is a short Ren'Py-based Visual Novel made in 2018 by npckc for the Trans Gal Jam.Haru, a young and very introverted girl, gets a call from her friend Manami. It's the latter's birthday, so she decided to invite the former for a nice, all-girls hot springs trip, along with her other pal Erika. After much insistence from Manami, Haru reluctantly accepts the offer. There's only one problem...
Haru is Transgender.
In 2019, npckc released a sequel, called last day of spring. It follows Erika's point of view as she tries to organise Haru's upcoming birthday party. It can be found here.
The third game in the series, spring leaves no flowers, was released on November 30th, 2019. The protagonist here is Manami: The day after celebrating Erika's birthday, she notices both Haru and Erika acting strangely towards each other, and tries to understand why.
The trilogy has seen a Compilation Re-release titled "A YEAR OF SPRINGS", which features an additional ending exclusive to the compilation. A YEAR OF SPRINGS also got a release on the Nintendo Switch.
The spring series contain examples of:
- Accidental Misnaming: Erika keeps forgetting Tatsuya's surname, calling him Watabe instead of Watanabe.
- All Love Is Unrequited: Erika has a slight crush on Haru, who is in love with Manami... Who already has a boyfriend, and is later revealed to be aromantic anyways.
- Subverted in spring leaves no flowers: Haru and Erika do end up together in the end.
- all lowercase letters: The titles are all intentionally all lowercase. The text messenger conversations are devoid of capital letters as well.
- Birthday Hater: Downplayed in last day of spring: While Haru doesn't hate her own birthday per se, she doesn't really think it's worth doing a huge party over.
- But Thou Must!:
- In last day of spring, you initially get three choices of which spa to reserve for Haru's birthday. However, no matter which one you choose, Erika learns that spa doesn't accommodate trans women and is forced to change her plan to host a spa day at home for Haru instead.
- In spring leaves no flowers, some of Manami's dialogue options are crossed out and picking them only results in her hesitating before going with the other option instead. However, this isn't a full case of But Thou Must as some of these crossed-out options determine the ending you get despite having no immediate effect at first and you can only get the best ending if you're persistent enough in choosing the crossed-out options. Once she realizes that she's aroace, she's reluctant on calling Tatsuya about it, but you can't proceed until you choose to call him, because she "can't wait any longer".
- Cast Full of Gay: Most characters in the series are LGBT to some extent: In the main trio Haru is trans and a lesbian, and Erika is bisexual: Only Manami seems to be straight, having a boyfriend. ...Until spring leaves no flowers, where she realizes she's asexual and aromantic.
- Coming-Out Story: spring leaves no flowers can be seen as this for Manami, as she comes to terms with her asexuality.
- Cucumber Facial: One of the items Erika can buy for Haru's spa day in last day of spring is cucumbers.Erika: Fancy spas all have cucumbers to put on your eyes, right? I have no idea what they're supposed to do... but everyone does it, so it must do something, right?
- Cutting Off the Branches: Made more explicit in A YEAR OF SPRINGS, as achieving the endings below is what unlocks the next story.
- last day of spring treats Erika's second ending in one night, hot springs as canon with Erika and Haru having become close friends since that night.
- spring leaves no flowers similarly treats last day of spring's best ending as the canon one with Erika's love confession to Haru in that ending being followed up on.
- Former Teen Rebel: Erika mentions at one point that she was quite the delinquent as a teen, getting into all sorts of trouble at school.
- Gyaru Girl: With a tanned skintone, blonde hair and a delinquent history in high school, Erika seems to fit the bill.
- Hint System: If you turn on hints, you'll be given three hearts which help steer you towards the Golden Ending. Lose one heart due to an incorrect choice, and you'll be taken to a different ending until you lose all three, which instantly ends the game.
- Idiosyncratic Episode Naming: Every installment in the series includes the word "spring" in the title. Fittingly, the Japanese word for spring (the season, not the water source) is "haru".
- Incompatible Orientation: Haru has a crush on Manami, who already has a boyfriend, and is later revealed to be aromantic.
- Innocently Insensitive: Erika makes some insensitive comments about Haru's gender, like commenting on how well Haru passes as cis and saying that Haru used to be a guy (Manami makes a habit of correcting Erika when she can). However, Erika is willing to learn, and if given the option, she gladly sits down and listens to Haru talk about her issues.
