The Weeding Exam, third try (Sunfish Arc): how to read it
Based on our Japanese story pages and articles on the weeding exam; anime list checked on Oct 1, 2026.
This 30-post story continues the Weeding Exam Arc: it is the day of Chiikawa’s third attempt at the Grade 5 weeding exam. Hachiware heads to the venue riding a sunfish that swims through the sky, and finds Chiikawa somewhere completely unexpected. You can start reading here even if you haven’t read the earlier arc.
- Original posts
- 30 posts on Nagano’s X, May 17, 2025 – Jul 8, 2025
- Before this
- Weeding Exam Arc (28 posts, 2020–2023)
- Book
- Not confirmed in a book yet (as of Oct 1, 2026)
- Anime
- Not animated yet (as of episode 382, Sep 29, 2026)
Read the third exam in order
Our Japanese page shows all 30 of Nagano’s posts as X embeds, in posting order, split into 3 pages. The page is in Japanese, but the comic itself is the X post: scroll from the top, and use the next-page button at the bottom to move on.
- Page 1: The morning of the exam
- Posts 1–12
- Page 2: Out of the pit, to the exam
- Posts 13–22
- Page 3: Results day
- Posts 23–30
- 30 is the number of Nagano’s posts we collected, not an official episode count.
- The exam result is on page 3, “Results day.” We don’t give it away here.
What happens on exam day? (no spoilers)
The night before the exam, Chiikawa gets out of bed to reread the study guide. The next morning, Hachiware goes to the venue to cheer, but Chiikawa never shows up.
- Thinking they missed each other, Hachiware rides a sunfish swimming through the sky toward the venue, and on the way finds Chiikawa at the bottom of a deep pit.
- How they get out of the pit is the highlight.
- The arc covers the exam itself and the days of waiting for the result.
How it connects to the first Weeding Exam Arc
The weeding exam story began in 2020. Chiifan collects the earlier part, from finding the study guide to the night before this exam, as the Weeding Exam Arc (28 posts). This arc picks up from exam day.
- The weeding exam is a qualification for the “weeding” job in Chiikawa’s world. This time, Chiikawa again takes Grade 5 (Hachiware comes to cheer). Grades 5, 4, 3 and 2 appear in the story.
- Who runs the exam and how it is scored have not been explained.
- Reading the first arc first makes this one hit harder, but either order works.
What isn’t explained
Like many Chiikawa stories, this one leaves the “why” open.
- What the sunfish Hachiware rides is, and why it swims through the sky.
- Why the deep pit was there.
- How the exam is graded. No scores are ever shown.
Who appears in it?
Chiikawa and Hachiware carry this arc; Usagi and an armored worker (Yoroi-san) appear too.
Frequently asked questions
Does Chiikawa pass the weeding exam?
We don’t spoil it here. The result of the third exam is on page 3 (“Results day”) of our story page for this arc.
Why is it called the Sunfish Arc?
Because Hachiware rides a sunfish (manbō) that swims through the sky on the way to the exam venue. What the sunfish is has not been explained.
Has the third exam been animated?
Not as of episode 382 (aired Sep 29, 2026).
Do I need to read the first Weeding Exam Arc first?
No. This arc can be read on its own, but the earlier one shows the years of studying that lead up to exam day.
Sources
Pages marked (Japanese) are only available in Japanese.