Weeding Certification: Sunfish Arc

Story guide

After being seen off by Yoroi-san (Armor Knight), Chiikawa enters an examination hall lined with numbered tags and takes a seat. Hachiware calls out from the entrance, and Yoroi-san receives the encouragement as well. Once the exam begins, Chiikawa faces the test paper, thinking hard and then moving their pencil. While the other examinees continue writing, an expanse like a night sky also crosses Chiikawa's mind. The focus is not on the answers themselves, but on Chiikawa beginning the exam in earnest.

Story guide

During the exam, Chiikawa reviews the questions and adds to their answers as everyone around them quietly works on their papers. One question includes a diagram about grass and drawings of small figures, including Hachiware, Usagi, and nagano's bear. Chiikawa narrows down their thoughts using those materials and keeps their pencil moving even when they hesitate. Whether the answer is right remains unknown, and the post ends with the tension of the exam still in place.

Story guide

While Chiikawa waits for the results, Hachiware encourages them by saying this time seems promising. Usagi listens while holding flowers and watches the two from a little distance away. Hachiware admits that they cannot settle down before the Weeding Level 5 result is announced, while Usagi makes a small remark of their own. When asked what it means, Usagi gives no clear explanation, and Chiikawa and Hachiware are left wondering about their reaction.

Story guide

With the results due the next day, Hachiware lies awake thinking about them. They try to believe everything will be all right, but also tell themself that dwelling on it will only make them anxious, repeatedly trying to steady their feelings. Even through the moonlit night, they cannot fall asleep, with hope and worry taking turns. In the end, Hachiware lies down with a quiet resolve to be happy if they pass and tries to get through the unanswered night.

Story guide

Chiikawa and Hachiware arrive at the results board and begin searching for a number amid the crowd. When Chiikawa, holding their exam slip, seems to spot something, Hachiware tells them to stay calm because it could still be a misreading. They also check the same number as before and even mention that they did not ride the sunfish today. The board is headed with the names of those who passed Weeding Level 5, and the two move closer to the list.

Story guide

Amid a murmuring crowd, Chiikawa and Hachiware come to look at the posted list of Weeding Level 5 passers. The exam ticket in hand bears the number 93, and Hachiware remarks that it is the same number as the first time. Chiikawa lets out only a short sound, and no next words follow. In front of the posting, someone's joyful voice also rises. Chiikawa briefly squeezes their eyes shut and stiffens, and the next moment, both of them jerk their heads up with a start. After that, the scene continues with them standing side by side staring at the posting, and it ends without any words that reveal whether they passed or failed.

Story guide

Hachiware finds number ninety-three on the list and repeatedly tells Chiikawa that they passed. Still holding the exam slip, Chiikawa has not caught up with the reality of it and cannot immediately show joy even after hearing that they passed. Hachiware finds the reaction puzzling, feeling that a first pass should be more immediately real. After hearing what Chiikawa starts to say, Hachiware seems to realize another possibility, and the post ends there.

Story guide

Hearing that successful applicants are apparently being called somewhere, Chiikawa suddenly runs off to find where the notice leads. Hachiware follows, worried about whether the call really concerns them. As they go down the corridor, Chiikawa does not answer, and Hachiware's concern only grows. They eventually reach an entrance with a yellow sign, and Chiikawa tries to go inside. What they have come to confirm is not yet revealed.

Story guide

Hachiware raises a loud voice saying congratulations, and Chiikawa jumps for joy. The scene changes, and the two sit side by side in seats at a ramen shop, holding meal tickets and the bottle on the table as they wait. Around them, customers are eating noisily. Hachiware says in a low voice that it should not be that they are not happy, checking with Chiikawa. Before long, a heaping bowl adorned with the single character "Rou" is presented, and Chiikawa silently slurps the noodles, and Hachiware beside them also brings food to their mouth. After that, there is no conversation, and it ends with only Chiikawa's face continuing to chew away in silence.

