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 What the heck is this? Nurse Love Addiction (Hakuisei Aijou Izonshou - which means "White Robe Love Addiction" - in Japanese) is a visual novel developed by Kogado Studio and published by both Kogado and another company called Degica. It was later localized to be published by an American comapny called Limited Run Games, initially only available digitally until a hardcopy PS Vita version was released in 2018 (nearly two full years after the initial localized release for PC, and almost one year after the game became available for download on the PS Store). Nurse Love Addiction is a yuri visual novel, which means it is a romance visual novel where the protagonist is a girl who dates other girls. So in other words, it's a lesbian game. What stands out about it however, is it's setting and plot. Nurse Love Addiction focuses on protagonist Asuka Osachi as she attends nursing school to fulfill a childhood dream she had of becoming a nurse. This game really did it's research; the medical terminology is accurate and the story doesn't skimp on the much less-than-glorious parts of being a nurse. The art style is very soft and cute, but that works for this kind of a game. Even so, the plot isn't all fluff and cute lesbian nurses. There is a surprisingly involved mystery that takes completing three out of four routes in order to fully uncover the truth behind everything. Is this one of those porn games? No, it is not! It got an M-rating by the ESRB due to violence, sexual content, and blood. But there is no explicit content. There is definitely some stuff that you could get in trouble for looking at while at work, but you're not going to see anyone's genitals or even an exposed nipple. In Japan, it had a Cero C rating, meaning it was deemed appropriate for people ages 15+. America doesn't have a rating between T and M, so it was given an M rating. Wait, violence and blood? As I said, this is a game that goes deeper than it initially seems. And that is all that I'm saying about it. You'll have to discover for yourself what that means. Will you give warnings for which updates contain suggestive or sexual images? Will you do the same for updates which contain images depiciting bloody violence? Yes, all update posts that contain suggestive or sexual images that could get you into trouble at work will have warnings at the top of them. As I said, none of them are very explicit so they will still be shown in the thread instead of linked out. So I would recommend putting those updates on hold until later if you're in public (unless you just don't care, then go for it). But no, I will NOT be warning for posts that contain blood and violence. A lot of these scenes lose impact if you know that they're coming up. Thus, it's going to be as much of a surprise to you as it was to me when I first played this game. I heard there is incest in this game? Yes. Let's get that out of the way right now: one of the heroines is the younger sister of the protagonist. It's not really uncommon for this genre. I won't skip the sister route because it has arguably the most plot relevance of any route in the game, despite there being no "true" route. This thread is NOT going to be a place to discuss the morals and ethics (or lack thereof) of incestuous relationships. Don't derail the LP with a debate about incest. Just don't. We squick a bit, and then we move forward with both the plot and our lives. Will there be thread participation? Yes, but not as much as one might expect from a visual novel SSLP thread. Most of the choices in the game only determine dialogue during the scene right after and serve only to either gain affection with a love interest or not gain affection with them. Due to this setup, it's possible to get every affection point and not make a concrete decision on which route to go on until the choice that serves as a route branch. Because of that, I will be making most of the choices in a way that shows off all of the scenes. What the thread does get to decide is what order we do the routes in. I will also be taking votes during the last option of every route as that single choice determines whether you get a good or bad ending. Though this will also only determine which order we do the endings in as I plan to show off both the good and bad endings for everyone. We decide which routes to do first, so what about a route where the heroine ends up with no one? One of those does exist in this game, however I am making the executive decision to not cover it in this LP because it's garbage. To give you an idea, some of the plot stuff happens but there is no conclusion and the game just abruptly ends after a certain point. It's terrible to do last because it lacks any kind of closure, but it's terrible to do anything BUT last because it spoils plot elements of other routes. Basically, it's just terrible and there is no reason to ever play it unless you're doing it for the PSN trophy or Steam Achievement. How often will you be updating this? The plan is to try to update on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays (EST). I'll be doing my best to stick to this schedule and I'll try to let you know if something comes up and an update will be coming late. This shouldn't happen unless I get sick or have a family emergency though. What's the spoiler policy?  THERE IS A FIRM NO SPOILER POLICY IN EFFECT! Nurse Love Addiction is a game that is best experienced as blind as possible. Because of that, I am not allowing spoilers of anything that we haven't already covered. Not even in spoiler tags. No cleverly hinting at stuff that hasn't happened yet, either. People who haven't played the game are allowed to speculate, of course. But people who have played the game shouldn't reply to these speculations, not even with vague "Oh just you wait!" type of posts. Anything that we've already covered is fair game though, so go wild in that regard. Anything else before we get started? Yes, a few things. First, I will be providing links to the in-game music that are from YouTube videos. If for whatever reason you can't access them, there isn't much that I can do as this is the only place that I've been able to find the tracks uploaded. (So please don't ask.) Secondly, during updates bold text will be used for music cues and SFX. Bold and italicized text is my own input, and I do have stuff to say in regards to some of the stuff in this game. Regular text in update posts will always be direct transcription from the game. Lastly, please act like you have some sense when posting in this thread. Don't be a total creeper even if there is suggestive content in the game, don't incite arguments with other people in the thread, the standard stuff. Just try your best to act like a normal human being. And that's it! So, let's strap in and start this wild ride of cute girls, nursing school, and apparently a surprising amount of violence for this genre of game.
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Mar 2, 2019 09:14
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TABLE OF CONTENTS: Chapter 1: Wake Up, Jellyfish! Chapter 2: Angel in White Chapter 3: A Star in the Stairway Chapter 4: Bed Making is Serious Business! Chapter 5: Making Beds After Dark Chapter 6: First Names MEET THE CAST  Name: Asuka Osachi Birthday: April 2nd Age: 19 Voice Actress: Azumi Asakura (Asia Argento from High School DxD, Yukiho Hagiwara from The iDOLM@STER, Isuke Inukai from Akuma no Riddle) Asuka is the protagonist of our story. She's a real airhead and lacks any real direction in her life, but she's surprisingly good at getting things done when it really counts.  Name: Nao Osachi Birthday: April 1st Age: 18 Voice Actress: Ai Kakuma (Rossweisse from High School DxD, Isuzu Sento from Amagi Brilliant Park, Yuma Okazaki from Netsuzou TRap) Nao is Asuka's younger sister. In contrast to her sister, she's quite dependable and she takes care of Asuka a lot of the time.  Name: Kaede Ohara Birthday: March 3rd Age: 27 Voice Actress: Asami Imai (Maikse Kurisu from Steins;Gate, Ayumi Shinozaki from Corpse Party, Noire from Hyperdemension Neptunia) Kaede is the teacher at Teito Nursing Academy who is in charge of the first year students. She is gentle, graceful, and overall what Asuka considers to be an ideal nurse.  Name: Sakuya Takeda Birthday: November 13th Age: 18 Voice Actress: Yukari Tamura (Rika Furude from Higurashi no Naku Koro ni, Suzuha Amane from Steins;Gate, Nanoha Takamichi from Mahou Shoujo Lyrical Nanoha) Sakuya is a classmate of Asuka in nursing school. She carries herself with an almost regal demeanor and can come off as unapproachable because of that.  Name: Itsuki Amato Birthday: January 11th Age: 18 Voice Actress: Yumi Hara (Albedo from Overlord, Takane Shijou from The iDOLM@STER, Yuuko Kanoe from Tasogare Otome x Amnesia) Itsuki is a classmate of Asuka's in nursing school. Stylish and charismatic, she enjoys teasing but sometimes comes out with unexpectedly ominous words. Gaearin fucked around with this message at 06:38 on Mar 15, 2019 |
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Mar 2, 2019 09:15
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Chapter 1: Wake Up, Jellyfish! This screen greets you whenever you open the game. Just as a gentle reminder. I do like the little addition at the end though.  Music: Sunny Place -Piano arrange- (Main Theme) This is the title screen. Because I originally only owned the PS Vita version and played through that, the newly purchased Steam version that I'm capturing from is a fresh game and thus several of the standard "Main Menu" buttons are not unlocked yet. Game Start is what we have to click on to start a new game and the button for it is even flashing to call attention to it.  Music: Sunny Place -Piano arrange 2- (Main Theme) It can be hard to tell the difference between the two versions of the main theme, so I may occasionally get this wrong. Here however, I am fairly confident. I also caught the cursor in this shot. This game has a cute custom cursor.  I reach out my hand...  Music: Silence The view of the stars swirls and becomes distorted as our narrator reaches out their hand towards them, blending into a cute pastel bedroom. SFX: Birds chirpping  Music: Healing Forehead Touch SFX: Sound of chopping ingredients for something Looking back, I've had an easy life.  SFX: Digital alarm clock And here's our protagonist! Blissfully snoring while this Nao person makes breakfast. Never thinking too much about anything. Without any dreams, significant goals, or long-term plans for my future, all that mattered to me was that I enjoyed myself day-to-day and was able to keep a smile on my face. After school, I would eat snacks with my friends and talk for hours. On my days off, I would lounge around my house doing nothing. I never though to question my actions. I was allowed this lifestyle, so why should I feel bad about taking full advantage of it? I was like a jellyfish, floating aimlessly in the sea... Actually, I take that back.  But my friends always used to tell me, "Asuka, you're like a jellyfish." Which didn't mean much coming from them, since they were all pretty much the same. We joked about it and even called ourselves the 'Jellyfish Club.' The manager of this exclusive club? Yours truly. Club activities? Nothing in particular. Just sitting around our classroom after school, eating snacks while teachers would make sarcastic comments as they passed by. In this way, time drifted by slowly.  SFX: Digital alarm clock The current narration is pretty clearly for our benefit and not something that Asuka is actually thinking about considering that she is still fast asleep in her jellyfish dream world. In the end, though, life is never that easy. Spring of my third year in high school found me facing my second career aptitude survey. During the first survey, which had been during winter of my second year, my friends and I hadn't given a thought towards our future careers, and had written things like, "No idea."  I asked them and they all said things like, "I mean, we are third years after all." They said things like, "Come on, Asuka. Don't pretend like you haven't given it thought as well." I was left in a state of shock. Clearly, her friends underestimated just how aimless Asuka actually was. I would be pretty shocked if someone I had been friends with for at least three full years had underestimated some of my more negative qualities too. Mostly because that would mean I had somehow hosed up and given them expectations somewhere along the way. The 'Jellyfish Club' came to an abrupt end and I was the last of the aimlessly floating jellyfish.  My reasoning for doing this did not seem to matter at the time. I began to pull things from my closet with a vigor that seemed to belong to someone running away from home. (Apparently I was so loud that my younger sister, Nao, rushed to my room in surprise.) With no clear purpose, I began going through my things, one after the other. So the Nao character who is currently making breakfast is Asuka's sister, not her lesbian life partner. Though I feel it's worth mentioning that in these types of games, those two things are not as mutually exclusive as they should be. Then, from inside an old, firm cardboard box originally made for tangerines from Ehine Prefecture that was buried deep in my closet... I found it.  SFX: Digital alarm clock How Nao managed to just continue on like normal while an alarm clock was blaring in the same room is a mystery to me, but it'll probably be one of the least important mysteries by the time we reach the end of the prologue.  Music: I'm Gonna Be a Nurse! And there she is: Asuka's little sister, Nao. If you think she looks like Nico Yazawa, it's because she does. Thankfully, their personalities are very different.  "Zzzz..." "School starts from today. If you don't wake up, you'll be late.""Zzzz..." "Honestly. What am I supposed to do with you? Sis, if you don't wake up... I'm going to kiss you." I chose this moment to abruptly awaken. That escalated quickly. At least we know that Asuka is not immediately down for incest sexytimes. Though I feel it's worth pointing out that in the Japanese voice over, Asuka just said that Nao wasn't allowed to kiss her and didn't mention anything about it being due to them being, y'know, siblings.  Vacantly, I gaze at my surroundings. For a moment, I have no idea where I am, before I regain my senses.  There we go! Some plot relevant information. Asuka and Nao are at nursing school.  It's nice that this dorm presumably allows people to choose their roommates. This is not the only case we'll be seeing of way-too-convenient-to-be-a-coincidence roommates. There is a cafeteria on the first floor of the dorm, but each room is also equipped with it's own miniature kitchen, along with a bath and toilet. Impressive.  Nao is sitting down beside my bed and is looking at me. It's a bunk bed with me on the bottom bunk.  "Good morning... Nao."(I somehow feel like she just said something really outrageous to me...)Naturally, since she was still mostly asleep, Asuka doesn't remember Nao's incestuous offer. Which is probably for the best.  "Sis, breakfast is ready so come and eat it.""On the menu today is toast and omelet. I'll prepare your bad for school while you're eating."  "Hmm."I furrow my brow. Sure, this is the same scenario I witnessed every morning during my junior high and high school years... But...  She uses a really formal, almost archaic way of speaking for that line. There wasn't really a good way to get it to come across in the English translation due to the differences between how the two languages work.  "What is it, big sis?" "I appreciate you preparing everything and all, but sit down here for a moment." "Huh? But..." "Come on now, don't be shy." With an expression of puzzlement on her face, Nao obediently sits down on the carpet. She looks up blankly at me as I sit on the bed.  (She's just so adorable...) She's kind, she loves looking after others, and she cares a lot about me. To explain to you just how much she cares, in her anxiety over my well-being, she joined the same nursing academy as me. Her excuse was that she just wanted to be together with her older sister. I think Nao might care a little TOO much about Asuka. Sisters can be very close, but being this attached to her sister at Nao's age might not be entirely healthy. Asuka just thinks it's very sweet though.  When we were in the same class in our high school years, the teacher called her the "responsible Osachi sister" and they called me the "irresponsible one". The reason why we're in the same school year isn't because I was held back a year (although people tend to jump to that conclusion). It's because my birthday is April 2nd and Nao's is April 1st of the next year. Thus, we happen to be at exactly opposite ends of the same academic year. Apparently, they call siblings like us 'miracle yearlings'. In Japan, the school year begins in early April. Thus, the cut-off point is April 1st. Asuka was born literally just one day too late to begin school before Nao.  Yes, I had considered something. In my own way, I had considered it deeply. Seriously. And positively.  Nao looks worried about this and I really don't blame her. "Having graduated high school this spring, we now stand at the door of adulthood.""I've depended on you considerably, Nao, but I'd like to use this next stage in our education, this dorm life to..." That being said, I should have thought of this long before we started out at the nursing academy. You know, for all of her faults, at least Asuka is self-aware. I can respect that.  And Nao is taking this well, thankfully.  "So ends my co-dependence on you, my younger sister! And the beginning of my independence as your elder sister!"After boldly announcing this, I puff out my chest in an attempt to express my dignified pride.  "Okay... But, sis?""Yes, Nao?" "So, you're going to take care of yourself.""When you say you'll be independent... for example... doesn't that include waking up on your own when the alarm goes off?" "Right...""Yeah.""I see your point...""Uh-huh.""... ..."I'm not entirely sure if Nao was intentionally being savage by pointing that out or innocently making an observation. But I would be willing to put money on low-key passive aggressive.   "I-I'll get started from tomorrow." "Spoken like a true procrastinator... Never mind. You might feel better after eating breakfast.""Okay..."In response to the encouragement from Nao to eat up quickly, I nod my head slowly. I eat the delicious breakfast, then yawn as I brush my teeth and wash my face, then yawn as I brush my hair, then I have Nao fix the stray hairs I cannot manage on my own... Finally, I yawn as I change out of my pajamas. I feel like Asuka's independence might be quite a ways off still.  Music: Nursing Students are Girls, Too! The trainee nurse uniform. We'll be wearing this from today until we become fully-fledged nurses. From today, I, Asuka Osachi, am a 'nursing student.' In some ways, you could call this my battle uniform.  That being said, as I pass my arms through is sleeves, I feel my body ready itself for what is to come.  "For the next three years, you and I are gonna go through a lot together."I smile with satisfaction.   "Come on, Nao, your training uniform--" "Why are you wearing it now?" "Huh...?" "Um, you're supposed to take the training uniform to school, put it in your locker, and only wear it during training."In other words, Asuka was treating it like a school uniform when it really isn't one. It's just for when they do the practical training parts of their classes.  "Look at what I'm wearing. I put that out only so that you could bring it with you. I've already laid out other clothes for you to wear." "... Heh."Oops. Even as I think this, Nao seems to be contemplating something.   "I won't let you feel embarrassed on your own." "Aww, come on, you don't have to wear it, Nao!" Quite a way to start off the day. In the next update, Asuka and Nao attend their first day of nursing school. Fun stuff!
