After a somber Chapter 7 in Emio: The Smiling Man, we can only expect things to get even bleaker in Chapter 8. It’s time to get back on the road and see what we can learn about The Smiling Man and if we’ll bring them to justice.
Looking for a walkthrough for the previous chapter? You can find a link to that here: Emio: The Smiling Man Chapter 5 Walkthrough.
If you’re looking for a guide for the next chapter, follow this link: Emio: The Smiling Man Chapter 9 Walkthrough
Table of Contents
Chapter 8 – Minami Daisan Junior High School
We start off in the shoes of the Main Character as he arrives at Minami Daisan Junior High School. Fukuyama waits for us just beyond the main gate. He comes running up to greet you as you introduce yourself, and he gets a little too close for comfort; something we’re all too used to at this point. Select the Ask/Listen prompt to get this investigation started.
He’ll thank you for coming, and invite you inside to talk. Select the Travel option to head inside the school.
Chapter 8 – Inside Minami Daisan Junior High School
Once inside, he’ll apologize for having to see that awkward scene the other day. No offense taken, Fukuyama. After a brief introduction, select the Ask/Listen prompt to ask how Megumi has been doing since the incident. He’ll say that he went to visit Megumi, but figured she wasn’t ready just yet. She still hasn’t returned to school, either. After leaving, he ran into Ayumi.
You’ll now have two options to choose from under the Ask/Listen prompt; About Megumi and Observations. Select About Megumi. Fukuyama will mention that he called Megumi’s home and spoke with her parents and that she’s slowly improving. Selecting Observations will give you additional backstory about Fukuyama. Maybe we should Think about what to do next.
Selecting this option will prompt the Main Character to ask when he can speak to Kohei. Kohei is still in class but should be arriving at the room shortly, as the fourth period is almost finished. You’ll recall a rumor that you had heard about Kohei and Eisuke having a falling out over Megumi, and you’ll wonder what kind of student he is.
Select the Ask/Listen prompt again, and select About Kohei. You’ll ask Fukuyama, who will mention that Kohei is a great student and very close with Megumi. He also apparently offered to help Eisuke with his grades after discovering that they were slipping. Fukuyama will plead with us that we need to solve this case for Eisuke’s sake.
Select Ask/Listen again. Fukuyama will ask us a question about Ayumi, and he asks if we are her boss and if she’s reliable. Ask/Listen again, and select About Ayumi. Fukuyama will ask how she’s doing as a detective and ask if she’s being compensated fairly. Select Observations, as you’ll note that Fukuyama keeps an awfully close eye on Ayumi. He’ll ask how old we are and acts surprised to learn that Ayumi and the MC are the same age.
Ask/Listen About Ayumi again. Fukuyama will talk about how talented Ayumi was with a naginata, while also commenting on her beauty. Ask/Listen and select the new Naginata Club prompt. He’ll mention that he is four years older than Ayumi, and wasn’t technically in the same club as her. He was in high school but went back to the middle school to see Ayumi. Just kidding! His school didn’t have a naginata club, and he wanted to stick with the sport.
Ask/Listen about the Naginata Club again. Fukuyama will mention that there were a surprising number of boys enrolled this time around, and you’ll need to answer a question. Pick the following answer:
- Because Tachibana joined the club!
Fukuyama will commend us for our detective skills, but the MC knows that it is just the correct answer. Ask/Listen About Ayumi. He’ll mention that when he watched her practicing, the world would go dark and all he could see was her. Ask/Listen About Ayumi again, and Fukuyama will ask the major question; is Ayumi just a coworker? He’ll ask if we’re immune to her radiant charm. Think about the conversations we’ve had so far with Fukuyama to understand why Ayumi giggles when she talks about him: it’s because he’s a weirdo.
Ask/Listen again to ask if Kohei is on his way yet. The fourth period just ended, so we’ll need to give Kohei a moment to show up here. Ask/Listen again to ask Fukuyama about the first time he saw Ayumi again in front of the school. He’ll mention that he didn’t know much about her time in high school, but he has his memories from back then. He then mentions that we can talk about anything from that time.
We should Think about this, and we’ll accept that it’s a challenge for Ayumi’s heart. We won’t lose. Go to the Show option, and pick the Superior Friendship with Ayumi option. You’ll explain how you met Ayumi in high school, and tell him that you’ve seen her in a Sailor Suit. He’ll ask if we have any photos of Ayumi from that time. You tell him you have one, but you don’t carry it around with you all the time; it was purely for investigative purposes. He looks weirdly defeated, and we emerge victorious in the battle of the creeps.
