Everyone is searching for a new world
to attain that overflowing dream.
They all jump over the horizon,
regardless of what lies beyond.
We've run,
we've dived into hope,
and forgotten only courage.
And we've been swept away by the crowd
only to lose something dear to us.
I smile with a twisted face,
and it was the best smile I could put on.
The inside of my mask overflowed with tears
so I covered my wet mask with yet another mask.
I continue to walk through the flat battleground,
and I struggle, unable to warp.
The dream waits quietly on a cape far away.
Even if I fumble around clumsily,
I'm sure I'll still be able to make it there.
I didn't find out anything today, either.
Not about the Blade Children, not about Kiyotaka,
not about anything at all, and it's tearing me up.
I'm home!
Ayumu!
Is dinner ready?
So Little Narumi has tasted failure, and now wanders the playing field,
ever the loser.
This feeling, I know this. It's like when Kiyotaka disappeared,
when he just vanished without any warning.
Ayumu!
Why are you yelling at me already?
Do you have any idea what time it is?
A kid your age shouldn't be walking the streets this late!
It's only nine o'clock. Not even grade schoolers are asleep yet.
Listen, I'm probably gonna crash over at a friend's place tonight.
So, sorry, you're on your own for dinner.
And try not to oversleep tomorrow. See ya.
Ayumu, wait!
You are going to come home tomorrow, aren't you?
I mean I wouldn't know what to do.
I couldn't handle you disappearing like your brother did.
I've said this before. I am not like my brother, nothing like him at all.
Look, you're acting really weird. What's going on?
Good night, Madoka. And don't forget to set your alarm.
Ayumu...
Ayumu is so much like me that I have to feel bad for him.
But that's all it is, a resemblance.
He will never become the kind of person I am.
He might fall apart walking in my footsteps.
But if he doesn't, he might be able to reach a place in life
that I never could if I lived to be a thousand.
Madoka.
When he stands at his crossroads, please extend him a helping hand.
Ayumu.
Was I right?
Ayumu, you have to hurry! Run!
Was I right to run away?
Was I right to run away like a scared little kid and leave her behind?
Why?! Why am I like this?
Yes. And, now he sits there, a cowardly loser, ashamed of himself,
as he should be.
; Outside the window, Kira kira kira ki, ;
; A shooting star streaks, Kira kira kira ki, ;
; The moon glows brightly, yura yura yura ri, ;
; Napping so peacefully, In the ocean of the stars. ;
Kiyotaka said it best: The ability to get up after a defeat
is far more admirable than the ability to never lose.
Breakfast is served.
You're late! I am a VIP, you know!
Yeah, whatever.
Here you go, Hiyoko.
My name's Hiyono!
Just bread and milk? I always have a Japanese style breakfast,
with egg, miso soup, tofu, and seaweed.
Anything else just goes against common sense.
What does an idiot who lets herself get kidnapped on purpose
know about common sense?
I am not an idiot. And if I hadn't let you take me hostage,
you guys would be at a severe disadvantage right now.
Honestly, you should be thanking me.
I don't get it. Aren't you scared at all?
Think about it. Both Rio and I could finish you off in the blink of an eye.
If your trump card, that little tape you made,
makes it's way to the cops, both she and I will have hell to pay.
But we have things ready behind the scenes, so keep in mind,
we could kill you right now and walk away.
But you would prefer to take care of all this quietly, am I right?
You know how severe Rio's injuries are.
Plus, both of you are still sitting around
waiting to see what Ayumu has up his sleeve.
And that means you can't get rid of me, at least not now.
So until the rematch between Ayumu and Rio is decided, I'm safe!
I sold you short.
So I gotta ask, have you had any luck tracking down Ayumu?
Nah, still can't find him.
That so?
Sounds to me like your information network isn't working out for ya.
Finding such a close place to keep me must have taken a decent amount of funds,
which means you have at least some level of organization.
But I do notice that you have a lack of people. What do you think?
I'm trying to use logic like Ayumu does.
I find myself thinking about lots of things in here.
The young girl who lost her memory, the professor you killed off,
the woman you used to threaten someone else,
and the teacher who ended up knowing too much.
You're in disarray.
It looks to me like none of you have actually had the gall
to take charge of this situation.
And now, the unknown is all around you.
You're all trying so hard to deal with this fact
before the damage that has already been done trickles it's way down to you.
You're like a tiny ship caught in a typhoon.
But don't think you're alone.
You may be in trouble, but Ayumu is being tossed around the seas, too.
All of you are sitting right on the edge of drowning.
If you don't find some footing soon, all of you are going to be swept away.
Kousuke...
Tell me, what exactly are the Blade Children?
You wanna keep living, shut your trap.
Come in.
You look well.
Eyes, what are you...
I grew worried after Kousuke told me what happened last night.
I was concerned that you might be depressed,
but not quite as depressed as Little Narumi.
Why would I be depressed? I made him fall to his knees before me.
But then, you lost to the Yuizaki girl.
I don't feel like I lost anything.
I just feel a little ashamed about the way it all went down.
Because things didn't turn out the way you expected them to?
There is that. But there's also a lot more to it.
Little Narumi needs to believe in himself, of course.
But I've got this nagging feeling
that we might need to believe in him just as much.
Believe? Believe in the weak younger brother
who's only focused in on the past?
Hey, Kousuke, as long as we're here...
You wanna fill me in on what it is you're fighting against?
You obviously need Ayumu to help you win,
but not the Ayumu you've already faced.
You need a stronger, more confident Ayumu Narumi
to help you fight your fight.
Isn't that about the shape of things?