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Mar 2, 2019 09:17
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Oh, this game. I picked it up on a steam sale and enjoyed it enough to play through all the routes. With a walkthrough. Because holy poo poo I cannot understand how anyone can stand the stupid guesswork typical of these games with the options where the outcomes of the choices might as well have been decided randomly. Looking forward to seeing how this unfolds, I've forgotten a ton of detail. Good luck crazy goon. 
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Mar 3, 2019 23:56
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The prequel to this game is getting a remake with enhanced graphics in Japan this year, so there's a possibility of an English release of that too. I don't know how its plot compares to this one, though, except that it has a different cast of characters but a similar setting.Poil posted:Oh, this game. I picked it up on a steam sale and enjoyed it enough to play through all the routes. With a walkthrough. Because holy poo poo I cannot understand how anyone can stand the stupid guesswork typical of these games with the options where the outcomes of the choices might as well have been decided randomly. I personally think there's a fairly straightforward underlying logic to the endings in this game; remind me to talk about it once the thread has seen them all. (Or I can PM you, if you want.) Thuryl fucked around with this message at 00:27 on Mar 4, 2019 |
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Mar 4, 2019 00:24
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Poil posted:Oh, this game. I picked it up on a steam sale and enjoyed it enough to play through all the routes. With a walkthrough. Because holy poo poo I cannot understand how anyone can stand the stupid guesswork typical of these games with the options where the outcomes of the choices might as well have been decided randomly. I feel like there is a certain logic to the endings. The catch is that this type of logic is generally not found in dating sims, therefore anyone who is used to the genre might end up having a hard time with some of the decisions. Thuryl posted:The prequel to this game is getting a remake with enhanced graphics in Japan this year, so there's a possibility of an English release of that too. I don't know how its plot compares to this one, though, except that it has a different cast of characters but a similar setting. I didn't see that it was getting a remake, but I did notice that the game exists! I was already planning to try to pick it up eventually and read through it in Japanese, but I might wait until the remake comes out now for that. Thanks for pointing that out!
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Mar 4, 2019 00:51
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Thuryl posted:I personally think there's a fairly straightforward underlying logic to the endings in this game; remind me to talk about it once the thread has seen them all. (Or I can PM you, if you want.)  Gaearin posted:I feel like there is a certain logic to the endings. The catch is that this type of logic is generally not found in dating sims, therefore anyone who is used to the genre might end up having a hard time with some of the decisions.
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Mar 4, 2019 08:59
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Poil posted:Thanks, but I'm more complaining about the genre in general. Far too often it seems like it's a lot of oh you didn't pick this arbitrary choice earlier so now you won't randomly run into this character an hour later and will get a bad end. Less games are employing that kind of thing these days thankfully. At least out of the ones that I'm playing, they are. I can't tell you how many bad endings I got in a certain infamous game for not having done something that had seemed like the most obviously bad thing to do. It is a real issue in older games. I'm pretty sure that I know what choice you're talking about. There is one single choice in this game that I can remember which I found entirely counter-intuitive before I actually sat down and thought about it. But hey, we'll see!
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Mar 4, 2019 09:18
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Gaearin posted:Less games are employing that kind of thing these days thankfully. At least out of the ones that I'm playing, they are. I can't tell you how many bad endings I got in a certain infamous game for not having done something that had seemed like the most obviously bad thing to do. It is a real issue in older games. I know there's no spoilers allowed for the game being LP'd, but can other games be spoiled? Because I haven't really played many visual novels but I love stories of bad game design so I'm really interested to read what you're talking about in this post, even if it's behind spoiler tags.
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Mar 4, 2019 15:48
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sudonim posted:I know there's no spoilers allowed for the game being LP'd, but can other games be spoiled? Because I haven't really played many visual novels but I love stories of bad game design so I'm really interested to read what you're talking about in this post, even if it's behind spoiler tags. Oh yeah. I don't mind any spoilers for games that aren't related to this one. Just so long as they're properly tagged and it's labeled what they'll be spoiling. Bible Black spoilers (can you even spoil a game that is primarily porn?) and NSFW text: I was trying to get the best and canon ending to the infamous Bible Black visual novel (which is better known for it's hentai adaptation). I tried so many different choice combinations, yet when I got to a certain plot point I would always end up being stabbed by a girl who hadn't been relevant since close to the start of the game. Turns out, you have to sexually assault her while she's in the infirmary in order for her to not kill you later. Porn logic at it's finest. I've played some incredibly terrible games. Some out of genuine interest and others out of morbid curiosity. I never did get that ending. Instead I got bored and uninstalled the game.
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Mar 4, 2019 16:51
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The art style for yuri VNs always kinda weirded me out. Everything looks so consistently bright, like someone decided to crank up the Bloom on the world by 50%
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Mar 4, 2019 19:06
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SSNeoman posted:The art style for yuri VNs always kinda weirded me out. Everything looks so consistently bright, like someone decided to crank up the Bloom on the world by 50% You're not wrong about that. I think that stems from the fact that non-hardcore yuri is often seen as "soft" and "cute" and thus the art style is reflecting that. But I can see how it would be a bit jarring when you aren't used to it. Anyway, update will be up in a few hours!
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Mar 5, 2019 04:04
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Chapter 2: Angel in White Music: I'm Gonna Be a Nurse! Since no one is in their uniforms, everyone is dressed differently, but it is easy to spot the first-year students by how little they seem to blend in with the dorm and their surroundings. I suppose that Nao and I probably appear that way to those around us as well. The spring sun shines down on us. Nao and I walk next to each other down Hakuai Heights, an area known for its many hills. Still somewhat sleepy, I continue to yawn.   "(Yawn)... huh?"Looks like Nao was talking, but Asuka most certainly wasn't listening. Luckily, Nao is used to this so she'll repeat herself for us. "I said you were sleeping with that picture book again, weren't you? The book was nearly falling from your bed." "Oh... yeah. Well, it's like my good luck charm." Music: Sunny Place -Piano arrange 2- (Main Theme) The title written on this book reads "Hoshi o ou hito" which translates to "person who follows the stars". Though the localization has given it a childlike title more befitting of the kind of book that it's supposed to be. The book that Nao mentioned is what emerged from the cardboard box in my cupboard during my second career aptitude survey in the spring of my third year of high school. On the cover, in child's handwriting, it reads, "This belongs to Asuka!"  I think everyone goes through that. Don't they? Where we grow up and find... maybe our elementary school notebook or our kindergarten drawing book and there we rediscover our innocent dreams of what we're "gonna be when we grow up" that we'd long forgotten about. And we say to ourselves, "What was I thinking back then!?"  And... What I had written was 'nurse.' And that's the reason why I am here right now.  I whisper the title of the picture book as I trot off. "Yeah."It was something of a mysterious picture book.  However, the poetically written words were abstract and surprisingly deep. Finding the interpretations difficult even in my third year of high school, I had considered how incomprehensible it must have been for me as a child. It might actually be the opposite. It isn't rare for children to use their child logic to make sense of a story that adults would find completely baffling. "What must you do to catch a star?" The picture book had begun by posing this question to the reader.  In my case, had I planned to do that by writing, 'I'm gonna be a nurse.'? If that were the case...  "I wonder why I wanted to become a nurse.""Not that all over again." "Ahaha. Well, you have to wonder." In some ways... It almost feels as if I'm reaching out my hands aimlessly towards the stars. I actually sympathize with Asuka a lot. When I came to the age where people have to start thinking seriously about what they want to do with their lives, I was completely lost. I just grabbed onto whatever I could find at the time. I think a lot of people are like that nowadays. It's not easy to find a passion, though you could argue that Asuka's lack of anything resembling a hobby didn't exactly help her out in this respect.  Music: I'm Gonna Be a Nurse! SFX: Laughing and chattering Teito Nursing Academy. From today, as nursing students, this is the school we will be attending. It is a three-year study program, and all students are required to live in the dorms. Teito Nursing Academy is apparently one of the larger and more prestigious nursing academies in the country.  (I'm surprised I managed to get accepted here...)I think nonchalantly, but it's really all due to Nao's flawless, relentless tutoring. Asuka might be selling herself a little short here. While I don't for a second doubt that Nao helped her a ton and that Asuka likely wouldn't have passed the entrance exam to Teito without her tutoring, the fact that Asuka learned and retained enough to pass means that she's not an idiot. She might be awful at studying, but if she has someone to make her stay on-track, she can get stuff done.  The school building in front of us suddenly seems completely different than yesterday...  (I have no idea how I am supposed to catch the stars.)Not yet.  "What's the matter, sis?""Oh, well... I don't know how to put it, but somehow I feel pretty crazy for having managed to come this far from a little scribble on a picture book.""Huh, you're just realizing that now!?"Nao's eyes are round circles of surprise. Even like this she looks adorable. Putting that aside... There is a brief transition to take us from the front of the school to the classroom.  Music: Silence SFX: Soft whispering But I feel a little too embarrassed to say it aloud. Especially since it is now what we are trying to become. But...  "Look! A white-robed angel...!"These first words I utter are colored with surprise.  Music: A Perfect Angel Ms. Ohara stands on the podium and greets us. The fact that she is wearing a white uniform is certainly part of it, but white-robed angel is the perfect way to describe her. She appears untainted, lovely, and dignified at the same time. She seems to be cut from my imagination of what I would consider the "perfect nurse." I almost can't believe people like her actually exist.  She smiles. Her white uniform and nurse's cap. I couldn't imagine it suiting anyone more than her. "Whoa..."I am truly moved. Next to me, Nao also has a look of admiration on her face. Ripple of excitement spread through the classroom. "Oh my God, Ms. Ohara, you're so pretty!" some suck-up cries out, unable to contain herself. Even in response to these voices, she calmly responds, "Thank you."  SFX: Excited chattering All dialogue delivered by characters aside from Asuka and the four love interests ends up like this. No one else is important enough that the developers felt they warranted their own sprites. It doesn't matter for scenes like this where there's a CG over it anyway and the characters in-question are just meant to be a faceless mob, but it gets kind of jarring in later scenes where there are named characters that show up multiple times and yet they never get any sprites. I will be finding suitable stand-ins with artwork from the same artist when possible. "That... Ohara?" As if hearing this question, Ms. Ohara gives a small nod.   "It's true that my elder sister, Sumire Ohara, won the Nightingale Award." "I do look up to my elder sister, but, just remember, all of you are to become nurses that are every bit as brilliant as her."She smiles at us. Once again, ripples of excitement spread through the classroom.  One of them was Ms. Ohara's elder sister, Sumire Ohara. On top of that, one of Ms. Ohara's parents is a famous surgeon while the other is a renowned professor of medicine. Furthermore, one of her grandparents is the chairman of a pharmaceutical company... In other words, she is the daughter of an elite medical family. One has to wonder why such an elite medical family would be fine with two of their children just being nurses. They get paid less and have less prestige than actual doctors. Most families would have urged their children to go further, especially ones that are already so esteemed. Either the Ohara parents are very supportive and understanding of their daughter's personal choices, or Kaede and Sumire were very stubborn about their career choices.   "My mom is a nurse, and she told me...""According to the rumors circulating within the industry, Ms. Ohara was also supposed to win a Nightingale Award.""But apparently she turned it down because she didn't want special treatment.""drat, she's cool..."The words involuntarily escape my lips. "Sis, language."Nao warns me in a small voice. "Well, you gotta admit our teacher is awesome!"Nao also seems excited. I nod over and over again. Even after warning Asuka about gushing too hard, Nao can't resist gushing over Kaede. Girl crushes in this game are frequent and full-homo.  Ms. Ohara begins passing out papers. As she hands the papers to the students in the front row seats, Ms. Ohara not only seems to be the perfect nurse, but the perfect teacher as well. I get that the game is trying to get it across that Asuka is taken with Kaede from first sight, but having literally everyone fawn over her to the degree seen here just feels like character shilling. She's done nothing that tells us what kind of nurse or teacher she is, yet we're meant to believe just from a look and some classroom gossip that she's this lovely, flawless being. This isn't uncommon in the yuri genre, but I still don't like it. Show us, don't tell us.   "Asking someone's age is a delicate issue.""Amongst your patients, there may be those who would take offense to the question. If you're going to ask, try to word it more appropriately."Laughter follows Ms. Ohara's response. That makes no sense. If you don't want to answer, just say so. There is no one in their right mind who would get angry at a medical professional who is attempting to assist in their treatment for something like asking their age, which is an entirely necessary question in many cases.  Ms. Ohara carefully answers the serious questions and skillfully brushes aside the ones that are not. Before she became a teacher she worked as a nurse at a university hospital for four years. This is her second year working as a teacher and her first to have her own class... She charmingly adds that she's a little nervous about this responsibility. Her measurements: unknown. Current romantic status: unknown. Her favorite food is Italian and her favorite dessert is cheese cake. Generally, when someone in Japan asks you what your favorite food is, they mean to ask what style of food you like. Like, do you prefer Japanese, Chinese, American, etc. For English speaking people, we think of "favorite food" as in "favorite specific food item". In Japan, they would ask you what your favorite dish is if they were looking for that level of specificity.  "I like looking for new restaurants, but cooking at home can be fun as well."How can I put it...? She's flawless.  Much as I am getting fed up with the game shilling Kaede, this line made me laugh purely from the delivery. The voice actress said "Perfect Angel" in surprisingly good English. "Sis, you're drooling.""Alright. It looks like everyone got their papers."Ms. Ohara skillfully reverts the class's attention to their studies, and we all follow her lead.  I obediently look down at my papers and experience a moment of vertigo. "All the subjects look so difficult..."Environment Theory, Pathology, Microbiology, Clinical Testing, Information Science, Counseling... My mind spirals. (I wonder if I'm allowed to choose two or three out of all of these to study...)  "The classes I will be overseeing are the primary subjects such as Math and English, and General Nursing Theory.""The last is a class where you will comprehensively learn the knowledge required for all areas of nursing.""For subjects such as Anatomical Physiology and Pathology, university professors will come and hold lectures.""In addition to classroom lectures, I will also be responsible for teaching you basic nursing skills.""During your first year you won't undergo any practical nursing training, but you will be taught important skills such as bed making and bathing so do your best to learn them." As if in a dream, Ms. Ohara's words seem to be growing further away.  "(Gulp)..."Still, I try my best to pick up Ms. Ohara's words even as I glance to one side.   "???"Nao is tilting her head at an odd angle as she looks at Ms. Ohara. Huh...? I wonder what the matter is.  "Ms. Ohara somehow seems..."Nao whispers.  Wonder what that's all about? But this is the end of the update! Next time, we're jumping to after the first day of classes has ended. We've met two of the four love interests already and next time we'll meet the other two, so look forward to that.
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Mar 5, 2019 06:18
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Maybe Ohara meant they're not supposed to casually ask patients about their age just to sate their curiosity or make conversation. But that's just a guess.Gaearin posted:
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Mar 5, 2019 09:00
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Poil posted:Maybe Ohara meant they're not supposed to casually ask patients about their age just to sate their curiosity or make conversation. But that's just a guess. Yeah. That does make more sense. You're probably right. I didn't think of that before. It's true that some patients might get upset if a nurse was just like "so, I know how old you look but how old are you really?" like that.
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Mar 5, 2019 09:08
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Gaearin posted:This thread is NOT going to be a place to discuss the morals and ethics (or lack thereof) of incestuous relationships. Don't derail the LP with a debate about incest. Just don't. We squick a bit, and then we move forward with both the plot and our lives. Incredible that this was a necessary disclaimer and you were still like "hell yeah I'm doing this"
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Mar 5, 2019 10:09
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Crane Fist posted:Incredible that this was a necessary disclaimer and you were still like "hell yeah I'm doing this" For all of the awful games I've played, I consider this one to be fairly decent. Maybe I'm just desensitized to this sort of thing because I'm too much of a weeb though. I can admit that that could be the case.
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Mar 5, 2019 13:43
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I know that in Japan students refer to a teacher as Sensei and I think that applies to doctors too. What about nurses, are they Sensei too?
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Mar 5, 2019 19:45
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Mraagvpeine posted:I know that in Japan students refer to a teacher as Sensei and I think that applies to doctors too. What about nurses, are they Sensei too? No, a nurse would not be called Sensei. Sensei is generally only used for people in teaching positions, people who have reached a certain level of mastery in certain skills, and some authority figures. If speaking to a nurse who was treating you, you would likely just call them by their last name with the "-san" suffix. So if Asuka was treating someone after becoming a full-fledged nurse, she would be "Osachi-san", as would Nao. Obviously, they refer to Kaede as "Ohara-sensei" (or sometimes just "Sensei"), since she's their teacher though. The localization removed all honorifics, which I didn't find a big deal for this particular game. There's only one scene where it even really matters and it's a lighthearted one during the common route.
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Mar 6, 2019 00:49
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Recently there was a scandal in Japan regarding the discrimination of female applicants to at least one medical school (I think I heard about at least one other admitting to it). Basically the test scores of women were lowered because of the 'fear' that they would get married and leave, making it a waste of time to train them to become doctors, while 'promising' male applicants had their test scores raised. In Japanese media, it certainly seems more common to see male doctors and female nurses rather than vice versa. In light of that, it's not really a surprise that two sisters in an elite medical family might choose to become nurses since it's more culturally expected. Even Kaede's parents aren't both doctors; one is a surgeon and the other is a professor of medicine, which is kinda blatant. Anyway, it's always interesting to see a VN LP, so good luck!
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Mar 6, 2019 06:00
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Pine Bamboo Plum posted:Recently there was a scandal in Japan regarding the discrimination of female applicants to at least one medical school (I think I heard about at least one other admitting to it). Basically the test scores of women were lowered because of the 'fear' that they would get married and leave, making it a waste of time to train them to become doctors, while 'promising' male applicants had their test scores raised. In Japanese media, it certainly seems more common to see male doctors and female nurses rather than vice versa. In light of that, it's not really a surprise that two sisters in an elite medical family might choose to become nurses since it's more culturally expected. Even Kaede's parents aren't both doctors; one is a surgeon and the other is a professor of medicine, which is kinda blatant. While it's definitely true that Japan has issues with gender inequality in the workplace (as many countries do), I don't think that's not quite it in this case. You'll see as we go on, but there is something interesting that this VN did in regards to how marriage and parenting work in this game. That and a lot of other small changes from the real world make me feel like gender discrimination is at least greatly lessened in this world. Not saying it wouldn't be there at all, but there are a lot of places where you can't apply real life social customs to this VN's world.
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Mar 6, 2019 06:17
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Well, the notion of a mystery suggests this game is going to be a bit more serious than a typical romantic VN so I'm interested to see where it goes. I'll assume the main character won't be eventually assigned to a new surgeon with the Healing Touch.
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Mar 6, 2019 13:15
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Chapter Three: A Star in the Stairway Music: I'm Gonna Be a Nurse! Just as Ms. Ohara had said, today there are no actual classes and we are dismissed at noon. After the explanation of the yearly curriculum, we have a time allotted for student introductions. All of us students take turns saying our name and why we wanted to become nurses. When it's my turn, I just think about it for a while, before deciding that I'll just tell the truth. The sky swirls to transition us to a short flashback.  Rather than sounding like an idiot, Asuka comes off as quite earnest thanks to how this line is voiced. She may not know why she became a nurse yet, but she's serious about doing it and wants to find her reason. Though not everyone agrees with my assessment... For a moment, I seem to sense a small current of unease ripple through the classroom.  For her part, Kaede sounds very gentle and supportive. I know I complained about all the shilling the game did of her in the last update, but I want to make it clear that I actually like Kaede. I just hate character shilling. Ms. Ohara smiles kindly at me and I feel myself go weak in the knees. As for Nao...    "???"Voiced as sounds of slightly startled confusion from the other students.  "!?!?!?"Essentially, the entire class going "Eh!?" She wore her words like a badge of pride. As her elder sister, I'm not sure what to make of that... Say what you want about Asuka, at least she's trying to become a nurse because it's something that she had strong feelings about at one point. Nao is not attending this academy out of any sort of passion or desire to help others. She literally just wants to be with Asuka all the time. This is not healthy. The surroundings swirl again and we transition to the present, still in the classroom.  Music: Nursing Students are Girls, Too! "Nao...""What is it, sis?""I'm going to try to become a nurse like Ms. Ohara."I tell her with a serious expression on my face.  "Well, that escalated pretty quickly... But, okay. I'll support you, sis. Let's do our best."The one thing I'll give Nao is that she sure is a ride-or-die type of gal. I appreciate that to an extent.  "Yeah.""Alright, let's go home, sis. Once we get home, I'll prepare lunch.""Wait, before that, Nao..."I tell her with a serious expression on my face. "Huh?"Nao turns back to look at me.  "Okay. I'll wait for you here then."Nao smiles at me as she waves her hand and I head to the bathroom. Asuka's sprite actually slides off the screen in a way I couldn't show in a screenshot. It's not much, but it's a cute little touch.  Music: Silence I flash myself a rare "sharp" glance in the mirror and, satisfied, I head out of the bathroom. SFX: Creak of a door opening  Music: I'm Gonna Be a Nurse! If anyone had observed me they would've said I seemed to be on the verge of running away. How could I help myself?  (I'm reaching my hand out to the starry night sky.)(Aimlessly.) Then, just as I reach the edge of the stairway, I... "...?"I turn towards the stairway, as if drawn towards it. No thoughts inhabit my mind. Just the feeling of being drawn and pulled, like an object by gravity. And there...  I feel as if I've seen a star. Just for a moment. A small yet bright sparkle. A shining star... Taking human form... (Wh-who...?)A bright flash of light transitions us to our next CG so that we can see what Asuka sees...  Music: A Model Student Who's Mean Only to Me The first girl who enters my vision is an image of elegant beauty. The girl behind her wears glasses and looks intelligent. She, also, has surprisingly beautiful features. Judging by the sparkles surrounding her, I would guess that the "star" Asuka saw is the one in the pink dress. Looking at these two, especially the glasses girl, I feel like this academy might have a dress code that is a little TOO relaxed. "..."This is voiced as what I can only describe as a gasp of awe. Asuka is a disaster lesbian in every sense of the word, really. I stop in my tracks and gaze at the two of them. The two of them, noticing my presence, also stop and look at me. Both of them are extremely beautiful... and yet, I don't know if that's the reason why I froze. I simply stare vacantly at 'her.' Who knows how much time passes.  Well, that's pretty mean. Mean, but fair. I wouldn't be thrilled if someone just stood their, slack-jawed and staring at me for a length of time, either. The questioning gaze turns to a glare as 'she' speaks. "Huh...?" "You do know that it's rude to just stare silently at someone. What do you want?" "Oh, ummm, I'm sorry!"I feverishly apologize. But, still, I cannot seem to remove my gaze from 'her.' Even as I think this, the other girl, the one wearing glasses, lets out a giggle.  Just in case Sakuya's outfit, attitude, and voice didn't tip players off as to what type of character she was, Itsuki chooses to pitch in this nickname. I will say that I find Sakuya a LOT more tolerable than most characters of this archetype.  "Itsuki. I told you not to call me that at school." "Of course, Sakuya."A very placating tone mixed with the "yes, yes" she gave her in Japanese just makes it feel like Itsuki is teasing Sakuya MORE. Seemingly unaffected by the rebuke, the girl called Itsuki calls 'her' by her name. Sakuya. What a beautiful name. Anyone who has been in the Hatoful Boyfriend thread is welcome to make jokes about us having another high-class character named Sakuya in a dating game.  "Are you second or third years?""No, we are first years. Same as you." "Do we look that old?""Oh, no, it's not that."I shake my head frantically from side to side. Huh? They're the same year as me?  As the youngest characters are all 18, one has to remember that the age of majority in Japan is 20. So technically, everyone besides for Kaede is still a minor. But 18 and 19 are sort of gray areas where you are expected to behave as adults and are more or less treated as adults, but you do not yet have most of the responsibilities of the adult world. A nice transition period so to speak.  "Then, I wonder if it's because of Sakuya's charismatic aura." "I'm sorry,Sakuya here is the undisputed bearer of the 'Overlord's Countenance.'" "The... 'Overlord's Countenance'?" "The type that prevents anyone who crosses your path from defying you." "Are you talking about one of your silly video games again? I don't have any such 'countenance,' thank you very much."So, Itsuki is the gamer of the bunch. If I know goons as well as I think I do, this might make her the automatic top contender for best girl at this early stage of the game. "Come on, you do. Remember what just happened in the staff room? You tried to make all the teachers bend a knee to you." "I did no such thing. Stop spreading weird rumors.""You did. I'll admit you didn't go all out... but, wow, I'm surprised you didn't even realize you were doing it." "I'm joking! Seriously, though, I didn't think you'd take it seriously. You're so naive and adorable, Sakuya." "Itsuki! I can't believe you...! You really---"Ignoring me and my doubts about them being first years, they began to argue in the middle of the stairway. No, not so much arguing... More bantering. The two of them definitely speak with a kind of ease that suggests closeness. At the very least, I would say that Sakuya and Itsuki have known each other for quite some time. "But you weren't in the first year classroom---"Each year's intake at Teito Nursing Academy consists of one class of about 60 students. Earlier today, I hadn't seen the two of them in the classroom. There were quite a few students, but each one of us had introduced ourselves, so I am confident about my observation. Perhaps that was why I had thought they were senior students without giving it much thought.  The girl called Sakuya responds to me. She continues to look at me with something resembling a glare. I would like to take this moment to say: I have no idea how Sakuya's outfit works and once her jacket comes off in the summer, I will be even more confused about it. (Each girl has 4 different casual outfits, one for each season. But summer's outfit is just the spring outfit sans jacket, and the winter outfit is just the autumn outfit plus a jacket. So it's more like there are only two casual outfits with variations. "I was late to school due to personal family matters.""Personal family matters...?"Yes, Asuka. Which means it's personal and it's none of your business. Why are you even asking? You don't know her! "It has nothing to do with you. In any case, from tomorrow we'll be able to attend normally... and we're heading to the dorm right now." "The two of us will be roommates."And that's why I said they must allow students to choose who they want to room with. Because it's a bit too convenient otherwise for both these two who clearly know each other well AND the Osachi sisters to have gotten to be roommates.  So the two of them are first years and will be living in the dorms from now... Will they be in Hakuran Dormitory? "That's all I have to say to you. Now if you'll excuse me."So says the girl called Sakuya. She then proceeds to descend the stairway and, without glancing towards me, she walks briskly past.  "Oh...!"As she disappears into the distance, I frantically call out behind her. "I'm Asuka! Asuka Osachi! I look forward to getting to know you!"However, as if completely ignoring me, the rhythm of her feet does not change. D-does she already dislike me? Aww...  Music: Liar's Lie "H-huh?"While I was distracted by the other girl... The girl called Itsuki had descended the stairway and is standing right in front of me. She gazes intently at me. The first thought that runs through my head is that she's tall. Seeing her up close, I realize for the first time that, behind her designer glasses, her eyes are a beautiful blue. I-is she not fully Japanese? As she gazes at me with those eyes, I feel myself falter. Asuka... You have pink hair. Kaede has green eyes. Itsuki has green hair. I don't feel like Itsuki having blue eyes should be a big deal at this point. "Heh..."Did she just laugh at me---!?  "H-huh?""Itsuki, what are you doing! Hurry up!"I hear her voice from off in the distance. "Yes, yes, Princess. I'll see you around, Dummy Girl."She gracefully waves her hand at me and pulls away. However, the moment before she pulls away, for a split second she draws her face up to mine and whispers in my ear. Her voice is quiet, yet clear.  Those are her words. More accurately, her words ("Uso da yo.") mean "It's a lie." Itsuki's official profile on the website even states that her catchphrase is "It's a lie." Therefore, I have no idea why they changed it here. Maybe they thought it sounded more mysterious like this. "Huh...?" SFX: Shoes clicking down the hallway Huh? "Not what it seems"? Does she mean that someone isn't telling the truth? About what? Wait, before that I remember her saying something weird... something like, "I found you." It makes no sense for someone I just met to tell me something like that. It makes no sense, but... no, wait. More importantly.  Seriously, what the hell. Oh, Asuka... Never change. Normally, I would end the update here. We've met Sakuya and Itsuki, the scene has ended, the length is decent. It'd be a good place to leave off. Except that the next scene is pretty short and it marks the ending of the prologue. So we're going to keep going just a little more today. A brief fade out for the scene transition here.  Music: Healing Forehead Touch As we make our way home from the academy, Nao surprises me by saying this. "You know them, Nao?""Huh? Well, their names were on the class student list---"I haven't even thought to look at that yet.  "Even during the entrance ceremony yesterday, the other students in the class were talking about them."I was mostly asleep for the entrance ceremony. I truly am a Dummy Girl. "Neither of them came to the opening ceremony, but one of the girls had gone to the same high school as them. Nobody asked her, but she chattered on about them anyway." She literally uses the word "ojou-sama" to talk about them. So any anime fans here, if you didn't already get the right vibe from Sakuya, there it is spelled out for you. "Apparently, when it was decided that they would enroll at the nursing academy, it caused quite an uproar within the school.""Interesting..."Actually, when I decided to enroll at the nursing academy it caused a bit of an uproar as well. In my case, it was for somewhat different reasons. I think back on the two of them. Miss Takeda was, however you look at it, the ultimate embodiment of a high class girl. Miss Amato... well, she definitely didn't appear to come from a working class family.   "What was all that about...?"The more I think of it the less I understand. "Sis?" "Ah, nothing. And?""Well, what else... Both of them excel in academics. Miss Amato had the highest grades of those who enrolled apparently.""I was told that she was scheduled to make a speech on behalf of us new students during the opening ceremony."And yet she didn't. Sakuya stated that she arrived at school late due to family matters, but Itsuki didn't give any excuse for her own absence, so one has to wonder about that. But Nao has some other important information before we think too hard on that bit...   "Couple!?"I feel like I've been hit by a brick. "Yeah, it seems they've been dating since junior high.""For each of their three years of junior high, they were voted the No. 1 couple by all the students in their school.""Whoaaa..."In my admiration, an odd, strangled sound escapes my lips. They're using very clear terminology so that this cannot be interpreted in any way except a gay one. It's explicitly being stated that yes, Itsuki and Sakuya are dating. No, that doesn't stop them from being love interests for Asuka. That aside, the fact that a same-sex relationship was not only accepted in a Japanese school but was, in fact, celebrated as the best couple in the school says quite a bit about the setting. If there is still discrimination against same-sex couples, it must be significantly less than it is in the real world.  Well-bred girls, distinguished, and beautiful--- And lovers.  "Were they pretty?" "---Yeah, extremely.""Heheh.""Miss Amato was beautiful, but Miss Takeda... she was like a 'star.'" "Yeah... How can I describe her...? Ahaha, I'm not sure."Unable to explain myself properly, I resort to laughter. "Hehe, I see.""Oh, but...""???" "I think Miss Takeda... She doesn't like me.""Huh? Why?""Ahh... well, I was a little rude to her.""Really?" "Yeah... I think." How I had stared and gawked at her. How she had ignored me when we had parted. "I see..."Perhaps because I had looked so pensive when I told her, a downcast expression appears on Nao's face.  Nao says this in a troubled voice. It's true. Being disliked by someone you're going to spend the next three years studying with doesn't sound ideal at all. At a time when we need to combine our strengths to become nurses. At a time when I need to catch my star--- A sigh involuntarily escapes my lips. We continue to walk on in silence for a while.  Music: A Model Student Who's Mean Only to Me "If there's anything I can do to help remedy the situation, I'll do it."I'm showing you this next one so that you don't think I'm messing around with the addition of the face.  I clutch her tightly in an embrace as I cry tears of gratitude. Another nice small touch: Asuka's sprite actually "runs" over to Nao's during this line. O-of course I'll do whatever I can on my own. But... in any case... My days of independence from my sister seem a long way off yet---  Suddenly, though, Nao changes the topic. "Oh, by the way, there's one other thing. I don't know how much credibility this story has... but..."Huh?  Music: Silence We don't get to find out what that means, because the scene ends here and fades out to play the opening video for the game, signaling the end of the prologue. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BRzNe2WV9x4 Weirdly enough, the actual video in the game has the original Japanese text rather than the translated version in this trailer. But the video is the same. And thus, we've reached the ending of Asuka's first day as a nursing student and as such, the ending of the game's prologue. We've met all four love interests. Let's not think to hard about how two of them are dating, one of them is our teacher, and the last is our sister. Anyone who is along for the ride, I thank you for joining me. With all introductions out of the way, here is where we begin in earnest. Next time. Gaearin fucked around with this message at 09:37 on Mar 7, 2019 |
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Mar 7, 2019 09:16
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bewilderment posted:I'll assume the main character won't be eventually assigned to a new surgeon with the Healing Touch. So, um, about that...
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Mar 7, 2019 09:19
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oh jeez I just had about 300 trauma center flashbacks all at once.
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Mar 7, 2019 10:11
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If it's anything like the actual Japanese healthcare system I expect our clumsy protag is about to get walked all over by an old guy who expects her to worship the ground he walks on.
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Mar 8, 2019 03:23
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quote:So, Itsuki is the gamer of the bunch. If I know goons as well as I think I do, this might make her the automatic top contender for best girl at this early stage of the game. Nope. Clothes are too silly looking. 
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Mar 8, 2019 03:56
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Gaearin posted:More accurately, her words ("Uso da yo.") mean "It's a lie." Itsuki's official profile on the website even states that her catchphrase is "It's a lie." Therefore, I have no idea why they changed it here. Maybe they thought it sounded more mysterious like this. Probably because "uso" in Japanese has somewhat different connotations from English "lie"; a lie is something said deliberately to mislead, while "uso" can cover both intentional and unintentional false information, as well as situations like saying something obviously false as a joke without intending to be believed. Basically, "uso" doesn't necessarily carry an accusation of dishonesty in the same way that "lie" does. And as you say, it's Itsuki's catchphrase that's used in various different situations, so whatever wording is used to translate it has to make sense in context in all of them.
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Mar 8, 2019 04:41
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Thuryl posted:Probably because "uso" in Japanese has somewhat different connotations from English "lie"; a lie is something said deliberately to mislead, while "uso" can cover both intentional and unintentional false information, as well as situations like saying something obviously false as a joke without intending to be believed. Basically, "uso" doesn't necessarily carry an accusation of dishonesty in the same way that "lie" does. And as you say, it's Itsuki's catchphrase that's used in various different situations, so whatever wording is used to translate it has to make sense in context in all of them. Yeah, I'm aware of that. It's just that it's not much of a "catchphrase" if it gets translated differently every time. That's my main point there.
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Mar 8, 2019 08:23
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Gaearin posted:Yeah, I'm aware of that. It's just that it's not much of a "catchphrase" if it gets translated differently every time. That's my main point there. Oh, I actually forgot that it was translated differently at different places in the game instead of consistently being "It's not what it seems" every time. It's always gonna be difficult to translate that sort of thing, though, when it's a phrase that a character uses a lot and can have various different meanings.
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Mar 8, 2019 09:10
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SSNeoman posted:If it's anything like the actual Japanese healthcare system I expect our clumsy protag is about to get walked all over by an old guy who expects her to worship the ground he walks on.
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Mar 8, 2019 19:26
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Poil posted:What is this "guy" and "he" you are talking about? This is a yuri game. Interestingly, this game does use male pronouns a few times for faceless characters. However, this is a localization error. In the Japanese voice over, there is no gendered language used in these instances. It's understandable to add gendered pronouns because English uses them much more frequently than Japanese does. However, several of these characters have unmistakably female voices. I will therefore be working to omit these errors when they crop up, but I will be honest about when I'm changing anything from the game's script. I will have more to say about the existence of men (or lack thereof) in this game later once we have some more about the world revealed to us, because it is something I want to discuss a bit actually.
