I'll get stronger...
Like you, Kyousuke.
To live means
to lose...
Kyousuke has returned!
So, the time has come at last.
Where are you going?
To battle.
Kyousuke's back?
At this time of night?
Hey, cut it out, guys!
Stop...
We can't stop!
Where's Kyousuke?
Just a minute ago, he was asleep right there...
Someone stop them!
Can't you stop them?
Huh? Oh...
That's enough!
Come on, stop fighting!
Don't stop us, Riki...
Stay out of this!
That's right. Step aside.
Stay back, Riki.
Okay, then let's make some rules.
Masato is too strong bare-handed.
Kengo is too strong with a bamboo sword.
So,
all of you, start pelting them with random objects they can use as weapons.
The more useless the object, the better.
And you can use whatever you grab as your weapon.
Why do you get to make the rules?
I'm with him...
This fight is between Masato and me.
Bring it on!
Fine by me!
Kyousuke...
Kyousuke!
Ow...
Are you okay, Masato?
Don't worry about me... Kengo's injured, too.
I'm more worried about you.
And Kyousuke's shut himself in his room and refuses to come out...
He's probably passed out, asleep.
He walked all the way back from Tokyo overnight.
From Tokyo?!
I wonder if that means his job search went well.
Dunno.
Hey.
Huh? Your arm...
What happened?
Looks like the bone's cracked.
What?!
I told you so. I injured him...
Masato...
Then you can't hold a bamboo sword, can you?
Don't you have a match soon?
I've withdrawn from the match.
Masato! What have you done?
Well, don't worry about it.
You should worry about it!
I also find it regrettable that I must miss the match due to this idiot.
Therefore, Riki...
Why don't you think of something fun to do?
Something... fun?
Yeah,
something fun that we can all play together.
Like shogi or Go?
No, something more exciting.
Hey, should you be here?
Oh, no...
It's time to pick her up!
Rin?
Yeah!
You really have it rough.
I don't mind.
At some point, Rin changed...
Natsume-san...
No, you're going to take me somewhere scary.
I won't go!
Not at all... Naoe-kun has come for you.
Thanks for always doing this.
It's a big help.
You're the only one Natsume-san will talk to.
I'll leave her to you.
Rin, let's go to my room and have breakfast.
Hey, Rin...
Sometime, why don't we eat with Kengo and Masato, too?
Like we used to.
Since Rin started fearing other people,
she won't come to our classroom anymore.
Then you fold it like this.
See? Look!
It isn't just Rin
who's changed.
Kyousuke, are you in there?
Are you asleep?
Kyousuke?
It's you, huh?
What are you doing over there?
Who knows?
Hey, what made Rin turn out this way?
You once told me...
How, when she was little, adults pushed her around a lot,
and they really frightened her...
Does it have to do with that?
Now Rin only smiles when she's around children.
Isn't it good that she has a place where she can smile?
She's always been weak...
If I weren't around, she'd never have made any friends.
She's always been a weak little coward.
That isn't true!
Then, has Rin ever had any friends besides you, Masato, and Kengo?
Doesn't she smile around her friends?
Isn't that good?
Have you been truly freed from everything?
I'm just getting to the good part.
Could you leave me alone?
Something that I don't know about happened to Rin...
And you know what it is.
Isn't that why you've lost your spirit, also?
What in the world happened?
The answer doesn't exist anywhere in this world.
Why have things turned out this way?
Rin used to energetically kick Masato.
Kengo dedicated his attention to kendo.
And Kyousuke would drag us all into some fun, exciting game.
That's how we used to spend each day.
When we were kids, we called ourselves the Little Busters.
After I lost both my parents,
I was lost in depression...
When the four of them showed up.
Kyousuke, a genius at fun, took me by the hand.
And no matter where he led us,
something fun was always waiting!
Can we no longer return to the way we were back then?
If there were
something I could do to bring back those days,
what would it be?
A ball?
But the baseball club disbanded...
Somehow, I feel really nostalgic.
Why?
I only played a little baseball,
back when I was a kid...
Hey, Kengo...
