Let's Play Little Busters!

[Karifean]

Chapter 1, Part 4

Music for this part: My Brave Smile

So last time Masato was awarded the wonderful title of "Waste". His friends don't leave out a single opportunity to make fun of it.





He puts up with it... for now.





...he didn't hold out long. Can't blame him, it must've been quite demeaning.





Can't say I didn't expect this somewhat. But that's bad news for Masato, of course.




Riki, challenge Kengo? Yeah I doubt that's gonna happen.



Everything all normal.

So after dinner, Riki and Masato go back to their room.



Look, there's no way I can beat Kengo.



I said no.



...



So we are given the choice to "Wander" (= challenge Kengo) or "Rest" (= don't). I picked "Wander".



Music for this part: Heroic Battle



I'm gonna get slaughtered, aren't I?





So how much control do you have over the battles? The weapons are decided randomly, but you can manually stop the 'reels' from spinning. They'll still spin on for a while after you click though so you'll never be able to pinpoint what weapon you'll get.

The battles then play out automatically, and so you have no further control. Outside of loading or rewinding until you get the result you want, of course. And you can manage your accessories and stats to a degree.

So this battle against Kengo? It doesn't look good:



We got the same freaking weapon. I didn't even know that was possible. But since we got the same, it comes down to stats and luck, and Kengo is far better on that end.



It's a fierce battle and it wasn't even that much of a stomp, but Kengo beat me in the end.







Fun fact: first time I played this game I beat Kengo right here. I must've been quite lucky.

So with that little fight settled we return to our room where we continue Rin's mission from yesterday.



Because infiltrating is just what you do when you walk into your own dorm.

Music for this part: Mission Possible



Kengo probably has more of an interest in this than he'd like to admit.





Well I know someone...



He doesn't mind it in the slightest. Masato, take notes.





Utmost respect for this guy's ability to keep a straight face while saying that.



Anyways, long story short, Rin and Masato get into an argument and she calls him an idiot. Just then...



Oh geez, her again?



Damn it Sasami. Stop being so annoying. I shouldn't have to tell you what happens next...









The Club Trio is still just as little of a fight as before and Sasami is still just as unbeatable. Quite frustrating, innit?

May 16th



Just another day. What's this, the fourth day already? Only five more until the match? This is gonna be wonderful.

But, there's something more important right now.



Really, Rin? Why do you have to be this secretive?



Just what I was wondering. Maybe it's embarassing to her.

So we head back to class, and not soon after...



Haruka comes in again. Straight over to Riki's desk.

Music for this part: Melancholy of a Noisy Girl





Why are you even in school yet? Or...



Should've known. She seems quite carefree after all.

But anyways, that doesn't explain why she's here.







I like where this is going.





Yeah... sure.



Then who...?



Whoa, what up with the outfit? ...actually I can guess.







I was just about to say, isn't this just the regular school uniform? Count yourself lucky you're not forced to wear it.



Lovely. Just lovely.



Well that's Saigusa Haruka for you.





Masato's such a swell friend, ain't he? Always looking out for Kengo.



Meanwhile Haruka is occupied with something else entirely, and not even paying attention anymore.

Before long, more guests appear in the classroom.





They so will not find her.





Heh. She might fit into the Little Busters just fine.

So first period goes by, and then we get to break.



And we get a short message from her!



Hmm, I wonder what this could mean... mysterious...

So Riki runs out to the school gate and finds Rin there.

Music for this part: Ring Ring Ring!



Did she find out what the caterpillar problem was all about?



Sure seems that way.





Rin is so kind-hearted.







So kind-hearted.

Fortunately, a certain idiot comes by just then.



With this guy's help, this should be no problem at all!



Nice, Masato!



...almost.

We collect caterpillars until we got just about all of them.





Just reading this makes me smile, it's so like her.





Oh, it's her. Just great.



Always assuming the worst...



Wait what?



Oh. I was wondering.





She really is, isn't she?



Minions sounds about accurate.



Heh. That might be true.

So then, back in the classroom, after the next period...





