Yet another discussion about Tei (how much does he ACTUALLY KNOW???)

[foltina]

So, I've completed the game a while ago and now I'm replaying some of the bad endings. Especially in Confused Route, you get the sense that Tei remembers his own route with Eri AND that she already has his piece (which is why he says, "You haven't forgotten me" and "You no longer need me, but...")So what's your guys' opinion? Is it possible that he might have gotten a visit from the ol' wizard himself (and didn't tell anyone else)? I mean, sure he's smart and perceptive, but in Secret Ending 1 isn't he a little TOO perceptive about what's going on?

Also, who else here wishes the Bad Endings were a bit longer? I love how some of them lull you into a sense of security, and then BAM!

[house-special curry]

^ oh yeah, it's definitely related to his doll power, which was "conveniently" left out of his main route but strongly hinted at. I personally think it is Perception, which would be necessary for a dandy gentleman-type to have in order to be sunny and pleasing.

He mentions something during Red's main route (not even a bad end) that Red is the only one who can "fill" her, and he wants to see what she would look like once she is whole, heavily implying he could see the void in her heart and the heart pieces that had been given back, including his own (as per Confused Route).

It also explains why, at the end of Tei's Good Ending he is not entirely unsurprised at her disappearing. If the dolls give parts of their heart by the end of their routes, then he would have noticed the change in hers when he gave his own. It's also very possible that he noticed that part of her heart was filled with the shards of the other dolls, even though that should be impossible, despite their pre-romanced selves (in his route) hadn't yet given them away.

So yeah, he definitely knew more was going on, but I think it was stuff he figured out for himself.

The first secret ending goes a little more into how much he knew during his route, I think, but I forgot the details. 💦

[foltina]

If that's the case, Tei has got to be the smartest of the bunch. That makes me wonder if there isn't something more to be said about the play order suggestion (Lance-Yeonho-Yuri-Tei-Red)...

As I was playing through the first 3 boys again, I got the overall sense (eg. in how many bad endings Tei showed up in, how involved he was in the route) as you progress that Tei seemed to get more and more involved (perhaps impatient) with each route? Maybe I'm reading too much into it. In Lance's route he was barely a presence, in Yeonho's route he was more involved (but not super much, except for Competitor), and then for Yuri he almost seemed like he was going to steal you away at any moment. Does he notice in Yuri's route that she has Lance's and Yeonho's pieces within her?

Even though he said it's because he doesn't want Yuri to hurt her, I think he himself knew that of those 3 Yuri was the most harmless (Tei says in his diary entry that he actually thinks Yuri is a good guy). Unlike the very unstable chick and Princess Lance (though Lance not as much).

Part of me is still surprised that Tei wasn't more involved in Yeonho's route. I mean, no offense but Yeonho was pretty unstable and creepy in MOST of his route. If Tei is as perceptive as he is, why wasn't he more worried?

Also, if he can see the pieces, I guess that explains why he was helping so much in Red's route.

Gah, I think what frustrates me the most about Tei, is that he says all these little one liners in his route that sounds really important, but you can't be really sure what he means. He's so cryptic at times.

Also, could someone explain to me why he's (implied) regularly drugging her tea (at least in his route)?

[foltina]

Ok, but what about that time in Red's route, (during Confused Ending) where he comes in with a cup of tea which he then remakes AFTER she confessed that she liked him? He says it's because the other cup went cold (hot tea does not become cold that fast...), but I'm pretty sure that's not the reason why he did it (my guess is that the first cup of tea had no drugs in it). I guess I might have misinterpreted him in his own route though, because I could of sworn he was panicking about her worsening memory loss being a result of his drugging her. I can't help but feel that he was drugging her for other reasons, but I can't for the life of me figure out why... He doesn't see that the pages are ripped out, but he can see that the words are all blurred, so I guess he could figure out that that has something to do with her memory loss...

I think I really just need to replay his route. I'm terrible at understanding personalities like Tei.

[Bwandls]

*SPOILERS* (I don't know how to black out the text like y'all did - sorry!)

I think there are a few reasons why Tei drugs her with the tea. I might be wrong, so feel free to disregard this, but it's my two cents.

Tei is absolutely terrified that Eri will discover his true personality - the one that quakes with both fear and excitement at the thought of one day hurting her. Tei has been hurt by others all his life (i.e. his previous owner); he only knows how to vent his fears, of abuse/hate from the ones he loves, by controlling them - by hurting them with his own hands. He's afraid if Eri finds out about his true, "dirty" self, then she'll hate him and leave. By drugging her whenever she asks questions that are too invasive, or those that risk blowing his carefully constructed "Prince Sunshine" persona, he's in a safer possition. And it allows him to excersize the control over Eri he desperately craves - so that she won't leave him, so that she'll be safe, and so he can keep careful watch over the one he loves the most.

[Bwandls]

Also, since he's super obsessed with Eri... always silently watching her, as can be seen in one of Yeonho's diary and his own main route... I don't think he'd *need* a special power to know some of the stuff he knows. Maybe he does have that power (like how did he know she snuck out to go the cafe to find the harp that time?), it could just be that he's a really good silent observer.