Story guide

Over their noodles, Hachiware celebrates Chiikawa's passing again and says that the reality of it is starting to sink in for them too. Chiikawa accepts the happiness but pauses with their chopsticks, still seeming unable to fully believe it. Hachiware looks back on the time they have spent together since going outside and sees this result as part of all that has built up. Chiikawa listens and slowly continues eating. Rather than becoming an extravagant celebration, their conversation remains a time for sharing how slowly the result is becoming real.

Story guide

This post is a single illustration of Hachiware and Chiikawa smiling side by side. Small light-green grass marks are scattered at their feet, giving a gentle nod to the Weeding Certification celebration that had just unfolded. There are no speech bubbles or further actions; the joy that had been expressed during the meal is concluded through their expressions alone. No new story information is added, and the image simply preserves how the two feel at this moment.

Story guide

In front of a cave, Chiikawa, Hachiware, and Usagi hold drinks and celebrate once more Chiikawa's passing of the Weeding Certification Level 5. Chiikawa shyly shows their Level 5 license with their photo in it, and Hachiware says that passing feels real now. When Usagi lets out a breath, Hachiware asks whether they are feeling moved, and Usagi fishes something out and holds up a Weeding Level 2 license with their own photo. While Chiikawa and Hachiware cry out in surprise, Usagi runs off just like that.

Story guide

Across three illustrations, Hachiware, Chiikawa, and Usagi sit together by a low table for a celebration with teacups and small dishes. The compositions shift from Chiikawa and Hachiware holding up small tags, to all three looking at the tags, to Usagi moving close in a larger pose. There is no dialogue; the shared props and changing arrangements convey only the mood of celebrating the preceding Level 5 result. It is not a new event in the main comic, but a variation on the celebratory scene.

Story guide

In their own room, Hachiware picks up the Weeding Level 5 certificate and lets a smile escape. Memories come back of standing side by side with Chiikawa and Usagi holding their certificates, and in the flashback Hachiware suggests what kind of face to make for the Level 4 photo, Chiikawa nods, and Usagi is also smiling. Hachiware lets out a breath and flops down on their back, and while gazing at the certificate, murmurs that everyone must have felt the same. After a while, they sit up saying they somehow feel hungry, and decide to eat grilled rice balls before going to sleep.

Story guide

In a dark place, Chiikawa falls into a depression in the ground and is frightened by a large clawed hand reaching from nearby. Hearing Chiikawa call for help, Hachiware tries to rush over from a distance, but the other figure remains only a dark outline. Chiikawa cannot understand the situation even when told not to struggle, and the hand keeps coming closer. At the end, Hachiware takes it as though this might have happened long ago. The rescue is not shown, and the post ends with the unease of a remembered past.

Story guide

Against a deep-blue night sky, Chiikawa is placed at the center, with Hachiware, Usagi, Furuhonya, Momonga, Kurimanju, Rakko, and Shisa arranged around them as if floating. The work's title and its Roman-letter spelling appear at the bottom, and a line drawing of a large hand is also shown at lower left. There is no dialogue or continuing action; the post is composed as a commemorative visual scattering the characters like lights in the night. Its focus is the arrangement of the characters and the title, rather than a new plot.

Story guide

Usagi looks at the sky and announces that rain is coming, and Chiikawa and Hachiware listen. Usagi immediately grabs a large cloud-like mass, making the two think they may intend to turn a rain cloud into cotton candy and eat it. Usagi does hold the white mass and eat it, but ordinary rain still begins to fall from the sky. Chiikawa watches it through a window. Hachiware calls Usagi's action an amazing ability, although it does not result in stopping the rain.

Story guide

Seeing Usagi worn out by the heat, Chiikawa and Hachiware worry that they might eat the sun. Against the two's expectation that they must stop something terrible, Usagi has prepared a noodle dish in red broth. Hachiware realizes that it may be tom yum goong, and Chiikawa tastes the dish as well. The two learn that what they took for talk of eating the sun was actually talk of Thai food. The short episode ends with the mix-up between their worry and the meal.