If you don't pick "Follow after Rin" you are locked out of Rin's route. Would be a shame to let that happen now, wouldn't it? So I followed her.



This choice seems familiar by now. This time I picked "Call out to her".



I feel almost a bit guilty about disturbing Rin's cat sanctuary. But there's a new letter.



Why would the sender send this to Rin, a girl? Fortunately, Riki volunteers.



Sounds fine. But Rin has an objection.



And so this suddenly became a lot more work.

We still have some time, so...





Let's end this part with some wandering!

Music for this part: Heroic Battle



So at this point, let me quickly explain how wandering works. It's not complicated.

Upon wandering, you run into a random other member of the Little Busters. If they're one rank below you, they challenge you to a fight. If they're one rank above you, you can challenge them. If they're anyone else, you can trade accessories with them.



So I ran into Kyousuke. We can't battle so we trade. But I don't have any accessories yet, so he just donates me an item.



I accept, of course.



I didn't catch a screenshot of me getting the item, but it's called the "Masterpiece Theater" Series DVD-BOX, no idea what it does.



After your own wandering is done, you can watch another pair duke it out. Any character only appears once during a wandering session, so Kyousuke definitely couldn't have been a part of this matchup.

Of course I want to watch this battle. An actual NOT rigged battle between Masato and Rin? I doubt Rin stands a chance.





Fun weapons aren't they? Well actually the balloons are one of the most powerful weapons in this game. They work pretty much the same regardless of your stats and deal a lot of damage. The way they work is that on every one of your turns you blow up 1 balloon (later 1-2, or 1-3 per turn) and randomly on your enemy's turn they step on one, causing all of the balloons you've made so far to blow up and deal damage.

How powerful is this? Well it can cause quite sick combos...





She took way more damage than she'd have actually needed to.



Oh come on, you used to be the Legendary no-con, remember? What are you complaining about?



Current battle rankings. I won't be worrying about it too much in Chapter 1, but I will make sure to get to the top in subsequent chapters.

So that's it for now. Next time we will REALLY recruit a new member and get to know all but one heroine in this game! It might turn out to be a quite long part, seeing as how the intro conversation for one of the new heroines is more than 100 screenshots long by itself and I feel like I would be leaving out too much characterization if I cropped it.

[Pumpkin]

They fight a lot

[Karifean]

Chapter 1, Part 5

So after that little task with the caterpillars we're back in class and baseball is the main subject once more.



Masato makes a feeble attempt at recruiting Kengo. Since they're fierce rivals, he might be wanting to face him on the baseball field.

Unfortunately, Kengo's attachment to kendo makes it an impossibility.



WE'VE FOUND THE SOLUTION! Maybe not.



Shion, you were right. Three...



Two...





One...





They sure do like fighting each other. But since they're both idiots it's fine, right?

Riki's attempt at stopping the fight is about as successful as Masato's attempt at recruiting Kengo. Desperately, he decides to quickly find Kyousuke so he can mediate. Riki sure is dependent on him, isn't he?

Unfortunately, Kyousuke is not easy to find.





This is pretty pointless but you don't lose anything if you just go ahead and read the QR code. So I did.





Alright, they're both idiots but you still don't want them to get in a really competitive battle. Wouldn't want Masato to break Kengo's arm, now would we?



Hmm, now this is a voice we have not yet heard before.



Is a ghost speaking to us?





Music for this part: Heart-Colored Capriccio (Kurugaya's Theme)

Ah, Kurugaya Yuiko. Just another great member of this game's amazing cast of characters.









She can teleport, by the way.



She must be bored a lot.



Kurugaya has some pretty good sprites.



Sounds like everything turned out fine after all. Riki was just worrying over nothing.





I feel like this situation is turning bad.



Rule of thumb: girls that address you with "shounen" are dangerous.







And what exactly is that supposed to mean? ...this won't end well.





That actually sounds kinda nice.





Ah, don't be so negative Riki. I mean, look at this:



That's quite a beautiful angle.





...really?



Hey Riki, I thought we just went over this. You'll be DEAD if you do that.



