Time for the summer festival with Okosan!
“Yup! Today’s the summer festival. Let’s go together!”
“There’s lots of good food! More than we could ever try!”
“Coo!”
(Perhaps even pudding!)
“Well… probably not. I’ve never seen a stand selling pudding… Oh! Look, look! The fireworks are starting!”
“… Okosan…?”
A white feathered blur is flapping about where Okosan was a moment ago.
“Coooooooooooooo!!”
“Nooo! He’s lost himself to the shining lights and returned to his feral ancestry! Calm down! Okosan, calm doooown!”
The rest of the night is spent trying to restrain Okosan from his little episode, it’s assumed. So much for a romantic outing. Still, this is what we signed up for.
“See y’all around, Kenzaburou.”
“Oh. Hey, Tera.”
”?”
Rabu, finally heading home after staying in the cafe for much of the day, gestures to me on his way out the door.
“Here. This is your tip.”
“It’s…!”
The magical candy from the pocket of an old lady from Osaka! So young men from Osaka can do it, too!
The protagonist finds excitement in interesting places.
“See y’all around!”
“Good day to you, Rabu. I think it is time to close up. Would you care for something, Tera? It won’t be as good after sitting overnight.”
“Is there any tonjiru left?”
Tonjiru is a kind of pork miso soup. This is your educational bit for the day.
“Of course. Here you are.”
It does look pretty tasty, actually.
“Mmmmm! Tonjiru from a fancy cup is the best! Mmmmm! … by the way, mister Urushihara?”
“Yes?”
“Mister Rabu comes here every day, right?”
“He does, yes.”
“I wonder what he does… is he a night security guard, or something?”
“A chauffeur, apparently. He is generally out all night. He likes to come here to relax before work.”
“A budgerigar who works at night!?”
“There are those among us parrots who prefer the night. The moon is wonderfully calming, on clear nights. Rabu is renowned for being a very careful and reliable driver.”
And here I took him for the type to go wild behind the wheel! Hmm, haven’t I met another careful driver recently…?
I do wonder what the significance of that could be.
I guess my summer job is over… I’ll miss this place.
“Thank you for everything, miss Tera. It’s been a pleasure.”
“Likewise! Thank you for everything, mister Urushihara! I think I’ll be back here sometime as a customer!”
“Y’all retiring early?”
“Miss Tera is a student, and so must return to her studies with the turning of the leaves.”
“I haven’t even finished half my summer homework!” (^o^)/
Again, that emote is in the dialog.
“Doing the last half in one week? I reckon you’ll do just fine. Gonna feel real lonely around here without you, Tera. Least Kenzaburou ain’t going anywhere.”
“Naturally not.”
Rabu sips from his cup. I think after working here for a month I can safely say that he accounts for the majority of the cafe’s business. Everybirdie who comes here probably thinks of it as an oasis in the city—an island of soothing parakeet in the sea of urban life. It’s kind of a pity that so few people come in…
Right on cue, someone enters the cafe. Someone familiar!
“Oh! Welcome!”
“Can’t exactly refuse an invitation from my sweet little protege, now, can I?”
When did I become your protege?? Okay then.
Are you complaining??
“Yay! Have a seat, please!”
“A… Azami, is that you…!?”
”!”
Her expression suddenly hardens. It feels like the cafe is going to burst! It feels like one of those scenes when the retired cop finally faces down the mob boss, just before the bullets start flying!
“D-do you know each other…?”
That’s probably one of the dumber questions you’ve asked so far, protagonist.
“You might say that… You disappear one day and then turn up sipping tea in a place like this!? Left us all behind, have you!?”
“Azami, I…!”
“How do you think I felt these past six months!?”
She looks ready to fly at him any moment.
“U-umm, Azami! I don’t know what’s happened between you two, but mister Rabu is a nice man now! He drives cars and gives out candy! Please, forgive him!”
“Stay out of this, kid. It doesn’t concern you.”
“……”
“Wh-what happened, mister Rabu? I’ve never seen her this mad…”
“Since when are you calling yourself ‘Rabu?’”
As it turns out, the kindly Rabu has a history behind him. Back in the day, young Rabu was a force to be reckoned with. Back in the day, Rabu was better known as…
I feel like now is as good a time as ever to remind you that I really love this game.
“I remember your sexy, raptorous eyes back then! He used to be a living legend, kid. The leader of the toughest bikers around. Back then… There wasn’t a bird on the night roads who didn’t know the name of Hosokawa Blaster.”
Azami lets herself sink into reminiscence a moment.
“Carve it into your souls! When we stand together, ain’t nobirdie gonna hold us back!”
A powerful figure, to be sure.
“I was young, then. Everyone of us Hell’s Birdies would have followed you to the ends of the earth! And we all knew we would have gotten there without a single traffic violation!”
“S-since when do biker gangs obey traffic laws!?”
