I’ve finally started this game after like a few weeks it came out. Just like my last common route review, this is a post-trial review. In other words, it’s after the events of the trial. I’m sure most people even slightly interested in reading this would try out the trial first so…yeah. Anyways, the choices don’t make a huge difference but I was going for Zen’s route while going through this. Shizuru is a locked route anyway until you do both Zen and Rikka’s routes.
The next morning Hotori finds both Zen and Rikka asleep on her sofa. She wakes them up and Zen gets all annoyed since she disturbed his sleep and tells her to go make something to eat since he’s hungry. So they eat breakfast together, though it’s a bit awkward since Hotori has like no idea what to say. Hotori says she’ll be heading to school to see Shizuru and Zen asks what he’s like. Hotori goes on to describe Shizuru (like he’s a prince and all that) though Zen says he’s probably just a stuck up guy. Later, Hotori gets ready to go to school and Zen and Rikka come along with her in order to help her confess to Shizuru. Hotori doesn’t think it’s such a great idea considering they’re not students, and so she leaves them at home. Although, Zen and Rikka still plan to go to school with her. Normally Shinigami can’t appear in front of any other humans but since they have a certain privilege as O3RO members, they’re able to show themselves in front of other humans in order to complete their task.
On Hotori’s way to school she finds out that an old man that lived in her neighborhood had died. It get’s her thinking about her own death so while she’s in thought she bumps right into Shizuru. She apologizes frantically but Shizuru tells her she’s not the one at fault and it was him for not looking where he was going. Anyway, he offers that she walks to school together with him and so they do. Once they arrive in class though they’re in for a pleasant surprise. Apparently there’s new transfer students (like any cliche anime has) and those two are none other than Zen and Rikka.
Everyone’s shocked to have such handsome men (ikemen) suddenly appear as transfer students; especially Hotori. They introduce themselves as (scythe hunting) Kamakari Zen and Meifu (Netherworld) Rikka. They don’t even bother to listening to the teacher and literally pull two students out of their seat just to sit down near Hotori because they want to LOL. Zen glared at the teacher when he lectured them and he just gave up cause he terrified him (I guess haha). Zen wonders why Hotori isn’t saying a word and Shizuru tells him she’s shy when it comes to strangers (well, about that…) and so Shizuru introduces himself to the two. Zen makes a comment about him being the prince she was talking about and Hotori get’s all flustered and tells Zen to just not (lol).
Later that day Zen and Rikka are getting a lot of attention from the girls. Shizuru realized that Hotori seemed like she knew both of them and asks if she’s acquainted with them. He says he’s a bit jealous but then laughs it off and tells her he’s sorry for saying something strange. Unfortunately, she isn’t able to hide it for much longer and has no choice but to reveal that she actually does know both Zen and Rikka to Shizuru. Though of course Shizuru figured as much. So during lunchtime Zen and Rikka want Hotori to take them to the cafeteria to get something to eat. Shizuru also offers to join them (clearly cause he’s jealous of the two and wants to be around Hotori) and so they sit together at lunch. Hotori tells Shizuru that both Zen and Rikka are her cousins that are staying with her while her parents are on her business trip. Suddenly Rikka notices that both Shizuru and Hotori didn’t eat their carrots since they don’t like them. Zen makes a comment about how it’s childish and Rikka mentions how he has a weakness to spicy food. Zen denies it but then Rikka puts spices in his ramen. Zen tries to prove him wrong but once he eats it, he screams for some water.
That afternoon, Zen and Rikka are getting along with Shizuru and ask him to give them a tour of the school. And after that they all walk home together. After Shizuru leaves, Hotori lectures the two about coming to her school all of a sudden but they tell her it’s their job. So Hotori just lets it go and says she’s going to the supermarket. Zen and Rikka are interested since they never get to visit many places in the present world.
(Wow look at this shop they even have an advertisement for Taco Bell’s new Breakfast on March 27th; the same release date as the game)
After they get home and eat dinner, Zen lectures Hotori on confessing to Shizuru. She says she’ll try harder, but Zen wonders why she even likes a such a frail guy like that. Hotori gets annoyed that he’d say that and says Zen is the same way. Though he says he’s not and wonders if he should show her (LOL) but before he can (strip) do anything, Rikka and him notice a presence and rush outside. Apparently it’s another Shinigami but unfortunately, they aren’t able to find them. Later, Hotori decides to study and has Zen watching her since he’s bored and has nothing better to do.
