Nightmare Arc

Story guide

Chiikawa keeps studying at a desk, but pauses their pencil as if speaking to a small object nearby. The scene shifts to the nighttime streets, where Chiikawa exchanges a few brief words with people while walking. At a food stall, Yoroi-san (Armor Knight) is handling a warm sweet bean filling, which Chiikawa receives and eats. Afterward, the image returns to the desk and table, making the fatigue of studying and the nighttime experience seem to continue without a break.

Story guide

Chiikawa keeps studying on a sleepless night and repeatedly voices a desire for a late-night snack. Looking at the shape of the moon, they imagine the snack arriving, including something like a food stall and a small container of food. The food they expect appears as a small form labeled COMPACT, and Chiikawa looks at it in surprise. Studying at the desk alternates with imagining a late-night snack, ending with their tired nighttime awareness wavering between the two.

Story guide

On a moonlit night, Chiikawa holds a small item and worries about being unable to sleep. They think of foods such as grilled rice balls and bento as possible late-night snacks, then begin walking toward the forest. They stop at a distant sound and look around among the trees as if waiting for someone. As the source of the sound approaches, Chiikawa crouches anxiously and listens. The post shifts from expecting food to waiting in the nighttime forest.

Story guide

A large creature with a long nose appears before Chiikawa and urges them to hand over their late-night snack. Chiikawa is startled by the creature's large body and movements. It continues to talk about the moon becoming more beautiful and about the snack, moving around as if hurrying Chiikawa along. Unable to fully grasp what it means, Chiikawa stands still while holding the small item they had. Dreamlike colors appear on the screen, and the scene ends as the creature suddenly comes very close.

Story guide

In a single illustration, Usagi wearing the hood of a yellow kigurumi faces forward, emitting beams of light from around the eyes. On the right side, large yellow text is added as a sound effect, conveying the force of the light shooting forth. Behind them, Chiikawa in a pink kigurumi lets out a small cry, and Hachiware in a light-blue kigurumi mutters "amazing" as they watch the light. The three kigurumi are each different colors, and the background spreads out as a grayish blue-green ground. There is no depiction of location or preceding and following events, only the two's brief cries of surprise and admiration are included.

Story guide

A large dog-like creature asks Chiikawa to hand over their late-night snack and approaches by extending its long nose. Chiikawa backs away at the creature's movements, but is lifted by its nose and swung around. Even after it moves away, Chiikawa tries to call after it and follows. At the end, the creature looms even larger, and Chiikawa looks up at it from an inescapably close distance.

Story guide

Chiikawa returns from a dark place and bites into the rolled food they had. Study materials and an empty plate remain on the desk, while Chiikabu (the Beetle) is still visible nearby. After eating, Chiikawa becomes sleepy and holds Chiikabu (the Beetle) in bed. When they wake, it is light outside, and Chiikawa gives their body a small stretch. The uneasy nighttime scene is followed by a quiet morning awakening in their room.

Story guide

This spring illustration gathers Hachiware, Usagi, and Chiikawa against a pink background with falling cherry-blossom petals. Hachiware holds a small flower, while Usagi and Chiikawa peek out from behind. There are no speech bubbles or connected actions among the three, and it does not directly continue the nighttime events of the Nightmare Arc. Using pale cherry-blossom pink and petals, it stands as an independent visual showing their expressions in a spring-like atmosphere.

Cultural and language noteCherry blossoms are a flower strongly associated with spring in Japan. Their petals and pale pink color are often used as visual signs of the season's arrival.

Story guide

Chiikawa wakes up indoors and hears that the gate is about to close. Outside stands the building for the Weeding Certification, and Chiikawa hurries toward it as the door seems ready to shut. After stopping in front of it, they walk near flowers and tilt their head as if listening for something. At the end, Chiikawa hides in a bedding-like place as a loud sound rings out. The test building and the unsettling sound form an uneasy scene.

Story guide

Hachiware appears before Chiikawa and speaks to them about the late-night snack. Chiikawa remembers being chased by a large creature, and Hachiware thinks that it may have fled after hearing about it. Hachiware also mentions the nightmare and tells Chiikawa to talk to them again if anything happens. When Hachiware reminds them about the upcoming training session with their teacher, Chiikawa answers while listening anxiously. The scene connects the snack conversation to the dream experience and an ordinary upcoming plan.

Story guide

Outside, Usagi walks briskly away, and Chiikawa stands looking downcast. Then Usagi suddenly approaches with a loud voice, making Chiikawa jump with a start. While Chiikawa falls silent, Usagi runs off saying something. The scene shifts indoors, where Chiikawa studies at a low table, scratching away with a pencil, while Usagi lies on the table watching their hand, and Mogura Croquette is also on the floor. Suddenly, a gray figure shedding tears in the dark flashes through Chiikawa's mind, and their heart pounds. Chiikawa glances at Usagi sleeping beside them and lets out a sigh. Eventually, Usagi pops up with a laugh and calls out to them, and Chiikawa grunts "yeah" with an open book in front of them, before simply rolling onto the floor at the end.

Story guide

In blue-gray tones, Chiikawa is depicted drifting through a nightmare. Fragments of earlier impressions appear, including a large creature, a figure in a cold box, and a board showing those who passed Weeding Level 5. Chiikawa sleeps and sweats amid an image that seems turned upside down, surrounded by the word dream and uneasy sounds. At the end, a small figure trembles and startles at someone's presence. Rather than advancing an individual conversation, the post shows Chiikawa's dream mixing together several memories.

