Treasure Hunt Arc

Story guide

Pajama Parties Green stands before the venue sign and audience, looking toward where the song can be heard. Before long, the four in purple, white, pink, and green line up before the audience and begin dancing again amid musical notes and cheers. A small white thing sits on their head, and the other three line up as though accepting its movement as well. When the song ends, the four turn their backs and leave, but they alone stop midway. The post leaves an unresolved presence even after the reunited stage.

Story guide

Momonga laughs happily before Yoroi-san (Armor Knight) and trembles as though insisting that something hot is best in hot weather. Yoroi-san offers specially prepared vanilla ice cream, which Momonga immediately takes and eats with force. Even as Yoroi-san takes Momonga's manner as asking for something to cool their flushed body, Momonga keeps eating. At the end, Momonga makes a large motion as if swinging the entire container around, and Yoroi-san wonders whether they should have cleaned it up. A kind offering is swept up in Momonga's momentum.

Story guide

Chiikawa and Hachiware appear to be practicing something while moving their feet on the ground. Kurimanju arrives, and the two realize that what Kurimanju is holding may have been mistaken for a pen. Kurimanju also realizes that the item in hand is not a pen but a cucumber and switches it. Kurimanju then takes a bite of the cucumber and dips it in a brown substance that seems to be miso before eating it. The two's practice-like movement and Kurimanju's mistake proceed side by side, ending when the way of eating becomes clear.

Cultural and language noteEating cucumber with miso is a combination often seen in Japan as an easy drinking snack or light summer food.

Story guide

Chiikawa, Hachiware, and Usagi find a sign leading to a treasure they seem to have discovered recently. At the entrance, a ticket booth makes Hachiware realize that there is a fee, so the three pool their money to buy tickets. A log blocks the arrow-marked path ahead, but Hachiware presses on, hoping the treasure might be Shine Muscat grapes. Chiikawa and Usagi also head toward the treasure, though none of them knows what it is. Paying at the entrance makes clear that the sign's search route has begun as a paid course rather than a game.

Story guide

After falling into mud, Chiikawa keeps sinking until only their face is visible, even as Hachiware calls out. Hachiware suggests that they and Usagi pull Chiikawa out with a stick, but the stick Usagi offers breaks midway through. Realizing that the bog is deep enough to swallow Chiikawa completely, Hachiware starts considering another way to help. Text indicating a rescue appears alongside Chiikawa, who looks covered in mud. With the shore too far to reach and the stick broken, the rescue remains unresolved.

Story guide

A giant takoyaki covered in sauce and a white condiment lies before Chiikawa, Hachiware, and Usagi. Hachiware indicates that it is 150 in size and concludes that they have to cross it. As Chiikawa and Hachiware imagine how hard it would be to cross something soft and bouncy, Usagi jumps on it to test it. Hachiware suggests that a crisp, well-cooked surface might make it easier to cross. Though it looks like food, its firmness and bounce have to be checked before the three can use it as a path.

Story guide

As Chiikawa walks through the forest, a fried crab claw falls from a tree onto their shoulder. Unsure what has happened, Hachiware notices another fallen object nearby and realizes it is food, then imagines its taste with Chiikawa. When Usagi shakes the tree, more of the same objects fall one after another. Hachiware warns the others to proceed carefully because there may be many dangers ahead. Rather than whether to eat them, the three focus on the danger of more objects falling from above when the tree is shaken.

Story guide

Beyond a sign saying that the treasure is close, brown round objects come rolling down one after another. Chiikawa, Hachiware, and Usagi hurriedly dodge them, while Usagi climbs onto one to inspect it. Something like sauce splashes from its surface and lands on Chiikawa's face. Hachiware says the objects could look like giant meatballs, and the three watch them pass. Since they decide to dodge without identifying them, their food-like appearance remains alongside the danger they pose to anyone trying to pass.

Story guide

Chiikawa, Hachiware, and Usagi find a locked treasure chest beside a sign saying that opening it requires payment. Hachiware considers what the sign means and where the key might be, then looks back at the two round objects that had fallen from the cliff, wondering if they were clues. Taking the sign to mean that the chest can be opened only for a fee, all three put their hands on it. Before they lift the lid, the way to interpret the sign's kana becomes the clue that guides what they do next.

