label chapter1:

    #KoGa3 START#
    $ KoGa3GameProgress = "Chapter 1"
    #KoGa3 END#

    scene black with dissolve
    $ renpy.pause()
    centered "{size=100}{color=#ff005a}{cps=60}Chapter 1:{/size}{/color}{/cps}"
    centered "{size=120}{color=#ff005a}{cps=60}An Uninvited Tenant?{/size}{/color}{/cps}"
    scene black with dissolve
    $ renpy.pause()

    scene a1 with dissolve
    play music airport fadeout 1.0 fadein 1.0 loop
    play sound terminal fadeout 1.0 fadein 1.0 loop
    mct "The directions around here suck, by the way."
    mct "There's nothing I can do about it, though. At least the guide helps with the city's story."
    mct "\"Radiant Valley was founded in 1829 by pilgrims. Its first construction was a small chapel, and it used to receive many sailors who would use its strategic position to venture into the countryside\"."
    mct "\"When the sailors' days had passed, there was already a small town around, along with a hospital that took care of people during the famine that followed the great drought of 1890\"."
    mct "\"After that, the population demanded reforms in the city's entire organization, starting with more education and opportunities for the poor, as well as the separation of church and state, which was already taking place across the country\"."
    mct "\"Most of the demands were met, but the question of church and state remained unresolved until sometime between the First and Second World Wars.\""
    mct "\"The city saw some revolutions during the 20th Century. First it was the economical, the baby boomers had lots of money and free time and transformed the culture of the city immensely\"."
    mct "\"After that, civil rights began to take shape in many parts of the nation, and Radiant Valley became one of the movement's key centers\"."
    mct "\"In the '70s, free sex and drugs proliferated in common spaces\"."
    mct "\"Many discussions took place during that time, but it was clear that the city's culture was changing, becoming more libertine and less concerned with old, boring traditions\"."
    mct "Heh! It's no mystery that it was one of the places that suffered the most from AIDS in the 1980s."
    mct "It is not explicitly stated in the guide, but it was estimated that one in twenty young adults had the disease in 1985."
    mct "\"These days, Radiant Valley is well known for its tourism, technology, and academic centers. While the city is constantly expanding, it's also well known that renting here is among the most expensive in the country\"."
    mct "It looks beautiful on paper, but I'm not sure how much of it is true."
    stop sound

    scene a2 with dissolve
    mct "God, what an awful guide!"
    mct "It barely has any useful information. No useful numbers, no interesting places, and the map seems incomplete."
    mct "It's no mystery that phones are replacing this kind of thing."
    mct "Why the hell did I buy this? I remember getting off the plane, buying some bubblegum, and a guy with a soft voice standing near me."
    mct "..."
    mct "1426, Gethsemane Street."
    mct "What a weird name, by the way."

    scene a3 with dissolve
    mct "It seems like a pattern in this city: the contrast between religious themes and sexual freedom."
    mct "Not that I’m complaining."
    mct "I mean, it's unlikely that I'll see a nun in a bikini around here, but you never know what the future holds..."
    unkw "Excuse me?"
    mc "Huh?"

    scene a4 with dissolve
    unkw "You've been here for like fifteen minutes, reading that book. Are you lost?"
    mc "Oh! I-..."
    mct "Oh God! Now the Devil is giving me directions."
    mct "This city is definitely strange."
    mct "At least it's a sexy devil..."
    mc "I’m new in town and completely clueless about the place, so I took some time reading through the city’s history."
    unkw "I see..."
    unkw "Are you here for the Commons?"
    mc "The... commons?"
    unkw "Yeah, Radiant Valley University. Generally, people like you come here to spend between three and five years to graduate into a boring profession and live the rest of their lives in a depressing routine."
    unkw "I'm an freshman there as well."
    mc "Oh! Not exactly. I’m looking for something."
    mc "Actually, I'm looking for an address. Perhaps you can help me."

    scene a5 with dissolve
    mc "I’m looking for Gethsemane Street. I’m confused, and the map seems to be incomplete."
    mc "My father has a house there, but it’s my first time in the city."

    scene a4 with aass
    unkw "Bad divorce?"
    mc "Not really. He passed away and left it to me as an inheritance."
    unkw "That sucks! Sorry for your loss."
    mc "Thanks. It was actually better this way, since he had been suffering from cancer for so long."
    unkw "Cancer? Yeah...{w} I know how it is."
    unkw "I had a friend who also had cancer, but he managed to survive after some chemotherapy."
    unkw "Also, it makes sense that your map is incomplete. It's from a guide published in 2009."
    mc "What? Oh..."

    # play sound erikalaugh #KoGa3
    scene a6 with aass
    unkw "Hahaha!"
    unkw "Don’t worry, dude, it’s a common mistake. The peddlers at the airports do everything they can to sell these old guides to tourists."
    unkw "It's almost like a seduction game to them. By the time you realize it, you've already bought things you don't need."
    unkw "About the street you mentioned, I live there, actually. Or, at least, my father wants me to live there."
    unkw "He’s a control freak, and I’m a rebel. So, I decided to fall from his grace and pledge to a sorority."
    mct "Fall from his grace?"
    mct "Yeah..."
    mct "I hope this isn't an allegory for something else..."

    scene a7 with dissolve
    unkw "To get to Gethsemane Street, go to the end of the street and turn right."
    unkw "After that, you will need to walk about six blocks and turn left there to reach Radiant Hills."
    unkw "After reaching the end of the street, you'll see a small bridge, and you'll need to cross it to reach the houses. From there, Gethsemane Street is the third crossing."
    mc "Got it, thanks!"
    unkw "No problem. I hope you'll find what you're looking for."
    mc "I hope that as well."
    mc "What’s up with the Devil costume, by the way?"

    scene a8 with aass
    unkw "Oh, this?"
    unkw "It's part of the Sorority’s initiation. I’ve done many things so far, and honestly, this is the least embarrassing of them."
    mc "If this was the least embarrassing, what was the most?"
    unkw "Among other things, two days ago I had to run around a charity’s house wearing a duck costume, but without the head."
    unkw "And yesterday, I had to ask for money for this weekend’s party from random people on the street. I couldn’t ask people I knew or use my own; the Sisters said they would know if it was the case."
    unkw "Believe me, this is okay compared to that."
    mc "That sucks, but I hope the it will worth it."
    mc "I wish I could help you with that somehow, but I'm not sure how I could."

    scene a9 with dissolve
    unkw "Are you sure about that?"
    mc "Yeah, why not? It's the least I can do."
    unkw "Good."
    unkw "It might seem weird at first, though, so please don’t think less of me."

    scene a10 with hpunch
    unkw "Could you please put your phone number here?"
    mc "What?"
    unkw "It’s a to-do list I need to complete. I’m actually pretty behind on it, so doing that, plus the Devil Directions stuff, will help me score some points."
    mc "Are you sure?"
    unkw "Yeah. I have the pen here. You just need to write your number and take a photo of it. When I call you about it, just answer and confirm the story by sending the pic. That will be enough for us."
    mc "Okay, if you’re certain about it, I can help."

    scene a11 with dissolve
    unkw "Wow, it tickles. And it’s colder than I expected."
    mc "I don’t think there’s anything I can do about it."
    unkw "It’s okay; it just feels a little funny."
    unkw "I didn’t get your name, though."
    mc "It's [mc]."
    unkw "Hey [mc]. I'm Erika."
    mc "Nice to meet you, Erika."
    ek "Likewise."
    ek "I know it’s weird to say this to a guy I barely know, but you have a nice touch."
    mc "Hahaha!"
    mc "Is that so?"

    scene a12 with dissolve
    ek "Okay, ready?"
    mc "Sure."
    scene a12 with flash
    ek "Okay, thanks! For now hide it pretty well and when they ask, just send it to them."
    ek "Don’t worry, I won’t show your number to anyone except the Sisters, the members of the place I’m pledging for."
    mc "It's okay. I hope it will work for you."
    ek "I'm pretty sure it will."
    ek "I was too shy to ask anyone else, but at least you don’t look like a potential stalker."
    mc "Thanks for the compliment—"
    mc "—I think."

    scene a13 with dissolve
    ek "Good luck finding your father’s house, and don’t be a stranger."
    ek "After you find whatever you're looking for, let’s meet on campus. We can grab a coffee or something."
    mc "Thanks, I’d like that."
    ek "See ya later!"
    mc "You bet!"
    stop music fadeout(2.5)

    scene black with dissolve
    $ renpy.pause()

label ch1walkingonstreets:
    scene a14 with dissolve
    play music cute fadeout 1.0 fadein 1.0 loop
    mct "Apart from the name, Gethsemane Street seems like any suburb from the movies."
    mct "The houses are beautiful, but I doubt the rent is five grand per month. They look too simplistic for that."
    mct "Well, maybe that’s why it costs so much. It’s a city with a heavy influx of people coming and going every year."
    mct "..."
    mct "This certainly fits Dad’s personality: a simplistic life in the eye of the hurricane."
    mct "I remember a time when he took me to a Michelin 3-star restaurant, and he only ate spaghetti with wine."
    mct "Dad was funny. I’ll truly miss him."
    mct "I wish I had asked him about my mother."
    mct "..."
    mct "Do I really want to know that story?"

    menu:
        "Yes[persistent.KoGa3WTChange1](choice is not essential)":
            jump momstart
        "No[persistent.KoGa3WTChange1](choice is not essential)":
            jump momno1

label momstart:
    $ momstory = True
    scene a15 with dissolve
    mct "Maybe? I don’t know..."
    mct "I never thought much about her. Dad was never clear on it."
    mct "When I was a kid, I couldn’t understand that I didn’t have a mother. Most of the time, I treated the maids who passed through our lives as my mothers, including putting them through my childish bad behavior."
    mct "Many of them didn’t care much."
    mct "Yet, I miss Carla..."
    jump carlawonderings

label momno1:
    scene a15 with dissolve
    mct "I’m not sure I should. Dad had his reasons."
    mct "I remember a day when I woke up in the middle of the night wanting a glass of water, and he was talking to someone on the phone."
    mct "I don’t remember anything about the conversation, but I got the impression it was a woman."
    mct "He was absolutely furious at the time."
    mct "I remember asking Carla about it, and she said that I shouldn’t eavesdrop on adults' conversations..."
    mct "I miss her... It feels like it's been so long..."
    jump carlawonderings

label carlawonderings:

    mct "Did she go back to Colombia?"
    mct "Dad gave her all the support to help her become a citizen, even bribing some influential people."
    mct "But her brother being a member of a cartel didn’t help."
    mct "I should ask Nate to see if he could find out her whereabouts."
    mc "..."
    mct "Nate never liked me much, but Dad made him a powerful man."
    mct "I think he owes me some gratitude."
    mct "Well, it’s been almost seven years anyway. I’ll understand if he doesn’t find anything..."

    scene black with dissolve
    with Pause(2.5)

label ch1firstencounter:

    scene a16 with fade
    mct "Okay... 1426, Gethsemane Street."
    mct "This is supposed to be my father's house."
    mct "It looks... nice, I guess?"
    mct "I mean, the house is really beautiful, but it feels like the kind of place you'd stay in for vacations. It has that vibe where certain things are missing here and there because it’s mostly left closed for most of the year."
    mct "It looks like it has a pool, though. I haven’t been in one for a long time."
    mct "It will come in handy on hot nights."
    mct "..."
    mct "So, that's it then..."
    mct "The first step is definitely the hardest."
    mct "It’s definitely going to be an awkward conversation, but I’m here now. I can’t turn back."
    mct "Here we go."
    stop music fadeout(0.5)

    scene a17 with dissolve
    play sound knocking
    "*Knock-Knock*"
    unkw "Coming!"
    mct "A woman... surprising"
    mct "Maybe... nah, it can’t be..."

    scene a18 with aass
    play music forgottenland fadeout 1.0 fadein 1.0 loop
    mct "What the..."
    mct "Wow!!!!"
    mct "I mean..."
    mct "What???"
    mc "..."
    unkw "..."
    mc "..."
    unkw "Can I help you?"
    mc "Oh! I’m sorry."
    mc "I’m just not sure this is the right place."
    unkw "That's okay. I've already had my share of lost kids knocking at my door."
    unkw "You're here on behalf of Mr. Sunders, right?"
    mct "Was I expected? I didn't hear anything about it..."
    mct "Maybe Meredith told her I was coming... Or perhaps this woman knew I would eventually show up..."
    mct "Does that mean she could be my..."
    mct "Nah, let’s not jump to conclusions."
    mc "Oh, yeah! I’m [mc] Sunders. It’s nice to meet you... Mrs.?"
    unkw "Urgh..."
    unkw "Not anymore, thank God!"
    unkw "My name is Melissa. Melissa Brandt, if you’re up for formal introductions."

    scene a19 with aass
    mct "Oooh! So, this is Melissa."
    mct "Damn, she’s hot!"
    mct "I mean, considering everything I've heard, she's like 10 times hotter than I expected."
    me "We were expecting you five days ago. I almost rented the room to another student."
    me "But since your father already paid for the semester, I was hoping you would eventually show up."
    mc "I’m sorry?"
    me "Don't worry. I've been in this game for almost twenty years. I know students like you need time for yourselves."
    me "Come on in and follow me."
    mct "What the heck is she talking about?"

    scene a20 with aass
    me "I'm also pretty surprised you're a man instead of a woman. Your father wasn't clear, so I made the room as functional as possible for any gender."
    mc "My... {w}Father?"
    me "Yeah, I heard he had been dealing with health issues, but I assume he's doing better now, right?"
    mct "Oh, she doesn't know..."
    mc "I’m sorry, but..."
    mc "My father passed away two weeks ago."
    me "Oh... I..."
    me "He sounded so healthy on the phone just a month ago."
    mct "Well, Dad was definitely ill for more than a month, actually."
    mct "But maybe he didn't want to make her worry..."

    scene a21 with dissolve
    me "I’m sorry for your loss."
    mc "Thanks! Dad was a strong man. He never let cancer get him down, even while suffering excruciating pain most of the time."

    scene a22 with aass

    me "C-Cancer?"
    me "I... I didn't realize it was that serious."
    me "Please, give my condolences to your mother when you speak with her."
    mct "What?"
    mct "Okay, this is really some kind of joke, and I'm not in the mood for it."
    mc "Excuse me, ma'am, I think there's some mistake."
    stop music fadeout(1.5)

    scene a23 with aass
    me "I beg your pardon?"
    mc "I'm not sure what you've heard about me, but—"

label ch1stacyenters:
    scene a24 with aass
    unkw "Mom, do you know where my—"

    scene a25 with vpunch
    play sound suddensurprise
    unkw "Whaaat!"
    unkw "Who the hell is this asshole?"
    me "Language young lady!"
    me "This is [mc], he’s your new roommate."
    mc "Hello, nice to meet y—"
    unkw "Save it! I'm not in the mood for that."
    unkw "I was under the impression that the new student was a woman!"
    unkw "Since when have you started bringing men into our house?"
    me "I guess I was mistaken, sorry."
    me "And it's not the first time I've had a male tenant, but you were probably too young to remember."

    scene a26 with aass
    unkw "Whatever! Do as you want."
    unkw "Where did you put my panties?"
    me "Take a look in the basement, Stacy. I’m pretty sure it’s still in the dryer."
    st "Why do you always put the clothes in different places after cleaning? It’s really annoying!"
    me "You’re old enough to not depend on me for the basics."
    st "I’m old enough to be independent, but too young to have my own car. Sometimes, I just don’t get you."
    me "We are not having this conversation again."

    scene a27 with fade
    play music forgottenland fadeout 1.0 fadein 1.0 loop
    me "Sorry about that. The girls aren't used to having a man around."
    me "That’s my daughter Stacy. I swear she’s not as exhibitionist as she looks."
    mc "It will probably take some time for her to acclimate to the new environment, but I hope you don't mind."
    mc "It's not a problem."
    mct "No problem at all..."
    me "I know, she's beautiful. But I know my daughter and I recommend you to stay away from her, at least until she gets used on your presence."
    me "Believe me, it's for your own sanity."
    mc "Alright, point taken."
    me "Good."
    me "But you were about to say something, weren't you?"
    mc "Was I?"
    me "Yeah, about how I was wrong about something."

    menu:
        "Play dumb":
            jump ch1playdumb
        "Explain vaguely[persistent.KoGa3WTChange]recommended by me (melissaR + 1)":
            jump explainvaguelych1

label ch1playdumb:
    mc "Oh, I can't remember."
    me "You... What?"
    me "Strange. You seemed so certain just a second ago..."

    scene a28 with dissolve
    me "Are you... hiding something from me?"
    me "Wait, where’s all your stuff? You only brought one suitcase? Is that really enough for the whole semester?"
    mct "A semester? What?"
    mct "I'll be here for two, three days at best."
    mct "But..."
    mct "What kind of relationship did this woman have with my father?"
    mct "I need to figure it out, somehow... But how?"
    mct "Maybe a half-truth will satisfy her curiosity for now."
    mc "It will be delivered by the end of the week."
    mc "I came here by plane, so I only brought what I needed for now."
    mc "I have... {w}papers... {w}with me, so I have everything figured out."
    mc "And if I need clothes or anything, I have my credit card, so it's not a problem."
    me "I see..."
    jump melissatablech1

label explainvaguelych1:
    $ melissaR += 1
    mc "I’m not sure what you’ve heard about me, but there seems to be some kind of mistake."
    scene a29 with dissolve
    me "Oh?"
    mc "I... I don’t know who my mother is."
    mc "My dad was a single father who did his best."
    mc "Most of the time, I was alone at home."
    mc "Sometimes, I pretended I had a little sister to take care of, just so I wouldn’t feel so lonely all the time."
    mc "My dad died from cancer, I have an uncle living in Europe, and that's it... that's my family."

    scene a30 with hpunch
    me "I’m sorry for being insensitive."
    mct "Another hug... wow..."
    mct "This lady sure is affectionate."
    mct "Her breasts are big and round, it feels so good!"
    mct "She smells so good too..."
    me "If you ever want to talk, just let me know. We could grab a coffee or something."
    mc "I’d like that, thanks!"
    jump melissatablech1

label melissatablech1:
    scene a31 with dissolve
    me "Are you hungry? Thirsty? I can make you something."
    mc "I'm good, thanks. Actually, I'm tired."
    mc "The flight and the walking around afterwards didn’t really help."
    me "I see... I'll let you rest in a moment."
    me "But since I have some business with the Commons, I need to go over the house rules before showing you the room."
    mc "Ah... sure..."
    mct "Okay, Melissa and the university have some common ground, so I guess the house is some sort of official residence for students."
    mct "It's a start, and I think I have a basis to begin looking into this further."
    mct "But one thing I can definitely say – I'm in somebody else's place."

