In the morning, Nanako is staring at a potted seedling. The students were given vegetables to plant in school, but Dojima has been completely unhelpful. I perform his parenting duties for him and tell her to plant them in the grave giant mound by the house. Ah, so finally we get the promised gardening sim.
Nanako wants to make a sign for the garden, which I can tell her “Sounds hard,“ if I want to crush her spirit. Instead I go along with it and she’s happy. Then she offers to water the garden and I can either offer to help or say “It’s all up to you,“ if I want to be a horrible brother. I pick the former and gain social points. The game informs me that maintaining the garden costs a time slot but will improve the yield.
I find Yukiko in front of the book store. I go on a date with her since she’s still at rank 1. She’s looking at books about job certifications because she wants to apply for one.
YUKIKO: Inside the TV… The “other me” said she didn’t want to inherit the inn… I think… those were my true feelings.
You “think”? That’s not what you said when you fused with her! Way to undermine that emotional moment, game. Yukiko declares that she’s going to leave when she graduates, which gets a !! from John and makes Yukiko blush. Yukiko wants to become an interior decorator, because even when women are independent they must take feminine jobs. However, she needs money to apply for the certification, so I tell her she can take the part-time job making envelopes. We rank up and she learns… Mudo? Wasn’t expecting that, but it’ll be nice to have that on someone with the SP to use it.
On the 23rd I find Reverse Weeaboo hiding in the classroom building. She rewards my exam performance with chest keys (where are people getting these) and asks me to bring her a “suspicious pole” so she can make a new dowsing rod. I’m starting to wonder if the students did gossip about me and now everyone knows I’m the person to ask for weird magic items.
I go on a date with Yosuke, who takes me into the city.
Mmm, pollution. After this he gets a spam text message and worries that a spammer must have gotten his number. He doesn’t want to change his cell number in case any of his old friends from the city try to call him, though he doesn’t find that very likely.
YOSUKE: Oh but hey, don’t look at me like I don’t have any friends! …… Though to tell you the truth, I don’t remember what we used to talk about. Can’t really call ’em friends…
Hm. I wonder how this fits with my theory he’s a sociopath. He seems upset that he doesn’t have friends, but it doesn’t seem like he had any personal connection with him; his focus is just on feeling rejected in general.
He ruminates on how anyway he likes the country more anyway and it’s totally not sour grapes (even though we were introduced to him saying he hated how boring it was compared to the city), then declares they should immediately head back to Inaba right after we came all this way. He just wanted to smell the air, I guess.
In the evening I hang out with Nanako, but don’t rank up. On the 24th I go grocery shopping with Yukiko. Since she’s planning to leave town, she wants to learn how to cook, since apparently she doesn’t know how to… which actually makes sense, on reflection, since the inn probably has cooks to take care of everything. She wants me to taste-test her cooking for her, and I’m apparently not brave enough to enthusiastically accept even though my courage is at 3/5. Wandering around at night takes less courage than taste-testing my friend’s cooking, apparently? Yukiko goes on to talk about how her Persona power has made her more confident in herself. Great, but can you not blab about that in public, Yukiko? Why does no one understand infosec?
On the 25th Yukiko is apparently ready for another date, so I head to the flood plain with her. She’s made boxed lunches that she has apparently not taste-tested herself because “I wanted you to be the first to try it.” Very romantic, Yukiko, but can you at least make sure you’re not poisoning me? It’s too terrible for John to hide it, so Yukiko is sad. Her Persona learns… Divine Grace! Oh, that is good. (Seems it’s confirming she’s the dedicated healer, though.)
In the evening I can finally rank up with Nanako. Dojima is finally going to come home tonight, so Nanako needs to make dinner, but she’s missing an ingredient. I offer to go shopping with her, and… that’s all it takes to rank up. Geez, this poor kid is desperate. By the time we get back Dojima is already home and is mad at us for going out at night. I don’t have enough expression to explain the simple concept of “we were missing an ingredient” so my only choice is to vaguely say it’s not Nanako’s fault, which just makes Nanako angry at Dojima. Only after she storms off do I suddenly gain the ability to explain things to him.
On the 26th Reverse Weeaboo gets to talk about her true love, the Egyptians, and how worker attendance logs disprove the theory the pyramids were build by slaves. (She does not, however, mention the fact that they went on strikes for better pay.) She mentions that her older brother is a samurai with no interest in ancient civilizations… I wonder if he’s Mr. Ono?
Yosuke’s ready to go on another date. I’m really knocking these out! Our date is interrupted by him fielding a bunch of employee complaints.
GAUDY STUDENT: You better say something to that blockhead manager! I told him I can’t come in on Saturdays or Sundays. But he’s saying I have to be here since we’re low on staff. And if I don’t, he’ll fire me!
SNOOTY STUDENT: Isn’t there some kind of law against that?!