Story guide

A tag marked for money hangs from the treasure chest, but it will not open even when Chiikawa, Hachiware, and Usagi push the lid together. After putting in effort again and again with no response, they begin to wonder whether opening it itself requires payment. The three compare the tag with the box before them, unsure whom to pay or how. In the end, they realize that they have no money left, and the chest remains shut. The cost of entry now matters, creating a problem that cannot be solved merely by working out the chest's mechanism.

Story guide

On what seems to be a day off, Shisa visits Yoroi-san (Armor Knight)'s ramen shop as a customer. Yoroi-san notices the view from the customer seats, unlike their usual position, while Shisa says they wanted to try the meal as a customer rather than from the shop side. During the order, they use the phrasing for specifying garlic, vegetables, fat, and a strong flavor, and Shisa begins eating a bowl at the counter. With Yoroi-san seated as a customer and Shisa in the position of taking the order, the shop's food is shown from roles opposite their usual ones.

Cultural and language noteNinniku Yasai Abura Karame is an ordering phrase used at Jiro-style ramen shops to specify garlic, vegetables, pork back fat, and the strength of the seasoning.

Story guide

Momonga approaches a somewhat large, maned opponent and demands they hand over some tasty food. Momonga even brings up a flashback, saying there was supposed to be a promise to give them tasty food if they sang and danced. The opponent replies that they already treated them to a feast that night, but Momonga insists the opponent should hand it over. The opponent takes out some pudding they just bought and tells Momonga to choose either chocolate or strawberry. Momonga persists in demanding both, but is rejected and told to pick one. In the end, Momonga leaves holding the chocolate cup, leaving the strawberry in the opponent's hand.

Story guide

While Furuhonya works beside a cardboard box, Momonga appears with something in their mouth. Momonga keeps the container at their mouth until they finish what is inside, and Furuhonya watches. When Furuhonya tries to take something from the box with a long tool, Momonga reaches into the same box. Their movements around its contents continue. Furuhonya's hands on the box and Momonga's refusal to let go of what they are eating leave the work in front of the shop at a standstill.

Story guide

Furuhonya and Momonga also arrive at the entrance to the treasure. Momonga imagines the treasure as a lineup of food and things they want, but in front of the box, they complain that it's different from what they expected. Next to the box is a sign that reads that opening it is 'yuushou', and just then, a large black creature appears and claims the treasure as its own. The expectations of the two who came for the treasure chest are interrupted by the black creature's claim of ownership, suddenly changing the relationship surrounding the same box. Contrasted with Momonga's expectation of finding food, the image of the black creature holding the treasure chest puts a stop to their plans.

Story guide

The black creature offers to open the treasure chest, but Momonga is wary of them. Carrying the chest into a cave, the creature says that something amazing is inside and urges Furuhonya and Momonga to come closer. Once they do, the creature calls the two of them the treasure, opens the chest, and tries to put them inside. The word treasure is directed at Furuhonya and Momonga rather than at an item in the chest, showing why they were wary. As they move deeper into the cave, it becomes harder for them to escape the creature's intentions.

Story guide

The black creature tries to shove Furuhonya and Momonga into the treasure chest, but grows frustrated when the lid will not close. The two flee, using the chest between them and the creature to evade them. They continue chasing the two, and Furuhonya tries to escape by climbing onto the box. At the end, the creature grabs Momonga and pulls them close. The lid's refusal to close remains an obstacle to trapping the two as the creature intends, while the gap in the lid, their escape, and the creature's reaching hand make clear that the chest is not safe.

Story guide

When the treasure chest opens, a sign stating that opening it requires payment appears on top. The black creature comes outside in pursuit of the two, but Momonga thinks that the creature's appearance and behavior resemble the witch they met before. Furuhonya and Momonga do not pursue that thought, instead running away from their pursuer as quickly as they can. The creature lies on the ground as they put distance between themselves and them. Momonga's association with the witch remains only a guess, and the two prioritize getting away over confirming the creature's identity.

Story guide

Against a white background, Chiikawa repeatedly makes short refusals while stopping, running, and looking back. Among scattered speech bubbles, the wording shifts from a small murmur to a strong cry. Large Roman letters appear at both edges of the image, and the post ends by putting Chiikawa's feeling of refusal at the forefront. Repeating the same refusal with changing tone and letter size conveys how strongly Chiikawa feels.

