SCREENSHOTS FROM THE EXCLUSIVE DEATH MARK LITTLE RED RIDING HOOD NOVELIZATION:
I haven't tackled a majority of this book yet but I did finally take a look at the finale and epilogue, which I was most excited for lol (edit: I reformatted to make it clearer)
It is basically the same, but there are some differences between the game and the novel for these sequences:
1) Mashita says "You... Stupid idiot" before telling Yashiki to grab his arm in the game, which he doesn't do in the novel.
2) The added detail in the novel that Mashita looks at Yashiki with a "listless gaze" after catching his breath is cute, since it shows him adopting an apathetic expression and hiding his emotions, despite the dialogue clearly showing how shaken he is by Yashiki almost dying. We don't get any description of Mashita's expression after they catch their breath in the game.
3) In the novel before asking why Yashiki disobeyed his orders to stay put, Mashita tells Yashiki that Moe is safe at the hospital. Moe replaced Shou's role in the DLC, which makes sense since Shou had been removed from the base game's novelization. It's a nice detail, since it shows how well Mashita understands Yashiki that he would want to quell his anxiety over Moe before chastising him.
4) After Yashiki apologizes to Mashita, we actually get to see that Mashita instantly calms down and is no longer angry with him. Mashita's sigh of relief and the way he leans against the wall also further shows how shaken he was. While the dialogue is the same as in the game, we get much more insight particularly into how Mashita feels in this moment.
5) There is an additional bit of dialogue when Yashiki and Mashita are in the car that was not in the game. They discuss details of the case and Mashita asks if Yashiki connected the dots regarding the identity of the perpetrator of the crime (it is worth noting, the novel goes into the case in a LOT more detail including flashbacks and full names and identities of the characters). When Yashiki responds "I didn't want to know" Mashita "snorted and chuckled softly", instantly understanding what Yashiki was really trying to say without him saying it (ie: that he didn't want to think about it since he found it upsetting). Mashita seems especially fond of Yashiki here, teasing him to ease the tension.
6) In the game Mashita "chuckles dryly" before telling Yashiki that the tall and slender teacher looked like him, but in the novel Mashita is described averting his gaze to the window with "a slight upward curl of one side of his mouth, a dry, deceptive smile" on his face. This made him seem more shy to me, since it is clear that he doesn't want to look directly at Yashiki while indirectly calling him handsome. He also makes eye contact with Yashiki through the mirror in the game, but it is only implied he was looking away to begin with and we don't get to know his expression at all.
7) There is an additional line after Mashita drops Yashiki off at the mansion that was not in the game. After Mashita leaves, Yashiki thinks to himself "At the very last moment, he always puts an unexpected strain on my heart... That's just the kind of person Mashita is." This is in response to the revelation that Mashita had known the details of the case all along and didn't tell Yashiki because he knew he would sympathize too much with the spirit and get himself killed XD I like that we get this additional insight into how Yashiki feels about Mashita after the big reveal.
This went on for a bit longer than expected, so I'll save my breakdown of the epilogue for another post. It will probably have less to dissect than this one. I was very pleasantly surprised by the changes made in the book, it was faithful to the game while still giving additional insight into the characters thoughts and feelings. Yashiki and Mashita's bond seems deeper in some scenes as a result, which makes my shipper heart happy 🥰