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Mar 9, 2019 10:10
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Chapter 4: Bed Making is Serious Business! A heads up: now that we've passed the prologue, updates are going to start being a little bit longer than they've been previously. Since everyone has been introduced and now there are fewer places with good cut-off points. I don't want to have a bunch of tiny updates where nothing happens. I would rather have fewer, longer updates that actually move the story along. That being said, you aren't in this thread to hear me blah blah blah at you (or maybe you are, I don't know you), so let's get started.  Music: Healing Forehead Touch "'Healing hands'..."I think back on Nao's words. Even I am aware of what this term means. In fact, anyone who aspires to be a nurse is most likely aware of this strange power. Just by touching someone, they can remove that person's pain and suffering and ease the symptoms of their sickness. Among the general population, it's usually put down to the placebo effect... And it's lumped in with other superstitions and old wives' tales. And yet apparently Miss Takeda and Miss Amato have this power.  "But then..."If it comes to magic charms, then Nao can use them too. Every year, during the rainy season, I am plagued by headaches. However, whenever this happens, Nao casts a charm on me that helps ease the pain.   Nao says this and we sit with our legs folded under us, facing each other. Then, drawing our faces close, we let our foreheads touch. We properly transition into a flashback now. Nao's voice slowly drifts towards me.  The words of the charm that Nao thought up.  It's a childish charm, simply reversing the words, 'Make the pain go away.' But the effect has always been immediate. As Nao would continue to say the charm, my headache would simply float away and disappear. I wonder if that's the same thing...  "That must mean you have it as well, Nao." "---Ahaha, I'm not so sure about that."We're pulled out of the flashback and back to the dorm room.  "I've done it for my friends at school when they requested it, but it only seems to work for you, sis. So I don't think it's the same thing." "Besides, I use my forehead, not my hands... Maybe I have a 'healing forehead'?""That actually sounds kinda cute."In the darkness, both of us giggle.   "Yeah, I'll sleep now." "Good night, sis.""Good night."Even though we had already said good night earlier, we say it again. Then---   "Okay."Nao's tone implies that she thinks it's cute that Asuka is trying, but that she has no real expectations here, which is fair. And off to sleep I go.  Music: Silence These loading screens appear regularly between scenes, but this is the first time one has popped up. It always has a miniature version of one of the main characters (a "chibi" of them, if you will - I'm trying to use language that even non-anime nerds will understand for this LP), and they say either the full Japanese version of the game title, "Hakuisei Aijou Izonshou", or sometimes the abbreviation of the title, "HakuAi". I probably won't show off all of these because there isn't a real need to, but I'll show one of each character so you can see them and I'll note when they're there.  Music: Nursing Students are Girls, Too! SFX: Alarm clock "Sis, wake up. Wake up.""Ahaha... See, Nao, I woke up on my own... Zzz..." My second attempt at independence from Nao ends in failure. Better luck next time, me. We immediately transition to the start of class, because we've already seen what Nao waking up Asuka looks like and this game tries not to get too repetitive, which I like about it. There are some visual novels that would really make you read through the same slice of life scene every freaking day with a couple of minute changes. I am very grateful to Nurse Love Addiction for not doing that.  Music: A Model Student Who's Mean Only to Me  Oh, both of them are staying at the same Hakuran Dormitory as us. I found out this morning when I saw them walking ahead of us on our way to the academy.  "Yes, I'm sorry about yesterday, Ms. Ohara.""Hello, hello."The two of them gather the attention of everyone in the classroom. So that's what it's like to be famous.  "Don't worry about it. Classes start from today." "That being said, it's unfortunate you couldn't be here for the entrance ceremony." "Well, before we begin the morning's homeroom, why don't we have the two of you introduce yourselves to the class. Starting with you, Miss Takeda."Ms. Ohara calls out Miss Takeda.  SFX: Creak of the desk chair I gaze up at Miss Takeda, but she shows no signs of noticing me. "My name is Sakuya Takeda.""The reason I chose the path of nursing is because I believe it is what I am meant to do. That is all."Miss Takeda simply says this and sits down. The aura of greatness about her is palpable. A low 'oooh' rumbles throughout the classroom. "But she didn't really say anything specific, did she...?" SFX: Creak of the desk chair "My name is Itsuki Amato. I guess I'm here for both recreational and practical purposes. Further details I'll keep a secret."She says this and sits down in one smooth motion. Who keeps things secret during an introduction? "I guess she's trying to be mysterious...""Sis, you're acting like a heckler with all your little jibes..." SFX: Class chattering Everyone is loving it... No fair...  I had thought when she had told me "it's not what it seems" that she had been telling me not to take the nickname to heart. That it was a joke. But I guess that wasn't the case.  Had she meant to say that those words were not what they seemed? In any case, I have no idea what she was talking about...  "Okay, thank you, both of you. Let's begin homeroom now."Ms. Ohara's smile is just as flawless today. Her soft voice flows through the classroom. "For our afternoon class today, we'll make a start on Basic Nursing Skills training. Have all of you brought your training uniforms with you today?" Music: Silence SFX: School bell The first class is English. The second is Anatomical Physiology. So... let me explain to you what Anatomical Physiology is! Basically, it's a class where we learn about the mechanisms and motions of the body's organs, skeleton, and so on. I open the textbook and my initial reaction is that it is filled with visual images, especially in contrast to the English and math textbooks.  Music I'm Gonna Be a Nurse! However, my amusement is short-lived. I underestimated the gravity of the situation. Well, I have a tendency of doing that. After all, I am the manager of the Jellyfish Club. The teacher of the Anatomical Physiology class is talking.  "Commit to memory all the names of the 206 bones that make up the human body! In nursing, this is as basic as it gets.""I'll be testing you all during next week's class. If you can't get over 90, you'll have to keep taking the test, after school, until you do."The teacher's tone is friendly, but the words resound within the classroom. Within me.  Why did I have to say "I'm gonna be a nurse!" when I was a kid! Do you suppose not being able to remember the names of the bones would disqualify me from the Nightingale Award? I wonder if amongst the winners of the Nightingale Award, there was someone who didn't remember the names of the bones at all... "Mmm... unlikely."Yeah, highly unlikely. At least she's realistic. We clock-transition to after class.  She sounds so defeated here. She sounds completely dead inside. I really do love the voice acting in this game. After class, resembling something like a used teabag, I weakly get up from my chair. With a worried expression on her face, Nao waves to me and I head out to the hallway.  Music: Liar's Lie SFX: Door sliding open I open the classroom door and run into Miss Takeda. Perhaps she had gone to the bathroom, but she looks up at me in shock at the perfect timing with which we had both opened the door. Most likely, my face mirrors her expression. "Oh..."There is a slightly dubious expression on Miss Takeda's face as speaks. "If you keep standing there, I can't enter the classroom.""Oh, I'm sorry."I scramble away from the front of the door Her sprite actually moves off to the side Miss Takeda passes me as if I don't exist... or so I think for a moment. Suddenly she stops and turns towards me. We're now face to face. And close.  "'Asuka Osachi'---"So she had remembered my introduction from yesterday. "I heard from someone in class.""Huh?""Apparently, you 'don't know' your reason for wanting to become a nurse.""Yes...""What an absurd story. I doubt you'll be able to continue long.Without any further words, she enters the classroom. Sakuya's sprite slides off of the screen, leaving Asuka alone.  Did she just say something mean and cold? I think she did... but, huh? I'm sure she did, but... "Somehow I don't feel so bad about it."I clutch my chest. There is no pain. (Huh, wait, maybe I'm something of a masochist...)"N-no, that can't be it."She sounds so desperate for that to not be the case that it actually makes me wonder. I shake my head and turn around. I follow her form with my eyes. I see her flowing hair and graceful back. A back that rejects any attempt on my part to initiate conversation. "But there was something I wanted to ask her..."(I wanted to ask her why I had seen a 'star' when I looked at her.) The Asuka loading screen while we cut to later that day.  Music: I'm Gonna Be a Nurse! "Our first... training! Oh my gawd, I'm, like, just so nervous!"No, I'm not fooling with the text. She really says this.  "Sis, you're talking weird. Don't worry; I'm nervous too."Having changed into our training uniforms, we have all gathered in the training room. Rows of white beds are laid out and between each bed stand several students. Even as she says "I'm nervous too," Nao seems completely fine. Of course, among the students, I can see Miss Takeda and Miss Amato as well.  "---" "---"We just hear small sounds here, since they are too far away for Asuka to hear what they're saying.  For the most part, Miss Amato seems to be whispering in Miss Takeda's ear as she responds in an off-hand manner. But. But sometimes.  "---" "---...""---!"Sometimes a small smile forms on her lips.  (Oh...) Music: A Perfect Angel SFX: School bell I reconfirm my earlier assessment that the white uniform and nurse's cap truly suit Ms. Ohara perfectly. I guess, like our training uniform, she only wears it during training--- wait, but then? Why was she wearing her white uniform yesterday? Was it her way of welcoming us new students?  I thought so? "Looks like we're all here. Are any of you nervous?"Ms. Ohara's words send a slight jolt down my back. "For today's Basic Nursing Skills, we'll be practicing bed making.""Once you become a nurse, this will be something you will do many times every day." We all respond in confirmation. "Allow me to show you an example first.""I'll explain as I do it. Please watch, as we'll have all of you do it afterwards.""Alright then, let's begin---"Ms. Ohara comes to the front of the bed. A new sheet, folded in four, has been placed on top of the bed.  She smiles. Responding to Ms. Ohara's angelic smile, we all gather around the bed. Then. "First of all---" Ms. Ohara moves her hands slowly, most likely to make it easier for us to comprehend. I watch her as she carefully makes the bed. I can't help myself from imagining white wings sprouting from her back. In fact, I doubt any would be able to prevent that image from forming in their mind.  "If there are creases on the sheets, the creases will put pressure on the patient's body...""Bedridden patients and patients with delicate skin will quickly form bedsores... which will lead to more serious problems."We silently take in her words. From all around, I can hear the scribbling of pens as students take notes. I watch Ms. Ohara as if I'm being drawn into her. "--- Also, when changing the sheets, if you move the patient's belongings, you must make sure to place them in their original position when you finish.""The patient will already be nervous enough as it is, so small things can add fuel to their anxiety. That being said---"drat, I wish American hospitals were that nice. They just do whatever the heck they want with your stuff and don't give a crap. Ms. Ohara's words flow, her body never taking a moment to rest as she moves serenely and gracefully.  I hear Miss Takeda whisper quietly. Responding to her voice, I look towards her... and our eyes meet. "---"Smile, smile. Give her a friendly smile. Just like Ms. Ohara's smile---  "... ..." And then Sakuya's sprite slides off the screen. She's done with us. She turns away and ignores me. Eeek, mission failed.  "... Urgh...""Miss Asuka Osachi, are you looking? You need to concentrate properly."Ms. Ohara says this without seeming to look in my direction. "I-I-I'm sorry."I quickly return my gaze. Even though Ms. Ohara's actions are slow, she makes no unnecessary movements and she is already applying the finishing touches to the bed making.  "Unless it's a private room, there will be patients in the other beds, so avoid stirring up dust. You must move quietly and swiftly.""Alright, that is all."Ms. Ohara runs her hand over the newly placed sheet, smoothing out the few micro-creases left. Then, she looks at us. The bed that Ms. Ohara has made with her own hands looks undeniably inviting. It seems to glimmer white.  "What do you think, Miss Asuka Osachi?"Just as I think such thoughts, she abruptly calls on me. "Oh, I'd love to sleep in it." "Sis!""Ah! No, I mean..."Her little scream of horror when she realizes she said it out loud is priceless. "Let's make it so that the patient will think the same thing. Did you remember the steps?" Miss Amato suppresses her voice as she laughs... drat it. I look and see that Miss Takeda also has an exasperated expression on her face. B-but what's done is done. After Ms. Ohara's demonstration finishes, we all begin practicing on individual beds. At first, Ms. Ohara tells us to work in pairs to a single bed. Nao and I pair together and stand on opposite sides of a bed.  "Okay, Nao, first I'll lead. Leave it to me!" "Got it. Good luck."Nao flashes me a smile. If anyone needs some luck in this class, it's Asuka. I'll be alright. I did space out a little, but I had been watching Ms. Ohara's movements properly and had been listening to the instructions. Besides, it's not just me, but two of us. This'll be a walk in the park.  Music: Silence  Music: Nursing Students are Girls, Too! Yes, the bed in this CG is censored. They someone made it so badly that visuals can't even properly portray how awful it is, so they censored it to let you know how messed up it is. Before my eyes... A bed so tragically made that if I took a nap on it I would be guaranteed to have nightmares. The sheets are a mess. The original sheet and the replacement sheet seem to have somehow managed to tangle together, leaving us unable to discern which is which. It could possibly pass as some bizarre piece of modern art... or mysteriously entangled life forms... maybe...  Nao looked at me apologetically, but, of course, the responsibility lies with me. But. But...  "Nao, looking at this bed somehow makes me feel dizzy..." "... Yeah, me too..."Nao actually sounds like she's in genuine pain from looking at this travesty of a bed. Nao covers her mouth. I look on with a serious expression on my face. "It's strange. According to my calculations, it should have been perfect!" Music: I'm Gonna Be a Nurse!  "Oh, Ms. Ohara."Ms. Ohara had walked over to our bed. "W-whoa."I am embarrassed for her to see the tragic-looking bed. But Ms. Ohara doesn't laugh upon seeing our travesty. Instead, she gives us precise instructions and, like magic, we manage to return the bed to it's original state. Then, she looks at me and smiles. "Why don't you try doing it again?""This time, I'll advise you as you do it, okay?"Being spoken to gently in this way, it's all I can do to stop myself from crying.  Music: Silence  Music: A Perfect Angel There, in front of me... Well, you'd have to be fairly odd to want to sleep in a bed like this, but... But, I've managed to make it into something that is recognizable as something that is supposed to function as a bed. This is the finished product of my bed making.  Ms. Ohara says this with a wry laugh. Understandably, she has to be tough on me this time. The 30 points are like a jab through my heart.  "S-sis, hang in there.""Next week we have a test, so practice it over and over until you can do it on your own.""A 'test'! Argh...""Don't worry, sis! I'm here for you!""After school, you can use the training room freely. Best of luck."Ms. Ohara smiles her angelic smile. She distances herself from our bed and moves on to another pair of students.  Music: Liar's Lie It's Miss Takeda and Miss Amato's bed. Miss Takeda touches the newly laid out sheet with her hand.  "It was pretty fun. This takes more skill than I thought. They do this even with someone sleeping in the bed, don't they?" "Ms. Ohara, next time may we do it on our own?""Yes. Very well, next time..."As I listen to their voices, I look down at my bed and mutter.  "If our first bed had been graded I wonder how we would've scored?"I wonder if they have negative scores. We have a fade to black transition and pick up after classes have ended for the day.  Music: A Model Student Who's Mean Only to Me "... ...""---" "---" Well, we do belong to the same class and the same dorm, so it's not odd that we'd end up together on our way home. Nao and I and, a little distance away, Miss Takeda and Miss Amato.  (How awkward is this...?)"Sis...?"Nao observes my silence questioningly. "Ah-ahaha..."I try laughing for no reason. Positioned between myself and Miss Takeda (although at some distance), Nao casts furtive glances between the two of us. "Hmm..."Then.  Music: Healing Forehead Touch "Huh---"Nao strikes up a friendly conversation and Miss Takeda looks somewhat surprised, momentarily. However, she quickly regains her composure.  "Yes, well Ms. Ohara did say so, but...""I guess it was worth all that training you did during spring vacation, wasn't it, Princess?" "I told you not to call me that at school---""Yes, Princess, but you never said anything about on the way home from school."Yes, Itsuki is going to use the Exact Words clause here. Every time Miss Amato calls Miss Takeda "Princess", a troubled look flits across her face.  "You were training on your own! That's impressive! All I did was sleep a lot."""... Sleep a lot?"Sakuya doesn't seem entirely sure how to comprehend this type of honest laziness. I continue to love Asuka. "Well, before that, you studied hard for the exams, sis. That being said, you did gain a little weight.""Hey! Nao, that's top secret! You're not supposed to tell anyone!"She actually says "top secret" in English that isn't quite as good as the last time I pointed out an instance of this. "Hmm..."Miss Takeda lets out a sigh. I've exasperated her again.  "Come on, it's not like you want to pretend you're some kind of genius." "At first, she kept making the bed with me in it. I fell out so many times I was covered in bruises.""She just kept going on about how it was part of the procedure. She wouldn't listen."I-Itsuki!"Miss Takeda's face is bright red. "Heheh... er.""---!" My first impression of the two of them from yesterday at the stairway... the soft, elegant Miss Takeda and the cool, intelligent Miss Amato. But it seems I may have been wrong about them. And the way they are now is who they really seem to be. The distance between me and Miss Takeda...  Thus we come to the end of Asuka's first day of lessons and thus the end of this update. Don't worry, we won't be forced to watch her do this every single day. Like I said earlier in the update, this game tries not to get too repetitive. So rather than making us play through every day, it employs short time skips during which nothing much happens besides for stuff we already know about. That way it can pick up the next time something non-routine happens. Next time, we'll get a bit more on the idea of 'healing hands', and get to what people actually bought this game for: lesbians doing lesbian things. Gaearin fucked around with this message at 01:49 on Mar 10, 2019 |
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Mar 10, 2019 01:43
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Normally a censored mess like that bed is used for really bad cooking, usually by characters who are unwilling to start learning with simple things and by following recipes, but this is a new one. Quite impressive when you think about it.
