When I ran the cover text through Google translate, it gave me some anti-feminist sounding caption. Well, it has something to do with Mikan's pretty outfit, I guess :3 (She also doesn't look 10/11...)

In a nut shell, Youichi’s being chased and gets rescued by an axe-swining Mr. Bear. At the hanahime den, Hayate’s being teased with a piece of cake, then grown-up Youichi shows up all brusied. Then they have a dangerous ablities type reunion thing, it’s kinda cute. xD

Back with the main group, when it looks like they’re about to be captured by lackeys, it turns out it’s just the Somatic Representative (forget his name) in disguise.

Then he tells them about what happened (I think) especially about Yuka and the high school principle, and there’s a panel with the teleporting keyhole door. And then our of nowhere, a bag of Alice stones appears alongside a note from Mikan’s mother.

She ends the letter with “Please, be safe” which makes Mikan cry. I don’t know what the rest of the letter says, but it’s probably something sweet. >w<

And then I'll quote Kiseki’s twitter. -w- “Am I reading this right? o A o Mikan now can absorb Alice stones, thus able to use their powers, right…? Wooow…”

So now Mikan’s going to save the day by being all-powerful? Not quite sure I like this concept, but let’s see how it develops. (I want more romance!)

Fate seems to be quite a predominant theme, and these red strings really tie things up */shot*

I quickly merged the colour spread, and let me say this from an editor’s perspective: despite the two sides actually matching up, the quality was… atrocious to work with.

Still though, lovely chapter. Thanks to raw-paradise for the scans! Won’t even attempt to translate this time (except once…), much too wordy. Just cleaned up some scans to make this post sparkle.

We ended off last time with the news of Kaoru’s death, which visibly shocks everyone. I have never seen Natsume this sad ;~;

There’s a ton of dialogue next, between Yuka and who I suppose is some important figure in ‘Z’ but I’ll leave my analysis of that for after the scanlation comes out.

The bottom line though, is that Yuka is more determined than ever (probably to fix things and end the Elementary School Principal’s reign of… clones). Followed by a touching moment of YukaxShiki and flashbacks of everyone. >A<

I have a feeling that we probably won't see some of these faces for a while... >A<

Here’s the heartwarming moment of this chapter: following Tono’s lead, everyone gives Mikan their Alice stone to protect her. Aww~ and Natsume finally tells her (in his indirect way) that the Alice stone she received on her birthday was from him. s2 I love this scene!

Mikan gets a kiss from Tsubasa, no fair! Even if just a peck... anyways, they're all so sweet! Fwaah~ I honestly want more NatsumexMikan, so I hope he goes with her or something...!

Back at the High School Principal’s office, however… there’s nothing there except a mess of papers and broken glass. Pretty much official conclusion to the flashback arc.

They are so supportive, it's incredibly touching~ in contrast, the right scene is quite eerie...

These past few chapters have really portrayed the seriousness of their situation quite well; namely, that of children caught up in the affairs of adults. Maybe they’re a bit mature for their age, but to be honest, the fact that they’re 10-11 years old flies out of my head when I’m reading this (not necessarily a bad thing). I’m guessing that this exactly what Yuka feared: that their brief reunion would be their last. But if Yuka’s no longer here, then what about Mikan’s choice?

I’m not sure, but the scene doesn’t seem to be one where a major struggle occured. They either ran away, or they were captured; I’m doubting any deaths at the moment, but… welcome to the world of Alices. *shivers*

Next chapter out on December 5th; so far away! ;A;

Plug (again): I’m scanlating the “prohibited questions” pages of the Gakuen Alice art fanbook here so please enjoy them~ latest is Natsume; confessions (or not) of a tsundere.

Yuka looks so sad. ;~;

My impressions/interpretation of the chapter, based on raws and minimal understanding of kanji. (I’ll probably revise the post when the actual scanlations come out.)

Disclaimer: I can’t read Japanese; I just wanted to edit the scans but empty speech bubbles don’t look nice– online translators are (kind of) my friends. Never mind that. I need to learn Japanese lol.

Their friendship is so lovely~ and Natsume needs a hug!

Woot! Only one speech bubble was totally off. That’s nothing to be proud of, but still! \^^/ Also, I just realized the ‘Hotaru’ page was part of a spread I would’ve loved to fix. Ah well, next time.

The whole gang watches on as Mikan continues to cry, having made her decision to leave the Academy with her mother just moments before. They all look pretty distressed as Hotaru smiles through her tears and talks to Mikan; likely words of encouragement and friendship. Yup, they’ll meet again because everyone believes in her. I LOVE THEM. Are they really just 10-11? The cheesiness I’m assuming only breaks my heart even more~

Mikan finally turns her attention on everyone else (being Tsubasa, Nodacchi, Tono, Nobara, Ruka and Natsume) and they’re pretty much all on the verge of tears– sympathizing and agreeing with her decision. Yes… even Natsume. He turns away, and she can only remember his words as they ran away; namely his wish to be strong enough to protect her.

We’re not free from the flashbacks yet, either; as hinted in a flashback earlier on, it’s Shiki who finds Yuka in the snow. Clearly, Yuka loves Mikan so, so much. Waaah why’d they have to part~? Even though I love Yukihara and Yuka, the feelings that Shiki has are just so sweet. s2 With the dialogue, his words to Yuka– so much sweeter. ;u;

The next part is pretty wordy, so I couldn’t follow it as well.

Yuka and Shiki are fighting against the Elementary School Principal, and it’s shown in a scene where she steals an Alice stone from who I suppose is a clone. Turns out they were pretty much invincible ’cause of their alices, as well as with Kaoru’s help. Woot! Nodacchi draws the attention back on Kaoru (Natsume’s mother) and soon afterwards, Shiki gives Yuka the dreadful news (the dreadful news was actually that the boss of “Z” was a clone of the Elementary School Principal; the result of this finding was seen in the series itself). Afterwards, Yuka pleads Shiki to tell senpai to stop involving herself with such dangerous matters because she has a family; and we see something that’s happening in time with current events: Kaoru was being chased on the road, and very likely got hit by a truck. I know the whole incident points to her death but… I think there’s some fragile hope in me that she survived somehow and has been in hiding all this time.

This should more or less complete the flashback arc; unless Tachibana has more surprises and revelations in store. To be honest, I wouldn’t mind; I like seeing how the past was like. Besides, it delays the farewell between Mikan and Natsume, right…? >A<

Though I'm wondering if it's just a mislead when Yuka says that she feels like she'll never see her daughter again back at the beginning of the flashback arc. Maybe it's more like... Mikan will be a different person, and regard her mother differently with her knowledge of the past? I'm going for the happy ending here-- her father's death was tragic enough already. ):

ETA: Shameless plug! I’m scanlating the “prohibited questions” pages from the GA art fanbook; check them out here. Theoretically updated weekly; unless real life gets in the way, of course. (: