Made in Abyss Chapter 020

Nanachi is the twentieth chapter of the Made in Abyss manga series.

Synopsis
The last chapter ended on Reg ascending over 10 meters to escape an Orb Piercer. Afterwards, Riko, who had an intense bleeding and was stabbed in the hand by a venomous quill, asked Reg to cut her arm off; and later she stops breathing.

Then, a person shows up and tells Reg that there is still hope for Riko. The person instructs Reg to do CPR to Riko. She then begins to breathe, but the person says she will not regain consciousness anytime soon. Together with Reg, they carry Riko to their hideout and fetch some sticks for a splint. The person brings Reg and Riko to their hideout. Inside the hideout, there is delving equipment, whistles, pickaxes, and much more. The person remembers they haven't stated their name yet, pulls down their hood and introduce themself as Nanachi. They also tell Reg they are what Delvers call a Narehate.

Reg is confused about what a Narehate is. Nanachi brings out a small stone-like object partly covered in cloth, inserts the medicine and stitches the blood vessels and flesh around the broken bone on Riko's arm. After completing that, Nanachi splints the swollen hand, tells Reg that he could have cut the arm off without breaking the bone and asks why he didn't just cut it off at the elbow joint. Reg explains he was just following Riko's orders and Nanachi states Riko has a very strong spirit.

Reg remembers that he hasn't introduced himself and Riko. He tells Nanachi their names, but Nanachi already knows them and had been following them since they entered the 4th layer. Nanachi pitied Reg and decided to help them because Reg cried in distress with Riko unconscious. A noise comes from a curtain in the hideout. Nanachi goes to open the windows and says that it is her friend who lives with her, Mitty. Behind the curtains is a strange deformed Narehate. Nanachi asks Reg if he has ever heard of the curse of the 6th layer and Reg responds it is either the loss of ones humanity or life.

Nanachi tells him that the two of them had survived the ascension of the 6th layer, but at the loss of their humanity. Both Mitty and Nanachi lost their humanity, but Nanachi was affected by The Blessing of the Abyss, while Mitty wasn't. Nanachi is living proof that humanity has a small possibility of surviving the ascent from the 6th layer. So Nanachi doesn't want to let their existence be known to other Delvers, in order to be left alone. Nanachi sends Reg on a quest to retrieve the materials for Riko's recovery (But Reg doesn't know some of the things on the list are for Nanachi's dinner.) Reg rushes out to get the materials.

Back at Nanachi's hideout, they take Lyza "The annihilator's" whistle, and is reminded of Bondrewd, a White Whistle Delver who experimented Nanachi and Mitty.

Character Appearances

 * Bondrewd
 * Mitty
 * Nanachi
 * Reg
 * Riko

Bestiary Indexing
N/A-

Adaptation
This chapter was partly adapted into the following episodes of the Made in Abyss anime series without any major changes:
 * Episode 10: Poison and the Curse
 * Episode 11: Nanachi
 * Made in Abyss Movie 2: Wandering Twilight