So, during the course of writing the Kitsune Spa Trip storyline, I wrote a few scenes that were either alternate versions of the finished ones or were ultimately unused. Since I wouldn't want them to go to waste, I decided to share them with everyone. Hope you enjoy.
Note: Since they weren't used, these scenes were never properly finished. Meaning they will just cut off at random points.
Alternate Scene # 1
A/N: Here's an alternate version of Chapter 23: A Familiar Look.
"What are you doing here?" Shujinkou asked.
"Ah…" Yuri closed her eyes and took a deep breath. After a minute of silence, Yuri opened her eyes and clutched the book she had even harder. "I was wondering if you could look at something for me."
"Look at what?" Shujinkou asked.
"This…" Shujinkou watched the book Yuri brought with her slowly gravitate towards him. He reached for the book before it was immediately pulled back to Yuri's chest. Embarrassed by her knee-jerk response, Yuri turned away, clutching the book tighter than before.
"Sorry…" Yuri apologized. "It's just that… I never did this before."
Shujinkou quietly scratched his right cheek. After another moment of silence, Shujinkou offered his right arm. Yuri simply stared at his outstretched arm and once again tried to hand the book to him. After constant pauses, the book finally reached his hand, which he happily accepted.
He opened the book and was surprised it contained pages and pages of very neat handwriting.
"I was wondering if I could get your opinion on what lies inside," Yuri requested.
"Are you sure you want my opinion?" Shujinkou asked. "I mean I'm not exactly a writer myself. I haven't even gotten past writing the first word… I haven't even got to the first word."
"Well, I would still appreciate your input anyway," Yuri replied.
"Okay," Shujinkou opened the door to his room and walked in, only to realize that he wasn't the only one.
Going against his instincts, Shujinkou simply shrugged and started to read Yuri's work. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that by Page 2, his brain was already working overtime. Her writing was very metaphorical, forcing him to use everything he learned from the world of fiction to make sure he could understand the story she was trying to tell.
But her writing style wasn't the only thing that forced his brain to use its full potential. The genre of the story was psychological in nature and he had enough experience with those kinds of stories to know that they had infinite storytelling routes.
"Ah…" Shujinkou looked up and noticed Yuri was staring at him with a curious expression.
"What is it, Yuri?" he asked.
"N-Nothing…" she stammered. "It's just that I never seen you look so focused before."
"Oh," Shujinkou turned his attention back to the book and continued reading from where he left off. After thoroughly reading a few more pages, Shujinkou closed the book and sighed.
"Was it that bad?" Yuri worriedly asked.
"Huh? No, it wasn't bad. It was just a really crazy experience," Shujinkou replied.
"Crazy?" Yuri repeated, still wearing her trademark expression.
"I meant that I felt like I was in the protagonist shoes," Shujinkou explained.
"Oh, that's good," Yuri breathed a sigh of relief. "That's what I was going for. It's a tough task to balance giving the protagonist character while making them identifiable enough with the reader, but the results are well worth it."
"The writing itself also got me thinking and determined not to miss anything," Shujinkou added. "Plus, you did a good job at convincing me to keep reading. Overall, it was a very interesting first chapter."
"Hm… Well, I appreciate your input," Yuri happily replied.
"No problem," Shujinkou stretched his arms and let out another sigh. To say that his brain needed rest would be an understatement. Another moment of silence "Well then…"
"Ah, I've been doing some research regarding Big Boss," Yuri suddenly said.
Shujinkou's eyes lit up with curiosity. That was the last thing he expected anyone in the club to say.
"You did?" the baffled teenager replied.
"Well, you did make the character seem interesting enough to do so," Yuri nodded her head. "He first appeared in the first game as the surprise villain, appeared in the second game apparently surviving the first one, his remains was a plot device in Metal Gear Solid, made his first playable appearance in Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater to explore his past, returned in Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots to make peace with his remaining clone/son: Solid Snake, starred in Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker to continue showing what led him to become the person he was in the first game and appeared in Metal Gear Solid V as the last game in his story arc with a twist at the end.
One of the things I find that is interesting is how his story and character parallels Solid Snake's but in the end they both make different choices. One chooses to embrace evil while the other still strives to help the world that hates them both. Do you feel the same?"
"Uh…" That was the only thing Shujinkou could muster up the strength to say. The confusion he felt was easily comparable to Raiden's during Sons of Liberty.
But his confused state caused Yuri to become slightly worried.
"I got something wrong didn't I? Sorry," Yuri apologized.
