's many mysteries?

But I didn't have much time to think about it since a ton of enemies just popped up outta nowhere! Things won't end well for us if we get surrounded... We need to figure out how to keep going without being spotted.

That was a close one... Those guys looked WAY out of our league. We wouldn't stand a chance. We better make sure we're really ready before we come here again...

But at least we got the stuff we need for the repairs. Time to go back and get to work!

Birthday: ???

Height/Weight: ???

Likes: ???

Dislikes: ???

Detailed Profile: One of the girls who was already residing in this world before Ao arrived. She seems to be unable to recall anything prior to waking up here. Generally cheerful, she's the type that acts before thinking things through. Being the only one unable to transform into a Reflector bothers her.

// Name Information:

金 (kin) = gold
城 (jou) = castle

勇 (yu) = courage, cheer up, high spirits
希 (ki) = hope, pray, beseech


Her kanji for Kinjou combined stands for " impenetrable fortress".

Whatever that means for her has yet to be seen- the profile says about everything I could say for the time being. Maybe one day she'll get to contribute in battle, but at least for now she's not getting left behind at the school. The rubber duck isn't exactly the best conversationalist. //

[Odd Wilson]

Next time we start Chapter 1! It's the real game for real this time, almost!

I unfortunately had a run-in with a rhythm game these last 2 days and accidentally spent too long on it;. So the lead on making updates I had is gone. I think I'm hoping for an alternating once weekly, twice weekly sort of thing as that's at least 6 updates per month rather than 4. We'll have to see how that pans out with the next few updates.

In the meantime, what's everyone's thoughts on all that's happened so far?


I've also made a character popularity poll as well. This one won't have any effect on what I do in the LP, but all the ones following it will. Consider this a test run for what's to come, I guess?

You can find it -> HERE <-.

You can also vote in the thread, that's fine too. I'll tally those separately, so you don't have to go vote on the form if you do.

[Mercerino]

I remember the first time I played the game, I was intrigued by all the mysteries the game throws at you, especially around early game (a.k.a. now.) Just a bit longer before a bunch of stuff and what I consider to be the main part of the game you'll spend a lot of time in. Of course, Deathwish seems like, well, a Deathwish especially on a regular new game. (Maybe by then, I don't have to tiptoe around a bunch of stuff to be seen later on.)

Also, the character poll? Why can't I just pick everyone? All of them equally deserve best girl status. Yes, even ReSource.

[Odd Wilson]

I remember the first time I played the game, I was intrigued by all the mysteries the game throws at you, especially around early game (a.k.a. now.) Just a bit longer before a bunch of stuff and what I consider to be the main part of the game you'll spend a lot of time in. Of course, Deathwish seems like, well, a Deathwish especially on a regular new game. (Maybe by then, I don't have to tiptoe around a bunch of stuff to be seen later on.)

Also, the character poll? Why can't I just pick everyone? All of them equally deserve best girl status. Yes, even ReSource.

The way the game lays out all these questions in the early game is one of my favorite parts. It's very well done to keep you asking questions and providing small little answers along the way that keep making more questions. That is, until we finally start seeing the whole picture. We're only a few updates off hitting the full game in stride, yeah.

Deathwish absolutely isn't intended like this, but it's a fun challenge to see what I can overcome when it comes to bosses. I stick to Hard primarily because normal enemies are very HP spongy on the highest difficulty and that's not as fun as the bosses are.

As with the poll, don't get me wrong, I think the entire cast (even ReSource) is great too, but this is mostly meant to mirror how the polls will look at the end of each chapter when it comes to picking which girls we prioritize for social events.

[Odd Wilson]

I've decided since we hit the end of a chapter, I'll skip a week and this will put the next update out on 5/2 or 5/3. This is so I have plenty of time to try and get a proper update backlog prepared in between some other stuff busying up my life right now.

The plan is to hopefully progress to a "1 update this week, 2 updates this week" schedule if I can put it out. I'd love to be doing this biweekly, but I simply don't have the time.

[Odd Wilson]

Journal Entry 08: Taking Note



VIDEO: Emotions Shimmering in the Heat



Chapter 1
Emotions Shimmering in the Heat

*Distant cicadas*



(*The letters scatter away...*)



MUSIC: Let's Girl Talk!

(*The view pulls away to find the girls in the courtyard.*)




YUKI: (stretching) Mmm! What a lovely morning!


KOKORO: Shall we head to the Faraway then?




AO: Yeah. Let's meet at the bottom of the stairs when we're ready.






AO: Is this everything...? Maybe we should double-check what we've brought.


AO: Oh, Rena sent something...

RENA: I'm just gonna say it again, make sure you're well prepared before we leave. Especially food—you can make more with leftover ingredients to be safe.

(*There's new DMs from everyone... while the mysterious "Be Reborn" still sits eerily at the bottom of Ao's FreeSpace log.*)

RENA: Hoshizaki, I wanted to ask you something...


AO: Yeah, yeah, I know. You don't have to worry so much, Rena.


RENA: We're not going on a picnic, so don't scrimp on prep.

YUKI: So Ao, I'm kinda missing some materials for building stuff. Would you mind finding some replacements for me?


AO: What, go get it yourself.


YUKI: I would if I could. The problem is that they all come from demons.


YUKI: I can't fight, so there's a zero percent chance that I can get them by myself.


AO: Oh, I see now.


YUKI: I promise I'll pay you back!


AO: Fine, fine. I'll get them for you.


[Right Place, Right time accepted.]

KOKORO: Hi, Ao. Is now a good time...?"


AO: What's up? Something on your mind?"


KOKORO: Oh... Do you remember, Ao? The other day, when you were exploring.


KOKORO: There was a plant. It...glowed with all the colors of the rainbow.


AO: Uh... I think I remember something like that.


KOKORO: I can't help but wonder what it tastes like...


AO: That's why you were brooding? And here I was worried about you...


KOKORO: Nothing is more important than our diets, Ao. Food is one of the basic necessities for survival.


AO: Well, yeah, but... Fine, I'll bring some back next time I see one.


[Seek the Rainbow Flavor accepted.]

// FreeSpace is almost fully active now, and we'll be getting messages from the others as the game goes on. Sometimes for story refreshers, usually for requests. We'll also see the girls roaming about the school doing various things from now on, Yuki is usually in the work room. //




AO: I better make one last check to see if we have everything.




AO: (The shoe lockers. I have a spare pair of shoes in mine.)


AO: (...I don't think I'll need them in the Faraway. I should probably keep this pair clean.)


(*These are situated right beyond the front door as they would normally be in a Japanese school.*)






AO: (Yuki's in charge of cooking. She's surprisingly focused, though she does get adventurous sometimes.)


AO: (We prepared a lot of food last night...)




AO: (...That's everything here. I'll check around the front of the school and that'll be it! )


// Sandwiches are easier to make than Tamagoyaki and heal more at base. There's better uses for eggs than Tamagoyaki too, but it has it's applications. We just haven't unlocked the ability to make any better than minimal healing out of it so it's really lesser compared to sandwiches.

7 Sandwiches and 4 Tamagoyaki should more than carry us for this excursion. //




AO: (I almost want to try sleeping on this couch sometime. ...Maybe when we get back.)


AO: (There's nothing left behind in here, where next...?)


// Sleeping just changes the time, which is mostly just a visual effect. It's also occasionally limited by our spot in the story. //




YUKI: Heya, Ao! You free right now?


AO: Oh, perfect timing!




AO: I brought you some materials. Will these work?


YUKI: Ooh, perfect!


YUKI: This is such a big help. Thanks a bunch, Ao.


AO: You're very welcome.


YUKI: (looking away) I just wish I could help you all out there...


AO: We all know that you're doing everything you can for us, Yuki.


AO: We all have our own things that we're good at.


YUKI: Ao... You're right. Hope you're ready for more requests then!




YUKI: (mischievously) Now, what do I get you to get me next... Heehee...


AO: (unsure) Just don't overdo it, okay?

I need some materials, but they're only held by demons... I can't fight, so I can't get them myself...
Would you mind helping me out?

// This only needs 1 Warm Sand, which you'll only not have if you skipped every enemy in the last outing. Warm Sand will eventually become very, very important... //



(*Ao heads over to the dock, and...*)





(*...Meets up with everyone looking out into the water.*)




YUKI: Any fishies here?


RENA: I don't see any signs of them. We probably won't catch any today.


AO: The water here isn't salty, so it can't be an ocean. Are there only freshwater fish here?




KOKORO: I don't think we need to worry about that. As long as there are tasty fish for us to catch!


AO: I guess you're right. Maybe I'll try making a fishing pole when I have some time.


YUKI: Oooh! Great idea! ...But I don't think we have anything good for that.


KOKORO: Maybe we'll find something deeper in the Faraway?


RENA: Speaking of it, we should go before it gets any later.


// This is one of the hidden events I mentioned in the OP - I found 5 just running around the school here, most which I couldn't tell you if I've ever seen. I'll be spreading them about. wherever feels appropriate. For now, we move on with the game. //



VIDEO: Begin the Search



MUSIC: Trusted Hands


(*We catch up with the girls on the railway, Ao and Yuki just arriving as Kokoro waves.*)




RENA: (with energy) Is everyone ready?




AO: Yep!


(*She gives a certain nod.*)




KOKORO: Well, let's go!



(*And so they walk onwards one more time toward that ruined building...*)





MUSIC: Transparent Shelter





(*We return to find them at the entrance inside the Faraway.*)

*Birdsong all around*




YUKI: Ugh... I wonder if those things are gonna pop out again... You all have to protect me, got it?


(*She scans the area, worried.*)



RENA: Stay back if you're worried.




YUKI: (whining) It sure is hot... Way more than at the school.


YUKI: I could really go for some ice cream, but... I don't think we're gonna find any shops here.




RENA: We can always return to the school if we get tired. It's better to take our time with our search.


YUKI: (lightening up) Definitely. That's why we brought the food!



(*Ao briefly watches the two with a smile before looking onwards.*)




AO: I don't think I'll ever get used to this place. I wonder what this sparkly stuff falling from the sky is.


RENA: It doesn't seem to be snow... It doesn't collect on the ground at all. How strange.


(*White particles that flicker colors like fireflies in the sunlight continue to drift down. It feels like there's more of it than there used to be.*)




AO: Feel like you'll remember something?



(*Kokoro brings her gaze away from the strange dust and looks onwards with determination.*)




KOKORO: Yes. It's strange. I think if we just keep going, I'll remember.


RENA: Let's see if we can't get farther than last time then. Don't wonder off too far, Kinjou.




YUKI: (teasing) I know, I know. What are you, my mom?




RENA: H-hey, I'm not that naggy!



// You sure about that, Rena? //




AO: (The power that lets us sense demons that ReSource taught us...)


AO: (I might be able to attack demons from behind if I can use it smartly.)


// Doing so will start the battle with a significant amount of stagger on the opponent. You do have to be in Search Mode for it to work. //




AO: Hey, Rena, what's the notebook?


RENA: If this place has the key to finding our memories, then we should document everything we can.


KOKORO: Oh, now I wonder if I should have brought my diary...






// We have experienced this region, the Breezy Woodland Path, quite a lot already and not too much has changed- even the quest marker just tells us to go ahead. //



// On our way to pick up materials, we pick a fight with an Erythro. //

Vitality * - Attack * - Defense * - Weaknesses: Shock

Location: The Faraway


KOKORO: A cute, roly-poly demon. I'd love to pick it up and give it a squeeze, but the second I approach, it attacks.

Vitality * - Attack ** - Defense ** - Weaknesses: Shock

Location: The Faraway


AO: Kokoro thinks it's cute, but it creeps me out. When I look into that hole in its head, I feel like I'm going to get sucked right in...

// Erythro are only a real fight at this point on Deathwish, their two attacks being not very different from one another and their overall stats being quite low. There's not a lot more to say about them, really. We won't see a Rage Erythro for a while, but it is included as we did see one here. //

Category: Crystals

Location: The Faraway - Calm Erythro, Anoia Tapir


YUKI: Slightly warm sand! I wonder if the sand itself generates heat, since it doesn't seem to cool down at all. If it were winter we could probably use it to warm up!

Category: Sour, Water

Location: The Faraway - Gather, Calm Erythro


YUKI: It's filled with gas so when you pull it out it flies into the air. You get less than what you expect since the inside is so hollow, but it still has many uses!

Category: Sweet, Water

Location: The Faraway - Gather, Calm Erythro


YUKI: It's a flower that can produce milk. It's opened up a whole new world of cooking for me! I wonder if drinking it will make me taller, too.

// I tend to find sand drops more from Tapirs than Erythros.//

KOKORO: A deserted house with no signs of life. Rena seems to think it's creepy, but I like it. Though it's probably likely that there are snakes nesting in there... Wait, are there snakes in that world?

KOKORO: An old tree that fell over and now works as a bridge. I get the feeling that Ao wouldn't think twice about trying to cross it. It looks a bit risky to me, but I've learned that she's not the type of person you can stop with a warning.

// Note that I didn't say it was identical. When we approach that circle of houses just to the right of where we first found Kokoro's memory fragment... //



*A static emits before focusing into a high sound and dispersing. *



"O-oh, am I...?"


(*Before us, a solid white text hovers in the air.*)



(*And as we approach, it collapses away...*)



"Hey! Why're you always so jumpy?"



(*Floating just nearby happens to be another one of those spiky, reflective crystals. We touch it, and...*)


VIDEO: The First Memory



*Distant, echoing chime*





(*Our view distorts with a flash, and the surrounding area becomes shaded in white lines and fog.

Our attention gets brought to a group of three silhouettes- two figures surrounding a girl with pigtails curled up close to the ground. *)

*Constant radio static*




BOY A: Hey! Why're you always so jumpy?


PIGTAILED GIRL: O-oh, am I...?


BOY B: What's the matter? Do we look like ghosts to you?