Story guide

Chiikawa appears alone in the center of a white background, with a finger from their right hand near their mouth. The image contains no conversation, background, props, or information about what comes before or after, so it does not advance a particular scene. It stands on its own as an illustration suggesting a moment of hesitation or thought. Chiikawa's gesture is the only clue through which to read their uncertainty in the unexplained space.

Story guide

Momonga is lost in thought in a grassy field when Dekatsuyo approaches. After a moment when their hands seem to touch, Dekatsuyo bares their fangs, attacks Momonga, and keeps charging forward. Momonga flees toward the water, where Dekatsuyo continues the attack while splashing it up. By the end, Dekatsuyo appears to be holding Momonga in their grasp. The pursuit from the grass to the water turns Momonga's quiet moment of thought into sudden danger.

Story guide

Against a purple background, Hachiware and Chiikawa wear outfits with gray ribbons, lace, and heart decorations. In the upper section, they look in the same direction with expressions of surprise or uncertainty; below, they huddle together in smaller forms. Chiikawa holds a long, heart-topped accessory, while candy-like borders heighten the outfits' sweet atmosphere. With only brief reactions and no developing scene, the illustration focuses on the paired costumes and their details.

Story guide

Usagi raises both arms in the center of a solid yellow background, with short lines arranged in a circle in front of their stomach. The mark resembles a loading spinner, though the image never says what Usagi is waiting for or what happened before and after. With no text or props, the static pose and motion lines form a standalone illustration that suggests a waiting screen. The circular mark alone suggests the passage of time while leaving what Usagi awaits undetermined.

Story guide

Against a gray background, Momonga and Chiikawa lean close together in outfits with gray and purple ribbons and lace. Momonga holds Chiikawa in their arms, while Chiikawa wears small wing-like decorations on their back. Short text repeats in speech bubbles, but no setting or sequence of events is given. Framed with candy and hearts, the image presents the two's outfits and pairing. Their difference in size, Momonga's embrace, and the bow decorations all make them appear as a set.

Story guide

As Chiikawa and Hachiware are suffering from the heat, only Usagi seems to be cool and comfortable. Hachiware finds this strange and notices a cold air-like effect around Usagi. Usagi looks as if they are applying something cold to their arteries to cool down, and takes the two with them to reveal its true identity. In the end, a giant, cold udon noodle that is almost completely thawed is left sitting there. As a way to deal with the heat, Usagi's idea of using a familiar cold food is shown, and Chiikawa and Hachiware go to see this method. The existence of the large, white udon noodle embodies the source of the cold air as food.

Story guide

As Chiikawa and Hachiware are licking candy, an arrival wearing a red helmet and gloves runs in. Hachiware is surprised by the sudden change and asks what happened. The red-helmeted arrival is holding a bag from the ramen shop Dairo, and appears to have been inspired by the restaurant. Finally, the red-helmeted arrival is shown taking a stance in front of a platform with food on it. Chiikawa and Hachiware watch over them while still holding their candy, taking in the red-helmeted arrival's sudden change from the combination of the red outfit and the design on the bag. The red outfit, brown gloves, and writing on the bag make an impression without directly explaining the arrival's purpose.

Story guide

When Chiikawa picks up a flower in a flower field, Rakko recognizes flower fortune-telling and asks Chiikawa to give them a reading. Chiikawa hesitates while handling the petals, but Rakko pulls out a large sword to help. Though puzzled, Chiikawa hands over the flower, and Rakko thanks them. One flower remains before the two at the end. Rakko bringing a large sword to a delicate game with petals, alongside Chiikawa offering the flower, gives the play an awkward quality.

Story guide

Against a light blue background, a large Usagi is drawn as if suspended by a thread from above, with a red ribbon on their chest. The same word and ellipses are placed around them, looking like the name of the drawing. In the lower section, a small Usagi looks up at the rain in surprise, while another small Usagi eats noodles from a container labeled "CUP". The cause and effect between the scenes is not explained within the frame. The large figure, the figure looking at the rain, and the figure eating cup noodles are placed in the same frame, lining up quirky images of Usagi. The difference between the large and small figures creates an interesting frame that shows the same Usagi in a different light.