Story guide

A single illustration with speed lines racing across a dark gray background, where Hoshi in the center is drawn with furrowed brows, clenched teeth, and a crouching posture. A pointed speech bubble contains only a short sound like a groan, and lines indicating motion are drawn around the body. Three Mitsuboshi are arranged to the left, right, and foreground of Hoshi, all with round eyes and gentle expressions. There are no panel divisions or dialogue exchanges; the scene of Hoshi straining is captured in a single image.

Story guide

In a nightmare, Chiikawa sees the display of those who passed Weeding Level 5 and seems to smile in relief. Yet other words intrude on the screen, and the large creature's shadow overlaps with the word dream. Near the real desk, Usagi watches as Chiikawa wakes up sweating and heads toward it. Usagi looks at a paper nearby, then notices Chiikawa's sudden reaction. Impressions of passing and images from the nightmare alternate, making the boundary between sleeping and waking waver.

Story guide

Usagi moves violently across the nighttime ground, while Chiikawa looks up as if remembering the large creature. It appears before them, and Usagi responds despite trembling. The creature says that companions are safe together and that they may come if it is not a nightmare. Chiikawa and Usagi hear this explanation but cannot tell what it wants. The scene ends with the three facing one another, still unable to feel secure from words alone.

Story guide

The large creature draws Chiikawa toward its mouth, and Usagi is confused as they watch. Holding up a tool, Chiikawa appeals to it about making the nightmares stop. The creature opens its mouth wide and listens to Chiikawa, but keeps moving in ways that are hard to predict. In front of a background changing to rainbow colors, Usagi and Chiikawa remain alert to it. Without knowing what it intends to do, the scene cuts as Chiikawa grips the tool again.

Story guide

Chiikawa stands near the large creature with a tool at the ready, and Usagi is there as well. Watching Usagi's movements, the creature again indicates that companions are safe together. Usagi jumps energetically, while Chiikawa looks back and forth between Usagi and the creature's face. The creature tells them to wait, then extends its long nose toward them. Chiikawa and Usagi try to flee, but the creature's hand and nose fill the frame, leaving its next move unreadable.

Story guide

A large dark opponent grabs Usagi from behind and keeps tickling their sides with a feather-like tool. Chiikawa screams and flees while still gripping a pink tool. The opponent complains that Usagi is not laughing, and Usagi fires back with an unfazed expression. Chiikawa returns momentarily and aims the tool at the opponent with a glare, but after nodding small and steeling their resolve, they drop the tool on the spot and dash away. In the darkness, the opponent continues tickling while asking whether Chiikawa has fled, and remarks on their stubborn persistence. Chiikawa, who had been watching the situation from behind the cover of a bush, eventually returns dragging a large stone wrapped in green cloth.

Story guide

In a dimly lit place, Chiikawa carries in and sets down a large dorayaki, and a voice asks whether it is a prop. When Chiikawa points to it, the large dark opponent answers that it must be red bean paste, then shouts that it is uguisu paste and laughs, and Usagi joins in the excitement. When Chiikawa lifts the top layer, black filling appears from inside, and a voice says they got it right. After that, Chiikawa topples sideways and slides across, and the opponent lets out a surprised cry. In a pulled-back shot, Chiikawa stands beside the cracked dorayaki, and the opponent is lifting up Usagi. Finally, Chiikawa raises a yellow-green round piece and cries out; when asked what it is this time, they use that piece to tickle the opponent's body in a fluttering motion, and the segment ends with the opponent crying out.

Story guide

Facing the green thing they have been given, Chiikawa thinks about what the large creature wants. It asks for a form that makes laughing easier, so Chiikawa tries tickling it. The tip of its nose changes into a soft shape, and the creature is confused by the unexpected change in itself. Seeing this, Chiikawa worries that something still has not changed. After the creature relaxes its mouth, it suddenly loses its balance, and something unexpected appears around them.

Story guide

The large creature suddenly flips its body over before Chiikawa and crashes hard onto the ground. Usagi watches from a distance, while Chiikawa stands near it. After the fall, the green thing sticks to the creature's body, and it panics when it notices it. The presence of the Rock-Paper-Scissors Mimics also appears in the scene, and Chiikawa and Usagi look up at the creature's change. The moment continues to shift as the creature cannot fully understand what has happened to its own body.

Story guide

Dekatsuyo laughs loudly and rocks their body in front of Usagi and Chiikawa while mentioning that the soles of their feet are weak. The two look at the green thing in their hands and check its reaction. Chiikawa smiles against a background colored like the rising moon, but soon sweats as they watch Dekatsuyo. Usagi runs ahead, and Chiikawa follows. The post ends with the two looking at one another in a quiet moment after moving away from Dekatsuyo.

Story guide

A single illustration showing three figures lined up against a white background. Hachiware wears a blue eye mask over their eyes with closed eyes and is sweating. Chiikawa faces forward with beads of sweat on their face. Kurimanju brings a can to their mouth and sways their body. Romaji placed in the center reads as a sentence meaning "drinking something...," and an arrow extending from it points toward Kurimanju and the can, indicating that he is drinking something. No dialogue exchanges or resolution of events are depicted; only the scene of the three lined up is captured.

Story guide

Chiikawa walks through rocky ground toward a voice they hear ahead. Blue claw-like shapes are visible in gaps between the rocks, and Chiikawa realizes that something is there. On approaching, they find a dark hole opening in the rock face, with small footprint-like marks leading up to it. Chiikawa stops before the hole and peers into the unseen interior. The post does not reveal whose voice it is or what lies inside, ending with Chiikawa finding the entrance.