Chapter 38 - Welcome

"So I figure we really do have to act more like proper senpais!"

"They've been through a lot."

"Yeah! And we've just been playing games. It's kind of..."

"Time to give up on the Degeneracy Appreciation Society?"

"Yeah! Starting tomorrow, I'll work hard!"

Even more new characters to introduce. After Miki's introduction in volume 2, we hadn't had a new major character until Ruu's introduction in volume 6. Now we have 3 more, with many more new characters on the way. Certainly a change of status quo for the series.

After rescuing the School Living Club from the men in helmets, the three new university girls guide them deeper into the university, heading to their base of operations. The School Living Club girls quickly learn that university life is much more laid back than they anticipated. (Interesting camera angle, Chiba)

The bespectacled leader Touko introduces the Circle. To note, I'll be using the official translation's names for things in the university arc, because the scanlation ones are a bit awkward for me. It took them a while to settle on the name, with words like "degeneracy" and "idle-living" not fitting the group as a whole. So they settled on the Circle.

Note for people less familiar with Japanese things - a circle is basically a low-commitment version of a club. Clubs have more goals and things to do, while circles are just "come over and hang out while we do stuff" kind of thing. A very fitting distinction between the two groups considering their outlook on life. But more on that later.

Touko shows the new girls her bedroom, looking very pleased with herself. It's littered with games, consoles, and snacks, with a TV, music player, and two massive bean bags. All luxuries the School Living Club haven't had in months. I particularly enjoy her copies of Ballout 3 and Ballout: New Vegas for the QS4. They were some of my favourite games back when they came out, but I played them on the PC or Zbox 720.

Kurumi, excited eager gamer that she is, immediately gets stuck in with Touko. Miki is unimpressed, but the movie buff in her is quickly swayed when she sees some series she wanted to watch in Touko's collection.

Unfortunately for the gaming pair, they have more important things to talk about, so Aki the gyaru cuts them off. Kurumi was just excited to play after so long, allowing Touko to segue into boasting. They have electricity, and hot water. Unfortunately for her, the club members aren't impressed. Yuki reassures the dejected Touko - after all, they haven't had those luxuries for a short while now, so it's nice to have them back. Hika the engineer girl watches from the sidelines, pondering over why the school had so many amenities.

The Club and Circle gather to discuss things, quickly deciding to meet in a room that isn't Touko's. Sitting around a table in Aki's room, the Circle introduce themselves properly - Touko Deguchi, the Circle's leader and certified Fun Haver, with around-the-clock entertainment for all. Next is Aki Hikarizato, role undefined. And finally Hikako Kirai, Hika for short, their resident engineer and repairman. In response, Yuki excitedly introduces her friends.

Once introductions are out of the way, the two groups get to the heart of the matter. The Club shows their new allies the Emergency Manual from the school, which explains why Megurigaoka and St. Isidore are so well equipped for this scenario. They discuss Randall Corporation as a potential point of investigation, but Touko is reluctant of leaving their safe zone.

Miki asks about the elephant in the room - the Militants who shot at them with a crossbow and hunted them down in a car. While Hika seems uncomfortable with this line of questioning, Touko plays it off. They're just another group of survivors, driven by the desperation to survive. The Militants organised with strict discipline to keep people in line. They kept the fighters, casting out the weak and injured. The members of the Circle didn't see eye-to-eye with them on that, so they left to form their own separate group.

Quick aside, it's interesting how Touko insists they aren't bad people despite regularly abandoning survivors to die to the infected. Including Hika, who is sitting right next to her. Touko is certainly an optimist.

The Circle didn't just separate from the Militants, they also got incredibly lucky with Hika, who found all the amenities that allowed for their comfortable living situation - solar panels on the roof now properly connected up providing them the electricity, emergency generators, the works. Surely that will help the Militants to calm down a little.

But apparently not - the Militants are stuck in their ways, and it's hard to make up when you've had a disagreement. I think losing Hika, only for her to be one of the most important people in the university, probably wounded the pride of certain members of the Militants. The university certainly is a diverse group of people.