Didn't we all hang out in here with Rin and Kyousuke?
We played card games and board games...
Apparently, since he shut himself in his room,
Kyousuke hasn't even been to class...
Let Kyousuke be.
Right now, what you can do is to stand by Rin.
But why am I the only one Rin feels comfortable around?
She won't even go near you or Masato...
I think, Riki, that it's love.
Huh?
It couldn't be...
I think her love for you still exists somewhere within.
S-Still exists...
Anyway, Riki, did you forget what I said?
Huh? About what?
Didn't I tell you to come up with something,
a fun game we could all play?
Ah, that's right.
Think about it.
A fun game that we can all play?
Kyousuke's always been the one who comes up with things like that.
That's it...
There is something I can do to bring back those days!
Wh-Where are we going?
I decided that from now on,
I'm going to be like how Kyousuke was a long time ago.
We'll do something fun, which will bring us all together.
First, Kyousuke dragged the shy Rin along.
I'll do the same thing.
I'll get Rin to feel excited!
Ta-dah.
Kite ["tako" = "kite" and "octopus"]
Ta-dah?
This is hard...
When it comes to fun, I'm not a genius like Kyousuke.
What can I do to make Rin smile?
Lennon...
The ball from yesterday.
Rin, want to try this?
Okay.
I know!
Baseball Club
The disbanded baseball club won't mind if we borrow some...
Found it!
What do we do with these?
We'll play catch.
Throw it as hard as you can.
That...
That was incredible, Rin!
Your lack of control is amazing...
And with a fastball like that, I'd never know you were a girl!
Can I try it one more time?
Of course!
I'd never have thought this was your first time...
This is fun!
It's strange...
You never took an interest in baseball before.
It's strange to me, too.
Have you played catch before?
Maybe you played it with Kyousuke when you were little?
No, not with Kyousuke...
With you.
Huh? With me?
When?
I don't know.
That's why
it's strange.
Riki, this world is full of mysteries, isn't it?
And then, Rin finally smiled again...
It's weird to imagine Rin throwing the ball with that much energy, huh?
Rin says it's one of the mysteries of the world!
We're all going to go and play catch now...
Why don't you
come with us?
You think
I'd be interested in something like that now?
Let's all make Rin smile.
Just like you made me smile when we were kids...
If you want to, come join us.
You could consider it a break.
Yeah.
Wh-What's all this?
I thought if we played it like a real game, it'd be even more fun...
So I invited the others.
Others?
Hey, Rin... Been a while.
Shoo! Shoo!
Masato, why don't you take a swing?
Kengo...
What are you trying to do?
I came up with a fun game all of us can play together.
We'll play baseball!
Why?
Because it's fun...
Why else?
In that case,
I'll take my leave here.
You can do the rest yourselves.
Huh? W-Wait!
You're the one who said we should all play together...
So why?
You wouldn't understand.
Tell me why!
It's the same...
What you're doing now is the same thing that he...
He...
Kyousuke?
Did Kyousuke play baseball, too?
Hey, Masato,
what is it that everyone's hiding?
What happened that I don't know about?!
Hmm, if they're hiding something from you,
they wouldn't want you to find out.
Masato knows...
Rin and I must be the only ones who don't.
Tell me!
I don't know when,
but at some time I don't know about, Kyousuke tried playing baseball.
As a result, Rin started to fear people,
and Kyousuke separated himself from us.
What happened?
Kyousuke said the answer isn't anywhere in this world!
Then, is it in another world?!
Well...
I think you've come far enough.
I guess I'm the only one left.
What do you mean?
Here.
I'll take my leave, too.
Take care of the rest.
Even Masato...
Let's give up...
on playing catch.
We won't give up.
There's a mystery that only you and I don't know...
I have to solve this world's secret.
Where are these powerful feelings
coming from?
They're welling up in me
from deep inside.
Listen to me, Rin...
I'll be the leader
like Kyousuke used to be!
Let's gather our friends.
We'll start the Little Busters once more!
Episode 7 May 13
You must defeat your strongest companion.
Episode 8 Proof of the Strongest
Next time...
Proof of the Strongest.