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Mar 10, 2019 14:58
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Poil posted:Normally a censored mess like that bed is used for really bad cooking, usually by characters who are unwilling to start learning with simple things and by following recipes, but this is a new one. Quite impressive when you think about it. The censored mess is a silly trope, but I think it can also be used well as long as not too overblown. It's a new level of incompetence, but at least she quickly improves and takes direction well. Unlike those characters you're speaking of, who mostly just keep making the same exact mistakes over and over and refuse to admit that they made mistakes in the first place. (I'm looking at you, Persona 4 girls.)
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Mar 10, 2019 15:07
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Chapter 5: Making Beds After Dark THIS UPDATE CONTAINS MILDLY SENSUAL MATERIAL  Music: Healing Forehead Touch So, we're skipping all the way to the weekend. They just did more of the same over the week, I suppose. "Ohhh..."In our dorm room, I sit lifelessly at the table, moaning. (I wonder why it is that frogs croak---)Unless that's a Japanese euphemism that I don't know, I have no idea what that's about. Probably just Asuka thinking Asuka thoughts.  With no regard to the fact that we're new students in our first week of study. On the table, a cup of green tea Nao has made for me sits there steaming. Perhaps, since until elementary school I had been grandma's little girl, I'm more used to drinking traditional green tea than coffee or black tea. The fact that a child that young would like green tea is impressive in it's own way. Nao is currently sitting at her study desk and, most likely, reviewing this week's classes. She's such a good girl. Well, I know I have to do it too. I know, but...  I consider such pathetic thoughts in my heart. "(Slurp)... Ahh."I sip the green tea and let out a lazy sigh. I remember what my teacher had written in my report card when I was in elementary school.  Ruthless, but spot-on, Ms. Toyama. "I wonder how Ms. Toyama is doing.""Oh, from elementary school?"Nao responds to my murmurings as she continues to look at her notebook.  "I'm sure she'd be happy about it.""I'm not so sure about that... Anyway, I'm gonna go use the toilet."I grunt and get up. I head towards the toilet near the entrance of our room. I think to myself that once I finish using the bathroom, I'll follow Nao's example and review our studies as well.  Music: Silence Our eyes meet as its empty sockets gaze at me.  Music: Awaited Day Off! I rush back and collapse onto the floor next to Nao.  SFX: Running footsteps Asuka's sprite rushed onto the screen beside Nao there. "A-a skeleton. There's a skeleton! Standing in front of the door---""Oh, that."Nao grins and says. "It's not 'standing.' It's 'glued' onto the front of the door. It's an anatomical chart."Which is extremely obvious just by looking at it. I really don't know how Asuka even managed to make this mistake.  Music: A Model Student Who's Mean Only to Me "Remember, sis? After our Anatomical Physiology class you said that you couldn't remember the names of all the different bones."Nao's words bring back my memory.   "So I asked our teacher if there was any effective way to remember them. And this was the result.""You glue an anatomical chart in front of the toilet and you place post-its over a few of the bone names to hide them.""Then, when you want to use the toilet, you have to guess the names of the bones hidden behind the post-its.""The rules are that you can't go in until you guess them."That sounds more like a kinky method of abuse than a way to study, but I'm a drop-out so what do I know? It seems really screwed up that she's do this without even telling Asuka about it first though.  I tremble. "Don't worry. There's only one post-it right now.""Really!?"I scramble back to the front of the toilet.  SFX: Scurrying footsteps There is indeed a copy of a life-size anatomical chart spread out and glued to the door. The anatomical chart in this CG is definitely not life-size, but I guess they didn't want to have to draw a full body CG for this, even if it was to maintain consistency. There are lines branching from each bone, leading to their specific names. The name of only one of them is hidden by a light-blue post-it.  That's the question. "I vaguely remember the sternum... But the other one? D-drat it, I don't know...""Language, sis.""U-ummm..." If I'm going to do it, now is my chance. I think I'll... cheat. After all, I really need to use the toilet. At this rate, I'll end up becoming "Wet Pants Asuka." I must avoid that at all costs. --- I gulp down my anxiety and, eyeing Nao, I place my fingers onto the post-it. I'll take a quick glance at it and pretend like I just remembered the name.  Even in her imagination, Asuka is a horrendous liar. The voice acting makes the cheery remembrance sound entirely forced. Alright, I can do this. Just a quick, tiny glimpse... (Peek) 'Xiphoid process'.  Music: Nursing Students are Girls, Too! She sounds really ticked off and she should be. There's no reason to start off with something so difficult, especially considering that Nao gave her no warning that she'd be doing this and thus Asuka had no time to prepare for it. "Wha...? Sis?"Nao's surprised voice. In the end... "Ehem..."I put aside my pride and tell Nao honestly. I realize then, of course, that I had no reason to worry about peeing my pants. Apparently the 'x' in 'xiphoid process' is pronounced as a 'z.' Nao teaches me how to pronounce the word. And so, my anxiety is laid to rest. However... We get a shot of the sky as the sun sets and then we're back to the dormitory.  Music: Healing Forehead Touch "Dinner is ready, sis!"Saying this, Nao lays out the freshly cooked food on the table. "Yeah! Wait---"Looking at the food, I realize something is unusual.  "Yes. I thought we might be able to name the bones we ate.""Oh, also, the other dishes have nutrients that were frequently mentioned in our nutritional science classes.""Don't worry, I've made sure to balance it out so that it still tastes good, too.""Alright, let's eat!""Nao...?" Nao grins at me. "Awww... not a study meal!""Yep!"Nao continues to grin. In the end, when Nao switches into gear, she becomes hardcore with her Spartan-style teaching... although she's still gentle. Oh, this reminds me of when we were studying for our exams... If Nao was my sister, I would have punted her out of the dorm by now.  Here is the loading screen for Sakuya. Incidentally, the only one that hasn't popped up for me just yet is Nao's.  Music: I'm Gonna Be a Nurse!  "Wahh, wahh!"I hear the sound of someone crying. A distinguishably childish cry. The crying voice is so shrill that it made me cringe. But then again, I also really hate children. This is going to be the first instance in which I change the gendered pronouns used for a character. No matter how young, that voice is unmistakably feminine and no gendered language is used in the Japanese text. Therefore, I'll be referring to the child as a girl. "What's going on...?"I change my direction towards where the crying is coming from. Then... "Oh." Music: A Model Student Who's Mean Only to Me "No, she's cut her forehead. She's bleeding." "All she did was fall off a guardrail.""Aaargh! Waahhh!" Okay, I might hate kids, but even I wouldn't say that to an injured child who was in obvious pain and distress. Sakuya seems to feel the same way. "Itsuki!""Fine, fine, I'm sorry. So? I guess we have no choice but to take her to the hospital then." "Wait... It'll be difficult to move her until she stops crying." Sakuya's voice is gentle but in an understated way. It's not as though she sounds to be brimming with compassion, but it's a clear difference from how she's sounded in every other scene up until now. "Noooo! It hurrrts! Waaahhh!" "That's exactly why we need to take you to the hospital. To fix that...""I guess there's no point in explaining."Itsuki has softened her tone, but she still sounds very tired and like she doesn't want to be dealing with this. "Waaahhhhh!"(The kid fell down and hurt herself. And they're trying to help her.) For some reason, all I can do is hide in the shadows and watch them. Wh-why am I hiding? (I just sort of... ended up like this. It's not like I'm spying on them!)As I attempt to justify my actions---  "Itsuki?"""i'll just seal up the wound here. That should calm the kid down.""You'll use your 'healing hands'---?" "Yeah, I guess. I just want to shut that kid up already."Sakuya sounds surprised - taken aback, really - that Itsuki plans to use 'healing hands'. Itsuki just sounds ticked off. She even used the word "brat" in Japanese. (--- Did she just say 'healing hands'?) "... ...""Princess? Come on---""No, Itsuki. I'll do it.""Huh?""I'm the one who found this kid... Besides..."Here, Miss Takeda falls silent for a moment. "I can do it better than you.""Hmm, well, that's true. Fine, I'll leave it to you then."(Wh-wh-whoa---"All I can do is stare at them from the shadows. 'Healing hands'? Really?  Miss Takeda says this as if to reassure the kid. Then--- (Oh, come on, from here I can't see what they're doing to the kid.)And I am curious. So curious. I must be involuntarily craning forward in my excitement. So that I can see more. More. "Alright, the wound is healed now. It doesn't hurt anymore, does it?""Huh? ... Yeah... Umm...""Yeah, you're right! It doesn't hurt at all! My head doesn't hurt at all!""Wow, miss, are you a 'magician'!?"Before, I was chalking it up to the child's voice being choked with tears, but no. This child is slurring so much that she either has a speech impediment, is drunk or high, or is far too young to be out by herself.  Miss Takeda says this, making no attempt at showing-off. We fade out and cut back to the dorm, where Asuka is eager to tell Nao about what she just saw.  Music: Liar's Lie SFX: Hurried footsteps "??? What is it, sis?"Once I get back home, I tell Nao what I saw on my way home from school. We are mercifully spared the details of Asuka recounting the scene we just watched. "--- So the rumors were true.""Miss Takeda and Miss Amato have 'healing hands'!""It was amazing. The kid called her a 'magician'!" Music: Silence As I enthusiastically tell her what happened, Nao doesn't seem nearly as impressed. "Yeah?" Music: Healing Forehead Touch "Did you? Am I right in assuming that?""Um, y-yeah.""Then... you can't be entirely sure yet that it was something magical.""To a child, something like a 'charm' can work as a placebo.""A 'charm'... Like what you do, Nao?""Well, mine is just for you, sis.""--- But, yes.""I see..."Hearing these words from Nao, I begin to think that might be the case.  "But, in any case, since they themselves haven't said anything, it might be best not to spread any rumors about it.""They may not appreciate it.""Oh..."If this were a sillier game with more crazy anime hijinks, then this would be the part where Asuka informs Nao that she's already told about six or seven people while on the way back here. But this is not that kind of game. Nao grins sardonically.  "Yeah... I see. You're probably right."Having been told this, I think back to how Miss Takeda and Miss Amato had acted. It's true. They didn't seem proud or pleased about what they had done. It wasn't anything like that. (I'll keep it hidden away in my thoughts for now... Yeah.)And so that's what I decided to do.  The scene ends and I get the Kaede loading screen. I noticed later on that the loading screens are randomized. For example, when I was screen capturing this bit, I got Kaede. But when I was playing through it again while making this update (to pick up all the proper sound cues), it was Sakuya.  