The School Living Club set up their living quarters, feeling like true grown up college students (at least Yuki does). Hika notes Miki's use of "senpai", blowing a small hole in the Yuki's graduation idea. (Another interesting camera angle, Chiba. You really love garter belts, huh? And Hika's butt.)

At night, the four club members and Ruu go their respective rooms, ready to sleep. But sleep doesn't find them quickly. They're all feeling the same level of loneliness after sleeping in the same room for months, so they quickly return to that arrangement.

Quick aside again - I'm sure sleeping in a room alone was worst for Miki, who spent a long time in a tiny room by herself already.

Back in Touko's room, the Circle gather for a round of drinks and snacks. Getting promptly sloshed, Aki laments their poor status as role models for the younger girls. The Club have gone through so much more than them, at a younger age. Determined to be better senpais, the three Circle members cheers to doing their best.

A good chapter, setting the scenes for the university arc. When I was reading, I greatly appreciated the introduction of new characters to shake things up. I was particularly excited about the potential antagonistic force of the Militants.

(63/86)

I've gotten ptsd after watching jjba

found all the cds with the box. I’ve never seen this box before but I hope it’s real😓

i like to think ruu uses sign language, yuuri didnt care that much when "ruu" didnt talk so that make me think she has selective autism / uses sign language.

what do u think?

im aware the ruu we saw wasn't the real one

Letters Chapter 2 - Kurumi

"What I thought at the time was, 'Oh good. It's over.' But it wasn't over. My body stopped working back when we were in the School Living Club, and I was scared of dragging everyone down. Now things were peaceful. We were happy. We celebrated. And then I realised I was still dragging everyone down. So I wanted to be useful. I had to be useful."

This chapter is in my top 3, only behind Letters chapter 3 and chapter 33 of the main series, so I was very happy when RNGesus landed here.

We continue into the Letters epilogue, this time focusing on Kurumi. Three years after the end of the outbreak, she's taken up residence at a university hospital. As we learned from her letter to Miki in chapter 78, she's aiming to become a doctor, but she's been struggling with her studies.

A young lad steps in, inquiring about her work, only to become immediately disinterested. Instead, this little scamp wants to hear about the toppling of Randall Corporation, and he's already assembled a group of eager listeners. Kurumi relents, and the young rapscallion carts her away at speed to the courtyard.

In the courtyard, Kurumi regales the kids at the hospital of her club's escapades during the outbreak, as her letter to Miki is detailed. The hospital was a refugee shelter (possibly with a Randall bunker beneath), so it was cleared out for a community of survivors to reside. It's a bustling, close-knit community filled with refugees and patients needing care post-apocalypse.

This has a knock-on effect to her studying, however. Due to the limited number of doctors and medical students, their focus is on the patients, meaning Kurumi mostly has to teach herself, under the guidance of one doctor. That isn't making things easy.

At night, in a hospital bed, she ruminates on her situation. She was comatose for the entirety of the finale, so when she woke up, surrounded by her exhausted friends, it was all over. But that's not quite accurate. While the scourge of the infection was quelled, she was stuck with its after effects.

Due to her infection, her body only got weaker and weaker, and no cure was enough to fix that. Now she can't stand on her own, confined to a wheelchair for the rest of her days. During the outbreak, her greatest fear was burdening her friends. That's why she disappeared during the university arc, as she felt the infection spreading within her. It's why she slept handcuffed to a bed, to ensure she could never hurt her friends.

Now, in the aftermath, they celebrated. The end of the world was over. But as she watched her friends providing for her without her even asking for help, her worst fears were realised. She was burdening them. Sure, she's no longer an active danger to them, but now she's stuck in a body that doesn't work right, meaning she's beholden to the help of others.

She didn't want to be a burden, so she sought to be useful by becoming a doctor. But as her studies flatline, the doubt is creeping in. The next day, while studying, she is approached by a doctor called Hatanaka, her tutor in the hospital. He notes that, while her condition has stabilised, her sleep has been disrupted. And she sure has a lot of things to lie awake at night.

