[Telephone ringing]
MIKA: "Yukari, is that you?"
MIKA: "Listen, something really bad happened! An accident occurred! Just as we feared!"
YUKARI: "... Mika? Calm down, will you? What's this all about?"
YUKARI: "And what do you mean, accident?"
MIKA: "This evening, one of the ceiling lights in the gym fell down and someone got hurt."
MIKA: "Don't you think this is Kimihiko's doing?"
YUKARI: "Someone got hurt? Who?"
MIKA: "It was Kuroda! During basketball club practice! That's exactly why I just said that–"
YUKARI: "Kuroda? Who the hell is that?!"
MIKA: "Man, you're slow! Kimihiko was bullied by Saeki and someone starting with a K, remember? That was Kuroda!"
MIKA: "The teachers were quick to blame it on metal fatigue, but do you really think this is just a coincidence?!"
MIKA: "Hey, what should we do? Do you think we should tell Chisato?"
YUKARI: "You stay quiet."
YUKARI: "I'll let her know."
A: "Have you heard..."
B: "About the incident in the gym? Yeah, I have!"
A: "It's too convenient for a coincidence, don't you think?"
B: "The light fell from the ceiling, right? Well, the teachers keep saying it was metal fatigue..."
A: "But the gym was renovated just last year! Why would there be metal fatigue already?!"
B: "You think... the cause might be..."
A: "Tatara?"
B: "I mean, that's what everyone keeps saying..."
A: "How is Kuroda? Was he hurt badly?"
B: "He was hospitalised. Seems they're doing a thorough checkup."
A: "It all feels so unreal..."
B: "And who knows, it might happen again... Maybe you'll actually be the target next time..."
A: "Wh-why me? I h-had nothing to do with..."
YUKARI: "I have to admit, it's hard to believe this is just a coincidence. Tatara would even have a motive for hurting Kuroda."
CHISATO: "But... I don't think he has that kind of malice in him..."
YUKARI: "What makes you say that?"
YUKARI: "Just because someone is a shy and quiet person, doesn't mean they can't harm others."
CHISATO: "But..."
YUKARI: "He got bullied so much that in the end he took his own life."
YUKARI: "There were some pretty severe circumstances that lead to his suicide."
MIKA: "You can say that again."
CHISATO: "Well, yes... Considering the circumstances that drove him to suicide, it seems fitting to think he took revenge..."
CHISATO: "But... I don't think that he would actually ever hurt anyone intentionally!"
YUKARI: "He could have acted on a sudden impulse."
CHISATO: "......"
YUKARI: "If you ask me, I still think we never should have met with him in the first place."
YUKARI: "I think, it's a hopeless case, to be honest."
MIKA: "I gotta say, though... If Tatara really did this, then why did he attack Kuroda?"
YUKARI: "How would I know!"
CHISATO: "......"
CHISATO: "Mika..."
CHISATO: "Do you... know Kuroda?"
MIKA: "Nah, barely... I mean, I know what he looks like, but that's about it."
MIKA: "I think he definitely knows me, though."
MIKA: "I'm pretty popular with the boys, you know."
CHISATO: "So, do you... think you could pay him a visit in the hospital...?"
MIKA: "Wait, what?"
YUKARI: "Chisato, what the hell!"
CHISATO: "Please, let me look into this just a little more..."
CHISATO: "In his current state, Kuroda might even mention something that would better explain why Tatara committed suicide..."
YUKARI: "......"
A: "Fine. Go ahead, Mika." B: "I suppose, I'll go myself, then..."
A: "Fine. Go ahead, Mika." [X] B: "I suppose, I'll go myself, then..."
YUKARI: "You don't know when to stop, huh..."
YUKARI: "Well, but we shouldn't all go together. If the three of us show up, it'd be weird."
YUKARI: "He'd get suspicious immediately, don't you think?"
MIKA: "Hm, true."
YUKARI: "So you should go alone, Mika. Try to make Kuroda talk about his relationship with Tatara. Anything could help."
YUKARI: "You're pretty good at this stuff, aren't you?"
MIKA: "Yes, sir!"
KURODA: "Mika...? Mika Kishii?!"
MIKA: "That's me."
KURODA: "What are you doin' here? Ain't you in the class next to mine?"
MIKA: "The hell do you mean, what am I doing here!? I'm paying you a visit! Or would you rather I don't?"
KURODA: "No, that ain't what I meant! Shit, I'm a lucky guy to have you visit me!"
KURODA: "I mean, you're ranked pretty high among the first-year guys, you know that?"
MIKA: "Huh? Is that so?"
MIKA: (Of course I know that! Who do you think you're talking to!)