Riki, sit your ass down and dring your goddamn TEA! Is that so hard?

Kurugaya certainly seems to be a bit ... above all that.





Come on now. This is just getting silly.



But Kurugaya knows how to make Riki surrender.



You're not getting away, Riki.



Kurugaya 1 - Riki 0





Kurugaya 2 - Riki 0



She really did, didn't she? A+ for effort.









Did I already say that Kurugaya has great sprites?





Her reasoning is about as sound as Kyousuke's.






Is that a compliment?





Heh. I guess it was supposed to be one.




Kurugaya sounds like someone you could have interesting conversations with over teatime. And she is.



"Chime will ring" is said in English here.





That's certainly true. This was 100 screenshots just now. I guess I could've left some parts out, but it didn't feel right, I wanted to preserve Kurugaya's characterization here.



They don't tell us who won but I doubt it was Masato. The guy just never wins scripted battles.

So Riki returns to the club room, only to find that everyone's already left.



He then goes to look for a place to eat. I'd have suggested the cafeteria but first he goes back to his classroom, notices his seat is taken, and then goes on to look around some more.



Yeah why didn't you?

Oh well, it's not important as he soon has another idea.



And before we even get there, Kamikita catches up to us from behind.



Music for this part: Magic Ensemble

I guess we can have lunch with her.





I can see that. A place like that must be nice to eat at.





Fortunately, Kamikita likes to share. In fact, she likes it a lot. Why does she? Well, because of her weltanschauung.





Such positivity.



My impression is about the same as Riki's.

But then, disaster strikes.



Oh no, whatever will we do?



That... is creepy.



Let's consider it a weird coincidence, shall we?





That must be one of the brightest smiles I've ever seen.



I second that.




It's strange seeing an actual serious expression on her face for once.



Hmm, that would be convenient. Besides the fact that all plantlife would die.



We're still together a lot, aren't we? I guess she's talking about when we're looking for members.




Maybe she doesn't even know what baseball is. Whatever, it's not like she's gonna join our team or anything.




Didn't I just say that?



...What?





...this can't be good.




And she's never played it before either.



*sigh* I don't even care anymore.

So lunch is over but we still have a bit of time. What do we do?




Let's end this part with a bit of wandering.

Music for this part: Heroic Battle





...not this guy again. I'm doomed.



Alright, to be honest I really wanted to beat him and so I tried four times. I lost every time though, and then I decided to stop.

These were my weapons:




At some point it gets frustrating. Fighting a guy who does 100 damage with freaking CHOPSTICKS while you don't even deal 50 damage with three Ping Pong balls... let's say I felt outclassed.






Now that's a good title ^^



A battle of the siblings! Let's watch it.





Ah, the weapons. That never gets old.



Is it just me or does Kyousuke look kinda like Yagami Light in that picture?



Kyousuke wins, of course.



So here are the current standings:



And that's it for now. Next time we'll see if Kamikita can join our team, and maybe we'll also get to know another potential recruit. See you then!



I will try not to lock myself out of any routes for now, and once we know all the main girls, I'll put it to a vote whose route we'll go through first. Don't worry, we'll go through all of them eventually.

[Shauna]

~best girl~

She is amazing.

[Karifean]

Yuiko is pretty great. It was kinda unfortunate that in the anime, they took her arc completely out of context and it was really damn confusing. Some plotlines just don't work well without the romantic aspect.

[Dat Matt]

Did he break his shoulder or something?

[Karifean]

Did he break his shoulder or something?

No? He just feels humiliated. Or did you mean something else?

[Shauna]

The character models are just a bit awkward, anatomy-wise. His shoulder is just a bit... weird. xD I expect this from VNs for some reason. *thinks of Higurashi...*

[Karifean]

I see. Higurashi does have really weird anatomy. Those hands.

Next part will be up in about 24 hours which is also when I'm finally freed from one very nasty deadline that has been plaguing me for a while, so I'll be able to update more frequently. Daily would be nice.