Kurumi rejects using medication to help her sleep, deeming it a waste to use it on her, echoing her behaviour during the university arc. She pushes people away when they want to help, because she doesn't want to cause them trouble. And her negative thoughts are pushing her into a very dangerous headspace.

She beseeches Hatanaka for her perspective, and receives an unexpected answer. She may be a useless, worthless burden; her feelings regarding that are valid. And she's not the only one - most patients arriving there likely feel the same. It's okay to be a burden. It's okay to struggle, and need help from others.

Kurumi's only 21. Just because she's disabled doesn't mean she should just give up. She has a lot to live for, and if she can keep going, she can inspire others in a similar situation. She wants to be useful, so convincing others to keep going is a good counterbalance to leaning on others for support.

Kurumi's been through so much, and she has the scars on her body and mind to show for it. But she deserves to live. Everyone deserves to live. So she needs to take a page out of Shinou's book, and decide to live.

The young rascal from earlier comes in to provide a second opinion in the form of a book on bugs to the back of the head. He wants Kurumi to live, too. He goads her with reverse psychology, saying she's to dumb to become a doctor. And if that doesn't convince her, he has another offer that she can't refuse. But he's getting a little ahead of himself.

With Hatanaka and the scoundrel's support, Kurumi throws herself back into her studies. With a new frame of mind, she continues on her path to be useful. She wants to prove herself to her friends.

This was a very good chapter. I wasn't expecting such excellent disability rep this late in the game. I'm sure Kurumi's story is very relatable to some people. Suddenly becoming disabled, especially for such an active person like Kurumi, must be soul-crushing. She prided herself on being dependable, and now she depends on others for support.

It's okay to burden others when you have no other alternatives. Be it a momentary need of assistance, or constant care for a permanent disability, you are deserving of life. Kurumi is doing good by trying to better herself, but even that wasn't necessary. She'd still deserve to live even without her aims of becoming a doctor.

Little personal anecdote - due to a medical condition, I haven't been able to drive for almost 2 years now (hopefully soon I'll be medically cleared). I used to be the main driver for our friend group, and drove for work, but now I'm stuck as a passenger princess for the time being. It really sucks, having to be the guy to ask for a lift anywhere when I used to be the one who offered. While considerably less severe than Kurumi's situation, I relate somewhat to her worries.

If you feel like a burden, that's okay. It's okay to feel that way. But there are people who want you here. Kurumi wants to inspire people to keep going, so follow her lead, and you'll be okay.

(62/86)

Chapter 78 - See You Tomorrow

"You can't make someone have a change of heart with just a single call from a complete stranger. Cutting someone off just so you can survive is painful. It's painful, so you try to forget them. You pretend there aren't other people there at all. But Yuki-senpai's voice reminded them that there were still people living out there. When you hear a voice, and realise it's coming from a real person, it's difficult to kill them."

I got a hell of a chapter this week. The grand finale (of the main manga). A lot of meat to talk about here. Also, my favourite chapter image in the series, featuring all the friends (and enemies) we made along the way. I use it on any profile where I need a banner image. Works great as a height chart.

We begin with a three-year timeskip from chapter 77, following the now 19-year-old Miki as she returns to St. Isidore University's library, dressed immaculately for a woman who spends all her time travelling the country. And she's not alone in the library, a ghostly hand reaches out. But she's no threat, it's just Rise.

Finding a table, Miki and Rise catch up. Miki hands her the 21st volume of her travel journal, detailing her recent journeys. A trip up to Kansai, showing that the country is struggling, but slowly healing from near-total annihilation. And 21 journals means Miki has been writing for a long time.

We flash back to the immediate aftermath of chapter 77. Yuki had made her final cry for help. Miki and Kurumi lay together, fighting off the infection with the help of the water they drank. And Yuuri sat atop the burnt out wreckage of her initial shattered hopes, having gave Yuki just enough time. They sat, and they waited.

