Hey there, everyone! Let me tell you, setting up this update took a fair bit of time. Because I forgot to save at the beginning of Free Time, I had to do that last battle all over again. It wasn’t that bad, though; I was able to clear the battle in four turns, Fujimaru went from LV 09 to LV 11 this time, and Yoruichi ended the battle with over 80 HP. Also, after saving at the beginning of Free Time, I quickly went through the scenes to see how many I could fit in while still meeting MFM’s recommendations. When I was redoing the skits to write down the details, the Status Boost gave Matsuri 1 DEF instead of 3 like it did before, and so I choose to do another reset. I never knew that the amount given wasn’t preset, and while multiple resets just for some extra points is boring, I’d at least like to get higher than 1 from this point on. But enough about that! Let’s see how Soi Fon’s handling this situation, shall we?
Soi Fon’s Anguish (2 AP, Affinity +) – 2 away from Exit, 4 away from Status Boost, 10 away from Goal
Soi Fon decides to come to the twins instead of the other way around, wishing for them to accompany her to the battlefield where they recently were. There, Soi Fon laments how she failed at being Lady Yoruichi’s guard. Soi Fon had vowed to give her life in Lady Yoruichi’s service, but she ended up being the reason that her captain was hurt. Not even Yoruichi herself telling her to forget about it can relieve her of her burden. When she asks what she should do, the twins comfort her, and ask her how Lady Yoruichi felt when she protected Soi Fon, the one that was supposed to die for her. They then quote the speech from earlier, specifically the ‘protecting them and giving them time to grow’ part. Soi Fon’s amazed at how Lady Yoruichi’s looking at the big picture, and realizes that she was too distracted to see Lady Yoruichi’s heart. Matsuri tells Soi Fon that the best way to respond to such a sentiment is to be the best she can be, and Soi Fon agrees to stop moping and start improving herself. She’s glad that she was able to talk to the twins, and her affinity towards them increases.
Now, I suppose that I could choose one of our 3 AP scenes and the Young Momo scene in order to progress without falling into that Exit...but I never saw any non-required Aizen scenes in my first playthrough, and now that we can access his final scene, I’d like to see what we get from it.
Aizen’s Book (4 AP, Chest) – Matsuri’s Defence increased by 3, 3 away from Item, 6 away from Goal
Aizen and Matsuri are at the Squad station when the former asks the latter if she has a minute. After asking if Matsuri likes history, he explains that many Soul Reapers don’t know all there is to know about Soul Society due to its long history. Matsuri adds that, because of their jobs, it’s hard to find some study time. Aizen wants Matsuri to learn as much as she can from that long history, and asks if she’d like the most interesting history book he’s recently read. The content is difficult, but he thinks that Matsuri can learn a lot from it, and the girl promises to get on it right away, which makes Aizen happy. We now have Aizen’s Book in our inventory, though since I’ve never gotten this before, you’ll have to wait until our next battle to find out its properties.
Now seems like a good time for a 3 AP scene. Of the ones we have available, we have one temporary event with Konoka that gives us nothing, an event with Kaien that gives us nothing, and two events with children that give us things. From my first playthough, I remember that Rukia gives two one-use healing items which falls under ‘too awesome to use’ territory, so I won’t pick that one. That leaves us with...
Gin’s Curiosity (3 AP, Chest) – Receive 3 Fireballs, 3 away from Goal
The twins visit Rangiku again, bearing food. Gin’s apparently wandered off, as Rangiku says he does frequently, but tells the twins that she’s not worried about him. Of course, it helps that Gin always brings back food from wherever he goes. On cue, Gin comes back to the shack with some grub. Time passes, and after the kids enjoy the meal, Matsuri volunteers to help Rangiku clean up while Gin asks Fujimaru if they can talk outside.
Underneath the moonlit sky, Gin and Fujimaru enjoy the view. Gin asks what it’s like to live in the Seireitei, since Rangiku seems to be interested in living there some day, and he doesn’t know what’ll happen if and when they get there. Fujimaru asks if they plan to become Soul Reapers, which Gin says is a possibility, and Fujimaru tells him that nobody knows for sure what the future holds. But he does know one thing for certain.
Fujimaru: “Your life will surely change in ways that you never dreamed were possible!”
Gin: “Heh, you’re more of a dreamer than you look.”
Fujimaru: “It happened to me when I went there, and I’m sure it’ll happen to you.”
Gin: “Is that right?”