    scene a32 with dissolve
    me "Regardless of what happens during your day, the doors here are locked at 12 AM and opened at 6 AM. Be sure to be here before then, or you'll have to sleep outside or somewhere else."
    me "There’s a basket in your room for your dirty laundry. I’ll be the one responsible for washing it, but you’re responsible for taking care of your room. At most, I’ll use the vacuum cleaner when you’re not around."
    me "I will also be responsible for the meals. You’re not obligated to stay here during meal times, but regardless, they are served at 8AM, 3PM, and 7PM."
    me "We traditionally have a pizza night on Friday. You’re invited to join us and eat, but we generally ask everyone to chip in 20 dollars."
    me "If you don’t have the money, it’s okay. We can cover it for you, but you'll need to contribute in other ways."
    me "We have some rules about guests. You're only allowed to have one at a time, and they're not allowed to stay overnight."
    me "I don't allow drugs in my house—marijuana, cocaine, methamphetamine, LSD, and anything else like that. Absolutely none of it."
    me "You can have a drink in moderation—beer, a glass of wine, liquor, anything on that level is permitted."
    me "I consider myself liberal about sex, but this isn’t a whorehouse. We’re a house for students first and foremost, and before you, this was an all-female house."
    me "Saying that, the situation with my daughter was the first, and it’s unlikely to be the last."
    me "If that happens again, I hope I can rely on your discretion."
    me "You’re a grown man, so I guess I won’t need to explain this again: Don’t be a creep. Be sociable, try to help, and be respectful."
    me "You can use the pool whenever you want, but we rotate cleaning duties. Your turn is in two weeks."

    scene a33 with aass
    me "You, like the girls, have three strikes with me. Disobeying any of the rules counts as one strike. Three strikes, and you’re out of my house."
    me "Strikes aren’t limited to just the rules. Any situation where I feel intervention is necessary, I can use them at my discretion. Be aware of that."
    me "You seem to be a nice boy, so I think you'll do fine."
    me "Did you understand the rules?"
    mct "If this woman is my mother, then Dad had a really twisted way of putting it."
    mct "I really need some answers, so it's better to lay low for a while. Let's just go with the flow and see what can be done eventually..."
    mc "Yes, I think."
    mc "I hope I can remember everything."
    me "Don’t worry, you don’t need to memorize everything I said. Mostly it’s just common sense and courtesy, but you can ask me or any of the girls later."
    mc "Alright."

    scene a34 with aass
    me "Speaking of the girls, we currently have three living with us. In addition to my daughter Stacy, who is in her first year of college, we have Tiffany, a sophomore, and Mariya, an exchange student who also started college this year."
    me "I have another room to rent, but I prefer to reserve it for special emergencies."
    mc "Wise thinking."
    me "Fifteen years already, I learned some tricks along the way."
    me "Anyway, after their graduation, I usually ask students who enjoyed their stay to recommend me to others, so I can maintain a good reputation. I hope I can count on you for that."
    me "If you drop out of school or something, your father's money won't be refunded, but it's up to you whether you want to stay or not."
    me "Follow me now."

label ch1insidemcroom:
    scene a35 with fade
    me "Here's your room. I did it in the best way to let it comfy for you, but you can always personalize in the way you want."
    mc "Thanks, it looks perfect. Also, it's big!"
    mc "Are you sure it’s just for me?"
    me "It used to be a room for two people. When I decided to reduce the number of students, the rooms became too spacious."
    me "But maybe it's better, since now students can spread their things around without worrying about space."
    mc "I can see that."

    scene a36 with dissolve
    me "Any questions?"
    mc "I don't think so."
    me "Good."
    me "Your sheets need to be in the laundry every Monday. If you forget, you'll have to wash them yourself."
    me "Your clean clothes will be on your bed. It's your responsibility to put them away."
    me "For now, you're all set. Do you need anything else?"
    mc "No, I’m good. Thanks Melissa."
    me "No problem. I'll leave you alone now since I still have a lot to do."
    mc "Alright, I'll talk to you later."
    stop music fadeout(2.5)

    scene black with dissolve
    $ renpy.pause()
    scene a37 with dissolve
    $ renpy.pause(2.5, hard=True)
    play music nightrain fadeout 1.0 fadein 1.0 loop
    mct "Melissa seems like a good woman."
    mct "Why did Dad never mention her to me?"
    mct "It was necessary for Meredith to give me directions for me to be aware of her."
    mct "..."
    mct "This house is technically mine."
    mct "But..."
    mct "Why do I feel there’s more behind it?"
    mct "Unless..."

    scene a38 with aass
    play sound vibrating
    mct "Saved by the bell."
    mct "I wonder if Jeremy made it safely to the apartment."

    scene a39 with dissolve
    unk "Hey stranger =)"
    mcp "Who is it?"
    unk "Damn!"
    unk "And I even praised your sweet touch when you wrote your number on me."
    unk "I feel so used..."
    mcp "Erika?"
    ekp "Haha! Who else?"
    mcp "Sorry for that. I didn’t get your number."
    ekp "You never asked for it in the first place."
    ekp "I would have given it to you if you had. After all, you’re a cutie."
    mct "Haha! So forward, I love it!"
    ekp "Did you manage to find the place?"
    mcp "Yeah. And something weird happened."
    ekp "What do you mean?"
    mcp "I came here completely by surprise, but for some reason, they were already expecting me."
    mcp "The landlady even said I was late."
    ekp "Late? For what?"
    mcp "For occupying my room in the house."
    ekp "Your... room?"
    ekp "I thought you had said you inherited a full house, not just a room."
    mcp "And you got it right. I'm honestly just as confused as you are."
    mcp "But something doesn't feel right. She gave me confusing comments and assumed a bunch of things that were wrong from me."
    mcp "Almost if she was talking about a completely different person."
    ekp "I see..."
    ekp "And what's the landlady like? Is she hot?"
    mcp "...I’m sorry?"
    ekp "I’m just asking if she’s hot or not. I don’t think it’s too hard to answer."
    mcp "...are you messing with me, Jeremy?"
    ekp "What?"
    mcp "The way you're talking now strangely reminds me of a friend from my old city."
    mcp "He's the only one who knew about my intentions of coming here. Well, except for this girl I met on my way out of the airport."
    play sound notification
    "*message received*"

    scene a40 with aass
    ekp "You've made me sad."
    ekp "Do I look like a dude to you, dude?"
    mct "OH!"
    mcp "oh..."
    mcp "Sorry, Erika. The way you were typing really reminded me of a friend."
    ekp "Yeah, the so-called Jeremy."
    ekp "Only because I asked if she was beautiful..."
    mcp "It's not something I would expect to hear from a girl..."
    play sound notification
    "*message received*"

    scene a41 with aass
    ekp "Hahaha!"
    ekp "You sound like my father right now."
    mcp "Well, sorry if I'm not used to hearing a woman talking like a drunk sailor."
    mcp "Or at least a pubescent boy with too much free time."
    ekp "I see, haha!"

    scene a42 with dissolve
    ekp "Let me be clear with you so there are no surprises."
    ekp "I'm bisexual."
    ekp "It's just natural to me. But I understand when people are surprised by it."
    mcp "It's fair, I think. It seems that manners don't always align with appearances."
    ekp "Oh, that's it? So let me ask in a very feminine way:"
    ekp "Is she beautiful?"
    mcp "Now you’re just mocking me."
    ekp "Answer the question, dammit!"
    mcp "Okay, okay!"
    mcp "Damn, you’re as impatient as Jeremy!"
    ekp "Haha, it seems like you did that for this Jeremy guy then."
    ekp "You should introduce him to me sometime, I bet he has some neat stories."

    menu:
        "I prefer to keep you to myself[persistent.KoGa3WTChange]recommended by me (erikaR + 1)":
            jump erikapleased
        "He likes milfs":
            jump erikadispleased

label erikapleased:
    $ erikaR += 1
    ekp "You naughty boy!"
    mcp "I’m pretty sure we’re the same age."
    mcp "I might be older, but it's not polite to ask a woman's age."
    ekp "Well, this old grandma here is saying that there's a door between you and me, and whether it's open or closed is determined by your actions."
    ekp "And for now, the door is half open, but it can be half closed. It’s always a matter of perspective."
    mcp "I like the half open option."
    jump erikanight

label erikadispleased:
    mcp "Good luck with that. He prefers MILFs."
    ekp "Milfs? Is he going to go after Stifler's mom after dealing with your landlady?"
    mcp "I think he would if he could. He once stood in line for three hours to get Jennifer Coolidge's autograph at a Comic-Con."
    mcp "He even tried to kiss her, but the bouncer kicked him out."
    ekp "Ewww dude! Gross!"
    ekp "No, I don’t want to meet him anymore."
    jump erikanight

label erikanight:
    mcp "To answer your question, yes, she’s indeed beautiful."
    mcp "She’s blonde, with a nice chest and a small waist."
    mcp "She’s pretty chill about things as well, but that may just be my impression."
    mcp "But she also carries a respectful aura. The type which makes you listen to what she has to say."
    ekp "That’s nice to hear."
    ekp "How about your room? Is it good enough?"
    mcp "Yeah, it’s pretty nice. It’s almost twice the size of my old room."
    ekp "You’re lucky. I have to share a room here at the sorority, and the girl snores."
    ekp "I mean, A LOT."
    ekp "I didn't know a girl could snore like that."
    mcp "Haha"
    mcp "Maybe she just doesn’t know. As her friend, you should warn her."

    scene a43 with dissolve
    ekp "She’s hardly a friend at this point. She’s kind, but she feels more like a roommate I’ll never see again after graduation."
    mcp "Bad perspective for someone that you'll share a room for the next four years."
    ekp "Two and a half years, actually. But it’s okay, I’ve heard you can switch roommates after a while."
    ekp "And even if that weren't the case, I have a sixth sense about people."
    ekp "Rebecca, that’s the name of my roommate, isn’t the type of person who will grab a glass of wine and chat casually for hours."
    ekp "She’s the type of person who will be polite during our stay and will give generic advice for problems that don’t affect her directly."
    ekp "You, on the other hand, are definitely someone I’d enjoy having around."
    ekp "How are things progressing? Did you break the news to your landlady/tenant?"
    mcp "Not yet. And maybe I’ve found a mystery I need to solve."
    ekp "What do you mean?"
    mcp "She has a mysterious connection to my father. I don’t know what it’s about, but I’m curious to find some answers."
    ekp "Connection..."
    ekp "Could she be his mistress?"
    mcp "I don't think so, Dad was single."
    mcp "He was single for most of my life, apart from two girlfriends he had in the past, but neither lasted more than three months."
    mcp "I don't understand how. He wasn't ugly or shy."
    ekp "What about your mother?"
    mcp "I’ve never met her, actually, or if I have, I have zero conscious memories of her. I don’t even know if she’s alive or dead."
    ekp "I see..."
    ekp "Well, considering everything, it seems you have an elephant in your room..."
    mcp "Yeah, I know."
    mcp "I don’t know if Melissa is my mother. I don’t think she is, but I can't say for sure."
    ekp "Why are you saying that?"
    mcp "She has a daughter my age and reacted negatively when I called her 'Mrs.' the first time we met."
    ekp "Melissa?"
    mcp "Yeah. It's the name of the landlady. Assuming it's the same woman, she was on my Dad's will."
    mcp "But, as it’s always with him, his will was enigmatic, filled with citations and paraphrases that bored me halfway through."
    ekp "I see..."
    ekp "Well, I’ll try to help you with that, but discreetly, if you don’t mind. I’ve got a lot on my plate these days."
    mcp "Sure, any help is welcome. I just need to figure out where to start."
    ekp "We could come up with a plan during lunch tomorrow on campus. I could show you around the place."
    mcp "How? I’m not a student."
    ekp "Don’t worry. It’s a college; no one pays attention to the people around unless you walk onto campus with a rifle."
    ekp "And if that’s your intention, we can’t be friends. I have principles, and I don’t date psychos."
    mcp "Hahaha!"
    mcp "Okay, it’s a date then."
    ekp "Hey!"
    ekp "No one said it’s a date."
    mcp "Scroll back, you actually said it. And I’m honestly flattered."
    ekp "It was just a hypothetical situation, and you’re not a psycho either."
    mcp "What does that mean, then? Do you date psychos or not?"
    ekp "Shut up, [mc]! Don’t try to confuse me."
    mcp "I wasn’t even trying."
    ekp "Okay, then the door between us is half-closed."
    mcp "Alright, so I have the obligation of opening it back."
    mcp "I think I have a pretty good idea of how to do it."
    ekp "Haha!"

    play sound notification
    scene a44 with dissolve
    ekp "Bite my ass!"
    mcp "With a pic like that, I definitely temped to."
    ekp "You're incorrigible!"
    mcp "What can I do? It's not everyday you can see something so majestic."
    mcp "It makes me want to worship somewhow."
    ekp "Is that so? Then maybe you'll have the chance later though."
    mcp "And, with that, the door is half-open again."
    ekp "Haha! Right!"

    scene a37 with dissolve
    ekp "Goodnight [mc]!"
    mcp "Good night! It was nice talking to you."
    ekp "I agree..."
    ekp "Please don’t make me regret sending those pics to you."
    mcp "Don’t worry about it."
    mct "..."
    mct "This girl is special."
    mct "She’s not only hot, but she’s also fun to talk to."
    mct "She’s kinda dramatic in the way she talks, but that’s also a good thing. I wonder if she’s studying Fine Arts or something."
    mct "She seems genuine, which is more than most of the people I know."
    mct "..."
    mct "I want to know more about her."
    mct "She has, according to her, a father who’s a control freak."
    mct "But scratching the surface of her personality, I’d guess her father is just a normal guy."
    mct "Well, girls, right?"
    mct "They may look different, but in the end, they’re always the same."
    mct "I just don’t want another Penelope in my life..."
    mct "Ugh..."
    stop music fadeout(2.5)
    scene black with dissolve
    $ renpy.pause()

label ch1earlymorning:
    scene a45 with dissolve
    mct "What?"
    mct "Where am..."
    mct "Oh!"
    mct "Radiant Valley!"
    mct "I slept the whole night."
    mct "It’s barely six o’clock, but it seems Melissa is already awake."
    mct "She's making coffee... Nice smell..."
    mct "It's not something I'm used to, but it's a positive change."
    mct "Let's take a look, I slept for twelve hours straight."
    scene black with dissolve
    $ renpy.pause()

    scene a46 with dissolve
    play music wings fadeout 1.0 fadein 1.0 loop
    mct "Is this the view I’ll have every time I wake up?"
    mct "If so, you won’t see me complaining."
    mc "Good morning, Melissa."
    me "Already up? That's good."
    me "You had me worried yesterday. I tried calling you for dinner, and you were already asleep."
    mc "Sorry about that, I was really tired yesterday. I talked to a friend and fell asleep right after."

    scene a47 with dissolve
    me "That’s not a problem, dear."
    me "Breakfast won't be ready for another hour, but you can have coffee with me if you'd like."
    mc "Nice, thanks!"

    scene a48 with dissolve
    me "So, [mc], what’s your major going to be?"
    mc "My what?"
    me "Yeah, your major. You seem like the kind of guy who’d make a good lawyer, architect, or even go into economics."
    mct "Suspiciously specific."
    mct "That was basically my dad’s job."
    mc "Nah, nothing like that."
    mc "I haven’t decided on a major yet, so I’ll take different classes first and choose one in my sophomore year."
    me "Makes sense. Having to decide what you’ll do for the rest of your life at eighteen feels like torture, if you ask me."
    me "I remember when I joined the Commons about twenty years ago..."
    mct "Oh, so she's an alumna."
    mct "This could be useful for Erika and me..."
    me "I thought my future was in Art History, that someday I would become a famous art consultant. What a silly dream..."
    mc "It doesn’t sound silly to me at all."
    me "It is. You really don’t want to know how the market is right now. It almost feels like money laundering..."
    me "These days, I know how to tell a Monet from a forgery, and I can spot and evaluate a trend from a flash-in-the-pan artist, but that’s about it, really."

    scene a49 with dissolve
    me "Not that I’m complaining—I’m doing pretty well on my own, and it’s always fun having students around."
    me "But if I were smart, I would’ve majored in something like business or librarianship."
    mc "Librarianship?"
    me "It’s always useful in a city like Radiant Valley, with its vibrant college life. And being a teacher wouldn’t be too bad."
    me "Sorry, I'm blabbering."
    mc "It's okay, you gave me a lot to think, actually."
    mc "I guess I’ll have to decide eventually, but I don’t think it needs to be today, though."
    me "Alright, good!"
    me "Got any plans today?"

    scene a50 with dissolve
    me "Here you go. Do you take sugar or cream?"
    mc "Nah, it's good like this."
    mc "And no, I don’t have any plans for now. I’ll probably just walk around campus and decide what to do later."

    scene a51 with dissolve
    me "That’s great to hear."
    me "I’ll give you your keys later; I still need to go downtown and take care of some things."
    me "I need to buy some groceries for the week, since I’ve got another mouth to feed."
    me "Is there anything you want me to buy?"
    mc "I'm good for now, thanks."
    me "Alright, then. Let’s enjoy our coffee."
    mc "Cool."

    scene black with dissolve
    $ renpy.pause()

label ch1tiffanyentering:
    scene a52 with dissolve
    unkw "Phew! 10 km in under an hour—new record for me."
    me "It’s good to know you’re in shape, Tiffany."

    scene a53 with dissolve
    tf "Nah, it’s not about being in shape. I’m just proving to myself that I can do it; I just need the right mindset."
    me "That’s good to hear."
    me "I’m having coffee with [mc]. Feel free to join us—breakfast isn’t quite ready yet."

    scene a54 with dissolve
    tf "What is this, Mel? Your new boy toy?"
    scene a54 with vpunch
    mc "W-What?"
    me "Very funny, Tiffany."
    me "No, [mc] isn’t a toy. He’s your new roommate."
    tf "The one who arrived late? I thought it was a woman."
    me "It seems I was wrong. I hope you don’t mind."
    tf "Nah, it doesn’t matter. If you accepted him, it’s because you like him, and that’s fine by me."

