FallDown: Toujou Minato

A student at the top of school's social hierarchy, Minato has a certain secret. His life changes once he meets MAMIYA, who whispers words of love to him.
—Route description

Legacy Version

Introduction

The protagonist takes a seat among Natsume's classmates and overhears a student sobbing. Touched by his heartfelt cries, they offer the boy a yellow handkerchief and ask: "How close were you to Natsume?" The student confesses they were classmates, but they didn't talk much at school, so Natsume might not have known he existed. He regards Natsume as "a gentle person" who cheered him on. The reason he and Natsume didn't speak at school is because their relationship consisted mostly of extracurricular time wherein Toujou Minato worked as Mina and Natsume would come to visit as a maid cafe customer. The student shares a recent anecdote: Natsume noticed his bad mood during a work shift and brought him a bouquet of large, yellow flowers during his break, suggesting they be used as room decoration. The student ruefully recalls Natsume's smile, then apologizes for rambling and says he'll return the yellow handkerchief after cleaning it. The protagonist insists he keep it as a gift to thank him for crying for Natsume. After that, they part ways, and the perspective changes to Toujou.

Arc Words

There is a flash-forward scene to Toujou Minato's suicide as he calls out MAMIYA's name and reminisces on the end of the world. Then, the intro credits play.

Friend Groups

Back in the present, Toujou Minato chats with Classmate A and Classmate B at school, making karaoke and shopping plans, until Kikuchi Ryou enters the classroom and everyone falls silent. The classmates begin gossiping about Kikuchi's delinquent habits and ask Toujou's opinion. He expresses a vague, neutral stance and tries to defend Ryou, but his classmates disregard him with more assumptions.

The scene cuts to Minato and Ryou hanging out on the rooftop and eating lunch (corn soup) together. It turns out they're childhood friends, closer than their classmates could imagine. Minato tries convincing Ryou to be more friendly with everyone, but quickly gives up, saying how much he admires Ryou's refusal to suck up to anyone instead. Ryou turns the compliment back on him and says Minato should be proud of having lots of friends. After that, they head back inside.

Meeting MAMIYA

"...I had always loved winter.

It was freezing cold, offered little in the way of colors and vegetation, but...

For some reason... It reminded me of a song from *that* time. It would always move me."

—Toujou Minato, fondly remembering the duet he sang with Touma as a child.

The next morning Minato leaves his home and heads to an elevator where he shares it with a man with pink hair. Unfortunately, the elevator breaks down and both are stuck. Eventually the elevator is fixed and Minato rushes to school and manages to make it on time. That’s when his classmates begin to discuss and share pornography to Minato’s displeasure. Minato excuses himself from the situation and heads to the roof to hopefully meet with Ryou, instead a boy with a gas mask appears before him. The boy seems interested in Minato and when asked his name he replies with Mamiya.

Minato leaves the roof but Mamiya disappears, Minato begins to head for the school gates until he sees a familiar looking man. When approached the man tells how he would usually wait for Natsume, as a result the man takes Minato instead. They both make their way to a pachinko parlour and the man makes Minato play as a step in for Natsume. Thanks to beginners luck, Minato is able to win big. The man takes Minato home and shares that his name is Haruki.

Minato enters his home and Mamiya reappers again. Minato tells Mamiya that he’s often home alone as both his parents work until late into the evening before he begins making dinner. After eating, Mamiya is curious about a cassette tape Minato has laying around. Minato shares that it use to contain a song but due to the nature of cassette tapes, the contents have been worn out.

The next day Minato’s classmates are being horny again and Minato excuses himself due to being uncomfortable. After school Haruki picks up Minato again and they make their way to the horse races where Minato manages to use his beginners luck again to make a profit. Both Minato and Haruki head to a ramen place and discuss the natureof the relationship Haruki and Natsume had before. Minato leaves and ends up walking with Mamiya past a river that Minato dislikes. Mamiya then tries to cast a spell to make Minato to love the river but after two failed attempts both end up leaving.

Later on Minato meets up with Haruki and both end up going to a park where Haruki makes fun of Minato’s sketch. Haruki then shows off his artistic ability before both leaveing the park and make their way to a club. Minato ends up getting separated by Haruki and migrates to the corner not knowing what to do until a girl approaches him. Even though she is only 15, she hands him a drink that turns out to be alcoholic before both the girl and Minato leave the club. While in the alleyway, the girl sexually assults Minato before he pushes her aside and runs home and collapses into bed.

While at school, two of Minato’s classmates ask if they can go over to his place and he accepts without much though. When they arrive they reveal they brough a pornographic movie and force Minato to watch it with them against his will. Overwhelmed with what was shown, Minato ends up vomiting and both boys end up cleaning up his mess and leaving. The next day when Minato enters class, everyone looks at him differently. Minato manages to meet up with the two guys who came over yesterday as they show him a photo of Minato whos face had been photoshopped onto a womans body. While confused, both boys ask Minato if he’s gay as not only did he vomit from seeing a naked woman, but while they tried to find him a change of clothes they found female clothing in his room. Minato lies by claiming those clothes are his cousins. Both the boys believe this and acknowledge that there was a misunderstanding.

Minato relaxes at home and comes across a television programn interviewing people who happened to be trans and asks Mamiya if these people are weird for it. Mamiya reassures Minato that they are no different to regular men and women. Minato returns to school and things turns out to be back to normal with his peers, that is until one of them mention the programn Minato watched the night prior. They ask Minato what he thinks of trans people and wanting to conform to the groups opinion he comments that he too thinks they are weird.

After class Minato goes to the bathroom to cool his nerves but while looking himself in the mirror, his reflection begins to approach Minato and states that Minato will always be a man. Ryou enters the bathroom and finds Minato lying on the floor asking if he is alright before Minato lies again to get himself out of the situation. While walking past that river he dislikes, Mamiya embraces Minato trying to make him feel better.

Returning home Minato struggles to cope with his situation and how those around him are closed-minded. This is in reference to how Minato enjoys dressing up in womens clothing, as what started off as just appreciating his mothers pretty clothing lead to him wearing them. Mamiya tries to support Minato but Minato dismisses Mamiya as just a figment of his imagination. To prove him wrong, Mamiya fixes the cassette tape to Minato’s surprise as he listens to the song that a younger Minato and a older boy sang together.

Ecstatic with the tape being recovered, Minato listens to the cassette non-stop as his copying mechanism when he goes to school. Unfortunately Minato begins to go off the deep end as the next time he meets with Haruki he asks if he can hook him up with a girl to have sex with. Rejecting Minato’s request, Minato ends up blocking Haruki’s number and stops going to school.

As Minato continues to descend into madness while he listens more and more to the tape, Minato runs a bath with Mamiya by his side. Minato enters the bath and before killing himself Mamiya invites Minato to the trichilliocosm. A man with a cream-coloured coat appears and listens to the cassette and all he hears is distorted noises before checking on Minato’s body and shocked at what had become of Minato.

Version Changes

The following changes were made to this route between the Legacy version and the Complete Collection: