Nichijou Manga Volume 10

The tenth and final Nichijou manga volume was released on December 10, 2015. Alongside the standard edition, a limited edition 120-page companion book was also published to commemorate the series' 10th anniversary.

Chapter 173
*In color "Despair! Waste of a Lie Detector!" In order to calibrate a lie detector, Yuuko directs to answer the following questions with "Yes," and proceeds to ask Mio a bunch of questions Mio would truthfully answer "yes" to (eg, "You are Mio Naganohara, correct?", "You are alive, correct?", "You are not dead, correct?". Then, with a snickering grin on her face, Yuuko asks Mio, "You are a mangosteen, correct?".

Chapter 174
Mio, Yuuko, and Mai are playing musical chairs in class; Nano, seemingly either a bit nervous or taking her job way too seriously, is in charge of the stereo. When Nano hits stop, Mio jumps to the chair with great emphasis, but before she lands, Yuuko and Mai take the chair away; they each grab a side, and the chair splits seamlessly down the middle. Mio lands with a hard thump, crying out in multiple layers of anger.

Mio yells at the perpetrators; Yuuko acts aloof, declaring that's how they play musical chairs where she comes from. Mio decides she'll play her own rules, too, and the game starts anew. When the music stops again, Mio physically grabs the back of the chair before sitting down, but her friends are too fast for her: Yuuko expertly steals the chair while Mai plants a pointy bamboo shoot on the spot, upon which Mio sits so hard. She again cries out in multidimensional pain.

Mio declares that she sees how it is, and the music starts one more time. When Nano stops the music, Mio pounces on the bamboo shoot, still on the ground, and sits on it with full force. Mio cries out again in pain, anger, and sorrow, before going on a sad rant about how she jumped out of reflex, and that if anyone was going to fall for that, it would've been Yuuko. "This isn't musical chairs," she sobs, "it's some crazy death game!"

At this, Yuuko and Mai nod approvingly before taking a cool pose while holding a sign that boasts, "Prank Successful!"

Mio smacks herself for having fallen for such a prank, and the girls have a good laugh about it. However, the chapter ends with Mio distraught in her thoughts, crying and thinking, "It's no use! That doesn't make it better at all!"

Chapter 175
Mio, Yuuko, and Nano are sitting on the classroom floor as Mio rants about how their "prank" in the previous chapter was hardly a prank at all. As Mio continues, Yuuko looks around the room and spots the stereo, picking it up and examining it before placing it on her shoulder. Pretending to be a hip-hop artist from the '80s (or something), she looks at Mio and Nano and confidently declares "Yo!" to the now-confused girls. Yuuko then dons some shades and again cries out, "Yo!"

The girls are not sure how to react to this new development.

Yuuko places the stereo on the ground and begins breakdancing (sort of) while repeating "Yo!" She then tells them, "I want to eat a bright red apple, yo!", forming the shape of one with her hands.

Mio and Nano just stand there.

"Come on!" yells Yuuko. Mio and Nano blush as they avoid eye contact. Yuuko then begins moving again, rapping nonsense about starting a crazy party, again instructing Mio and Nano to "Come on!", before placing her hands behind her ears in order to hear them better, clearly expecting them to reply.

When they don't, Yuuko raps "yo" some more before pulling out a yo-yo and pointing at it. Mio and Nano are quite flustered at this point. Ignoring their obvious discomfort at seeing their friend seemingly lose her mind, Yuuko continues rapping about the yo-yo before crying out "Halt!" as the center of the yo-yo falls away to reveal what appears to be the mon of the Tokugawa clan. Yuuko then dances around, rapping again about her crazy lyrics as Mio and Nano cover their faces in embarrassment.

Suddenly, Mai slaps Yuuko across the back of her head with a giant foldable fan. Yuuko continues rapping, resulting in another smack from Mai. The two then face each other quietly in an epic standoff (complete with dramatic wind with a few leaves... despite them being inside. OK, then.). Yuuko tries continuing her rap a third time, but is again beaten by Mai. The chapter ends without their showdown being resolved.

Chapter 176
Takasaki-sensei notices Yuuko in the hallway, and is about to smack her on the head for not doing her homework yet again when Yuuko suddenly dodges him without looking, surprising Takasaki. Mio, who is watching with Nano, is not surprised, however; with how many times she's been hit for not doing her homework, Yuuko must have developed an ability to sense when it's coming. Mio smiles, wondering what Takasaki's next move will be.

Suddenly, Yuuko turns around, seemingly genuinely surprised that Takasaki is right behind her. She tells him she's sorry for forgetting her homework, promising to bring it in tomorrow. As if watching a skilled fighter or chess player, Mio smiles and explains to a surprised Nano that this is a brilliant move on Yuuko's part: If she'd kept dodging Takasaki, he would get angrier and angrier; but by acknowledging his presence, Yuuko manages to win while letting Takasaki retain his dignity as a teacher. As Takasaki walks off, Mio declares that if Yuuko were shot at with a hail of bullets right now, she could totally The Matrix it [though not in those specific words].

Nano says she's figured out the real reason Yuuko was able to dodge Takasaki and points to the floor: Yuuko's foot is on a coin, indicating that she simply slipped earlier. Mio smiles and declares, "Well, I guess it's time to use the restroom," shuffling off into the desert. [Wait, what?]