"No, no… You didn't get anything wrong…" Shujinkou assured her. "It's just surprising to hear you talk about the Metal Gear franchise."
"Well, I was thinking the other day and realized that most of our interactions were mostly about my own interests. I thought it would only be fair if we talk about something that interested you," Yuri replied. "Besides, even though I'm not really into video games and haven't really explored stories with political themes, the story seemed interesting enough to give it a closer examination."
Once again, Shujinkou did not know how to respond. He felt touched and amazed that someone would go through all that trouble just to have a conversation with him.
"So, did you find anything else interesting during your research?" he asked.
"Well, it seems that fans of the series can be very harsh with each other when they get in an argument," Yuri said, while wearing an annoyed expression.
"Actually, that's kinda how it is when it comes to anything with fans on the internet," Shujinkou weakly chuckled, scratching his right cheek in the process. "A-Anything else?"
"Well, it also seems that the franchise contains a lot of retcons in regards to its continuity," Yuri added.
"To be fair, Kojima stated he was willing to do that if it benefits the story," Shujinkou replied.
"But don't too many retcons ruin the credibility and stability of the story?" Yuri asked.
"Not really," Shujinkou answered. "After looking at most of them, they usually add new meaning to the past games, plus, regarding the prequel game retcons, there's usually no reason for the future characters to know how they affect past games and the characters that were there have no reason to mention it during the events that take place."
"Hm… but what about the ones that aren't justified in those ways? Like how Big Boss being in a 10-year coma affects the backstory of Gray Fox?" Yuri asked.
"That one I willingly ignore," Shujinkou answered.
"Or how Dr. Madnar is revealed to be alive in Metal Gear Solid 4 even though Snake saw him die?" Yuri asked.
"I'm in denial there," Shujinkou sighed. "Anything else you liked other than the series?"
"I was really enraptured by the plot of Sons of Liberty and The Phantom Pain, the latter after the twist was revealed," Yuri replied.
"I'm not surprised by that answer," Shujinkou chuckled.
"Raiden's existential crisis and Snake's psychological issues were interesting to examine," Yuri continued.
"You… really did a lot of research, didn't you?" the amazed Shujinkou asked.
"Of course," Yuri brightly smiled. "I shouldn't do anything less when it involves a friend."
Alternate Scene #2
A/N: This one is an alternate version of Chapter 27: Stranger's Offer.
A small yawn broke through the entrapment that was Sayori's lips as she awoke from her deep slumber. Forcing her drowsy eyes open, the half-awake girl noticed that the TV in front of her was still on.
"Oh, right," Sayori yawned once more. "Movie time with Shujinkou…"
Her eyes scanned the room through half closed eyelids, eventually noticing that her friend was not anywhere to be seen.
"Where did he go?" she wondered aloud.
The curious girl soon found her answer to that question as she felt something brush up against her thighs. Wondering what it could have been, she looked down and caught glimpse of a sight that would wake her up completely: her childhood friend resting on her lap.
"Eh?" that was all Sayori could muster up the strength to say as she tried to wrap her head around the situation she found herself in. All she could do was look down at him with bright red cheeks. "Hey, Shujinkou…"
The sleeping teen continued to toss and turn about until finally finding a position he felt comfortable in. Though finding the entire situation strange and unbelievable at first, Sayori quickly felt the awkward atmosphere vanish as she continued to watch Shujinkou slumber peacefully. Seeing her friend sleep with such an innocent expression on his face had a strange effect on her, leading her to start stroking his head out of pure instinct.
"And he says I don't have any sense of personal space," she giggled as her fingers continued to slowly course through the strands of hair that rested on her friend's head over and over again.
This act continued on for several minutes, until Sayori noticed Shujinkou beginning to come to. Her hands quickly dropped to her side as she watched him slowly sit up and open his eyes.
"Morning…" Shujinkou yawned.
"Morning, Shujinkou," Sayori cheerfully waved.
But despite her cheery hello, a worried expression formed on Shujinkou's face.
"Are you okay, Sayori?" he suddenly asked.
"Yeah," Sayori nodded. "Why do you ask?"
"Because your cheeks are really red," Shujinkou answered.
"Eh? No! I'm feeling really good! Seriously, nothing's wrong!" Sayori frantically assured him.
"If you say so…" Shujinkou shrugged, deciding not to press any further. After all, he was pretty sure that if anything serious was bothering her, she would let him know.
Later that day, the two walked into lobby.
