Chapter 8: Streetlights
Arriving at the Communication Tower, the group takes an elevator towards the upper level of the city. Apparently, over a hundred years ago, a real elevator was originally built inside the tower, but people couldn't figure out how to make it work, so they created an improvised one outside in its stead. Chito is worried that it would somehow break on the way up, but Yuuri insists that they'll be fine. When complimented about her optimism, Chito says Yuuri is going to send a screw flying due to being so optimistic. Although things seem to be solid so far, Chito is experiencing acrophobia, i.e. fear of heights, which leaves her unable to stand up from being overly frightened. The elevator wasn't built with a chainlink fence in mind, likely to preserve materials, so they have to rely on a single handrail to avoid falling when it tilts. And indeed, the elevator does tilt, due to getting caught up on something on the rail. Kanazawa manages to stop it before it could get any worse, but notices that his bag with maps started sliding away from the tilted elevator and runs to grab them before they drop all the way down. Chito and Yuuri manage to save him, but he misses the grip by mere inches and, at that moment, loses his lifetime of work. As a result, Kanazawa becomes severely depressed and tells the girls to let him fall too, but they refuse to let go and pull him back up. In the end, Chito and Yuuri manage to fix the rail and reach the top of the tower. While there, the group sees the street lights lighting up around the city, including the brightest one in the far distance. Yuuri attempts to cheer up Kanazawa with a fruit-flavored ration, telling him that even if life doesn't have a meaning, there are bound to be good things once in a while, even in a world long gone. As a thank-you gift, Kanazawa decides to give Chito and Yuuri his "photograph machine", or camera, before parting ways with them and traveling north to make new maps as replacements for the previous ones he lost. Wondering if they'll ever meet him again, the girls get a move on to the brightest place.