Chapter 177
Chapter 177 consists of numerous mostly one-paneled shorts.
 * first time at a fancy café: Mio has a tray and a pair of fancy wooden tongs. She thinks to herself that tongs are used to grab bread and then place it on a tray. "I think I can do this," she thinks to herself, "maybe!"
 * blue valentine's day: Nakanojo shouts at a mostly unseen individual, "What do you mean, I should give out chocolate instead of getting it?!!"
 * c-come on!!: With a giant lump on his head, Nakanojo holds a softball and cries, "What do you mean, softballs are actually hard?!"
 * I want to be reborn as a bird that flies through the sky.: As Tanaka stands there peacefully with his arms extended like he's thinking of flying, Nakanojo angrily informs him that it would be much better to come back as a cow because, quote, "You could eat a whole meadow-full of grass!!"
 * principal vs. vice principal: Annaka watches in awe as the vice principal holds up the principal with a gigantic spoon.
 * a page of smiles and charades: Two otherwise unrelated 4-koma. In the first, Yuuko gives a great big smile with two peace signs as someone declares it to be a million-dollar smile. Mai smiles and winks coyishly another million-dollar smile. Mio then gives a rather odd look, which is valued by the smile appraiser as a "three-dollar" smile. Mio then wakes up from sleeping in class and begs someone to analyze her dream.
 * In the second, Mio reads a card with "birdman" written on it; she then proceeds to flap her arms while making a birdish face. Yuuko, sitting at a desk, sees this and pushes a button that releases a lever that smacks Mio in the face.
 * phantom thief potato: Someone steals one of Annaka's french fries and runs off. He proceeds to ride a motorcycle and use a kayak before reaching a giant cannon, which he lights and enters before being blasted out of it, still holding his stolen spud splinter.
 * bridge of promises: Hakase is crying because her tooth hurts. Nano tries to take her to the dentist, but Hakase refuses to go. Suddenly, a baseball player appears and promises to hit a homerun in today's game if Hakase goes to the dentist, which she then does. As Hakase sits in the dentist chair, still sobbing, we see the baseball player hit in the side by a pitch while at the plate, afterwards punching the pitcher in the face.
 * forgery: Yuuko watches nervously as Takasaki-sensei analyzes a kokeshi. He admits that it is of excellent quality, but it is not Chanel, turning it around to show that the word "Chanel" has been carved in huge letters on the doll's body. Yuuko falls on the ground, giving a display labeled "grief," followed by one labeled "dejection."
 * matryoshka of tears: Nano has just opened a present containing a matryoshka doll (also commonly known as a Russian nesting doll), and is obviously thrilled. She removes the outermost shell to reveal that the inside only contains the absolutely smallest "core" doll. Nano is quite taken aback.
 * the night before a band is born: Mio and Mai stand nearby as Nano tells Yuuko that she doesn't have any money, so she'll do vocals, too. Yuuko expresses her displeasure that this means their band consists only of singers.
 * lingering snow: Yuuko asks if it is a dolphin (iruka), then leans to the side and declares that obviously, it is not. Mio and Nano shout back, "It's Sogano!" Yuuko smiles and waves her finger, informing them that they are correct.
 * limiter removed: Annaka is in the park when she notices a boy crying as he tries to get his balloon down from the tree in which it is stuck. Annaka walks up to the boy and removes her bow, which lands on the ground with such force and weight that it sinks into the ground a bit.
 * growth spurt: Takasaki is incredibly surprised when he looks inside the classroom to find Yuuko sitting on the floor reading, with her legs underneath a blanket. If that weren't crazy enough already, Yuuko's feet appear to be sticking out the other end of the blanket... which makes her legs appear to be ridiculously long. (A bump halfway through hints that it is one of Yuuko's friends lying down under the blanket.)
 * subliminal: Wearing a sunhat and a graphic tee, Mai enjoys the sun with exuberance.
 * oh,no!!: Finding this to be shocking news, Fe-chan yells at someone that when she went back to their old clubhouse, she found someone living in it!
 * my principal, the substitute pitcher: Annaka is surprised to find the principal driving a little cart that's shaped like him.
 * subliminal: Mai is in her jammies, hugging a stuffed animal and cutely looking away.
 * dissent: Mio and Yuuko are arguing. Yuuko asks Mio how she could be a modernday Newton if she doesn't like apples. Mio snaps back that she does like apples, and no one calls her a modernday Newton, anyway. She then calms down and awkwardly thanks Yuuko for calling her a modernday Newton.
 * secret forbidden ogi technique: ogi alter egos: A closeup of Kenzaburou Daiku, shouting in amazement, "What was that, Ogi?! If you blow on your strands of hair, each strand will turn into another Ogi?!"
 * girl in the mirror: Mio is in her room, practising her moves on a standing mirror. "How's this? Why don't you try stealing a kiss with those quick wits of yours?" She winks and points at the mirror confidently. We then see Mio's foot and see some fingers underneath her bed?! It's Yuuko, lying atop her "Prank Successful!" sign, breathing heavily in embarrassment as this is NOT what she signed up for.

Chapter 178
Yuuko, eating from her bento box, runs up to Nano on the street and offers her (what appears to be) a french fry. Nano appreciates it, but Yuuko releases her chopsticks before Nano's grabbed it, and it falls dramatically to the ground. Just before it hits the ground, it is caught... by the french fry thief from earlier. He runs off, then launches himself into the air by throwing a boulder on a see-saw.

Having returned to the ground an unknown distance away, the Fryburglar congratulates himself on his success, reveling in his prize. "This coldness... this sogginess", he delights; "This is the very image of a french fry from a bento box!" As he continues running, he gets a phone call; apparently, he's part of some crime syndicate or something? Distracted, he turns a corner and does not see Nano sliding into a panel with great speed. He is stunned as Nano attempts to grab the fry (including an awesome panel where we only see Nano's fingers reflected in the thief's dark glasses). The thief quickly dodges Nano, who tries to grab the fry again, but is foiled when the thief suddenly turns his backpack into a jetpack and blasts off.

In the air, the thief looks down on Nano in amazement and asks, "Who are you?!" Silent, Nano looks up at him while using her arm to shield her eyes from the sun. We then see the thief from Nano's point of view, all robotic and targeting in on the thief. Nano leans backward and points her fist up at the now incredulous thief. GAKLUNK goes her arm as her fist snaps down to reveal her inner robot arm. The thief knows this isn't good and flees.

Unfortunately, all that comes out of Nano's arm is the roll cake. Nano falls backward so hard she's stuck in the ground, her legs wiggling in vain. Suddenly, she's pulled out of her hole; its Biscuit No.2! [In wonderful attention to detail, Nano's key cuts through the ground as Biscuit No.2 pulls her up.]

"Leave this to me!" Biscuit No. 2 tells her, crouching and aiming his own arm at the thief. NGAAAAAAAH! he cries in epicness; his hand then plops off weakly.

Apparently, this is what he had planned, as Nano is so surprised she launches into the air. Airborne, Nano initiates her insanely-awesome jets from the soles of her feet, resulting in a high-speed air chase. The thief pushes a button on his jetpack, launching potato sprouts at Nano [ok, then], who holds out her hand and creates a force field shield, rendering the spout projectiles useless [so cool]. With an epic battle-ready face, Nano sticks her leg out, which hinges at the knee to reveal her bean cannon. The thief maneuvers to avoid Nano's bean assault, hitting a smokescreen button and spinning to create a cover. He flies around a building, losing Nano for a moment.

On the ground again, the thief hides in an alley and tries to catch his breath, astonished at the chase this girl is putting up over a single french fry; his jetpack is ruined! Unfortunately for him, his phone goes off again. Hovering above the city, Nano listens intently, hearing the thief's location.

The thief angrily hangs up on his coworker and looks up to find Nano standing there. "I heard all of that," she tells him coolly. She holds out her hand and demands he return the fry. The thief tries to reason with Nano, pointing out that she can't even eat it anymore. Nano tells him she knows; then why is she here, the thief asks. "Because a dear friend gave it to me," Nano tells him.

Defeated, or feeling a soft spot for friendship, the thief hands over the fry, and Nano walks away. After some distance, the thief calls out at Nano, asking what she's going to do with that cold soggy french fry.

Nano turns around dramatically, with the sun shining behind her, and tells the thief movie-hero-like, "This is a bamboo shoot." The thief is stunned.