    scene a55 with dissolve
    tf "And you [mc], do you train?"
    mc "Not really."
    tf "Yeah, I can tell."
    mct "Oh hell, I have a gym rat as a roommate."
    mct "What happens next? Will she insist on changing my eating habits and making me her partner?"
    tf "You know... Even without training, you have great complexion. I can tell you don’t have any drinking or drug habits."
    tf "It seems like you're somewhat insecure about what people might think of you. Perhaps a case of low self-esteem."
    tf "You're doing alright, but you could be doing much better."
    mct "Different from what I was expecting."
    mct "Low self-esteem? Given the past, maybe she's right, but it doesn't matter."
    mct "Not anymore, at least."
    tf "Why don't you try this: Every day in the morning, try sunbathing for 30 minutes."
    tf "Just stay in the yard, feel the sun's rays wash over your skin, and raise your arms above your head with your palms facing the sky."
    tf "After that, try running for at least ten minutes. You can do it around our block."
    tf "And then, once that's done, take a cold shower and start your day."
    tf "Trust me, you'll feel like a different person after a week."
    mc "I guess I could give it a try. Let's see if I can remember everything, though."

    scene a56 with fade
    tf "Thanks, my second mommy."
    me "You're welcome, my dear daughter at heart."
    mc "Are you two related?"
    tf "Not really, but I love Mel like a mother."
    tf "Sometimes I feel like we were mother and daughter in another life. We have so much in common."
    me "Well, except for the workout madness. I’m too old for that."
    tf "One day, you’ll be mine, lady! And it’ll happen sooner than you think."
    me "If you ever come across something like that, [mc], kidnap me and let’s head towards the sunset."
    mc "Unless she kidnaps me first, haha. But don’t worry, we’ll see what we can do if it ever comes to that."
    mct "These girls are lovely!"
    mct "They tease each other a lot, but there's also a lot of respect between them."
    mct "I could get used to live in a place like this. It's a shame I won't stay for long."

label ch1stacymariyaentering:
    scene a57 with fade
    mct "I mean, if it wasn't for the daughter..."
    st "Mooom! Where’s my phone? I’ve looked everywhere and I can’t find it!"
    me "Probably in your room, like always. Did you check behind your bed?"
    st "Of course I have! I’m not some kind of moron."
    me "I’m not saying that. You’ve just been a bit lazy lately, Stacy."
    st "I have no idea what you're talking about."
    me "You're never around, and you never clean your room... Plus, you're always asking for money instead of getting a job."
    me "And worst of all, some huge amounts lately..."

    scene a58 with dissolve
    st "I’m still an A student, and I was one of the best students all through high school, so don’t you think I deserve some slack?"
    me "Trust me honey, that doesn’t mean anything."
    me "And if you think you deserve anything in life just because you’re this or that, you’re in for a surprise in the future."

    scene a59 with dissolve
    unkw "This is a face I haven't seen before."
    unkw "Hi, I’m Mariya."
    mc "Hello, I’m [mc]."
    ma "[mc]-san. What a beautiful name."
    mct "Honorifics? Interesting..."
    mc "Yours too. Is it derived from Mary, or maybe the Latin version, Maria?"
    ma "I’m not sure... maybe?"
    ma "It is a pretty common name in Japan."
    st "Urgh Mariya!"
    st "What about you promised yesterday?"
    stop music fadeout(2.5)

    scene a60 with dissolve
    me "What do you mean, Stacy?"
    st "This is a private matter, Mom. Please stay out of it."
    me "Are you talking about private matters at the breakfast table?"
    me "Nope, we’re definitely talking about that."
    st "Forget it!"
    me "Definitely not! Spit it out, right now, or we’ll have a problem later!"
    st "Well, if you insist..."
    st "Fine!"

label ch1stacymcfirstargument:
    scene a61 with aass
    st "This asshole! Mariya and I were talking about him yesterday, and I’m pretty sure Tiffany feels the same."
    st "We don’t want him here!"
    st "We’re an all-female house. A man here not only breaks that convention but also makes us feel very uncomfortable."
    st "He’s also a perv. He looked at me while I was topless yesterday, and I’m pretty sure he liked it."
    st "It’s your responsibility to kick him out before anything happens. You don’t want to see me or the others traumatized by your lack of intervention, right?"

    scene a62 with dissolve
    st "Didn't you hear me?"
    me "Everyone heard you."
    st "Then why aren't you doing anything?"
    me "Because I find it funny that you think you have any authority over me."

    scene a63 with aass
    play music precarity fadeout 1.0 fadein 1.0 loop
    me "Everyone here thinks you're embarrassing yourself."
    me "But, instead of vocalizing it, they’re keeping it to themselves."
    me "You've decided to blame [mc] for your own mistakes."
    me "You're screaming about a possible trauma, which is quite ridiculous if you ask me, but you're asking for [mc]'s head on a silver platter."
    me "You put words in others' mouths and are surprised that you're not vocally supported by them."
    mc "And you still think it’s completely natural to treat someone you barely know as harshly and aggressively as possible."
    me "So, I'll use your own inappropriate words to say this: You’re the asshole here."
    st "What? Are you siding with a complete stranger over your own daughter?"
    me "It's not about picking sides, but about fairness, and you're being quite unfair right now."
    me "Or do you have any other reason for treating [mc] like that? It seems quite suspicious..."

    scene a64 with vpunch
    st "Fuck You! I’m out of this bullshit!"
    st "Don't come crying to me when you see him ogling someone and realize I'm right."
    me "Sorry everyone."
    me "And especially you [mc]. I don’t know where I went wrong with her."
    mc "It's... okay, I guess. I suppose you don't need much to dislike someone, and it seems I'm on the other end of the rope."

    scene a65 with aass
    tf "I’m not sure why she’s so angry with [mc] around here. Look at his aura—it has a nice shade of aqua blue around it."
    tf "Stacy, on the other hand, flashes an electric red aura. They feel like the complete opposite."
    ma "I still don't get how you can see other people's auras."
    tf "It’s not about seeing, but about feeling. [mc] seems to be in search of something and open to new experiences, which is why his aura feels wavy and positive."
    tf "Stacy, on the other hand, seems to be repressing something, which is why her aura feels sharp and negative."
    tf "But guessing is different from proving, so I could be wrong, and this whole aura talk might just be nonsense in my head."
    tf "But as for her claim, I'm okay with [mc] being here."

    scene a66 with aass
    ma "Me too, but Stacy-san insisted yesterday that he leave. I kind of agreed with her just to make her stop talking."
    ma "Sorry, [mc]-san. You seem like a nice person."
    mc "It’s really not a problem."
    mc "Maybe I should leave. Maybe pledging to a fraternity or something."
    mct "Probably something. This Stacy girl isn’t just on my last nerve; she’s dancing all over it."

    scene a67 with dissolve
    me "Don't be ridiculous, I'll speak to her privately."
    me "I need to knock some sense into her. It’s my responsibility as her mother, after all."
    me "And for you guys, sorry, but I’ll need one of you to clear the table before you leave. I really need to handle this now, before the house becomes a battlefield."
    ma "Don’t worry, Melissa-sama. I’ll take care of it."
    me "Thank you dear."

    stop music fadeout(2.5)
    scene black with dissolve
    $ renpy.pause()

label ch1mcmorning:
    scene a68 with dissolve
    play music wings fadeout 1.0 fadein 1.0 loop
    mct "Okay, I’ve got three hours to kill."
    mct "Erika is probably in class right now, so it’s best not to disturb her."
    mct "But maybe I could visit the place and see what it's about—she invited me anyway."
    mct "Well, she mentioned that she could help me, so I think I'll share some information with her during lunch."
    mct "Still, there are some things that don't make sense, especially about this mysterious tenant who should have been here five days ago."
    mct "And there’s also the problem with this Stacy girl. I’m not sure what I can do to fix her animosity toward me, but I should definitely do something."
    mct "But I still don’t get why Meredith insisted on sending me here. But that was typical of her and my father."
    mct "Hell, even from Nate, even though he was always the most direct when dealing with me."
    mct "Is this some kind of guilt trip? I'll be damned if it is, especially considering how their household dynamic works."
    mct "Okay, I definitely need to discover her relationship with my father. It doesn't make any sense for her house to be mine, especially considering she has a pretty established dynamic here, which doesn't seem new in any way."
    mct "Whether she's my mother or not, I don't think I deserve to be kept in the dark about this. None of us do, to be honest."
    mct "But I think this matter could wait a day or so. There's no urgency to it."
    mct "Let's go for the redhead for now."
    scene black with dissolve
    $ renpy.pause()

    scene a69 with dissolve
    mct "Seems a normal day for a university."
    mct "A rich one, at least. A bunch of busy people running through the corridors and a few eyes glancing your way here and there."
    mct "Everything's fine so far, but it's better not to raise any suspicion."
    mct "Let's move on..."
    scene black with dissolve
    $ renpy.pause()

    scene a70 with dissolve
    mct "Nice place, larger than I expected from the outside."
    mct "I'll sit down somewhere and let her know that I'm already here. She'll eventually answer when she can."
    ".{w}.{w}."
    ekp "Cool!"
    ekp "Can’t talk right now."
    ekp "Talk to you later!"
    mct "Alright, it's done for now."
    mct "Well, when in Rome, do as the Romans do, so I'll pick up a book and read. Maybe it'll be interesting or something."

    scene black with dissolve
    $ renpy.pause()

    scene a71 with dissolve
    mct "This book isn’t as bad as I thought it would be."
    mct "It’s clearly academic, but the narrative is really engaging."
    mct "I remember reading a little about Genghis Khan's life, but I didn't know it had such fantastic elements to it."
    mct "The parallel between being an outcast in his childhood and a conqueror later in life is intriguing. Perhaps that was the motivation that drove him to rise above the other Khans."
    mct "Who knows, exactly?"

    scene black with dissolve
    play sound highheels
    "*High heels on the right*"
    mct "Huh?"

    scene a72 with dissolve
    mct "Oh! Nice!"
    mct "A dream of any student, a hot teacher."
    mct "She seems pretty strict, though."

    scene a73 with dissolve
    mct "A big one. Lovely thighs as well."
    mct "Wearing high heels for at least eight hours a day must be painful."
    mct "Sharp nails... Not really ideal for an academic space, but I'm not the one complaining..."

    scene a74 with aass
    mct "Fuck, she noticed me staring."
    mct "How do I explain this without looking like a pervert?"

    scene a75 with dissolve
    mct "Hell, it’s worse!"
    mct "She doesn’t recognize me..."
    mct "Could she be a teacher for the freshmen, perhaps?"
    mct "Better not risk it. I'll just put the book away and leave."
    mct "It’s nearly time for the meeting anyway."

    stop music fadeout(2.5)
    scene black with dissolve
    $ renpy.pause()

label ch1mcerikafirstmeeting:
    scene a76 with dissolve
    mct "Boring, as expected from a place like this."
    mct "At least the girls are easy on the eyes."
    mct "Well, it’s not like Thursdays are the most exciting days of the week. There’s a lot of anticipation for the weekend, but it’s not quite here yet."
    mct "And choosing between a stressful calculus lesson or a complex yet entirely fictional case of the government buying out companies to prevent a large-scale monopoly doesn’t sound particularly appealing."
    mct "..."
    mct "I wish I hadn’t paid attention to the office days... At least Nate has something to brag about."
    mct "But I know I should do something with the money I’m about to receive. That, along with the royalties, would provide me with a comfortable life without the need to work or do anything."
    mct "..."
    mct "No."
    mct "It wouldn't be what my dad would want from me."
    mct "As he once said, money doesn’t shape character. It’s better to forget about this money, at least for now."
    unkw "Excuse me, dear sir, is this seat taken?"

    scene a77 with aass
    play music upbeat fadeout 1.0 fadein 1.0 loop
    mc "Yeah, I'm looking for a devil girl—small but cute horns, talks like a guy, but she's gorgeous. She promised to show me the tree of knowledge."
    ek "Hey! Didn’t anyone warn you about making weird pacts with the Devil? Aren’t you afraid for your soul?"
    mc "Nah, for that devil, it’ll be worth it."

    scene a78 with aass
    ek "It’s good to see you again [mc]."
    mc "Same."
    mc "This place is bigger and prettier than I was expecting."
    mc "Funny, ‘cause the outside looks way fancier than the inside."
    ek "It's the expected, the Commons has been here since the 1920s."
    ek "Before that, it was a government building, known as the House of Commons. I heard it was completely modernized in the '50s."
    mc "House of Commons? That’s interesting..."
    mc "Is there a House of Lords college too?"
    ek "It used to be. The Lords split up into three different universities: Layton, Ravenloft, and Radiant Tech."
    ek "But we're better than them anyway."
    mc "Why?"
    ek "One is a playground for billionaires living off their parents' money, another is a stronghold for the sons and daughters of corrupt politicians, and the last one produces government spies."
    ek "We're the only ones who can bring something new to the table, and the numbers don't lie: we're third on the QS list, while they barely cracked the top ten."
    mc "Makes sense, I think."
    mc "Are you enjoying your time here?"
    ek "Eh, it's alright. They say the first few months are always the hardest."
    ek "I haven't made any friends yet, but the sorority girls are nice."
    ek "Well, most of them, at least. There's always some bitchness when so many girls live together."
    mc "Isn’t that the point of a sorority? Living together and dealing with each other’s personalities, I mean."
    ek "Yes, in theory. But I definitely feel that I won’t find a BFF there."
    ek "Maybe a FF eventually, but it's too early to say."
    mc "Makes sense..."
    mc "But please, enjoy your food. I'm not going anywhere anyway."
    ek "Thank you."
    scene black with dissolve
    $ renpy.pause()

label ch1mcerikafirstmeetafterlunch:
    scene a79 with dissolve
    mc "So, what’s up, doc?"
    ek "You tell me. Did you find anything useful for our quest?"
    mc "Well, it's not much, being honest."
    mc "It’s not much, but I found out that Melissa studied here. She was an Art History major."
    mc "And if I had to guess, I'd say she was a top student."
    ek "Are you assuming that?"
    mc "More or less. She had an argument with her daughter about it earlier today."
    mc "The girl tried to show off, but Melissa wasn’t impressed. I don’t remember the whole conversation, though."
    ek "It's okay, and I think I understand the daughter... Parents really don’t care or understand the effort their kids put in, just to please them."
    mc "Ehh, I think there's more to it than just that."

    scene a80 with dissolve
    mc "Stacy, that's the name of the daughter, acts like a self-centered girl who treats her own mother like her maid."
    mc "She already hates my guts after barely seeing me once."
    ek "Are you absolutely sure you're not responsible for that?"
    mc "Definitely!"
    mc "I mean... I saw her breasts the first time we met, but it wasn't my fault."
    mc "What kind of girl walks around topless in a student house?"

    scene a81 with dissolve
    $ renpy.pause()

    scene a82 with dissolve
    mc "Are you for real?"
    ek "I’m living with a bunch of girls in a place where guys are only allowed during parties. Walking around topless is pretty much the norm, especially on hot days."
    ek "I think the girls only don’t walk around nude because it’s against the rules established by the Mother, our leader."
    ek "Even back home, my dad would always beg me to keep my clothes on around him, but sometimes I’d forget."
    mct "I’m pretty sure now that Erika’s father is a saint. Seems like this girl was a real headache to raise."
    ek "Well, I hope you guys will eventually make some ammends, otherwise it will be hard to deal with the situation of your house."
    ek "But specifically talking about your house and the relationship you have with this Melissa woman, do you know her last name?"
    mc "She mentioned to me during our formal presentations. It was Brandy, Brandt, something like that."
    ek "Good thing it wasn't a generic name like Smith, at least."
    mc "Thank God it isn't. Honestly, I don't want to deal with anyone with that surname for the foreseeable future."
    ek "Mh?"
    mc "Long story, and I'm bored even to start."
    ek "It's okay."
    ek "Try to confirm her name, so we'll be able to check the college files. If she was an honor student, it will definitely be mentioned there."
    mc "Will this help uncover her connection to my father?"
    ek "It depends..."
    ek "I mean, how long you've been living in Old Town?"
    mc "Longer than I can remember. I lived on my grandfather's farm for a while, but that was before I started elementary school."
    mc "He used to say it was shameful to return to his childhood home, but it was necessary, and it didn’t last long."
    ek "I see... And what your father mentioned about Melissa when he was alive?"
    mc "Nothing. He never mentioned her once in my entire life, not even en passant."
    ek "What about his college times? Do you know where he studied?"
    mc "He never mentioned directly. The only thing I know is that he studied Civil Engineering, which later led to Architecture, but he also had a Law degree and a minor in Economics."
    mc "All them in different places, though."
    ek "A busy life, that's for sure. I wonder if he studied until he was around 30 or something."
    mc "Considering he finished his studies the same year I started my first year of school, it's pretty likely."
    ek "Okay, so let's put it in a clear timeline: You never heard about her before, but you know a pretty large chunk of his childhood and adult life."
    ek "You don't know where he studied, and you never knew about the house until it came up in his will, according to what you said before."
    ek "Consider this a directed guess, but I think it’s quite likely that they met during that time."
    mc "Or maybe it's just an assumption; there's no guarantee that there will be anything in those files."
    ek "Maybe not, but I don't think that mention was by chance."
    ek "So, if you really want to keep a low profile, as you mentioned, I think the files are our best chance of finding something."
    ek "{size=-15}Maybe I’ll even find something about my father too...{/size}"
    mc "What was that?"
    ek "Oh! Nothing. I’m just mumbling."
    mc "Are you sure?"
    ek "Yeah, I was just thinking about something unrelated to the question. Don’t mind me."
    mc "Well, okay, if you insist..."

    scene a83 with dissolve
    ek "Alright, it's settled. Time for another three boring classes."
    ek "Talk to you later on the phone?"
    mc "Sure. I’m not doing anything anyway."
    mc "Best case scenario, I'll buy some clothes. I wasn't planning on staying here for more than two days, and I can't exactly wear the same shirt and jeans the whole time."
    ek "Ha! I was wondering why you only had one suitcase yesterday. See you later!"
    mc "Later!"
    stop music fadeout(2.5)
    scene black with dissolve
    $ renpy.pause()
    scene a84 with dissolve
    $ renpy.pause()

label ch1aftererikafirstmeeting:
    scene a85 with dissolve
    mct "I'm still not sure why she's so fixated on me."
    mct "I look like just any regular student."
    mct "But she definitely don't look like a regular student. I think it would be better if I stay out of her sight for a while."

    scene a86 with fade
    mct "And talking about people I should stay out of their way..."
    mct "Melissa's daughter..."
    mct "Stacy..."
    mct "She’s the polar opposite of her mom, yet they look like a lot alike."
    mct "I wonder where this stubbornness comes from. Even if their personalities are different, they must share the same values."
    mct "Maybe I should be the one who offers the olive branch, after all."