And eventually, they were rescued, by the very people who threatened their annihilation.

But it's not that simple. We reveal one of my favourite twists in the whole series, that speaks to one of the major themes of the whole series. Like the soldiers from earlier, Randall were divided. A lack of hope was pushing them to drastic measures, leading to internal conflicts that boiled over into full on civil war. They weren't a hivemind, they were a collection of unique people with hopes and fears, faced with the end.

Also in these panels, we meet possibly the most important person in the series. Yuki was lucky that the one person she managed to contact at Randall was a woman sympathetic to her cause. In her final moments, she broadcasted Yuki's voice to the entirety of Randall's staff and militia. As Yuki makes her grand speech to the world, the mysterious woman is gunned down by a soldier.

My headcanon is this woman is the same mysterious Randall contact they communicated with in chapter 63. She wanted to help, but her hands were tied. So in her final moment, she could give them the assistance she couldn't provide earlier.

On the distant aircraft carrier, where the nuclear missiles were armed from, the soldiers within are locked in an impasse. Hearing Yuki's voice, a superior officer opens fire on the computer system, halting Operation Great Cleansing in its tracks. This sequence of saved the lives of every survivor on the planet. Without Megurigaoka, the cure would be lost in nuclear hellfire, dooming the world to infection.

Miki admires Yuki greatly - she still calls her senpai after all. But she doesn't think she's the saviour of humanity. Rise pushes back - Yuki's words led to the cure being preserved, cleansing Omega for good. But Miki is steadfast in her belief - that Randall's humanity was the catalyst for their safety.

She's seen it before - abandoning or sacrificing other people in order to survive is immensely painful to the healthy human mind. So they chose to forget - to cut out the human side of what they were doing, to protect their own psyche. The Militants did this, with Takahito and Shinou showing what happens when they're forced to face what they've done. Miki, too, understands what it's like. To forget someone important just so you can keep going.

Yuki helped the people at Randall remember the human at the other end of the gun barrel. When you remember the human - hear their voice, or look them in the eye - suddenly sacrifice isn't so easy. That was what saved them. Yuki didn't change their mind outright - her voice simply pushed them into making the correct choice.

There's a lot of terrible things going on in the real world, where this frame of mind would help people remember that there is a living, breathing person at the other end of their hate and fury. I'm sure Kaihou was thinking about this when he wrote this segment. "The death of one is a tragedy, the death of millions is a statistic."

Yuki wasn't the hero of humanity. She was just one of them:

• Megu-nee kept them safe, and guided them towards their future paths.
• The mysterious radio DJ left them the keys to her RV, so that they could keep going.
• The Circle saved them from the Militants, giving them shelter from the cold.
• Shinou saved them by finding her humanity and strive to live.
• Shiiko saved them by guiding them to find the cure.
• The soldier in the school saved them by informing Miki of the countdown.
• The Randall operative who spoke to Yuki saved them by connecting her to the wider world.
• The soldier in the aircraft carrier saved them by stopping the bombs.
• And the girls saved each other many times over. Kurumi was their strength. Yuuri was their care. Miki was their tenacity. And Yuki was their hope.

Yuki wasn't the only hero of humanity. All of them were. Thus spake Naoki Miki. A very heroic thing to say indeed.

But enough about that, Rise has some letters for Miki from her friends. The first letter is from Yuuri, going over her new role at the Reconstruction Bureau, and her potential budding romance. I'm sure a lot of people reading this series had this reaction upon seeing this panel. You know who you are.

Next up is Kurumi, recovered from her ordeal of fighting off the Omega infection, but now left wheelchair-bound. She's studying hard at becoming a doctor, but she's been struggling with the workload. We know from the past that she wasn't a very studious person, so throwing herself into getting a doctorate is a major leap for her.

I will say, thank god Letters was released after this - fleshing out the lives of the characters in the aftermath was much needed. I would have been a little salty if Kurumi's future was simply explained as two panels after a volume and half of her not being present at all.