BOY B: BOO!


PIGTAILED GIRL: Aaaah!


BOY A: Bahahahahaha! Your face!


BOY B: You scaredy-cat!


PIGTAILED GIRL: *Sniffle*...





// //

(*And in an instant, it's gone.*)




AO: Was that...?


KOKORO: ...



(*We leave that area and head back down the main path.*)



(*One of the tapir in our way charges us, so we strike first.*)

Vitality * - Attack * - Defense * - Weaknesses: Warp

Location: The Faraway


KOKORO: This demon looks like a doggy. It's probably too vicious to tame, though...

// As I've already talked about them quite a bit, there's not a ton to say about Anoia Tapir. More fearsome than a Erythro simply by not being the weakest enemy in the game, they're decently fast and usually hit in the 10 -15 damage range. They're no longer much of a threat to us, but they're pretty formidable. //

Category: Sweet

Location: The Faraway - Gather, Anoia Tapir


KOKORO: Bread that grows on a tree. It can be eaten as is, and is a reassuring companion here. If you can get over the occasional seed, that is...

Category: Sour

Location: The Faraway - Anoia Tapir


AO: I've never seen corn where each kernel is a different color. I wonder if each color has a different taste. I'm not sure I want to eat it raw, though...

(*As we progress down the road to the other Tapirs and the exit, we catch sign of another memory. *)



"Mm? What do you mean?"



(*We make our way up and over the house next to the dangerous Tapirs like we did last time.*)





(*Across the tree bridge and at the far end of the roof it leads to, we sense yet another message.*)



"Y-you don't mind walking with me every day?





(*Down from there, another memory fragment lies floating in the lone yard just below that house we were on top of.*)


VIDEO: The Second Memory







(*We see two silhouettes this time, the same girl with pigtails and another girl with long hair and a hoodie. When they would speak a name, the static cuts out our hearing.*)




FRIENDLY GIRL: (cheerily) Oh, -----! Are you on your way home?


PIGTAILED GIRL: Y-yeah, I am. What about you, ------?


FRIENDLY GIRL: Yes. Let's walk home together.




PIGTAILED GIRL: Y-you don't mind walking with me every day?


FRIENDLY GIRL: Hm? What do you mean?


PIGTAILED GIRL: W-well, you have so many friends, don't you, -----? I bet there are lots of other people you could walk with...


FRIENDLY GIRL: Oh, is that what you're worried about?




FRIENDLY GIRL: -----, I walk home with you because I want to. That's it.


FRIENDLY GIRL: You don't have to worry about such silly things, -----.





// //

(*And we are left looking in the direction of the exit.*)



// The Rage Tapiridae no longer have that intimidating aura, so I opt to give fighting one a chance. It's a good time to show off the sneak attack. //

MUSIC: W.P. NEURONS



(*The screen goes black, and a sparkling red line streaks across the screen horizontally through a blue light.*)

*SLICE*



(*We get a still frame of Ao slicing through-*)



(*And the screen inverts as the hit connects with great force!*)







// This doesn't usually end up doing enough to knock the foe down, but it's usually worth a lot of stagger. In our case, one hit wasn't enough to knock it down despite the visual ring being red. On lesser foes, a tap from Ao is usually enough. //



// They're very fast so we don't get enough hits in to capitalize on the stagger. Their Magma Stone does easily half a healthbar- in part due to this one being level 8 and our girls only 6. //





// Ao's able to drop a Raregn purely for the defense boost following an attack, and Rena gets her back out of KO range. I was worried that 21 HP wouldn't be enough for Kokoro to survive a Magma Stone, but... //



// The DEF buff pulled her through with 1 HP. Damage does have a random factor, so she possibly didn't live this. She has a high Max HP, but her DEF is quite low. //




AO: Are you okay?! Be careful!


// It opts for Rena on it's next attack, putting her in a danger state as well. //






KOKORO: Aah... not good...!


// Kokoro gets one last hit in to debuff before she goes down. I could have possibly prevented this if I used an item to heal, but I was gambling on it attacking Ao for once. I don't think I was going to be able to keep up a healing race on 3 characters before... //



// Stomping Tantrum. Rena gets a heal in on herself a few moments before it hits. //



// Rena tanks it pretty well, but it's a significant hit to Ao. Overall, it's less damage than Magma Stone, but it still hurts. //





// With a high combo on board, I opt to try and rush out the final hits, gambling for a crit with Ao and missing. She goes down too, but the tapir is just a hit away from going down now, and Rena can beat it out as she transforms. //







MUSIC: DAYDREAM



// Rena's other victory quote just happens to be her humming to herself, rather happy with her performance. //

Vitality * - Attack * - Defense * - Weaknesses: Warp

Location: The Faraway


KOKORO: Its icky, sickly skin makes it look pretty scary. It's like that dog that guards the underworld...

// As you might have gathered from this fight, these are far from a pushover. Their high level suggests you should probably come back later to fight them. //






RENA: That was close. We should pick our fights better if it's going to get tougher from here on out.


AO: I guess surprising it wasn't enough... Let's take a break just up ahead and look at everything we've got.


YUKI: I'll ready the sandwiches!





-------------------------

It's time to do some serious research! This might be a long trip, so we need to make sure we're prepared.

And what's the most important thing to prep? Food! You can't go exploring on an empty stomach. Though I guess we could just pop back in real quick if we do get hungry...

This part of the Faraway reminds me of the countryside. I wonder what awaits us up ahead. Only one way to find out!

// Most importantly, the notebook has updated with a doodle of Kokoro. //



Breezy Woodland Path - Faraway Layer 1

MAP NOTES:
* The two location entries here can only be found during Chapter 0.
* The important items are Giant Eggs, which only appear on the golden rooftop gathering spots.

Category: Spicy, Sour

Location: The Faraway - Gather exclusively on rooftops


KOKORO: This egg is so huge you can't even hold it in one hand. It's useful for a lot of dishes, but I've never seen whatever laid it. What kind of creature could it be...?

Type: Support - One

Materials: Bread Berry x 1, (Sour) x 1


AO: A portable meal consisting of various fillings between two slices of bread. They can be eaten with one hand and are extremely useful when you're busy.

Type: Support - One

Materials: Giant Egg x 1, (Herbs) x 1


AO: A dish made by cooking beaten eggs. It looks simple, but it's actually pretty hard to get the shape right. You can change up the taste by adding different herbs and spices.

Vitality * - Attack * - Defense * - Weaknesses: None

Location: The Faraway, First Layer


KOKORO: A giant robot demon. Just looking at it makes me want to aim my rifle right at its eye...

// When I can't find a way to merge them into the update itself, I'll put the rest down here. //

[Mercerino]

Something I'm curious about, is there any dialogue difference between accepting a request through FreeSpace and seeking the person out in the school? You could seek them out through the School shortcut button, but FreeSpace just seems so much quicker.

Also, can't state this enough, Deathwish is a death wish. I know those dogs did damage on normal mode (especially underleveled,) but wow. Thinking of playing this game in the future under Deathwish, but hopefully on a different platform from the Switch. I watched RPG Limit Break's run of this game on Real Time Alchemy 2 (heavy spoilers on the game, even if it's in Japanese.) I need to experience this game running under a higher frame rate.

[Odd Wilson]

Something I'm curious about, is there any dialogue difference between accepting a request through FreeSpace and seeking the person out in the school? You could seek them out through the School shortcut button, but FreeSpace just seems so much quicker.

The game's dialogues are stored in .json files- The starting request text over phone or in person are identical because they use the same .json event file in the code. There's a reason they don't use more text-y speak during them.

For reference, this is part of event_message_qe11_010.json:

Code: Select all

    "json_version": 0x2,
    "name": "event_message_qe11_010.ebm",
    "nb_messages": 0xfffffff9,
    "messages": [
        {
            "type": 0x2,
            "voice_id": 0x8,
            "name_id": 0x5,
            "extra_id": 0xffffffff,
            "expr_id": 0xffffffff,
            "msg_id": 0x43f7,
            "unknown2": 0x2,
            "msg_string": "So Ao, I'm kinda missing some materials for building stuff. Would you mind finding some replacements for me?",
            "duration2": [
                0xffffffff
            ]
        },
        {
            "type": 0x2,
            "voice_id": 0x0,
            "name_id": 0x3,
            "extra_id": 0xffffffff,
            "expr_id": 0xffffffff,
            "msg_id": 0x42bb,
            "unknown2": 0x2,
            "msg_string": "What, go get it yourself.",
            "duration2": [
                0xffffffff
            ]
        },

Nearly everything in the game that uses the phone, every cutscene, and any bits of text that raise the black bars on the screen...



...so even this, are in those files. Facial expressions and sounds are handled by a separate, paired script file. Phone convos just discard that information.



Other text, like the database entries, item names, or even these small comments the characters have when talking to them around the school are stored in a separate, big .xml file. Some bits, like Re-Source telling you how to use Search Mode or some of the hint conversations are in there too.


As a fun aside, the game also has quite a bit of leftover assets from the first game in it that it doesn't use. Mostly just some UI images, but also the entire soundtrack is in there, despite the game only using part of it.

I don't know if the object is even in game, but there's a tablet with a conversation log from Blue Reflection Sun on it too, probably as an easter egg.

Also, can't state this enough, Deathwish is a death wish. I know those dogs did damage on normal mode (especially underleveled,) but wow. Thinking of playing this game in the future under Deathwish, but hopefully on a different platform from the Switch. I watched RPG Limit Break's run of this game on Real Time Alchemy 2 (heavy spoilers on the game, even if it's in Japanese.) I need to experience this game running under a higher frame rate.

Oh, and if it wasn't clear, all the dog fights this update were on Hard. You will not survive a Rage Tapiridae encounter at this point in the game on Deathwish as they get immediately boosted to Gear 3 and relentlessly spam the area attack. The Erythro fight was on Deathwish, and is the only reason they can do any amount of damage. Heck, I lost more than a few fights to Deathwish Anoia Tapir even now trying to get some extra footage for this update as I forgot the game was still set on that after our Cyclops fight.

Deathwish is really not meant for a fresh file, but you can overcome some of it with good planning and/or a lot of usable items it seems. I enjoy this game's combat greatly, so I love having a reason to have to explore it deeper. Normal mode's balance is very easily breakable over your knee by the midgame.

Switch is where I have all my Atelier games, but I knew I wanted at least somewhat better fidelity for this game. I only have an original model PS4 so even then it's not the maximum it could be if I had an actually strong computer.

[Mercerino]

The game's dialogues are stored in .json files- The starting request text over phone or in person are identical because they use the same .json event file in the code. There's a reason they don't use more text-y speak during them.

...

...so even this, are in those files. Facial expressions and sounds are handled by a separate, paired script file. Phone convos just discard that information.

I'm half-disappointed and half-amazed at that. Sure, I thought that it would make unique dialog, but I can't help but admire Gust's efficiency for this particular part of the game. I guess the primary reason to go straight to the character rather than talking to them via FreeSpace would be their soundbites and facial expressions.

[Odd Wilson]

Extras Entry 01: Combat Overview - Ao, Kokoro, Rena

So, because I'm feeling really bad right now and I still can't think of a good way to slide this into an update...

Let's take a little break out to talk about how the girls fight more specifically, eh?

First up, Ao.




Ao's statline, before talent modifications, is mostly this:
HP: Average
Attack : Good
DEF: Usable
General Speed: Good

Resist: Slash
Weak: Pierce

Ao's combat ability is mostly focused around critical hits, using high speed attacks to help ramp up damage for the whole team. Regn, the Combo Shield abilty is a bit of an oddity, but it's a useful tool that will always be useful. Later on, Ao can more easily shift to a support role using some mechanics we havent seen yet.

Resistances are a thing we'll learn about next update, in fact, and are actually disabled until then. (Hitting a weakness is bonus damage, bonus stagger, and even a small knockback in the turn order.)

Ao's moves are in Icelandic, possibly one of the most unique naming conventions for a Blue Reflection character. The only thing I can think of is connecting her wing to a sort of valkyrie reference, I suppose. There's another reason I can think of, but it's not really relevant to Icelandic itself.


Sverð ("Sword") - 1000EP - Gear 1
Accel +3 - Element: Slash
It just deals damage. It is truly a basic attack, outside of it's high acceleration.

Sverðum ("Swords") - 1000EP - Gear 2
Accel +2 - Element: Slash
Deals more damage and gives Ao a Crit Damage Up buff on use. Notably has a little less acceleration.

Sverðið ("The Sword") - 1000EP - Gear 3
Accel +1 - Element: Slash
Deals even more damage and gives Ao a Crit Damage Up buff on use. The damage jump isn't that big, I think.

Gyldan Sverð ("Golden Sword") - 1500EP - Gear 2
Accel +2 - Element: Shock
Notable for dealing shock damage, this is a cool 2 hit spinning combo slash. The price of 1500EP hurts a little, but Shock is a rare damage type, so it's good she has access to it.
It also recovers a portion of damage dealt with critical hits, though I can't think of a time where that actually saved me or I even noticed it happened. We'll see if Hard/Deathwish opens some opportunities.


Nál ("Nail") - 1000EP - Gear 3
Accel +1 - Element: Slash [Ranged]
Good damage, but most importantly has a built-in high critical rate. This is how you make good use of a lot of Ao's crit effects, and it's pretty much good to spam. I love using this.

Ranged attacks are specifically notable in that the user doesn't have to spend time physically moving to their target. This means they can be better for barely pulling off knockdowns and in general save a little bit of time. It's a small time gain, but if you're getting into the deepest corners of strategy, it might help.


Regn ("Rain") - 1000EP - Gear 1
Accel +1 - Support
Activates a short-lived combo guard. Combo is something we can't afford to lose in some fights, particularly on high difficulty play, Still, combo guard itself is only needed for boss fights.