"So, what should we do today?" Sayori asked.
"I don't know," Shujinkou replied. "But whatever it is, we should make sure that it's really good since we have to head back home tomorrow. Maybe we could…"
Shujinkou's train of thought immediately flew off its track as his eyes were immediately drawn towards his father. He silently watched him place an ice pack on his head until Jomei's eyes met his own.
"Hey there, Shujinkou…" Jomei waved exhaustedly.
"Hey, father…" Shujinkou awkwardly wave back.
"Hey, Shujinkou's father!" Sayori happily waved.
Jomei groaned as he clutched the ice pack even harder than before.
"What's wrong with you?" Shujinkou asked.
"I think my, uh, 'lady friend' spiked my drink," Jomei sighed. "I believe I fell for the charms of a succubus."
"Uh, right…" Shujinkou awkwardly scratched his right cheek as his grandmother walked in.
"Oh, perfect, I'm glad you two are here," Hisa grinned.
She casually strolled over to the two and immediately turned her attention to Jomei.
"So you were drunk last night," Hisa said. "Succubus?"
"Succubus…" Jomei sighed.
"Hm…" Hisa turned her attention towards her grandson. "You wouldn't believe what I found while I was cleaning my office."
"What did you find?" Shujinkou asked.
"A picture of your grandfather and me on our first date," she happily answered, holding the picture up for all to see.
It wasn't anything spectacular, just a simple portrait of a man and woman very much in love, but to Hisa it was something very special to her.
"I miss grandpa," Shujinkou suddenly said.
"Yeah, I miss him too," Hisa solemly agreed. "But that wasn't what I came to tell you about. After I found this, I found…"
Hisa dug into her bag and pulled out a piece of paper.
"…this!" Hisa grinned.
"…What's that?" Shujinkou asked.
"It's the treasure map you two made when you were younger," Hisa replied. "Remember?"
Shujinkou closed his eyes and tried to recall the event his grandmother was referring to.
Years ago, in the very spot they stand in now, Shujinkou and Sayori looked down at a small metallic box.
"Are you ready, Sayori?" Shujinkou asked, barely able to contain his excitement.
"Yeah!" Sayori eagerly nodded. "…Wait, what are doing again?"
"We're making a time capsule," Shujinkou explained once more. "We put something we really care about in it and years later we come back to unearth it."
Deleted Scene #1
A/N: This next scene is an unused scene that I decided not to follow through.
The next morning, a massive yawn escaped through Shujinkou's mouth as he stretched his tired arms.
"Wait a minute…" he mumbled under his breath.
He remained silent for a moment before walking towards the window. There he was able to get a view of the nearby beach. The beauty of the ocean reflecting the rays of the sun was exactly what Shujinkou's brain needed to solve his dilemma.
"That's right I was thinking about the plot of Spirited Away," Shujinkou remembered. "Where exactly was I again?"
Unfortunately time refused to allow him to find the solution to that question as he soon heard a knock on his door. As he walked towards the door, a white envelope slid through the bottom and brushed against his feet.
Without question, Shujinkou lifted the envelope up from the ground and read what entailed on the front.
"'Do not open until told so during the meeting up front.'," Shujinkou read aloud.
An hour later, Shujinkou found himself in the middle of a large crowd of second-year students, each one as curious as the next. Looking around the sea of confused faces twice, Shujinkou could safely assume that their host was up to something.
"Granny Hisa is up to something," Sayori said aloud.
"I agree," Shujinkou nodded his head in agreement.
Shujinkou turned his gaze towards his childhood friend and couldn't help but feel satisfied from the disappointment on her face.
"You're supposed to be startled," she pouted.
"I saw you two coming," Shujinkou replied.
"Aww…" Sayori disappointed expression remained on her face for a few more moments before turning into a bright and cheery smile. "Next time then."
"Not sure scaring someone is something to aspire for," Monika weakly chuckled.
Shujinkou wasn't worried though. Sayori's convictions weren't always consistent. He was sure that any effort she would put in towards scaring him wouldn't last past today.
"So, Shujinkou, any idea what your grandmother is planning?" Monika asked.
"I have no idea," Shujinkou shook his head.
"Maybe this was the Hisa-buisness she was talking about?" Sayori pointed out.
"She said that to you too?" Shujinkou asked.
"Mm-hmm," Sayori nodded. "She said after having bath with us."
"Oh, I see…" Shujinkou replied, fighting an almost losing battled with his facial expressions. "Did you guys talk about anything interesting?"