Cultural and language noteTom yum goong is a well-known Thai soup characterized by its spicy and sour flavors. Here, it helps the characters imagine the flavor of the noodle dish.

Story guide

Following Usagi's words, Chiikawa and Hachiware run through a grassy area. Hachiware imagines that Usagi may be hurrying to a land of weather, and Chiikawa listens to the explanation. Usagi appears amid imagery like sky and clouds, but gives no clear explanation for calling it a land of weather. Hachiware also wonders whether they misheard it as heaven, and Chiikawa thinks about what the word might mean. The destination remains unknown as the three continue talking.

Story guide

Chiikawa and Hachiware say they miss Usagi when they are not around. Usagi then appears high in the sky, riding something long like bamboo, and the two look up at them. Usagi seems to have only gone home for a visit, and the bag that falls down contains what appears to be a kawara senbei souvenir. Hachiware recognizes it as a gift, and accepts it with Chiikawa. What the two had almost taken for a major farewell turns out to have the unexpectedly everyday reason of a trip home.

Cultural and language noteKawara senbei are hard, sweet crackers baked in the shape of roof tiles. Here, they are a souvenir Usagi brings back.

Story guide

This brief standalone illustration shows Shisa expressing a happy mood with musical notes. Shisa's face and body fill the image, with a word expressing joy placed beside them. No conversation partner or specific event is shown, and the image does not explain what Shisa is happy about. Rather than a comic page that moves the story forward, it works as a cut showing Shisa's buoyant feeling on its own. Without adding anything before or after, the post simply presents the joy in this image.

Story guide

A post registered under Momonga shows a small white creature with blue ears and a tail holding up a ghost-shaped bag marked BOO in orange letters. The words in the image connect finding the item at Kaldi with the feeling that the year is already drawing to a close. The bag's smiling face and Halloween-style design give it a seasonal feel, but no conversation partner or next action is shown. The image stands on its own as a small item found while shopping.

Cultural and language noteKaldi is a Japanese retailer that sells imported foods and other goods. In the image, a Halloween-themed item found there prompts the post.

Story guide

Chiikawa opens a box for important things and thinks about saving the rewards they received earlier in it. Hachiware looks inside and asks whether there is something Chiikawa wants. Chiikawa shows that they passed Weeding Level 5, and a small creature can also be seen before them. Usagi then arrives with a gift to celebrate Chiikawa's success. Surprised by the celebration prepared for them, Chiikawa sees the talk of the box turn into a small celebratory moment.

Story guide

As Chiikawa and Hachiware walk and talk about becoming Weeding Level 5, Yoroi-san (Armor Knight) appears before them. Delighted to hear they passed, Yoroi-san offers them Werther's Original as a gift of congratulations. Chiikawa looks at the wrapped candy they receive, while Hachiware wonders what they have been given. Treating the two as special, Yoroi-san brings up another kind of celebration as well. News of a small qualification expands into individual congratulations from those around them.

Cultural and language noteWerther's Original is an individually wrapped candy known for its caramel flavor. In the image, it is handed over as a gift to celebrate passing.

Story guide

After hearing that Chiikawa and Hachiware passed Weeding Level 5, Yoroi-san (Armor Knight) stops them. The gift is a linked package of sweets, and Chiikawa is amused by its unfamiliar shape. Hachiware wonders what Yoroi-san is trying to say, but Yoroi-san turns the fact that the sweets are connected into a congratulatory message. Looking at the package Chiikawa holds, Hachiware begins to understand the idea as well. The scene becomes a celebration through connected sweets rather than a lengthy explanation.

Story guide

In this short cut, Usagi hurries past Chiikawa and Hachiware. Hachiware notes that Usagi is in a rush, while Chiikawa watches them go with a little sweat on their face. Usagi does not turn back, and the image does not reveal what they are hurrying for or where they are headed. There is no major event or explanation between the three; it consists only of Usagi rushing by and the other two following the moment with their eyes.