Raregn ("Rare Rain??") - 1000EP - Gear 2
Accel +1 - Support
Same as it's predecessor, but with a useful all allies defense buff. This is surprisingly helpful at times on this difficulty, and you'll be seeing me make good use of it.

Valregn ("Alternative Rain??") - 1000EP - Gear 3
Accel +1 - Support
Raregn but with a longer combo guard timer on it. Quite nice!



Now it's time for Kokoro.

Kokoro's statline, before talent modifications, is mostly this:
HP: Great
Attack : Good+
DEF: Paper
General Speed: Good

Resist: Pierce
Weak: Shock

Kokoro's HP pool doesn't do a lot to make her not flimsy, but she makes up for it by packing high attack ranged damage with good acceleration. Her other aspect is being a combat debuffer, which comes in handy. Some of her moves being element/typeless is also useful in it's own regard.

Kokoro's moves are named pretty simply, and outside of preferring soundalikes/loanwords for stuff like cannon and shot, I can't really tell you more of a theme. Still, simple names do kinda match with how her name is written without kanji, I guess.


Falcon Shot - 1000EP - Gear 1
Accel +3 - Element: None [Ranged]
Good damage, plus more if Kokoro isn't wounded. One of your biggest sources of damage early on it feels like.

Falcon Shot + - 1000EP - Gear 2
Accel +2 - Element: None [Ranged]

Falcon Shot ++ - 1000EP - Gear 3
Accel +1 - Element: None [Ranged]

Falcon Shot stays pretty consistent, it just gets stronger and such. I don't actually know how much the HP -> ATK is, but it feels pretty strong.


Buzzing Pulse - 1000EP - Gear 2,3
Accel +1 - Element: Pierce [Ranged]

Buzzing Pulse looks incredibly underwhelming, but it's part of a combo with one of her other attacks. The next one on the list actually. Still, it has a really fast attack animation so that's something, although Kokoro's gun is usually pretty quick. It's also our first Pierce move and our first move that doesn't change between Gear shifts.


Sparkle Ball - 1000EP - Gear 3
Accel +1 - Element: None [Ranged]/Debuff

Available when she transforms, Sparkle Ball inflicts Pierce Resist Down on an enemy, making them weak to it (or removing their resistance if they had it.) Combined with Buzzing Pulse, this means she always has a method to hit a weakness on most of the enemies in the game. Ao can also learn a Pierce move in not too long as well, and it makes them pair together really well for high damage.




Now Rena's up.

Rena's statline, before talent modifications, is mostly this:
HP: Good/Usable
Attack : Low
DEF: Fantastic
General Speed: Average/Slow

Resist: Shock
Weak: Slash


Rena's true role is only vaguely visible right now, and that's knockdowns. As time goes on she can become the knockdown queen, eventually getting an expensive move that instantly knocks something down. In general though, her heal is very useful and she's rather support leaned until she gets her more expensive moves. The cost of those moves and the frequency at which she'll be supporting and not healing means she usually turns out a bit slower than Ao and Kokoro.

Her moves are all in French, which is actually the most common naming scheme for Blue Reflection skillsets, but she has a bit of water or ocean theme to her ability names.


Cascade ("Cascade") - 1000EP - Gear 1
Accel +3 - Element: None

Cascade is a direct French loanword in English. With that bit of trivia, there's not a lot to say about this twirl and swing. It do the hit, and that's about it.

Cascade II - 1000EP - Gear 2
Accel +2 - Element: None

Cascade II ups things by having boosted stagger on hit. It's not a lot, but it does make a difference. The description suggests it applies a debuff, but no, this is just and attack with boosted stagger.

Cascade III - 1000EP - Gear 3
Accel +1 - Element: None

Same thing, but stronger. We get cooler moves later, I swear. Rena learns a particularly good one before we end this chapter in fact.


Rétablissement I/II/III ("Recovery") - 1000EP - Gear 1/2/3
Accel +2/+1/+1 - Support

The healing move we lean on heavily, Rétablissement doesn't have to do any more than it already does. The heal is usually somewhere under half a character's max HP, so while it can take multiple applications, it saves you from spending items all the time.

It's low acceleration is why Rena will be often lagging behind in Ether speed.


Brise de Mer I/II/III ("Sea Breeze") - 1000EP - Gear 1/2/3
Accel +2/+1/+1 - Support

Brise de Mer is the key to pulling off knockdowns, feeling like it comes close to doubling or tripling the stagger of an attack. The game will actually give us a tutorial soon to teach us how to use this move, but Rena's known it since level 4 or 5 I believe.

Early on in a fight this can be better given to Ao or Kokoro, (Kokoro being the best choice when she can set up a Pierce weakness,) but as time goes on, Rena herself can do some serious stagger with this on.


In short:
Brise de Mer, Nál, and Sparkle Ball are pretty much our best skills right now.

Kokoro's always on offense, Ao's either on offense or setting up a Raregn/Valregn, and Rena's either healing or trying to push knockdowns based on how much HP the team has to spare.

At the end of the day, this is mostly my personal take on the stats and usefulness of skills, so it's fine if you disagree. I don't know a lot of the behind the scenes numbers for this, I just know what I do from experience.



...That's about all I've got to say, yeah. Our movesets will get more interesting and interplay with each other later, we're still really early on. At least now I feel like I can talk about a new move as we get it, or at least sometime around where we got it.

So have this pretty picture in the meantime.

[Odd Wilson]

Apologies for the tiny update, but I didn't want to leave you all on nothing this week after already recovering from being off-schedule. I've been meaning to talk about this somehow anyways, so I guess it works.

I should be back on track soon!

[Odd Wilson]

Journal Entry 09: The Secret Hideout



MUSIC: Transparent Shelter

VIDEO: A Warm Up (Weaknesses Tutorial)



(*We return to find the girls walking down the entrance path of the Faraway's Second Layer.*)




AO: That big guy is up here, huh...


RENA: Might be a good idea to get a practice fight in first.


(*Yuki points out an Anoia Tapir just ahead.*)




YUKI: That one looks like just the right size!


AO: Everyone ready? Let's do this!





// We are thrust into a fight against it, this time a tutorial on how Weaknesses and Knockdowns work. We've already long figured out how to do Knockdowns, but weaknesses have been disabled up until this point. //



// Hitting a weakness does more damage, increased stagger, and even pushes the enemy back on the timeline a little. There are only 5 elements in the game: Slash, Pierce, Shock, Wave, and Tremor. //

// Characters and monsters have resistances too, and these predictably act in reverse to how a weakness would. //



// Our characters have weaknesses and resistances as well, and they were covered in the >>little side update I just did.<<//

// But to remind anyways:
Ao - Slash resist, Pierce weak
Kokoro - Pierce resist, Shock weak
Rena - Shock resist, Slash weak

...It's a nice little triangle. //






AO: That was easy!


RENA: If we continue to aim for weak points, I think we'll stand a chance in here. We should still avoid the big one if it shows...


YUKI: Speaking of, where did it go?


// Following the fight, we are tossed freely to explore this new region without the previous stealth restriction. //



// The Hidden Village is the second layer, one we've already seen much of, but it's where our adventures were halted last. Currently not under pursuit, we are free to explore the dark, misty forest and the abandoned town center. //






AO: Any idea on where to go, Kokoro?


KOKORO: Mm... What about the area we didn't get to go to last time?



(*As we approach the pathway down to the foggy depths, we encounter a lone one of those ghost monsters.*)





(*We unleash a surprise attack!*)



MUSIC: W.P. NEURONS

Vitality * - Attack * - Defense * - Weaknesses: Slash - Resist: Shock

Location: The Faraway, First Layer


KOKORO: This demon looks like a wizard! It has legs like an octopus or squid's, but much less appetizing...

// These creepy cloaked phantasms, Assassin Interests, have some potentially good damage, but they happen to be weak to Slash. This means Ao cuts through them very easily, reducing their overall threat to us currently. //








AO: This is our chance! Press the advantage!



// This one doesn't even get an attack off before we take it out. That's the sneak attack in full action. //



MUSIC: DAYDREAM





// The girls hit level 7, and Rena learns Courant Marin.

Courant Marin ("Ocean Current") - 1000EP - Gear 2
Accel +2 - Element: Shock [Ranged]
Courant Marin is Rena's first ranged attack, and does over 50% extra damage on hit to foe currently in Knockdown. It's also another Shock attack, and one cheaper than Ao's, so it's particularly good. This'll be quite the mainstay of pummeling bosses when Rena's around.

The attack itself has Rena throw her hoop, glowing with energy, forward like a discus that returns on contact with an elegant catch.//



DESCRIPTION FOR

Type: Textile Scraps

Location: The Faraway - Gather, Assassin Interest


AO: Just an old rag. It's not in very good condition, so if we're going to use it for something, we'll need quite a few of them.

Type: Textile Scraps, Lumber

Location: The Faraway - Gather, Assassin Interest


YUKI: Torn and tattered bamboo blinds. They can probably still be used if we fix them up a little. The windows in the school let in a lot of sunlight, so these might make it a little cooler.

(*After the fight is over, the girls progress up to the path downwards, concealed in thick fog.*)



VIDEO: Hazy Memory of a Treehouse



(*Though it breaks occasionally, it quickly fades back into solid white as it continues to blow through.*)




KOKORO: (gasping) Wow, look at this fog.


RENA: We'll get lost at this rate...


YUKI: Hehehe, I know what to do!


(*Yuki looks to a nearby large stone lantern.*)




YUKI: Let's light this! I bet that'll make the fog go away!


RENA: (unimpressed) This isn't a video game.




AO: Hey, we might as well try it!



(*The screen fades...*)

*Fire striking up*




AO: It's lit!


YUKI: Let's see if it works!

(*As the girls look up at the flame glowing brightly in the lantern, we quickly fade to a memory...*)






FRIENDLY GIRL: I know! We'll make a secret hideout so those mean bullies can't find us.


FRIENDLY GIRL: We could make it in a tree! It'll be a treehouse!






KOKORO: (shocked) Another memory...




RENA: A secret hideout... This girl seems to have been your friend.


KOKORO: (nodding) Yeah. Though I can't remember who she was...


(*The girls look back down to the path to see...*)




YUKI: Argh... More fog.


AO: Let's light the rest of the lanterns. Something may happen.



*Phone notification*

YUKI: Officer Ao! Can you hear me?!

AO: Officer?? And of course I can't hear you, we're texting!


AO: Wouldn't it be easier to just talk in person?


YUKI: This way is cooler! We're like spies on a secret mission!


AO:


YUKI: Plus, if we talk in person, we might be noticed by the enemy.


AO: I guess you have a point there.


YUKI: So yeah, about that lantern.


YUKI: We came here when we were trying to fix the leak, right?


YUKI: I think I saw it around where we found the materials for that.


AO: Whoa, great memory! Let's look around there, then.


YUKI:

// Well, we've got some direction on what to do next. //





(*As we cross the rooftop...*)





"I thought those two were up to something. They were secretly making a secret hideout!"

(*We sense another memory echo. The letters scatter away as we pass through.*)



// We make our way across the house's cap and down the ladder. //





(*And off we head back into the collection of overgrown, dilapidated houses nestled in the crags.*)



(*Another echo appears nearby the house with the crawlspace we first used. The words end up in the crawlspace section. *)



"I can't... Even if I did, they'd just bully me more..."




KOKORO: It's pretty tight... I bet Yuki wouldn't have any trouble getting through here.


YUKI: Hehehe... of course not!



(*Over by the house with the crawlspace into the square...*)






YUKI: I wonder if we'll find any cool stuff here.




RENA: (unimpressed) What do you mean by "cool stuff"?


YUKI: Some toys we can play with at school, maybe? It gets boring 'cause there's nothing to do there.




YUKI: We demand entertainment!




KOKORO: Shh! Don't shout or we might be noticed!

KOKORO: Even if we take something from this world back to the school, it seems like it doesn't disappear from here. Ever since we realized that, Yuki has been bringing all kinds of things back with us. At this rate, she'll fill up the entire school...

(*With no need to stealth, we head down the previously guarded entrance to the town center to find another lantern.*)



*Fire lighting*




AO: (That's another lit...)




AO: Okay, now to light the other lanterns!





(*Underneath the houses against the rightmost cliffside, there are more crawlspaces you can use if needed.*)



(*With the enemies sparse, we move in fearlessly to the town square, past a small tin shack filled with propane canisters.*)



(*Another memory echo...*)



"Why... Why do you always say such horrible things about yourself?


(*There's still no memory fragment in sight around the town, so the team retraces their steps up the building near where we found the tarp.*)




AO: Lumber is essential for crafting! This should be useful for a lot of things!

AO: A battered piece of wood that's showing its age. I'm not sure it's durable enough to use like this. I wonder if it can be used for anything...

(*As we cross the fallen tree bridge, we get a scene...*)



MUSIC: Blue Reflection - A Captive Heart






RENA: All these fallen trees... Was this place struck by some kind of natural disaster?


KOKORO: Maybe everyone had to evacuate and that's why there's no one left.


YUKI: Maybe a demon bashed down all the trees.


RENA: I doubt they could do this much damage. I'm sure there's another reason.




AO: (thinking aloud) Hmm, but do we know if the rules of our world even apply here?


AO: I mean, there are random signs put up all over the place. That's not normal at all.


RENA: So what kind of place do you think this is, Hoshizaki?


AO: That...I do not know.




KOKORO: Well, should we look around a little bit more, then?

KOKORO: This world really is something, isn't it? Giant trees fallen all over the place, those strange signs... Not to mention the demons prowling about. It's a very odd place, but...it's quite exciting, too.

(*Just a few steps from that, another echo up on the nearby cliffside....*)



"Let's go and destroy it!"


// //



(*Down the ladder from there, not far off is that little spot on the hill leading deeper into the valley of reddening trees.*)



(*Just as we approach the lantern on the hill, another echo happens.*)



"Yeah, we have to teach 'em a lesson! This is what happens when you keep secrets from us!"