MIKA: "Well, more importantly, there's something I wanted to ask you... if that's fine with you."
KURODA: "What do you wanna know? I'll answer, if I can."
MIKA: "Thanks, that makes me so happy!"
MIKA: "So, uhm..."
A: "How are you feeling?" B: "Have you heard of... that particular rumour?" C: "What exactly happened in the gym?"
A: "How are you feeling?" [X] B: "Have you heard of... that particular rumour?" C: "What exactly happened in the gym?"
MIKA: "How are you feeling?"
KURODA: "Well, shit happens. But the injury ain't life-threatening or anything, the doctors said."
MIKA: "It was not a direct hit, though, was it?"
KURODA: "Shit, I'd be dead, if it was!"
KURODA: "No, it hit the floor, bounced off and THEN it hit me."
KURODA: "Knocked me straight out, though. I heard the story from others later."
MIKA: "Hm. That must've hurt! You're really okay?"
KURODA: "The way you're sayin' that... Are you actually worried or are you just pretending?"
KURODA: "Well, whatever... Was that all you wanted to ask about?"
A: "Tell me more about the accident itself." B: "Have you heard of... that particular rumour?"
A: "Tell me more about the accident itself." [X] B: "Have you heard of... that particular rumour?"
MIKA: "You got hurt during the basketball club session, right?"
KURODA: "Yeah? So what?"
MIKA: "Was anyone else hurt or was it just you?"
KURODA: "Just me, far as I know. I don't know for sure, though."
MIKA: "But isn't that strange? There were a lot of other people, as well, right?"
MIKA: "Doesn't it make you ask yourself: Why me of all people?"
KURODA: "It was just coincidence, man. As I said, shit happens!"
MIKA: "And you never considered that it might have been caused by someone?"
KURODA: "Caused... by someone?!"
MIKA: "Yep."
KURODA: "That's a good one!"
KURODA: "The freaking light on the ceiling of the gym fell on me, girl! Who the hell would pull something like that?!"
KURODA: "It'd be impossible, unless--"
MIKA: "Unless?"
KURODA: "A-ah... Nevermind."
MIKA: "You're pretty nervous all of a sudden."
KURODA: "I ain't shit!"
KURODA: "No matter how ya look at it, I'm telling you, that was just a coincidence, is all!"
KURODA: "Someone unrelated to the school prolly cut some corners during the renovation of the gym or somethin'."
KURODA: "I'd probably get some nice compensation, if I sue them! Actually, I've already been thinkin' about doin' that! Yep..."
MIKA: "Is that so..."
MIKA: "By the way... Have you heard of... THAT rumour?"
KURODA: "Rumour? What rumour?"
MIKA: "They say that a ghost is haunting the sports equipment storage of the gym."
KURODA: "...The hell kinda nonsense are you spouting all of a sudden?! A ghost in the gym? Cut the crap!"
MIKA: "Everyone's saying it's real, though..."
KURODA: "So what, if they do?!"
KURODA: "Tatara's ghost, my ass! That's a load of bullshit!"
MIKA: "Hmm... So you actually know the rumoured ghost's identity, hm?"
KURODA: "Wh-what? What's wrong with that?"
KURODA: "Isn't that what you just told me?"
MIKA: "I only told you that a ghost is supposed to appear in the gym? I didn't say whose ghost."
KURODA: "...Ah... Th-that's, uhm..."
KURODA: "Well, I just guessed that you meant him! I mean, just think about it, man! A ghost right now? Who else could it be, damn it?!"
MIKA: "No need to get all worked up about it, you know."
KURODA: "I... I'm not! Can't you see? I'm super calm!"
MIKA: "And now you're even more agitated."
MIKA: "You're not the brightest, are you? I wouldn't even be surprised, if you only did some club activities during middle school and only got into the basketball club by recommendation."
KURODA: "W-will you shut up already?!"
A: "Guess I'll head home now." B: "You bullied him, didn't you?" C: "What kind of person was Tatara?"
A: "Guess I'll head home now." B: "You bullied him, didn't you?" [X] C: "What kind of person was Tatara?"
MIKA: "You know, I actually heard you did a lot of horrible things to Tatara."
KURODA: "That's a misunderstanding! Nothing more!"
KURODA: "We were friends with Tatara! Companions!"
KURODA: "People outside our group have no idea what they're talking about! They just say whatever the hell they want!"
MIKA: "Treating someone like your errand boy, having him bring you money, stuff like that... that's not something you do to a friend. That's how you treat a slave, wouldn't you say?"
KURODA: "The hell are you talkin' about! We hung out with him as friends, in our own way!"
