So when we left off, I was in the middle of deciding which route to take from this point on. There being only one suggestion thus far doesn't help a lot though, so what I'm going to do is roll a die. (Normally I'd flip a coin for this sort of thing, but having three options doesn't really help for that. :/)
And since I don't have any standard six-sided dice on hand, I'm going to use this nifty D100 I swiped from a radio station around a year ago. If the number is divisible by three I'll pick Lisianthus, if it is one less than a number divisible by three I'll pick Nerine, and to honor the only suggestion thus far being Kaede, she shall have a slightly higher chance and be assigned to all numbers one higher than a multiple of three.
*finds dice* *rolls*
...32. Didn't seem to roll properly though... 62. Seriously? *spins rather than rolls* ...14.
Okay then, Miss Boobs it is.
.
Heh; when opening up Shuffle this time, I notice that the notice at the start says "Some Japanese words were remained untranslated". Shouldn't translators have a better grip of the English language before translating (and editors/proofreaders be more attentive to this kind of thing)?
Upon picking Nerine, Kareha starts seeming quite interested, while Asa wonders why I didn't pick Kaede. It was the roll of the dice ma'am. When explaining, Rin while referring to Nerine says "Her smile will comfort my soul"... I wonder whether the original Japanese was also in future-tense like that?
Oh Kareha loved that line.
Asa implies that this is not a route-locking moment however, saying that she wonders who I'll choose in the end. The dice say Nerine.
SUNDAY 20TH
Hey look, we're back at the CAFFE! Rin monologues that here, in the "shopping arcade" is where young people tend to gather no matter what day of the week it is. Oh and look, here's Asa in normal clothes for a change. First time I've ever seen a sleeveless hoodie though.
I ask whether she's shopping for ingredients, but she says she's going to a bakery with Kareha. When she takes a guess that I'm going on a date, I say I'm just shopping. Oddly, she thinks I'm being secretive... what? I just told you what I was doing.
After considering that I don't have a girlfriend, she wonders whether I'm gay. I hope people won't keep asking that (Considering that Nerine's father asked it recently too). I deny, and shoot back that Asa has never been known to be with guys either. She blames it on being around Kareha a lot, but Rin tells her that they are both pretty.
See? I knew we'd get her real introduction within the week.
After a bit of complimenting, she offers to go on a date between singles. I remind her about her already-existing plan of meeting up with Kareha. Implying that she never forgot, she runs off while I consider that while it may be fun to be with her, I'd likely get exhausted.
Alone now. After window shopping for a while, I see a girl standing in front of a "catcher machine". Oh look, it's Primula. Rin monologues her endearing traits and what she is doing - just staring at the machine - until Itsuki notices me. Ugh, not him again. Can I just get rid of him already? Maybe send him to Lisianthus' father to get beaten up?
In noticing that I was concentrated on someone who looks rather young (Although not being human, her actual age is uncertain), he says that if I'm in to that sort of thing he could introduce me to 2 or 3 young girls.
Uhh...
Apparently Itsuki is both a Lolicon and Cake Eater.
And he's calling me "Mr. Lolita-pedophile"? He's just... Ugh. I'll be extremely surprised if there's anyone more annoying than him throughout the whole plot of this thing. Somebody maul him already. At least Rin has the same view as me; it means the writers and translators were successful in creating empathy. (Actually, come to think of it, Itsuki has been smiling and speaking calmly pretty much every time I've seen him. That means that technically it's possible that him being a "bad friend" is entirely a thing of the translation. Not that there's any point in believing that; a story is a story.)
Itsuki then says he takes back an earlier statement, pointing out that the girl - as yet unnamed - has come up to me. She's tugging on my shirt but being silent, even when I ask her questions.
Oh! She seems to know my name. And asks if I know Nerine. Hrm. I reply in the affirmative and she suddenly hugs me. Huh. Itsuki keeps bugging me about my supposed preferences, all the meanwhile the so far unnamed girl keeps saying that she finally found me.
A short time later...
In front of Nerine's house, I see her sweeping. When she notices the girl who has been following me, she exclaims "Rim-chan!?"
Inside my house, Nerine's father is also here. Apparently Primula - first named just now - is a homunculus, a collaborative creation of the two magical worlds, and has extraordinary magical power. I note how ordinary she looks for a Devil-girl (Or so Rin monologues. I think devil-girls should have horns, wings and a tail.).
Nerine's father serves tea. Kaede pops up out of nowhere and says that he insisted, while he says that he loves doing this kind of thing. Weird.
More information about homunculi: Three were made, but the first two were uncontrollable and thus killed (or otherwise disposed of; it's not specific). Primula however has grown an attachment to Nerine, and apparently me also. This is what led her to come to this world, and thus Rin. When Nerine asks what should happen with Primula from now, her father says that she can stay with them and see how it turns out. However, when he says that she'll eventually need to go back, Primula tries to decline.
Nerine's father soon comes up with a solution... by asking me if I want a pet. Potty trained? Can be used as a hugging pillow? How rude. I say Kaede should be the one to decide - it is her house after all - but she reflects the decision back to me.
So, what should I do?
Maybe this will lock the routes, even partially? I predict that the former locks out Kaede, while the latter locks out Primula. The effect on Nerine is a complete unknown to me, but I suspect that an effect is there nonetheless. Feel free to chime in with (non-spoilerific) thoughts, but odds are I'll be deciding this in a few hours with the flip of a coin.
Comments