(*Just ahead, there's a peculiarly sparkling object too...*)




AO: What are you thinking, Rena?


RENA: I was wondering if these milk flowers could produce something similar to yogurt. It'd be nice in a hot place like this.


AO: Ooh! That's a great idea!


AO: (...I might be able to make something new!)


// These memory shards unlock new recipes to make, in this case, Yogurt. It's mostly defense buff at the moment, which Ao's higher gear Regns makes slightly redundant. It has uses later though. //



(*Just past the final lantern is the Memory Fragment we've been sensing.*)



VIDEO: The Third Memory



*Distant chime*



(*Our attention is brought to the two silhouettes of boys from before standing beyond the fence line in front of us.*)




BOY A: I thought those two were up to something. They were secretly making a secret hideout!


BOY B: Seriously?!


BOY B: This is our turf! They can't just come here and do whatever they want!


BOY A: Let's go and destroy it!


BOY B: Yeah, we have to teach 'em a lesson! This is what happens when you keep secrets from us!





(*And so it ends. The girls turn their attention to the last lantern.*)





*Fire lighting*



(*The girls are illuminated in soft orange light as a gentle orange flame starts up within the lantern..*)




AO: This should be the last lantern.


(*Kokoro looks at Ao.*)



KOKORO: I wonder if that did it?


AO: (nodding) Let's go check!






RENA: We should go back and check the area with the thick fog.


RENA: We'll see if Kinjou's plan worked.







(*As the girls make their way back, they find the once fog covered cliffsides lit up with other stone lanterns, and a path leading down to a familiar, destroyed building on an overlook to that forested valley below.*)



VIDEO: Clearing Recollection




AO: Oh! I knew it'd work!


KOKORO: Now we can—



(*Suddenly, she looks up in shock as all goes white and we hear voices fading in and out once again...*)






YOUNG KOKORO: *Sob* *hic*


KOKORO'S FRIEND: Kokoro! What's wrong? I can't help you if you don't talk to me!


KOKORO'S FRIEND: Kokoro! Kokoro!


YOUNG KOKORO: Th-the secret... hideout, it's—


(*Then the voices fade and don't return.*)





(*We return to Kokoro's shocked expression, Rena and Yuki behind her.*)




YUKI: Secret hideout...? I wonder what happened...


RENA: (quietly) They said they were going to build it in a tree, didn't they?




AO: Guess our only choice is to go check it out.


(*The girls look ahead at the dilapidated building, the representation entrance of the Faraway itself, and to the massive red tree behind it. It's the same tree we saw from the cliffside in the earliest days here.*)





(*Down from above, blue sky attempts to pour into the deep valley and this ever shaded region.*)



(*And just ahead... an Assassin Interest guards the door in this grove overtaken by scarlet grass.*)



VIDEO: Coordinated Reflection (Buff + Debuff Tutorial)







(*The girls approach and draw their weapons!*)




AO: Everyone ready? Let's do this!





// Despite the lead-up, this is actually just a tutorial on using Brise de Mer, Rena's Knockdown boost. Might seem a bit late for it, but I don't think I really understood everything about the combat at this point on the first playthrough. //

// It also teaches properly applying Sparkle Ball to inflict weaknesses. //




RENA: Hoshizaki, get ready!




AO: Got it! Kokoro!






KOKORO: Go!






RENA: It's down! This is our chance!













// That poor thing was only level 3 for sake of the tutorial, thus why a crit weak hit from Ao did 2/3rds of it's HP at only a 2x multiplier. //



MUSIC: Transparent Shelter

VIDEO: Growing Teamwork



(*We return to find the demon vanishing in blue sparkling energy, with enough force to throw up dust. It very quickly fades...*)








AO: Whew, I can't believe we pulled that off!


KOKORO: We were so in sync.


RENA: (satisfied) We'll be able to get by if we can keep that up.




RENA: (worried) Well, as long as we don't run into anything stronger...


(*The view focuses on the alluringly lit door to the derelict building as we recall the massive demon that might still be around...*)





(*Just ahead is a memory fragment, glittering in the shade.*)





"If you just get scared an run away, they'll take advantage of that!"


(*Another memory echo appears right at it as we approach.*)



VIDEO: The Fourth Memory



*Distant chime*



(*Our view focuses on silhouettes of the young Kokoro and her friend, the former appearing to cry and the other one agitated.*)




KOKORO'S FRIEND: Why didn't you stand up to them?! Crying won't do any good!


YOUNG KOKORO: I can't... Even if I did, they'd just bully me even more...


KOKORO'S FRIEND: ...No they wouldn't.


YOUNG KOKORO: Huh?


KOKORO'S FRIEND: If you just get scared and run away, they'll take advantage of that!


KOKORO'S FRIEND: They think they can bully you because you're weak and won't do anything about it!


YOUNG KOKORO: Th-that's...


KOKORO'S FRIEND: (frustrated) If you had just come to me, I could have done something...





(*...And it's gone.*)



(*Just around the right side of the building we get another echo as our view opens up to the valley beyond.*)





"I'm not strong like you, -----"



(*Just around the left side, before the entrance to a small cave, we sense another.*)





"I hate it... I don't want to see you crying like that any more."



AO: ...Are you okay, Kokoro?


KOKORO: Hm? I'm fine, don't worry. I was just thinking...



(*Blocking the entrance to the shallow cave is a fallen tree that distorts like the fences we've seen before.*)



(*At the foot of the massive tree, its trunk easily larger than 10ft in diameter, floats another memory fragment. The sea of red grass pours in underneath and around the rope fences at the cliff's edge.*)



VIDEO: The Fifth Memory



*Distant chime*



(*Our view turns to find the silhouette of past Kokoro curled up in a ball underneath the porch of the dilapidated building. Her friend looks down at her, gesturing emotionally.*)




YOUNG KOKORO: No way!


YOUNG KOKORO: I'm not strong like you, ――.


KOKORO'S FRIEND: (quietly) Why... Why do you always say such horrible things about yourself?


YOUNG KOKORO: Huh...?


KOKORO'S FRIEND: I hate it... I don't want to see you crying like that any more.





(*We are left just with the sparkling dust that still falls from the sky.*)



(*As the girls approach the tree itself...*)



MUSIC: A Glum Face on the Water

VIDEO: The Secret Hideout



(*The girls find themselves in a small two-story house made of rustic, overgrown wood. Frosted crosshatched windows diffuse the light that shines upon the various old decorations and the vines hanging down. A couch, torn chairs, a table of cardboard boxes, an old bookshelf, a chunky CRT televison, magazines... even a slightly rusty bike.

...And in the corner, piles of red petals.*)




YUKI: Holy moly! How'd a couple of kids make something so incredible!


RENA: (shaking her head) I find it hard to believe this could be created by children.




RENA: This world is full of unusual sights. Nothing is a perfect reproduction of the thing Utsubo is remembering.


KOKORO: ...I remember. What we built was nothing like this.


(*Kokoro turns to look at them, but then looks down.*)




KOKORO: Besides, our secret hideout—






KOKORO'S FRIEND: We worked so hard...


YOUNG KOKORO: (crying) I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I couldn't stop them...


KOKORO'S FRIEND: This is not your fault, Kokoro! It's those bullies!






RENA: J-just now...


(*Rena holds her hand to her mouth in shock.*)




KOKORO: (sadly) The real secret base was destroyed. This one is just an idealized version from my memory.


YUKI: Oh...


RENA: By destroyed you mean—




AO: By those kids who bullied you, right?


(*Ao puts her hands on her hips with a serious expression.*)



KOKORO: (nodding) ...Yeah.




KOKORO: They couldn't stand me for some reason.


KOKORO: I tried to bear it all on my own. I didn't talk to anybody about it. Not even her.


(*Our view pans across the makeshift table of cardboard boxes, decorated with red flowers in a vase, a drink bottle, and a blue plush bear among other scattered objects. *)




KOKORO: And that was the result.


(*Kokoro moves to stare at the little room.*)




YUKI: That's awful... What happened after that?


KOKORO: After that. After that, I...




AO: I think we'll find out up ahead.


KOKORO: ...Yeah.




KOKORO:(emphatically) I want to remember everything.




AO: We're right here with you. Right, you two?


(*Ao looks to the others and they nod.*)




KOKORO: Thank you...




AO: Let's roll!


(*Ao gives an energetic arm pump as we fade...*)



MUSIC: Transparent Shelter







// From there, we can re-enter the tree to explore the secret getaway ourselves, though there's nothing to interact with. //



// The hideout is truly a child's semi-coherent arrangement of junk, but a good kind of junk. Rustic and reclaimed, the kind of worn and discarded secondhand objects a child would ignore the flaws of. //

// Our current destination is the ever-familiar building back outside, the one whose entrance we have passed through many times already. //




AO: (There's no telling what we'll find in here.)


AO: (Let's hope we finally get some answers!)



// Kokoro's memories are starting to tell a story, but we don't know everything about the situation yet. At the very least, it gives some context as to why she's so quiet.

The treehouse pulls lots of nostalgic memories as a rural kid myself, and reminds me of my own little forest kingdoms of assorted junk to feel safe in, let alone just loving the general look of the Hidden Village. 10/10 secret hideout.

The game is starting to pick up pace, although partly due to us having spent a lot of time in these areas already. Next time, we'll go somewhere new... but will we find answers or just more questions? //



-------------------------

"This world is where Kokoro's lost memories reside...or so it seems, anyway.
I want to press on for Kokoro's sake, but this fog is just too thick for us to keep going right now. Let's try lighting the lanterns in this area. Who knows, it might lead to us figuring something out.

We lit all the lanterns. This should clear the fog... Right? Let's try to keep moving.

The Hidden Village - Faraway Layer 2

MAP NOTES:
* The two location entries here can only be found during Chapter 1.
* The treehouse can be returned to at any time.
* There is only 1 egg spot on this map.

Type: Textile Scraps

Location: The Faraway - Story Pickup


KOKORO: It's a pretty big blue tarp. I chose the cleanest and newest one I could find, so durability should not be a problem. I hope this will fix the leak.

Type: Textile Scraps

Location: The Faraway - Story Pickup


RENA: Old packing tape whose adhesive strength has weakened. It should still be usable, though. The adhesive side is sticky, so I don't want to touch it.

Type: Key Item

Location: The Faraway - Story Pickup


YUKI: It's a kind of clay we found in the Faraway. It seems to repel water quite well, so maybe we can use it to fill in the cracks!

Type: Key Item


YUKI: A kit to repair the leak. It bothered us for a while, but it's finally fixed! It feels like we can build anything we set our minds to now!

[Odd Wilson]

Journal Entry 10: Carrying Your Burdens Alone



MUSIC: Transparent Shelter





Final Layer: Weathered House of Resolve


(*The inside of the ever-familiar building is that of a dimly lit temple of wood, with more of the stone statues scattered about and the scarlet grass in patches.*)





(*From the ceiling hang bright blue lanterns, shining white, in high contrast to the black and yellow ones upon the walls.*)




YUKI: Oh, that one's new!


AO: Was it hiding back there in that room?


RENA: Whatever the case, let's avoid it for now.



(*Similar to the first layer of the Faraway, not all is exactly normal here. On the wall with the ladder stand two yellow lanterns, jutting out perpendicularly and ignoring gravity. At the very least, the nearby folding wall seems normal with an elegant floral design.*)



(*Approaching the ladder triggers another echo.*)



"Always hititng the boys in her class and whatnot?"


// //



(*Just up the ladder floats one of those phantasm demons, but this time with a far more prominent red coloration.*)



(*Ao's scythe briefly lights up the room in her surprise attack!*)







MUSIC: W.P. NEURONS

Vitality * - Attack * - Defense * - Weaknesses: Slash - Resist: Shock

Location: The Faraway, Final Layer


KOKORO: That's just what it looks like to me, sorry! Of course I know we can't actually eat it!

// Kokoro's comment is of coursein reference to her saying the Assassin Interest looks kinda like squid. Vigilances are a decent bit tougher than them, and are capable of dealing some not-insignificant damage. They also carry some unique drops that are hard to get otherwise until later in the game. //







// Leading with a sneak attack though, this one barely gets to pull out an attack. To it's credit, Ao and Kokoro get to transform first at least. Some enemies are going down before that even happens. We're still on Hard by the way. //





// Burning Duet, an attack where they conjure two fireballs, does hit twice for pretty decent damage on Rena, but is more notable for the ATK Up buff it gives the Vigilance. //



// That makes it more of a threat in a group, though alone you can usually pummel it before it really gets a chance to capitalize. //

Type: Sacred Objects, Metals

Location: The Faraway - Slaughterer Vigilance


AO: A nail about 5 inches long. I've never seen one this size before. Honestly speaking, it looks like it's used more for occult deeds than carpentry.

// Curiously, there's no comments for the pocket watch or the sand. //






AO: Ooh, an old-fashioned hearth! This is the first time I've actually seen one.


(*Positioned in the room, watched over by two stone statues is a large stone hearth, the size of a dinner table. Hooks hang down from the roof nearby a pot and kettle waiting near the unlit fire.*)




KOKORO: Should we take a little break here?


RENA: Please, no. I don't want to sit around a place like this for long.


(*Rena crosses her arms.*)




YUKI: (giggling) Ohhh? Rena, don't tell me you're scared.


RENA: (annoyed) Shut it.


YUKI: ...!

(*Yuki continues to mouth words at her silently.*)




RENA: Ugh... You're loud even when you're quiet!

KOKORO: We found a hearth in this big house we came across. It was so cozy, we couldn't help but stay a while. We could have enjoyed it even more if not for all those demons around...

YUKI: Whoaaa! It goes so far down!


RENA: K-Kinjou! Don't stand so close to the edge!