    menu:
        "Interact":
            jump stacydisgustedch1
        "Ignore[persistent.KoGa3WTChange]recommended by me (stacyR + 1 / dom +1)":
            jump stacyignoredch1

label stacydisgustedch1:
    mc "Good morning, Stacy."
    scene a87 with vpunch
    st "Don’t talk to me you creep."
    mc "So, not good at all."
    st "Having to breathe the same air as you makes it a bad morning."
    mc "That’s not a nice thing to say, especially to someone you don’t even know. That was a mistake."
    mc "Yours, more specifically."
    st "The only mistake was Mom letting the likes of you into our house."
    mc "The likes of... me?"
    st "Urgh, I’m done with this."
    st "Don’t talk to me, don’t look at me, don’t talk to my friends, and if I enter somewhere, you leave the moment I do."
    mc "That doesn't sound fair."
    st "I couldn’t care less. Fuck you!"
    mc "...have a good day too."
    scene black with dissolve
    $ renpy.pause()
    stop music fadeout(2.5)
    jump afternoonhomech1

label stacyignoredch1:
    $ dom += 1
    $ stacyR += 1
    scene a88 with dissolve
    $ renpy.pause()
    scene a89 with dissolve
    $ renpy.pause()
    scene a90 with dissolve
    $ renpy.pause()
    stop music fadeout(2.5)
    scene black with dissolve
    $ renpy.pause()
    jump afternoonhomech1

label afternoonhomech1:
    scene a91 with dissolve
    mct "Weird... All the lights are off, but the door is open."
    mct "And the atmosphere of this place is way different from earlier."
    mct "Something isn’t right..."
    me "Why am I the last to know about Jonathan's death?"
    play music timebeing fadeout 1.0 fadein 1.0 loop
    mct "Wait."
    mct "Jonathan?"
    mct "Dad???"

    scene a92 with dissolve
    me "It doesn’t matter. He’s important to me, and you didn’t have the right to hide that from me."
    me "When did it happen?"
    mct "Okay, it could be anyone else. Jonathan is a fairly common name."
    mct "If she’s talking about Dad, let’s assume the person she’s referring to will answer 'two weeks.'"
    me "Two weeks is more than enough time for a phone call, Mister!"
    mct "Okay, it’s definitely dad."
    mct "Why is she more surprised now than she was before with me?"
    me "It doesn’t matter. We have a history!"
    me "..."

    scene a93 with dissolve
    me "Spare me your excuses. You should be making the effort to make amends with your daughter. Stacy’s even worse these days; I hate that she inherited your personality."
    mct "Oh! Stacy’s father?"
    mct "That means he knew my father too..."
    me "..."
    me "I don’t care."
    me "..."
    me "I don’t care about that either."
    me "..."
    me "Is that some kind of threat?!"
    me "..."

    scene a94 with dissolve
    me "If you're asking that kind of question, maybe I should ask my lawyer to collect alimony for all these years too."
    me "..."
    me "I'll believe it when I see it."
    me "..."
    me "I don’t care about heritage. Why would Jonathan leave anything for me?"
    me "..."
    me "Well, I loved him too."
    me "He was always a good man, unlike you!"
    me "..."
    me "What you don’t understand is that I’m not motivated by money. I have my own life to live, I have my daughter, my job, and I actually help people get on their feet."
    me "..."

    scene a95 with dissolve
    me "Humpf!"
    me "Yeah, I can handle his son just fine by myself. I don’t need your help."
    me "Good day."
    me "..."
    me "I said {b}GOOD DAY!{/b} And don’t call me again!"

    scene a96 with dissolve
    $ renpy.pause()

label ch1eveningmariyabump:
    scene a97 with hpunch
    mc "Be careful!"
    ma "Why are you listening to other people's conversations?"
    mc "It wasn’t intentional. I arrived and saw Melissa having an intense argument on the phone with someone."
    mc "It seems she was talking to Stacy’s father."

    scene a98 with dissolve
    ma "Stacy-san’s father? I’ve only heard a little about him."
    mc "It doesn’t seem like they have a friendly relationship. It was mostly shouting and blunt responses from her."
    ma "That doesn’t seem like Melissa-sama at all."
    me "*sniff*"

    scene a99 with dissolve
    me ".{w}.{w}."
    mct "She's crying... And shaking..."
    mct "If the sadness didn't hit her before, it seems it did now..."
    me "It seems... {w}You never forgave me..."
    mct "This doesn’t sound like something my father would do at all. He was always the most compassionate person I’ve ever known..."
    mct "It’s probably better to give her some space..."

    scene a100 with aass
    mc "We'd better pretend we didn't hear that."
    mc "Let’s head to our rooms and give her some space."
    ma "Do you think she’ll be okay?"
    mc "I don't know... but it's better to ask later, once she's had a chance to sort out her thoughts."
    ma "That seems like the most assertive thing to do, [mc]-san."
    mc "Why do you keep using honorifics? You’re no longer in Japan."

    scene a101 with dissolve
    ma "I don’t allow myself the freedom of being disrespectful towards you."
    ma "But if you want, we can talk about this later. It's not the best time right now."
    mc "Indeed, let’s go."
    stop music fadeout(2.5)
    scene black with dissolve
    $ renpy.pause()

label ch1mcroomsecondnight:
    scene a102 with dissolve
    mct "..."
    mct "It seems I won't have one or two days to figure things out anymore..."
    mct "The crying seemed genuine."
    mct "And what about forgiveness? What kind of awful thing did she do to him?"
    mct "I can't think of anything, to be honest."
    mct "He was like, 'You do your thing, I do mine, and at the end of the day, we'll have a beer together.'"
    mct "Of course, there's more to his personality than what he showed me. But even the employees had nothing bad to say about him."
    mct "No small talk, no gossip... nothing!"  #KoGa3
    mct "Maybe I wasn't in a good position to know about it, but it wouldn't have been hard to notice if things were different from how he presented to me."
    mct "..."
    mct "You know what, I think I'm starting to regret this whole trip. I feel like there are some skeletons in the closet that I wouldn't want to see..."

    scene black with dissolve
    $ renpy.pause()

    scene a103 with dissolve
    mct "Aimlessly walking is getting boring."
    mct "Meredith was right about this city being beautiful, but I’ve only seen a small part of the shoreline, the airport's plaza, and the college."
    mct "I think I should go somewhere after dealing with the house situation. Learning more about the city's true history, rather than something from a guide, could be cool."
    mct "Maybe a restaurant and a walk around downtown at night could be nice, with the right company."
    mct "It’s not like it’s a date, but I think I could give myself a proper farewell to this place..."
    mct "Stacy is definitely a 'no', but maybe I could ask Tiffany, Mariya, or Erika. Hell, even Melissa, if she doesn’t mind being seen with someone like me."

    menu:
        mct "Who I should ask for a date?"
        "Ask Tiffany[persistent.KoGa3WTChange1](your preferred choice)":
            jump tiffanydate
        "Ask Mariya[persistent.KoGa3WTChange1](your preferred choice)":
            jump mariyadate
        "Ask Erika[persistent.KoGa3WTChange1](your preferred choice)":
            jump erikadate
        "Ask Melissa[persistent.KoGa3WTChange1](your preferred choice)":
            jump melissadate
        "Staying at home[persistent.KoGa3WTChange1](your preferred choice)":
            jump stayinghome1
label tiffanydate:
    $ tiffany_date = True
    mct "Tiffany seems like she’d be good company for the night. Not sure if she’d like a bar."
    mct "She looks too fit for a beer, but maybe she’d appreciate a change of scenery. Everyone needs a bit of rest after an intense week of..."
    mct "Wait... what's her major again?"
    mct "Well, it doesn’t matter. Rest is rest, after all."
    scene black with dissolve
    $ renpy.pause()
    jump tiffanybath

label mariyadate:
    $ mariya_date = True
    mct "Why not Mariya? She seems interesting."
    mct "I mean, I’ve never met anyone from Japan before. I always thought that 'chan', 'san', or 'sama' were just anime things."
    mct "...I should stop basing my opinions of an entire country on watching Naruto."
    mct "Her English shows that she's been around here for a while. Yet, Melissa said she's a freshman at the Commons."
    mct "Well, let’s see how things go. My Japanese isn’t the best these days, but maybe we’ll find some common ground to work with."
    scene black with dissolve
    $ renpy.pause()
    jump tiffanybath

label erikadate:
    $ erika_date = True
    mct "Let’s see if Erika has anything to do on Saturday."
    mct "I think that if we manage to find Melissa's file tomorrow, I’ll be able to leave on Sunday morning."
    mct "It will give us enough time to get along and say our farewells in the best way possible."
    mct "..."
    mct "I wonder what she's doing right now. The sorority stuff she’s involved in feels like a chore."
    mct "I don't know what the big deal is about fraternities, but if people didn't like it, they wouldn't submit to them."
    mct "Hope she knows what she's doing now..."
    $ renpy.pause()
    jump tiffanybath

label melissadate:
    $ melissa_date = True
    mct "Melissa doesn’t seem like the type of woman who would frequent a bar, but I don’t see any harm in asking."
    mct "Is it too weird? I'm not sure. I mean, who would ask their landlady on a public date?"
    mct "I guess I could just behave like a normal person, invite her to dinner, and treat her the best way I can."
    mct "Like that restaurant in a cove that people were talking about at the airport."
    mct "..."
    mct "Nah, too cliché. Let's see what I can do later."
    scene black with dissolve
    $ renpy.pause()
    jump tiffanybath

label stayinghome1:
    $ staying_home = True
    mct "Ehh, I'm a bit short on cash right now, and I'm not sure when I'll receive my share of the inheritance."
    mct "Also, a bar on a Saturday, in a completely different city, and being only 18—perfect recipe for disaster."
    mct "Not that it would be impossible, but Mr. Edward Stein would have to make his return."
    mct "I remember Dad laughing at my hangover. He called me an 'amateur,' but still took away my fake ID."
    mct "That only motivated Jeremy to find a guy who knew a guy that could make things happen. We met Patrick soon afterwards. He was 22 at the time, but he already knew how to make things work."
    mct "Moving away was Jeremy's idea, but he had Patrick's influence on this. He said he would show me a different world that most people don't even know exists."
    mct "‘Nothing illegal,’ he said, just some grey areas here and there. Yeah, I pretended I believed it..."
    jump tiffanybath

label tiffanybath:
    scene a104 with dissolve
    mct "Are all the nights like this in Radiant Valley? I'm sweating like a pig."
    mct "But what can I do? Apart from the plane tickets, I came here with barely $500."
    mct "After today's shopping, I'm down to about $300. So the date wouldn’t be fancy anyway."
    mct "I shouldn't have taken a cab earlier, but I wasn't too confident to walk around the city by myself."
    mct "But it didn't help that this place is so hot and humid... Or my lack of a shower yesterday."
    mct "Maybe I should fix that right now..."

    scene black with dissolve
    $ renpy.pause()

    scene a105 with dissolve
    play sound shower loop
    mct "Damn, occupied."
    mct "I think there’s another bathroom on the first floor... I’ll have to pass by the kitchen, but Melissa needs some time alone."
    mct "I'm not sure if any of the other rooms have a bathroom; mine doesn't, at least."
    mct "I should return to my room...."

    menu:
        mct "What should I do?"
        "Approach the door[persistent.KoGa3WTChange]recommended by me (lust + 1)":
            mct "But I wonder who's inside. Maybe I should knock and close the door behind them."
            jump bathroomch1
        "Return to the room":
            mct "Nah, not worth it... I think I should wait for my turn later today or early tomorrow..."
            jump melissaday2
label bathroomch1:
    $ lust += 1
    $ bathroomch1 = True
    play music chillwave fadeout 1.0 loop
    scene a106 with dissolve
    unkw "{i}{color=#34c3eb}...ways my friend...{/color}{/i}"
    unkw "{i}{color=#34c3eb}You love the girl with Magic Ways, and it's true...{/color}{/i}"
    unkw "{i}{color=#34c3eb}I might as well give in...{/color}{/i}"
    scene a107 with dissolve
    mct "Wow, she's... {w}I mean... {w}Wow!"
    mct "It seems all the craziness over training is working, she's one of the sexiest girls I've ever seen."
    mct "Big breasts, sexy ass, toned abs..."
    mct "Wish I could touch them..."
    tf "{i}{color=#34c3eb}When I go to sleep it seems{/color}{/i}"
    tf "{i}{color=#34c3eb}You sprinkle stardust in my dreams{/color}{/i}"
    tf "{i}{color=#34c3eb}It's magic...{/color}{/i} "
    mct "Damn, that's hot..."
    mct "She's bald down there, which isn't surprising, but it's sexy to look at..."

    menu:
        mct "...I need to see a little more of her..."
        "Watch a little more[persistent.KoGa3WTChange]recommended by me (lust + 1)":
            jump keepwatchingch1
        "It's dangerous":
            mct "Nah, that's probably enough."
            mct "I already have a clear mental image of her, and I won't forget."
            jump melissaday2
label keepwatchingch1:
    $ lust += 1
    $ tiffanyknowsbathroom = True
    scene a108 with dissolve
    tf "{i}{color=#34c3eb}And when you want me you just clap your hands...{/color}{/i}"
    mct "Yeah, I definitely want you... no doubt about it."
    mct "C'mon, just lean down a little..."
    tf "{i}{color=#34c3eb}And I'll be with you right away{/color}{/i}"
    tf "{i}{color=#34c3eb}Then we'll float on a breeze...{/color}{/i}"
    scene a109 with dissolve
    tf ".{w}.{w}."
    scene a110 with dissolve
    tf "{i}{color=#34c3eb}Magic ways my friend{/color}{/i} "
    tf "{i}{color=#34c3eb}You love the girl with magic ways, and it's true{/color}{/i} "
    tf "{i}{color=#34c3eb}I might as well give in{/color}{/i} "
    tf "{i}{color=#34c3eb}You cast a spell on all my nights and days{/color}{/i} "
    tf "{i}{color=#34c3eb}With your sweet magic ways...{/color}{/i} "
    scene a111 with vpunch
    tf "Oh crap!"
    scene a112 with dissolve
    mct "Damn! She's pink all the way down! That's amazing!"
    mct "I wish I could be with her."
    mct "Too bad she’d probably scream if I tried to enter there or something."
    mct "I wonder what her lips taste like, what the warmth of her body feels like."
    mct "I..."


label pointofleave:
    scene a113 with dissolve
    stop sound fadeout(2.5)
    mct "I think I've been here for too long..."
    if gameoverch1 == True:
        mct "Yeah, that's most likely how it would go. I should probably leave..."
    menu:
        "Watch a little more":
            jump gameoverch1
        "Leave[persistent.KoGa3WTChange]recommended by me":
            mct "Thanks for the performance, Tiffany."
            mct "You definitely sprinkled a bit of stardust in my dreams today..."
            jump melissaday2

label gameoverch1:
    $ gameoverch1 = True
    stop music fadeout(0.1)
    scene a114 with hpunch
    play sound alert
    me "What the hell are you doing, [mc]?"
    mc "Melissa, I..."
    me "Are you seriously spying on your roommate?"
    mc "It's not like that, I just..."
    scene a115 with hpunch
    me "Spare me your excuses, I caught you red-handed!"
    mc "Please, let me explain. I was waiting..."
    me "NO! Stacy was right about you. I'll never doubt her again!"
    me "Take your stuff and get out of my house! RIGHT NOW!"
    window hide
    play sound gameover
    show gameover1 with Dissolve(2.5)
    show gameover2 with Dissolve(5)
    $ renpy.pause()
    jump pointofleave

label melissaday2:
    stop music fadeout(2.5)
    scene black with Dissolve(2.5)
    scene a116 with Dissolve(2.5)
    play sound knocking
    "*Knock-Knock*"
    mc "Come in!"

    scene a117 with dissolve
    me "Good evening, [mc]!"
    mc "Good evening, Melissa! How are you?"

    scene a118 with dissolve
    me "Tch..."
    me "If I say 'fine,' I'd probably be lying."
    mc "What happened?"
    me ".{w}.{w}."
    me "I saw when you arrived, and I know you overheard the conversation I was having with Stacy's father."
    mc "I saw you talking to someone, but I couldn’t tell if it was her father or not."
    mct "Better not go down that path for now."

    scene a119 with fade
    mc "Did something happen? I didn't know you could yell like that."
    me "Well, yeah... It wasn't very ladylike of me."
    mc "That’s beside the point. You seemed pretty annoyed during the discussion."
    mc "Did something happened to him?"
    me "Huh?"
    me "Nah, he’s better than ever now. He just calls to annoy me."
    me "But this time it was worse..."
    mc "What do you mean?"

    scene a120 with dissolve
    play music sad fadeout 1.0 fadein 1.0 loop
    me "My...{w}.{w}.{w}."
    mct "That's quite a long pause you're taking..."
    mct "I think she's choosing her words pretty wisely now... I wonder why..."
    me "I had a friend from my college days..."
    me "He died recently..."
    mct "Okay, Dad studied at Commons. Erika was right all along."
    me "He was my first boyfriend, and even though we don't talk much these days, he was a pretty special person to me."
    mct "Okay... That was unexpected..."
    mct "First boyfriend? Looks like this rabbit hole is deeper than I expected."
    me "When you showed up today, I had just received the news, and honestly, I'm still in shock."
    me "I still don't know how to react... My body seems to be acting on its own."
    mc "Do you have any idea on why you're reacting like that?"
    me "I hate to admit, but I do."

    scene a121 with dissolve
    me "This friend of mine... We have some history."
    me "We dated for three years; it was marvelous during that time."
    me "We were really happy; I think it was the happiest time of my life."
    me "Not that I haven't had other happy moments in my life, but it's the time I have the fondest memories of."
    me "But unfortunately, that time has passed, and our relationship sank."
    mc "What happened?"
    me "Sadly, some things outside of our control."
    me "We broke up, and things were weird after that."
    me "The memories are all foggy, I was mostly on autopilot, but we managed to stay friends after that."
    me "But he didn’t care. He was the enlightened one in our group of friends."
    me "In the end, we hadn’t spoken to each other personally in almost ten years."
    mct "Okay, that explains a few things. Maybe it's time to put some pressure on her."
    mc "Why didn't you guys see each other for ten years? Was there any ulterior motive behind that?"
    me "Ulterior?"
    me "No..."