Cutting back inside, Rangiku is ranting about how Gin never listens, and Matsuri says that her brother is the same. Rangiku believes that, despite all of their worrying about guys, they couldn’t care less, which kinda goes against how Gin just told Fujimaru about what Rangiku wants to do in the future. Matsuri tells Rangiku that at least it’s nice to have someone to worry about, and Rangiku admits that she’d hate to be all alone. Rangiku then remembers that she made a gift for Matsuri and Fujimaru to thank them for the food they keep bringing. We receive 2 Rangiku’s Cords, which raise maximum HP, and Matsuri ends the scene by thanking Rangiku for them.
We’ll need a 2-point scene to make the most out of this Free Time. Now, Urahara was also requested by MFM, and we know from his first scene that he’s pals with Yoruichi, so one of his events seems like a good choice. And since one of these events won’t be available after this chapter is finished, let’s pick that one!
Urahara’s Compliments (2 AP, !) – 1 away from Goal
On the street, Urahara runs into the twins, and says that they’re the talk of the town these days.
Urahara: “ ‘The wonder-working rookies of Squad 5! Seigen Suzunami’s secret weapons, his twin geniuses!’ ”
Matsuri: “I’m guessing that you’re the one who has been doing all the talking.”
Urahara denies that, and denies that he’s been having too much fun with it, but says that Yoruichi was indeed singing their praises. The twins are surprised, but Urahara tells them that Yoruichi told him with a smile how she thinks they show a lot of promise. The twins are delighted, though Urahara thinks that they’re more happy with Yoruichi’s words than his own. The twins choose not to say anything, and Urahara decides that it’s probably because he’s too easygoing. He tells the twins that Yoruichi is easygoing in her own way; for example, helping herself to other people’s food, and blowing off work on occasion. Oh, and...
Urahara: “She doesn’t like wearing clothes, so she’s always tooling around at home in her birthday suit.”
Yoruichi: “Ahem.”
Urahara: (shocked) “A-ahem!”
Yoruichi asks if Urahara’s running off at the mouth again, and as far as his info on her private life goes...well, she wants a private word with the man in the interrogation room. She is quite serious about this, and after Urahara quickly realises how much trouble he’s gotten himself into, he runs for it. Yoruichi tells the twins how dangerous gossiping is, and the scene closes with internal dialogue that I believe is a reference to a scene in ‘The Princess Bride’.
Fujimaru: (She’s with the Punishment Force!)
Matsuri: (She IS the Punishment Force!)
No new events have appeared once we head back to the selection screen, which is just as well, for it is time to continue our tradition of watching the most expensive scene last. And there’s only one event currently available that costs 4 AP...
Visiting Yoruichi (4 AP, Chest) – Goal Reached
The twins visit Yoruichi to see how her recovery is going. Yoruichi’s as good as new already, and mentions that thoughtful visits like this remind her of Seigen, adding that she guesses that blood will tell. Matsuri wonders what that means.
Yoruichi: “Kisuke told me about you two. You’re Seigen Suzunami’s secret children, aren’t you?”
Fujimaru & Matsuri: “Whaaat?!”
Yoruichi: “Aaah ha ha ha! Just kidding! I only believe about half of what that guy tells me anyway. Besides, there’s no way anyone with half a brain would believe Lord Seigen had children in secret.“
Matsuri: “That’s right! Lord Seigen is not that type of person at all! Rrrgh, that Captain Urahara...”
Yoruichi adds that Seigen is definitely popular among the females, so one or two stories about him floating around isn’t that surprising. She doubts that any would be truthful, as aside from caring for his sister, Seigen has never shown any interest in women, and most women are wise enough to pick that up and avoid pursuing anything with him. Fujimaru remarks how knowledgeable Yoruichi is, and she replies that the Punishment Force is, after all, an intelligence agency. Matsuri asks if she knows everything about everyone, and Yoruichi thinks so, saying she knows the exact number of Urahara’s failed inventions and how people are trying to explain away misappropriated funds as examples. She tells the twins that they have nothing to worry about if they keep on the up and up, and has 2 Yoruichi’s Scarves (raises max SP) to thank them for rescuing her earlier. Fujimaru asks what they are, and is told that they can be used to keep warm or protect their necks, which certainly seems logical. Also, there’s a NEW Yoruichi event: Yoruichi’s Request (4 AP, Affinity +).
With Free Time over, we now go to that emergency meeting Yamamoto called for. Urahara, Yoruichi, Unohana, Seigen, Kyoraku, and Ukitake are all there. Presumably, so are the other current captains, but we’re never shown their names or appearance. After Yamamoto asks her to, Yoruichi explains to everyone the events of the recent Hollow attacks, and the probability of a direct attack on Soul Society. Ukitake and Kyoraku wonder why the Hollows are acting like this, and Yamamoto asks Yoruichi and Seigen if they’re sure they heard Mad Eater say ‘Arturo’ and ‘Arrancar’ in their last battle. Unohana thinks the name ‘Arturo’ sounds familiar, while Ukitake’s clueless as to what an Arrancar is.