Edit: Eh, looks like I've been spamming Imgur a bit too much, it timed me out. I guess it'll have to be delayed a bit.

[Karifean]

Chapter 1, Part 6

After that last wandering, we find ourselves back in the classroom. Looks like school is over.







As far as I know if you refuse, you simply skip the next scene. So I "Take it".

On the way to the dorm head, we hear a bit of an uproar. Looks like the prefects are looking for someone.



I wonder who they could be looking for...



Just like with the previous choice, opting to "Run away" skips this next scene. I'm unsure if there are any minor ripple effects, like changed lines later on, but certainly nothing major. But since I'm not playing this game to skip scenes, I went with "Get involved".



Who could it possibly be?



A bit slow, are we, Riki-kun?

Music for this part: Melancholy of a Noisy Girl



Obviously it would be Haruka. So what's going on?



Zero remorse is right.





Oh well. Looks like Haruka's gonna have to turn herself in.





...that's another way.



Sure, drag me into your troubles.



Uh oh, I have a bad feeling about this.



Annnd she spreads the marbles all over the floor. That's quite dangerous you know.





We find ourselves in the yard, somewhere.





This is Haruka you're talking about. What do you think she's planning to do?





Must be fun, getting on everyone's nerves all the time.



Hm, I don't remember if this marble ever comes up again. Intruiging..



Oh, she's gonna collect them after all?





...for her own reasons I see.



Well that was a pointless little encounter. Either way, it's after school so it's time for club activities! This time, we have a guest.

Music for this part: Tick Tock Routine
(this may be the one track on the OST I actually dislike, because it's played so damn much and gets repetitive and annoying really quickly)





I'm sure they're super-psyched.







Masato is already skeptical. Can't blame him.



Ah, Masato just being Masato ^^







I like the way Kyousuke's mind works.





Rin being helpful as always.

Thankfully, Kyousuke comes to the rescue.





That's not as pointless as I'd expected. Productive, even. This can't be right.











Ah well, so much for that. Bye Kamikita.



Yeah, it was typical Kyousuke after all.





What a nice sense of humor.








This guy never changes. I love it.



Well that also takes care of that. I don't think there's any taking this one back as a joke, though.



Oh this is rich. How much do you bet Masato will lose to her?

So what's Kyousuke's excuse?



Obviously that's not Kyousuke's understanding of what a test should entail. Duh. Who needs physical prowess in a baseball team?



Kamikita seems down for it, though. Let's hope this won't be TOO bad.





...it turns out she can't even swing a proper bat. It's too heavy for her.





What's wrong Rin. Wanna say something?





Well, well, Rin is REALLY shy apparently.












Wow. That's quite bad.







Kamikita's endless optimism is unbroken.





...what exactly was the purpose of recruiting members again?





So let's hope she'll at least do well...



How cute.



That's a good way of putting it ^^






Can't say I'm surprised. At least they didn't kick her out of the team.

So let's start practicing!





Sad how surprising it is.



Getting tired of being called no-con, are we?









Oh Rin-chan. You'll be the "precision pitching machine" someday.





What a wonderful title.



Oookay, so the minigame begins anew.

Music for this part: Day Game

Komari is on the field this time. She walks laps. You can try hitting her but it's difficult. You don't really have that kind of control over the ball.



shion, I'm so sorry.




After 20 balls you're given the option to either continue for another 20 balls, or call it a day.



Of course I continued, because apparently I hadn't hit enough kitties yet...





I'm so sorry. I swear I'm not trying to hit them.

Rin actually got really mad at me. Every now and then she tried hitting me with the ball directly. You can dodge them quite nicely, though.



She still hates me though, probably.

Practice ends, and we got some stat ups!



Getting stronger and stronger, aren't we? Since Kengo isn't training with us, we might be able to take him on and claim the #1 spot.



You joined the team, at least.




The kind of person whose kindness you're either really thankful for or whose kindness you can never escape from.



Even if she were a complete liability it would still be hard to turn her down, wouldn't it?



Bye Kamikita.



Oh, that's right. Should've called her Komari.



