It’s a little early, but no one has mentioned this on the thread, so I thought I would point it out for Bookclub readers who are confused as to how to access Sayuri’s mini-route. If you already know this, you can disregard it.
While reading Mai’s route, make a save at the beginning of the 26th. Once you beat it, reload the save and read until you come across a new choice window. Pick the first choice to enter Sayuri’s route.
You’re welcome.
EDIT (06/09/16) - In the best interests of the Bookclub (and the forum in general), my thoughts on Sayuri from both Mai’s route and her mini-route will be written below.
Jumping off from my Mai post, Sayuri is a kind-hearted ojousama with a deep attachment to Mai. Her charisma is apparently larger than herself, because she has a ton more friends than we actually see in the route. Nevertheless, most everything she does is for the sake of her best friend, Mai. Yuuichi finds it rather easy to fit in with Sayuri’s small elite circle of friends, although he is never given much of an opportunity to get as close to her as he does with Mai.
I do like her mini-route, as it is reminiscent of Maeda’s later works where romance always takes a backseat to the main theme of the story. In this case, it is not only about finding happiness after losing it from past mistakes, but also about the responsibility many of us bear in caring for others. Still, given how much I like Sayuri as a character and how great her chemistry is with Yuuichi, it’s still disappointing to be left with little in the way of a romantic resolution at the end, if at all.
Looking at it pessimistically, Maeda’s insistence on keeping Yuuichi and Sayuri friends ends up turning the whole route into an exposition dump’s worth of justification as to why. Granted, what this route does have going for it is well-written, enjoyable and keeps things in-character. It’s also more conclusive and makes more sense at face value than Mai’s ending did, but some part of me still desires more… ;;
_#KanonRemakeWhen