    scene a122 with dissolve
    me "Did you ever have an ex-girlfriend?"
    mc "What?"
    me "It's a pretty simple question—just a matter of 'yes' or 'no.'"
    me "Did you ever have an ex-girlfriend?"
    mc "I..."
    mc "Yes."
    me "So, how do you feel when you think about her?"
    mct "Anger..."
    mct "Regret..."
    mct "Sorrow..."
    mc "Lots of things."
    mc "Maybe the biggest is... embarrassment."
    me "So, you understand why."

    scene a123 with aass
    me "I got married after college, and soon I found out that I was pregnant."
    me "During that time, my ex-husband and I weren’t good."
    me "And during my seventh month of pregnancy, he got a government job."
    me "He disappeared for almost three years, and I only heard about him when he sent the divorce papers."
    me "It was around that time that I was about to lose my house – this house."
    me "My ex-husband only helped me with the bare minimum, just enough to cover some things, but it was a really difficult time."
    me "But like a Guardian Angel, my friend appeared and helped me out."
    me "He paid the mortgage, settled the debts, and even helped me find a job."
    me "If it hadn’t been for him, I’m not sure what would have happened to me."
    me "...to us."
    me "He insisted on transferring the house ownership to me, but I refused—at least until I was able to pay him off completely."
    me "I owe him that, and I’m a woman of my word."
    mct "She's stubborn, but she seems like an incredible person."
    mct "It's no wonder why Dad was in love with her; their personalities pretty much match each other."

    menu:
        "Put a hand on her thigh[persistent.KoGa3WTChange1](your preferred choice)[persistent.KoGa3WTChange](lust + 2)[persistent.KoGa3WTChange2](melissaR - 1)":
            jump melissaexcited
        "Put a hand on her shoulder[persistent.KoGa3WTChange1](your preferred choice)[persistent.KoGa3WTChange](melissaR + 1)[persistent.KoGa3WTChange](love +1)":
            jump melissasmiles

label melissaexcited:
    $ lust += 2
    $ melissaR -= 1
    scene a124 with dissolve
    $ renpy.pause()
    scene a125 with dissolve
    $ renpy.pause()
    scene a126 with dissolve
    $ renpy.pause()
    jump chapter1continues

label melissasmiles:
    $ love += 1
    $ melissaR += 1
    scene a127 with dissolve
    $ renpy.pause()
    scene a128 with dissolve
    $ renpy.pause()
    scene a129 with dissolve
    $ renpy.pause()
    jump chapter1continues

label chapter1continues:
    scene a130 with dissolve
    me "I had $800,000 in the bank, and I thought I'd have the rest of the money by the end of next year."
    me "But with his death, everything changes. All this effort could be in vain."
    me "Stacy barely got into college, and the bills are still heavy, but affordable."
    me "Being a landlady really made me remember the good days of my youth. I thank God for that."
    me "But this is a farce. Every bit of this is a farce, after all."
    mc "I don't think I get you..."

    scene a131 with dissolve
    me "I thought I was wrong about my new tenant, but I was right."
    me "Erika Sunders never showed up at my door. Instead, you did."
    mct "Erika... Sunders...?"
    me "I had to double-check the same contact number where I received the proposal this afternoon for accountability, and after a few short messages, I realized that Mr. Sunders is alive and well."
    me "And then, that damned call from my husband cleared the things out."
    me "I was confused, hurt, incredulous, and furious for being played like that."
    me "But everything makes sense now. Instead of her, you appeared, and your reactions to the simple questions I asked yesterday, along with the matching surnames, made everything clear."

    scene a132 with dissolve
    stop music fadeout(2.5)
    me "You are him. You are Jonathan’s son."
    me "You are the rightful heir to this house."

    scene black with dissolve
    $ renpy.pause()

label ch1afterthetruth:
    mcr "I think this was the first time I truly felt my father's death. Not in a traditional way, though—I still couldn't bring myself to cry."
    mcr "But it was the first time I didn’t have anyone to save me, and I had to face the consequences alone."
    mcr "Not that I had to do it, but it was my rite of passage into a reality I wasn't used to."
    mcr "What could I do? She had figured everything out, and due to the worst decisions I made in less than forty-eight hours, I probably ruined any chance of a relationship with my potential mother."
    mcr "I had to fix that somehow, but I didn’t know how. So, instead of giving a direct response or being smug, I decided to answer in the most humble way I could."

    scene a133 with dissolve
    $ renpy.pause(5.0, hard=True)
    mc "Sorry, Melissa."
    me "You don't even pretend..."
    mc "I don't think pretending will bring me any benefit now."
    me "At least you're as smart as I thought you were."
    me "Why?"
    me "Were you having fun at my expense? I'm too old for this kind of stuff."
    mc "No! Absolutely not!"
    mc "It's just that... everything happened so quickly..."
    me "You've been here for almost two days already. If it happened so quickly, you sure took your sweet time considering the situation."
    me "I'll ask you again, and I'm asking you to be honest this time:"
    me "Why?"
    mc "It's complicated."
    mc "Actually, thinking about it, I think it's pretty ridiculous..."
    me "Try again from the beginning, and let me be the one to decide if it's ridiculous or not."

    scene a134 with fade
    play music artofsilence fadeout 1.0 fadein 1.0 loop
    mc "As you know, my father died two weeks ago."
    mc "I couldn't even mourn his death... he suffered for too long."
    mc "It's been seven years since he was first diagnosed with cancer, but he managed to get better for a while after an experimental treatment. I don't remember the details of it."
    mc "What I do remember is us making plans to travel and activities we never got to do, after all, his cancer returned after two years."
    mc "Still, he managed to stay active throughout all the time he was ill, and he was always smiling when I was around."
    mc "And then, one day... he couldn't smile anymore."
    mc "He was confined to a bed, unable to sleep most of the time... sometimes he couldn’t even recognize me, and other times, he would throw things at me."
    mc "But when he recognized me, he would always cry. Sometimes happy tears, sometimes sad ones, and sometimes, I didn’t even know why he was crying."

    scene a135 with dissolve
    mc "When he died, it felt like just another Tuesday to me."
    mc "I was sad, maybe in denial, but I also felt relieved."
    mc "When the lawyer called me, she mentioned some conditions—something about the sharing of assets."
    mc "Well, my father was single, my grandparents were already dead, and my uncle is living in Sweden or somewhere in Europe, so there wasn't much to share."
    mc "My Dad was keen to charity, but not to that extent."
    mc "So I went there, heard the lecture and I felt a strange emptyness about it."
    mc "But then the lawyer mentioned someone: You."
    mc "The house as well, but more specifically you."
    mc "I was confused about the fact, but Pearce convinced me to come here and meet you before doing anything drastic."
    mc "When I arrived here and saw you, I was speechless."

    scene a135b with dissolve
    me "I remember that."

    scene a135 with dissolve
    mc "Alright. Then things started to unfold in a more curious way. You mentioned my surname, and I thought you were expecting me, so I didn’t worry at first."
    mc "Then our stories started to differ, and I got even more confused. But they could still fit together somehow, like a misplaced piece from a different puzzle that just needed a little force to be pushed into place."
    mc "I only realized later that I was in someone else's place. I had planned to tell you about it eventually, but every time I was close to doing it, something happened to prevent me."
    mc "I was planning to tell you in private, but then your place started to feel comfy in a way I wasn’t expecting."

    scene a135b with dissolve
    me "It is comfy. I think it's one of the reasons I've never wanted to move out from here."
    me "I've been living here for over 20 years now, since I moved from the Midwest to Radiant Valley."
    me "It’s funny to think that I was able to buy this house from my former landlady and basically continued her business under almost the same terms."
    me "It wasn’t the plan, though. My plan was to get married, have a job, and have a large family, but here we are, two decades after that decision and divorced."

    scene a135 with dissolve
    mct "It’s possible to hear some regret in her voice, but I honestly think she’s single because she wants to be."
    mct "I mean, look at her, she’s basically the dream woman for any man from 8 to 80. Even before or after that..."

    scene a135b with dissolve
    me "I'm glad to have been able to help so many people during this journey. I've reached 40 students during my time."
    me "Some of them I remember better than others, and some gave me more headaches than I wanted, but I never gave up on a student."
    me "And, honestly, I was keen to the idea of having a man again among us, to see how the household dynamic would have been in two, maybe three years from now."
    me "I guess it will remain in my imagination..."

    scene a135 with dissolve
    mc "Huh? Why are you saying that?"

    scene a135b with dissolve
    me "For obvious reasons. This isn’t my house anymore; it’s yours."
    me "In a way, it never was."
    me "Honestly, I was just expecting the day when I could head to your father's place and give the check into his hands, but I guess it's impossible now."
    me "But if you don't mind, I'd like to ask for a month until I find a new place for me and my daughter. Her tuition has been..."

    scene a135 with dissolve
    mc "Wait, wait wait! Just a second, please!"

    scene a135c with dissolve
    mc "I'm not sure what you think of me, but I came here out of curiosity."
    mc "When I arrived here, I wasn't sure what to expect."
    mc "But I’ve found a beautiful woman, surviving while helping others achieve their objectives. I don’t want to mess that up."
    mc "Everything I wanted when I arrived here was to learn about my father's story. Maybe I did it in an unorthodox way."
    mc "But believe me, Melissa, everything I want is to live my life on my own."
    mc "But if it's on the cost of taking your peace out, I prefer to quietly leave and let the things as they always has been."
    mc "It’s a shame; I was starting to like the idea of living here with all of you."

    scene a135b with dissolve
    me "Living here? Like studying and graduating at RVU?"

    scene a135 with dissolve
    mc "Yeah! I mean..."
    mc "If it was good enough for my father, then it's good enough for me."
    mc "I was thinking of taking a sabbatical year with a friend, as far from home as possible, but I had to take a look at this whole mystery first."

    scene a135b with dissolve
    me "Sabbatical year? Are you out of your mind?"
    mc "Huh? It was just a way to..."
    me "Life doesn't wait, [mc]! And neither does time."
    me "You're young, still able to plan your life ahead and enjoy your youth."
    me "I'm not in a position to order you to do anything, but if I were your mother, I would forbid you from doing something like that!"
    mc "..."

    menu:
        "Are you?[persistent.KoGa3WTChange]recommended by me (melissaR + 1)":
            jump melissamotherch1
        "Say nothing":
            jump stacyarrives

label melissamotherch1:
    $ melissaR += 1
    scene a135c with dissolve
    me "Am I what?"
    mc "You know what."
    mc "That mother part..."
    mc "I've never met her, and I hadn't heard of you until a few days ago."
    mc "And you were my father's girlfriend before I was born..."
    me "[mc], Stacy is the same age as you."
    me "Maybe she's a couple of months younger or older than you, at most."
    me "If I were your mother, you two would be twins, and at least look a little like each other, since it’s basically the same genetic pool. But you’re pretty different."
    me "And what kind of mother would I have been if I had accepted being split from my own son?"
    me "So, no... I'm not your mother."
    me "...but I could have been,."
    mc "What do you mean?"

    scene a135b with dissolve
    me "I got pregnant while I was dating your father..."
    me "It was at the end of the third year of college, and it was the peak of our relationship."
    me "You could have had... an older brother or sister..."
    me "It could have even been you, if you believe in souls or destiny."
    me "That was actually the reason we broke up."
    me "We wanted a family and to be together for the rest of our lives..."
    me "...but I had a miscarriage."
    me "So yes, I could have been your mother if things had been different."
    me "But whether I'm your mother or not, I feel it's my responsibility to say:"
    jump stacyarrives

label stacyarrives:
    me "You shouldn't put your education on hold for a year just because you feel you should; life keeps happening around you."
    me "If you decide to take a Sabbatical Year, this year could eventually become two, three, five, or even ten!"
    me "And before you realize it, you'll be fifty, wondering where your life went off the rails."
    me "No, I won't allow that to happen..."
    me "If you were sent to me, then I'll—"
    stop music fadeout(0.1)
    st "Mooom!"

    scene a136 with dissolve
    play sound breakingglass
    st "Urgh!"
    me "Stacy has arrived."
    me "And she's drunk again, for God's sake!"
    mc "You allow her to drink?"
    me "Of course not, but she does it regardless."
    me "I don't know where I went wrong with that girl..."

    scene a135b with dissolve
    me "We'll revisit this conversation later. I need to digest what happened today and what it will mean for our future—mine and the girls'."
    me "Please don't mention anything to anyone. Just sleep on what I said, and I'll try to figure out where my other tenant went."
    mc "If it's the same Erika I met at the airport, then I know who she is. We've been texting for a while."
    me "Good. Just tell her it's imperative that she calls me tomorrow, or I'll have to take drastic action."
    me "I'll give you my contact number, and you'll do as I said."
    mc "Okay, it will be done."

    scene a136 with dissolve
    me "And now, if you'll excuse me, I have to ruin my daughter's night."
    mc "Be my guest."
    me "Don't force it. It's not like we're okay, but at least you seem sincere."
    mc "Okay, sorry if I sounded disrespectful."

    scene black with dissolve
    $ renpy.pause()
    scene a137 with dissolve
    me "{size=-10}What the hell are you doing, Stacy?!{/size}"
    st "{size=-10}I can't find my keys!{/size}"
    me "{size=-10}You're already inside the house!{/size}"
    me "{size=-10}Wait, have you been drinking?{/size}"
    st "{size=-10}Of course not! Do you think I'm stupid?{/size}"
    me "{size=-10}So where's your shirt? I'm pretty sure you weren't wearing this Oktoberfest shirt when you left the house earlier.{/size}"
    st "{size=-10}Uhnn...{/size}"
    me "{size=-10}And where the hell did you find that shirt anyway? It's August!{/size}"
    me "{size=-10}Are you out of your freaking mind?{/size}"
    st "{size=-10}Why don't you worry about your own life?{/size}"
    me "{size=-10}Because I'm way too busy taking care of yours!{/size}"
    me "{size=-10}That's it. You're grounded!{/size}"
    st "{size=-10}What?{/size}"
    me "{size=-10}That's what I said! You're grounded for two weeks now!{/size}"
    st "{size=-10}I'm not a baby for you to ground me anymore.{/size}"
    me "{size=-10}Then stop acting like one!{/size}"
    me "{size=-10}If it were me in your place, your grandfather would beat the shit out of me.{/size}"
    st "{size=-10}Good thing that we aren't in those barbaric times or I could have ended as broken as—{/size}"
    play sound slap
    "*SLAP*"
    st "{size=-10}MOOOM?!{/size}"
    me "{size=-10}Say that one more time.{/size}"
    st "{size=-10}Y-you can't just slap me in the face only to take out your—{/size}"
    play sound slap
    "*SLAP*"
    me "{size=-10}Say that one more time.{/size}"
    me "{size=-10}Believe me, I can do this all night!{/size}"
    st "{size=-10}I-I hate you...{/size}"
    me "{size=-10}Oh! You do?{/size}"
    me "{size=-10}Where did all that smugness you showed me a few minutes ago go?{/size}"
    st "{size=+5}I HATE YOU! I WILL NEVER TALK TO YOU AGAIN!{/size}"
    play sound doorbreaking
    "..."
    play music tomorrow fadeout 1.0 loop
    mc "{i}*Sigh*{/i}"
    mct "It seems that the already bad day Melissa was having has gotten ten times worse."
    mct "Not my fault this time."
    mct "..."
    mct "Okay, it was partially my fault, but I can't do anything about it."
    mct "..."
    mct "Funny, Dad was never a punitive man, not even when I deserved it."
    mct "He was always the kind of man who preferred giving life lessons and examples rather than making threats or resorting to physical punishment."
    mct "Not that he could with the last one. We're not in the eighties anymore."
    mct "And I don't think Melissa would normally resort to that, but I think her animosity was already at its peak, and her patience lower than normally is."
    mct "But I still remember the time I refused to share a toy with a kid when I was about seven, and he made me give all the toys I had to an orphanage."
    mct "It wasn't as if someone had to come, take them from me, put them in a box, and take them away. I had to go to the orphanage and give my toys to each child, separately."
    mct "I cried a lot during the first few, but by the seventh one, I had stopped crying."
    mct "When I was on the fifteenth one, I saw the kids having fun, even with things that I had kept for years in the closet."
    mct "Something inside me broke that day. Of course, I was jealous, but that jealousy faded when a girl, three or four years old, kissed my cheek and asked if I wanted to play with her and her friends or brothers."
    mct "After that, I decided to go to the orphanage by myself, sometimes bringing toys that everyone could play with, like balls or board games, and other times bringing clothes."
    mct "The company looked at that favorably and decided to add them to their payroll."
    mct "I think my dad did that out of goodwill, but maybe Nate approved it as a way to reduce taxes."
    mct "Who am I to judge, anyway? In the end, they helped people, and that's what matters."
    mct "My dad gave me a lot of life lessons in that sense, and he was always a caring man. He was more like an uncle, or a friend with 20 years of difference and experience that we manage to find in life."
    mct "His motto was 'It's better to be something than to own something.' It didn't change the fact that he {b}had{/b} something, though."
    mct "Nate, on the other hand... He was what a father was supposed to be."
    mct "I still remember our time in Thailand. I went there with Jeremy, just to spend a three-day weekend, but I told Dad that I would sleep at Jeremy's house, and Jeremy told Uncle Carl that he would do the same at mine."
    mct "We hopped on a plane in the morning, and we arrived there around 6 PM, but our plan to get laid was delayed by immigration."
    mct "After that, when we arrived at the hotel, they said we were supposed to arrive at 7:00 PM and that they had to give our reservation to another group."
    mct "So we had to stay on the outskirts of Bangkok, in a region whose name I'm still not sure how to pronounce."
    mct "Our motel, although it was clean, had better days. We were on top of a restaurant on a busy street, so it was noisy the whole time."
    mct "And after that, the food was strange. I'm not sure I'll ever consider a Germinated Egg a delicacy."
    mct "Worse was realizing that the number of ladyboys around the place was through the roof. It's like the men there had given up and turned into women."
    mct "Well, I don’t have anything against it, but I was at an age where I was begging to get laid, and a trans would have made things complicated."
    mct "The coup de grâce of that night was us finally getting into a bar after an extremely complicated first night, only for the whole place to get raided by the police because of reports of drugs being hidden there."
    mct "We weren't accused of anything, but we had to spend the entire second day in a cell. We also had to call our lawyers."
    mct "I just couldn’t call Dad for that; I couldn’t bear his disappointment. So, I called Nate."
    mct "It would have been better to call my father, because Nate laughed at me."
    mct "He actually spent three minutes of the call laughing at our situation, only to end up saying that he would deal with it."
    mct "He was there on the morning of the third day, with a pretty sarcastic smile on his face, and basically argued with the authorities that the whole case was a farce."
    mct "Which I kind of agree with these days. But Nate basically fucked up with the police chief from the moment he arrived."
    mct "And to make matters worse, he didn’t even know how to speak Thai."
    mct "He didn’t need it. The way he managed the whole situation was pretty frightening, even for someone who didn’t speak the language."
    mct "So, we left Thailand without even seeing a naked girl. Hell, I don’t even remember looking at a girl at all."
    mct "On the jet, Jeremy and I thanked him, but he said he wasn't interested in giving pity, because if we had been more careless, we could have started a whole diplomatic incident."
    mct "Then he said that we wouldn’t get away with it."
    mct "As much as I wanted to protest, Jeremy and I both knew we were in his hands. So, we complied, and he decided to give us an exemplary punishment."
    mct "He basically pretended to our fathers that he offered an internship to both of us, and it would take six months to complete."
    mct "In layman's terms, he basically found a way to force us to do his work for him."
    mct "Of course, he wouldn't be stupid enough to entrust general management and COO operations to two fifteen-year-old boys, so he had to supervise our work to some extent."
    mct "It wasn't as bad as I expected, but it was hard work."
    mct "I remember growing fond of the office, while Jeremy hated every minute of it."
    mct "When we had to leave, he was praising God, while I was somewhat sad about not being able to see Giorgina, Pam, Melania, and Jamal anymore."
    mct "At least in the everyday dynamic we had. I visited them a few times afterward, but Giorgina was promoted, Pam left, and Jamal was transferred."
    mct "It's funny, but Jeremy even suggested we go on another trip, this time within our borders. I said no."
    mct "When he asked why, I said I had learned my lesson."
    mct "..."
    mct "It's funny to think that we'll spend another year together. This time, with my money and his house."
    mct "Melissa said I shouldn't go. But where would I go from here?"
    mct "I don't know, but tomorrow things will feel strange..."
    mct "It's better to sleep then."

    scene black with dissolve
    $ renpy.pause()

    scene a137 with dissolve
    mct "No, I have something to do first."

    scene a39 with dissolve
    mct "Something that would mess with her head for a while."
    mct "Since she played with me, I think it's only fair to return the favor."
    mcp "We need to talk."
    mct "And done."