Story guide

Chiikawa and Hachiware tell Kurimanju and Shisa that they have passed Weeding Level 5. The two immediately celebrate, and Kurimanju prepares a drink made with carbonated water and Calpis. Chiikawa and Hachiware try the special celebratory drink they are given. Shisa reacts while looking at what they hold, and Kurimanju is pleased that the two have come this far. Reporting their result becomes a small toast-like moment centered around drinks.

Cultural and language noteCalpis is a Japanese lactic-acid beverage. Here, it is mixed with carbonated water for a celebratory drink.

Story guide

A standalone illustration registered under Hachiware shows a small white creature with large round ears and a broad blue tail raising both hands near their face. The speech bubble contains only a brief question, without showing who it is directed to or why. There is no background or prop, and no action directly continues the preceding celebration of passing. It is presented as a captured gesture and short reaction, without introducing a new problem or destination.

Story guide

While reading, Furuhonya watches a linked package of sweets make its way around. Its route from Kurimanju to Chiikawa, Hachiware, and Shisa is shown like a diagram and described as sharing out the happiness. Chiikawa and Hachiware explain that they passed Level 5, and Furuhonya congratulates them while mentioning their own time. The two leave while singing the same words, and Furuhonya lingers over the remaining package. The connected sweets become a celebration passed from person to person.

Story guide

Chiikawa and Hachiware eat snacks while singing together that they both got Level 5. Momonga joins in, devours the contents of a bag as if pouring them down, and remarks, since when was this being shared? Chiikawa bursts into tears, and Hachiware explains the situation, that they passed Level 5. Hearing this, Momonga's eyes grow moist and they fall silent. At the end, Momonga and Hachiware clap and say to each other, "Amazing, isn't it," and Chiikawa stands in front with a somewhat embarrassed face.

Story guide

Usagi appears alone in this single illustration, making a brief sound in a speech bubble. Against a white background, Usagi takes a pose that looks like a light sway, with no reason for the words or listener shown. Rather than adding explanation to the preceding celebration, the image leaves only Usagi's characteristic short vocalization. No decision, movement, or other event can be confirmed here; Usagi's reaction itself is the focus. There are no added exchanges or props, only the sound and the pose.

Story guide

Chiikawa and Hachiware run to Rakko's place while singing, informing him through song that they have both reached Rank 5. Chiikawa hangs what looks like a tag and announces their rank with a straight face. Rakko stops using the tool in his hand in surprise and cries out, asking if they passed. When Hachiware finally tells him that the two of them are Rank 5, Rakko is delighted, saying that is great. Rakko then suggests they go celebrate, mentioning yakiniku. Usagi pops his face in and briefly chimes in, and Chiikawa and the others let out an involuntary sound.

Story guide

At Rakko's suggestion, Chiikawa, Hachiware, and Usagi sit around a table at a yakiniku restaurant. Meat is spread across the grill, and Usagi starts eating while enjoying the sounds of it cooking. Rakko tells them not to hold back and to order whatever they like, but Chiikawa hesitates with the menu in hand. Hachiware watches over Chiikawa, while Usagi chooses sausages. The celebratory meal has begun, but ordering itself is presented as a slightly tense moment for Chiikawa.

Cultural and language noteYakiniku is a Japanese style of dining in which meat and vegetables are grilled at the table. Here, it is used for a celebratory meal.

Story guide

At the yakiniku meal, Rakko tells Hachiware that they will be able to train together from now on. Hachiware does not suddenly declare that they want to become stronger, but is surprised to receive the offer to train together. Chiikawa listens nearby, while Usagi keeps eating and tending the meat on the grill. Rakko introduces the idea of training and gives Hachiware something to consider. By the end, the meal in front of the meat and vegetables on the grill has also become a place to discuss their next plan.