Music: I'm Gonna Be a Nurse! The kid I can forgive since male an female children can sound very similar. But this teacher has a very clearly, unmistakable female voice. They only use gendered pronouns once for her, but I'm changing them because they call her "he". Pathology class.  Such difficult words dance across the white board. Amongst our classes, this is considered to be one of the most advanced. Of course, I'm horrible at it. "It would be a little more endearing if at least she'd written how to pronounce them---""Sis... that would make it even more convoluted." "Argh..."Our time for memorization before our short test begins. The classroom has fallen silent, with the sound of textbook pages turning and pens scribbling across notebooks filling the room.  SFX: Pages turning "Good luck, sis.""Nao...""If there's something you don't know, just ask me.""Something I don't know".  "Um, well..."Nao's worried face... I've worried her. I'm a failure as her elder sister. (I want to fall asleep in the gentle waves of the sea.)Such meaningless thoughts dance in my head. The former Jellyfish Club manager. Jellyfish-ish me. "... ???"From the seat next to me (the side Nao isn't on), someone nudges my shoulder. "... Here, this is for you.""--- ?"Held out to me is a folded piece of paper. A letter. On the bottom right it says in small letters: 'Itsuki.' Sensing her gaze, I turn my face towards her and my eyes make contact with Miss Amato's.  (I wonder what it is...)I carefully open the folded letter.  Due to this little note, we have more information about Asuka than we ever get about the other girls. All that is listed in their profiles are their names, ages, birthdays, and voice actresses. And I put all of that information in the Meet The Cast section. We never learn any of this height, weight, and... measurements for the other girls. Just Asuka. Because Itsuki is a troll.  Music: Nursing Students are Girls, Too! A list of all my personal information. Even my measurements are correct... How did she find this out!? I cast a glance at Miss Amato and see her grinning at me. She points to her eyes and then looks towards my chest... Does that mean she figured it out just by looking at me? I don't know if I should be impressed or creeped out. I'm gonna go with "creeped out". That one sounds right for this situation.  Miss Amato makes an 'OK' sign with her fingers. She seems to be asking me if she's right.  I furrow my eyebrows and shake my head. I draw a line through where it says '3 kg' and write 'I only gained 2 kg!' before sending back the letter. The letter passes from student to student and, before long, it is in Miss Amato's hands again. Miss Amato opens the letter and reads it before breaking into a grin. "---"She writes something on a new piece of paper, folds it, and passes it down the row of students until it once again reaches me. "... ..."I open it.  Huh? (What am I doing telling her!?)(Oh... what does she mean by 'revise'!?)"Aaahhh..."The sound Asuka makes here sounds like something between a choked moan and a choked sob. Either way, she sounds extremely regretful. Aggravated at myself for having so easily released top secret information, I bury my head in my hands. "Sis...?"With all that is going on, my test results are dismal... unsurprisingly. The scene ends with a fade out.  Music: Silence She tells us that tomorrow, during Basic Nursing Skills class, we'll be taking a bed making test. Later that evening. at a somewhat early hour.  Music: I'm Gonna Be a Nurse! I mutter. "Yeah, but don't worry. You practiced a lot after school, sis.""Well, unlike classroom lectures, it's fun!""I understand how you feel, but I don't know if it's best to say that out loud, sis..."Oh, come off it, Nao. Asuka is in her own room. She can say what she wants. There's no denying that it's difficult, but it's so much more fun than sitting down and studying. It's about 100 times more fun than Pathology.  "Huh, now?""The school is just barely open. I'm just gonna go and run through it quickly once."I say it as if I'm just going for a casual job and begin to prepare for my trip to school. "Oh, then I'll go too.""Don't worry. I'll be fine on my own. You relax and take it easy, Nao.""But---""Heh, well I'm off now, dear. I'm expecting a big haul tonight.""Hehe. Alright, well off you go then, darling. Be careful. The sea at night is a dangerous place."Asuka has tried to make her voice a little deeper here to sound like a dutiful husband going out to provide for his family. And Nao makes her voice a little sweeter, probably trying to come off like the doting wife character in some old dramas. We play at being a fisherman and his wife for a moment. Then, I leave the dorm.  Music: Healing Forehead Touch SFX: Footsteps Occasionally, I glance up at the night sky. "The stars are still so far away---"The world of stars is exasperatingly far. Even now, I'm swaying in the waves as I look up at the starry sky. Still a jellyfish girl. 'How to catch a star.' I still don't feel like I'm anywhere close to catching them. On the other hand, I've felt like giving up countless times. Every year, among the nursing students, around the time they advance to the next year, about 10-20 drop out. By the time graduation comes along, only about 60 remain. I know myself that I'm the type of person who'd fall under the other 40.  Yes, all for the sake of her elder sister. (Makes me wanna cry.) "I need to get a hold of myself---"I mutter as I reach my hands out towards the starry sky. I grip my fist. And relax it as if to see if I've caught a fistful of starlight. But there's no sense of reality to my actions. And, opening my fist, there is no sign of starlight. "I want to become a nurse like Ms. Ohara."My words alone are grandiose. I think such thoughts even though I have no idea of what Ms. Ohara was like during her years as a nurse. And yet I am filled with admiration for her. How she looks in her white uniform. "The white-robed angel"---  It's already night, but perhaps because it is still not that late, I can see light coming from some of the windows. The staff room, the library, the hallways... and even the training room. "--- I wonder if someone else is practicing."Although not that late, night is night. It hadn't crossed my min that anyone other than me would want to practice. "I wonder who it is." Music: Silence The door is slightly ajar. I find myself quietly tiptoeing up to the door. I hear voices inside. "Yes, and I win." "Argh..."It's Miss Takeda and Miss Amato. I wonder if it's just the two of them in there. Most likely. Unless Kaede is there too. Because Nao is back at the dorm. And that's a full list of everyone that matters in this game. "Um..."There shouldn't be any problem with me just walking in, but...  Music: A Model Student Who's Mean Only to Me  "Oh, you say that now, after you've lost. That's not like you." "That's because you insisted over and over that we make it a competition.""... But you're right. I'll stop.""Friendly competition is important. For that, rivalry is necessary." "Don't try to make it sound so noble. You just got bored of regular practice.""Ah, well, I do have a short attention span." "You know... I told you that you didn't have to come with me." "Yeah, right. I know you've been getting a lot of invitations from other girls in our class." "--- I have eyes for no one but you, Sakuya." I feel dizzy, as if my head were spinning. This situation... It's making it harder for me to walk in. Awkward! But I can't seem to move away from the door either. I seem to have stumbled on quite the scenario.  "Huh? What are you saying, Itsuki?" "What am I saying? Well, prizes are a part of any competition.""Wait. You didn't tell me anything about that." "Huh? Didn't I?""Of course you didn't. If you had, I wouldn't have played along---"Something cuts her off very suddenly while she's in the middle of speaking.  Music: Silence "...!?" Music: Sunny Place -Piano arrange 2 (Main Theme) (Wh-wha-whoa...)"... ..."They didn't put the sound into text, but Sakuya definitely just moaned in that line. You can't mistake it for anything else. Even Asuka can't. "---!"For a moment, I seem to hear a moan coming from Miss Takeda's lips.  I can sense myself panicking in my head, yet my thoughts are occupied by the heat rising to my face, and I cannot recall what went through my mind until I have returned to our dorm room.  Music: Liar's Lie SFX: Hurried footsteps "What's the matter, sis? ... You're still in your training uniform."Having lacked the mental capacity to change clothing, the best I had been able to do was take my own clothes out from the locker and dash back to our room. Perhaps due to the running, or perhaps due to other reasons, my entire body is hot and I am incredibly thirsty. Wheezing, I manage to gasp out a couple of words. "N-Nao, water..."Nao quickly brings me a glass of water. I gulp down the entire glass.  I sluggishly turn my face towards the questioning Nao. The image of what I saw is burned inside my mind. Oh, my body temperature is rising again. The two of them had been kissing. It had appeared that Miss Amato had aggressively initiated the kiss, but Miss Takeda... she didn't seem to be strongly against it either. Her hand on Miss Amato's arm. Her almost audible moan. --- Her lips.  "Nao..."Placing the emptied glass back into Nao's hand, I open my mouth. "???" "Nao, have you ever kissed anyone before?""Huh? Well... a long time ago, I kissed our dog, Capsule.""The Maltese, right? I did too."  "Nao."I say with a serious expression on my face. "Yes." "... No matter what, I am going to pass tomorrow's bed making test."Y-yeah. Let's do our best.""No matter what!"The heat is still coursing through my body, and I don't know where I can find an outlet for it. Having made my proclamation, I realize... (Oh, I never got the chance to go over the steps one last time---)And here is where we come to our first choice in the game.  A lot of visual novels have choices where choosing one option will get you affection with one love interest, while choosing the other option will get you affection with a different love interest. This is not one of those games. If we go to bed here, we just completely miss out on a scene and the chance to raise affection with anybody until the next choice. So, next time we will be choosing to head back to the school so that Asuka can get her last-minute practice done. Hopefully Sakuya and Itsuki will be done making out by then.
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Mar 12, 2019 18:21
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Yikes, things are heating up. For all the stuff Nao does for Asuka I think she can be allowed a little excessive forced studying help. But wouldn't tape be better than glue so it's possible to take the drat thing down again? And maybe stick another one on the inside of the bathroom door too. Hmmmmm. If in Japanese the game just said teacher and they translated only using text and not researching if Unnamed Teacher #1 had any voice acting it's not surprising they got the gender wrong.
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Mar 12, 2019 19:23
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Poil posted:Hmmmmm. If in Japanese the game just said teacher and they translated only using text and not researching if Unnamed Teacher #1 had any voice acting it's not surprising they got the gender wrong. Yeah, that's true. My issue is with localization as a whole because of that. The translators often lack all of the proper context for what it is they're meant to be translating, which leads to problems like this.