KURODA: "If you wanna berate someone, how about you start with the girls in our class? Those mean bitches always banded together and ignored him on purpose and shit like that."
MIKA: "So you insist, that you definitely never bullied him?"
KURODA: Do I insist? Hell, like I just said! In the whole class, Saeki and I were the only ones who actually hung out with Tatara!"
KURODA: "No one got along with him as well as we did! We even had some sleepovers at his house, man!"
MIKA: "......"
KURODA: "Go ask his family, if you don't believe me!"
KURODA: "But you'll find that no one else ever visited his place except us, I can tell you that."
MIKA: "......"
A: "Guess I'll head home now." B: "What kind of person was Tatara?"
A: "Guess I'll head home now." B: "What kind of person was Tatara?" [X]
MIKA: "So you won't accept that Tatara might be appearing in the gym?"
KURODA: "Hell no."
KURODA: "He's dead!"
MIKA: "Well, that's why the rumour says his ghost appears there..."
KURODA: "Keep making up weird stories like that and you'll get cursed, man."
KURODA: "Any anyway, even if he did turn into a ghost, there's no way he'd do something like this to me!"
MIKA: "Why not?"
KURODA: "As I said, we were friends."
KURODA: "I was one of his friends! Why would he want to hurt one of his friends?"
MIKA: "Well, I'm heading home now."
KURODA: "Huh? Already?"
KURODA: "Mika, aren't you here, because you were worried about me? Or..."
MIKA: "Sorry, but... You know, I really can't stand brats or idiots."
MIKA: "Well, okay, it depends on HOW bratty and stupid someone is, and I can also ignore some of that, if the person is really handsome."
MIKA: "But I'd say, things are... crushingly hopeless for you in that regard."
KURODA: "......"
KURODA: "You fucking..."
MIKA: "Oh my! Whatever are you planning on doing with that injured body of yours?"
MIKA: "Well, if it was Saeki here and not you, I might've said something else."
MIKA: "Guess it's time for some reflection..."
MIKA: "Well, then, good bye, kiddo! ♥"
KURODA: "......"
MIKA: "...and that was the end of that."
YUKARI: "So he claims they were friends... huh. How can he even say that with a straight face after what happened!"
MIKA: "I think, in truth he actually realised that the gym incident might be related to Tatara."
YUKARI: "Hmph. So at least he's not as ignorant as Saeki."
MIKA: "But to think he'd tell us to check with Tatara's family, if we didn't believe him..."
MIKA: "He thinks we don't know anything, anyway, so he's just feigning ignorance... That kinda behaviour really pisses me off!
CHISATO: "That... might actually not be a bad idea."
YUKARI: "What?"
CHISATO: "Let us actually go there. I'd like to hear what Tatara's family has to say."
YUKARI: "You can't be serious!"
CHISATO: "If we just stop now, we'll never learn the truth."
CHISATO: "I need to know what actually drove Tatara to suicide..."
A: "... We might as well go." B: "There's no way we can do something like that!"
A: "... We might as well go." [X] B: "There's no way we can do something like that!"
YUKARI: "Well, Kuroda bragged we could even ask Kimihiko's family, if they were friends. Since he intends to stick to his story, we might as well..."
MIKA: "...go and see what they have to say!"
YUKARI: "I guess we can't stop yet..."
KIMIHIKO TATARA'S MOTHER: "Thank you very much for the incense you brought."
YUKARI: "You are welcome..."
MOTHER: "I still cannot get used to the fact that... he isn't around anymore..." [I will simply label her MOTHER from here on.]
MOTHER: "Talking to someone like this can help me distract myself, even if it's just a little bit."
YUKARI: "......"
A: "Chisato, I'll leave the talking to you." B: "Mika, say something." C: "I'll do the talking."
A: "Chisato, I'll leave the talking to you." B: "Mika, say something." C: "I'll do the talking." [X]
YUKARI: "You have had quite some disputes with the school over this, I have heard..."
MOTHER: "Yes..."
MOTHER: "I keep telling myself that no matter how much of a racket I make now, it's not going to bring back my Kimihiko... but still..."
MOTHER: "I don't know what else to aim my anger at."
MOTHER: "I just cannot forgive such a school, that simply stood by and let this happen without doing anything..."
MOTHER: "Just what happened to my Kimihiko to make him...?"
MOTHER: "No, it doesn't even matter what exactly happened, it's the school's duty to prevent anything from happening in the first place, isn't it?!"
YUKARI: "......"
A: "About his club activities..." B: "What was he like?" C: "How was he doing at school...?"
A: "About his club activities..." B: "What was he like?" [X] C: "How was he doing at school...?"