    $ times = 3
    $ notification_sound = "notification"
    $ delay = 0.05

    scene black with Dissolve(5)

    $ i = 0
    while i < times:
        play sound notification_sound
        $ renpy.pause(delay)
        $ i += 1

    "{i}*Notifications sound in sequence*{/i}"

    mct "What do we say to the God of Death?"
    stop music fadeout(2.5)
    $ renpy.pause(3.5, hard=True)

label ch1thirddayearlymorning:
    scene a138 with dissolve
    mct "7:00, earlier than I expected."
    mct "I was rarely up this early at home."
    mct "Well, I used to hate the obligation of waking up early, but these days, I feel nostalgic about those times."
    mct "Not having to be awake helps me avoid hating it, though."
    mct "Let's check Erika's messages first."
    mct "..."
    ekp "Hahaha, yes, Daddy. So, what do you want to talk about?"
    ekp "We were just talking about how ridiculously tight the Dean's clothes were today. You should have seen it..."
    ekp "She probably made a lot of guys' day."
    mct "These are from fifteen minutes later."
    ekp "Hey, are you still there? I usually get a reaction when I talk about tight clothes."
    ekp "Maybe it's not the best time, but you’re the one who messaged me."
    mct "And these are from 2:40."
    ekp "I hope I can see you tomorrow. Goodnight..."
    mct "Yeah, she got the message."
    mct "Now I need to figure out how to handle her. I'm not in the mood to let this slip."

    scene black with dissolve
    $ renpy.pause()

    scene a139 with dissolve
    $ renpy.pause()
    play music sadmorning fadeout 1.0 fadein 1.0 loop
    mc "..."
    me "..."
    st "..."
    tf "..."
    ma "..."
    tf "I could cut this mist surrounding us with a knife."
    ma "Mist? I'm not seeing any mist."
    tf "It's not a literal mist, Mariya."
    ma "Oh! I mean..."
    ma "It's not too different during the times where Katherine was with us."
    tf "Yeah, but everything was good yesterday. I wonder what happened in such short time..."
    tf "You didn't clog the toilet after a particularly difficult night of sushi, did you?"
    ma "You're mean, Tiffany-san!"
    me "..."
    st "..."
    mc "..."
    tf "Sooo... I'm going to compete in the National College Athletics Tournament next week as part of the running team. I managed to increase my distance by a kilometer since the last time."
    tf "And I will also be running in the Cross Country event, so it would be nice if some of you could come watch me."
    ma "Count me in, Tiffany-san! I wish I could be part of the team, but I was born with the wrong type of body for it."
    tf "Don't worry, Mariya, my breast size is at least three sizes bigger than it should be, and I'm here, training every day to keep it that way. I think with the right training, you could do wonders."
    mc "..."
    me "..."
    st "..."
    tf "Yeah, I give up."
    tf "Let's eat the mist and then leave."
    me "Sorry Tiffany, I'm not in the mood today."
    tf "Not only you, it seems, but it's okay. Sometimes I end up blabbering about things you have absolutely no interest in."
    me "Don't worry, I'm pretty sure that everyone would be glad to attend your event, right?"
    mc "..."
    st "..."
    me "[mc]!"
    mc "Yeah, sure."
    mc "I mean, totally! I think you're going to do great."
    me "Stacy!"
    st "Oh?!"
    st "Yef, I'll pheer fof youf fwom fhe aufience."
    me "That's what I thought."
    me "Finish your plates and get ready, everyone. I'll probably spend the whole day on the road, but I want you to leave the pizza money on your tables when I get back."
    me "And this is for you, [mc]!"

    scene a140 with dissolve
    me "About that subject, could you please keep it between us for now?"
    me "I know it can't wait too long, but I need to gather my thoughts about it. We'll return to it later today when I arrive from my other job."
    mc "No problem."
    me "Did you do what I asked?"
    mc "No, but I sent her a message saying that we needed to talk, without going into details. From the replies, she knows it's serious."
    mc "We'll meet later to discuss some things, and then I'll tell her that you need to talk to her."
    me "Good."
    me "I'll ask you to be patient with this girl."
    mc "Huh? Why?"
    me "Not my place to say, but her father... he told me some stories..."
    me "If you guys are friends, you’ve probably already noticed."
    mct "Am I missing something?"
    mc "I'm not sure what you're talking about. Is there something I should notice?"
    me "Oh?"
    me "Ah, I mean..."
    me "Well, maybe I was wrong to assume that you guys were closer, but don't worry. I'll handle it later."
    mc "Not a problem."
    mct "But maybe I'm not seeing the full scope of Erika's situation. I guess I should pay more attention to it for now."
    mc "I guess it's time to leave Melissa Brandy alone to her routine now."
    me "Brandt. I don't think I could handle a full-on bimbo name for both first and last."
    mct "Noted."
    mc "I didn't mean like that."
    me "I know, but it’s a fact. And I’m no better than my parents, considering Stacy really lives up to her name sometimes."
    me "Do you need a ride, or...?"
    mc "Don't worry, I can take care of myself."
    me "Alright, safe travels."
    stop music fadeout(2.5)
    scene black with dissolve
    $ renpy.pause()

label ch1thirddayleaving:
    play music wings fadeout 1.0 fadein 1.0 loop
    scene a141 with dissolve
    mct "I think our conversation yesterday solved the biggest mysteries in my mind since the reading."
    mct "What surprises me is that Erika seemed to know everything from the start and never mentioned it. That was pretty shitty of her."
    mct "I don’t think she knew the story, but at some point, she must have realized I was talking about her landlady—technically."

    scene a6-5 with aass
    with Fade(0.1, 0.0, 0.2, color="#fff")

    ek "I live there, actually. Or, at least, my father wants me to live there."
    scene a141 with aass
    with Fade(0.1, 0.0, 0.2, color="#fff")

    mct "Wait, she didn’t lie—she was actually telling the truth."
    mct "Not the whole truth, but still the truth. I just didn’t realize it back then."
    mct "I'm not sure how to feel about it. Maybe she has her reasons, but she'll have to be very convincing for me to overlook it."

    scene black with dissolve
    $ renpy.pause()

    scene a142 with dissolve
    mct "Okay, so far, so good."
    mct "Just like yesterday, I'll send her another message and wait somewhere."
    mct "I'm not sure I'll be safe in the library this time around, because —"
    unkw "Excuse me."
    mc "Huh?"

    stop music fadeout(2.5)
    scene a143 with aass
    mc "Oh!"
    mc "Yes?"
    unkw "Can I see your ID?"
    mc "My... ID?"
    unkw "Yes."
    mc "Why?"
    unkw "Pure formality."
    mc "I don't have it with me right now."
    unkw "But you should. Don't you remember Instruction Class?"
    mc "I-I wasn't there. I had some issues to deal with."
    unkw "I see..."
    unkw "Then let's go to the reception and sort it out before you run into any legal problems."
    mc "I-I'm sorry, but I'm kind of late for an appointment."
    unkw "No."
    unkw "I don't think you are."
    mc "Why are you saying that?"
    unkw "It's pretty simple; I have a photographic memory."
    unkw "I remember all 112 new students from the first call, and I don't recall seeing you there."
    unkw "This isn't a place for meetings. So, unless you have some serious business in the RVU, I’ll have to ask you to leave."
    mc "But..."
    unkw "No buts, please. Don’t make this any harder than it has to be."
    unkw "Security won't be as understanding as I am."
    mc "Alright, you win. I'll take my leave then."
    unkw "Good."

    stop music fadeout(2.5)
    scene black with dissolve
    $ renpy.pause()

label ch1thirddaysquare:
    scene a144 with dissolve
    mct "That sucks, but oh well."
    mct "Not like I had anything to do there, anyway."
    mct "Melissa's side of the story was interesting, but something is intriguing me: Why did he leave her house to me?"
    mct "Dad was a fair man, and I'm pretty sure he wouldn't have just evicted her eventually. I wonder if they kept talking over the years."
    mct "I remember the reading; Meredith mentioned that she's also an heir of his will. If the intention was to leave the house to me, I wonder if he compensated her in some way."
    mct "Dad was a good person, but he was unpredictable. So maybe this whole thing is him trying to tell me something from beyond the grave..."
    mc "..."
    mct "Maybe he did this to make us meet. But for what?"
    mct "..."
    mct "It's been a while since I sent the message, and she still hasn't answered."
    mct "Can't blame her, honestly. It's Friday, and she probably has plans."
    mct "But I can't stop thinking about what Melissa said. Does she have a problem?"
    mct "I don't know where to look. If anything, it seems to be inside."
    mct "Well, she's a pretty straightforward girl; that's a given."
    mct "And she's also a funny girl; both qualities."
    mct "Maybe it's not something so obvious, who knows..."

    scene black with Dissolve(2.5)
    $ renpy.pause()

    play music cute fadeout 1.0 fadein 1.0 loop
    scene a145 with dissolve
    mc "There you are!"
    ek "Hey! Sorry I'm late, I got detention."
    mc "What did you do?"
    ek "Oh, nothing that anyone hasn't done before."
    mc "That doesn't inspire me much confidence."
    ek "It's because it was minimal, maybe even irrelevant if people hadn't exaggerated."
    mc "Still doesn't inspire much confidence, but okay."
    ek "Here, I brought one for you."
    ek "The best five dollars I ever spent on ice cream."
    mc "Thank you."

    scene a146 with fade
    ek "So, what happened?"
    ek "Did you get your landlady's last name?"
    mc "Yes, it's Brandt, but it doesn't matter anymore. She confirmed herself that she isn't my mother."
    ek "Oh!"
    ek "So what we do now?"
    mc "I don't know, but I do know something you should do, Erika."
    ek "What do you mean?"
    mc "Just out of curiosity, did you know that Melissa was expecting someone was expecting someone a week ago and that person didn't appear."
    stop music fadeout(0.1)
    ek "Uhnn..."
    mc "And the said person shared the same surname as me, Sunders?"
    mc "And this certain person, mysteriously had the name \"Erika\"?"

    scene a146b with dissolve
    ek "..."
    ek "I-I think I do now."
    play music artofsilence fadeout 1.0 loop
    mc "So, do you have anything to say in your defense?"
    ek "I don't. Sorry."
    mc "You know that's too little."
    ek "I know it is. It's just that I feel that anything I say won't fix the situation."
    mc "Be honest, were you playing with me and my emotions?"
    ek "Absolutely not, I swear. Or, at least, not intentionally."
    ek "I only realized what was happening later, and I didn't know how to bring up the subject."
    mct "Funny..."
    mct "It's almost like I'm at the other side of yesterday's conversation."
    ek "You said you were searching for a house that your father left to you, and not a specific house. I thought you could've been a neighbor or something."
    ek "I even thought it was a coincidence meeting you like that. I should have known that coincidences don't exist."
    ek "I hope you'll be able to forgive me someday."
    mct "Hmm... I suppose standing on the opposite side feels just as bad as being the one affected."
    mct "I suppose I can answer her with sincerity..."
    mc "Honestly, I don't know what to think."
    mc "I thought you were just using me for doing... whatever you were planning to do."
    mc "It happenned with me in the past, I don't think I ever heal from it, even pretending the otherwise."
    mc "But maybe we both can learn from our mistakes. I think I need to apologize to how I reacted."
    mc "I mean, if you had warned me, I could've helped you somehow."
    ek "Don't worry, it's okay. You have nothing to apologize for."

    scene a146b with dissolve
    ek "Sorry for being such a bitch."
    mc "You weren't."
    ek "Yes, I was..."
    ek "I used you as a way to escape my father's control. It seemed to work— I was expecting to get into the sorority before he noticed, and I hoped the landlady would have rented the place to someone else by then."
    ek "But even in that, I was incompetent. It's pretty much the norm for me."
    ek "My parents have been controlling every aspect of my life since I can remember. When I saw an opportunity, I grabbed it without even thinking."
    ek "Being in the sorority has been my scream for freedom, but even that I couldn't get right. Dad would never allow me to be in an environment where he couldn't control me."
    ek "Even though I know my dad loves me, I also know that he thinks I'm useless..."
    ek "My father doesn't listen to me. He's always had this attitude of thinking he has everything figured out in my life, ever since I could talk."
    ek "My mom... well, she only cares about herself, and for some reason, she hates me the day I grew boobs."
    ek "A mother hating her own daughter... What kind of crazy world is that?"
    ek "And God help me if they ever find out I'm bisexual. I'd be seen as a complete failure to them."
    mc "Nah, don't say that."
    mc "Come here."

    scene a147 with dissolve
    mc "No one can call you a failure except but yourself."
    mc "And if you start telling yourself that, you'll be letting them win."
    mc "I'm not sure about your relationship with your parents, but I know that, at least, your father cares deeply about you."
    mc "In the few days I was there with Melissa, she showed herself to be a great woman who cares deeply about her tenants."
    mc "I know you probably want your freedom and all, but Melissa gives her tenants a lot of freedom as well."
    mc "Of course, you'd need to follow some rules, but they're pretty much the norm and easy to follow."
    mc "I know it's not in your plans, but if everything goes sideways, give Melissa a chance."
    ek ".{w}.{w}I guess."
    ek "..."
    mc "Here, I'll give you her number. She said, and I'll quote \"it's imperative that she calls me tomorrow, or I'll have to take drastic action.\""
    ek "Wow, she looks really angry..."
    mc "She's not angry."
    mct "Not at you, at least."
    mc "She's just a very responsible person who does her best to keep everyone in line."
    mc "But I know you'll like her. Maybe you'll see her as the maternal figure you need."
    stop music fadeout(2.5)

    scene a147b with dissolve
    ek "Okay, I promise to take a look."
    ek "Thanks [mc]."
    ek "It would have been nice having you as a roommate."
    mc "I'm not sure if that's true."
    ek "Well, as I said before, I have a feeling about people. And you seem to be someone who's guided by your heart, and that's already better than 90 percent of the people around."
    mc "Okay, if you're saying, then I choose to believe you."
    pass

label ch1thirddayerikaafterdiscussion:
    scene a146c with fade
    play music happiness fadeout 1.0 loop
    ek "So, you're technically the landlord of your landlady? That's hot!"
    ek "Imagine if you went to her asking for the rent, and she says she doesn't have any money and offers to pay you in another way..."
    mc "I think you're watching too much porn, Erika!"
    ek "It's a totally possible scenario. You basically have her on a leash."
    ek "Wouldn't you at least consider it?"

    menu:
        "No[persistent.KoGa3WTChange1](your preferred choice)[persistent.KoGa3WTChange](love +1)":
            jump mclovech1
        "Maybe[persistent.KoGa3WTChange1](your preferred choice)[persistent.KoGa3WTChange](lust + 1)":
            jump mclustch1
        "Yes[persistent.KoGa3WTChange1](your preferred choice)[persistent.KoGa3WTChange](dom +1)":
            jump mcdomch1

label mclovech1:
    $ love += 1
    mc "I wouldn't do something like that; she doesn't deserve it."
    mc "And honestly, I don't think I have it in me to dare doing something like that to her."
    ek "Then it seems you're better than me..."
    ek "This is one of the few porn scenarios where I wouldn't mind being in either position."
    mc "I'm no better than you. I'm just saying that I don't see myself having this kind of relationship with her."
    mc "She's beautiful, one of the most beautiful women I've ever seen, but she has an aura of respect around her that makes you feel ashamed just thinking about stuff like that."
    ek "It seems you're smitten by her, surprisingly. It's getting me curious."
    jump erikaendch1

label mclustch1:
    $ lust += 1
    mc "I'm not sure..."
    mc "The problem with these scenarios is that one of the parties, usually the one being charged, ends up hurt in the end."
    mc "That's why these porn scenarios never work. The consequences can't be ignored."
    mc "But... I'm not sure..."
    ek "And what if both parties agreed to it?"
    mc "That would make things easier. Not morally speaking, but who knows?"
    jump erikaendch1

label mcdomch1:
    $ dom += 1
    mc "Who knows?"
    mc "I mean, hypothetically speaking, because I doubt Melissa would submit herself to something like that."
    ek "How can you be so certain?"
    mc "After realizing who I was and what I was supposed to do, she asked me for a few weeks to vacate the house."
    mc "I was thinking of transferring the house or just leaving things as they are now, but she refused. So, anything like what you suggested is an impossible scenario."
    ek "So she has strong moral fiber, right? What if that weren't the case?"
    ek "Better yet, what if it were her daughter?"
    mc "I don't know..."
    ek "Think, [mc]. You enter her house, room, or apartment, and she says that she doesn't have the money and offers to pay you in another way."
    ek "And in that moment, she slightly opens her legs."
    mc "...{w}Yes..."
    mc "But I’d probably make her suffer a little first."
    ek "Suffer? Why?"
    ek "Are you a sadist or something?"
    mc "No, but she deserves a bit of humiliation."
    ek "Like what? Cleaning your room with her toothbrush while wearing only a maid micro-bikini?"
    mc "..."
    mc "...no."
    mc "But thanks for the oddly specific idea."
    ek "You're welcome dude, haha!"
    jump erikaendch1


label erikaendch1:
    ek "By the way, why are you here? I thought we were supposed to meet on campus."
    mc "Ehh, I got caught by one of the teachers. The one who wears high heels."
    ek "You’ll need to be more specific than that."
    ek "Women and high heels; even the Dean wears them."
    ek "One of my teachers, Miss Nicolette, wears heels with almost a 90-degree angle."
    mc "..."
    mc "I think the people who design women's clothing and accessories must really hate women."
    ek "You wouldn’t be too far from the truth."
    ek "Anyway, tell me more about the teacher."
    ek "White? Black? Hispanic?"
    ek "Brunette? Blonde? Redhead?"
    ek "All the limbs?"
    mc "...What?"
    ek "Trust me, it's important."
    mc "Well..."