Story guide

A single Usagi appears on a light blue background. A thin black line extends from between their ears to the top edge of the image, and a small red ribbon rests on their chest. Vertical text repeats on both sides as though giving Usagi a name. There is no explanatory text or other character, so the image itself does not reveal what the word refers to. With no props beyond the ribbon, it simply presents Usagi's design, emphasizing their outline and the line extending out of the frame.

Story guide

When it starts raining, Usagi stops hanging in the previous pose and climbs into a cup curry container. Chiikawa and Hachiware keep wondering how Usagi intends to spend a rainy day and what the back of the container is like. Usagi eats the steaming cup curry, then begins making rice with the remaining broth after finishing it. Hachiware is left speechless by how different this is from what they imagined. The sequence from eating inside the container to adding rice to the broth answers their questions through Usagi's actions.

Story guide

Finding a small pile of sand-like material indoors, Chiikawa wonders whether it might be droppings from a pest that produces something like pepper powder. Uneasily moving closer, they find a long, insect-like creature beside the pile. Chiikawa goes to the medicine cabinet and finds a black, placed insect bait to deal with it. As the pile, the long creature, and the medicine cabinet appear in sequence, Chiikawa comes to see the disturbance in the house as a pest problem. Their response has only just begun.

Story guide

Near the black insect bait Chiikawa set out, they find a group of creatures carrying bags tied from leaves. Small brown creatures are mixed in, and Chiikawa runs away in surprise. The group crowds around Chiikawa as well, and one clings to their body. When Usagi approaches, a small brown creature jumps away carrying something, and Chiikawa watches them go. The creatures gathering around the bait and clinging to Chiikawa make the indoor infestation feel increasingly widespread.

Story guide

Asked whether the powder bug had appeared, Chiikawa nods and explains in fragments that they were startled and thrashed about. Hachiware takes this to mean that Chiikawa ended up tumbling over from the impact. Then Usagi lies on their side and lets out a short cry to demonstrate, and Hachiware is surprised, wondering if it is an imitation, and Chiikawa also cries out. Hachiware whispers that Chiikawa is feeling a little embarrassed. After trembling, Chiikawa finally stands side by side with Usagi and strikes a firm, ready pose. It ends with them delighting that Hachiware will demonstrate it for them.

Story guide

When the rain stops, Usagi urges the others to praise and celebrate the clear weather. Chiikawa and Hachiware think Usagi may be going to Katsuya on a sunny day, and follow them to the shop. As the two respond to the mood as though singing, Usagi heads to the counter where dishes are lined up and eventually bites into a large brown dish. The shop sign and counter let Chiikawa and Hachiware understand Usagi's song and movements as leading toward a meal, so the three move as though celebrating the end of the rain.

Cultural and language noteKatsuya is a Japanese tonkatsu restaurant chain that serves dishes such as katsudon.

Story guide

Unable to move in the heat, Momonga asks Furuhonya to carry them somewhere cool. Furuhonya worries that dragging Momonga could start a fire and tries different ways of moving them near Yoroi-san (Armor Knight). After passing through the forest, they reach a place where cider and fruit punch bubble up from the water. Momonga sinks into the water, and Furuhonya follows to cool off as their bodies grow colder. The bubbles and colors of the drinks show that this is not an ordinary river, but an unusual place to escape the heat.

Story guide

Chiikawa is carried in riding on the back of a sunfish floating in mid-air. The sunfish breaks into a vigorous run and then shakes violently, causing Chiikawa to scream. Behind the landed Chiikawa, the sunfish moves away, and Hachiware asks in surprise if they came by sunfish. Beside the laughing Hachiware, Chiikawa looks pale and, unable to hold it in, retches, making Hachiware's eyes widen. Under a blue sky echoing with the sound of cicadas, Chiikawa takes a drink while sitting side by side in the shade of a rock, and Hachiware says that it seems there are hits and misses with sunfish as well.

Story guide

Chiikawa and Hachiware spot a round-faced figure sweating in the strong sunlight. Though bothered by the heat, the figure prepares beer and buttered potatoes topped with mayonnaise. Hachiware notices that their eyes are still full of hope despite the heat, and Chiikawa notices the expression too. The figure eats the dish and drinks the beer, savoring the happiness of the moment. The contrast between the sweltering heat and the anticipation of cold beer and warm potatoes leads to the figure's satisfied expression.