(Yeah this is when this CG appears. Seems like an irrelevant CG for a scene that isn’t really special…and Shizuru and Rikka have same face syndrome)
The next morning they all eat breakfast together and head to school. On their way there Zen keeps telling Hotori she needs to hurry up and confess already. And to her surprise, Shizuru heard Zen say “confession” and is all confused about it. Hotori can’t manage to say anything, so Zen tells Shizuru that she wants to confess to someone. Hotori then calls Zen an idiot and runs off to class after getting all flustered and embarrassed. Once she gets to school, Zen and Rikka finally arrive and get on her case for going on ahead. Later during class Hotori’s about to take some papers to the faculty office and Shizuru offers to help her. She’s hesitant to have him help her since she’s afraid he’ll bring up that morning’s incident about a confession. But thankfully he only talked to her about Zen and Rikka. She also tells him that she lived alone up until now and he says it must’ve been very hard for her. Soon an annoyed Zen and Rikka find her, telling her not to wonder off without them. Shizuru thinks they seem really close but Hotori denies it. Shizuru then mentions Christmas and since Rikka doesn’t know about that holiday, he explains it to him. Shizuru asks Hotori if she’s doing anything on Christmas. She says she isn’t, and he’s apparently free as well.
During class Hotori starts thinking about Christmas and how it’s not a particularly special holiday for her since she’d never spent much time with her family. She starts thinking about how she wanted to another Christmas with her mom, dad, and “someone else”. Though Hotori can’t recall anything about there being another person. After trying to recall this memory, she starts to feel shaky and uneasy. Shizuru notices this and tells the teacher he’ll take her to the nurses office. Once he does, he lays her down on the bed. Hotori tells him she must’ve overworked herself a bit. Shizuru is still quite worried about her, but she tells him she should be fine as long as she gets somer rest. She thanks him for helping her out. He tells her he’ll always be willing to help her but she wonders why he goes to such lengths. He hesitates for a moment, but tells her it’s because she’s the type of person to overwork herself and can’t leave her alone as she is. She then falls asleep to Shizuru holding her hand. Once Hotori wakes up, she finds Zen and Rikka in front of her. They start bickering and then notice Hotori’s awake. Zen tells her they should get going now and right then and there Rikka picks up Hotori bridal style so they can get going.
Hotori tells him it’s too embarrassing though Rikka doesn’t see why, of course. So she tells him she’s fine and can walk on her own and so he sets her down. Just as she’s about to take another step, she almost falls over again. Rikka suggests to carry her again but she rejects the idea. He then just decides to support her with his arm instead. On their way home Hotori asks the two if they remember when they died. They tell her they’re not obligated to tell her. She also asks how she herself dies, but they can’t say. That night while Hotori was asleep, Zen and Rikka went out by themselves. They find a body of a man who’s soul they were supposed to reap. Apparently he’d already been dead for some time. It’s quite unusual for a Shinigami to reap the soul of someone they weren’t in charge of. They then go back to the Netherworld to report this incident to Aira. She says she’ll investigate it herself and they leave her to do it.
The next morning Hotori finds that Rikka and Zen aren’t there. So she has no choice but to go to school herself. Shizuru asks about them and Hotori tells him that they must’ve left somewhere since they weren’t there in the morning. Hotori feels it’s a bit lonesome without them, and Shizuru can tell that she’s a lot more energetic around them he’s a bit envious over it. After school Shizuru walked home with Hotori. She finds that both Zen and Rikka still haven’t returned and so she eats dinner by herself. Three days pass and both of them still haven’t returned. Hotori had begun to feel lonely since she had become accustomed to their presence. So the following day she feels a bit unwell but goes to school anyway. Shizuru wonders if she’s alright but she assures him that she is. Although in the end she left school early because she felt too sick. Just as she goes to get her bag, she finds Shizuru who has it and hands it to her. He tells her she should’ve said something sooner if she was feeling unwell and says he’ll walk her home since he’s worried about her.
