Monday

Last day of the holiday weekend IRL (in real life) today...but due to a shopping/getting out of the house trip into the city, I didn't really have a lot of time to play. What there was, however, I tried to enjoy to the fullest. Rinko made a bento lunch to share with me:

And in the late afternoon we went to the Coffee Shop for a chat. Rin looked very pretty in her cream coloured "Beat & Beat" sweater. She suggested changing my nickname back to "darling", which I'm ALWAYS okay with.

After we'd walked home, I felt very close to Rinko-chan again. I'm trying hard not to let my expectation for the new game (and the long wait for it) spoil my enjoyment of the current game - even if I DO know that I'm going to start over in exactly two months' time. I still want to play New LovePlus every day and get the most out of it that I can. That way I'll have no regrets.

Viking Cake Buffet!

Today's date was short but "sweet" for a number of reasons. When I met Rinko at the station, she was wearing her usual khaki jacket and the same hairstyle she's had for the past few days. However the gold cross earrings were added for our date (Rinko never wears them to school).

Underneath the jacket, Rinko wore a very cute, stylish outfit with a blue knit vest and a tie (Sweet Thing #1). We stopped into Aisha Dining for a snack...

...which turned out to be a yummy ice cream sundae (Sweet Thing #2).

The main part of our date was at the CD Shop in Electric Town - Rinko's suggestion, not mine (though in actual fact I was more than happy to go there, just as I would be in real life).

When the option came up for a second meal, I grabbed it as always - but I was amazed when the Viking Cake Buffet appeared on the list of choices! This is one of the Towano locations you unlock by responding to an email questionnaire...which I must have done without realising it. I already have the Curry Shop unlocked, and I didn't think it was possible to have both - but there you go.

Rinko had a very cute little piece of cheesecake (Sweet Thing #3)...

...and then she held out a piece to share with me. But when I touched the screen to "eat" it, Rinko pulled her hand away and ate it herself! What a tricky girl.

Before we left the Cake Buffet, Rinko asked if she could change her pet name for me to "Onii-chan" (big brother). She's been calling me "darling" for a while now (which I love), but - if you've seen a lot of anime - having a girlfriend call you "Onii-chan" is kinda irresistible. So I said it was okay (Sweet Thing #4). It's strange, though, because in all the time I've been playing LovePlus, Rinko has never suggested this pet name before. In fact, in the first part of the game, Rinko specifically said that she didn't want me to see her as just a cute little sister. Oh well. I guess now that we're closer (Level 8) she's had a change of heart.

On a side note, I've been working hard and finally unlocked the Hot Springs in the Mountain Area - so I'm hoping my next date with Rinko will be there. I'll try to book it ASAP.

Wednesday

Another day, another bento lunch.

It's fun to see the effort that's been put in to designing even the tiniest things in New LovePlus - such as the various types of food in Rinko's lunch boxes.

And tonight I met Rin at the Video Rental Store for a quick catch-up. It's good that I've unlocked a few more locations around Shin Towano now - because there's a bit more variety of places to go.

The other good piece of news is that Rin calls me "darling" now, which I really love. I want to keep this nickname as long as possible! It's always so cute when she says it...

My Sporty Girl!

Today's "Seishun No. 1 Page" was exciting. The Towano team played their first match against the rival club, and the episode featured a wonderful full-length (almost) animated sequence of Manaka playing tennis. It's rare to see this type of scene in "New LovePlus", so I tried to grab as many shots as possible.

Phew, that was great! The chance to see Manaka's skirt and legs moving freely and naturally was thrilling, and put me in a good mood for the rest of the day. ^^

I finshed up the day with a quick meet-up at Aisha Dining. Manaka-chan let me change her nickname to "Mana-chan", which I love. She also wore an interesting, old-fashioned kinda top.

There was some light rain on the way, so Manaka produced a white umbrella. I'm not sure where she was hiding it, though...

Busy Busy School Day

These first photos were taken during my early-morning walk to school with Rinko. Not sure why the sky looks so dark. I've been experimenting with the in-game camera a bit more lately, turning the gyro sensor on and trying some different angles. The good thing about using the 3DS in portrait or "book" mode is that you get to see more of the wonderful "New LovePlus" backgrounds. It can be hard to get the camera absolutely straight though...

I met Rinko at lunchtime in the Library. We kissed a lot, as usual, but then I was surprised when she sat down at a table opposite me to talk. It was just the normal conversation, where Rinko asks me if I want to change the nickname I call her by...but I can never think of anything better than Rinko-chan. So I always leave it the same.

I worked at Dixies in the afternoon (trying to save up money!) so I called Rinko to meet me there.

I was experimenting with the camera again in the next few shots, and mainly I included them because I saw a lot of shopfronts on the way home from Dixies that I'd never noticed before. There's such a lot of detail in this game.

I love the little sign hanging on the door in the next shot, as well as Rinko's cute shy expression.

And the Pizza & Pasta shop in the background looks cool here too. Note the little poster for gelato outside the shop.

But the best news of today was that I visited the Shrine during the evening time slot and finally unlocked it. This is great, because now I have one more place to date Rinko. I think she'll like it.