YOSUKE: Er, but… didn’t you guys say you could work weekends during your interviews?
GAUDY STUDENT: Well, yeah. They wouldn’t hire us if we didn’t!
I’m sure we’re intended to see the students as unreasonable, but yeesh if this isn’t a frustratingly accurate depiction of capitalism. I’m pretty sure short-staffing is illegal in some places outside of the US. This is why we need UBI, comrades; you wouldn’t be getting so many employee complaints if they actually wanted to work for you.
After, Yosuke himself complains about having to act as the complaints department when he’s busy investigating the murders, going on a long rant about how we just have to do it all ourselves because there’s definitely no way the police could handle it! Again, I see no reason to believe they couldn’t if we would just stop withholding information from them. But if we didn’t that might get in the way of your hero fantasy, wouldn’t it, Yosuke? The most I can say in response to this is “Don’t get too excited,” which just makes him angry because he assumes I mean we should just let the murders happen. Does the game not think hero complexes are bad, is that what’s going on here?
Yosuke says that his previous friendships were all very superficial, but with the investigation team he can be more serious.
YOSUKE: I dunno why, but I feel like I don’t have to lie…
Why did you have to lie to your other friends, Yosuke? He follows up by acknowledging that, oh yeah, I’ve already seen his worst self, and thanks me for helping him with his Shadow. For this, he learns Dekaja, which is more useful than Trafuri so I replace it.
It’s the day before a harvest, so I maintain the garden in the evening. Dojima’s home, so he helps out and I get social points with him.
No one propositions me on the 27th, so I work at the daycare to advance that subplot. After work, I run into the mother from before.
YUUTA’S MOTHER: *giggle* You’re a high school student, right? You seem so mature…
Choose your next words carefully, woman.
We finally get her name: Eri Minami. She gives me the Temperance social link.
ERI: Oh, right. I still need to pick [my child] up.
Yeah, good luck with getting him to like you, lady.
I harvest the crops and plant new ones. Apparently I can only plant one seedling.
On the 28th I find Namatame sulking around the commercial district, but I can’t get anything more from him. Nobody propositions me at lunchtime, so I hang out with the fox to tell it I fulfilled a request. I rank up and get a discount on its exorbitant healing fees, nice.
On the 29th I get subjected to Tanaka’s Amazing Commodities. The new gimmick this time is that he sells two sets of items, but you can only pick one. I have plenty of cash at the moment, so I buy the more expensive one (a weapon for Chie).
Kou calls me for a date, so I go with the sports boys to the bookstore. Daisuke wanted to buy a comic, but got the wrong one. He offers it to me, and I can refuse if I’m an idiot. And… I actually get it as a book! I’ll see what it does later. Chie also shows up.
CHIE: Now that’s a weird trio… Then again, you guys are all into sports, huh?
Actually, I’ve been hanging out with them outside of sports practice a lot more. I’m a truant!
I’ve finally leveled up my expression enough to talk to Dojima, so I do.
DOJIMA: So… What have you been doing after school?
And he immediately starts interrogating me. I say I’m hanging out with friends, because that is true, but he immediately doubts me.
DOJIMA: Whoops… this is turning into an interrogation, isn’t it?
Thank you for admitting it. I ask, “Do you still suspect me?” because I’m not letting him go that easily. He says no, then pivots to complimenting me for my work around the house.
DOJIMA: You’re more like a very young brother to me than a son.
I can joke, “Should I call you big bro?” which makes him happy. Not sure why we needed expression skills, this guy is easy.
On the 30th Morooka thinks that Kanji is faking illness to get out of school. Do teachers not talk to parents in this town? It honestly feels really odd that it takes them so long to recover; surely rescuing them early should make them recover faster? I know it would mess with the calendar, but given it’s still competing with other characters’ social links, would it really? Surely players should be rewarded for doing well and rescuing the victims early?
I hang out with Chie to get her up to the same rank as the others. She decides to train by the river again. A kid she knows pops up and reveals she’s apparently had a hero complex since elementary school, and jokingly asks what superhero title she’s made for herself this time. I tell him that she’s a hero, because she actually is now. He asks if Chie can hook him up with Yukiko, and Chie gets annoyed by this even though she’s previously been wingmaning For Some Reason. He leaves and Chie looks sad. I can offer to hold her hand — woah that is way too forward — or do a silly impression of the kid, which makes her laugh. She then gets weird about the kid and doth protest too much about how she’s totally not into him, sigh.
…I did wonder why they were willing to make Kanji explicitly gay but wouldn’t do the same with Yukiko and Chie, and I suddenly realize it’s to keep them sexually available to the male protagonist, isn’t it.
Chie gains Ice Boost for this, but… she’s not a caster, so I think it’d be better to keep her physical skills instead.
In the evening, Nanako’s available for hangouts, but…
NANAKO: Hey, big bro. …Why do people die?