Cultural and language noteJagabata is a Japanese snack of boiled or steamed potatoes served with butter. In this image, it is also topped with mayonnaise.

Story guide

Against a gray background, Chiikawa, Hachiware, Usagi, Rakko, Momonga, Furuhonya, and Shisa are arranged in two rows. Two romanized phrases appear above and below them. Each character faces forward at the same size, making this less a conversation or unfolding scene than a lineup built around the idea of their eyes having turned white. The phrases and the aligned faces create the impression of a single design rather than separate stories.

Story guide

Chiikawa, Hachiware, and Usagi proceed through a dark forest while singing. The place they arrive at is a waterside on a moonlit night, and a note is added explaining that it is a place where cider and fruit punch well up. Chiikawa, who steps in first, raises their voice at the coldness, and Hachiware then says that it is nicely chilled and feels good. There, Usagi is found floating in the water using a large mandarin orange as a pillow. Hachiware asks in surprise, but Usagi only sighs comfortably. Finally, with Hachiware holding a mandarin orange and Chiikawa holding a yellow fruit, they say to each other that this is a summer retreat, and it ends.

Story guide

Against a brownish background scattered with hearts, Momonga, Hachiware, Usagi, and Chiikawa overlap, adorned with large ribbons and lace. At the top is the English text "WARUI VERSION!!" flanked by skull marks, and the colors of the outfits are matched in grays and blacks. The expressions and poses of the four each differ, but rather than being a frame that follows a conversation or event, it is complete as a costume visual bearing the title of "Bad Version." By placing large hearts and skull marks within the same frame, the combination of sweet decorations and the "Bad Version" title stands out.

Story guide

On the grass, Dekatsuyo approaches Ano-ko and asks whether they are eating something. Ano-ko moves their mouth while making small sounds and replies to the effect that it is because they dislike sleeping. They continue to speak in fragments about when they woke up and about recent things, and Dekatsuyo listens to their words while lying down. In the end, Ano-ko opens their eyes wide and says that they are in trouble afterward. Ano-ko's story proceeds in fragments, revealing Dekatsuyo's frustration about going to sleep and the distance between the two of them together on the grass.

Story guide

Chiikawa, Hachiware, and Usagi find a daruma-like object marked with the character for good fortune. When Usagi applies a brush, the black coloring shifts and the daruma comes to resemble a face with two eyes and a mouth. A voice asks for the misplaced coloring to be fixed, so Hachiware chooses correction fluid to repaint it. At the end, Usagi points the brush at the daruma again as Chiikawa and Hachiware respond with their tools. The brush, correction fluid, and daruma face appear in turn as the three keep trying to repair the eye they painted in.

Cultural and language noteA daruma is a good-luck figure whose eyes are sometimes filled in one at a time when making a wish. The character fuku in the image means happiness.

Story guide

Usagi appears before Chiikawa and Hachiware wearing oversized goggles and carrying a water gun. Hachiware says the goggles should be adjusted, but Usagi responds as though that is unnecessary. Once the other two also take water guns, Usagi bursts into action. As Chiikawa and Hachiware watch from behind, the image ends with water play about to begin. The matching colors of the water gun and goggles, along with Usagi running off instead of listening to Hachiware's concern, show the contrast between the advice and Usagi's momentum.

Story guide

Dekatsuyo asks Ano-ko, who is smiling, what they are laughing at. Seeing Ano-ko by the tree, Dekatsuyo gets excited wondering if Ano-ko might encourage them, and imagines a scene where Ano-ko presents them with a bouquet. However, what Ano-ko holds up is an object with an orange curled part stacked beneath a black round creature, and Ano-ko loudly declares it to be ice cream, likening the top to ice cream and the bottom to a cone. When the creature eventually bounces and runs away, Dekatsuyo raises their voice and calls out to Ano-ko, who is trying to chase it, telling them to stop. After failing to catch it, Ano-ko repeatedly strikes the ground with a striped green tail-like part, and Dekatsuyo soothes them by saying not to be angry, ending the scene.