"Well, Natsuki couldn't let go of Granny's appearance," Sayori giggled.
"Can you blame me?" the aforementioned Natsuki interjected.
Natsuki and Yuri approached the three.
"She just doesn't look like someone's grandmother," Natsuki added. "Anyway, does anyone know what this meeting is about?"
"Not really, but I'm pretty sure that it has something to do with being a good host," Sayori answered.
"A good host?" the curious Yuri repeated.
"If there is one thing that is considered a tradition in my family; it would be the fact that each generation is told to be a good host to their guests," Shujinkou explained.
"Isn't that with everyone though?" Monika asked.
"Yeah, but Granny Hisa likes to take that motto and go above and beyond with it," Shujinkou added.
As if on cue, Hisa walked through the front door with a megaphone.
"Good morning, second-year winners!" she spoke into the device. "Are you ready for today's activity?"
Everyone student present simply stared at their host, unsure how to answer her question.
"Oh, that's right… I haven't told any of you what the activity was," Hisa weakly chuckled, scratching her right cheek in embarrassment. "Okay, today's fun activity is… A treasure hunt!"
Almost every student in the crowd groaned upon hearing what Hisa had planned. They all had their own agendas planned for the day and they didn't want it ruined by a forced activity.
"Did I forget to mention that if you guys win then a special prize awaits you," Hisa added.
Hisa giggled as she watched every student's eyes light up with interest.
"Alright then. Time to explain the rules," Hisa enthused. "For this contest, each student will be paired up and…
Alternative Scene #3
A/N: This scene is an alternate version of Chapter 24: Subtle.
The next day, something was happening near the Front Desk…
"Okay, Sayori, let's try this again," Natsuki glared at the Club VP as she peeked out from behind Shujinkou. "There were exactly five cookies on that plate for five people and yet four out those five people didn't get to eat any. What do you have to say about that!?"
"I don't know…" Sayori quietly replied, averting her gaze.
"You say you don't know anything and yet… YOU HAVE COOKIE CRUMBS ALL OVER YOUR FACE!" Natsuki pointed out.
"Oh. Thanks for reminding me," Sayori innocently licked the crumbs surrounding her mouth, enraging Natsuki even further.
"Don't just do that like you're not in trouble!" Natsuki yelled.
As Natsuki continued to blow her stack, Monika and Yuri analyzed a map of the immediate area on the former's phone.
"Where do you think we should go?" Yuri asked.
"Well, there are a lot of interesting locations," Monika replied. "Though I have to admit, I'm still a bit surprised that you wanted to go out to town with us. I thought you didn't like going out all that much."
"Ah, well…" Yuri remained silent for a moment. "I just thought it would nice to explore a new area."
Monika simply stared at Yuri and then smiled.
"That's a good idea, Yuri," Monika said.
"Eh?" the confused maiden replied.
"Instead of just trying to find one location to have fun at, we should just go explore as much as we can," Monika smiled. "Everyone good with that?"
The two turned their attention towards the other club members and watched Sayori and Natsuki pull Shujinkou back and forth between them.
"Stop hiding behind others!" Natsuki yelled.
"But you're acting really scary right now," Sayori argued.
"Oh boy…" Monika weakly laughed.
"Poor Shujinkou…" Yuri thought.
His grandmother on the other hand had a different reaction as she walked into the situation.
"If I didn't know any better, I would say that my grandson was in the middle of a harem argument," Hisa chuckled at the thought. In fact, the part that she found the most hilarious about the entire situation was that she was sure that Shujinkou wasn't aware of the kind of situation he was in.
Noticing Hisa from the corner of her eye, Sayori quickly left her position from behind Shujinkou and jumped behind her host.
"Did you eat all of the cookies?" Hisa asked.
"Maybe…" Sayori weakly laughed.
Hisa smiled at Sayori and casually strolled over to her grandson. She gently rested the back of her hand on his forehead, effectively bringing him back from the realm of dreams.
"What's going on?" Shujinkou asked before realizing that Natsuki's hands were wrapped around his waist.
Before he could say another word, Natsuki quickly pulled her hands back towards and turned away. He expected Natsuki to try to explain why her hands were connected to his waist, but she instead remained uncharacteristically silent.
"So what are you guys going to do today?" Hisa asked.
"I think we're going to explore the city today," Monika answered.
"Really? Well, luckily for you have a certified tour guide with you," Hisa replied.
"You're coming with us?" Sayori asked.
