"I'm not set on using them."
Also known as Triangle Hearts Sweet Songs Forever, depending on which piece of merchandise you're looking at.
The third entry in the Triangle Heart eroge series, which, like its predecessors, focuses on one boy and two girls trained in an ancient fighting style, the supernatural phenomenon surrounding them, and the threats that greed, lust and power present.
The titular triangle is formed by Kyouya Takamachi, only living heir to the Fuwaryuu sword style and also practitioner of the Mikamiryuu style; his "sister" Miyuki (actually his cousin), whose mother gave her to her uncle (her mother's brother) and ran off to seek revenge against the man that killed her family; and Fiasse Crystela, an Idol Singer and long-lost childhood friend who has hurt her voice and is staying at their house.
Kyouya's father, Shirou, was killed by the same (supernatural) terrorist organization that once killed off the rest of his family save for Kyouya, Miyuki, and her mother, and now they set their sights upon the main trio. Kyouya has to stop them, as well as work out his friends' more-than-mundane problems. It helps that they work for a clandestine special defense anti-terrorist force forged from an alliance between China, Japan and the United States.
There is also a 4-episode OVA that takes place after the game. Fiasse is back on tour, but has received death threats, so, naturally, she calls upon the Takamachis. Her real bodyguard, Elise MacGaren, absolutely refuses to let some amateurs she knew as a child take her place, and begrudgingly agrees to work with them, provided they stay on the sidelines. Elise uses a gun and insults Kyouya and Miyuki's insistence on the sword, despite quickly learning how much better off they are with katanas. But there's still something that she doesn't want to face, and seeing those two again is far too painful.
However, this novel is probably best known for introducing Kyouya's adorable eight-year-old sister Nanoha Takamachi. Starting out as a satellite character with little relevance to the plot, she proved popular enough to be given her own Magical Girl spinoff game, and then an anime... which eventually took off and became an entire multiverse of its own.
This game and OVA provide examples of:
- All Girls Want Bad Boys: In the absence of Fate, Nanoha/Chrono is canon in this verse. And he's evil.
- Analogy Backfire: Elise, arguing against allowing the "amateur" Kyouya and Miyuki to provide security for Fiasse, tries to tell Fiasse that professionals don't sing on the same stage as amateurs. Fiasse, a talented singer who does not see it as Serious Business, says that anyone who likes to sing can do it together.
- Cherry Blossoms: Nami, Nami, Nami, Nami, Nami. It helps that the trees are planted all over her shrine.
- Childhood Friend Romance:
- Unlucky: Officially, Fiasse and Miyuki, although Miyuki's a cousin. Elise from the OVA is the strongest example, as she doesn't have a story path in the game and therefore can only ever lose.
- Victorious: Shinobu officially; Fiasse and Miyuki if you pick their routes.
- Close-Call Haircut: Miyuki's braids get sliced off when she ducks a sword swing.
- Continuity Nod: Two haremettes from the first two games appear as side characters.
- Defeat Means Friendship: Nanoha's first-ever "befriending"—she and Chrono hook up after she beats the tar out of him.
- Demoted to Extra:
- Most characters in this game who carry over to Nanoha—especially Kyouya—suffer a steep decline in importance with regards to the original series and are virtually phased out in A's and StrikerS.
- In-game example: Shinobu is the winning girl, right? So why does she get so few scenes in the anime?
- Fantasy Kitchen Sink: Ghosts, kitsune, Japanese Vampires, Magical Girls, Robot Girls, pixies, interdimensional invaders, and that's just this one game.
- Full-Name Basis: Elise addresses most characters this way, and in Western naming order, at that.
- Good Stepmother: Momoko cares equally about her biological child and step-children, and is shown to be a loving and understanding mother to them.
- Gratuitous English: Quite a bit of it in the OVA, especially when an otherwise-chilling conversation involving the main villain turns into
Narm because of poor pronunciation and grammar. Also, Elise's "FREEZE!"
- Martial Pacifist: Miyuki, who states she can never get used to fighting, but nevertheless fights to protect Fiasse.
- Morality Pet: Kuon gets a lot nicer from hanging around cute little Nanoha. Make "befriending" jokes as you will; Alternate Continuity or not, it is Nanoha.
- Names to Run Away from Really Fast: Slicer from the OVA.
- Not Blood Siblings: Miyuki and Kyouya are cousins who grew up together (even if she doesn't use Japanese Sibling Terminology on him), but can end up in a relationship.
- Secret Art: The Fuwa-ryuu sword style, exclusive to the Takamachi family.
- Sink or Swim Fatherhood: Kaori, a woman Shiro had an affair with leaves Kyouya with him before leaving again, forcing him to raise Kyouya by himself.
- Sweet Baker: Momoko is a baker by trade and an epitome of the Good Parents trope. In the Nanoha continuity, Momoko is strongly implied to be Nanoha's main role-model and the main reason why her daughter is both so selflessly heroic and so down-to-earth (Nanoha's badass streak, on the other hand, probably comes from her ex-Ninja dad Shiro).
- Took a Level in Badass: Miyuki started training after Kyouya and Nanoha's father died.
- Worthless Treasure Twist: In the OVA, the villain is trying to get to Fiasse in order to get control of an inheritance that she'll only receive upon her marriage, which turns out to be the deed to a honeymoon villa and a box of home videos.
And now you know where Nanoha got it from.