    scene a148 with dissolve
    mc "Brunette. Slightly tanned."
    mc "Ponytail hair. Blue eyes"
    mc "Wears some makeup, dark eyeliner, and eyeshadow. She wasn't wearing lipstick, as far as I remember."
    mc "All the limbs. Well-cared-for nails, but no nail polish."
    mc "She mentioned that she has a photographic memory."
    menu:
        "She was pretty hot[persistent.KoGa3WTChange1](your preferred choice)[persistent.KoGa3WTChange](sarahR + 2)[persistent.KoGa3WTChange](lust + 1)":
            $ sarahR += 2
            $ lust += 1
            mc "I mean, she was probably a wet dream for many teenage guys."
            mc "And probably hated by her female students."
        "She was beautiful[persistent.KoGa3WTChange1](your preferred choice)[persistent.KoGa3WTChange](erikaR + 1)[persistent.KoGa3WTChange](love +1)":
            $ erikaR += 1
            $ love += 1
            mc "She was beautiful, but really serious."
            mc "A grumpy face, but she didn’t sound disrespectful."


    scene a147b with dissolve
    ek "So, it was Sarah. She's cool."
    ek "She's a hardcore math teacher, but she managed to make the classes bearable with her sense of humor."
    ek "And I agree, she's pretty hot."
    mc "Yeah. It didn't stop her from banning me from entering the college and saying that I shouldn't return."
    mc "Not that I would do that, but still..."
    ek "What do you mean?"
    mc "I've already found everything I was after. I know who Melissa is, I know about her past with my father, and I also know why my father bought the house and never talked about it."
    ek "What about the past? Aren't you curious to know about your father's history?"
    mc "Yeah, but what else would I have to search for? I don't think I'll ever know every detail of his life, and I think I'm pretty okay with that."
    mc "Maybe... maybe I should just pack my things and go. My ticket is still good for the morning flight on Monday."
    stop music fadeout(0.5)
    ek "Hey! Wait just a minute!"

label ch1erikasavemariamove:
    scene a149 with dissolve
    ek "Why are you in such a hurry to leave? I thought I meant something to you."
    mc "Of course you mean. Why are you even saying that?"
    ek "I think you're focused too much on 'me, me, me' in all this. Don't you ever think about others?"
    ek "I mean, we barely know each other, and even I am able to say that."
    mc "It's not like that..."
    play music loveable fadeout 1.0 fadein 1.0 loop
    ek "It's not?"
    ek "So let me ask you three questions that don't revolve around you and see if you can answer them correctly."
    ek "What degree am I getting?"
    mc "..."
    ek "What's the name of the sorority I'm joining?"
    mct "Damn..."
    ek "Am I a natural redhead, or did I dye my hair?"
    mc "Well, I've never seen a color like yours, so I assume you dyed it, right?"
    ek "Wrong!"
    ek "See? You only care about yourself."
    ek "Maybe that's why you don't even consider me your friend."
    ek "You'll probably get on that plane and never come back."
    ek "You'll send me some messages during the first month you're away."
    ek "Then, sporadically, you'll send some messages during the following months."
    ek "You'll find some bitch who will make you delete my contact from your phone, and then you'll be gone forever."
    mc "Why are you being so negative?"
    ek "Believe me, I've been through this with some friends I've had before."
    ek "So, it's not being pessimistic; I'm being realistic."
    ek "I know I'm nothing to you, but I wish I could eventually mean something to you."
    ek "After all you mean something to me."
    ek "So... am I nothing to you? Absolutely nothing? Because you are something to me."
    mc "...You are something to me."
    ek "If you say so..."
    ek "But it seems you aren't too interested in me. I know I'm boring, but I don't think I'm as boring as you make me out to be."
    ek "Why don't you try asking me something? I'm an open book for you."
    mct "It's as good a time as any to ask her that, but I wonder if she'll be sincere in her answer..."
    mc "I heard something from Melissa that she learned while talking with your dad..."
    ek "Oh boy..."
    ek "Straight to the prize, eh?"
    mc "I'm not sure about prizes, but it did make me curious."
    mc "Are you hiding something from me? Like something I should know about you?"
    ek ".{w}.{w}.{w}."
    ek "Yes, it's true."
    mc "What is true?"

    scene a150 with dissolve
    ek "Yes, my name is Henrich Nataniel Sunders; Erika is my transgender name."
    stop music fadeout(0.1)
    mct "WHAT?"
    ek "I made the change when I was 14, and I'm still getting used to wearing skirts."
    mct "OH HELL NO!"
    ek "I still need to change these silicone breasts to natural ones, but since I'm a freshman in college—emphasis on 'man'—I'll stick with hormone therapy."
    ek "Panties aren't a problem these days, but I envy those gals with their lady parts. I hope someday I'll be able to use mine properly when I complete the full transition."
    ek "By the way, I still need to finish my laser hair removal. Sometimes I look in the mirror and see spots of my mustache growing back; it's annoying having to hide behind makeup."
    mc "..."
    mc "Are you mocking me?"
    play sound erikalaughing
    ek "HAHAHAHAHA!"
    ek "You're so easy to tease, [mc]!"
    ek "And your face! Priceless!"
    play music cute fadeout 1.0 fadein 1.0 loop
    ek "You looked like a boy who realized he'd lost his favorite toy."
    ek "Your discomfort was visible. Perhaps there are some preconceived ideas within you that should be addressed or eventually abandoned."
    ek "Not judging, anyway; it's up to you."
    mc "...okay."
    mc "But what’s the truth, then?"
    mc "I asked a simple question and you dodged it."
    ek "Maybe there's nothing, and you're just assuming?"
    mc "Maybe, maybe not."
    mc "I'll assume it's true and that you're too embarrassed to tell me."
    ek "Maybe..."
    ek "*phew*"
    ek "Okaaay..."
    ek "Let's just say that, when I was a kid, I had to make a check-up and someone found something inside my head that doesn't work properly."
    mc "Wait!"
    scene a150 with vpunch
    mc "ERIKA!"
    mc "This is serious!"
    mc "Are you ill? Do you have some kind of condition?"
    mc "I mean, I don't think there's anything wrong on the outside, but..."
    ek "Nah, everything's okay. I'm healthy and functioning."
    ek "Maybe I'm just hyperactive. Or maybe I'm a genius."
    ek "Maybe I have an undiagnosed case of schizophrenia, and that's why I'm reluctant to move in with you and your landlady/tenant—because I don't want to kill you in your sleep."
    ek "But whatever the case, I'm fine, don't worry. I don't want you to lose sleep over something that I can manage by myself."
    mc "Awrighty!"
    ek "..."
    ek "You seemed very sad at the possibility of me being a trans woman."
    ek "Does a dick make you nervous? A genitalia doesn't define a person."
    ek "Also, I assume you have one as well."
    mc "It's not that, I was just surprised by it."
    mc "I don’t think I’ve ever met a trans person before, so I was just in shock."
    mct "Well, apart from the trip to Thailand, but I want to forget that."
    mct "Nate will mock Jeremy and me for the rest of our lives, and I don't want anyone else knowing."
    stop music fadeout 2.5
    mc "And I’m somewhat impressed, I won’t lie."
    ek "Hahaha, I see..."
    ek "But you're a lucky cowboy."

    scene a151 with dissolve
    play music chillwave fadeout 1.0 fadein 1.0 loop
    ek "No dick in sight, you can drop the sad dog face now."
    mc ".{w}.{w}."
    ek ".{w}.{w}."
    mc ".{w}.{w}."
    play sound erikalaughing
    ek "...Hahaha!"
    ek "Sensory overload? Duuuuude!"

    scene a150 with dissolve
    ek "I thought you were better than that."
    mc "It's a completely normal reaction."
    ek "I'm provoking a lot of reactions from you today. Quite a few already."
    mc "You're the kind of girl who naturally provokes a lot of reactions from people."
    ek "Praise God for that. It was already enough for me to be an outcast while growing up."
    mc "Outcast? You?"
    mc "Honestly, I can't even imagine you as one."
    ek "That's because you're a guy, dude. And guys literally only want one thing, and it's fucking disgusting."
    mc "What? Sex?"
    ek "No, agricultural machinery."
    mc "Agri—{w}What?"
    ek "Haha!"
    ek "It was a joke about rhetorical questions, dude."
    ek "But believe me when I say that friendships are far more ephemeral than they seem, especially among women, sadly."
    mc "Didn't take you for a deep person, but you seem to be a box of surprises."
    ek "Surprise box? More like a Pandora's box."
    mc "Well, as people say, hope is at the bottom of it."
    ek "...{w}maybe."
    ek "And maybe it's time for us to part ways; I still need to work today."
    mc "Work? I mean, a real job?"
    ek "Part-time anyway. I'm broke, and I still need to pay for the accommodation."
    ek "Since my dad took care of that part for me, he thinks I don't need it anymore."
    mc "..."
    mc "...Another reason to go to Melissa."
    ek "Nah, I'll endure for a while. The bonuses and burdens of freedom, but I'm sure things will get better eventually."
    ek "Also, delivering food isn't too bad, actually. I've found many places around the city that could be cool to hang out."
    if erika_date == True:
        $ erikaR += 2
    mc "Then maybe you could show me some of these? I mean, it's my first Saturday in Radiant Valley."
    ek "Yeah, why not? I think it could be fun, away from the college environment."
    ek "But I'm broke, so whatever we do, it'll have to be on a budget."
    mc "I'm the one inviting, though."
    ek "I know, just being clear. But I promise I'll take you to a nice place later."
    mc "Oh, so we already have a second date then. Nice."
    ek "It's only a date if we consider it one. For now, I'm just hanging out with you between classes."
    ek "Or after classes, like today."
    mc "Yeah, then it's totally not a date."
    ek "Yeah, not a date. But I'm excited to not-date with you anywhere else though."
    mc "Me too..."
    stop music fadeout 2.5
    scene black with dissolve
    $ renpy.pause()

label ch1thirddaynight:
    scene a152 with dissolve
    play music lounge fadeout 1.0 loop
    mct "No other lights on around the house, apart from the TV."
    mct "It seems like it will be a calm night with me, myself, and a soda, just in my room."
    scene a152b with dissolve
    st "Hey!"
    mct "You're talking to me? That's a surprise."
    st "Mom said she would be late. Tiffany is at her late-night training, and Mariya still hasn't come home."
    st "I didn't know that when I got here, so I went ahead and ordered the pizzas. They should be here around 20:00."
    st "But there's no money to pay, though. Mom took it with her when she left."
    st "So you'll have to pay."
    menu:
        "Okay[persistent.KoGa3WTChange](stacyR + 1)[persistent.KoGa3WTChange](love +1)":
            jump mcagreestacy
        "Why should I pay for everything?[persistent.KoGa3WTChange](stacyR + 1)[persistent.KoGa3WTChange](dom +1)" if dom >= 2:
            jump mcdisagreestacy

label mcagreestacy:
    $ stacyR += 1
    $ love += 1
    mc "I still have some money left from the trip, so I don't think it will be a problem."
    mc "How much is it?"
    st "$80, counting the drinks and ice cream."
    mc "Ice cream?"
    st "I can't live without my ice cream. It helps me put my thoughts in order."
    mc "Why’s that?"
    st "It shouldn't concern you. I have my own problems to deal with, just like everyone else."
    mc "It's you who said you need to put your thoughts in order, so maybe there's something you can't control. But maybe that's just my opinion."
    st "...{w}.{w}.{w}You really don't know me..."
    mc "Yeah, it seems I don't."
    scene black with dissolve
    $ renpy.pause()
    jump stacyeveningcontinue

label mcdisagreestacy:
    $ dom += 1
    $ stacyR += 1
    mc "Why do I have to pay for everything?"
    st "How should I know? Mom took the money with her, and I'm broke. The other girls aren’t around either."
    st "So it'll be up to you this time, or the delivery guy will be really pissed when he arrives."
    mc "Will you help out, like your mother mentioned before?"
    st "That rule applies only to the tenants. I'm a special case because of obvious reasons."
    mc "That doesn't seem fair"
    mct "And I doubt it's true anyway..."
    st "Yeah, yeah. I'm a lazy bitch who’s never worked a day in her life."
    st "Are you satisfied? Or should I suck your cock to shut you the fuck up? I'm watching my movie."
    mc "Chill, woman! I never said I wouldn’t pay, I just asked why I should pay for anything for you."
    mc "You don't even like me suggesting something like that."
    st "It doesn't matter. Money is money, the second most powerful thing in the world."
    mc "Second?"
    st "I'll leave that puzzle for you to solve."
    mct "Does this girl really mean what she’s implying?"
    mct "Better not to think too much about it."
    scene black with dissolve
    $ renpy.pause()
    jump stacyeveningcontinue

label stacyeveningcontinue:
    scene a153 with dissolve
    mc "What movie is that?"
    mct "Oh wait, it's Le Jardin des Roses Noires."
    st "You wouldn't understand even if you tried."
    mct "The nerve..."
    mct "You know what? Let's tease her."
    mc "Try me."
    st "It's a European classic. It's the story of a girl who loses her father too early, and her mother runs a bordello in France at the end of the 19th century. Despite that, the mother tries to raise her daughter in the best way she can."
    mc "Why aren't there any subtitles then?"
    st "I don't like them. They pull my attention away from the actors' performances."
    mc "Alright, cool! I wasn’t expecting you to be fluent in French."
    st "..."
    mc "..."
    st "..."
    mc "..."
    mc "You don't know how to speak French, do you?"
    st "I just like the movie and its universe, the production value, and how it differs from Hollywood in both acting and screenplay."
    mc "But how would you understand the plot?"
    st "I read the summary on the internet. It was actually pretty succinct on that aspect, but I can guess the rest."
    st "It's actually cooler that way; it leaves room for the imagination."
    mc "I see..."

    menu:
        mct "Should I show myself?"
        "Yes[persistent.KoGa3WTChange]recommended by me (stacyR + 1)":
            jump stacyimpressed
        "No":
            scene black with dissolve
            $ renpy.pause()
            jump pizzatime

label stacyimpressed:
    $ speakfrench = True
    $ stacyR += 1
    mc "This movie isn't actually just a French film, but a French-Belgian one."
    st "How do you..."
    mc "The main actress is Anne-Laure Van Isterdael, and the dancing boy is Milo Ménétries. He's actually French."
    mc "Yeah, you're partly right about the movie being about a girl trying to live while her mother manages a brothel, but it's a metaphor."
    mc "The brothel is the mother's personal hell, as she has to deal with some of the ghosts of her promiscuous past, while for the girl, it’s kind of a playground."
    st "Playground? How?"
    st "It's a place where men pay women for sex."
    mc "For the main character, sex isn’t seen as a bad or repulsive thing. It’s simply the environment where she spent her childhood and teenage years with other girls, sharing moments together."
    mc "Right now, for example, she's reciting a well-known poem from the Revolution, but out of its context."
    mc "It's basically an ode to the resilience of women, passing through the dark moments of the war and concluding that the good men generally die young, while the bastards manage to keep living and pestering around."
    mc "Haha! This movie is funnier than I remember, but it's a classic, as you said."
    st "...how do you know?"
    mc "Well, the girl compared the boy's face to Swiss cheese, and he compared her breasts to an anvil. It's pretty easy if you..."
    st "Not that. How do you know?"
    mc "Know what?"
    st "To speak French?"
    mc "Oh!"
    mc "Well, Dad would be away working most of the time, only returning home on weekends, so I spent most of my time with the maids."
    mc "So, one year, I ended up staying with a girl named Bevelle. She took care of me when I was nine years old. She was really nice and taught me a lot of things about France."
    mc "I saw this movie with her, but I didn’t remember most of it, and I didn’t understand the full context behind it either."
    mc "I lost contact with her after she finished her studies, but I was interested in continuing to learn the language."
    mc "I went to a language school and started learning everything I could from them. After some time, I learned French, Spanish, Italian, and a little Japanese, but nothing too meaningful."
    mc "I can't say that I'm fluent in them, since it's been a while that I don't train, but I can understand them, so that's what really counts."
    mc "But you said you didn't want to miss any details of the movie, so I'll just shut up."
    st "..."
    st "...It's better like that."
    scene black with dissolve
    $ renpy.pause()
    jump pizzatime

label pizzatime:
    play sound knocking
    stop music fadeout 1.0
    st "Pizza's here."
    mc "I'll get my wallet."
    scene a154 with dissolve
    mc "The pizzas are looking good."
    st "It's from a friend of Mom's. Well, I would say a friend, but I feel like, if it were up to him, he probably would have been my stepfather."
    mc "It... makes sense, actually."
    st "Hey! Don't be a jerk!"
    mc "I'm not, I'm just saying that your mom is beautiful."
    st "Any half-blind person knows that."
    st "I just don't want to hear you saying it."
    if dom >= 3:
        mc "And I think you should put down your weapons a bit, especially during meals. But it's not like I care."
        st "*Humpft*."
    elif True:
        mc "Whatever."
    mc "These toppings look decent, though..."
    mc "But why did you order Coke?"
    st "I said I would."
    mc "No, you said you ordered a drink."
    st "And what’s supposed to go with pizza?"
    mc "Wine?"
    st "Seriously?"
    mc "Yeah? Harmonization and all that..."
    st "...well, no. I don't hate my buds like that."
    mc "You'd be a traitor if we were in Italy."
    mc "But whatever, let's eat."