So is it a human or what?



Does it now.



Inevitably, we have a little accident. Who is the person we're talking about, anyways?





Aww, how adorable.

Music for this part: Exotic Toybox



...oh god. The Engrish. It hurts.





How else should I react to that kind of broken English?







Talk about mood swings.







Yeah, that seems apparent. And she seems a bit insecure about her language skills.



Ah finally her name comes up. I was worried she'd be known as ??? forever.



Noumi Kudryavka. An interesting character, I'd say. Her character route is probably very far away from what you'd expect from a first impression, but I like it a lot.





Ouch.



I'll say. I personally have NEVER heard a Japanese person or character speak semi-fluent English. It does have a pretty different tone and enunciation though, so it might be rather tough to learn for Japanese people in general.



An elementary course of conversational English? Hm.



Speaking of appearances, she's in the same year as Riki, Masato, Kengo, Komari, Haruka and Kurugaya. Now that I wouldn't have guessed.









Just in case you're a bit confused, Kud is (or rather, was) Rin's roommate. But that was only a temporary solution because Kud's single room was rendered unusable after a storm. But now...



Is it that difficult to find a roommate?





I doubt it too. Kud doesn't seem like an unpleasant roommate.



Hmm, I wonder. For now, let's help Kud with her boxes.





What the hell is that supposed to mean?




Aw, I liked the hat.







If you pick "Don't get involved too much" you are locked out of Kud's route. So... lettsu lukkingu fou ruumumeito!



That might be a... good idea.





So adorable~!



Wait... didn't we just transport the boxes to not-Rin's room? Oh well.



Bye bye, Kud.



You know where this is going.



Let's end the part with some more wandering.

Music for this part: Heroic Battle






Ugh. This time there's no plot armor. Masato is actually a quite tough opponent.



Pretty even weapons, too... and Masato has one where his strength comes in handy.



I still won. By a hair, too. One more turn and time would've been up, making it a draw.



Better than "Waste", though, isn't it?

Before you ask, no, you cannot choose titles yourself. Riki just kinda gives totally random ones.



The siblings battle again. Too bad, that means Komari won't make her debut yet.



Kyousuke gets the same weapon Masato just had...



...and wins with a very large margin. Cats might not be the best weapon.



Current standings



That's it for now. Next time we'll restart Rin's daily member recruitment mission and then move on to May 17th. I think we'll be at least impersonally introduced to the tenth and final main character, but I don't remember much about what comes next. See ya then!

[Karifean]

Today, arguably one of the most ridiculous scenes in this whole visual novel. And that's saying a lot.

Chapter 1, Part 7

After that little chat with Kud, we find ourselves back in our room.





Oh right, there was that. The task that said to "solve the bathroom's hygiene problem in the boys' dorm". Let's see what she made.





Yeah I thought the same thing. "Next: Him" indicates a bit of a loss of interest.







That's a great reason.



...subtle, Rin. Well, Riki answes.











Eh. Rin has her quirks.






You will not escape Rin's fangs.

And so, the membership hunt begins once more.



Music for this part: Mission Possible





Hm, a total stranger. Doesn't sound like she'll actually be recruited.



It's a rather faint and calm female voice. Certainly not one we've heard before.




Oh Rin, you know better than to listen to your brother.



Well it seems to have worked.



Ah well, she'll know better than...



...splendid.





No words.



Acting skills: impeccable.



Wrong Key visual novel, sorry.

...wait, she just called her Natsume-san. Is she really a total stranger?



...really?



"Total stranger". I get it if you're shy and you don't know everyone in your class but saying she's a total stranger goes a bit far. How could there be someone in your class you never ever take any notice of?

Anyways, while looking for more potential recruits, take one guess whom we run into again.



That's totally the correct way to pronounce her name.



And it doesn't take long until...




...damn those girls have gotten stronger.



I'll get my revenge later.

May 17th

Music for this part: Waking Up in the Morning

Another morning just like any other. However, the air is a bit tense...







...oh. Yeah, that.



Scaary. No eye contact, no eye contact, no eye contact...