Story guide

Speaking of training, Rakko tells Hachiware that it is important not only to become stronger without rushing, but also to strengthen one's heart. Hachiware listens seriously, and the companions nearby take in the words as well. Usagi gives a brief reaction during the conversation, and Rakko realizes that they had only been placing an order. Hachiware seems confused by having misheard part of it, though their interest in Rakko's proposal remains. The scene combines earnest advice with a small misunderstanding during the meal.

Story guide

At the yakiniku table, Hachiware murmurs in a sing-song voice about the combination of one piece of meat per clove of garlic, and is in a great mood, saying it is extravagant but the best. Chiikawa puts a piece of meat into their mouth, tosses in a garlic clove, and chews them together. Usagi stands by the net watching the cooking. Hachiware complains that their hands are mostly just using chopsticks. Rakko then prefaces by saying that today they are cloaked in the power of garlic, and tells them to be mindful of their distance if they meet anyone. Hachiware replies energetically, and the scene ends. Foil-wrapped grilled garlic is also lined up on the table.

Story guide

After the meal, Rakko leaves after telling Chiikawa and Hachiware that they will train together again later. Chiikawa and Hachiware wave to Rakko and imagine the next training session. Usagi picks up something like the paper used at the restaurant and tries to use it to wrap the two of them. Hachiware wonders whether it might be a paper apron, while Chiikawa finds it strange to be wrapped up. Usagi's playfulness overlaps with Rakko's serious promise.

Story guide

Hachiware, Chiikawa, and Usagi stand in a row in this single illustration, making a short call together. The white background has no props to establish a setting and no speech bubble directed at anyone. Hachiware and Chiikawa face the same way, while Usagi lightly sways beside them. No concrete action carries forward the meal conversation or their next promise; the post consists only of the three's cheerful response.

Story guide

Chiikawa and Hachiware bump into Shisa on the path, and Shisa brightly calls out that it has been a while since earlier. However, the three of them are standing unusually far apart, and Shisa remarks that there is quite a distance between them. Chiikawa and Hachiware then explain that they ate foil-wrapped grilled garlic, and Shisa lets out a sound of understanding and replies that it is fine. Shisa goes on to reveal that he also just had extra garlic himself. The scent of two servings of garlic collides head-on, and Shisa laughs, calling it a cancellation, and the story ends.

Cultural and language noteThe phrase garlic mashimashi means adding more garlic than usual. Here, it explains why the characters are concerned about the smell after eating.

Story guide

In a brown, sticky mass, Chiikawa is surrounded by small particles and has trouble moving. Hachiware finds Chiikawa from outside and calls for them to grab on while they extend a stick. When asked whether they dislike it, Chiikawa cannot answer, and as Hachiware tries to pull them out, they suddenly begin talking about how delicious natto is with chili oil. Chiikawa's difficult situation and Hachiware's discussion of how to eat it proceed side by side, without revealing how the rescue will end.

Cultural and language noteNatto is a fermented soybean food known for its sticky strands. Chili oil with edible ingredients is a spicy oil; here, the combination is mentioned as a way to eat natto.

Story guide

At the dining table, Chiikawa and Hachiware are eating Charumera using a way of eating they recently thought up. The bowl contains noodles in a red broth, and what looks like meat can also be seen among the ingredients. Hachiware pictures a recipe adding tomato juice, powdered cheese, black pepper, and so on, and considers turning it into tsukemen. While Chiikawa enjoys the flavor, Hachiware's imagination also mixes in drawings of a figure resembling an assassin. The culinary ingenuity and Hachiware's associations turn their meal into a slightly bizarre post.

Cultural and language noteCharumera is a Japanese instant-noodle brand. In the image, it is prepared with additions such as tomato juice and grated cheese.

Story guide

Chiikawa, Hachiware, and Usagi find a place where popcorn keeps bursting up. Although Usagi worries that the pieces that miss the container are hard to eat, they pick up the kernels that have fallen. As Chiikawa and Hachiware watch, Usagi reveals that they are choosing the more strongly flavored pieces. By the end, Usagi is eating caramel popcorn, and the three turn from surprise to picking out the kernels they prefer.

