| Period 45: Mei-chan's Text | ||
|---|---|---|
| Period | 45 | |
| Volume | 12 | |
| Previous | Period 44: Ding Dong Lady | |
| Next | Period 46: Yomi-Sama's Facts -Prequel- | |
Mei-chan's Text is the 45th chapter of the Zekkyou Gakkyuu series and 2nd chapter in the volume 12 manga.
Premise[]
Lulu Naitou just got the newest model cellphone, but still feeling lonely she accepts a mysterious text from a girl named Mei, asking to be text friends.
Yomi's Introduction[]
Yomi overlooks her phone screen while greeting the reader. She remarks on how useful it is to have a phone capable of doing a lot, and she claims that she texts every day. When asked who, she says it is a secret.
Summary[]
Surrounded by her female classmates Lulu shows off the new phone she recently got for her birthday. She begins offering to exchange numbers as the crowd begins to dissipate, preparing for P.E. class. Lulu sadly can't understand why nobody wants to exchange numbers or be her friend now that the classes have changed, and when she is mercilessly teased by two boys who make fun of her for this, she quickly claims that she does have friends.
They demand proof when suddenly Lulu gets a message. She looks while wondering who could have her number to see its from someone named Mei. She isn't sure how it happened, but she is thankful for the great timing and shoves her phone in their faces. She tells them that she and Mei speak all the time, leading them to take off. She looks on to see Mei's full name is Mei Kuraki, and she is the same age as her. She asks if she would like to be texting buddies. Initially Lulu assumes it's just a wrong number, but seeing as they share the same feelings she sees no harm in it and accepts the request. She introduces herself to Mei and happily realizes that she has obtained a friend just as she wished.
Throughout the day Lulu begins exchanging texts with Mei and she's never been happier, even if she doesn't know Mei in person. They talk about school subjects they like and dislike, how admirable it is of Lulu to get up early in the morning, favorite lunches, and so on until Lulu works up the courage to ask her where she lives, wondering if it's in the Kantou region like her. She can hardly believe her luck when getting a response; Mei lives by the Shuuei Station.
Suddenly, Lulu gets caught texting by her teacher and is chewed out in front of the class as texting at school is forbidden. She's saddened realizing that even with the texts, she is still alone in class and has nobody to meet up with like everyone else. She pulls out her phone in secret to ask Mei if she thinks she is a bad person, but Mei insists she isn't. She believes Lulu is someone very kind for talking to her like this, and she admits that before she met her she couldn't really speak to others, and now she is very happy. Lulu is touched reading this and she continues to access how much alike they are until deciding they must be best friends. She assures Mei she would never leave her and is delighted when Mei responds right back, and they make a promise on it.
During class, Lulu behaves aware of the Teachers heavy gaze on her to make sure she doesn't break any rules. While she desperately wants to text with Mei to avoid being alone, she can't let her phone be confiscated either and suffers in silence, waiting for school to end.
As soon as she begins leaving school grounds, she quickly sends an apologetic text to Mei for keeping her waiting. In the process he overhears a girl nearby bringing up a student who went missing last year; a girl from Shuuei school who was the same age as them. Lulu is startled as they continue, with one girl remarking that the girl was never found, so chances are she's probably dead. Lulu wonders if the girl might have known Mei when she gets a new text from her. Mei explains how she understands she had to wait, it can't be helped if the teacher gets mad. This rubs Lulu oddly as she recalls never having said anything about it to Mei yet, and just then Mei sends another text, claiming that as Lulu's best friend she knows everything about her.
After getting past her shock, Lulu decides Mei is probably just kidding. There is no way she could have known what she was just thinking right then. While making her way home she proceeds to get more texts from Mei, who confesses that she's known a lot about Lulu even before they started to talk. She was curious about her and had to work up the courage to speak to her, and she's very glad she did now. By now Lulu is beginning to get anxious, and she wonders how Mei could have possibly gotten her information if she's never spoke to her before in person.
She rushes for home realizing that Mei couldn't have texted her by mistake. She finds her mom putting away groceries and shows that she got a snack for Lulu, who forces herself to calm down. Until she spots the paper on the table about a girl who went missing. She looks to see a picture of Mei and the article about the day she was last seen, and a phone number to call if anybody has any information about her. Lulu is frozen in fear as she recalls what the girls at school were saying and she realizes this girl has the same name as the Mei she's been speaking to. As she wonders if someone could be playing a prank by using Mei's name, she receives another text.
Mei asks if hey can meet up and play together at her secret spot, enraging Lulu, now convinced this is a mean-spirited prank. She deletes the text refusing to speak to "Mei" again and begins to cry. Starting tomorrow she is going to try to make real friends.
The next day she puts this to practice by approaching the girls she often observes, and she shyly asks for their numbers so that they can talk. The girls are initially caught off-guard but they quickly agree and begin to laugh at her silly expression of surprise. One of them admits that she assumed Lulu didn't like to talk because of how quiet she is, and as they exchange numbers Lulu realizes it was actually very fun. After school she runs home to inform her mom of the great news, and how her friends invited her out to play tomorrow. Her mom is very happy for her.
Later, the trio board the bus as they head to Screaming Land amusement park. She is enjoying their time together and thinks about how much more fun it is speaking in person than through texts, when suddenly she gets one. She assumes it's only her mom, but to her shock she sees it's from Mei again.
She had her number changed though, how is this possible?
This makes her panic as Mei begins sending multiple texts, expressing happiness that Lulu has come to visit her. She begins to have a breakdown as her friends helplessly observe her while stepping off the bus. Lulu drops her phone and announces she is going home, and before they can make sense of this she runs away from them until she comes to a strange, unfamiliar field.
She looks around and attempts to wade through the tall flowers and plants to make her way out of it, when suddenly her foot slips. She falls back through a large opening in the field. Landing in the soggy, rubbish covered ground Lulu is able to deduce she's in a manhole. She wonders why the lid was open and begins to worry after finding the small and damaged ladder leading back out. Spotting a cellphone on the ground, Lulu picks it up to fin a tag charm with Kuraki Mei written on it.
Suddenly, Lulu realizes that she's been getting texts from this location. Mei must have slipped and fell in this manhole too. It's then she hears someone calling for her, her new friends. She's about to call out in response when she is grabbed by a skeletal body, who identifies itself as Mei before happily giggling.
They can be together forever now.
Above ground Lulu's friends desperately call out for her, but they are unable to see the hole for it has been covered.
Yomi's Epilogue[]
Yomi observes the text she got while saying that with Mei's phone Lulu tried to free herself and escape. But from that day, she was forever bonded with her new, best friend. She makes a remark about how it is important to cherish ones friend, then she happily suggests talking again next time.