That leaves...




Do you think you can escape Rin's ruthlessness?



Ohoh, evil.






Visualize it. You know you want to.




Well I'm surprised at how long he persevered.





Ah Rin, don't ever change.




She told on me!!



...let's forget about that, please?



N-nothing. Definitely not fulfilling tasks written by some stranger so we can find out the "secret of this world". How stupid do you think we are?



That's right, she wants to keep it secret for some reason. The only one who knows is Riki...



I doubt she'd have asked someone else for help.

So, as we walk back to school, Riki pulls Kyousuke aside.



Well said, big brother. Though this does bring up a tough question: who's been sending these tasks to Rin?

So classes start and first period ends. Take a guess who shows up!



What's up?





First instance where wandering can actually interfere with the story. Because I like Haruka, I picked "Look for it". I don't think it makes much of a difference.



So one lesson later, we try asking Kurugaya about Kud's room problem.







I did skip a bunch of dialogue there, but it was mostly technical stuff about how room sharing works.




Masato and Kengo are fighting for no good reason once again.

Basically the story is that Masato asked Kengo about how to read a Kanji character and Kengo told him the completely wrong pronunciation, so now Masato is mad at him.




I can imagine that would stick in Masato's mind.



...*snap*

That...can't be good.



You'd think this was routine by now.



Kyousuke being forced into the mediator role some more. Though I don't think he minds it in the slightest.




Hmm? That wasn't Kengo. Then who...?



Oh... huh. I guess Kurugaya is a badass after all.









Looks like she was able to prevent the fight. That's nice. It might have been at the cost of another fight, though.





This could be bloody...





Maybe we should intervene before it is too late.





As if I would pick the lower option! A matchup between Masato and Kurugaya? Hell yes! So I went with "Watch the battle".



What unfolds is possibly the most ridiculous scene in the entire General Path.





Oh look who's here.





Does he know her?






I believe it. A college prep school where one group of friends just goes around having fun all the time? Sounds like it might enjoy notoriety.




Music for this part: Heroic Battle



The onlookers start throwing weapons into the ring. Wait... Masato... scripted battle... oh smurf.








xD this is the most ridiculous weapon yet.

So let's see what Kurugaya gets.




Wow. The ridiculousness level. It's bursting.



...don't even go there.



Now it officially begins.






I feel sorry for Masato. He's about to be severely beaten up by Kurugaya... right?





I already find it hilarious just thinking about how ridiculous this must look.





That would require us to not watch this matchup. Sorry, but this I gotta see.




I said she can teleport. Although I guess it's just insanely quick footwork.



Perhaps, Kyousuke, perhaps.






She actually got hit once.



Wait, huh?




He'd be a lot more intimidating if he wasn't wielding a pirate figurine in a barrel.



Pride is a tough barrier to overcome.





...oh dear god.





...forever, then.




He sure is dedicated to his wins.





This has become even more pathetic and ridiculous.








This is so sad.




Hey, whoa!





This is so wonderful.

Music for this part: Showing Signs of a Mystery









What, you think you're Sabin or something?



Not in scripted battles, that's for sure. Maybe during wandering sessions.





At least they acknowledge Masato's strength.







That must be quite fun, suddenly realizing one of your classmates is a total badass.



Heh heh.



Oh. That was a quick bit of training in the mountains. (His stats aren't even any higher)

So that was the battle Masato vs Kurugaya. Quite definitely one of the game's most ridiculous scenes.

Let's end the episode with some Kyousuke.





Might as well pick "Access the site". Can't hurt.







Pointless as always.



I got a save file right here. If you want to read some more of these things (there may be a few hundred in total) tell me and I'll post some more.

That would be it for now. Next time is most likely when we'll finally get to meet the 10th main character. Look forward to it!

[Shauna]

Haha, I remember that scene in the anime. Kurugaya is badass.

It's nice to see Kud show up!

Man, I enjoyed all the characters in this anime, which is nigh on unheard of. xD

[Karifean]

I did too. Little Busters just has such a loveable cast of characters.