YUKARI: "What was he like when he was at home...?"
MOTHER: "He was a very attentive boy..."
MOTHER: "He was a good son, who always listened to what my husband and I said..."
MOTHER: "It's absolutely inconceivable to me that he could incur anyone's hatred."
YUKARI: "But it's not like people necessarily bully someone out of hatred."
MOTHER: "... That may be true."
MOTHER: "But I think, if they had just bullied him out of light curiosity, it wouldn't have lead to this horrible result."
MOTHER: "He was such a sweet boy, unable to quarrel with anyone... I'm sure he never even fought back. That's just how he was."
MOTHER: "There must have been some horrible students who took advantage of that."
A: "How was he doing at school...?" B: "About his club activities..."
A: "How was he doing at school...?" B: "About his club activities..." [X]
YUKARI: "Kimihiko was in the basketball club, right?"
MOTHER: "Yes... He had two friends from his class in that club."
YUKARI: "Do you know who?"
MOTHER: "Their names were... Saeki and Kuroda, I think."
MOTHER: "They also came here a few times..."
YUKARI: "Saeki..."
MIKA: (So they did come here...)
MOTHER: "My son had always been a sickly child. So, for a long time he never had had anyone he really could have called a friend, so..."
MOTHER: "Because of that, he was just so happy when he told me he had made some friends..."
YUKARI: "......"
MOTHER: "But... Three days before he took his own life..."
MOTHER: "He suddenly said he would quit the basketball club..."
YUKARI: "......"
MOTHER: "And even if we asked him why, he wouldn't answer..."
YUKARI: "I see..."
A: "About his friends..." B: "How was he doing at school...?"
A: "About his friends..." [X] B: "How was he doing at school...?"
YUKARI: "What was it like between them when Saeki and Kuroda came here to hang out with him?"
YUKARI: "Saeki probably was the leader?"
MOTHER: "The... leader?"
YUKARI: "I mean, was he kind of like the head of the group?"
YUKARI: "Did Kimihiko talk to them as equals?"
MOTHER: "That's, uh... Well, all I can say is there was one very polite boy..."
MOTHER: "And the other one had a rather sharp tongue and made me feel somewhat uneasy..."
MIKA: "That must've been Kuroda, no doubt about it."
MOTHER: "But... Soon after he joined the basketball club, Kimihiko would often come home and only talk about these two..."
MOTHER: "Kimihiko had also been bullied in middle school and had experienced a lot of bad things there, so he must have been really happy."
MOTHER: "But why are you asking about his friends, anyway...?"
CHISATO: "......"
A: "I think we should go home now." B: "Yukari, mind if I say something?" (This would probably be said by Chisato?) C: "About the bullying..."
A: "I think we should go home now." B: "Yukari, mind if I say something?" (This would probably be said by Chisato?) C: "About the bullying..." [X]
YUKARI: "And Kimihiko never said a word to you about the fact that he was being bullied?"
MOTHER: "Correct..."
MOTHER: "Had I known about it, I certainly wouldn't have let it come to this..."
MOTHER: "He... probably kept quiet cause he didn't want us to worry..."
YUKARI: "......"
YUKARI: "And you didn't notice anything? Clearly, you must've at least felt that something was wrong?"
MOTHER: "......"
MOTHER: "Are you saying it's our fault?"
MOTHER: "There's no way we could have known something like this would happen...!"
MOTHER: "What makes you think we could have known?"
YUKARI: "......"
MOTHER: "If only the school had noticed..."
MOTHER: "How can they just keep avoiding the responsibility..."
MOTHER: "To think that a school – a place that should educate and supervise its students! – would fail so spectacularly when it comes to the reality of bullying..."
CHISATO: "......"
MOTHER: "It fills me with pain and frustration to think about what he must have felt before he died without saying anything to anyone..."
A: "You don't understand anything!" B: "It was Saeki and Kuroda who did the bullying!" C: "We should be going..."
A: "You don't understand anything!" B: "It was Saeki and Kuroda who did the bullying!" [X] C: "We should be going..."
YUKARI: "The ones that did the bullying... were Kimihiko's so-called friends from the basketball club!"
YUKARI: "Saeki and Kuroda... These two were at the center of it all..."
MOTHER: "What...?! But that's... Impossible..."
MOTHER: "These two were his friends..."
YUKARI: "Just because they spent time together does not mean they were actually friends."
YUKARI: "They would group together with others and beat him up, or extort money from him..."
YUKARI: "Can you call that friends?"
YUKARI: "If you had paid more attention, I think you would have actually noticed that yourself."