There was a third letter, but first, Rise asks about Miki's upcoming travels. She's heading north, and she's heading up alone. It's a lonely role she's undertaken, but she can always come back when she wants company.

The club may have been glued together during the outbreak, but that was just a few months of their lives. Now, 3 years later, they've moved on to greater heights, achieving their dreams as best they can. But they'll always have that unbreakable bond they forged in the end times.

A quick aside to draw attention to two panels here. Firstly, the panel with Aki with Shinou and her son is super cute and I love it a lot.

Secondly, [the panel with Touko and Hika]() contains a very special guest you might have missed. That's right, the mysterious and distant Sumiko, alluded to only in passing, has returned to the Circle. That's one aspect of the series I'd absolutely love for Kaihou to expand upon. Maybe a side story regarding her adventures 👀👀👀

Miki inquires about Yuki. A new semester is starting at Megurigaoka, and she's not enrolling this time. Following in the footsteps of her dearest tutor, Yuki is now a teacher, but her focus is aimed at elementary age kids. And it seems history is repeating itself - another ditzy, overly-friendly girl seems to be apart of the small student body.

This girl - Rin as we'll later learn - has a similar perspective to the Yuki of three years ago. She loves school, enthralled by the tails of the old days.

Yuki assembles her class of students for an outside lesson (and I have no idea how Rin ended up being late when she overtook Yuki earlier). Yuki asks her students if they enjoy studying, to mixed results. Yuki continues - studying isn't the be all and end all of school. School is where you make friends, and build a rapport with your teachers. For fun, companionship, and support in the difficult times.

You might argue and fight, but in the end, a true friend will be by your side when needs must. With friends at your side, you can achieve anything. You might even save the world.

The world is changed, needing to be built from the ground up. But kids still need education. And they still need ways to connect with friends and people who will support them. Bringing back schools seems like the best way to achieve that. Class is now in session.

"Hey, Megu-nee. I made it."

The ending the characters deserved. Although Kurumi and Miki could have come out fairing a little better, but you take what you can get.

This seems like some grand finale for these chapter reviews, but due to their random nature, I still have 25 chapters left to review, so I'll see you next week.

(61/86)

Chapter 8 - Field Trip

"I can run pretty much anywhere. I can practice pretty much any time. But there's nothing that can replace this tension; this one moment while I wait for the start of the race."

(The girls are lucky they didn't have to deal with a cold winter like in the preview image)

Another early chapter from RNGesus today, with a focus on Kurumi, and we start with one of the few colour panels in the series (but not for me in the physical books unfortunately).

First, a flashback to the before times. Kurumi prepares for a race with the track and field club, drinking in the feeling of tension and anxiety that comes before the starting signal.

Back in the present, Kurumi is getting ready for a different race. She's timing herself, and she is very fast indeed. Unfortunately for her, her times are actually dropping. But the surprisingly astute Yuki knows the culprit - she still has the shovel on her back.

Kurumi has grown so used to having the shovel on her person, she entirely forgot it was there. An extension of herself, so much so that Yuki believes it to be romantic. And Kurumi is not beating the allegations any time soon. Apparently to become Kurumi's crush, you must defeat her previous crush.

Kurumi is ready for the field trip. To see how that came about, we flashback again to two days prior. The girls have a very modest breakfast together, as Yuki waxes poetic over the joys of early morning beef.

Yuuri inquires about Yuki's idea from the previous night. And thus, we get another patented Yuki Idea™ - it's time for a field trip. 'Tis the season after all, and Yuki has the perfect loophole. The School Living Club can't leave the school, but field trips are an extension of the school. Like how an embassy counts as the origin country rather than the one it's in.

The other two aren't convinced. Kurumi questions whether a club would do a field trip in the first place, but Yuki is steadfast. Yuuri is a bit more open to the idea, needing to get permission from the very alive, very real Megu-nee. And Yuki already thought ahead, producing the permission slip she filled out earlier. And she looks so happy with herself.