[Karifean]

Chapter 1, Part 8

So after that little battle, we're back in the classroom.






This may seem familiar enough by now. Of course I follow her. Not picking "Run after Rin" locks you out of Rin's route. As always.

Music for this part: Ring Ring Ring!



I watched for a while. Apparently she has a cat named "Dorj" which is rather heavy. You'll see more of that later this part.

But let's get on with the tasks, shall we?





Huh? What exactly is that supposed to mean?



Riki and Rin don't seem to have any idea either. Rin starts speculating.



Yeah I don't think that's the problem.






"Ordinary people". Sure.





...yeah, that sounds weird out of context. So Riki clarifies.







The staff lady clarifies that she doesn't actually mind the fighting, it's just what came to mind immediatly. Oh well, I think Masato can handle a little beating.



Poor Masato. Always the first to go down.





Dude, did he just swing in through the window? And I thought he only made other people do crazy things.





If Rin and Kengo are just one rank apart during this scene, there will be an instant ranking battle between them.



Lying face-down against a wall is not what I would call "napping".



Ah crap. Right here, Masato will challenge whoever is one rank higher than him, unless it's Komari (yeah right) or he's already at the top of the scoreboard. I'm not sure what happens then, but presumably the battle is just skipped.

Just my luck that I had to be that unfortunate person. Oh well, I might be as lucky as last time.

Music for this part: Heroic Battle




He has a rugby ball... well smurf. That compliments his his strength nicely.



Not a chance.



Masato picks pretty weird names for Riki...

So the battle is over and classes resume.



We sure haven't but that might be because we have no clue what the problem IS.



Okay so you attacked Masato AND Kengo on a false premise, and then didn't even bother to tell them why? Sure, that's some great problem-solving skills, Rin.



I don't know, and I doubt we'll be finding out all that soon. Best to just leave it for now.



(Totally Masato's voice, by the way)



Sure, why not.







I don't know if it's even possible to run into Masato here. There's a rule that prohibits the same pair from fighting twice in a row, but I don't know if that rule is actually being enforced at all.





Oh well, no battle but hey, I got a free item. That thing increases Body Strength by 50 if I'm not mistaken.



Oh-hoh, Komari's first battle! Let's see how she does.





Ah ha ha ha. Yeah, remember how I brought up Dorj before? That cat is Rin's secret and best weapon. She doesn't get it often, but it's the most ridiculously powerful weapon in the game.

How powerful is it? Well, I'll show you.







Yeah. Short of the instant kill that comes with some special weapons, this is the most powerful attack in the game. I didn't capture it but the screen shakes heavily and the music cuts out shortly during that earthquake attack.

I've seen Dorj end battles in one attack. That cat is just too damn strong. I feel sorry for Komari, getting so utterly destroyed in her first battle.



Current standings:



So that's it for this Wandering. It's lunchtime!




If you pick "Don't go to the rooftop" here you are locked out of Komari's route. So let's go there.



Music for this part: Magic Ensemble




Oh wow. How lucky that we happened to decide to go to the rooftop else she couldn't have gone up.



It's wrong a lot, isn't it?






This feels so foreign to me. Like this is the most obvious thing in the world, but these characters are talking about it like it's special. I guess it must be nice, being able to appreciate even the very little things like what name you're being called by.




Not to mention it seems to carry quite huge significance in Japan.



...that was the wrong time to say that.





We end up talking a bit about the weather forecast and Riki mentions how nice it must be to see the future.



Hmm, interesting. I would probably prefer to see the future, but that is one other way to look at it.



I also would not have expected to see this kind of facial expression on an always-happy optimist like her.





Yeah that sounds like a strangely sad picture book.



Riki also seems to think so.



After that our lunch with Komari ends and next thing we know, practice has begun.







Pretty sure it's not that simple...



Oh right. Kyousuke.



...what? I don't get anything anymore.



Rin's title just keeps on improving. She'll love this.





Alright, I feel like hitting some balls.



...that's not what I meant.

After 10 balls have been thrown, a scene automatically plays out.




