I wonder how many dreams Hisao inadvertently crushed

[SpunkySix]

Think about it... the fast, cheery girl in track, the artsy thinker, that cute shy girl hiding out in the library, the independent, intelligent council girl and the elegant, kind-hearted blonde. Somebody had to like these people. They were all there much longer than Hisao. There's given reasons why they're all single at the beginning, but it still makes you wonder just how many guys were thinking about giving it a try, or had always wanted to and were too timid to go for it before sweatervest guy showed up and dropped the VN protag bomb on their plans.

[AaronIsCrunchy]

The power of the sweatervest, right there.
Lilly certainly would have done, and she actually did (or at least I think it was alluded to). I don't know how anybody who had been there long enough would have found approaching Hanako - a few have tried (as Miki seemed to suggest) but I doubt it would have ended well without using Lilly as the immediate mediator. Rin? Maybe, but how someone would try to relate to her would have been anyone's guess, (hell, Hisao and his sweatervest had a hard enough time!), Emi probably did and I think a couple of said dreams were crushed when Hisao rocked up. That leaves Shizune... maybe people would have felt intimidated, but I think the main issue would have been communication.

But with all of these, if Hisao can do it, why couldn't anyone else? SWEATERVEST. (Or he was so emotionally in a pickle he felt the need to latch onto something, or someone, whereas everyone else had been there long enough to accept the status quo)

[Grimnir]

They all were dump or crayzy enough to listen to Kenji and eat up his feminist conspiracy bullshit.

But seriously, I have no idea, either they were simply not interested, which raises the question why they are in a sweatervest wearing dork. (I hate these things, a painfull death to all sweatervests.)
Maybe they have a (oh god) sweatervest fetish? But let's get to the girls themselves.

Lily and Shizune: Too intimidating, Lily because she is rather tall and European looking and Shizune because she is ... well Shizune.
Rin: "Let us not ask the girl out that mentions my junk in our first conversation and I can't understand allthough she speaks my language."
Emi: She mentioned she had at least one boyfriend before, right?
Hanako: I guess at every try she would run away and the dude would think she is SO not interested.

EDIT: Damn it Aaron get out of my head.

[Guest Poster]

Lilly's actually had several confessions both in high school and middle school, but she turned them all down. I think by the time Hisao came along, most interested parties already gave it a shot and were rejected or never confessed but weren't going to try anyway.

And actually, I doubt Hanako received any confessions. Miki most likely merely alluded to people trying to talk to her and get to know her, which already failed spectacularly.

What I said about Lilly probably goes for all girls. By the time Hisao comes along, the girls have already been part of the student body for slightly over 2 years and most other students know who they are. If there are still guys out there pining for them, but they haven't made a move in the last 2 years, when are they going to do that? During the last couple of months which tend to be known as examination hell? Yeah, that'll work.

[SpunkySix]

All valid points with what would logically be the reasoning so far. I just imagine there was that one kind of meek kid who had been to the fair alone each year and was just like, "I'm done hiding my feelings- I'm gonna do it this year! I'm finally gonna ask that cute student council leader out!"

HISAO'D

[metalangel]

All valid points with what would logically be the reasoning so far. I just imagine there was that one kind of meek kid who had been to the fair alone each year and was just like, "I'm done hiding my feelings- I'm gonna do it this year! I'm finally gonna ask that cute student council leader out!"

Then he ends up with the same bitter regrets I have from grade ten. I didn't get beaten to it by someone else, but she wasn't there in the final year and I don't know where she went.

This is another reason why you go for it now.

[Comrade]

Natural selection

[Guest Poster]

I just imagine there was that one kind of meek kid who had been to the fair alone each year and was just like, "I'm done hiding my feelings- I'm gonna do it this year! I'm finally gonna ask that cute student council leader out!"

Then surely that kid would have already been on the student council as part of the process of getting to know her better since it's obvious that the council only has two members and Shizune wouldn't turn down offers to help out.

[Munchenhausen]

Quite an interesting idea...
I'm sure we've all been in that position, haven't we? Beaten to the chase?
Reminds me of a fanfic idea I had in a parallell universe when Naomi going out with Hisao, leaving Nataume in that lonely position, pining for her blonde epileptic companion...

But to my main point. I do believe we are missing one big Canon dream shattered by Hisao.
Hanako's attraction to Hisao during Lilly's route

[AaronIsCrunchy]

But to my main point. I do believe we are missing one big Canon dream shattered by Hisao.
Hanako's attraction to Hisao during Lilly's route

OH LAWD, forgot about this one! She had to I suppose swallow her pride and whatnot here, but for a large part of Lilly's route watching Hanako in the background is actually quite painful

[d2r]

Emi: She mentioned she had at least one boyfriend before, right?

Why anyone would be put off by this fact continues to astound me.

[Silentcook]

VN protag bomb.

I think you should call that the "dude who actually DOES something bomb" there.

Because well, the process kind of goes A declares interest in B, B accepts interest from A, acceptable trial run, PROFIT!

All the steps need to be successful, but you'll notice that both A and B need to take positive action at SOME point.

Why anyone would be put off by this fact continues to astound me.

I figure a sizable part of the motive behind that is, even if you suck dohohoho, an inexperienced girl would still be unable to realize it immediately.
We males often prefer to accept bodily injuries rather than injured pride.

[SpunkySix]

But to my main point. I do believe we are missing one big Canon dream shattered by Hisao.
Hanako's attraction to Hisao during Lilly's route

OH LAWD, forgot about this one! She had to I suppose swallow her pride and whatnot here, but for a large part of Lilly's route watching Hanako in the background is actually quite painful

Yeah... the worst part is that "swallowing her pride" is sort of a cruel salt in the wounds for her at that point. For other people it might not be so bad, but for her specifically... poor thing.

d2r, I do think it'd be weird to be put off by a boyfriend in the past, but there definitely is a certain appeal to being "first" and I can see why sexually that'd be slightly disappointing. Not enough to turn me away obviously, but at least a little like "darn".

And Cook, good point.

[brythain]

Perhaps the reason they're all available in Hisao's possible futures is that they're the ones who don't have any dreamers. After all, there must be a lot more 'eligible' females in the pool, considering you've got at least four classes in that level. And of course, the ones a bit more junior.

[SpunkySix]

Perhaps the reason they're all available in Hisao's possible futures is that they're the ones who don't have any dreamers. After all, there must be a lot more 'eligible' females in the pool, considering you've got at least four classes in that level. And of course, the ones a bit more junior.

Come to think of it, the gender balance is off...