    scene a155 with fade
    play music timeless fadeout 1.0 fadein 1.0 loop
    st "Mom said I should apologize to you."
    mc "Yeah?"
    st "Yeah."
    mc "But you don't believe that."
    st "I don't."
    mc "Why?"
    st "Because I don't believe I did anything wrong."
    mc "You don't say."
    st "You're a man. We don't have men as tenants here."
    mc "I'm aware of that."
    st "So why are you here?"
    mc "I came here... {w}to study."
    st "Why the pause?"
    mc "I thought my reasons were obvious. Why would I be here if it weren't to study?"
    st "I don't know... {w}but I also don't believe in you."
    mc "Touché!"
    mc "These pizzas are really good, though."
    st "Uncle Alfoncio is the best in the city. He could turn a simple extra-cheese pizza into a masterpiece."
    mc "I don't remember ever eating a pizza as good as that, not even when I used to travel with Dad."
    st "Did you use to travel a lot with him?"
    mc "Not after he got ill, but I’ve been to two or three countries and some cities around the country."
    st "Interesting..."
    mc "What about you?"
    st "What about me?"
    mc "Do you have a good relationship with your father?"
    st "It doesn't concern you."
    mc "..."
    st "..."
    st "...no."
    st "He's too busy with his work; he's in a really important position. He has his own company."
    st "But when he's around, we do stuff together."
    mc "What kind of stuff?"
    st ".{w}.{w}."
    st "The usual stuff that fathers and daughters do together."
    st "We play together, he buys me things, he lets me drive his car..."
    st "I love him. That's what matters."
    st "He gave me the ring and earrings that belonged to my grandmother. They cost six figures."
    mc "That's good!"
    mc "You know, I've never received things like that from my grandparents, but they were really nice to me."
    mc "I used to love visiting their farm; I have really fond memories of it."
    st "..."
    mc "..."
    st "..."
    st "Why did you stop eating? Did the pizza suddenly go bad?"
    mc "Oh, no... It's just..."
    mc "I don't remember this movie having so many breasts exposed. I guess I didn't pay attention back then."
    st "Do you have a problem with spicy things? Why am I not surprised?"
    mc "..."
    mc "Are we talking the movie, the food, or something else?"
    st "In your dreams."
    mc "I already have someone else in my dreams, but thanks for the offer."
    st "It wasn't an offer."
    if dom >= 3:
        mct "We'll see..."
    scene black with dissolve
    $ renpy.pause()

label ch1thirdnightmelissamariyaarriving:
    scene a156 with dissolve
    me "Hey! It's good to see that you guys are already eating."
    me "My whole day was a headache, but it's good to be home."
    mc "Were you girls together?"
    me "Not really, we just crossed paths by chance."
    ma "Melissa-sama was kind enough to give me a ride from the Hills, so I didn't have to walk all the way up here."
    me "It was nothing, dear! I'm sorry for taking so long to get here, but I had a meeting at my lawyer's office. Everything will settle down in due time."
    me "How much did the pizzas cost?"
    mc "$78, including the ice cream and drinks, plus $10 for the tip."
    me "Alright, so there's still $10 for next Friday. I thought it would be over the budget I gave to Stacy, since she loves to spend extra on cheesy pops, chocolate, or any random stuff."
    mct "What the..."

    scene a157 with dissolve
    if dom >= 3:
        $ dom += 1
        mct "Why am I not surprised? But you'll be in for a surprise, I’ll make sure of it."
        mc "Yeah, certainly. But I wouldn't refuse some if it were the case, since I like that stuff too."
    elif True:
        mc "I see..."

    scene a158 with dissolve
    mc "So, Tiffany won't show up?"
    me "No, she won't. During night training, she only returns in the morning. It's swimming this time."
    mc "Is there any sport she doesn't train in?"
    me "It's part of her scholarship, and staying active is always good."
    ma "Yeah, but Tiffany-sama takes it to a whole new level. I don't think that I would ever be on the same pace."
    me "I don't think any of us ever will. And don't ask me how much time she spends taking care of her body or how she still manages to attend her Law classes."
    ma "Maybe she has a Time-Turner or something."
    mc "Wait, Tiffany studies Law? That's... surprising."
    mc "I'd bet on Philosophy or Art, but she doesn't seem like someone who would win an argument in court."
    me "You're definitely wrong. She can be pretty frightening when she gets serious."
    ma "Yeah, [mc]-san! Try arguing with her about anything, and you'll see how wrong you are!"
    mc "I'm not doubting any of you, but it's hard to imagine, at least."
    mc "Anyway, you girls should eat before it gets cold."
    ma "Yeah, I'm famished!"

    scene black with dissolve
    $ renpy.pause()

    scene a159 with dissolve
    mc "It's a weird combination: pizza with Coke, but it was delicious anyway."
    me "Guilty as charged. When I was a student, I didn’t have any money for a decent lunch, but there was a pizzeria near the campus that used to sell a slice and a bottle for less than four dollars."
    me "Old habits. You know how it is."
    ma "What do you usually drink while eating pizza, [mc]-san?"
    mc "Wine."
    me "There's an open bottle in the kitchen; I'll bring it to you."
    mc "I'm good with the soda, but thanks for offering."

    scene a160 with fade
    st "If you'll excuse me, I'm going to my room. I've been up since early morning."
    me "Not a problem, sweetie. I'm glad you managed to spend some time with us."
    st "Yeah yeah! Good night."
    me "Good night!"
    ma "Good night Stacy-san!"
    if stacyR >= 3:
        mc "Good night Stacy."
        st "Humpf!"
        pass

    scene a160b with dissolve
    mc "She's being sympathetic today."
    me "I tried to put some common sense into her head today; I hope it worked."
    mct "I don't think Melissa noticed the sarcasm, but let's roll with it."
    mc "Yeah, in some way."
    me "Did she apologize?"
    mc "No. She mentioned that you wanted her to apologize, but she wouldn't do that because she thought she hadn’t anything to apologize for."
    me "Tsk..."
    me "It seems it didn't."
    me "Sorry [mc]."
    mc "It's okay. It's not necessary anyway, since I won't be staying around for too long."
    ma "What do you mean [mc]-san?"
    me "He means it's late and he doesn't want to deal with this kind of stuff right now. But there's always tomorrow, right, [mc]?"
    mc "Oh... Yes, I think!"
    me "Good."
    me "I'll take the wine glass I offered you, though."
    mc "Well, if you insist, I can join you with a glass or two."
    me "Perfect dear!"
    me "Are you up for a drink, Mariya?"
    ma "No, Melissa-sama. I don't handle alcohol very well."
    me "C'mon, one glass wouldn't make you drunk."
    ma "Yeah, but I still prefer not to. Thanks for offering anyway."
    ma "I'm going to bed too, because I'm tired from the last class of the day. Have a good night, Melissa-sama, [mc]-san!"
    me "Good night!"
    mc "Good night!"
    stop music fadeout 1.0
    scene black with dissolve
    $ renpy.pause()

label ch1mcmelissaalonenight:
    scene a161 with dissolve
    play music timeless fadeout 1.0 fadein 1.0 loop
    me "It's been so long since I drank a glass of wine with a man..."
    me "Especially one as young and handsome as you."
    mc "You look at me with kind eyes."
    me "Not really. Earlier today, I was furious with you, to the point that I couldn't even look at your face properly."
    me "Right now? I'm okay."
    me "More than okay, actually. It’s been a tiring day with my lawyer guiding me through the matters of your father’s will, but we managed to reach an agreement with Pearce."
    me "Who would have thought that Mimi would turn herself into a successful lawyer?"
    mc "Mimi? Who are you talking about?"
    me "Meredith, of course. It's been so long since the last time."
    mc "Wait, you know her?"
    me "Of course, dear! She was part of our group of friends who studied here in the Commons."
    mc "But she said she started law school late in life. How do you know her?"
    me "During our time as students, she was a Creative Writing major."
    me "Even I, with a degree in Art History, thought it would be a useless major with little to no future prospects."
    me "It was her vocation anyway, and I think she managed to sell one or two screenplays while we were living together."
    me "But I lost contact with her after a while. It was good to talk to her again, even if it was by video call."
    me "It was good to meet with a far-off friend, even under those conditions."
    me "She's basically the same after all these years. The only thing is, I’ve become an old hag."
    mc "Old hag? Where?"
    me "Now it's you who look at me with kind eyes."
    mc "But it's true."
    me "And it was true when I said you’re a handsome one."
    me "Actually, you resemble your father a lot."
    me "Same face, same tone of voice, same complexion, same way of speaking."
    me "You said you were speechless when you saw me, and I was speechless when I saw you."
    me "The biggest difference is that your father had brown hair. Yours is darker."
    me "I don't remember your father having blue eyes. I think they were grey."
    mc "Funny, I never paid attention to my father's eye color. Pathetic, isn't it?"
    me "I don't think it is. I don't remember my parents' eye colors, either."
    me "But it's impossible for me to check these days..."
    mc "Sorry."
    me "Don't be. They had a good life, and now they're at eternal rest. It's sad, but that's how life is."
    me "I'm glad they were able to meet their granddaughter, even if they didn't get to live with her for too long."
    me "A cheers to you from your poor daughter, Gorman, Yustie. I hope you guys are in a better place now."
    scene a161b with dissolve
    $ renpy.pause()
    scene black with dissolve
    $ renpy.pause()

    scene a162 with fade
    me "So, [mc], I was also looking into some houses today."
    mc "Bad start."
    me "Let me continue, please."
    mc "So, I’ve been looking at houses on 'Sherry & Hailey Ventures,' and I managed to find one that’s pretty good."
    me "Located on a highway near the railroad station, it's almost like a country house, with some bucolic surroundings."
    mc "Is that house better than this one?"
    me "Better?"
    me "No, but it's different."
    me "It doesn't have a pool, but it has a pavilion, a huge backyard, and even a grove."
    me "It probably could have been the ideal house for my mother, but I'm not her. At all."
    me "So, instead of going any further with this, I'd prefer to give you something."

    scene a163 with dissolve
    mc "What is this?"
    me "$639,000 that I had in my account to pay your father, plus the rest of my life savings, addressed to you and written by my own hand."
    me "In total, $815,000 in one single transaction. I only left a little over $200 in the account for basic necessities."
    me "It's not much, but It's everything I have. So please, listen to me."
    me "I didn't realize how much I loved this house until I thought about having to leave."
    me "All the places I saw today weren’t as good as this one. The country house was okay, but at best, it's something I would spend my vacations in."
    me "That made me realize that I don’t want to leave here. I want to give this house to my grandkids and be able to live my last days in a place... in a place where I’ve put so much effort and love over the years."
    me "I know that this house is worth well over a million these days, but I really can’t pay the full amount, so I’m here to beg you to accept this as payment."
    me "The debt from Stacy's education will take at least a quarter of this, but I have two arms and two legs to work, so I’m not too worried about that. I really don’t want to leave."
    me "At least, not yet. I think I could still help a lot of students who need a place to stay and a shoulder to cry on sometimes."
    mc "Uhmm..."

    menu:
        "What should I do with this?"
        "Give it back[persistent.KoGa3WTChange1](your preferred choice)[persistent.KoGa3WTChange](melissaR + 1)":
            jump givingcheckback
        "Fold and keep on my wallet[persistent.KoGa3WTChange1](your preferred choice)[persistent.KoGa3WTChange](dom +1)":
            jump foldandkeep
        "Tear up the check[persistent.KoGa3WTChange1](your preferred choice)[persistent.KoGa3WTChange](melissaR + 3)[persistent.KoGa3WTChange](love +3)":
            jump tearthecheck

label givingcheckback:
    scene a164 with dissolve
    $ melissaR += 1
    mc "I don’t need this, Melissa. As I said before, I don’t want to mess with anyone’s life."
    mc "I already have some places to live. It wouldn’t be fair to take yours."
    me "But it's... {w}a lot of money."
    me "I really don't want to come across as a freeloader."
    mc "And you won’t. Trust me, you’ve been a mother and a landlady for too long."
    mc "Take that money, invest in Stacy’s education, and use at least some of it to make yourself happy."
    mc "And soon, this whole losing-your-home thing will feel like a bad dream you once had."
    me "And you’ll accept the loss just like that?"
    me "I wouldn't, if I was in your place."
    mc "Well, it was my father's money, so it's not like I'm actually losing anything."
    mc "But I have a feeling that it's something that he would want anyway."
    me "Thanks [mc]."
    mc "It's not a big deal."
    me "No, it is! Thank you very much dear! You don't know how much this means to me."
    me "It's like a weight is lifted off my shoulders."
    mc "Then I'm happy for that."
    jump chapter1end

label foldandkeep:
    $ keepingcheck = True
    $ dom += 1
    scene a164b with dissolve
    mc "I’m not sure what you expect me to do with this check, Melissa, but I’m certainly not cashing it."
    me "What you do with it is up to you. But at least I’ll finally be able to sleep in peace for the first time in fifteen years."
    mc "Why? If it's because of Dad, he wouldn’t have accepted it either."
    me "Yeah, but everyone should pay their debts, and this is my way of honoring my father's memory. You should accept it, and we can move on from here."
    mc "Alright then."
    jump chapter1end

label tearthecheck:
    $ love += 3
    $ melissaR += 3
    play sound tearing
    scene a164c with dissolve
    me "[mc]!!!!"
    me "Why?"
    mc "I really don't need this, Melissa."
    mc "I already have a house—my friend's house. I don't need yours."
    mc "This house means a lot more to you than to me. To me, it's just an interesting detail from my father's life."
    mc "But for you? It’s everything."
    mc "So instead of giving this to me, how about we make a deal?"
    me "What kind of deal?"
    mc "You'll use that money to pay off Stacy's student debt, keep the rest as your life savings, and set aside a small portion—maybe $50,000—to pamper yourself."
    mc "Maybe a car or something like that."
    me "$50,000? That’s way too much!"
    me "Besides, there's nothing wrong with my current car, and Stacy would think I did it just to spite her."
    me "So it's definitely a no. I might use $5,000, but even that feels like too much for me."
    mc "Are you sure?"
    me "Yes, I am. I'm not the type of woman who would spend my husband's entire salary in one afternoon."
    me "Mainly because I never had anything like that, but that's beside the point."
    mc "Whatever suits you."
    jump chapter1end

label chapter1end:
    scene a165 with dissolve
    mc "Alright, I think I’ll head to my room."
    mc "Thanks for the meal. This Uncle Alfoncio really knows what he's doing."
    me "You're welcome, dear. I appreciate the company."
    mc "No problem. It's always a pleasure spending time with you."
    if melissa_date == True:
        $ melissaR += 2
    me "Haha! You're kind. It's not that I believe in that, but it's nice to hear you say it."
    mc "I'm serious. I wish I could invite you out somewhere, but I doubt you'd want that."
    mc "And, to be honest, I'm afraid of embarrassing myself."
    me "Why do you think that?"
    mc "You know how it is, you might just think I'm a dumb boy asking his—."
    mc "Well, for lack of a better term, let's say 'landlady'..."
    mc "—out."
    me "Don't be silly, I'd love to go out with you."
    me "But wouldn't you prefer to ask someone your age, like Tiffany and Mariya?"
    mc "I thought about that, and even though I like them, I have more in common with you."
    me "Alright, it's a date."
    mc "Cool! Then I'll take a look and see where we could go. I've never been to Radiant Valley before, but I'll do my best to find a nice place for us."
    me "Actually, there's a restaurant I've always wanted to try, but I never had the right company. I almost asked a friend, but she's really busy."
    me "It's better than just having a drink; after all, I'll still have to drive us back. And I hope you don't mind a little experimentation."
    mc "Not at all. I just hope you won't bring anything disgusting. I had a somewhat traumatic experience in Asia in the past."
    me "Haha, don't worry about that."
    me "Good night [mc]! Sweet dreams!"
    mc "Good night Melissa, same to you."
    mc "Same to you!"

    stop music fadeout 2.5
    scene black with dissolve
    $ renpy.pause()

label ch1afterending:
    scene a166 with dissolve
    play sound notification
    mct "Did I forget my phone while I was watching the movie?"
    mct "No, it's still in my pocket."
    scene a166b with dissolve
    mct "Is this Stacy's? It seems like she's constantly losing her things around the house."
    mct "..."
    mct "Why do I have the urge to take a look at what she's doing?"
    mct "Maybe it's an invasion of privacy, but after the pizza ordeal, I think she deserves a prank."
    mct "Let's see..."

    scene a167 with dissolve
    mct "Everything seems to be in order."
    mct "‘Almodóvar Nights’... boring."
    mct "Screenwriting class... Camera fundamentals..."
    mct "‘Art vs. Entertainment, the eternal debacle’... ‘The Iranian fad’..."
    mct "‘Akira Kurosawa's farce,’ this is probably a sin somewhere."
    mct "In-group messages... these people seem pretentious."
    mct "That Waldon guy is using a fedora, non-ironically."
    mct "Filmmakers are weird..."
    mct "..."
    mct "It seems a lot more normal than I expected, which is a shame..."
    mct "Come on, where's the skeleton in your closet?"
    mct "..."
    mct "Wait, what is this?"

    scene a167b with dissolve
    mct "Weird... She made sure to delete all the messages, but these arrived after she went to sleep."
    mct "21:31... yep, they are recent."
    mct "‘You have one week. Don’t fuck with us, or we’ll fuck with you instead.’"
    mct "‘We know where you live, your routine, and your mother's routine as well.’"
    mct "..."
    mct "Blackmail?"
    mct "Seems to be the case... but whatever they want, it doesn’t seem to affect her much."
    mct "Or maybe it is, and she’s just pretending it isn’t."
    mct "..."
    mct "I probably shouldn’t care about what she does with her own life, but it can affect her mother too, and the message implies that they’re being monitored."
    mct "What the hell is she doing behind Melissa's back?"
    mct "..."
    mct "Fuck, I’m in the dark about this issue."
    mct "It’s better to sleep and see what I can do tomorrow."
    mct "Maybe I could follow her around or ask someone to keep an eye on her for me."
    mct "But let’s not hurry, Saturday is yet to come."

    scene black with dissolve
    jump chapter2