But he's the only one who can save us. Correct me if I'm wrong.
That is what Kiyotaka said.
There may not be even a drop of hope left for us in this world.
Are you afraid, Eyes? Of being betrayed,
or maybe you're afraid that what you've believed in is falling apart.
If so...
Then you and Little Narumi are the same.
He, too, gave up believing to avoid getting hurt.
I try to avoid things that wear me out, like fighting hard.
Besides, I don't think enough of that loser to bother.
I don't care if I'm not saved.
I've committed murders of my own free will,
and I became a criminal of my own free will.
I don't expect that I can ever be forgiven.
But when that time for redemption comes,
I won't shy away. I look forward to meeting it head-on.
I don't... I don't know much about any of you people.
But I don't think you can ever be happy unless you fight fate!
And why would anyone fight a battle they were certain they would lose?
That person would have to be a fool.
A stupid fool.
Because Little Narumi couldn't believe in himself,
he wound up yielding to me.
And because Hiyono could believe in him, she ended up getting the best of me.
I learned a lesson I should never forget.
Only the believers in this world can find true happiness.
Rio, are you going to face Little Narumi again?
I'm not really sure.
I don't know what kind of fighting he's capable of
or if he can even make a comeback at all.
But...
But if he does come back, I'll meet him with full force!
This time I'll come out swinging and show him what I can do.
And though it may be sad,
that is the only way we can ever hope to change our fate.
Fate...
Rio...
We may be cursed, but we are still friends.
I don't want you to die.
Take care of yourself.
Eyes!
Um, thank you for the melon.
Even if the time comes for our soul-burning redemption.
Y'know, the investigations just aren't progressing at all.
Imazato's death, the bomb incident,
we can't figure out a clear motive for either.
We checked into how those two would be connected,
but turned up nothing substantial.
You don't wanna hear it,
but the only connection we could find, of course,
is that your brother-in-law, Ayumu,
is involved in both incidents
Yeah.
Ayumu, he's trying to follow the same path as Kiyotaka...
the same path that caused Kiyotaka to disappear
after he announced his pursuit of the mystery of the Blade Children.
He might fall apart walking in my footsteps.
I am not like my brother.
Although he's traveling the same path,
Kiyotaka's shadow may be trying to crush Ayumu.
Nothing like him at all.
He might be able to reach a place in life
that I never could if I lived to be a thousand.
When he stands at his crossroads...
Hey, wait! Where're you...
Madoka?
Leave me alone!
It's you.
Yeah.
Nice to meet you, Ayumu.
Ayumu...
Where in the world have you gone?
Ayumu!
Fate can never be changed.
You so sure?
Come to think of it,
this is where we first met, huh?
Madoka?
Remember that day, what you told me?
You said that fate can't be changed and you really believed that.
This is a new one for me. I've never seen you look like this.
I thought I was supposed to be the one looking down and depressed.
I'm not depressed, okay?
You are the spitting image of Kiyotaka.
I told you before. I am nothing like my brother.
Oh, no?
You've always chased after Kiyotaka, ever since you were little.
But you've grown up to be so angry,
angry at yourself for never being able to catch up to him.
I couldn't care less about that.
If you actually believe that, you wouldn't get so worked up about it.
And you should really try looking at people when you're talking to them.
What does it matter if you can't be his equal?
It doesn't mean your life is over, you know.
You wouldn't understand. My brother stole everything from me.
If I don't win, I can't take it back.
If I don't win, my whole life is...
It's okay.
No matter how you're feeling, I'll always be by your side.
Even if you do lose, you should know that you'll never lose everything.
If I do lose this, then I will lose everything.
I can't protect what's important to me!
Well, if that's what you believe,
then you shouldn't be here all pouty and depressed.
It's fine if you wanna come home crying once in a while.
'Cause if you stay in this state, you'll never win anything.
And besides, regardless of whether you win or lose,
I still need your help around the house.
You are in charge of the kitchen work and the laundry after all.
Don't forget that.
Kiyotaka...
When he stands at his crossroads, please extend him a helping hand.
Was that how you wanted?
Is that rain? It was sunny not two minutes ago.
The TV said scattered storms. Oh man, I really hate thunder.
Ah, Kousuke!
These stupid puzzle rings won't come apart.
There'd be no point if they came undone easily.
I'll undo you, Smarty-pants!
Geez.
She can be so childish.
I can't get these stupid things apart!
Whatever.
You know, you shouldn't be so scared. It's just a little thunder.
I can't help it.
Little Narumi.
You're supposed to knock before you enter a girl's room, you know.
I did.
So, what do you want, Mr. Dripping-Wet Loser?
Even losers have pride.
But?
Let's play a little game.
A sweet scent washes into my throat
and my feelings continuously overflow...
Don't look at me with that same gaze
that's like you're following a soccer ball.
I've already grown used to my third year at the office,
but did I lose something instead?
Those days long ago when we would talk about anything...
We're finally old enough now
to have those slightly awkward discussions about love.
A single day seems so long, but a whole year ends so quickly.
A whole year seems so short,
but how well will I be able to live the rest of my life?
Time for Hiyono's Useful News Report!
Woo-woo!
Life, with its ups and downs!
Labor done in vain!
Prayer for divine aid!
Next episode's highlight is Hiyono's solo train excursion!
All aboard the non-stop train!
At each train station, none of the fast express trains will ever make stops.
That's a Haiku by me, Hiyo Hiyo!
On the next Spiral:
"All Things That Are Possible To You!"
Be sure to watch it!
That's all for today's Hiyono's Playhouse!