Amayado Bus Stop

Title screen.

**Amayado Bus Stop** (雨宿バス停留所 *Amayado Basu Teiryuujo*) is a 2014 horror game developed by Kaoru, using the RPG Maker VX Ace. The original game with Japanese-language was released in 2014, with provided in English translation by Tosiaki was released the following year.

## Synopsis

> *"At a mountain road behind the school, a bus stop that went out of service twenty years ago, the Amayado Bus Stop. Chitose Furusato is a bullied girl that has a fateful encounter with Kobato Suzunari, a mysterious girl waiting for a bus that shouldn’t ever come...."*
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## Characters

### Chitose Furusato（古裡千歲）

A kind and selfless girl who’s bullied by her classmates. She lives with her single mother and has childish tastes. Even so, she tries to stay strong, believing that she will make friends someday. One day after a day of tormenting, one of her bullies tells her that if she doesn't want to be bullied the next day, she must steal a wooden board from the cemetery. This results in Chitose getting chased by a headless spirit. After getting away, she meets up Kobato at the bus stop and due to reasons she ends up taking Kobato home.

As soon as she takes her in, strange things start happening to Chitose, such as being chased by ghosts at her house. Even so, Chitose becomes very attached to Kobato, sensing that they're similar (not knowing that Kobato is lonely and was bullied once, just like her) and happy to have a friend. No matter the hardships she suffers and how badly people mistreat her, she's a kindhearted girl who can't truly hate anyone.

### Kobato Suzunari（鈴鳴小鳩）

A strange girl that Chitose encounters at the bus stop. Despite her small stature and weak constitution, she's surprisingly mature and snarky, making fun at Chitose's naivety. As soon as she takes her in, strange things start happening to Chitose, such as being chased by ghosts at her house. Kobato also seems to hold some power over the ghosts.

It’s revealed she’s been dead for 20 years and she’s actually a ghost. When Kobato was at high school, she once defended a bullied boy. Because of this, her classmates decided to bully her instead. She was lonely and didn’t have any friends due to her quiet demeanor. One day, her classmates took a necklace that was given to her by her mother. They took it to the school roof and in her attempt to retrieve it; she lost her balance and fell. She still survived for a few hours in agony, with people refusing to help her.

All deceased people from the hometown go to an afterlife realm named Taka no Mukuro. In order to do so, they must take the Amayado bus stop. The ghost of Kobato was about to do so, but she lost the bus. Years passed and Kobato, desperate to pass on, decided to take Chitose's life as replacement.

### Akane Tachibana（立花赤音）

Older sister of one of Chitose’s bullies. She’s in her 18-20s and works as a cashier in a convenience store. Due to her younger sister disappearing mysteriously (having been attacked by Kobato’s dark side while at school) she ends up teaming up with Chitose in order to find her sister. While at first abrasive and rude towards Chitose (as she finds her selfless attitude annoying), in the end she becomes fiercefully protective towards Chitose and can go to extreme measures to protect her, even to the point of risking his life.

At the second half of the game, Kobato knocks Chitose unconscious and it's up to Akane to protect Chitose and getting her to safety. Akane also finds out at the end of the game that her little sister has been bullying Chitose because of peer pressure. She encourages her to stand up to her friends and protect Chitose from any more bullying.

## Endings

### Bad Ending: Eternal Loneliness

This ending is obtained if Chitose didn't get enough of Kobato's heart fragments. Kobato reveals her intentions of killing Chitose and using her as a sacrifice so she could pass on to the afterlife. She unleashes her dark side at Chitose, intending to kill her, but she’s protected by Akane. Suddenly Kobato remembers her past about being bullied and accidentally murdered by her classmates. She ends up realizing she almost killed an innocent girl for her selfish desires and stops her dark side from causing any more damage. Apologizing, she disappears.

Days pass and Chitose recovers of her injuries. Akane tries to tell the police about what happened at the school, but nobody believes her. It’s not shown what happens to Chitose afterwards, but it’s implied she continues being bullied at school.

### Happy Ending: Living Together

It goes the same as the other one, with Kobato regretting her actions and disappearing. Akane takes Chitose to a hospital and she recovers from her injuries. Days later Akane and Chitose talk about Kobato and Chitose finds out Akane told Kobato to never approach Chitose again.

If Chitose says that Kobato “Is her precious friend”, she runs towards the Amayado bus stop when she meets Kobato. Chitose cares too much for Kobato and can’t leave her alone, so she offers to live together with her. Akane arrives and Chitose tells her about her decision to live with Kobato. Akane begrudgingly accepts and offers to let Kobato live at Akane’s house and she’ll move with Chitose once she’s old enough to live on her own. The three happily go see the starry sky as Chitose promised Kobato in the beginning of the game.

### True Ending: A Form of Happiness

It goes the same as the other one, with Kobato regretting her actions and disappearing. Akane takes Chitose to a hospital and she recovers from her injuries. Days later Akane and Chitose talk about Kobato and Chitose finds out Akane told Kobato to never approach Chitose again.

If Chitose says that Kobato “Is not alone”, she runs towards the Amayado bus stop when she meets Kobato. Chitose recalls how Kobato asked once if she would die for a special friend if asked. She decides to kill herself so Kobato would pass on to the afterlife, stating that she and Kobato are similar because they’re bullied and alone.

When Akane arrives she finds Chitose dead resting in Kobato’s lap. While she mourns her, she realizes Chitose has a happy smile on her face. The hawk appears at Akane, stating that the meaning of happiness is different for each person. He says that he’ll take responsibility for the souls of Chitose and Kobato and that Akane should return to her everyday life.

If the player obtained all of Kobato’s heart fragments, a cutscene will appear, months after Chitose’s death. A bullied boy is forced by his classmates to steal at the convenience store Akane works. Akane sees what’s happening and protects the boy. She tries to encourage him to fight back, but he says he can’t do it, or else he’ll be bullied more. As she walks home, Akane reminisces about Chitose and Kobato.

## Trivia

* Akane's sister appears unnamed, but the sequel game reveals her name is Akari Tachibana.
* The game become a small franchise, with a sequel and light novel version were released:
	+ A light novel version was published on December 26, 2015. The ending goes the same as the True Ending of the game, but Kobato is moved by Chitose's sacrifice and pushes Chitose out of the bus, so she can continue living. Chitose survives her fatal wound and befriends Akari at school.
	+ A sequel called *Twilight Epic（夕暮れ叙事詩）*, which happens 10 years after the events of the True Ending (with the light novel changes). The protagonist is Akino, a cousin of the Tachibana sisters. Chitose and Akari appear as adults and Kobato is still around as a ghost.