On her way back, Hotori starts thinking this would be a great opportunity to confess to Shizuru. Unfortunately, she feels sick and is still uneasy about it since she doesn’t want to ruin their current relationship. Just as Shizuru’s about to leave, Hotori calls out to him and asks if she wants to have tea at her house. He hesitates since he feels she should get some rest, but finally complies after seeing that Hotori seemed quite lonely. So he’s invited inside her house and serves her tea since she’s feeling sick. Hotori starts to get (all hot and bothered) all flushed out from embarrassment, so Shizuru wonders if she has a fever. He can feel that she’s pretty warm and just then the door opens. Zen and Rikka appear (in their shinigami attire for a moment) and change quickly to their normal outfits. Thankfully, Shizuru doesn’t seem to notice and welcomes them back.
Zen wonders what was going on between the two of them and Shizuru blushes and says he was checking her temperature. Zen figures the two must’ve started dating while they were gone. Shizuru is all puzzled and Hotori quickly tells them they’re not. So then Zen goes on about how he’s hungry and tells Hotori she should make something to eat. Shizuru objects to that idea since Hotori is sick and instead he cooks up some pasta for everyone. Hotori asks if Shizuru cooks at home and he hesitantly answers that he sometimes does. Soon Shizuru leaves to go home.
Afterwords, Hotori asks where the two had gone for so long. They tell her she doesn’t need to know but Hotori is clearly upset over it and starts crying. Zen and Rikka are surprised and finally Zen tells her that they went to the Netherworld for some business. They find it odd for her to worry over them being gone but promise to tell her next time they leave. So they then tell her to go rest up since she’s feeling sick.
The next morning Hotori has a fever so the both of them stay home with her instead of going to school. Hotori then wakes up to a loud crashing sound and heads downstairs to check it out. Apparently Zen was attempting to cook but made a huge mess of it. He wanted to cook for Hotori in order to make her feel better. Hotori, who can’t get mad at them after hearing this, thanks him. Just as Rikka is about to bicker with Zen, the doorbell rings. When Hotori answers it, she finds Shizuru standing there. He was worried about her since she and the others hadn’t come to school so he came to check up on her. She invites him since he wanted to speak with Zen in Rikka (he accidently says “I’m home” instead of “sorry for obstructing”). He goes into the kitchen to find it in a complete mess. Thankfully Shizuru is there to save the day! He had a shopping bag in hand and already prepared himself to make a dish for Hotori and the others. Hotori then thought to herself how Shizuru is good at cooking just like “someone” (it’s literally a blank space).
Soon Shizuru prepares to leave and hopes Hotori will be able to come to school the next day. He tells her to eat a full meal and sleep plenty. She confronts both Zen and Rikka though even when they ask if she’s confessed yet, she obviously hasn’t.
The next day Hotori finally returns to school and Shizuru greets her in the morning. Zen and Rikka barely make it to the classroom without these girls hovering all over them. Rikka was mostly displeased about it and said he’d send them all to hell one day. Zen started flipping out and told Rikka to calm down.
The next morning Hotori finds Rikka by himself. Apparently Zen was still sleeping and Rikka didn’t bother to try and get him up. So Hotori goes to Zen’s room to wake him up. She tries but he starts sleep talking and draws her closer to him. He tells her he’ll give her a kiss while he’s half-asleep and she slaps his sorry ass awake before he can try anything. He finally wakes up all annoyed and says she shouldn’t cry over a attempted kiss while he was half asleep. She then gets flustered and throws a pillow at him and calls him an idiot (ZEN NO BAKAAAA) before running out the door.
The next day at school Hotori completely forgot about her upcoming test. Though Zen tells her that her studies don’t matter since she’s going to die either way. Shizuru then notices Hotori looks distraught and asks Zen if he’s picking on her. Hotori explains that she forgot about their upcoming test next week and he offers to help study with her. But it’s not just Hotori, he also tells Zen and Rikka that they should study up too. They’re against it but Shizuru won’t be having it. So the three of them will be studying together at Hotori’s house on the weekend. As reluctant as Zen is about it, he thinks it’s a good opportunity for Hotori and Shizuru to get a confession rolling.