(*The next rooms are connected by thin wooden walkways cut at odd bends and rising up from a void of misty blue nothingness below. Just ahead, part of the path is blocked off by crates and chests roped together.*)



(*Going around, we get sense yet another echo.*)



"Did you hear about that one girl?"



(*Not far away is the fragment itself.*)



VIDEO: The Sixth Memory



*Distant chime*



(*Our view is directed to that of two silhouette women standing upside-down on the roof, accompanied by the usual static.*)




HOUSEWIFE A: Did you hear about that one girl?


HOUSEWIFE B: Ah, you mean ――? Yeah, I did.


HOUSEWIFE B: Always hitting the boys in her class and whatnot?


HOUSEWIFE A: What a terror. I guess it's for the best that ――'s transferring schools.


HOUSEWIFE B: Yeah, I'll say. If she'd hit my little guy, I wouldn't have looked the other way, that's for sure...






KOKORO: ...


AO: (Did Kokoro...?)





(*The rooms continue to embrace the surreal, with this room's tatami flooring running up the wall and onto the ceiling, with cushions and red shrouded tables standing on the wall.*)



(*Nearby, a set of boxes in a collection of more crates distorts, blocking the path into a dark sideroom.*)



(*As we move forward to gather, a new kind of demon sneaks up on the crew!*)




AO: If you get in my way, I will show you no mercy!

Vitality * - Attack * - Defense * - Weaknesses: Tremor - Resist: Pierce, Shock

Location: The Faraway, Final Layer


KOKORO: This demon looks like a big rock. The way it flies around makes it tricky to hit with my rifle.

// The red Armet, possibly named for how it looks like a rocky red helmet, are decently challenging foes. Really, right now they just hit for around 10-15 on average with decent speed. They also happen to have slightly bigger sight ranges and movement speeds than enemies we've seen so far, so they can be a little annoying to avoid. They are the first thing we've seen with a Tremor weakness, though we lack any way to capitalize on that. //



// I end up needing to use items to heal my way out of this. //



// Still, they're pretty fragile all things considered, //







// We hit level 8 here and Kokoro learns her next skill.

Sleet Cannon - 1500EP - Gear 2
Accel +2 - Element: None
Deals a good amount of damage and comes with the chance to blind an enemy, giving them a chance to completely whiff attacks. Not always reliable, but definitely has uses. Statuses actually work in this game, unlike BR1.

Sleet Cannon+ - 1500EP - Gear 3
Accel +1 - Element: None

Just deals more damage, blind chance is the same. Now everyone has a 1500 ether move.
//

Type: Sweet, Spicy

Location: The Faraway - Final Layer, Gather or Armet


YUKI: This is a diamond-shaped fruit! It's normally sweet, but if it gets too ripe it becomes incredibly spicy. Be sure to check it carefully before eating!

// Diamond Fruit is a specific item requirement in a decent recipe we'll have soon, so use other items for Sweet or Spicy requirements. //





(*We sneak through the following room, avoiding the keen sight of a Slaughterer Vigilance and an Armet, to sense another echo...*)



"I-I don't get it, ---..."



(*We're also able to search inside the box here.*)



(*Back to the walkways, we're faced with the crates blocking our way still, so...*)




AO: (Come on... push! This is heavier than I thought it'd be...)


(*...We just push it out of the way. We sense another echo just as we finish.*)





"I didn't want you to hate me."





(*The room is watched over by a single Assassin Interest, with more lamps up the floor-walls and a path of bright blue lanterns hanging down and directing the path forward.*)



(*We ascend the ladder...*)



(*--and are struck by another echo upon reaching the next floor.*)



"You always try so hard not to bother other people and keep it all bottled up inside..."




AO: These lanterns are everywhere now!


YUKI: Is this the roof or the ceiling? I can't tell anymore!


KOKORO: Yeah. I feel like we're getting close.


(*Six yellow lanterns of varying sizes stand on the floor normally, but some of the large blue ones are hanging up from the floor now.*)



(*We ascend the ladder into the violet room above...*)



(*A floor lies three stories below, with traces of other wooden walkways, and ahead...*)






KOKORO: It's beautiful...


YUKI: This is incredible!


RENA: Our bodies better not start floating too.


AO: I kinda hope they do. How fun would it be to float around?


(*...The entire room is illuminated by violet lanterns floating about weightlessly, the walls and ceilings still confused.*)

KOKORO: Lanterns just floating in midair! I already thought this was a strange place, but seeing this just blew me away! Seeing impossible things like this really makes it feel like we're in a whole new world.

(*...Just ahead stands the large, black and white muscular demon that chased the girls before.*)



(*Just off to the left, a final echo is sensed.*)



"You're too nice to other people. You never think about yourself."



(*And just a few steps away is the penultimate memory fragment.*)



VIDEO: The Seventh Memory



*Distant chime*



(*Right in front of Ao sit the young Kokoro and her friend, both hugging their knees.*)




KOKORO'S FRIEND: Kokoro, you're nice.


YOUNG KOKORO: Wh-what do you mean...?


KOKORO'S FRIEND: You're too nice to other people. You never think about yourself.


KOKORO'S FRIEND:That's what I mean by "nice."


KOKORO'S FRIEND: You're too nice.


YOUNG KOKORO: I-I don't get it, ――...




KOKORO'S FRIEND:I care about you a lot, Kokoro. I want to help you.


KOKORO'S FRIEND: But you need to take care of yourself...


KOKORO'S FRIEND: You always try so hard not to bother other people and keep it all bottled up inside...


KOKORO'S FRIEND: That's why I can't help you, no matter how much I want to. I can't reach you.





(*...and it's gone.*)



(*Just across a gap, on a section of walkway with a railing is the final memory fragment. We can't get to it until we finally surpass an old foe.*)



(*The music goes silent.*)


VIDEO: Manifestation of Burdens





(*...The girls slowly approach.*)





(*Yuki stares on in shock and clasps her hands to her chest as the camera pans to the massive demon, still unaware.*)




YUKI: It's that demon!




KOKORO: I can feel something up ahead.


(*Ao looks over to her.*)



AO: You can feel something?




KOKORO: Yeah. She— ...My friend is up there.


KOKORO: I can feel the memory.





(*Ao studies her friend's face for a moment, then looks down with a smile.*)



MUSIC: My REAL



AO: Got it.



*Energy discharge*

(*Our view flashes as Ao draws her scythe!*)




AO: Then we're just gonna have to beat this thing!




KOKORO: Are you sure? There's no way it's not dangerous.


YUKI: Of course we will! Anything for a friend!




RENA: (confidently) Don't worry, we'll play it smart. If things get hairy, then we make a break for it.



(*Kokoro looks on in surprise.*)




KOKORO: ...Thank you.



(*Energy discharge*)




AO: Is everyone ready?


(*As Rena and Kokoro focus their feelings to draw their weapons...*)



(*...The large demon finally notices and looks behind.*)




AO: All right, let's do it!


(*It swings as it turns around, cutting the air!*)





VIDEO: Boss Battle: Atlases (Hard)





(*Covered in black, distorting energy, it flexes an arm...*)





(*...Then lets out a deafening roar!*)






AO: H-Hey, this one seems kinda strong...


AO: ...but we've got this! We're not turning back now!




RENA: Wait for it...!


(*It raises its left arm as a blinding violet light speckled with distorted blue and black energy surrounds it...*)



(*Violet lightning crackles...!*)



(*...and it slices outwards with an extended blade of distorting energy!*)


// Meet Atlases, our first real boss. This is Degenberg (German: Mountain-sword), also known as the reason why this fight isn't possible for us on Deathwish. It outright one-shots the whole team with it there, and here it's still a 10-20 damage hit on the whole team here on Hard. //






RENA: Now!


// I intentionally stalled here so I could heal up after the hit. I'm pretty sure this boss always opens with Degenburg. //





// Stoßlanze (Shock-lance) is a ranged attack notable for good damage output and a Defense down debuff. There's no good target to be hit by this, but as Atlases has Slash weakness, we really can't afford Ao going down. //




KOKORO: Here you go!


// Our supply of sandwiches are needed to keep this clean. //







// He also has a Shock weakness, so Rena gets in with a Courant Marin to try and push the stagger. //



(*Atlases looks up to its arm...*)



*Loud energy waver*

(*...then crouches down in a blinding scarlet light!*)




AO: Big attack, incoming!


// The boss deciding to start its supermove buys us more time to try and pull off the knockdown. (Also the game is kind enough to remind us to put up a Combo Guard here.) //



// In the end, I toss the Knockdown idea, not wanting to risk a party wipe. Raregn goes up. Kokoro holds her ether for now. //



*Explosive windburst*

(*The demon launches off the ground at supersonic speed, displacing all the air- *)





*Wild energy warping*

(*- with a spin, he lifts his arm to the air, covered in blinding violet lightning-*)







(*- and slams down in a violent cascade of dark energy and lightning!*)


// Krähenfall (Crowfall) hits three times and can do a ton of damage, but Ao no-sells it pretty hard with Raregn. //




AO: Hah! That was nothing!


KOKORO: We're not afraid of you anymore!



// Kokoro's Sleet Cannon has her spin around and fire a sparkling mortar shot at the foe's head. Unfortunately the blind misses this time.

I'd like to note that we've done all of 1/10th of the boss's HP by this point. //






AO: Special... this is it!



// Ao transforms, another Degenberg drops and almost takes the entire team to critical health. Rena tanking as usual. //






RENA: Time for the real performance!


// Using items doesn't grant any acceleration, creating the odd situation of Kokoro being the only one who hasn't transformed yet. //









// A flurry of blows almost gets a knockdown, but we're just slightly off and another Degenberg comes out. //




KOKORO: Yes!


YUKI: Let's go, Kokoro!


// A round of Rena healing and Ao holding commences, and Kokoro pulls off a successful Sleet Cannon just before another Degenberg drops. //






KOKORO: Come to me, other self!



// Everyone has transformed...! //



// ...And Degenberg completely misses thanks to the last-second blind. The momentum is fully in our favor now. //









// An absolute onslaught of attacks follow, and we inflict Knockdown even without an active Brise de Mer. A fantastically timed Courant Marin II hits just after the infliction for around 180 damage. //




AO: Everyone! It's time to end this!










(*Atlases erupts with flaming explosions...*)



(*And falls to it's knees, defeated.*)



MUSIC: DAYDREAM







MUSIC: A Glum Face on the Water

VIDEO: A Special Friendship Remembered



*Violent electric crackling*



(*The massive demon slumps onto its knees as the girls put away their weapons...*)




RENA: (happy, breathless) W-we did it...



(*Suddenly, the fallen demon erupts into blue light!*)

*Low energy pulse, whirling away*





(*Left in its wake, making a faint hum, is a collection of reflective, transparent cubes, similar to the triangular memory fragments.*)




YUKI: Whoa?! What's that!


AO: It seems different from those memory fragments...


KOKORO: I think this is the end. It must be important.



*Phone notification*

(*Ao jumps in surprise.*)




AO: Ah! What was that?

RE-SOURCE: Good work making it this far! I've got some lovely news for you adventurers!


RENA: Are you messing with us?


RE-SOURCE: Oh, your words! How they wound me!


YUKI: So what's the news?


RE-SOURCE: Thank you for asking!

RE-SOURCE: I'm sure you've noticed by now, but this world is created from Ms. Kokoro Utsubo's feelings and memories!


RE-SOURCE: In front of you now, is a crystal made from Kokoro's memories.


RE-SOURCE: Behold, a Fragment!


KOKORO: What do I do with it?


RE-SOURCE: Hold out your hand and recover your lost memories! I'm sure it'll help you find what you're all seeking!

AO: Something's not right. It never told us things like that up until now.


RE-SOURCE: That's cause I thought it was better that way, but I've reconsidered!


RE-SOURCE: It may actually be better if you went to lots of different worlds.


AO: What do you mean, different worlds?


RE-SOURCE: As that has nothing to do with living here, I'm afraid I can't answer that!


RENA: You're a pain...

KOKORO: Hold out my hand, and recover my memories...


RENA: If we're to believe what ReSource said, this will help us find what we're looking for.




YUKI: She can get her memories back?


(*Up until this point, Yuki hasn't stopped staring at the fragment in wonder.*)




AO: Kokoro?


KOKORO: (nodding) I'll try it.





(*Kokoro lifts her hands up to the sparkling fragment...!*)



(*A resonating chime is heard as she closes her eyes, and it's brilliant glow nearly blinds our view...*)



MUSIC: Bottled Message in the Sky


*Clear chime*

(*The fragment erupts into rays of blue tinted light with a chime now clearly heard. Kokoro remains focused as the other girls stare on in wonder.*)




KOKORO'S FRIEND: No matter where I go, we'll always be friends. Right?


KOKORO: Yeah...


(*From inside us, we can hear the echoing voice, clear of static. Her younger self begins to speak through her.*)




KOKORO'S FRIEND: But you need to make more friends! Rely on other people a little.


YOUNG KOKORO: Rely on others...




YOUNG KOKORO: Okay. I'm going to change.


YOUNG KOKORO: I'll learn to rely on others. And if I ever meet someone in trouble like I was...




YOUNG KOKORO: I'll help them as best I can.




KOKORO'S FRIEND: That sounds wonderful, Kokoro!


YOUNG KOKORO: It doesn't matter how far apart we are, we'll be friends forever, Shiho!



*Buzzing phone alert*

NOTIFICATION: Fragment reconnection confirmed. Caution: Stability of world structure deteriorating.

*Reverbrating chime*

(*The fragment flashes brightly!*)




AO: So bright—


(*The other girls shut their eyes and look away, the brilliant light blinding in intensity.*)




KOKORO: ...


(*Trails of light flow forth into Kokoro before everything fades to white.*)






KOKORO: (emotional) Her name was Shiho... Shiho Kasuga. She was very special to me...


KOKORO: I finally remember...