Yamamoto: “Arturo is the name of an enemy who once invaded the Soul Society long ago.”
Seigen: “Invaded? So this Arturo is a Hollow?”
Yamamoto: “Not exactly. Arturo is an Arrancar. An Arrancar is a Hollow that has gained the powers of a Soul Reaper. Arrancars are intelligent and have spiritual power beyond even the level of captains.”
Seigen: “Beyond captains?!”
Kyoraku: “Huh. I see. So this Arturo fellow has the Hollows under his command, is that it?”
Yamamoto goes on to say that Arturo once attacked Soul Society long ago, and had escaped while on the verge of death...and after killing half of all of the Soul Reapers in the Seireitei. If that news isn’t unsettling enough, Arturo wasn’t even at full strength back then. While Yamamoto doesn’t voice this opinion in order to avoid chaos, now that Arturo has had plenty of time to recover, it’s almost certain that he’ll wipe out MORE than half if he attacks again. While everyone else is fretful, Yamamoto notices that Urahara has a sly look in his eyes. Urahara doesn’t voice what he’s saying, which causes Yoruichi to wonder what kind of plan he’s concocting.
Once the meeting is over, Ukitake wonders what everyone makes of this news. Seigen tells him that it’s their job to defeat any and all enemies that come their way, and while Kyoraku agrees, the drunkard’s worried that it’ll take more than attitude to trounce this guy. Ukitake wonders how to tell their squads about this, and when Kyoraku asks what Urahara thinks, Urahara tells him that he’s sure that the higher-ups will figure out something.
Seigen: “When you give laid-back answers like that, it usually means you’re preoccupied with something. What are you thinking about?”
Urahara: “...What I’m having for dinner!”
And then, Chapter 5 officially ends. The next chapter begins on a beautiful morning, which Matsuri and Seigen like, though Fujimaru’s too sleepy to care. Matsuri asks for Seigen’s help in telling her brother off, but the captain is unusually silent. When the twins inquire as to what he’s thinking, he tells them to take care of Konoka if anything ever happens to him. All the sleep gets knocked out of Fujimaru’s head due to the shock, and Matsuri panics a bit before asking if that was some kind of joke.
Seigen: “Huh? Oh. Yeah. It was just a joke. Forget it.”
Matsuri: “I KNEW you had to be kidding!”
Fujimaru: “I can’t even imagine anything happening to you, Lord Seigen!”
Seigen: “But just remember. If anything like that ever DOES happen, you two are the only ones who can look out for her. You got that?”
Matsuri: “But it’s NOT going to happen! It can’t!”
Fujimaru: “Exactly!”
Seigen: “...”
Way to fail at getting the point across, Captain Suzunami. Later that day, in the Rukon district, Kaien’s remarking how long it’s been since he last went on patrol with the twins. Kaien guesses that it’s because of the how much the Captain trusts the twins, but Matsuri tells him that they still have a long way to go, especially since they can’t even use Shikai yet. The twins ask for advice, and Kaien tells them that it’s all about effort. After hearing what the twins’ Zanpakuto said to them, he asks if they aren’t secretly relieved somewhere in their hearts. The twins wonder what this means, and Kaien explains that they might think that somebody strong will always be there to fight their battles, and that such overdependence isn’t good. A Zanpakuto is the mind and strength of a Soul Reaper, and to release its full potential, they need fierce, burning determination. Once they prove to their Zanpakuto and themselves that they are determined to succeed, everything should go well.
And now, I shall end this chapter with another Free Time vote. Remember how, at the end of the last update, I said that something major was going to happen? Well...
- Kaien: Kaien’s Blade (3 AP, !)
- Urahara: Urahara’s Invention (2 AP, !)
- Young Rukia: A Small Gift (3 AP, Chest, !)
- Young Momo: Something Yummy! (1 AP, Affinity +, !)
- Yoruichi: Yoruichi’s Request (4 AP, Affinity +, !)
- Unohana: In Thanks for the Treatment (2 AP, !)
- Aizen: Crisis Approaching (2 AP, !)
- Urahara: Urahara’s Visit (3 AP, !)
Yep. See all of those ‘!’ beside the events? Our battle with Arturo is coming up soon, and once the dust has settled, it looks like the twins won’t be in any condition to catch up on old times with their pals. Oh, and we only have 10 AP between here and the Goal space. Have you been hit with indecisiveness yet? Well, take your time; I’m in no hurry to update, and it would be a shame if you made half-hearted decisions. Thanks for reading everything so far, and have a wonderful day!
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