That night Hotori finds Rikka drinking her father’s sake again. He offers Hotori to sit down next to him. She wonders where Zen is but even though he’s his partner, that doesn’t mean he’ll be around him 24/7. Hotori then asks who died first, and apparently Rikka did. He was born in the Taisho era (1910 – 1920s) and Zen died more recently. Hotori is quite surprised hear this since Rikka doesn’t seem like he is. Also considering the fact he doesn’t age at all. Hotori says it seems nice that he never ages. Though Rikka wonders if she really believes that since he doesn’t think it’s so great. The flow of time never changes, and he remains the same for a long time. He lives without a purpose to fulfill before death. No matter how many years pass, he stays the same and lives a very boring and tedious life. Rikka says she’ll die sooner or later so she doesn’t have to worry about it. He then asks her if she has anymore questions and Hotori asks if he had someone he loved. He says he’s forgotten about it because it’s been so long. However, it was quite endearing. Rikka then asks why Hotori wants to confess before she dies since it clearly won’t serve much purpose once she’s dead. But apparently it’s for her own self-satisfaction. He then tells her to fulfill her desire all she wants as long as she doesn’t have regrets in the end. And he’ll make sure send her off peacefully.
The following weekend, Shizuru comes over to Hotori’s house to study with her, Zen, and Rikka. When Shizuru arrives both Zen and Rikka are casually watching TV. But unfortunately for them they have no choice but to study along with Shizuru and Hotori. Shizuru asks what subjects they’ll be working on and everyone is all mixed up with different things. Zen is working on biology and Hotori does too and makes the comment “I didn’t know you liked me that much!”, with Hotori denying it and getting flustered about it. After they study for a while, Shizuru finally heads home leaving Hotori with Zen and Rikka. They mention they have to go out for work apparently but will mostly likely be back the next morning.
Zen and Rikka visit Aira for a report on a urgent matter. Apparently two Shinigami were killed in the present world. It took place in Kaguya city; in other words, the place where the both of them are. Not only that but there’s been a suspicious Shinigami lingering around Hotori. And they are most likely the cause of the previous incident. Of course, Aira can think of no other capable of this act. That person is none other than Sora. Aira tells them to be careful and make sure Hotori dies on her specific date and time.
The next morning Hotori finds Zen and Rikka sleeping on the sofa. Rikka then wakes up and wonders if Hotori was trying to get in bed with him (LOL). So Zen dozes off again until Hotori wakes him up. He then whacks Zen up in order for to go sleep in his room. Later in the day Shizuru comes over to study again. Unfortunately, both Zen and Rikka are still asleep. Hotori suddenly asks about a problem and so Shizuru gets all close to help her with it so she starts blushing. Soon Zen and Rikka finally wake up and join them to study. Shizuru notices the piano in the living room and Hotori tells him she sometimes plays it. He tells her he’d like to hear her play so she does. He tells her he loves the tune she plays and then (if it wasn’t obvious) Zen gets pissed tells her to stop playing. Hotori apologizes and asks if it was annoying but he just clicks his tongue and leaves. And so they study for a while without Zen who stays locked up in his room. Though finally after a while he comes out and awkwardly greets Hotori. Rikka ain’t have that though and beats some sense into the boy and makes him apologize to Hotori. And so he does apologize and Rikka makes them shake hands for their reconciliation.
Later that night Hotori wants to talk to Zen so she goes to meet him in his room. He’s in a better mood but gets more bitter when she asks if he hates pianos. He says he does and she almost starts crying. When he asks if she likes pianos, she says she does. Zen tells her she’s pretty good at playing the piano though Hotori thought she was awful since Zen got all mad about it. He doesn’t explain why he got mad, but he tells her it’s not her fault and she shouldn’t worry about it. Hotori starts laughing and he gets all huffy puffy about it and pushes her on the bed and lays next to her. He’s all close so she gets embarrassed. He notices that her face is red just like when he almost kissed her. He starts teasing her and says if she’s to confess she better do it already and he could help practice kissing if she wants. She obviously rejects this offer and he’s all “Oh, too bad”. She then leaves to go to bed in her room with Zen laughing in the background more or less.
The next day is the first test day and Shizuru greets Hotori who’s anxious about the test. He cheers her on and says if she got plenty of rest then she should remember enough of it all and it’ll definitely be fine. Later that day, Zen called Hotori to his room to discuss about what she’s doing with Shizuru. She says they’re studying hard together and going to do their best on their test. Although Zen just sighs he says he forgot what he was going to say cause of her stupidity. Hotori says she’s at least better at studying than him. He then teases her a bit by pinching her cheeks. He tells her that he really is trying to support her through this though. And tells her to do her to her best since she only has two weeks left.