After this battle of wits and words, a knock hits the door, and Kohei enters.
Chapter 8 – Kohei Enters The Room
Kohei Takiguchi will arrive in the room, fresh out of P.E. He hasn’t even changed his clothes yet. You’ll ask Kohei if it’s okay that you ask him some difficult questions, and he agrees. Select the Ask/Listen prompt, and select About Eisuke. You’ll first ask about their friendship, in which Kohei will confirm that they’ve been friends since Elementary School.
Kohei also mentions that he likely knew Eisuke better than anyone else, and we thank him for his help during this investigation. Select About Eisuke again, and you will ask if Kohei knew of anyone that was holding a grudge against Eisuke, or if any problems were going on. Kohei will retort that it would have been impossible for anyone to hold a grudge against him; he was just too nice.
Select the Observations option, asking Kohei if there was anything about Eisuke’s recent behavior that caught his attention. Kohei mentioned that his grades were slipping, and the school that he wanted to get into was extremely tough. He mentions that Eisuke seemed completely unbothered by this fact, however.
Select Observations again. Kohei will mention that he knows that Eisuke must have really cared about his grades, but was trying to put on a facade about it. We should Ask/Listen About Eisuke for more information about this. We learn that Eisuke was always one to play it cool, and never showed vulnerability. Think about all of the information we just learned about.
This will give us a new prompt in Ask/Listen; About Megumi. Ask about her. Kohei will confirm that they’ve been good friends since grade school, and she’s in the same class as he is. He’ll also mention that Eisuke and Megumi were very close, but fought a lot. Ask/Listen About Megumi again, and he’ll give us a little more information.
We should Ask/Listen About Eisuke again. Kohei will mention that while Eisuke got along with everyone, Megumi was kind of special. He’ll mention that he believed that Eisuke had feelings for Megumi, but she didn’t know how she felt about him. Ask About Megumi, and you’ll ask Kohei his thoughts about her.
His thoughts on Megumi will not match with the recent rumors that have been going around the school. We should Think about this information, and we’ll be presented with a question. Select this answer:
- Keep pressing this angle.
You’ll ask Kohei if he also likes Kohei, and he’ll respond yes. However, I don’t believe he picked up on the way that it was meant to be asked. After Fukuyama coughs, signaling that Kohei may have interpreted the question incorrectly, Kohei confirms that Megumi is just a friend. He’ll confirm that he has a crush on a girl with braids that he sees in the Library. Could this be the Quiet Student we’ve interacted with before?
We apologize for asking this type of question, and now we should check the Observations that Kohei has noticed. He says that Eisuke had mentioned that Megumi was a little cold lately and that he thought she may have had feelings for someone else. Fukuyama will cough again, and Kohei will ask if he’s okay.
If we Ask/Listen again, Fukuyama will chime in and ask Kohei if that’s all he wants to talk about. He gives Kohei the go-ahead to go back to class. Ask/Listen again, and Fukuyama will applaud Kohei’s courage for coming out and talking to us about all of this.
However, before leaving, Kohei asks one final question: did Eisuke actually get killed? He want’s to make sure that it wasn’t suicide, and that he was actually murdered. Ask/Listen again. Kohei will mention that the last thing Eisuke would have wanted was anyone pity. He thought that if someone discovered his grades slipping, Eisuke couldn’t bear it. Ask/Listen again.
Kohei will mention that Eisuke talked to him about what his teacher said, how he wouldn’t get in if things didn’t change. Eisuke said something to Kohei in private about the situation:
- “I’m only telling you about this. Don’t say anything to anyone else.”
He also jokes that he would be in the same school as Kohei and Megumi, and laughed. Kohei mentions that he seemed very depressed about the whole situation. Ask/Listen again. He mentions that Kohei was at a real low point, and wondered if Megumi and him had gotten into a fight. We need to Think about what we just learned.
We’ll reaffirm to Kohei that we’re doing everything we can to solve the case, and this seems to give him some comfort. Fukuyama lets him go back to class, and he offers to walk us out of the school.