“You don’t get it, kid. You’re still a rookie. You can Ride with the Law. Wh—”
Rabu cuts her off.
“‘When you Ride, you Ride on the Inside’ …”
“You were pretty famous for your strong ideals. Riding with the Soul, as wild as any other gang but never breaking the law… you were my hero! But a hero doesn’t run away. And you did. As soon as I confessed to you, you were gone…”
Done with the gang tales, on to the love story.
Because this is normal! This is just how things go. Sure, protagonist. She is impressively unflappable.
“Azami… I can tell, I’ve hurt you. I’m sorry. But…”
Tension crackles in the air. Only mister Urushihara remains exactly as he was when it all started, slowly polishing glasses behind the counter. So mister Rabu used to lead a biker gang, and his real (fake?) name is Hosokawa Blaster… This entire situation seems extremely out of place here.
It is a little more of a seedy bar standoff than a cozy cafe chillout.
Wait… haven’t I seen the name ‘Blaster’ somewhere before…?
“Will you listen to me, Azami?”
“It’s a little late for that! Six months of tea and cake and you look like mister fava bean!”
“M-mister fava bean!?”
The game helpfully illustrates Azami’s sick burn for us.
“I don’t like fat men! All my love for you burned up long ago.”
Azami subjects mister fava bean to a harrowing tirade over his new physique. At this rate mister fava bean won’t be able to get a word in edgewise… Has she really stopped loving mister fava bean?
You may or not have picked up on the subtle clue to Azami’s undying and enduring love for mister Hosokawa Blaster. Fortunately, the game only gives you two options to interrupt and present, Ace Attorney this ain’t. You can bring up Azami’s martial arts… or her scooter. It’s the scooter.
“Azami, I don’t think you’ve forgotten mister fava bean!”
“What’s all this, Tera?”
“I think you think about him all the time even now!”
“What are you talking about, kid?”
“I know it!”
I mean, it’s a little bit like Ace Attorney.
”!”
”!”
I saw it when we first met. Writing his name right on her vehicle like that… she loves him, I’m sure of it!
“You still like mister fava bean, right, Azami?”
“Uhh, Tera… My name isn’t—”
“I saw it with my own two eyes! When you gave me a ride home, and a lecture on traffic laws!”
“Y-you’re pretty sharp, for a human, kid…!”
Really, can we go one part without weird racism? You’d think bird society would be more progressive.
“… she’s right. I haven’t forgotten you. What a sad story. You left without even saying no, and I’m still chasing your shadow…”
“Azami, I—”
“Trying to sympathize with me? No, thanks. I’ve had enough of that. You threw me away. And there’s nothing that can change that.”
“No, Azami! Listen to me! I never threw you away! I… I-I didn’t know if I could settle down with you. I was an outcast. I was a hero on the midnight roads, but would I be a good father? Think about it! Any guy will panic a little when the girl he likes confesses like that!”
Yes, but… is the hero of the midnight riders really supposed to be that timid?
“I sat down, and I thought. I had to go straight. I couldn’t have made you happy like that!”
“You…”
“I’m sorry I left you behind. I was planning to come back to you when I’d saved money, but… That wasn’t good, either. Maybe this is destiny. Like Billiken said… our souls are being tested even now.”
That’s a reference you’ll have to chase on your own, I’m afraid. Google revealed to me a rabbit hole too deep for our current purposes.
“Hosokawa Blaster… your eyes look like they did back then.”
“Azami! Enough girl-talk! Marry me!”
“Of course!”
What a magical happy ending!
Anyway, so thanks for joining me on this adventure. I’m so glad you decided to come along.
This is the final part of the LP. Thanks for sticking around! Until next time, everybir—
Yeah, just kidding.
This is supposed to be the story of my romance, not theirs! Who did that? Who started the ending scene there!?
“Geez! … that was kind of amazing, mister Urushihara.”
“Yes, a little excitement here and there is not a bad thing. Such things just make our lives richer.”
“I wonder if my life is richer now?”
“No doubt it is. Well, then. A few more hours until we close, miss Tera.”
“Yes, sir!”
The scene fades out to white as the day’s events die down.
The soothing Mecca for all such people—
Torimi Cafe - Poko’s Forest
Tea next to chattering birds! Curry rice to die for!
Right in the middle of Kobe, just a little ways from Osaka! And if you still haven’t had your fill of avian company, the zoo is just around the corner! The excellent, fantastic Torimi Cafe. The birds are waiting here for you!
*As of September, 2011. Please check the website for more recent information.
“I shall be waiting here in my birdcage for you.”
There’s just a real-ass advertisement here. This game is magical in so, so many ways.
Okay, now the game’s over. We’ve got our little ending card, signifying the completion of a route. Like I was saying earlier, until next time, everybi—
Joking again! Ah, we do have fun here. For real, though, I think now’s a good time to end the current part. Until next time, everybirdie! Really!