(*Our view returns to Kokoro's hands clasped over her heart, the blinding light gone.*)




RENA: (shocked silence)...


YUKI: (confused) I-it's over?




AO: (concerned) Are your memories back?


(*Kokoro stays facing away, still holding her heart.*)




KOKORO: Shiho taught me how important it is to rely on the people around me.


KOKORO: I wanted to become more like her, and help others.


(*She suddenly turns around, a determined expression on her face.*)




KOKORO: So I became a Reflector.




AO: (shocked) A Reflector...?


(*Kokoro nods.*)




KOKORO: Yes. I remember a lot of things. Including about the world we call home. But before that—


RENA: (softly) We should get out of here, right?




KOKORO: Exactly. Thank you for your help everyone.


(*Kokoro finally gives a full grin again.*)




AO: Don't worry about it! We're friends.


KOKORO: Yes.


(*Rena, Ao, and Yuki match with smiles of their own, Yuki giving a little nod too.*)



(*The girls start to walk onwards, but...*)



(*Kokoro stops and turns around, looking upwards to the lanterns.*)




KOKORO: I've changed, Shiho... I wonder where you are now.


KOKORO: (sadly) I wish I could see you again...




AO: (Someone special, huh...)


(*Ao looks at her from a distance, with Rena and Yuki far in the background, talking about something.*)




AO: (gloomily) (Seems like Kokoro has recovered something very special to her. I wonder what it's like.)




KOKORO: Something the matter, Ao?



(*Kokoro cocks her head to the side slightly, worried.*)




AO: (innocently) Mm? Oh, nothing...



(*She hesitates to follow, watching Kokoro leave.*)




AO: (Do I have any memories like that?)



VIDEO: Kokoro's Eighth Memory



*Chime, static*








YOUNG KOKORO: I...


YOUNG KOKORO: I didn't want you to hate me.


YOUNG KOKORO: You made friends with someone like me, and... I was scared that you would abandon me, ――.


YOUNG SHIHO: So you didn't trust me.


YOUNG KOKORO: N-no! That's not what I...


YOUNG SHIHO: ...Hehe. I know. I was just joking.


YOUNG SHIHO: You're too nice, Kokoro. The fact that you didn't want me to hate you proves that.


(*Suddenly-*)





(*- they turn to face one another, and the camera zooms in.*)




YOUNG SHIHO: But that's exactly the Kokoro I want to be friends with.


YOUNG SHIHO: That's the Kokoro I want to help so badly.









-------------------------

We're able to see Kokoro's fragmented memories too. It seems that we're not just dealing with the good ones here, though... But Kokoro said that she wants to see them all with her own eyes.

So we just gotta stick with her till the very end!

Weathered House of Resolve - Faraway Final Layer

MAP NOTES:
* The two location entries here can only be found during Chapter 1.
* The eighth memory is normally only obtainable on a return trip as beating Atlases boots you from the area.

[Odd Wilson]

Journal Entry 11: Heartscape

// Short one this time, but far from insignificant. //


VIDEO: A Landscape of the Heart



MUSIC: Chatting into the Night


(*We return to find the girls at the top of the staircase leading to the railway, the sunset bathing everything in yellow.*)

*Crickets, cicadas*




YUKI: We're back!




RENA: Phew... I'm feeling tired all of a sudden.


YUKI: I bet Kokoro has it the worst!


(*Kokoro looks over to Yuki, then down at the ground. She holds a hand to her heart...*)




KOKORO: I am a little tired...


AO: Not surprising, going through what you did.



(*She quietly turns to look behind her, gazing at the Faraway- the tangible world of her inner self. The other girls do so as well.*)




KOKORO: What a strange place...


AO: A little world created from people's feelings...




RENA: (quietly) Like it's created from their heart itself.


AO: Something ReSource said has been bothering me... It said that we should go to lots of different worlds, right?




AO: Which means there are more worlds than the Faraway?




KOKORO: Maybe there are worlds with Rena and Yuki's memories.


RENA: It's possible.




YUKI: If that's the case, we need to give it another name.


AO: Huh?



(*Our view switches from the girls to that of the Faraway's entrance, that now familiar ruined temple, bathed in orange against a fading blue sky.*)



YUKI: I don't think what we have now works very well anymore.


RENA: Who cares what it's called.


YUKI: Hey! Setting the mood for this kind of thing is super important!




RENA: (tired) This is pointless...




KOKORO: I think it's a good idea. What would you name it, Ao?


AO: Um, let's see...



(*Ao stares out at it, thinking.*)




AO: How about "Heartscape"? Since it's a land made from people's hearts.




RENA: Wait, that's what I said earlier! Don't involve me in this!


(*Rena looks on disapprovingly.*)




AO: Hey, I think it sounds pretty!


YUKI: Me too! That's a cool name!


KOKORO: Then we'll go with Heartscape.




RENA: (to herself) Ignored...


YUKI: Well, I, for one, think we should turn in for the day! I'm bushed after all that walking.




AO: Yeah, I agree. We've got nothing but time, after all.


AO: Let's go back to the classroom and rest.



MUSIC: A Glum Face on the Water




AO: Hey, Kokoro. What did you remember?


(*We rejoin the girls in the classroom, though the sleeping cots haven't been brought out yet. Ao and Kokoro sit on the couch, Yuki sits on the floor nearby, and Rena lies near a futon not far away, half-asleep.*)




KOKORO: I was a Reflector in the other world.


(*Rena sits up, her legs crossed with one knee up as she looks at Kokoro.*)




RENA: A Reflector... So you fought the same way in that world, too?


KOKORO: Yes.


YUKI: Wow! What did you fight?


(*Kokoro looks away distantly, gloom falling over her face.*)




KOKORO: I don't remember that part. But I think I was fighting nearly every day.




RENA: (worried) So the other world is dangerous...




AO: Wait a sec. My world didn't have battles like that.


YUKI: Does that mean that Kokoro and Ao don't come from the same place?


(*A small shuffling can be heard as Rena turns around to better face the others.*)




RENA: It's possible that we all come from different worlds.


YUKI: Maybe they're gathering Reflectors from a bunch of different worlds!


RENA: But then why would you be here, Kinjou. You aren't a Reflector.


YUKI: I'm not giving up yet!


(*Yuki looks back to match Rena's unimpressed, half-lidded gaze.*)




AO: I don't remember anything about being a Reflector.


YUKI: Huh... Then maybe I was wrong.


(*Rena looks up to the ceiling distantly.*)


RENA: Still, there must be some kind of connection between this world and the Reflectors.




RENA: Do you remember anything else, Utsubo? Like the reason for us being here.


KOKORO: Sorry, I may remember some things, but it's all a bit fuzzy...




YUKI: That's too bad.


RENA: Well, I figured it wouldn't be so easy.




AO: (with dread) This is bad... My mom's gonna kill me for missing my classes.


KOKORO: How about we look around Rena or Yuki's Heartscape tomorrow? We might learn something new.


AO: Good idea.




AO: But how exactly do we find a Heartscape?


YUKI: I wonder why Kokoro's Heartscape appeared in the first place?




RENA: That is the question, isn't it? Let's take the night and think it over.


(*As Yuki looks down and thinks, as Rena looks skyward again, we fade to black with a new goal in mind.*)

KOKORO: I got bullied a lot when I was little. Maybe it was because I was a little spacey, or maybe it was because I hit my growth spurt before the other kids did. Either way, I spent most of my days crying.

KOKORO: But there was one other kid who dared to approach a bullying victim like me... She was so kind. We quickly became friends and played together a lot.

KOKORO: That girl and I built a secret hideout together. A place for just the two of us. We had so much fun building it, and I wished that those days would never end. But one day, I overheard some boys talking about destroying our hideout.

KOKORO: I knew they were going to destroy our precious hideout, but I was paralyzed with fear. I couldn't do a thing to stop them. My friend got so mad at me...

KOKORO: I wasn't as strong as she was, so I couldn't stand up to the bullies. I'm sure she was really disappointed in me, seeing me downtrodden like that... So she just told me to forget about it and went home.

KOKORO: She stopped coming to school after our secret hideout was destroyed. One day, when I was heading home from school, I finally heard why—she beat up one of the bullies and had to transfer schools. She did all of that for my sake...

KOKORO: I couldn't stand the thought of leaving things like that, so I ran to her house to see her again. There, I found out how she really felt. She said she'd wanted me to rely on her more...

KOKORO: I didn't want her to hate me, so I never shared my problems with her before. I thought I was sparing her the trouble of dealing with them, but that isn't how friends are. Friends depend on one another. When we shared our feelings with one another that day, I believe we finally became true friends.

// And with that, Kokoro's Heartscape is complete. A tale not only of a troubled childhood and fear, but also one of learning to rely on others and to not turn away from those who want to help. If you look back, you can see how her resolution to help others is even still present in her actions from the beginning of the game as she's always been the first to extend her hand to Ao. //


// It's worth mentioning that the database entries all update to use the new Heartscape name instead of Faraway at this point too. We're not done with Chapter 1 yet though, there's more a chapter than just this.

...but how do we find more Heartscapes? And why is ReSource suddenly telling us things it wouldn't before? Where's the rest of Kokoro's memories? Some questions have been answered, but more arrive each day.

Next time, we'll finally settle down in the school, given it seems we're not going anywhere any time soon... //



// One last thing to note is that Kokoro has unlocked her third talent tree now, "A Farewell To Weakness." It immediately opens up with an ATK boost (good), an intial ether recovery speed boost (great), and a whole new move (fantastic). Characters' unlocked trees tend to be a bit more powerful than their defaults, which makes sense.

We have exactly enough TP for one of these, but we don't go for the move first and hit up the recovery speed instead. Spear Shot inflicts Slow which can be good, but it's also a Gear 3 move. It's better to buff her speed now so she can get to higher gears faster, and we just pick up the move the next time we've got the TP for it. //



-------------------------

Vitality ** - Attack * - Defense * - Weaknesses: Slash, Shock

Location: The Faraway, Final Layer - House of Weathered Resolve


KOKORO: The demon from the deepest part of my Heartscape. It looked like it was standing in the way, but you could also say it was protecting my Fragment...

// Atlases is our first real boss, and the first enemy truly deserving of My REAL (sorry, Cyclops). Degenburg is the real threat as it takes a lot of effort to upkeep the HP loss, but once you can shift the momentum of battle in your favor, it becomes easier ot punch through that massive HP bar. (On Hard it has about 1300 HP.) //

// A weakness to Slash and Shock make Ao and Rena effective against it, and it's constant AoE and defense lowering attacks make it a challenge for Kokoro...which is rather appropriate. In fact, it's very name references the Greek titan Atlas, known for being made to bear the burden of holding up the sky- a connection to how Kokoro used to bear all her burdens alone. Given the boss is beaten far easier as a team and is a challenge for her individually, it's a good metaphorical presentation of her struggles. //

// Why are it's moves in German? I couldn't tell you aside from it being a somewhat common naming motif for other bosses. Outside of that, it is worth noting it drops Cool Sand, an item we haven't seen yet. This is other super important sand in the game, although we don't have a reliable source of it yet. We can't go back and fight Atlases after all. //

Birthday: September 24th

Height/Weight:163cm (5' 3"), 57kg (125 lbs)

Likes: Big cities, fashion, rice

Dislikes: The countryside, junk food

Detailed Profile: The first girl that Ao encountered in this strange world. She's been living in the school with Rena and Yuki, and seems to be unable to recall anything prior to waking up here. She's mild-mannered and kind, but also surprisingly bold. She can't recall exactly why, but she remembers being drawn to the idea of a secret hideout.

Kokoro was a shy and introverted child, which unfortunately made her a target for bullies. Her childhood friend, Shiho Kasuga, was the one that carried her through those tough years. The reason she is drawn to a secret hideout is because of her precious memories of building one with Shiho. The universe would go on to separate the two of them, but their friendship changed Kokoro forever, spurring her to become a Reflector. Her father was a skilled hunter, which is why she uses a rifle in her Reflector form.

// Kokoro's profile has now also updated, giving us a last refresher of her Heartscape's memories,as well as adding some interesting details. Namely, it reveals she's not that much of a country girl and that her father being a hunter is why she has a rifle as her Reflector weapon. There will be plenty of time later to learn more about this and the other parts of her profile in detail though. //

[Odd Wilson]

Journal Entry 12: Academic Exploration


VIDEO: Touring the School



MUSIC: Let's Girl Talk!



(*We resume with a view of the school gates, a mildly cloudy morning sky just beyond.*)



(*This morning, we find Ao and Kokoro talking in the classroom, the latter with her hand to her chin in thought. Ao's also not wearing her black blazer for once, her long tie hanging freely and contrasting with her white blouse.*)



*Phone notification*

RE-SOURCE: Hello hello hello! Aren't we serious this morning? Anything I can help with?


AO: Oh, you're gonna lend me a hand? ₁


RE-SOURCE: Because I'm your super-duper guide to this place!

KOKORO: ReSource? What causes the Heartscapes to appear?


RE-SOURCE: As that has nothing to do with living here, I'm afraid I can't answer that!


AO: How about this then


AO: Do you have any recommendations around the school? I'd like to make the most of my time here. ₂

RE-SOURCE: I was waiting for you to ask that! The places you haven't been much are...


RE-SOURCE: The library


RE-SOURCE: The rooftop shed


RE-SOURCE: The nurse's office


RE-SOURCE: Happy trails!

// Alternate Texts: 1 - "ReSource?! How did you know that?!",
2 - "Are there any places in the school that we haven't seen? I was thinking that they could probably use a cleaning." //




AO: (thoughtfully) I see. So we haven't looked into these places much yet.




KOKORO: Oh, Rena and Yuki sent something.

RENA: I wouldn't recommend the rooftop storage room. Last time I went, I was almost crushed under all the junk stacked up in there.