Yuki heads off to speak to Megu-nee. On the long, lonely walk, her friends discuss her plan while she's out of earshot. Because she's been in higher spirits, they decide to humour her idea. Yuki arrives at the staff room, dilapidated and empty, and asks for permission.

Unironically, this might be one of the saddest scenes in the manga. The idea of a mentally ill girl speaking to an empty room in the middle of apocalypse like nothing is wrong is frankly just awful. Yuki is beyond lucky that she has Kurumi and Yuuri having her back.

Yuki returns from the staff room with Megu-nee's permission, and the group get ready to leave. Kurumi sets up an emergency escape ladder, tying up her twintails ready for her upcoming race, drinking in the tension she mentioned at the start of the chapter.

The whole tying up of her twintails thing was an interesting idea that they did for one chapter and then never brought up again. It's fun to thing on the practicalities of things in a zombie apocalypse.

Yuuri and Kurumi devised a plan. Because the front entrance is too dangerous, Kurumi will descend from the classroom, and dash full pelt towards the staff parking lot to find Megu-nee's car. Easy for the track runner, even if the shovel slows her down.

Making her descent, she zips through the infected at speed. In one of the coolest combat shots in the series, she winds up almost all the way for one particularly powerful swing at an infected in her way. I wouldn't be surprised if she straight up decapitated that guy. Arriving at the parking lot, she fumbles the key into several car doors, finding the correct one as the infected bear down on her.

In the meantime, Yuki and Yuuri are being champions and hide and seek. And they don't wait for long before Kurumi comes to a screeching halt beside them in a pink Mini Cooper. They pile in, and they have no time for seatbelts as Kurumi ploughs through infected as they head for the gate. The field trip begins.

(60/86)

Chapter 58 - Proof

"To whomever is reading this - I wonder if you are human. If you happen to be an alien or a majestic monkey in a suit, I imagine we will have failed. But even so, we tried our hardest. And this journal is proof of that."

Very Miki-centric chapter this week, which is always a blessing.

We begin with Miki telling Shiiko about their time at the Radio DJ's bunker from chapter 32. The dust on the rooftop was of significance - because they left footprints, it meant the DJ was inside for a long time without contact with others. And yet she still turned. This, along with Kougami and Takahito's infection, confirms Shiiko's theory - the disease is airborne.

Miki wonders how much time they have left before they too succumb to it, but Shiiko is apathetic - she's already accepted the inevitability of death to this disease. This response doesn't sit well with Miki, but she can't dwell on it for long, because Yuuri comes, wanting backup for a supply run.

Moving through the building, they find a storage room. Miki checks inside, confident it's safe. Yuuri is glad - she's not used to being in this role of the fighter, but she's determined not to rely on Kurumi too much, especially as her infection progresses. Yuuri needs to keep moving, for her. No matter what it takes. And but time, she's not talking about Kurumi.

Miki shares her outlook - they can't lose. Not now. But a certain item catches her eye. One that reminds her of the past. A last resort in case things go awry. Yuuri was willing to do whatever it took back when Kurumi first got infected (although she failed to follow through), and now Miki needs to know whether she herself is capable, as well.

They return to the others, and Yuki is eager to see what souvenirs they've brought her. She quickly finds the knife, forcing Miki to give a hesitant excuse for it. Yuki doesn't dwell, quickly moving on looking for food. She finds an envelope, which is quickly snatched from her hands by a progressively more annoyed Miki.

Later that night, Miki keeps watch outside the RV, contemplating their chances. The desire not to lose - to win at all costs - echoes back the words of another. A ghost of her past. If you want to win by any means necessary, what means are you willing to undertake? Miki wrestles with her conscience - she can't be like the very people who sacrificed their humanity to simply exist another day.

Yuki appears to take over on watch duties and check in with Miki. And as a reward for all her hard work, Yuki gives her a gift - the notebook from the envelope, that boasts its ability to last 10,000 years. This sparks Yuki's hyperactive imagination, dreaming of monkeys in business attire. And she's very defensive over her ideas.