Whoa, that's quite impressive actually.





Looks like Riki accidently kicked that person. Who is it?

Music for this part: Approaching Light (Mio's Theme)



Is she a vampire or what? By the way, her voice matches the person Rin ran into in her last member hunt mission.



Nishizono Mio. The last of the 10 main characters of this game, and with that we now know all the characters that appear on the picture in the OP of this topic. She certainly seems like the most fragile and unathletic of them all, but she's wonderfully poetic. I like her. Her character arc is among the most interesting.




Figures.



That's a nice way of describing it.




Is it just me who feels like she sees right through the screen at me? Hey, I may hit a lot of cats on accident, but I certainly didn't hit you!



Meanwhile Riki getting himself into an inevitable predicament.





Yeah I would be lying if I said this was in any way not obvious to happen.




Oh right. She's "never seen her before". But damn is that some extreme shyness.






Of course he did. It's Masato after all.




That is one scary-as-hell glare.








I feel like Masato is mocking me.



So we say goodbye.



Hmmm. That sounds so peaceful and solitary.



Hey, guess what? I actually did not hit any cats for those last 10 balls! I even managed to hit a ball over to Komari, but instead of gracefully catching the ball...



...she just stumbled. Ah well.



I wonder if Komari's boost in Agility comes from her AMAZING reaction to having a ball hit to her.



God yes and how they are. Get them off the field, please. For their own safety?





Oh damn, her again. This time the boys are there as well, though, so I doubt it'll end in a battle.







That sounds so... pointless.



U-

Uh oh.

What... have you done?




Even Sasami doesn't seem approving.





I don't know which is more scary, Mio's or Rin's glare.



The situation is escalating...



Mediator Kyousuke to the rescue!



Sounds okay. Except that Rin has no hope of winning.








...something ridiculous is about to happen, isn't it?

Music for this part: Heroic Battle



This segment is uncontrolled, but the game switches to baseball style.







...I seriously did not even catch the ball flying on screenshot. It was too fast.







Oh Masato, it's far better than that.




This time Sasami actually swung at it, but the ball was still too fast.



Is it normal to have a radar gun with you when you're casually playing baseball with friends? Then again, this is Kyousuke we're talking about, so never mind.






Haha, owned. Rin's third pitch goes in a very wide arc, very slowly, and doesn't even come close to the strike zone. And yet Sasami swung at it, so she's out.







I stand corrected. Rin's awesome.





You were just asking to get kicked, Masato.



That's kinda beautiful.



Oh of course. Point of order #1.






Gotta love Kyousuke. He's just golden.



Anyways, so Rin has learned her first two special pitches. At this point the baseball practice both gets quite a bit more interesting as it gets difficult. Raging Meow Balls are not easy to hit until you're used to it, and the more special pitches she learns the harder it will be to predict what she'll do.

Next time we'll see if we can get something done for little Kud's room search, and then presumably continue Rin's member hunt mission. Might go a bit further than that, depends on how long it gets.





Time To Choose
Now that we know all ten main characters, it's time to start the vote: whose character route shall we go through first? We will go through all of them eventually, but for now, time to decide on the first.

It will still take six more game-time-days until a definitive choice has to be made, so there's no rush, but I'll open the vote now.

So... choose

• Natsume Rin (棗鈴) [Ring Ring Ring!]
  
• Kamikita Komari (神北小毬) [Magic Ensemble]
  
• Saigusa Haruka (三枝葉留佳) [Melancholy of a Noisy Girl]
  
• Noumi Kudryavka (能美クドリャフカ) [Exotic Toybox]
  
• Kurugaya Yuiko (来ヶ谷唯湖) [Heart-Colored Capriccio]
  
• Nishizono Mio (西園美魚) [Approaching Light]
  

Personally, I'd go for Rin's route first. Mostly for organizational reasons and because it showcases... an important part of the structure of the Little Busters visual novel, I would say. But it's up to you. Pretty much every path is quite different in the visual novel when compared to their anime adaptations.

[Pumpkin]

Rin!!