YUKI: Are you guys going to the nurse's office? I wanna go tooooooo

KOKORO: Sounds like the rooftop storage room is dangerous. What should we do?




AO: I think this is a good opportunity to clean it up. We might even find something useful.


(*Ao strikes a cute pose.*)


KOKORO: All right, let's check out all of them.



MUSIC: I Can Feel Your Body Heat




AO: So... where to first? Something here has to give us a clue or an idea about the Heartscapes.


KOKORO: Mm... Why don't we walk around the whole school? Even if we don't find anything, it'll be a nice way to spend the day.


AO: Yeah! Let's do it.






AO: The hallway is empty... Feels kinda eerie.


KOKORO: Should we tell ghost stories here sometime?


AO: That'd be so scary! But I do kinda want to...



(*Just outside the work room we can find Rena in the hallway, also out of her usual blazer and in her summer uniform.*)



RENA: Cleaning up a place this big is a chore.


RENA: ...It would be a lot easier if a certain someone cleaned her shoes off properly.


AO: I'll be sure to remind Yuki that the next time I see her.


RENA: I wasn't talking about Kinjou...


AO: Ehehe... sorry...



(*In the hallway around the work room, there's a postboard with some school advertisements and notices...*)



(*A counter and window front opening to the work room...*)







(*Down the hallway from the work room is this break area, complete with an extended half circle of windows and a bench looking out to the brick courtyard and horizon beyond. The outside is surrounded by a flower bed of thin trees and white hydrangea bushes.*)




AO: (Maybe I'll grab a drink. Something fizzy would really hit the spot on a hot day like this.)


KOKORO: Are you thirsty, Ao?


AO: No, I just happened to walk this way. But why not have a drink while we're here?


KOKORO: I'll join you.





(*A nearby door leads out and around the sides of the school, the left leading to the pool and courtyard.*)






AO: (Oh yeah, it was raining earlier. There are still raindrops on the hydrangeas... It's so pretty.)


(*A better look can be had at the flower garden here, the hydrangeas are focused more to the right side of it.*)





(* The school's pool is fenced and walled off, but somewhat festive with it's multicolored red, yellow, and blue pennant strings. *)






KOKORO: I wonder if this pool is clean enough to swim in...


AO: Looks clean to me. It should be fine.




KOKORO: (unsure) Yeah, but... The pool water hasn't been changed since we got here.


KOKORO: Do you think somebody cleans the pool...?


(*She cocks her head to the side, curious.*)




AO: Hmm... This world is full of mystery. Maybe some kind of mysterious force is cleansing this water.


KOKORO: Doesn't it just feel a little gross, though...?


AO: Yeah... Maybe we should try giving it a thorough cleaning.


KOKORO: Yeah. We can ask everybody to come help.


(*Ao suddenly gets hyped up.*)




AO: Ooh! I've seen that kind of scene in anime! Can we spray each other with a hose and everything?


KOKORO: (sighing) ...As long as you don't forget to actually do the cleaning.

AO: A pool that's always filled with clean, sparkling water. The shower next to it is where we get cleaned up after a hard day's work.

(*The nearby building of blue corrugated metal is the changing room.*)




KOKORO: I'm a bit sweaty... Maybe I'll change my clothes.


AO: Oh! Uh, I can wait outside!


KOKORO: ...? You can wait right there. It's hot outside.


AO: R-Right...




AO: (The lockers. We all try to keep our areas tidy.)


AO: (But what's with all these other uniforms? They don't match anything we're wearing...?)


(*The changing room isn't particularly fancy, notable only for the collection of lockers and their abandoned contents.*)




AO: (If there are any towels left by the sink, they're probably Yuki's...)


(*It does have some mirrors and sinks though.*)





(*Following the path down to the other end of the alley is large white building, rather square and tall. This is the gymnasium. *)




AO: Hmm...


KOKORO: Ao? What do you keep looking up at there?


AO: Just seeing if there are any balls stuck in the rafters.





(*There seems to be no sports equipment lost and abandoned in the roof after a wild kick, though the roof is quite high. The gymnasium is as tall as 3 stories, and also features a large platform in the back, the stage from which important announcements were once given.*)



(*Back outside and in the other direction is a long runway of tree planters and a long hedge wall across the left, sectioning this area off from the ocean beyond. Far ahead is that school gate, opening plainly to the horizon. *)






AO: Is this a cherry blossom tree?


KOKORO: I think so...? The flowers are all gone, so it's hard to tell.


AO: I'd love to see it when they're in bloom.


AO: (Although... that'd mean being here for an entire year...)




KOKORO: I wonder what happened to ground back here. It's always been like this.


AO: No idea. Did some big monster step on it or something?


(*A sizeable section of the brick courtyard back here is fractured and raised above the rest... *)



(*...Just as the fragments of walkway beyond the school gate seems to have been torn from the earth itself.*)






AO: So this is the front gate.


KOKORO: It's right on the edge of a cliff, so be careful not to fall.


AO: Hmm, nothing as far as the eye can see...


(*Ao stretches, sighing.*)




AO: Maybe we could escape if we built a boat. Nah, there's no guarantee that anything is out there.


KOKORO: I wonder if this just keeps going forever.


AO: Well, maybe we should give up on trying to leave this place.

AO: The school gate here doesn't lead anywhere. Beyond it is nothing but the expanse of sea. I used to pass through one every day back in our world, but lately I haven't even come close to it.

(*The nearby door there leads to the area with the trophy cabinet and the path down to the docks. *)




AO: (The trophies are always polished and shiny.)


AO: (...But I never see anyone clean them. I suppose they just stay clean in there?)






KOKORO: Are the fish biting today?


AO: Not at all. You must have scared them off.


KOKORO: Am I that scary...?


AO: Well... we did say how we were planning on catching them the last time we were here...



(*Back inside the school and to the end of the hall next to the trophy area is another staircase to the second floor.*)



(*The light that pours into the second floor is dimmer than the first thanks to the raised curtains. At this end of the hall, an assortment of tables, chairs, and student desks can be found.*)






AO: Oh, this is the teacher's lounge.


KOKORO: Yeah. But the door is locked, so we can't get in.


AO: Well, I wouldn't want to anyway. I don't have any good memories of being in there.




KOKORO: Did you get in trouble a lot?


AO: They always confiscated the manga that I brought to school...




AO: It's only us here now, but I wonder if this school had teachers at one point.


KOKORO: Who knows... Wanna knock on the door?


AO: What if somebody answered?!


(*Ao reels back in shock.*)




AO: But there is a part of me that's a little curious... H-hey, wait! Kokoro?!



*Knocking*



KOKORO: Excuse me!




KOKORO: ...I guess no one is here after all.


AO: Whew... That's a relief.


(*Ao slumps over, sighing.*)

AO: One of the rooms closed off to us. I rarely ever came here back in our world, so I don't really know what it's like in there. I doubt it's very comfortable, though.

AO: ...Now that I think about it, if there was someone else here, wouldn't we have met them by now? They'd have to leave to get food to eat right?


KOKORO: I suppose that's true... Maybe Yuko hides in there? A ghost wouldn't have to eat.


AO: Oh, that's right! Yuko! I haven't seen her since we started going deeper into your Heartscape.


AO: Hm... maybe I'll get Yuki to do a stakeout with me...





(*Down the long hall is not only a bathroom, but a few more classrooms, but...*)




AO: (An empty classroom. We should find a good use for this space.)


AO: (...But, I don't really have any ideas on what.)


(*Near the end of the hall, we come across two more closed rooms before the library.*)




AO: (The writers' room. The door won't open. Wait, what is a writers' room even for?)




AO: (The broadcasting room. We can use it to make big announcements. Though FreeSpace works just fine.)


AO: (...Even so, it would be kinda fun to try it once.)





VIDEO: Ao's Favorite Theory






AO: I haven't really noticed till now, but this place really is a treasure trove of information, huh?


KOKORO: I wonder if there's anything about this world.


(*The library has shelves and shelves of books as expected, with lower ones in the middle, but we can see shelves running up to the ceiling all along the walls.*)




AO: Only one way to find out!


(*Ao gives a fist pump as we fade out...*)





*We find Kokoro looking at the titles of some books still on the shelves until...*




AO: Kokoro, this library is amazing! They have every volume of The Death God Theory!




KOKORO: The Death God what...?


AO: It's the name of an anime! These are the books it's based on.




AO: I can't believe these are at a school library! Whoever put these here must be my kindred spirit!




KOKORO: Hehe... You really like those books, don't you, Ao?


AO: What kind of books do you like, Kokoro?


(*Her eyes widen, being put on the spot so suddenly.*)



(*Kokoro thinks for a moment...*)




KOKORO: Um... Sorry, I'm afraid I can't remember.




KOKORO: ...But I am a little interested in these romance novels.


(*She looks to the books on the shelf behind her.*)



AO: Good choice! Let's read them sometime.




AO: (seriously) And The Death God Theory too, of course!


KOKORO: Hehe. Sure.




KOKORO: That reminds me, have you found anything that might be a clue?


AO: Oh yeah, there were these super weird books.




AO: There's nothing written on the covers or inside. Just some kind of decoration on the front.


KOKORO: Oh, I saw some like that too. And there weren't just one or two of them.


(*Kokoro's eyes light up in surprise.*)




AO: Yeah. Maybe there aren't as many actual books in here as it seems.


AO: I feel like I've seen a lot of the real books before.


AO: And the ones I don't know are all cookbooks or horror novels...




KOKORO: None of these books are very helpful, are they?




AO: There's something weird about this library... The genres of the books in here are all over the place.

AO: The library is stocked with a plethora of books, and since no one's watching, you can read anything for as long as you want! But the selection of reading material is very unique. Quite different from your typical school library.

AO: Find something?


KOKORO: ...No, I was just looking at these fashion magazines. I think I've seen at least some of them before too.


KOKORO: Did you want to go up to the roof now?


AO: Sure, let's go clean up that storage room. Maybe a clue's hiding in there!





(*Back down the hall and at the staircase we ascended, there's another set behind a barred door. Presumably to lock the roof access off from students when necessary.*)




KOKORO: What a lovely view.


AO: Yeah, it's like, soothing for the soul. Perfect place to come and think.


KOKORO: You should try to not take too much on, Ao.


AO: I won't, don't worry. I'd like to think we all learned that lesson in your Heartscape.


KOKORO: ...Yeah.





(*The roof is a long plain rectangle with waist high railings, but you can see far off into the endless blue from here. Ahead is a small building, with air-conditioning machines visible up top.*)




KOKORO: Looks like the tarp is still holding up!


AO: Who knew a leaky roof could be such good motivation? Is this what they mean when they say to appreciate misfortune?


KOKORO: Hehe... maybe.





(*In the shadow of the now noon sun is small railed staircase leading to a door. We head inside to find...*)



VIDEO: A Drawing of a Girl




AO: Huh? Rena said this place was a dangerous mess, but...


KOKORO: It certainly doesn't seem so bad...


(*...A surprisingly tidy work room, complete with metal shelves of craft supplies and a center table with lamps and scattered hammers, compasses, protractors... and a notebook and pencil right under one of the lights.*)




AO: Oh, there's a computer!


(*Our attention is brought to a black business PC and rectangle monitor on a table in the back. Curiously, there's also a model shark head next to it seemingly named "Harry".*)






AO: Do you think it has an internet connection?




AO: Let's see... Hm?


KOKORO: What's the matter?




AO: There's a drawing of a girl...


(*There's also a girl behind them...*)




RENA: What are you doing in here?




AO: Aaaah!


(*Their faces light up in terror. Rena was completely silent while entering the room.*)




AO: Oh, it's just Rena. Don't scare us like that!




RENA: I've been using this place when I want to get some alone time. That's why I didn't want anyone coming here...


RENA: (plainly) But I don't own this room, so I suppose I don't have the right to complain.


(*She looks down, her eyes closed.*)




AO: Hey, do you mind if I use this computer? I want to see if it has access to the outside world.


RENA: ...As long as you don't use it for anything weird.


AO: Got it. I'll borrow it just for a bit.



*Typing noises*


AO: Nope, nothing. I can't get online at all.


AO: There aren't even any files on this thing. About all you can do on it is play around with this drawing program.




RENA: (disappointed) That's a shame... I'll tell you if I find anything myself.


AO: That would be great.




AO: (...Wait, what was up with that drawing of a girl I saw anyway?)

AO: A quiet place where you can come to have a moment alone. It's a great spot to come to when you want some time to think, or have an important talk with someone. I've heard that the roof is usually locked up at most schools, but it seems like it was left open here.

AO: I'm sure this room had some other use before, but now it's just used for storage. There's all kinds of random stuff scattered around it. Rena goes in there a lot, but what in the world could she be doing?

AO: (Computers are usually treasure troves of information, but there's nothing on this one.)


AO: (I suppose even machines are prone to memory loss.)




RENA: I told you not to go in...


AO: Sorry, Rena... We were just looking for more clues on the Heartscapes.


RENA: I realize this, but please exercise more caution in the future...







(*The infirmary is at the right end of the first floor, just on the other wall from the trophy case and near the second exit..*)



VIDEO: Mature Taste



(*The inside of the shaded infirmary is orderly yet cluttered at the same time. The staff desks are covered in office supplies, the table with reading material sitting in an uneven pile with one book left open... and a fake plant standing around somewhat out in the open. Despite this, the beds and sheets to the left are kept rather clean and tidy.*)




AO: Looks just like I'd expect a nurse's office to look.


KOKORO: (thoughtfully) I'm not sure we'll be able to find any clues here...


AO: We might as well take a look around while we're here.





(*Time passes, and we find Ao searching through one of the nurse's desks...*)



(*...As Kokoro stares at a teddy bear with a red scarf and the nearby photograph, lost in thought.*)



(*It's then that we see Yuki's shoes enter in from the doorway.*)




YUKI: Hey, hey, people! Did I keep you waiting?