Chapter 179
Mio, Yuuko, and Mai are hanging out at Mio's house when Yuuko precipitously asks Mio whatever happened to that manga they were helping her out with. Mio explains that she sent it in, but hasn't heard back; further, she'll never get the manuscript back, which is exactly how she'd like it, considering the great lengths she goes to hide her (yaoi) manga from her family.

With the chapter's setup complete, Yoshino knocks and, upon entering, asks Mio if she knows a Daisuke Naganohara. Mio is stupefied; when she recovers, she nervously mutters that she doesn't know anyone by that name (several times, in different ways; nothing suspicious about that). Yoshino excuses herself and leaves the room.

Again safe, Mio roars out, enraged, that her family must have found out somehow; that was her pen name, after all, so how else could Yoshino know that name? And after all the trouble Mio had gone to in order to hide it! How could this have happened?!

At this point, Yuuko posits that, if she'd won the manga contest and forgotten to write her real name, they would call and ask for Daisuke. But if that's the case, then Yoshino would have hung up already, Mio laments. Yuuko suggests Mio call the editorial department (using the terminology of "giving them a ring," which Mio first confuses with giving them a bribe of jewelry), and Mio jumps to it.

Mai, who has been reading this whole time, grabs Mio (like physically holds Mio's ankle after she jumped, and is now holding her in mid-air), warns Mio that, considering it's Yoshino, this may be a trap. Mio and Yuuko realize this, arguing over the odds that it's a trap versus the real deal. Yuuko tells Mio it's not worth it, considering how it is almost definitely a trick, but Mio decides a one-in-a-million shot is better than none, and leaves to call the manga company. All Mai and Yuuko can do now is pray.

As Mio calls the manga company, Yuuko lights a prayer candle for Mio. The woman in the comic department isn't aware of any call made to any Daisuke Naganohara, and Mio hangs up, dejected. The woman who talked with Mio then heads to another department, where an editor has finished reading a manuscript. She thinks it's pretty good; she spots the woman from the comic department and informs her she borrowed this from the comics department and it needs to be returned; also, the phone number listed for the mangaka seems to have been wrong. The first woman is surprised when she sees this manuscript is attributed to a Daisuke Naganohara!

Back at Mio's house, Mio's prayer candle has gone out, but Mai quickly pulls out a lighter from somewhere and relights it.

Chapter 180
Yuuko is looking through photos on her camera of various characters we know and declares that all she needs now are pictures of Mio and Mai. Yuuko goes after Mio first, somehow keeping out of sight as she tries to get a picture, moving like a snake!

Later, Yuuko looks over her photos of Mio and decide they're all rather dull. She then gets the idea to write an anonymous love letter to Mio and put it in her locker in order to photograph her reaction; it'll be perfect!

However, when she puts the letter in Mio Naganohara's locker, Annaka sees her; curious, she grabs the letter sticking out of Mio's locker and sees that it's a love letter! Annaka is very much disturbed at the thought of shipping Yuuko and Mio and decides that it is more likely Yuuko intended to put the letter in Nakanojo's locker, right underneath Mio's. She fixes it for Yuuko. But when Annaka returns to class, she sees Yuuko aiming her camera on a napping Mio; Annaka freaks as yuri confirmed!

Speaking of spaceflight, at this moment, science-enthusiast Nakanojo walks in, confused over the love letter he's (mistakenly) received. Panicked, Annaka takes it and runs. Nakanojo begins thinking that there may be a specific reason Annaka didn't want him reading that note.

Chapter 181
A series of 4-komas involving philosophical discussions between Weboshii and Fe-chan.
 * counter: On the school roof, Fe-chan declares to Weboshii that she's found it, "it" being enlightenment. "What a coincidence," declares Weboshii, "so have I."
 * enlightenment is...: Fe-chan puts her hands together above her head and tells Weboshii she's going to enlightenment. Weboshii wonders how she'll be able to tell once Fe-chan's reached it. Fe-chan gets weird-eyed and lowers her hands to her side while making that "ohm" hand gesture (similar to her "We are aliens" pose). Weboshii wonders if this is enlightenment.
 * enlightenment is...: Fe-chan asks Weboshii how she reached enlightenment. She declares that she reached enlightenment once she'd realized that Fe-chan is not enlightened. Fe-chan is shocked; she then meekly asks Weboshii for her autograph.
 * enlightenment is...: Ignoring the previous, Fe-chan informs Weboshii she will now demonstrate her enlightenment. She informs Weboshii that her test score today will be poor; Weboshii points out that this is a conviction, not enlightenment. Inspired, Fe-chan declares that her bad test scores are what make her Fe-chan; Weboshii is not impressed.
 * enlightenment is...: Fe-chan tries again. "You can't have croquettes without sauce!" Weboshii figures that's really just her own preference. "You can't wash floors without rice water!" Fe-chan tries again. Weboshii figures that's just a handy trick from Fe-chan's grandmother. "Man is a thinking reed!" Fe-chan asserts. Weboshii points out that's just a quote from Pascal. With a determined grin, Fe-chan goes all in: "Love is equal!" Weboshii asks if that doesn't depend on the individual.


 * visitation: Giving up, Fe-chan asks Weboshii to enlighten her on Enlightenment. Weboshii settles on an appeal to authority, telling her that if a wise man said "Love is equal," she supposes she might think he was enlightened. Fe-chan then makes the enlightened pose from earlier and repeats "Love is equal". Weboshii asks who Fe-chan is supposed to be. Fe-chan introduces herself as the Formulary of Adjudications. Weboshii points out that that isn't a person.
 * she's saying "hmm," but she's not thinking about anything: Fe-chan and Weboshii walk down the street in lockstep with each other; Fe-chan is going "hmm," but evidently isn't thinking of anything. Weboshii muses that one must have years of experience before they can seem enlightened. "After all," she smiles, "high school students don't have that sense of gravitas." As Fe-chan continues to "hmm," she stops in front of a tree; a bird then lands on her head, but Fe-chan ignores it. "Crap," thinks Weboshii, "she looks totally enlightened right now..."

Chapter 182
Yuuko tells Mio she totally blanked on studying for today's test, but phrases it oddly. Mio finds it hilarious.

Chapter 183
Mio is surprised; is she being poked? Indeed she is: she's just standing there, and someone is poking her in the cheek. She considers the philosophical importance of this and recalls how this all happened: someone tapped her on the shoulder, and when she turned her head to look who it was, there was an extended finger, ready to poke her cheek. As it turns out, it was (and continues to be) Yuuko.

But why is it still happening? If this were a simple prank, she would have said "Gotcha!" or similar by now, and they would have had a good laugh. Yet, Yuuko's finger has remained partially lodged in Mio's cheek for a full minute now! Mio imagines Yuuko's pointing hand as a projectile launched from a ballista into a fortress wall. Mio realizes Yuuko may be waiting for Mio's reaction; for this, Mio feels great shame, and tramples on her shed husk of "simple honesty."