Chapter 8 – Outside Minami Daisan Junior High School
We’ll thank Fukuyama for everything that he did for us today, and he says he hopes he was of some help. The MC will commend Kohei for being an excellent student, and Fukuyama will sigh. After his standard teacher schpeal, the MC will also ask if there is anything else we should discuss, and Fukuyama will mention that if there is, he’ll reach out to Ayumi.
Think twice about the information that we received today, and we’ll conclude that we should go back to Relax Yukariko Village to try and speak with Yoshie again. Select Travel and Relax Yukariko Village.
Chapter 8 – Relax Yukariko Village
We arrived at Relax Yukariko Village, and we made sure to make an appointment this time to avoid any hassle like we experienced the first time around. The Main Character will head inside and is greeted right away by Yoshie, who seems to be extremely happy to see us once again. She’ll whisk us away to the same table we went to the first time around.
Chapter 8 – Inside Relax Yukariko Village
After a brief chat, we’ll want to Ask/Listen. We’ll ask Yoshie if we could borrow a photo of Makoto, and she seems a little shocked by the request at first. You’ll mention that you’re working on the case and that you want to take on a little extra responsibility by trying to find out more information about Makoto. If you Ask/Listen again, Yoshie will ask if you can take on all of this responsibility at once.
You’ll recall her talking about how you may be the one to reunite Junko and Makoto, and that you really want to do that. This brings a big smile to Yoshie. This will bring up a few new prompts in the Ask/Listen category;
- About Makoto
- About Junko
- Observations
Select About Makoto first. She’ll thank you for keeping the search for him alive. She’ll try to remember if she happens to have a photo of Makoto anywhere after selecting About Makoto again. Maybe we should ask About Junko next. Yoshie will mention that the Caretaker at the front of the office was the one who alerted Junko about your visit. Junko apparently asked if we asked “anything weird” about the family.
Ask About Junko again. She’ll mention that Kuze had actually simmered down and smiled after hearing that you and Yoshie had a nice chat together, and you’ll tell Yoshie that Kuze is a great detective. She’s very happy to hear that you think highly of Junko. Select Observations.
Yoshie will recall a story of when Junko was in high school, and how she believed that she had seen Makoto. Junko was adamant that it was really Makoto. We should Ask About Junko again in this instance. You’ll ask if Junk became a detective because of what happened with Makoto. Yoshie is surprised that you know that, because she can’t imagine Junko sharing that information with anyone.
Ask About Junko again, and Yoshie will mention that she’s been cleaning up the old house before demolition. She apparently stopped by Relax and dropped off a few things after going to clean the other day. Yoshie will also mention that we’ve come at an “exceptionally good time”.
Select Ask/Listen, and we’ll ask why that is. Yoshie will call the nurse over and ask her to bring the photo album that Junko had dropped off the other day. The nurse will go and grab the photo album, but we’ll just need to wait for her to bring it over. There’s a nice photo of Makoto in there from when he was younger.
Pick Ask/Listen and select the Album option that has just shown up. Yoshie will let you know that Junko had brought it in because it was left at the old house. The Kuze family had given up on family photos after Makoto had disappeared, so they had just forgotten that it was even there.
Select the Album option again, and Yoshie will mention that she was thinking about Makoto and the memories she had of him, when Junko then showed up with the photo album. She admits she was afraid to open it, as she didn’t want to relive bad times. Then, we showed up and asked to borrow a picture of Makoto. Perfect timing, it seems.
It’s time to use the Observations option. Yoshie will ask if we ever take the time to look through old photo albums, and we’ll inform her that we don’t even have any photo albums. The nurse will then return to the table with the photo album. Yoshie will open it up, turning to a page with young Junko and Makoto.
Yoshie will mention that the photos in the book are from right around the time when Makoto went missing. Select Ask/Listen. You’ll see that Yoshie is too absorbed in the book to even hear what we’re asking at the moment. We’ll give her some time to look through the photo album before we say anything else.
She’ll then start talking about a specific photo of Makoto, and how he was the type of boy who would laugh off an injury. She says he was just too good to be true, but she has a story she wants to share. Apparently, Junko was being teased by a boy in the neighborhood, and Makoto chased him down because of it. Yoshie will then turn the photo album back around and share the photos with us.
Use the Look/Examine option and look at each of the pictures in any order that you would like. However, once you’ve looked them all over, be sure to look at the photo of them eating watermelon again. You’ll point out that Junko is wearing the same hair clip in both, and this seems to strike a chord with Yoshie.