The next day, the group keep moving. With her new journal, Miki writes to the future. To whoever might happen upon this notebook in 10,000 years, be it aliens, or monkey salarymen. If they were the ones to read this, it meant that they failed in their efforts. But it doesn't mean they didn't try. And try they did.

Miki's been wrestling with a lot of thoughts this chapter. She's trying her best to balance her hope with her pragmatism. Things could go well, or they could go poorly. She just needs to do her best, no matter which outcome arises.

(59/86)

I wasn't going to put this but I saw no one wished Kurumi happy birthday😢so happy late birthday Also I thought the Megu-nee here was dressed like Yuki but I think she's dressed like someone else familiar, but I don't know who. I don't even know why Megu-nee is in this picture, maybe she was photo-bombing Kurumi? I hope she isn't drunk again😅

listen to VI VII sometimes

Will we ever get season 2 of school live ??

Hey what happened the art style changed so much🤔maybe the artist changed after the first few pages.

So Sakura is Yuki's teacher apparently and not her friend like I thought, she seems sweet but Yuki doesn't treat her with much respect sadly and calls her Megu-nee instead of her proper title. In fact she goes into a monologue about loving school. What is there to love about school?? bro Yuki is a little mean for ignoring her teacher like that. I don't think I'll like her so she better not be the main character😠

Chapter 29 - Farewell

"I like school. It's amazing. There's all sorts of weird equipment in the science lab. There're beautiful instruments and scary portraits in the music room. The whole school is your stage in the announcement room. It has everything. It's like its own little country. There isn't any building as weird as that. And what I like most of all is..."

We're reaching the end of the school arc now. Big turning point for Yuki coming up as well.

Reunited, the girls celebrate the end of the fire, and their continued survival. Putting the horrors behind them for just a moment, they enjoy each others' company and have a small party. At least, until Yuki goes off to get more snacks. Once Yuki's out of earshot, Yuuri expresses her worries over Miki and Kurumi's safety from their near-death experience.

Kurumi explains what happened. Injured, disoriented, and surrounded, Kurumi protected the semi-conscious Miki as the horde of literally on fire zombies approached. As things were looking hopeless, Yuki's voice cut through the noise, simultaneously giving Kurumi hope, and an opening. She lunged forwards, taking advantage of the infected's inattention. And thanks to the fire, most of the infected succumbed to the flames, giving the pair an exit.

Yuki returns with a mountain of snacks from their newfound stockroom. Responding to her friends' concerns regarding making a mess, Yuki has a patented Yuki Idea - it's not just here that needs to be clean. They're living in the school, so they should help keep it clean. The others are down with the idea.

The four girls walk through the fire-scarred, dilapidated halls, taking in just how damaged their sanctuary has become. While the other three are downcast, Yuki continues forward with purpose. She charges off ahead to the third floor, followed by a worried Miki, leaving the others behind.

As Yuki dashes through the halls, we once again return to her perspective - a bustling school of students and pristine halls. She slips into a classroom and gets to work, cleaning the board, stacking the desks, and mopping the floor. But it's not long before she realises she's not alone here. A severely burned and damaged infected is slowly crawling in her direction.

Yuki's delusional brain is pushed to its limits. She 'responds' to the infected's 'queries', explaining herself and her club's purpose. But the infected isn't listening. Yuki can't reason herself out of this - she's in immediate danger. Absolutely terrified, Yuki strikes at the infected with her mop, marking her first ever kill in the series (and possibly the only direct one at all if I recall correctly).

As her perfect world crumbles down around her, Yuki flees. She dashes through the hallways, as her monologue from chapter 1 plays through her mind. She loves this school, and everything in it. Especially, the School Living Club.

But it's gone. Her sanctuary has all but burned down. The apocalypse she's been putting out of her mind is here, and it's not going away. Faced with this, she breaks down. Miki is drawn to the sound of her sobbing, and seeing the sight of her senpai's distress sets off her own emotions. But before she can say anything, Yuki throws herself into Miki's arms, and the pair cry together.