Mio decides she must give Yuuko the reaction this prank deserves. Mio slowly turns to look at Yuuko... who is smiling obnoxiously, a boorish smirk born of the seed called "rudeness," sown in the soil known as "one's essence," and diligently nurtured with the water called "superiority."

Mio decides to bring an end to the matter, but suddenly sees something in Yuuko's other hand: the "Prank Successful!" sign! Dear God! It's just as Mio had feared all along, but dared not to suggest: this idiot doesn't even know what a prank actually is! Mio silently boils in rage, remembering the "prank" with the musical chairs and pointy bamboo shoot that was such a pain in her butt.

Mio's knees weaken. This is a "prank", yet is no prank at all. Working on her computer, the little Mio in Mio's brain determines there is only one solution: big Mio must show Yuuko what a real prank is! Mio suddenly shouts out in extreme agony, falling backward on the ground and foaming at the mouth. Understandably, Yuuko is quite upset at seeing her friend suddenly rabid after being poked. The chapter ends with Yuuko panicking over Mio's body.

Chapter 184
Tanaka and Nakanojo are outside, arguing; Tanaka is conspicuously missing his mighty 'fro. Tanaka is angry that Nakanojo is offering to help him look for something; that one was obviously his! Nakanojo tells Tanaka that this mystery person who may or may not have Tanaka's lost object already said that it had just sprouted like crazy after patting his scalp so much. What's going on?!

Ah. The Principal is shown, sweating bullets and in an awful state; his new afro is magnificent, however. Nakanojo tells Tanaka that they should believe the Principal; in fact, they should believe all the teachers, because the teachers believe in them. This makes the Principal feel worse for some reason.

Tanaka is having none of this. Is Nakanojo an idiot or something? First the love letter, and now this... Nakanojo tells Tanaka that Annaka have taken the letter back because she got shy. Tanaka grabs Nakanojo by the shirt; he's a fool! A foolishly foolish fool! Nakanojo remains on his high horse, telling off Tanaka for resorting to violence when someone wouldn't agree with him. For violence is a valid answer only for the question, What is never the answer? Tanaka apologizes, knowing he was in the wrong; but, seriously, the Principal took his 'fro, yo! Using his words, Nakanojo calls Tanaka a dumbass while punching him hard enough in the face to send him flying. Yelling, Nakanojo explains that, since his words won't convince Tanaka, his fists must do the job. Frustrated, Nakanojo tells Tanaka that he refuses to believe that Tanaka refuses to believe the Principal's story. If this is the kind of school where the Principal lies to his students, Nakanojo might as well drop out! And believe in Annaka! What kind of world would this be if we can't even trust each other, right Principal?!

The Principal, who has not intervened when a student punched another student right in front of him, sheepishly removes Tanaka's afro and apologizes. Nakanojo falls backwards, despondent.

Chapter 185
At night, a bleary-eyed blue-haired mangaka slams her Yunker down on her drawing desk. "She's late!" she yells. A more bleary-eyed woman in a hoodie is shown on the other side of the room, identified as an assistant (after an all-nighter), asking if that helper her boss promised is really coming to help. The mangaka tells her helper called, so should be on her way; emphasis on "should". The assistant wonders if she'll even be of any help when she gets here. The mangaka admits that she did screw her over a few times in high school, but with her help, they'll be invincible! ...if she shows up.

Elsewhere in the city, near a train station, a short, nervous woman in a long skirt tells a very tall brunette with short hair that she finds this surprising; both are shown from the back, so we can't see who they are yet. So this other woman became a preschool teacher? Well, she certainly has a different air about her now.

"You seem much more cheerful," she continues, as we now see that this is Izumi Sakurai talking to... a familiar-looking face, who is wearing a nice vest with a tie tucked into it. This new woman tells Izumi that this is actually a forced smile. Izumi is taken aback.

The striking but still-unidentified woman tells Sakurai she looks young as always; she pretty much looks like she always does, so this is an interesting compliment, I suppose. Sakurai is flattered, sort of; the other woman then quietly informs Izumi was just buttering her up. "She- she really hasn't changed at all!" thinks Izumi, flabbergasted.

Back at the manga office, the mangaka slams her fists down on her drawing desk, sending her inkwell flying. "She's laaaaaaaaaaaaaate!" She looks at the clock and says her helper said she'd arrived at the train station and should be there any moment... FIVE HOURS AGO! She takes her anger out on her mechanical pencil, dispensing the lead to an insane length. The assistant suggests the helper may have gotten into trouble; distraught, the mangaka jumps on the assistant's desk and tells her that her helper does NOT get into trouble. Storming off, she gripes that this woman doesn't even have a cell phone; she's going out to look for her!

The assistant stops her. She'll go look for her, she's the assistant; the mangaka should stay and ka some manga. The assistant stumbles outside. After thinking for a moment, the mangaka begins to cry as she thinks to herself, "She doesn't even know what Mai looks like..."

The assistant stumbles past a little covered bar thing on the street; inside are Izumi and, apparently, an adult Mai. Izumi asks if Mai had seen the special on television yesterday (she had), and notes that an unidentified third woman had looked totally different than before... or like she hadn't changed a bit. Izumi is amazed that this woman has apparently found yet another one. Mai looks down at her drink and smiles in a "catching up with people is nice" kind-of-way. Izumi then tells Mai that if she's really meeting up with Naganohara-san, she'd like to say thank-you for Mio agreeing to illustrate her father, Hajime Sakurai's book; Mai looks like she'd completely forgotten about it. It seems Mio has somehow sensed this, as we see she is enveloped in anger back at the office.

Mai smiles and tells Izumi she has to get going. She hands Izumi a small package that with the word BONUS on it (it's the kind of package you put money in), ignoring Sakurai's offer to pay for the drinks. After Mai walks off, Izumi opens the package and pulls out... a leaf. She looks at it nervously. She then turns to the man running the establishment if she could have the bill. He's stunned: they only ordered water!

Mio is now on the streets, angrily searching for Mai. With no Mai and no assistant, she needs to find one of them to help her out! Off in the distance, she notices an odd silhouette. Upon closer inspection, she sees Mai, just standing there; her assistant, however, has fallen asleep and would have fallen on her face if she hadn't been leaning, face-first, into Mai's stomach.

Mio and Mai walk back together; Mio carries her assistant piggy-back, still sleeping. Mai tells Mio she'd been loitering nearby this whole time. Mio explains that she has some backgrounds that need to be done, and the deadline is eight in the morning... Mai smiles wonderfully at Mio, telling her, "Leave it to me, my dear Mio." Mio stifles a yawn.

Mai then tells Mio that Yuuko's coming back to Japan. It doesn't register with Mio at first; when it does, she's wide-awake and completely surprised. She asks if Mai is serious (she is), then exclaims they need to tell Nano and the professor (to which Mai agrees); wait, did Mai just call her "my dear Mio"? (Mai denies it.)