Select Ask/Listen, and select the Hair Clip option. You’ll find that Junko received that hair clip from her mother. It was the last gift that she ever got from her mother. However, she has unfortunately lost it in the years that have passed. Ask About Junko. You’ll find that she lost this on her 9th birthday, which was also the day that Makoto went missing. When she came home crying, she was missing her hair clip, and it’s been missing ever since.
Ask About Junko twice, and then Think about the information that you just learned. Ask Yoshie about her Observations, and she will ask which photo you would like to take of Makoto for your search. You should select the photo of him on his first day of middle school.
Yoshie will thank us for doing a good job of keeping the search going, and call us Eggplant Detective. I love that nickname, it’s so precious. Ask About Junko twice. You’ll find out that Junko was there earlier today to visit, so we dodged a bullet. However, Yoshie will mention that Junko showed up today on a Motorcycle. Ask/Listen about the Motorcycle.
Every time she comes to visit, she arrives via motorcycle. Think about this information, and you’ll get the option to Travel now that you have the picture of Makoto. Select Travel. You’ll thank Yoshie for her cooperation and her company before heading out.
Now that we’re outside, we’ll recap the information we learned, and we should Think about what to do next. We’ll mention that we don’t want to bend the picture, and we should select the Notebook to put the picture away for safekeeping. Now, we’ll need to select a name from the notebook; pick the following:
- Select Inspector Kamada
You’ll want to see if he can get a sketch made of Makoto, similar to that of the one that was made for Tsuzki. Select Travel to head to the Police Station.
Chapter 8 – The Police Station
We’ll return to the Police Office and immediately meet up with Inspector Kamada. He’ll thank us for stopping by, and we should Ask/Listen to see what was going on the other day when we were there. He’ll mention that he believes he may have slipped a disc. Ask/Listen again to discover how it happened.
After hearing his story, select Ask/Listen again, and you’ll find that Kamada asked everyone in the station to keep quiet about it, since it was a little embarrassing and he didn’t want his reputation tarnished. He’ll then ask what he can do for you today since he can’t share any new information on the case. Select Ask/Listen.
You’ll receive three new prompts under the Ask/Listen page;
- About Kamada
- Sketch
- Observations
I would suggest picking Sketch first, as you’ll ask if he can get a police sketch commissioned. Kamada will ask who the sketch will be of, so use the Show option and select Makoto’s Picture. He’ll be shocked that you have a photo of Makoto, but will invite you to follow him into a different room. You’ll meet the Sketch Artist who also drew the picture of Minoru Tsuzuki.
After being called a very familiar nickname, you’ll need to Show the sketch artist Makoto’s picture. She’ll get to work right away, providing a photo to you in what feels like record time. If you select Ask/Listen, you’ll discover that Junko has also commissioned her to draw a photo of what Makoto would look like.
That would explain why she got it to us so quickly, she just gave us a copy of it. Think about what you should do next, and you’ll be reaffirmed that the Sketch Artist will not tell Junko what we’re doing. Select Ask/Listen followed by About Kuze. She’ll mention that she hopes you find Makoto, and this will unlock a new option; About Sketch Artist. Pick this next.
You’ll ask her if she knows the story about Makoto. She does, because her and Junko have been working together for a while now, and she learned more when Junko commissioned the sketch. This made drawing the sketch much easier overall. Select Observations next.
The Sketch Artist will mention that she’s developed a theory on something. She’ll mention that you don’t want Junko to know that you’re searching for Makoto, which is very true. You’ll want to Ask About Kuze again after this, and she’ll give you more information about the time she has spent with her.
Ask About Kuze again, and then Think about the information that you’ve just learned about. The Sketch Artist will mention that we look tired and should get some rest, so it may be time for us to leave. Select the Travel option to head back to the Utsugi Detective Agency.
Before you can leave, however, you’ll receive a phone call outside of the Police Station. Select Use Phone to answer it. It’s Kamihara. He’ll mention that he wants you to meet him at Koufuku Station because he’s going somewhere, and wants us to come with him. He won’t say anything until we get there.
Unfortunately, we won’t learn much more yet, because it’s the end of Chapter 8 of Emio: The Smiling Man. Nothing that we have to Review this time around, so you’re off the hook for now. I’m just intrigued to see what Kamihara wants from us at Koufuku Station.
Emio: The Smiling Man is available to play now on Nintendo Switch.
Published: Sep 6, 2024 04:34 am