JESUS, kid’s coming out swinging. I apparently can’t handle this conversation until I level up my expression again, so I literally run away from her and chug some expired milk instead. Imagine how weird that must be from Nanako’s perspective.
On the 31st I go on a date with Yukiko. She’s going shopping at Junes for study materials for her job applications. Some weird guys show up to sneer at her about what a dump the town is, then walk off. Yukiko reveals they were tabloid journalists who wanted to do an exploitative piece on the inn and the murder; her mother turned them down, but Yukiko wanted them to do it so that the inn would be ruined and “I’d feel better about leaving.” I can’t tell her that’s a perfectly reasonable thing to feel, only “Are you serious?” or “That’s selfish.” Either way, Yukiko thanks me for listening.
In the evening Dojima is available for hangouts.
DOJIMA: Are you that bored?
Don’t make me regret this, Dojima. …And of course it immediately turns into an interrogation. He’s noticed that I’ve spent a lot of time at Junes, especially the electronics section. Nanako shows up and he lies about this not being an interrogation, but it turns out she’s just jealous he talks with me more than her. Dojima lies that he always talks with her, which Nanako does not buy for a second, but then she becomes tired and has to go to bed.
DOJIMA: Truth is, I mostly left raising her up to my wife… her mother…
What a shocking turn of events. Dojima says he doesn’t feel fit to be her family, which, yeah, you’re a pretty terrible dad. A gaslighting dad, too.
DOJIMA: You think just being related by blood makes you “family”? …… That’s not the case…
Intriguing, but I’m sure this will resolve with “It’s okay Awful Dad, you are my real family!”
On the 1st of June (wow, Kanji is taking a while) I pick up another shrine request.
I want to clear my mind of snacks. I want to hate them.
Oh boy, we’re helping someone with their eating disorder. I find her outside the pharmacy being incredibly weird. She hints that I need to find a girl with a different “essence” to get her an “odd” snack. Okay.
None of my teammates are ready to rank up yet, so I hang out with the sports boys again. The teacher has gotten so sick of the team’s laziness that he’s brought in another student to be our manager.
The guys immediately swoon over her, but as soon as the teacher leaves she says she’s only here remedially and will be doing the bare minimum. Afterwards, Kou dines with us at the fast food restaurant, and explains his family situation a little more. Apparently, he’s adopted: His dad didn’t have any kids to pass on their noble title, so he adopted Kou out of desperation for an heir. However, just two years ago his dad ended up having a kid anyway, so he’s likely to get disowned.
In the evening, I have apparently guilted Dojima into taking Nanako on a trip to Junes. While there, I encounter Chie and Yukiko.
CHIE: Man, you really look great in a kimono, Yukiko. That long, black hair is perfect for it.
This is already delightfully gay even before remembing this is after Yukiko’s Shadow confirmed she wears her current outfit because Chie likes it.
CHIE: It’s like, those two things together add up to something really special. I can see why guys fall for you so easily.
Oh my god she just keeps going. Yukiko flirts back by complimenting Chie on how brave and acrobatic she is, which makes Chie sad because she’s unfeminine.
The 2nd is a rainy day, so I can’t hang out with anyone… except Yumi! I haven’t done her in a while, so I go to drama club. After Yumi brags about getting the lead role in the next play, someone shows up to say Yumi’s mother has fainted! So hm, maybe her mother is the terminally ill one? Actually, plot twist: At the hospital, we learn it’s her father who collapsed, but her mother lied because it was the only way to get Yumi to come — she hates her father, who abandoned them when Yumi was a child. Now that he’s dying, her mom wants to comfort him, but Yumi is furious and refuses to see him. If I attempt to comfort her she just gets more pissed off, which, fair.
I spend the 3rd and 4th studying, then the 5th is sunny again. Chie is at the shopping district, and it turns out she has the “odd snack” I need for the shrine quest: “meat gum”, which restores 25 HP. She muses that she should bring snacks the next time we go to the TV world, so you can get hungry in there. HOW ARE PEOPLE SURVIVING FOR WEEKS. My friends aren’t ready to rank up yet, but I find Adachi slacking off at Junes, so I hang out with him instead. He complains about being too tired from work to cook for himself (#relatable), so I offer to cook something for him.
ADACHI: Like… you’d come over to my house? Haha, that would be interesting. But I’d prefer a girl to come over.
On second thought, maybe not. I guess we now know why there are so many pedophiles in town: the police are also pedophiles.
ADACHI: Cute girls are the best. Though I go for the real knockouts, myself.
I really hope you’re the culprit so I get to kill you.
The old woman from before shows up to chatter at him. They’re not related, but her son has the same name as Adachi, so she dotes on him. Adachi is incredibly ungrateful for this and just finds her annoying. Apparently, “She’s the exact opposite of my parents, so I can’t relate to people like that.” Ominous.
You feel that you’ve seen a new side of Adachi…
I sure have.