Chapter 186
Like Chapter 177, Chapter 186 is a series of unrelated shorts, many containing just a single panel. Fe-chan decides she's joking, there's no way that would happen! In silent horror, Weboshii points at Fe-chan, with a helpful bubble indicating that Fe-chan is now the person who's lied; the two then point at Weboshii, the person who will have to feed Fe-chan needles. The two then scream.
 * surprise box: About to open a box, Nano remembers Hakase telling her that what's inside is totally going to surprise her, and tells herself that if she prepares herself for it, she should be able to handle whatever's inside. She opens the box and reacts dramatically to it anyway: it's a shark fin?!
 * "okay, come at me whenever you're —": blindfolded, the assistant kendo instructor deftly smacks his hands together to grab the incoming sword, thus displaying his impressive skill; or at least, he would be displaying his skill if the sword wasn't actually coming from the side, thus successfully striking him.
 * and then, two words:: Unblindfolded, the assistant instructor smiles and declares, "I see."
 * sty prescription: Wearing a medical eyepatch for some reason, Nakanojo leaves the ophthalmologist carrying a small bag labeled 'medicine.' He then takes the medicine out and angrily declares, "The eye doctor gave me a suppository!" twice.
 * defiant attitude: a Pez dispenser is designed in such a way that, when dispensing candy, it looks like it is sticking its tongue out at you in defiance.
 * "I'll use my mind's eye —": Again blindfolded, the assistant kendo instructor is smacked on the head by Mihoshi Tachibana. Misato then immediately strikes the assistant instructor's side again; he doesn't seem to be good at this.
 * new discovery: Sitting at her desk, Yuuko realizes that 1 centimeter is equivalent to 10 millimeters, which is bigger than she'd thought.
 * promise: As they pinky-swear, Fe-chan tells Weboshii that if one them ever lies, they'll swallow a thousand needles! Weboshii is concerned, as Fe-chan seems to have used a plural pronoun. Fe-chan thinks about it for a second, deciding that the person who didn't lie will feed the needles to the person who did lie. Weboshii freaks.
 * national go/soccer championship: Kenzaburou Daiku shouts that, when Ogi formed a symbol with his hands, a giant toad appeared!
 * true or false: Mio, outside in her gym clothes, hears Yoshino give her a question: "My favorite type of miso soup is the kind with tofu, true or false?" Mio then runs full-force at a thing... One side has X, the other O, probably a paper or something Mio could run through to indicate her response. We then see that behind the sign is a big hole filled with water, so Mio's going to get very wet, regardless of her choice.
 * first time at a fancy café, part 2: Mio and Yuuko look at the wooden grabbers at the café. Yuuko picks one up and nervously asks Mio if this could be... Mio tells her to go ahead, it's ok if she gets it wrong. Breathing hard, Yuuko asks if... could it be, that... you use this thing to... grab the bread? Mio confirms.
 * a simple misunderstanding: Mio looks around for Yuuko, then is surprised when she sees a misshapen skull on the ground; Yuuko?!
 * first time at a fancy café, part 3: Yuuko talks through this bread-grabber thing. Even if you pick the wrong bread, with these grabbers you can put it back without getting it dirty. And then she can just carry the bread to the register, but then she'd only be able to buy one at a time... WAIT A MINUTE! Is that what the tray is for?! Yes, Mio tells her, it's the last thing you'd expect!
 * episode: Yuuko sees that little yellow bird, walking around weird as if it's injured. She quickly takes it to an animal hospital. Later, Annaka receives a newspaper from that guy in a mace. She is extraordinarily surprised to read the headline; apparently, the yellow bird was undescribed to science, and Yuuko is credited with discovering it!
 * new-found talent: Sekiguchi covers her face with her hands in extreme embarrassment. We then see why she's so embarrassed: she's won the national igo soccer championship!
 * shinonome securities: Hakase chases Sakamoto, upset that her stock prices will drop. Sakamoto runs, shouting out to Nano what he's just found out: The professor's never done an IPO!
 * he came to return the scarf: Visiting Hakase, Yuuko takes note of Crow, who's apparently finally returned his scarf. Cut to Annaka being surprised that Yuuko has discovered another new species (Crow; I TOLD you he didn't look like the other crows!).
 * vertical moncione: Yuuko asks Mio, You know how, when using an eraser, it breaks apart at the end? Well, that's because your brain is sending signals to your fingertips, which is called vertical moncione . Mio disbelievingly tells her, yeah, right. Yuuko smiles and replies, "Yeah, right!"
 * your name is...: Yuuko is thrilled by the news she's been given on the phone. While she's thinking, Yuuko's mother comes in, and Yuuko notices she has a cartoon mole on her shirt. Cut to Annaka reading that the new name of the yellow bird's species is "mole".
 * vertical moncione: Mio is surprised to read in the paper that Crow's new species has been named vertical moncione.
 * inside story: Mai is crying. Hakase is crying. Mai and Hakase are crying because Snaq has removed his head! Inside is the nagashi soumen guy for some reason, who is quite flustered; what is going on here?!
 * the path where the light shines: Mio angrily reads the paper; she'd seen that yellow bird and that umbrella crow so many times before, and they were unknown to science?! She goes out into the woods with a net, determined to discover a new species herself. She is then surprised, having found a... something! (If a narwhal was a bipedal terrestrial creature, it would look something like this.) She takes it to an expert, who informs her this creature is known as an Aioi Special, which quite surprises Mio.
 * first time at a fancy café, snake level: Mio, Yuuko, and Mai are at a fancy café; it's so fancy, the menu is written in cursive! Mai orders an ice cream of cheese with honey (apparently Mai speaks cursive as well). Mio and Yuuko try to think. Mio cautiously raises her hand and tells the waiter, "Me, too." Yuuko is surprised, but then realizes what Mio did and smiles goofily, "Me three."

Chapter 187
Hakase is reading a novel while sitting in the living room. Nano, in skirt and sweater, then dashes in, excitedly turning around as she tells the professor, "See? I put on a wind-up key, too! Just like yours!" Nano then kneels on the floor, looking at Hakase rather excitedly. "I'm gonna be Nano all day today," Nano tells the professor (no duh). "All right, then", Hakase plays along, adding, "Nano." As Nano then goes out to play, Hakase goes back to her book, smiling to herself that when she puts that key on her back, she sure does look like her...

WAIT, WHAT?!

"Hakase" is suddenly absolutely stunned, before letting out a scream so loud it tears down the sign reading "Shinonome Laboratories" on the roof. She turns to see Biscuit No. 2, who tells her to keep it down (while addressing her as "kid"). "Hakase" runs off, saying she has to catch the professor. Biscuit No. 2 shakes his head and says the kid is being childish again, before seeing his face in a mirror conveniently on the floor; he then screams in surprise as well.

