“Huh?”
Something is amiss.
“You didn’t know? I’m in charge of nutrition for all the athletic clubs. Your advisor asked me to bring steroids today, but…”
“Coo! Coo!”
(Okosan has no need for those! Bring Okosan pudding, or bring nothing at all!)
“… as you can see, your captain doesn’t want them. I prepared this just for him, and I’d really like to see how his body will react to it…”
We’ve seen mercifully little of Shuu in this route, but in case you weren’t sure, boy is he a creep.
“Coooooo! Coo!”
(Okosan said he doesn’t want it! It smells weird! Have Tera drink it instead!)
Way to throw us under the bus. I thought we were friends, Okosan! Since we’re such good friends, though, we’ll drink it instead of forcing Okosan to drink it.
“Whatever. Anything to make the doctor get lost! -gulp- -gulp-“
”!!! Nooooo! What are you doing!? That’s not for humans!”
“Cooo!”
(Okosan knew he could trust you, Tera! You are his greatest ally!)
“Yuck! What was in that?”
Tera leveled up! Wisdom increased by 10!
“Hmm… an interesting reaction. Thank you, this has been most informative.”
Don’t tell me you can see our stat boost, Shuu.
I’m not sure why, but I think it made me smarter???
“Race you to the other end of the field, Okosan!”
“Coo!”
Fortunately, we’re not going to spend too long worrying about it. We may be a little smarter, but not that smart. As far as Okosan’s concerned, we’re done here.
How exciting! We’d better go talk to Okosan about it. I dunno.
“Coo?”
(What is it?)
“I’ve been wondering for a while, now… what is the pudding you’re searching for?”
“Coooo!”
(Pudding is pudding, naturally!)
Glad we cleared that up.
“… coo!?”
(Might you know where Okosan could find pudding, Tera!?)
Here we can suggest a convenience store or a grocery store. It doesn’t really matter which you choose, since as we’ve established, Okosan’s concept of pudding doesn’t line up with the conventional one.
“Coooo!”
(Indeed!? Okosan goes at once!)
“Wait, Okosa—”
… and he’s gone.
But not for long.
“Coo!”
He’s back.
“Cooo!”
(Tera is a liar! A traitor to the cause!)
Okosan delivers his righteous fury upon us in the form of a vigorous WING ATTACK.
“Ow! Okosan, stop! You’re hurting me!”
“Cooooooo!”
(There was no pudding! None at all! Not a trace!)
In case you hadn’t noticed, Okosan is kind of a violent and dangerous asshole. Dating him was probably a bad idea.
“Coooooooooo!”
(Okosan hates you, Tera!)
Nooo! Why is this happening???
Okosan rushes off in a huff. Sigh.
We actually get slightly different dialog this time around, since we got that Wisdom buff from Shuu’s steroid concoction. Fascinating!
“Thielle!”
“Sir!”
“You’re getting better. Keep it up!”
“Yes, sir!”
Hooray! We’re improving!
“… but it’s raining!”
A dreary way to bring in the new year.
Oh, well. I’d go to the shrine, but this weather makes the wilderness dangerous. I think I’ll sleep in like a good girl instead. I won’t be able to send out cards in this rain, either! Fiddlesticks.
Since when is sleeping in the “good” thing to do?
“I hope you all had good vacations? I hibernated.”
“What a shocker.”
“… zzz…”
“You’re sitll hibernatING! Sir, wake up!”
“Oh! Umm, I’ve said this before, but your junior year will be over before you know it. Let’s enjoy this time while it lasts!”
There’s nothing special this semester… Nothing to worry about!
Let’s look forward to a carefree third term.
Oh! Tomorrow’s Legumentine’s! I think I’ll buy some beans. Today, Legumentine’s is a holiday where you give beans to the boy you like, but apparently it used to involve throwing them at pigeons. Disgraceful!
I’m glad we’ve progressed to more civilized times.
“Yes. Is there a kind that you think is particularly good?”
“This year’s trend is towards these bean medleys for racers, but they are a little pricey. It’s hard to say without knowing the bird in question, really.”
“Hmm… that’s true. And sometimes the cheap ramen tastes better than the expensive stuff.
Hatoful Protagonist: Ramen Expert. Anyway, this segment comes up in most routes, and it’s one of the worst parts of the game. You’re given a choice of five different kinds of beans, and have to select the one that will best suit your current love interest based on… intuition and dumb luck, mostly. Or trial and error. For Okosan, though, the racing blend seems like a pretty safe bet.
“I’ll take these!”
“Thank you, miss. Here you are.”
“Okosan! Okosan, wait!”
“Coooo!”
(What is it? Okosan was about to escape into the great outdoors!)
“I have something for you! It’s Legumentine’s, remember? It’s already been a year since we met, Okosan. I’m never sure if we’ll get along, but… I like you. So, please! Here!”
“Coo! Cooooo!”