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Mar 12, 2019 21:11
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Chapter 6: First Names Choosing the option to return to school so that Asuka can get in some more practice immediately changes the scene.  Music: Healing Forehead Touch I resolve that I do want to double-check my bed making one last time.  It may already be closed... Please, no. Just then---  Music: A Perfect Angel "Oh, Ms. Ohara." "What's the matter? Did you forget something at school?""Um, no, well..." "???""I wanted to use the training room to double-check my bed making for tomorrow..."Hearing my words, Ms. Ohara looks towards the school building. "Oh, I see. I just locked up.""Of course, I understand..." "Really?""Yes. I do like to reward a student's enthusiasm."Ms. Ohara smiles. I'm not sure that a teacher should be rewarding a student for what basically amounts to last-minute cramming, but okay then. And so, I manage to get a chance to use the training room. My preparation for tomorrow is all set.  So yes, seeing this scene gives us affection with Kaede. No, there was no possible way that you could have known that you would meet her by choosing that option. And so--- The next day. We don't actually get to see Asuka take the test. I suppose they don't want to bog us down with too many details. I can appreciate that. While there are visual novels that manage to make even the minute details interesting to read, there are many others that just end up a slog to get through due to those details.  Music: Nursing Students are Girls, Too! I've passed, just as I proclaimed last night. I can do it when I set my mind to it.  "Yes!""You've gotten quite good at bed making. I would say you're one of the best in the class."Even if it's true, you really shouldn't say it. Especially while you're still in the training room with all of the other students. "Really?""Yes."I'm happy. So happy. I love beds.  And just like that, my goal has returned. "Ms. Ohara, with these hands I'll rule the world!""???"Ms. Ohara looks at me as if she doesn't quite comprehend what I mean. ... Oops. We get a loading screen as the scene changes (Sakuya again this time, but I did actually get one with Nao for this update).  Music: Silence I'm not sure exactly how long this time skip is. About a week or so, I would think.  Music: Liar's Lie  "Hey, Dummy Girl. Off somewhere?"I run into Miss Amato in the hallway of our dorm. "Yeah, I was.""I see. I'm off to hang out near the station.""I just got back." SFX: Bag rustling "Hmm, snacks? --- You might gain weight again."She says teasingly, before drawing her face close to peek into the bag. Her candid words cause my temper to rise for a moment, but... I can't come up with a retort. After all she's already discovered I gained two kilograms... thanks to my own stupidity. "Oh, it's Miss Amato.""Miss Amato! You have to come with us to karaoke sometime soon!"A couple of dorm students who happen to be passing by call out to her. "Yeah, sometime soon."She answers casually. I realize how popular she is. Seeing Miss Amato's profile as she waves towards the other girls, I suddenly remember.  The one that I saw in the training room. "Um, the person you're going to hang out with, is it Miss Takeda?"I ask, thinking it might be a date. "The Princess? No, no.""Huh?" She speaks so nonchalantly. "What!?"I'm a bit flustered. Is she cheating on her? And so brazenly? Or is Miss Takeda alright with it? Is their relationship just casual?  "Oh... I see...""It's not what it seems. Don't worry. The person I'm going out with is Princess Sakuya. We're just going to have a little break."She admits her trickery... I let out a sigh of relief. So, I was wrong when I said that they translate Itsuki's "It's a lie" as different things throughout the game. It stays as "It's not what it seems." But the problem remains that the Japanese phrase used has several meanings in different contexts. Here, it means "I'm kidding." But when she instead says "It's not what it seems," that makes it sound less like she said something that wasn't true and more like Asuka misunderstood what was said.  But, for some reason, I can't really imagine the two of them ever betraying each other. That's because you don't know they're your love interests yet. (Maybe it's because I saw that kiss---)Thinking such thoughts, my body temperature rises a little again. And then a question enters my mind. Something in Miss Amato's words tugs at me. (Oh---)"It's not what it seems." Those were the same words she had said to me on the stairway, the first time we met after my first day of school. She had spoken quietly, as if to keep a secret from those around us. And the other things she's said, like "I finally found you" and "I'll revise"... There are too many mysteries surrounding Miss Amato. But the biggest mystery of all is this...  That one takes the cake. "Actually, Miss Amato, can I ask you something?""??? You want to know what we wear to sleep? Let's just say, no clothes are involved.""... I see."Asuka's VA just went "oof" here and I love that. "For the Princess, at least.""Huhh!? ... That isn't what I wanted to ask.""I'm joking as well. What did you want to know?""Um, the first time we met, you said, 'It's not what it seems.'""What exactly did you mean by that?" "Hmm...?"Miss Amato seems to consider this for a moment.  "... Oh."Here the sound she makes is more like an incredulous gasp. There had seemed to be so much meaning behind those words, and yet she doesn't even remember saying it?  "That can't be a very good personality trait..."This is where that same thing bothers me again. "It's not what it seems" is not a phrase that implies dishonesty. It implies that something more is going on than it appears on the surface level. "Yeah, so don't worry about it. I'm sure I didn't mean anything by it.""... Okay."I had forgotten as well, so I guess there's no reason to be bothered. 'I'm not a very honest person.' But, that time at the training room, when she had said to Miss Takeda, "I have eyes for no one but you." I felt like she was being honest then. If she's a liar that will only tell the truth when she's with her lover, well, that's actually kinda hot. --- Anyway. Asuka is a disaster lesbian and I support her being that way.  Music: A Model Student Who's Mean Only to Me SFX: Soft humming I hear Miss Takeda's voice. From far off, she is humming to herself quietly. I look down the hallway and see Miss Takeda exiting her dorm room, unaware of us. Noticing this, Miss Amato says, "Ah, here she is." "I'll see you, Dummy Girl.""Yeah."Asuka has just completely accepted the nickname at this point. Miss Amato waves at me and walks away. I nod and begin to head back to my room. ... ...? I suddenly feel as if I'm being watched, and turn around.  Miss Amato is looking at me, a smile playing on the corner of her lips. It is a mischievous smile that seems to be plotting something. Then, she softly moves her lips.  (... What isn't?)The truth about whether she might be cheating or not? Or the fact that she isn't very honest? Or maybe she's referring to the nickname Dummy Girl? ... No, I doubt that's the case.  SFX: Footsteps Itsuki was on the screen at the start of this line and then faded off along with her footsteps. "D-drat it, I don't get it..."If Nao was here she would warn me about my language. But Miss Amato's actions are too much of a mystery to me. Most likely, I shouldn't let her words get to me. Deciding not to return to my room, I walk towards the entrance and watch the two of them leave.  SFX: Soft humming I can faintly hear Miss Takeda's playful humming. I hadn't known she could be playful like that. It's a little unexpected, honestly. But, well... "I guess it's different when you're going on a date with your lover."Miss Takeda is walking by the dormitory with Miss Amato right behind her. They're not walking side-by-side, neither are they too close or too far. The distance between them is that of two people who know each other well. They really paint a picture together... I think. No wonder they were chosen as the No. 1 couple in high school for three years in a row. Somehow, they seem to exist on another plane from me. I checked my screenshots just to make sure, and lo I was correct! Nao said that they had been the number one couple for three years in middle school, not in high school. One of these is translated wrong, and if you think I didn't replay the prologue to check the dialogue then... Well, I guess it's obvious that most of you don't know me since I've been a forum lurker for many years. But yes, it was earlier that it was translated wrong. They've been dating since junior high, but being voted the best couple was a high school thing.  Music: Healing Forehead Touch SFX: Door opening Nao greets me with a smile. "Oh, Nao, it's such a relief to see your smile...""Ahaha. What's got into you suddenly, sis?""Always stay the way you are, Nao. Don't disappear from my life."What happened to becoming independent from your little sister...?"Nao teases, and I pretend not to have heard.  "Nao.""But I'll be strict about making you study. For tomorrow."Nao smiles. "Huh? Where did my relief go...?"drat.  Finally, the Nao loading screen. Now we've seen the one for each character. The game skips us ahead to the next week of classes.  Music: I'm Gonna Be a Nurse! The next week, we have our first group work in class.  "Group work is not just about studying as a group.""Its goal is to help develop your communication skills, which will be vital for your work as a nurse.""It is not just your communication with your patients that is important, but your communication with the other nurses and the doctors as well." "So please try to express yourself as clearly as possible, listen carefully, and consider the topics of study deeply."Ms. Ohara continues.  She smiles as she gives us this important information. "Hospital training...!"Training amongst real nurses at a real hospital. For us nursing students, this will be the most valuable experience we could have.  Yeah, that probably won't be happening. Even so, the jellyfish-ish part of me drifts in this daydream, causing my excitement to grow. After all, this is the workplace of my dreams. Literally. If that actually happened, it would be a total nightmare. Asuka really doesn't have a grasp on the idea that nurses take on the responsibility of fully caring for patients. At least, she doesn't yet. Well, in any case, teamwork between group members will be really important... "Alright, I'll announce the groups."(Important---) Music: A Model Student Who's Mean Only to Me Machi and Michi are members of the group, but they have no personality whatsoever. This is reflected in both the fact that they don't have character sprites despite having names, and also the fact that they say almost all of their lines in unison. The game really pokes fun at how completely irrelevant and interchangeable they are. "M-me too.""My sister and I will do our best.""Looking forward to it.""Myself as well."And so these are the six members of our group. I'm sure that apart from the fact that Machi and Michi exist, the members of this group come as no surprise to anyone.  But, seriously, come on. "Alright, today's group subject is 'changing nightclothes,'""Talking about what it means to the patient and how to go about doing it efficiently.""In our next class, you'll have to make a speech, so use the training room for actual practice and make sure that everyone has their say."Saying this, Ms. Ohara leaves the rest to us students. Umm... Machi Tatsumi and Michi Torii seem friendly enough -- it appears as if they are already friends and seem to be happy in the group. In other words: don't worry about them.  Handling the both of them would probably be difficult even for Nao. So, yes, as the elder sister I'll take the initiative and lead. (I must.)I shoot my hand up in the air. "Well, we could start by introducing ourselves!" "R-right, of course!"I receive the counter-punch full on. Miss Amato is grinning. (... drat it...)"Why don't we try applying it to ourselves and talking about it from that perspective? What do you think, sis?"Nao offers tactfully. Good job, Nao. "Applying it to ourselves?" "That sounds like a good idea. In theory, for the first level up, it's always best to stay in the town you start in.""... I don't really understand that example."Yeah, so it's time for this game to do that thing that every visual novel or JRPG with a gamer character does. The gamer character makes a bunch of really general references to typical game mechanics while all the other characters act like the gamer speaking in a foreign language. Because apparently normal people have never played a video game in their entire lives. It's a trope I hate. "You're talking about gaming again, aren't you? You were playing until so late last night.""I prefer RPGs to hunting games.""... I have no idea what you're talking about."   "Me too!"As if to confirm how well they get along, Miss Tatsumi and Miss Torii speak in unison. "Alright, that's settled."Within the group, I see the invisible 'Nao stocks' rising. As conflicted as I am about Nao (for a lot of reasons, several of which I can't even begin to get into until we've completed her route), I do feel like investing in Nao stocks be an entirely safe investment. "... Mmm."I let out a small grunt.  Asuka's acting is painfully bad. I get secondhand embarrassment from listening to this line even though she isn't even real. It's my (bad) habit that I say things I shouldn't at times like this. "..."She glares at me. (Eeek!) "What I wear when I sleep. Well, I..."A look of contemplation crosses Miss Takeda's face. Remembering Miss Amato's words, I panic slightly. Even though I know she had been joking. Perhaps noticing me acting oddly, Miss Takeda asks me suspiciously.  "Huh?"Both Nao and I ask in unison. We are both 'Miss Osachi,' after all. Miss Takeda realizes this. "Right, you're sisters, so we'll have to differentiate the two of you."She looks thoughtful for a moment.  My heart lets out a small leap, just by her saying my first name. This is the scene I meant when I said that Japanese name suffixes really only matter for one scene. Up until now, the only people who have called each other by name with no suffix have been Sakuya and Itsuki. Even Asuka calls Nao 'Nao-chan.' So the fact that not only is Sakuya switching to first names, but she's also completely dropping any suffix is kind of a big deal. "Um---""It can't be helped. You can call me 'Sakuya' as well.""Huh?""I'm fine with 'Itsuki' as well." "... No nicknames."Miss Takeda furrows her eyebrows. ... Does she consider nicknames to be childish? And here, Asuka attempts to call them 'Sakuya-chan' and 'Itsuki-chan' and is shot down. The idea behind this is a bit different from nicknames. While the suffix "-chan" is indeed very cutesy, it's generally an acceptable way for female classmates to refer to each other. It's slightly less intimate than using only the first name with no suffix. Incidentally, they've all been attaching "-san" to each other's last names. "Miss" more or less gets the spirit of that across decently enough. "Well, sis, you know you can call me anything you like, but I do prefer Nao."Perhaps sensing the tension or completely unaware of it, Nao blurts this out suddenly. Well played. Nao pointing out that Asuka always calls her 'Nao-chan.' ... So, what should I call Miss Takeda...? (Just 'Sakuya'...) Our second choice of the game. There's really no reason not to just agree to call her Sakuya. She's specifically requested that Asuka do so. Naturally,picking the first option grants us affection with Sakuya and so that's what I'm choosing. Well, she's saying that it's alright.  "Miss Sakuya, Miss Itsuki... Nao."Asuka has decided to compromise by still using "-san" with Sakuya and Itsuki, but attaching it to their first names rather than their last names. Nao remains 'Nao-chan.' "Great.""---"Nao grins, seeming oddly happy about something. Miss Takeda seems a little dissatisfied about the 'Miss' thing, but she says nothing. After all, she has her aura of 'being above earthly concerns' to think about.  "Really, just call us by our first names."Once again, they speak in unison and so, ultimately, we decide to call them with just their first names. They asked to be called with "-chan", so they are now 'Machi-chan' and 'Michi-chan.' Not that it matters because they can barely even be considered characters but...  "What I wear when I sleep---""Yes.""Well, I wear a dress. Not exactly the best wear for hospital life.""With lace trim, by the way.""Whoa... a lacy dress... Very lady-like.""She looks a bit out of place in the dorm, though she hasn't seemed to notice herself. She is a Princess, after all.""I see...""You do know I can hear you. And, no, I don't look out of place." "So you were talking about yourself."In response to Miss Itsuki's words, Machi and Michi let out squeals of delight. Well, they're giving her the response she wants... If nothing else, we do know one thing and Machi and Michi: like every other girl in this game, they're gay. "Well, we have regular top and bottom pajamas. They're matching, but in different colors."In such a way, we talk about our nightwear and what we would do if we were hospitalized.  "It's an important topic. Clothing is one of the basic necessities of life.""Especially for a long-term patient, they'll be wearing them for a long period of time."Y-you're right.""... Haa..."A sigh escapes Miss Sakuya's lips. I've grown used to her exasperation with me. "It talks about how to change nightwear in our textbook, but let's discuss it between us instead of relying on that.Miss Sakuya suddenly raises the bar for us with her statement.  Once again, Miss Itsuki seems to be making references to gaming. "Alright, Asuka, you first.""Huhhh?""Why are you so surprised? Talk about what you consider to be the important points concerning changing nightwear.""--- Do your best, sis."Nao quietly sends me a few words of encouragement.  It must be important to think of it from the patient's perspective. If I were a patient, what would make me happy...? Alright. "One point would be... to compliment them!" Music: Silence "You might say something like, 'That robe looks good on you' or 'Those pajamas are adorable'... Stuff like that.... Huh? (What's with the weird tension in the air...) Music: Nursing Students are Girls, Too! Miss Sakuya responds coldly. Everyone seems to agree with this assessment. Machi and Michi are nodding. "Yep, yep. They might take it as sarcasm."H-hey, aren't you two a little too easily swayed...? Sakuya has a point though. People who are sick or injured tend to already be in a highly emotional state. Saying the wrong thing or using the wrong tone could be enough to really upset a patient.  "To someone like that, receiving a compliment may make them happy and help them feel better.""So, I think Asuka has a good point with her suggestion."Nao's support. (Ohh, thank you...)Incidentally, the points for changing nightwear mentioned in the textbook are a consideration of the patient's privacy, and careful monitoring of the temperature of the room. Nowhere do they mention 'complimenting the patient for having adorable pajamas.' Even after that, whenever I would say anything, Miss Sakuya would sternly point out the flaws in my argument. Even during our group practice at the training room this continued.  And thus, we end the update. I'm sorry that this one ended up getting out late. I started typing out the update at around 9:30. Yeah, it really took that long. Oh well. Next time, we'll pick up after that session of group practice has ended.
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Mar 15, 2019 06:37
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Yeah I don't think complimenting patients on their sleepwear at a hospital is a good idea at all. But it's good to make mistakes during training. Not sure letting Asuka loose in a real hospital so soon as summer is a good idea.  Gaearin posted:So yes, seeing this scene gives us affection with Kaede. No, there was no possible way that you could have known that you would meet her by choosing that option. 
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Mar 15, 2019 09:11
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