Somehow, Nano and Hakase have swapped bodies, as have Sakamoto and Biscuit No. 2! As Hakase-forme Nano runs outside, she is surprised by Sakamoto (really Biscuit No. 2) sweeping the walk, standing upright rather comically while using a broom far too large for him. Nano then trips over Hakase's long labcoat and disdains that she'll have to roll it up if she wants to catch Hakase (in Nano's body). Nano then rolls up Hakase's labcoat and notices... something (we only see her top half). With Hakase's labcoat again at full length, Nano runs off, angrily cursing Hakase. "Professor, you dummy!" she says, "Wear your undies!"

Nano calls out for Hakase, looking for her; suddenly, she is mortified: There is Hakase, in Nano's young-adult body, crying like an eight-year-old because she's scared of a tiny dog (Mai's dog Pyon, specifically). Red in the face and with mouth and eyes wide open, Nano finds this jaw-droppingly embarrassing! Nano runs up to Hakase, but is surprised when Pyon suddenly dashes off behind her. Turning around Nano (in Hakase's body, remember) finds Mai. Oh god! This is even worse! Nano faints; she quickly gets up though, telling herself that this is no time for fainting. She tries to think of something quickly. "I'm Hakase!" she yells at Mai, who doesn't react beyond "?". Nano begins to panic. Giving a weird smile, she tells Mai, "Hey, it's me, your fave professor!"

Mai tilts her head a little, but otherwise doesn't respond beyond "?". Nano, embarrassed so much, buries her face in her hands (or rather, buries Hakase's face in Hakase's hands); why would she say that?!

From behind, Nano hears Hakase (as Nano) call out; Yuuko's here! Hakase (in Nano's body, and unbeknownst to the other but beknownst to us) jumps and hugs Yuuko, who is rather surprised. Hakase continues sobbing in terror as she tells Yuuko (and Mio, who is also there) that there's a scary dog, please help! Mio and Yuuko look over to see Pyon, happily jumping on (who they think is) Hakase, who doesn't seem to be scared at all. Huh?

Yuuko calls out to "Hakase" to watch out for the dog. Nano looks down and sees Pyon; quick, what would the professor do? Nano cries out, "Dog!" and dashes over, hugging Mio. Seeing she's being hugged by Hakase, Mio thinks this means that the professor likes her; and that would be the happiest moment Mio would ever experience in her entire life.

Meanwhile, back at Shinonome Labs... Sakamoto runs off to get Hakase to put him back in his own body; stupid pranks! (On the plus side, he now has Biscuit No. 2's much longer legs, so it should be faster.) Seemingly seeing what she considers to be the "sentry robot" leave the premises, Kana Nakamura emerges from behind the wall she had been observing Shinonome Labs from. If Nano, the child, and the sentry robot have all left the laboratory, then that leaves just the daruma and the homunculus. While she thinks of a plan, Biscuit No. 2 (in Sakamoto's body) thinks to himself that everybody sure is busy today; then he notices that he's in the wrong body, and runs off. (Sakamoto gets a little lucky here as Nakamura isn't looking and thus still doesn't know where her old cat is.)

Nakamura psyches herself up; she can do this! She sneaks onto the premises, but then stumbles over the broom... and continues to stumble a great distance before she tries leaning on the doorway to steady herself. Instead, she just happens to place her hand on the exact spot that releases a trap door, into which she falls.

Elsewhere, a very grateful Mio tells Hakase that she's there for her; Hakase, however, is very surprised she's been hugging Mio and runs to hug Yuuko with Nano. Mio is heartbroken. Hakase yells at Nano, "No fair!" Nano is surprised. Biscuit No. 2 then runs by, calling for Sakamoto, followed by a rather surprised Sakamoto. Nano looks at her hands and is quite surprised. Everyone is back in their own bodies, apparently. Mio and Yuuko are quite confused; Mai just watches all of this unfold.

Back at Shinonome Lab, we see Nakamura at the bottom of the (rather deep) trap door, having landed on and destroyed a machine of some sort; on the wall around her are some of the professor's drawings. Apparently, this was the machine Hakase used to switch everyone around. Nakamura climbs out of the trap door and runs off, foiled again.

Chapter 188
Yuuko sits at her desk, casually chewing on her pen, contemplating that she'd really like to go eat lunch at that ramen place today, but she doesn't want to stand in the line they'll inevitably have. She then realizes that, if everyone is thinking what she's thinking, then there won't be a line! But she figures that everyone else already figured that out, so there'll still be a line. The odds aren't zero that there won't be a line, however... Of course, other people would know that, too... As she figures out the Ramen Line Paradox, we see that's she's actually in the middle of a test!

As Yuuko contemplates this unanswerable riddle, she looks up to see that the entire class has fallen asleep! Everyone must have spent so much time studying that they didn't get any sleep and will now fail the very test they studied so hard for; another paradox! Yuuko tearfully thanks God for this development, clicking her heels in delight as she jumps over to copy from Mai's test. With intense fury, she quickly fills in her answers before lying her own head down on her desk, happy with this lucky break. If everyone hadn't fallen asleep, Yuuko wouldn't have been able to copy her answers from Mai, the smartest girl in class. Now Yuuko will get a good grade, and can show her excellent marks to her mother, who'll probably raise her allowance... The plan is so perfect, Yuuko thinks, that she almost fears divine retribution! He he.

That's when it hits her. If she has the exact same answers as Mai, she'll get the same score, which will surely arise suspicion that someone cheated, and how can she not get caught? Praying for strength, Yuuko leaps off her desk...

When the bell rings, Mio laughs that the test was so easy, she nodded off. She asks Yuuko how she did; Yuuko pretends to ponder before modestly admitting that the test may have been a bit hard. Just a smidge.

The next day, Takasaki-sensei begins announcing the results; Aioi, Yuuko is first. After Takasaki calls her name, Yuuko raises her hand with great exuberance, confident that Takasaki will announce her grade as... zero points?! Yuuko flips her desk in anger; apparently, her strategy against cheating had been to copy a different answer from each student, and (because she's Yuuko) she happened to copy from students who got that particular question wrong.

Chapter 189
Surprisingly, Mio is so angry she takes several panels to ask, "Why!!! Is it!!! My mille crépes...!!!" She emphasizes this by pointing each time, a flintlock appearing in the background of this last accusation. Mai, Yuuko, and Nano look at her without speaking. Mio finishes. "Is locked up in a metal cage?!!"

Indeed, it appears the girls have been enjoying lunch, and on the table with recently-used dishes is a delicious-looking mille crépes, trapped inside a small cage, with a padlock attached to the door. Mio only went to the bathroom for a moment... WHO DID THIS?!

Mai raises her hand. Mio angrily asks why she would do such a thing. "To keep the flies off," Mai answers. Mio snaps back that the gaps are far too large to keep flies out; but whatever, just unlock it so she can get her dessert back! Mai grabs the cage and lifts it up: it didn't have a bottom. "It comes off?!" Mio rages. If it comes off so easily, why didn't Mai say anything before?!

Mai says nothing.