AO: Uh... Did you say you were coming?

(*Yuki is stunned silent for a moment.*)




YUKI: (indignant) *Gasp*! You forgot about me?!




AO: Sorry, we're sorry! So, what are you doing here anyway?


YUKI: Duh, 'cause nurse's offices are the best!




AO: They are...?



(*Yuki looks to the stands and shelves behind her, smiling.*)




YUKI: I think the smell of antiseptic and gauze and stuff is kind of relaxing.


AO: Really? I can't stand it.




YUKI: I guess a little girl like you wouldn't understand the mature appeal of a nice nurse's office.


(*Yuki raises her hand to her cheek, smirking.*)




AO: (tersely) What are you talking about...?



(*The scene fades with Yuki giggling to herself...*)

AO: The nurse's office reeks of antiseptic. It's equipped well enough to take care of light injuries. This place makes me uncomfortable, but Yuki seems to find it calming.

KOKORO: Are you tired, Ao? Do you want to lie down for a bit?


AO: Nope, I'm still full of energy!


KOKORO: Hehe, okay.


AO: I was just checking out the beds. They do look pretty comfortable...




AO: (A scale. Not for the faint of heart.)


(*On our way out, there's a pretty extensive bookshelf presumably of medical material as well as the dreaded scales nearby, against the wall that divides the entrance from beds. Following this, we fade out...*)



VIDEO: New Plans

MUSIC: Chatting into the Night



(*We find Ao and Kokoro walking down the first floor hall, talking to one another.*)



*Phone notification*


(*Ao is cut off in shock by sound from her phone, and the both of them stop.*)

RENA: Shall we continue our chat from yesterday?


YUKI: You mean about how Heartscapes pop up outta nowhere??


RENA: Yes


YUKI: Okay! That work for the others too?

(*Ao looks to Kokoro who nods with a smile.*)

KOKORO: Sure


AO: Cool for me too! ₁


RENA: Let's meet in the usual classroom then

// Alternate Texts: 1- "I'm ready anytime!" //



(*Ao looks away from her phone and back to Kokoro with a smile of her own.*)



*And as the two look ahead to the classroom 1-A, we fade out...*





-------------------------

Ugh, I didn't get enough sleep at all... Kokoro must've noticed, 'cause she suggested we take it easy and look around the school today. She's so nice. Seriously, she's an angel!

For now, we decided to check out some of the rooms we haven't investigated much, based on ReSource's information.

AO: A pier extending along the floating railroad. Kokoro is really fond of this spot. Sometimes you can see fish when looking into the water. If we have fish for dinner, it means that someone came here to catch it.

AO: A room we think used to be the school store that we set up for our own use. We keep all kinds of things like tableware and tools in there, so we call it the work room.

AO: This is where we usually hang out, and also where we sleep. It's gotten pretty messy because we keep finding things that we like and end up leaving them here. But no one seems to mind, and it's super comfy either way.

[Odd Wilson]

Behind schedule again, but I'll get there eventually. I'm happier to take longer on these just to make sure everything is good rather than trying to push the update out, but man, never feels good to be delayed on these. Had it all almost written yesterday, but it took me almost all of today to clean up some technical stuff and rerecord sections for better screenshots.

I did find that there's a small dialogue if you take a full team wipe in Kokoro's Heartscape during this chapter, but I'm trying to find a good place where I can put that. Maybe I'll just stick it in a tiny bonus update.

Chapter 2 is almost here, folks!

[Mercerino]

Finally, the first time the date BGM plays. I liked the inclusion of ambient sounds, but after all the dates (of which there are a lot, especially once Chapter 2 opens,) I got tired of it. Couldn't they have made an alternate track for these? Although, at the end of the day, it still is good music.

Looking forward to Chapter 2 (and introduction of best girl!)

[Odd Wilson]

Journal Entry 13: Hiding No Longer

// We return to the girls meeting up in the classroom... //


VIDEO: Extreme School Makeover

MUSIC: Our Days






AO: Okay! Anyone who's figured out how to make a Heartscape appear, raise your hand!


(*The room is filled with sighs and silence as...*)




AO: ...


KOKORO: ...


YUKI: ...


RENA: ...


(*...nobody seems to have anything to say.*)




RENA: Any ideas, Utsubo?


KOKORO: Sorry, but no.


AO: Aw...


(*Yuki stretches her arms, eyes closed.*)




YUKI: This is boring! Let's do something fun!


RENA: What do you mean, "something fun"?


YUKI: Well... I guess...



(*She looks to Rena, smiling, but trails off as she thinks. The room is left in expectant silence once again.*)




YUKI: Ooh, I know! Let's make our own secret hideout!


RENA: Huh?




YUKI: We can build things all over the school and make it into our own little theme park! We've got nothing but time, right?


YUKI: Like an extreme school makeover!


RENA: Th-that's a little...


AO: That sounds awesome! Let's do it!


RENA: You too, Hoshizaki? Shouldn't you be figuring out how to get home?




AO: There's nothing wrong with a little detour!




KOKORO: I agree as well.


YUKI: Right?




KOKORO: Now that I've remembered some things, I may have a few ideas.


YUKI: Yay, Kokoro! I knew I could count on you!


AO: Sweet! Let's get to work, everyone!


(*Ao leans forward in her seat, ready to get started as Rena looks away, eyes half-lidded in the usual sour way.*)




RENA: *Sigh* I guess I have no choice...


YUKI: Oooh! I wanna make a castle!


(*As the girls continue to talk, the view shifts away to focus on the "SUMMER VACATION" so prominently drawn on the chalkboard...*)




RENA: That is obviously not possible.


YUKI: Of course it is! Right, Kokoro?


KOKORO: Hmm? Uh... Yeah, sure.


(*Our view then shifts to the open window where the laundry hangs, curtains drifting slowly in a light breeze. Beyond, the deep blue sky is marbled with clouds.*)




AO: We have to believe that we can do it!


YUKI: Exactly! Ao gets it!


AO: (plainly) Though a castle is totally impossible.


YUKI: Wha— Hey!



(*We can even see the sun shafts cut-*)





(*-ting through the trees, the summer sun beaming down.*)



MUSIC: Let's Girl Talk!



(*We rejoin Ao in the classroom, Kokoro and Rena still present as the midday sun pours in through the windows.*)




KOKORO: I can't wait for our secret hideout to be finished!


AO: Well, let's get started right away! As our foremost expert on secret hideouts, your presence is needed in the work room.


KOKORO: Hehe, okay. I'll see what all I can remember.




RENA: Memories, huh... I wonder if my memories are somewhere too.


RENA: I suppose the better question is where my Heartscape is. That is, if I even have one.


AO: I'm sure we'll come up with something in time, I just know it!


RENA: ...If you say so, Hoshizaki. I'll be along in a minute, you don't have to wait for me.





(*And with that, off to the work room Ao goes...*)



(*Inside, we cut to Ao talking with Kokoro, a hand on her chin in thought.*)




AO: Okay, so in order to make a building...




KOKORO: We'll need to gather the necessary materials.


AO: Materials for a secret hideout, huh... What did you use to build yours, Kokoro?


(*Ao returns her hand to her side as Kokoro looks away and downwards, tilting her head.*)




KOKORO: Hmm, let me think...


(*She suddenly looks up.*)



KOKORO: Okay, I remember a few things now.




KOKORO: Do you think you could make these?






KOKORO: There's a lot of scrap wood and cloth we've gathered but... I don't know how we can piece it together.




AO: To make planks and cloth? Hm... I think I've got an idea on how to, yeah!




AO: Maybe if we try some of that sand we end up with so much of...



MUSIC: Working Together Jingle


(*The girls once again meet around the table, blueprints and drafting paper ready as they set to work...*)



(*Planning...*)



(*Crafting...*)



(*...and celebrating their success, of course.*)

Type: Materials


KOKORO: A lightweight, easy to use wooden plank. You can use it for all kinds of things. I think it may be a little on the weak side, but it should be okay for small buildings.

Type: Materials


RENA: This cloth is several times tougher than normal cloth. It's so tough that it's quite difficult to cut. I wonder if you could make a bulletproof vest with this...maybe not.

// Wooden Planks and Sturdy Cloth are the reasons why we'll need so much Warm and Cool Sand respectively, as they're the most common materials for consructions. //



(*We now find Ao talking with Yuki in the work room.*)




AO: All right, I think we have all the materials we need to build the secret hideout.


YUKI: Let's get to building!


(*Yuki gives an arm pump, hyping herself up.*)




YUKI: What kind of place should we make? The secret hideout can't be a normal building, that'd be boring!


AO: You say that, but we don't have the skills to make something crazy...


*Phone notification*

RE-SOURCE: Well, here's a life hack, just for you!


RE-SOURCE: Let your feelings flow into your rings as you build.


RE-SOURCE: With your powers combined, you'll be able to create a building that fits all of your desires!

AO: Wow... This thing can do some amazing stuff.


AO: I wonder if that's also how making our materials from a bunch of junk turned out so well?


YUKI: Hey, give my DIY skills some credit here too! Now let's build the best castle ever!


AO: (We're not building a castle out of wood...)






AO: Okay, let's get to work!


RENA: Do we have everything we need?




AO: Should be more than enough!


KOKORO: Where should we make it?




AO: How about... next to the picnic tables out front?


YUKI: Sounds good, let's do it!



*Clattering, metal clanking*

(*We are given a show of a big storm of dust being cartoonishly kicked up at the spot designated...*)




AO: All done! Not bad, if I say so myself!


// As a quick aside, buildings provide various bonuses, usually minor until upgraded further. The Beachside Cafe is just Attack Up S, minor but appreciated. Buildings also have sizes, able to fit into slots of their size or larger around the front or back of the school. //



VIDEO: Hidden In Plain Sight

MUSIC: Our Days



(*A watery blue flag with hot pink text advertising shaved ice...*)



(*Bottles of brightly colored flavoring...*)



(*These all accompany a rectangular shop stand of brown and yellow wood with a gray shingled overhanging roof. Shaded from the bright summer sun, its signs declare it to be a sweets store- the primary product easily assumed.*)

(*The girls all stand around, admiring their work.*)




YUKI: I think that takes care of everything!


RENA: It's a little different from how I'd imagined.


(*She crosses her arms, her expression going a little sour again.*)




AO: I thought we'd take advantage of the water and stuff and make a little beachside cafe. I could really go for some shaved ice.


RENA: (perking up) This is what we ended up with putting everyone's ideas together.




YUKI: Whoo-hoo! It's done!


(*Yuki puts her hands together with glee.*)



KOKORO: Heheh, that was so much fun!




AO: Takes me back to my days at summer camp! That was a blast!



(*As Ao gets visibly lost in reminiscing, Kokoro looks up at the cafe's sign.*)




KOKORO: ...



(*Ao watches her for a moment, silent.*)




AO: (sadly) Sorry we couldn't make it like the secret hideout in your Heartscape.


(*Kokoro shakes her head, and Ao's eyes widen a little.*)




KOKORO: No, this is plenty.




KOKORO: Besides, the one I made back then got destroyed. I'm glad we could complete this one together.




KOKORO: Maybe...


(*She looks away distantly, her expression darkening a little.*)




KOKORO: Maybe if the bullies never found our hideout...



(*As she closes her eyes, all fades to white.*)



MUSIC: Chatting into the Night


(*Our vision returns to the silhouettes of Kokoro and Shiho as kids, standing outside the stall. The view distorts with hashed lines and fog around the edges as we've seen before... but there's no static.*)




YOUNG SHIHO: You finished it. Our secret hideout.


YOUNG KOKORO: Yeah. The bullies can't find me if we hide here.


(*Kokoro's shadow looks up at the cafe stall, then back to her friend.*)




YOUNG KOKORO: (quietly) Let's stay here forever...




YOUNG SHIHO: You can't do this, Kokoro.


(*Suddenly the camera lifts up-*)






SHIHO: We all have to leave our safe places someday.


(*- as Kokoro looks up at a taller Shiho, who returns the gaze with her hands on her hips sternly.*)



(*The young Kokoro stares up at her...*)



(*Then looks down-*)






KOKORO: Yeah... You're right. That's why you're here, Shiho.


(*- before matching her gaze, her shadow vanishing and returning to her present self.*)




KOKORO: Let's go outside. Together.


(*She extends a hand to her friend with a grin...*)




SHIHO: Okay!



(*Their hands reach out to one another...!*)







(*With a rush, we're pulled back to the present. Kokoro's eyes remain closed for moment, but jump open.*)




KOKORO: Huh?



MUSIC: Blue Reflection - A Destiny All My Own


(*Standing in front of her, holding her hand is a girl with wide blue eyes, long brown hair and sideswept bangs... equally staring back in shock.*)




RENA: Wha—?! Wh-who is that?


AO: When did—?!


(*The girl drops Kokoro's hand and stares back and forth at the four surrounding her.*)




???: Huh? Why am I...


(*She looks down and puts a hand to her head, a deeply troubled and confused expression waving over her face.*)



(*Kokoro is still staring on in shock for a while longer, before an unsure expression of her own takes over.*)




KOKORO: Shiho?

NOTIFICATION: Shiho Kasuga joined the group.

// So ends Chapter 1.

You can find the >>NEXT VOTE HERE << //



-------------------------

We looked all around the school, but we didn't find anything useful. Well, guess we've just gotta keep trying.

Afterwards, we had another brainstorming sesh. After seeing Kokoro's memories, Yuki came up with the idea—excuse me, the BRILLIANT PROPOSAL—to build a secret hideout somewhere in this school.

Who knows? It might even help us find the next Heartscape...

[Odd Wilson]

For those who may be interested to know, Shiho leads the poll with Rena just behind. This has just been my post chapter week-long break, updates will resume as usual (the same shaky Saturday-Monday schedule we're on.)

(Also I'm glad your dog is doing better, comment boxer )