- LGBT Awakening: In spring leaves no flowers, Erika discussing romance and sexual feelings with Manami leads to Manami discovering that she doesn't have those feelings at all, and she didn't even realize girls could have these feelings. The rest of the game is about her coming to terms with being aromantic and asexual.
- Love Bubbles: These appear in last day of spring when Haru smiles at Erika, causing Erika to realize that she has a crush on her.
- Love Revelation Epiphany: Haru initially rejects Erika's love confession in last day of spring but after having some time to think about it between the time periods of the second and third games, she realizes that Erika's confession made her feel "butterflies" and agrees to give dating her a go.
- Multiple Endings:
- There are seven endings in one night, hot springs, with none being a definitive Golden Ending:
- Manami End 1) - Friends forever... Haru doesn't give Manami her birthday present, and instead simply tells her happy birthday. Haru, Manami and Erika leave the hot springs together, to search for a souvenir shop.
- Manami End 2) - Honesty is like a gift: Haru gives her birthday present to Manami, but asks her to not open it until she's back home. Haru leaves the hot springs by herself: The ending pictures shows that Haru's gift was a small, ribbon-shaped hairclip.
- Erika End 1) - New friends, new adventures: Haru doesn't go to the women's baths with Erika. The next day, Erika apologizes for being insensitive to Haru during the trip. Erika, Manami and Haru all take the same train to go home.
- Erika End 2) - The world can be kind too: Haru tells Erika she loves Manami. The next day, Manami gets a message from her boyfriend, asking her, Erika and Haru to come eat together. Erika, assuming Haru would be uneasy if she saw Manami's boyfriend, politely declines. Haru and Erika leave the hot springs to take a stroll around town.
- Good End - Hot springs are OK: Haru, Erika and Manami all leave the hot springs, and take the bus together to go eat breakfast in town. Manami seems to imply that Haru liked the trip.
- Normal End - Let's try something else: Haru declines Erika's invitation to the hot springs. Manami changes her plans, and invites Haru to a theme park instead.
- Bad End - Hot spring are not OK: Haru, exhausted and stressed over by the trip, leaves the hot springs by herself when everyone is asleep.
- last day of spring has 5 endings. Unlike one night, hot springs, however, the first 4 are Bad Endings of sorts which can be triggered from April 2nd to April 5th, with the last ending in April 6th being the Golden Ending.
- April 2 - A Lot of Hassle: Erika calls off the spa day that she and Manami prepared for Haru after the former learns that Haru doesn't want a big celebration.
- April 3 - No Answer: Erika tells Haru that none of the spas accommodate trans women, and Haru calls the spa day off and hangs up, refusing to answer anymore.
- April 4 - Cancel Everything: Erika tells Haru that she'll organize a spa day at the former's house. She reluctantly tidies her room for it, but Haru tells her not to go through all the hassle. Erika suggests doing something else for Haru's birthday, but Haru decides to cancel everything, not wanting to make a big deal out of it.
- April 5 - Postponed Until...?: Haru fakes having a cold to get out of Erika's spa day. Erika believes it and tells Manami to postpone it until Haru feels better.
- April 6 - A Day With Friends: Haru finally comes to the birthday party and celebrates with Erika, but reveals that she was reluctant because she was afraid of Manami seeing her body since she didn't undergo gender affirmation surgery yet. Erika then comforts Haru over her Trans Tribulations and skips the bath part of the spa for her, and after the activities, she develops a crush on her and kisses her without realizing it. Erika then gives Haru her birthday gift — a card with her "actual" name and gender.
- spring leaves no flowers has 8 endings, but they're not tied to specific days.
- Let's Talk Again Tomorrow: While hanging out with Haru or Erika, Manami tells her that Tatsuya would like to see her and her friend again, unaware that they're dating. Manami then thinks of staying in for the rest of the day, unsure about her plans with Tatsuya later, telling him that she'll talk about it the next day.
- Let's Watch a Movie: Instead of calling Haru after spending her day with Erika or vice versa, Manami decides to watch a movie. She then remembers Tatsuya's plans to watch a rabbit movie with her, and she calls him to arrange for a movie date.
- Let's Get Pancakes: Manami tells Haru about the gift the former gave to Erika, unaware of why Haru's acting oddly towards Erika lately. Manami then invites Tatsuya to have pancakes with them the next day.
- Let's Make Banana Bread: Manami asks Erika if Haru had fun at the theme park the other day, not realizing why Erika and Haru have been acting strangely recently. She then arranges with Tatsuya to bake banana bread with them the next day.