Grimacing, Mio remains very angry, thinking to herself that that was horribly anti-climactic. What is she going to do with all this pent-up frustration?! Put it all into eating her mille crépes like a boss, she decides, biting down hard on her dessert.

Too hard; it makes a horrible cracking sound. "It's made of plastic?!" she cries out, hurling it to the floor. She points down at it and furiously demands to know who did this. Mai again raises her hand. When Mio asks why she would do something like that, Mai replies, "Just 'cause." Good ol' Mai.

Mio rants about Mai's behavior; is she a third son who knows they can do whatever they want all the time?! Mai answers that she is not, to which Mio snips back she knows that.

Yuuko offers Mio a box, calling her "lord," which further angers Mio. Why would she put her dessert in a box anyway?! Mio lifts the cover to find a goofy-looking skull. Mio smashes it, roaring that she doesn't even know how she's supposed to react to this. What is this, some kind of joke?!

Mio suddenly realizes that, yes, it is a joke. A joke about a joke: because a typical skull is made of bone, and this one is being used as a joke, it is thus a funny bone. That's it, isn't it? Yuuko sheepishly replies that she's correct. Mio summons judgement lightning to strike Yuuko in response.

Mio desperately asks Mai where her mille crépes is; Mai holds up a shopping bag. Mio takes it and pulls out flour, sugar, eggs, and milk: everything she needs to make a delicious milles crépes she smiles, holding a cookbook. One dessert, coming up!

Yeah, right. Mio slams the cookbook to the ground, demanding to know what the hell all this is. Yuuko holds her fists up to Mio, asking her to pick one. Mio snaps back that her dessert clearly isn't in either fist! Looking delightfully domestic, Mai begins mixing ingredients. "Don't go making it no!" Mio yells. Yuuko offers Mio a loaf of some sort, angering Mio some more; that's no mille crépes!

Watching all this in shock, Nano thinks that Mio's retorts are coming at a remarkable pace; when is she supposed to jump in? Her hand is placed on a sketchbook on the floor.

As Mio steps on Yuuko's chest and begins pulling her arm out of her socket, Yuuko yells at Nano, "Do it now!!!" Nano quickly flips through the sketchbook until she finds what she's looking for. Holding up a page that declares a successful prank, Nano declares that the prank was successful.

Mio continues to attack Yuuko. Mai ignores all this, putting a Russian doll on the table. Behind Nano, we see Mio's mille crépes, hidden by a book opened in such a way that it can stand. Nano desperately tries to get Mio to understand that the prank was a success and is thus over, but to no avail. The narrator determines that the prank was, in fact, a huge failure.

Chapter 190
Chapter 190 is another series of shorts.
 * flustered mama: a cupid readies her bow in the school hallway when she cries out, "Oh no!" Izumi Sakurai is about to open a pop-top can of corn potage ("Thick 'n creamy!"), but the cupid grabs the can and shakes it up before Sakurai can open it, before handing it back. (You've got to shake those things before you open them so they don't settle, you see.) The cupid sighs in relief; that could have been bad! At this point, she realizes she doesn't have her arrow. Huh? She then sees she dropped it when she reached for the soup, and it is now sticking out the top of Izumi Sakurai's head!
 * big winner: Fe-chan tells Weboshii to pick a hand, which she does. Fe-chan opens up her hand to reveal the prize, a small rectangular cuboid. "Consommé!" Fe-chan informs her. Weboshii smacks her forehead and agonizes that she doesn't want that.
 * the truth about daiku café: Annaka orders a hot tall latte from the coffee shop barista. Smiling happily, Annaka adds that she'd like a double caramel syrup and triple whipped cream! The barista repeats this to herself, a serious look on her face as she gulps. "Right this way, please," she tells Annaka, opening a panel on the floor hiding a flight of stairs. Holding a candle, the barista leads a bewildered Annaka down an ancient-looking tunnel, past a suit of armor. Annaka accidentally presses a switch on the wall, narrowly avoiding being crushed by a giant boulder falling from the ceiling. "Please don't touch anything!" the barista warns her. When they reach a giant pair of metal doors with a skull decoration on the keystone, the barista announces that she's brought "the chosen one," and a voice from within directs them to enter. Inside is an individual cloaked in black, wearing a hood covering their entire face, a large cross-shape on the fabric where the face would be. The figure sits in a chair, holding... a latte? "Here is your double-caramel triple-whip latter," he tells Annaka. Minor hilarity ensues.
 * 82nd-place prize: Annaka pulls a rope to open a basket containing her prize for 82nd place. Along with fancy ribbons and confetti, a large banner falls out, reading "Nothing in particular."
 * will she break it? or will she be broken?: Mio is blindfolded, carrying a bat; an unseen person is giving her directions. But it is not a pinata she is about to smash, but a watermelon, a fun summertime game in Japan. ...except the watermelon is covering [or is?!] the head of a very large and muscular man, who likely won't appreciate what's about to happen.
 * flustered mama: The cupid is now flustered, trying very hard to pry her love arrow from Sakurai's head. The cupid finally pulls it hard enough to dislodge it, but the momentum causes her to fall backward and drive the arrow in the head of Sasahara!
 * good morning: Yuuko notices that, when brushing one's teeth, the hand not holding the brush has nothing to do. But, if you put another toothbrush in that hand... DOUBLE TOOTHBRUSHING POWER! Time for the revolution.
 * principal vs. vice principal: ~with you~: As the principal and vice principal again fight each other with ninja moves, Yuuko notes it casually to herself before yelling out to tease them, "You guys always get along so well, don't you?" They both turn to her in anger and yell out, "We do noooot!!" They then blush as they realize them saying the exact thing isn't disproving Yuuko's taunt.
 * won every match: Despondent, Weboshii asks Fe-chan, "How much consummé could you possibly have?!" Beside her on the table lie dozens of small cuboids of consommé.
 * retaliation: Apparently a little bit after that, Fe-chan angrily yells, "Who are you calling a consommé monster?!"
 * judgement: Mio listens intently as Takasaki examines a drawing. He tells Mio that it is worthy of displaying and should be treasured, but... It is not a Lassen! We see the drawing, a crude sketch of a dolphin.
 * non-stop word-chain game, day 3: Mai uses a very long word, ending in -re. Yuuko mulls this over, then replies with another very long word (beginning with re-, as that's how the game works). Mai tells her she's already used that word. Yuuko tries to think of something else. Frustrated, she finally answers, "Real history buffs beat science nerds!" Mai tells her to keep going, much to Yuuko's frustration. Notably, the book Mai is reading while waiting for Yuuko's answer is show to be a nursery teacher text, and Mai has a few of those thin bookmarker sticky notes coming out of it; looks like she's studying for her future career.
 * principal vs. vice principal ~under the legendary tree~: Principal's half-toupee has been blown into a tree! Now what will he do? Vice principal then tells him to stand on his back.
 * at the end of a great adventure: Nakanojo and Tanaka are dirty and their uniforms are rather tattered. Nakanojo holds a backscratcher with what looks to be a golf ball attached to the end one holds. "If this is here," Nakanojo begins, "this must mean..." "We've finally gotten back to our own world!" Tanaka finshes.
 * easily amused: Yuuko and Hakase are having fun together. Yuuko tells the professor that they're going to play the ultra-boring "Do-Nothing" game! Whoever lasts longest, wins. Hakase and Yuuko then lie down on the floor, holding in their excitement as they do nothing.
 * 2 seconds after impact: Yuuko and Hakase have fallen asleep.
 * 10 minutes after kindness: Yuuko and Hakase are still asleep, but are now under a blanket; Sakamoto has joined them. We see Nano, winking back at us from inside a circle, indicating she's the one who put it there.