After the second day of tests Shizuru feels she did surprisingly well. On her way home both Zen and Rikka leave to attend to some business and so she’s left alone with Shizuru. She tells him that she’s really confident about her test so he asks if there’s something she can do for Shizuru as a reward for helping her. Shizuru thinks for a moment and finally suggests that they go out together somewhere after their tests. And not with Zen and Rikka, but just the two of them. Though he wasn’t getting it across very clearly so he tells her that he wants to go on a date with her after their test. Hotori happily accepts and he says he’ll tell her the details about it after the test. And so Hotori believes that this date is the best time to confess to Shizuru. Once Hotori gets back she finds both Zen and Rikka there. They wonder if she was asked out on a date and they guessed right! She tells them that she’ll confess to him on their date. Zen and Rikka are surprised to hear it but wish her good luck so that she won’t have any regrets (Zen also says he’d be happy to help her practice kissing).
Later that night Hotori finds Rikka leave the house by himself and follows him. He’s surprised to see her and Hotori asks what he’s doing outside so late. Apparently he was watching the stars and tells Hotori she should admire them while she can before it’s too late. And so they head back inside since it’s late.
On the forth day of the test Shizuru and Hotori make plans to have their date on Sunday. Finally they all finish their tests and walk home together. Shizuru asks Zen and Rikka if they’ll be returning home over the winter break but they give vague “I don’t know” answers. Just then Hotori starts walking on the road in thought and almost gets hit by a car. Thankfully, Shizuru saves her just in time. It almost triggers some sort of memory for Hotori, though she isn’t able to remember it. They ask if she’s okay and thankfully she is. Shizuru’s really out of it though and tells everyone there’s somewhere he needs to be and leaves ahead of them all. Once they get back Zen and Rikka are uneasy. So they leave for a bit later that night.
Zen and Rikka confirm the whereabouts of a soul that’s scheduled to be hunted that night. It’s then they both find Sora standing there. He tries to run but Zen stops him in his tracks. Zen launches an attack at Sora but he’s too quick for him and Sora manages to almost graze his arm. Rikka then intervenes but it’s no use and Sora runs away. Rikka says he feels like he’d met him somewhere before, and not when they were working as fellow Shinigami either; but a different time. Though he believes it might just be his imagination.
Next day, Hotori bought clothes for the date with Shizuru. She gets an email to eat with him after they watch a movie together. Later she discusses her plans with Zen and Rikka. Though they’re anxious about whether she’ll be able to actually confess. So Zen suggests she practices confessing. Though it doesn’t work out in the end so they just wish her luck with out it. Later that night Zen and Rikka contemplate about how things will go with Hotori and Shizuru. They hope for everything to go well though it’ll be sad how it’ll end for Hotori. Although they’ll have the option of death soon. Suddenly they feel a presence around them though it only stays a short while to watch them before it disappears.
It’s finally the day of Hotori and Shizuru’s date. Hotori is all nervous and moving about while hurriedly getting ready for it. Zen is all irritated about it and tells her to calm down. Eventually she rushes out the door to go meet up with Shizuru at their designated meeting place. Hotori finds Shizuru at their spot and they go off on their date together with Zen and Rikka secretly following them. They first visit a popular cafe together to have lunch. They were sitting in a couple seat so it was a bit embarrassing for the two. Nevertheless, they talk happily with each other. Of course, Zen and Rikka are still tailing them.
Soon after they finish eating they visit the movie theater to watch a movie together (coincidently it’s about a girl and boy who are spending their last days together). It’s so touching Hotori cries a bit and Shizuru offers her his handkerchief. Soon after the movie it’s completely dark.
Hotori makes her chance for her confession and asks Shizuru to go to the park. Once they arrive both Zen and Rikka finally dedcide to stop watching the two and leave them be. They start talking about how the heroine’s childhood friends were like Zen and Rikka. And Shizuru was like the heroine’s partner. It’s then Hotori finally musters up the courage to confess to Shizuru.
Thoughts: I quite enjoyed this part of the story. It mostly revolves around Hotori trying to gather up the courage to confess to Shizuru. I wasn’t sure what to think of Shizuru at first but I’ve realized he’s a total sweetheart who’s obviously in love with Hotori. After all of this, seeing her with any of the Shinigami seems strange to me. Because it’s clear that she’s in love with this guy. As for his answer to the confession? Well, it’s dependent upon the route you choose.
Otome Adventures 