Volume 3 (Novel)

is the third novel in the Otherside Picnic series. It was released in Japanese on November 20, 2018 and April 12, 2020 in English. The series is written by Iori Miyazawa and illustrated by shirakaba.
== Synopsis ==
Autumn has arrived. Having narrowly avoided the curse of the Kotoribako, Sorawo and Toriko are back to exploring the other world. With boxed lunches in tow, the two take their agricultural vehicle for a leisurely drive across grassy terrain, deal with the problems caused by Sorawo's kouhai at university, and hang out at cognitive scientist Kozakura's house. Naturally, bizarre entities and Satsuki Uruma's shadow are watching their every move.
And just what is Urumiluna, the greatest threat they’ve ever encountered?
Don’t miss the third volume of the girls' tale of survival, where feelings they can't show each other collide!J-Novel Club Synopsis
== Chapters ==
* File 9: Yamanoke Presence
* File 10: Sannuki-san and Karateka-san
* File 11: The Whispered Voice Requires Self-Responsibility
== Additional Content ==
* Works Referenced (Vol. 3)
== Summaries ==
====== File 9: Yamanoke Presence ======
Broad Chapter Summary: The girls make a road across the Otherside, encountering a Yamanoke and Satsuki along the way.
Characters in order of appearance: Sorawo, Toriko, Kozakura, Akari (text), Yamanoke, Satsuki 
Locations: Rice porridge restaurant, Kozakura's house, Observation tower, Observation tower forest, Jinbouchou gate 
Summary of Parts:
# Sorawo, Toriko, and Kozakura wrap up events from the last incident, and discuss their plans to create a "road" through the Otherside.
# Kozakura worries about the girls as they head to the Otherside. They begin to take the AP-1 from Kozakura's gate towards the Jinbouchou gate.
# The two slowly travel through the Otherside until they come across an observation deck, where they plan to stop for lunch.
# They look around the observation deck, finding only some pictures and a strange spacesuit.
# Sorawo and Toriko have lunch and banter a bit, and Sorawo tells Toriko her backstory. Strangely, it becomes night in the Otherside despite it being far too early.
# Outside the observation tower, while investigating, the girls encounter a Yamanoke, which possesses Sorawo and messes with her recognition of humans. Toriko takes her back to the tower and uses her hand to aid her and expel the Yamanoke.
# The night ends as quickly as it began, and the girls resolve to stay a *real* night on the Otherside. Toriko discusses her family structure (having two mothers). Sorawo reveals to the reader that she's been seeing Satsuki Uruma stalking them the entire journey.
====== File 10: Sannuki-san and Karateka-san ======
Broad Chapter Summary: Akari approaches the girls with another incident regarding her mechanic friend, which leads them towards an unknown person called "lunaurumi".
Characters in order of appearance: Toriko, Sorawo, Kozakura, Akari, Natsumi, Sannukikano 
Locations: Seibu train line, Kozakura's house, Ichikawa shop, Interstitial Space 
Summary of Parts:
# Sorawo and Toriko talk about their journeys in the Otherside since File 9 as they go to Kozakura's house. There, they find Akari.
# Akari is there to ask for assistance on another matter, which she calls "Sannukikano".
# Akari's friend Natsumi had a strange experience matching an urban legend, but didn't do as the story asked, and since then has seemingly been cursed.
# Sorawo, Toriko, and Akari meet with Natsumi, a mechanic. They can't use the guns on the surface, so fending any monsters off will be difficult. The four search for clues.
# They find some strange buried urns full of teeth, bones, and the family shrine. Natsumi tells Sorawo about Akari's history with Satsuki, and her worries about their friendship. Something appears in the yard.
# It turns out to be Sannukikano, an old woman, who steals a tooth from Natsumi and Akari. Sorawo uses her eye on Akari to drive her mad and encourage her to attack Sannukikano. Akari beats the monster to a pulp. Afterwards, Natsumi explains that she may have had this encounter due to watching a strange youtube video from "lunaurumi", a different person from Satsuki.