Chapter 191
Chapter 191 tells a story by incorporating shitori with what's happening. As Yuuko eats a bright red apple, yo, she picks up a parasol, only to have a snake fall out of it and entangle her! Mio, coming home from buying groceries, sees this and goes to Takasaki for help, dropping many things in the process. Takasaki is then trapped by another snake, and Mio asks Mai for help. Mai deftly lobs an ear of corn at Takasaki, who catches it with his mouth; he eats it, Popeye-ing himself the strength to break free of the snake (and his shirt).

As Takasaki triumphantly holds up the dead snake, Mio tells him to help Yuuko. They rush over, but it's too late: Yuuko has been completely swallowed by the snake! Mai then lobs another cob at Takasaki, who goes full throttle with super corn power. Grabbing the snake by its tail, he swings it, using to force to dislodge Yuuko. Yuuko goes flying out, but manages to land gracefully, flashing double peace signs to show she's alright.

Chapter 192
Chapter 192 consists of the main characters writing to their future selves, with the content of their letters used as a type of narration.

Yuuko's letter
Yuuko is first; sitting in her room at night, she cheerfully and familiarly greets her future self, indicating that she is currently a sophomore. She looks at the moon outside and seems rather disappointed. "It's a beautiful sunny morning," she writes. The next day, Yuuko greets Mio, as her letter continues. She informs her future self that this is her second draft, so she's mostly going to copy that. Yuuko then asks herself some questions; Does she have a dream? Is she working to achieve it? Has she become a proper adult and such?

Concurrently, Mio and Yuuko meet with Mai and Nano, everyone indicating that they all have letters to their future selves; at this point, Yuuko's letter asks herself if everyone is still good friends with each other. It'd be nice if everyone were to open this time capsule together, she adds. Meanwhile, Mai holds up her contribution: a large paper bag holding something very large. Mio, Yuuko, and Nano fall back at this. The four then go off to bury their time capsule. Yuuko gleefully swings her bag around, almost hitting Mai; even though Mai is reading a book, however, she still manages to duck. Nano is quite impressed by this. Mio is a bit angry, as Yuuko has accidentally elbowed her. Just everyone being themselves. "P.S.," Yuuko adds in her letter. "...Oh, uhhh... I guess that's pretty much it!"

Mio's letter
Sitting at her desk, Mio formally addresses her future self with "Dear Ms. Mio Naganohara," adding that she thought she should keep it respectful as the recipient is technically older than she is. She asks if she has become a manga artist, and if her life is enjoyable, figuring she should start with her hopes and dreams right away. As Mio's letter continues, Mio hears a knock at her door, and opens it to find a shogi piece. Closing the door, she turns around to find her sister Yoshino reading her letter! Mio punches her (to Yoshino's great joy), then closes her letter. She doesn't notice that she's also included a note Yoshino has written: "Sucks to be you! -Sis".

During that scene, Mio's letter indicates that she assumes that her future self is with her friends as she reads this. Mio then indicates that she'll include a drawing, a pencil, and a piece of paper, so that future Daisuke Naganohara (she assumes they'll be using the same pen name) can compare their artwork with current Mio, hoping that her future self will win by a landslide.

Yuuko's P.P.S.
Yuuko includes another letter in her packet, a P.S. indicating that she feels she should say something, but can't really think of anything... okay, well, goodbye! As this part is read, Yuuko presents the box for everyone to put their letters in, and then buries it. Goodbye!

Mai's letter
Mai goes into the woods and picks out a large tree. Pulling out a chainsaw, she begins cutting into it, later using a hammer and chisel. She finishes, revealing her giant wood carving. She is then seen selling it, receiving a large envelope (presumably full of cash). We then see Mai walking away from a preschool, the happy but confused teacher now holding the package.

At home, Mai sits with pen to paper, unable to write anything; around her is a pile of crumpled-up paper, indicating this is not her first draft. She skrits something down, but we don't see what it is; it may have just been her addressing her envelope. Notably, she addresses it to Yuuko, Mio, Nano, and the Professor; everyone else has addressed their letters to themselves. Mio stuffs her letter in a safe, which she then wraps in a chain with a padlock before wrapping that up in a large paper bag, taping the top shut.

Yuuko's P.P.P.S.
As Yuuko taps the dirt down on the buried box and plants a tiny sapling, her third letter admits that she feels kind of weird for saying "goodbye" in this situation; maybe "be well"? No, that doesn't work, either... Until we meet again!

Nano's letter
Nano Shinonome introduces herself in a manner echoing her introduction in Chapter 20: a robot who lives with the professor who created her. Said professor is apparently doing some kind of research, so she's at home all day, and Nano assists her. As she writes this, Hakase takes a break from snacking in front of the television to see what Nano's up to. When Hakase shows her a drawing she's made (probably a shark), Nano gives her one right back (a hand with an eye in it), apparently very happy. At this point, Nano's letter continues, quickly adding that Nano also goes to school, hangs out with her friends, gets yelled at by Sakamoto-san, keeps Hakase out of trouble, buys biscuits for Biscuit No. 2, reads books, makes wishes on a daruma that's been painted on... really, doing too many things to list here. So she hopes that her everyday life continues to be just as fun in the future. She then adds a P.S., stating that they haven't even buried the thing yet, but she already can't wait to open this! Meanwhile, Sakamoto finds the letter. We then see that Sakamoto has put his footprints on Hakase's shark picture, which has been included in an envelope addressed to herself, which has been slipped into Nano's envelope.

And then...
In the future, Mai, Yuuko, Nano, and Hakase stand and wait, watching as Mio cries that it's no use. She can't dig up the time capsule; the sproutling Yuuko planted has become a huge tree and completely enveloped the box!

Note: This is our first depiction of Future Yuuko. She appears to be a generalissimo or something else that requires a detailed explanation of why she looks like that; and of course, none is given.

Nichijou
An additional chapter, unnumbered, finishes Nichijou Volume 10. Mio, Yuuko, Mai, and Nano play rock-paper-scissors, tying many times. Eventually, they are so overwhelmed by how many times they decide they need to take a photo of everyone's last move (scissors).