(Such beautiful beans! Okosan is thankful! Okosan likes you, too, Tera!)
He immediately opens the package and begins to devour its contents. Seeing him enjoying them makes me happy, too!
Ah, well. Perhaps we cannot choose our fancy.
Is the track team doing anything during break…? I should go ask.
“Are you in here?”
There he is. He has a bag of dried beans and a canteen. Is he going hiking?
“What are you doing?”
“Coo!”
(As you can see, Okosan is preparing to depart on a great journey!)
Hiking, great journey, same difference.
“Over spring break?”
“Coooo!”
(No! Okosan has quit school and is going on a quest!)
“What!? Okosan, you can’t do that! It was a miracle for someone with a brain like yours to get into this school in the first place, and if you waste this chance you’ll end up a failure!”
“Cooo!”
(Okosan will not be stopped! Okosan is going on a quest to seek the true pudding!)
“What is ‘the true pudding?’ It’s not what I think of as pudding, right?”
Are you really only clueing into this now, protagonist?
“Coooo! Coooooo!”
(Pudding is the ambrosia of the gods! Miracles in jiggling, corporeal form! Treasure shining with the seven colors of the rainbow! Those who partake of its wobbling flesh will never experience sadness again!)
Seven colors of the rainbow? I’m not sure I’d want to eat that…
I dunno, I’ve eaten worse.
“You’re serious? You’re leaving?”
“Coo!”
(Okosan never goes back on his word!)
We can choose to let him go, or go with him. We’ve come too far to simply back out now! If we are to follow our heart, we must follow Okosan, wherever his quest may take him.
“I’m coming with you.”
“Cooooooo!?”
(What!? Fair maiden, this quest will be mortally dangerous!)
“I don’t care. If this true pudding really exists, I want to find it with you.”
“Coo…!”
(Hrrmm… Okosan knows your abilities well, Tera. You will not be an impediment.)
“So you’ll take me with you?”
“Coooo!”
(Very well! Birds of a feather must flock together, after all!)
We’re still not a bird, but it’s the spirit of the thing.
“Yaaay! Let’s go!”
“Coo!”
(Until we catch the end of the rainbow!)
Hand in wing, we charge out of the school, into the wild unknown.
And so our great quest began. We will not rest until we have partaken of the seven-colored, jiggling wonder that is the true pudding!
This is where, had we not been so careful and dedicated in our quest to romance Okosan, we would end. But for our diligence, we’re rewarded with a coda.
We ran for years across fields, forests, and mountains, searching ever onwards. And now we stand in the ancient, unexplored Ruins of Pudding.
“So… this is the end? Haah!”
With a mighty shove, we open the storied chest, and are immediately engulfed in a blinding light.
“Aah! It’s bright!”
“Coo!”
(Eyes! Eyes!)
……? There’s nothing inside. A fake…?
Well, that’s anticlimactic.
“What should we do, Okosan? I guess this… … Okosan?”
“… clad in feathers of the purest white, his golden pudding steed shining like the sun itself…”
At last, he’s here.
“At last he returns to his lost home, guiding the pigeons to the pure, promised land!”
“Wh-what’s wrong, Okosan? Why are you talking!?”
“I am no longer the one called Okosan. I am now… Pudi, Lord of Pudding! Okosan was but my Avatar on this mortal plane. I am now complete once more…!”
Surprise! We’re hooked up with Pudding Jesus. I hope you’re all proud.
“Okosan, what are you…?”
“I am grateful to you, fair one. I have at last achieved my goal. I am the bringer of True Pudding! I shall bring about a World of Pudding!”
“What is this pudding you’re talking about? Come on, tell me…!”
The poor protagonist is, understandably, having a little trouble keeping up with all this. I don’t really blame her.
“Pudding is hope. It is… the future. I shall now become… the very concept of pudding itself.”
“Th-that’s not Newtonian!”
Is that a Madoka reference? I feel like it might be a Madoka reference. In fairness, this whole scene is based on a bunch of incredibly well-worn anime tropes anyway.
“I have enjoyed our travels together. However, you must live on and forget me! That is life. If you can fulfill the concept of pudding, I shall be satisfied! I shall not live, or die. I shall be the concept of Ideal Pudding, never in wax or wane! There shall be no regret. Farewell, Tera…!”
The world is filled with light as Okosan, or rather Lord Pudi, once more departs our mortal plane.
“Okosaaaaaaaaan!!”
According to the fundamental principles of Okosan’s new universe, every living being carries pudding in its heart…
By the grace of Lord Pudi, the world has achieved Pudding Instrumentality. And so, the credits roll.
Thank you, again, for joining me on this magical pudding adventure. The first route is, inevitably, the longest, and I’ll do my best to minimize redundant content, so the next routes might progress at a more reasonable pace. I’ll be posting a poll shortly so we can decide on which route to pursue next. Until next time, everybirdie!