That works, yes. The other group won't even let you give them items that don't count.
I found just talking to him while having it in homura's inventory will give it to him automatically, I was able to do it any time I could physically click on him to talk to him.
When you're back to him before the final battle against Fear Incarnate (you must be alone or with someone else in your party but at least one member should be missing). Just before going in the ritual circle. I think that you can return his pipe to him even before, when he's trapped on those tentacles.
I think it's the one on the 2nd floor in the main building where Yamanobe drops the statue in the prologue, Kaneda was in the room below. There's a weapon (which I assume is the Silver Knife) in the second floor where that statue should be.
I got it after 4 tries, but those took me 4 hours. So i'm still not a fan of that fight. I admit, once you get the hang of it is pretty interesting, though. But the whole cutscene first fight, cutscene first phase stuff which is not skipable at all makes it so tedious which makes me not ever want to replay that second phase ever again
As far as i know you just need the Jewel key.
You need the key you get when having the West, east and main keys combine together, which requires having all three in a single inventory at the same time and unfortunately someone dying and being replaced by someone from the other group.
I already done that on my 2nd lap, now I doing my 3rd lap but I'm not quite sure where to find this mystery box that got installed after clearing 2nd lap on main hall
That is the Mystery Box. To open it, you need to have fulfilled the conditions for the harem ending on the current playthrough. You will also periodically trigger scenes that suggest both of your party members are getting increasingly horny at the beds before this one. If this is only your third playthrough, it is impossible for you to have seen all the endings needed for the female harem end. See below post.
You can keep those in your box instead of inventory. If you toss them away I think those won't pass to your next game.
You can toss them away? They can carry over? I was just gonna keep them in the box. I didn't want to throw them away, anyway. I actually carried them all the way through True End and they didn't carry over.
There might be some quirk to the yuki ending. I didn't saw what happened to me in the walkthrough either.
Key items like traversal/progression items (Rope, Old Hammer, Planks, and Broken Ladders), the photos, and mansion keys (including the Fallen Angel and Jewel Keys) do NOT carry over between playthroughs. Other items that don't carry over include video tapes and excess Matches and Small Keys.
This is a normal thing that happens even if you aren't on the Yuki route or don't have it unlocked. Party members that enter into a special relationship will prioritize the safety of their partners over you (Homura). It has nothing to do with possession of the Jewel Key. None of the key items trigger or change events in the game if any character carries it around except for the Sculpture.
Didn't the jewel key carried over? That's strange, I thought this key item would do.
I should have phrased my post better. When I was writing the post, I confused myself by rewriting it and left in the reference to the Sculpture. Suffice to say, various items like Matches and the Sculpture can trigger optional events and dialogue, but there are no major story branches caused by an item in a character's inventory (vs. keeping it in the storage box).
More than dialogues referring to them is that some conversations will change and turn a twisted ending (for example, when you enter at the main building with your team and you have Clothes in your inventory, the party member who loves you most will talk to you and literally melt, giving Homura hallucinations and screaming). Other thing is that you can hide and won't get find by tentacles/Fear Incarnate and a message will pop up saying "You're no fun" IIRC.
