In this chapter, we are introduced to a new character, Hiroyuki, who is about to enter middle school. He is dressed in his school uniform, and we are told that he has just returned from dropping off a movie rental at a nearby department store. As he is leaving the store, he sees a "zombie potion" on the ground, which reminds him of the one he took at the beginning of the novel. He asks the woman at the counter if it is safe for him to take it, and the woman says that it is not, but that she will take it when she is "stressful" and needs help. Hiroyuki thanks her, and she leaves him alone.