MOTHER: "......"
YUKARI: "And yet, you really never noticed anything? Even though Saeki and Kuroda frequently came here?"
YUKARI: "If you had actually paid proper attention, at least his suicide could have been prevented, don't you think?"
MOTHER: "That's... I never..."
YUKARI: "You parents are all the same. You always react shocked and say stuff like 'But MY child would never...' and so on..."
CHISATO: "Yukari, that's enough!"
MOTHER: "What on earth would you possibly know about my Kimihiko that I didn't?"
YUKARI: "......"
MOTHER: "... No one tried as much as me to always understand him and be there for him."
MOTHER: "But he was just too kind... He didn't want me to worry about him, and that is the sole reason why he never opened his heart to me about any of his troubles."
MOTHER: "I always trusted him, and he trusted me, as well..."
MOTHER: "So I want you to refrain from making careless remarks like that! You don't know anything about us!"
YUKARI: "... What is that even supposed to mean?"
YUKARI: "There's no bigger burden for a child than some vague trust thrust upon them by their parents."
YUKARI: "Kimihiko was a perfect boy while the school and some unknown bully are to blame?!"
YUKARI: "No, that's not how this went."
YUKARI: "The ones that bullied him were none other than his alleged 'friends' from the basketball club, and he himself was unable to escape it!"
YUKARI: "Don't you think the weight of your overbearing faith in him played into that?"
MOTHER: "......"
MOTHER: "Please leave now..."
MOTHER: "I have nothing more to talk to you about."
YUKARI: "... Yes, we'll leave now."
MOTHER: "And don't ever come back..."
CHISATO: "I-I'm sorry..."
CHISATO: "We will go now..."
[Long text! Please pause for a second: Some of what Yukari said was definitely way out of line, but I think, what she was getting at, is this: At least in her eyes, the mother's overbearing personality made it difficult for Kimihiko to admit that he wasn't actually doing well at all and, thus, destroy the perfect image she had of his new school life. Also, remember from the previous game, that Yukari has a strained relationship with her own mother, which also might have played into her particularly harsh tone here. But feel free to also leave your interpretation and thoughts on this scene in the comments, if you wish.]
YUKARI: "I've had enough of this, Chisato!"
CHISATO: "......"
YUKARI: "Hey, are you even listening? If we go on like this, we'll end up becoming just like Kuroda."
CHISATO: "......"
YUKARI: "Say something already! You can't possibly still intend to continue with this?!"
CHISATO: "......"
YUKARI: "Why on earth are you so fixated on this whole mess? It doesn't have anything to do with us, you know?!"
CHISATO: "Nothing to do with us...? So you're like that, too..."
YUKARI: "... What are you trying to say?"
CHISATO: "......"
YUKARI: "Both committing suicide and bullying are the worst, if you ask me!"
YUKARI: "It's a childish act!"
CHISATO: "......"
YUKARI: "And yet, the newspapers, the television, and even his mother... all they can say is: 'Oh, Kimihiko was such a good boy!'?"
YUKARI: "I'm fed up with it!"
YUKARI: "I mean, Kimihiko just wanted to run away from Saeki, from Kuroda and even from his own mother. Isn't that correct?"
YUKARI: "He wanted to escape and chose death for this. The end. Can't we just leave it at that?"
YUKARI: "And, I won't go as far as calling him a coward, but... personally, I think there has to be something wrong with you if just some bullying causes you to choose death."
MIKA: "Calling it 'just some bullying' is kinda... inappropriate, though..."
CHISATO: "... I just realized again... Yukari, you are strong."
YUKARI: "What's that supposed to mean now?"
CHISATO: "I think, people who claim, that this has nothing to do with them, are just too strong to understand..."
YUKARI: "Oh, I understand alright!"
YUKARI: "But you die and then what?"
YUKARI: "It's frustrating! Most of the people left behind will just forget about you, anyway, soon enough!"
YUKARI: "They'll forget you ever existed and continue living on happily like nothing ever happened."
YUKARI: "I'd never want something like that!"
CHISATO: "I sincerely wish it were, as you claim, Yukari, and everyone could be that strong throughout their lives..."
CHISATO: "But... that's not as easy for everyone as you think."
CHISATO: "If you really tried your hardest again and again, and yet you lose every possible means of escape and refuge from all that torments you... then what on earth are you to do?"
YUKARI: "......"
MIKA: "Chisato..."
YUKARI: "Do whatever you want."
YUKARI: "I have better things to do than spend my time with a dead person."
CHISATO: "I will go to the gym's sports equipment storage once more."
YUKARI: "Didn't I just tell you? Do whatever you want!"