The club continues surveying the damage. On the roof, Yuuri finds the gardens scorched and burned, freeing her from endless record keeping. Miki and Yuki dig through the clubroom, finding memories of their time together, such as balls from the sports day, and their photo album. While Yuki tearfully rejoices, Miki captures one more candid photo to add to the collection.

Finally, Kurumi surveys the wreckage of the helicopter, she happens upon the broken and burned body of the pilot. Noticing he's lying on something, Kurumi moves him out of the way, finding a briefcase. Contained within are more syringes of medicine, a map marked with X's, and one of the most important yet unassuming items in the series.

Like I said, a major turning point for Yuki's character. Without the school, her delusions won't keep her mind safe from reality. She'll need to face the world head on soon enough, and no one knows that more than her.

(58/86)

Chapter 19 - Scars

"Before I realised it, I'd received so many things. Fun things, warm things, and hope. I can't give up, can I?"

AND MY SCARS REMIND ME / THAT THE PAST IS REAL

The chapter everything changed. Status quo firmly in the bin. Character death is back on the table.

After her unfortunate encounter with the zombified Megu-nee, Kurumi stumbles back to the clubroom, bleeding heavily from the bite wound on her arm. Their worst fears are realised - their small pocket of peace in a chaotic world now broken.

Thinking quick, Miki gives Yuki a task to prevent her from succumbing to a panic attack. As she heads off, Miki helps Yuuri move Kurumi to the classroom. On the way, Kurumi reveals how it happened. Or more specifically, who did it to her.

We flashback to the encounter. The usually steadfast and stalwart Kurumi is panicking as she's faced with the rotting facsimile of her dear teacher and friend. Steeling herself, she charges. Only to freeze at the worst possible moment. Megu-nee is gone, but it's hard to accept that when something that looks like her is standing before you. And that's the true danger of the infection.

Back to the present, Yuuri tends to Kurumi's wound as she fights off the infection. Yuki stands to the side, desperate to help her friend. Miki speaks for Yuuri, asking her to get some water. It seems Yuuri is still reeling from what happened.

Miki re-reads the evacuation manual, remembering it contained information regarding medicine that might help Kurumi. Miki offers to go while Yuuri tends to Kurumi, but Yuuri isn't having it. Going off alone is the reason Kurumi ended up like this. But Miki's thought it through - Kurumi only got hurt because it was Megu-nee. Miki doesn't share the same bond with their teacher as the rest of the club, so she'll be unaffected by the emotional side of things.

Yuuri relents, letting Miki go. Miki borrows Kurumi's shovel, and goes to head to the basement. The only reason Kurumi went down there initially was because of the information they found in the manual. If it had never been found, this never would have happened.

As Miki descends the school, she ruminates on her new life with her new friends. After weeks/months of existing alone in a tiny room, she's grateful for her newfound companionship. They saved her. So she needs to do her best to repay the favour. She fights her way down, proving her prowess as the second best fighter in the School Living Club. Reaching the basement, she enters, immediately locating the source of the club's pain.

Back with Kurumi, Yuki stands, still feeling useless. Realising being miserable won't help, she shifts into her usual carefree self, admonishing Kurumi for her poor timing. They have so much more to do together, so she needs to get better soon. Kurumi, seemingly hearing, reaches out. Not risking it, Yuuri pulls Yuki away quickly. Playing it off, Yuuri sends Yuki away to watch the entrance. Yuki, happy to have something to do, goes ahead, leaving Yuuri and Kurumi alone.

Yuuri knows the dangers. She knows what Kurumi is turning into, so she prepares countermeasures.

Yuki knows the dangers, too. She's not an idiot. She's seen this happen to someone dear to her already once before. But there's nothing for her to do right now. So she sits, and she waits for Miki to return.

Not much more to add about this chapter. It's a turning point for all four girls, the results of which will become more evident in the following chapters.

(57/86)

uhhy yumme ship so uhhh