"No, I have Hisa-buisness to take care of," Hisa answered. "So, I'll leave that job up to Shujinkou."
The elderly woman turned to her grandson.
"You remember what Kuzuryu has to offer right?" Hisa asked.
Shujinkou silently nodded his head.
"Good," Hisa smiled. "Just don't take them to you-know-where. See ya."
And with that, Hisa walked into her office, leaving the club alone.
"You sure you're still a good tour guide?" Natsuki asked.
"Why do you ask that?" Shujinkou asked in response.
"Well, you haven't been around here for awhile," Natsuki replied.
"How do you know that?" Shujinkou asked.
The confused teen turned to his left and noticed Sayori chuckling in a suspicious manner. He solemnly scratched his right cheek and then shrugged.
"Well, I'm sure the city hasn't changed that much," Shujinkou answered. "Let's go."
The city of Kuzuryu is a very popular city known for its tourist sites, its variety of stores and, of course, the local spa resort.
"So, what should we do?" Natsuki wondered aloud.
"Well, there's only one thing to do when you don't know what to do in the city…" Monika smiled.
Moments later, the club stood in the middle of a local clothing shop, shocked by the expensive price tags that dangled in front of them.
"You might want to pick another store, Monika," Shujinkou suggested.
"Mm-hmm…" Monika sadly nodded.
10 minutes later, the club stood in the middle of another clothing store, once again shocked by the prices that were displayed in front of them.
"This place is pretty pricey to," Yuri noted.
"Maybe the next one…" Monika sadly smiled.
15 more minutes later, the club stood in front of a third clothing store, shocked by the prices that were displayed in the front window.
Shujinkou, Sayori, Natsuki and Yuri nervously glanced to their right and felt a chilling atmosphere emanate from Monika.
"Eh, maybe we should go somewhere to eat?" Sayori suggested.
Moments later, the group sat in a local ice cream shop, enjoying the sweets they have bought.
"3 tries and we still were unable to find a place to start…" Monika sighed.
"Well to be fair, maybe looking for clothing stores in the rich part of town wasn't a good place to start…" Shujinkou nervously scratched his right cheek.
"Well, you have a point there…" Monika agreed.
"Well those tries led us her, so I have no complaints!" Sayori happily stated.
"Perhaps it would be better to start with something that doesn't cost any money," Yuri suggested.
"You mean like the tourist sites?" Natsuki asked.
"I think I know where we can start," Monika smiled.
After finishing their treats, Monika led her club mates to the middle of the city, where they found a 20 foot statue carving of a 9-Tailed Fox and a 9-Headed Dragon locked in battle.
"This is the most popular tourist spot in the city; the statue of Kitsune and Kuzuryu," Shujinkou said.
"I heard about the legend. Kitsune and Kuzuryu. Two legendary creatures locked in eternal battle," Monika stated.
"A fox and a 9-headed dragon that constantly fight? I think we all know who always win those battles," Natsuki snarked.
"We do? Who?" Sayori asked.
"The dragon of course," Natsuki replied. "You think a fox with nine tails can beat a dragon with 9 heads?"
"Actually…" Shujinkou started.
"Not even the Kuramas," Natsuki interrupted.
"…Yes they would…" Shujinkou muttered. "Anyway, the fox always won."
"Really?!" Natsuki exclaimed.
"Yep. The kind-hearted fox always wins against the morally ambiguous dragon," Shujinkou replied. "A classic battle of good vs. sometimes evil."
"Sometimes evil?" Yuri was surprised by the description Shujinkou used.
"The thing is that the fox and the dragon started off as enemies but eventually ended up as best friends and friendly rivals, which I'm pretty sure was the reason he didn't do anything bad since then," Shujinkou said. "It's said that after the fox died, the dragon went off the deep end."
"What happened after that?" Natsuki asked.
"I don't know," Shujinkou answered. "That's all Granny Hisa told me."
Deleted Moment
A/N: This last one is just a short conversation. It doesn't really fit anywhere, but I decided to throw it in because why not?
The next morning, Monika and Sayori walked out of their shared room and down the hallway.
"Ugh… I'm so hungry," Sayori reflexively clutched her stomach as it rumbled once more. "I hope the buffet is open."
"Sayori, the buffet is open 24/7," Monika replied.
"Oh yeah…" the sour expression that laid on Sayori's face was instantly replaced with a happy grin.
The two students reached the elevator at the end of the hallway, stepped inside and pressed the button embroiled with a golden "g."