Story guide

Hachiware confesses to Chiikawa while typing on a keyboard that they are writing reviews for a restaurant they recently ate at. When the two look at the screen, perfect scores are given to both Jiro and Uma Curry at the ramen shop, accompanied by a passionate comment saying the pork is tender and they want to eat it every day. While Chiikawa is impressed, Hachiware reveals that they chose the poster's name at random, and asks Chiikawa to keep the name 'Pasta Rai-suke' a secret. Chiikawa nods, but remains puzzled about the origin of the name itself.

Story guide

Shisa is reading a booklet, and is asked by Chiikawa and Hachiware, who are passing by, what he is reading. Shisa explains that it is a notebook with printed impressions of Jiro pasted inside, and opens a review by a poster named Pasta Rai-suke as an example. The page features a sentence about the pork being tender alongside the words wanting to eat it every day. Shisa says he was moved by the part about wanting to eat it every day, and Chiikawa and Hachiware stand side by side listening to his story.

Story guide

Chiikawa and Hachiware spot Ano-ko riding a small bicycle and begin talking about the popular rental bicycles. Hachiware thinks that, if they are apparently made from books and nuts, the fee might not be very high. They also expect that even a short rental could let them travel far. Usagi then appears riding a wheeled vehicle with a basket, and the talk of getting around becomes a concrete invitation to play.

Story guide

Remembering their earlier wish to rent a bicycle for just a little while, Hachiware comes with Chiikawa to a rental-bicycle banner. When Chiikawa gets on one of the lined-up wheeled vehicles, their body tilts sharply just from moving it. Chiikawa tries to go forward but falls over along with the vehicle and its basket. The rental plan has begun, but its difficulty becomes clear at once.

Story guide

Chiikawa grips the handlebars of a rental bicycle alone and tries to move forward despite nearly falling. Watching other riders glide away, they imagine riding at the same speed, but the vehicle soon falls onto its side. Chiikawa gets back up and mounts it again and again. Near the end, they listen to the sound of wheels receding and keep in mind a day when they may be able to ride well.

Story guide

This is a single illustration of Chiikawa, Hachiware, and Usagi resting quietly with their eyes closed. There are no speech bubbles, captions, destinations, or objects, so no conversation or decision among them is shown. Chiikawa and Hachiware rest facing the same way, while Usagi curls up on their side, making the image read as a pause after the busy bicycle scenes. What is established here is only that the three are resting, not a new event.

Story guide

Hachiware tells Chiikawa and Usagi again about going out on rental bicycles. When Usagi rides ahead, Hachiware invites the others along and imagines bringing boxed lunches too. Chiikawa takes in the invitation, but excitement and anxiety rise at the same time, leaving them unable to continue speaking. Hachiware and Usagi move ahead, while Chiikawa starts to follow a beat later.

Story guide

This post is a small diagram that uses Chiikawa, Hachiware, and Usagi to show differences in direction. The words for left and right sit beside Chiikawa, those for up and down are placed around Hachiware, and those for front and back appear with Usagi. No conversation or next action is depicted. Rather than advancing a story, the image stands alone as a supporting visual for checking position and direction.

Story guide

Usagi, Hachiware, and Chiikawa stand against a white background, with lines at their feet and short motion marks around them showing that they are lightly hopping. There is no background, prop, or speech bubble, and neither their destination nor the reason for hopping is given. The arrangement draws the eye from Usagi to Hachiware and Chiikawa but does not develop into a sequence of actions. It works as a simple, dialogue-free cutout of the three bouncing.

Story guide

Chiikawa watches a group of rental bicycles ride away and tries to move a vehicle with a basket of their own. Just after setting off, it sways sharply and Chiikawa slides to the side of the road. Even when they reach for the pedals again, the distance to the riders ahead does not close. The contrast between Chiikawa nearly falling in each practice attempt and the wheels around them moving forward without hesitation shows that they still lack the skill needed to leave.