- Let's Think About This Later: Manami is reluctant to ask Erika why she has been acting "weird" with Haru for the past few days, deciding to talk about "this nothing" the next day.
- Let's Be a Better Friend: Manami finds out that Haru and Erika are dating and decides to support them in their new relationship, but feels unsure about herself.
- Let's Not Think About This: Manami denies being aroace by answering the quiz questions like an allosexual/alloromantic would. She believes that she's just overthinking Erika's joke about doing something "more than just kissing" with Haru, and that she still likes Tatsuya, even if they don't do things couples would usually do. Manami then decides to sleep it off.
- Let's Be Honest: Manami comes out to Tatsuya as aroace, and he accepts her and decides to try working out their relationship in light of this. The following night, Manami tells her friends about her experience, and they all have a movie marathon.
- There are seven endings in one night, hot springs, with none being a definitive Golden Ending:
- Oblivious to Love: Manami doesn't realize that her longtime friend Haru is in love with her even though Erika figures it out less than a day after she meets Haru for the first time. She also fails to realize that her best two friends have started dating each other, assuming that the reason Haru and Erika are behaving oddly is that they had a fight. Justified by her being an aromantic asexual.
- Omega Ending: A YEAR OF SPRINGS adds an extra epilogue after achieving the best endings in the trilogy titled the coming spring. Haru is moving out of her old room, moving closer to her work and living together with Erika, who has a job now.
- Playing Sick: In last day of spring, Haru tries to get out of having a spa day with her friends by telling Erika that she's not feeling well. Erika initially buys it, until Manami tells her that Haru did the same thing with her in the past whenever she felt too anxious to socialize.
- Queer Colors: the coming spring, the Omega Ending added to A YEAR OF SPRINGS, sees each character wearing a new outfit. Haru◊ is transgender, and wears the pink, blue, and white of the transgender flag; Erika◊ is bisexual, and wears the pink, blue, and purple of the bisexual flag; and Manami◊ has realized she's asexual and is now wearing the purple, black, grey, and white of the asexual flag.
- Sobriquet Sex Switch: When Haru has to sign a form with her legal name, it's revealed that Haru's deadname is "Haruto".
- Surprisingly Realistic Outcome: last day of spring shows that even though the staff member Haru met at the hot springs in the first game turned out to be extremely understanding of her situation, the vast majority of public bathing spaces in Japan are not nearly as welcoming towards trans women. Erika, despite her outrage over this discrimination, recognizes that there's nothing she can do to change it as a single person.
- Trans Tribulations: The first two games are mainly about the internal and external struggles Haru has to deal with as a trans woman in a country where she can't even change her legal name or gender without undergoing sterilization. Her tribulations are balanced out by the love and support she receives from her friends for the most part, but her frustrated speech in the second game could serve as the page quote for Trans Tribulations:Haru: Everywhere I go, I feel like I'm being turned away. I can't go to women's spaces because I'm not legally a woman. But I can't go to men's spaces because I obviously don't belong there either. It just makes me too anxious to even — to even go on a spa trip with my friends, because society keeps telling me that I'm not... that I'm not really a woman. But then what the hell am I supposed to be?
- Trash of the Titans: Erika's apartment room is a huge mess, and she reluctantly cleans it up to prepare it for the spa day for Haru's birthday.
- True Companions: The series is as much about the deep, abiding friendship that Haru, Erika, and Manami have with each other as it is about transgender and LGBT issues in Japan.
- Unseen No More: Manami's boyfriend Tatsuya is only mentioned in the first two games, and in the third game his profile picture on Manami's phone only shows his name. Only in the third game's true ending does he appear in person.
- Unsettling Gender-Reveal: Since Haru can't change her legal gender or name under Japan's laws unless she undergoes gender affirmation surgery and sterilization, she fills out her hot springs registration card with her birth gender and name. The staff member who reads her card is quite surprised by this.
- "Which Restroom?" Dilemma: According to Haru, she feels conflicted about which restrooms to enter, as she doesn't feel at ease in the men's restrooms while feeling judged when going into the women's.
- You Are Not Alone: A recurring theme in the series is that being LGBT+ can be hard, but having friends who unconditionally love and accept you for who you are or even just a single person who shows unexpected kindness and understanding to you can go a long way towards helping you feel more comfortable with your gender and/or sexuality.