# Sorawo, Toriko, Akari, and Kozakura begin searching for this "lunaurumi", who seems to be deliberately causing Otherside contact. Akari comments that Sorawo with long hair would look sort of like Satsuki.
====== File 11: The Whispered Voice Requires Self-Responsibility ======
Broad Chapter Summary: Sorawo and Kozakura are kidnapped by Runa Urumi's cult, which invades DS Labs in search of Satsuki, and causes a very scary encounter with her. Toriko realizes Satsuki isn't Satsuki anymore, and declares her love for Sorawo.
Characters in order of appearance: Sorawo, Satsuki, Toriko, Thank-you Woman, Kozakura, Runa Urumi, Runa's Cultists, Anti-Cult Sorawo, Runa's Fourth Kinds, Migiwa, DS Labs Doctor, DS Labs Nurse 
Locations: Ikebukuro, Kozakura's house, Shakujii-kouen, The Farm, DS Labs, Otherside (unknown)
Summary of Parts:
# Sorawo and Toriko, while shopping, are approached by a strange woman, the Thank-you woman, who is interested in Toriko's hand.
# The search for Lunaurumi turns up a video about a "blue eyed woman". Sorawo volunteers to watch it alone, and is drawn in by "Runa Urumi"'s voice, blacking out. Later that day, Satsuki appears and reaches for Toriko, then Sorawo is kidnapped and dragged into a van, along with either Kozakura or Toriko.
# Sorawo awakens, tied up alongside Kozakura, at an unknown location, and meets Runa Urumi, who leads a mind controlled cult. Runa worships Satsuki and wishes to meet her, and explains how she had a strange encounter that altered her voice to be able to control people. Runa uses her voice to extract information from Kozakura, and puts Sorawo to sleep.
# Sorawo wakes up in a cell, and enters her "anti cult mode", a focused and ruthless aspect of herself. Sorawo uses her eye to drive a captor insane and creates an opening to escape, rescues Kozakura, and they traverse the complex in search of an escape. 
# They discover cells holding Fourth Kind contactees, some of whom are retrieved by the cult. Sorawo and Kozakura discover a gate in the complex, but are caught. Runa, Kozakura, and a number of cultists go through the gate, which leads to DS Labs, in search of Satsuki's notes. Sorawo is nearly killed by a remaining guard, but is rescued by Toriko.
# Toriko and Migiwa give their end of events, including ambushing cultists at Kozakura's house, and how they arrived on the scene. Toriko is able to un-mind control a man, who gives them directions to the gate. 
# Sorawo, Toriko, and Migiwa make their way through DS Labs, rescuing the DS Labs doctor and a nurse.
# They break a guard on the warehouse with Sorawo's eye, and Sorawo and Toriko go alone to search for Runa in the warehouse.
# They encounter Runa, Kozakura, the Thank-you woman, and two Fourth Kinds in the warehouse with Satsuki's notes. During a tense encounter, Satsuki transports the group to the Otherside. There, all of them see Satsuki, and Toriko touches her with her left hand, but shudders in horror. Sorawo rescues Toriko, but Satsuki murders the Thank-you woman and breaks Runa's jaw. One of the fourth kinds starts creating a gate. Sorawo and Toriko rescue Runa and Kozakura, but Sorawo is caught by her long hair, and cuts it short. Sorawo engages in a nonsensical conversation with Satsuki, including a promise to "definitely come", as the gate closes. Toriko tells Sorawo that Satsuki's hand was cold, but Sorawo's is warm, and gently announces that she loves her.
== Illustrations ==
Novel Cover 3 Clean.png|Cover — Clean
Volume 3 Insert 1.png|File 9: Yamanoke Presence
Volume 3 Insert 2.png|File 10: Sannuki-san and Karateka-san
Volume 3 Insert 3.png|File 11: The Whispered Voice Requires Self-Responsibility — 1
Volume 3 Insert 4.png|File 11: The Whispered Voice Requires Self-Responsibility — 2
== References ==
Category:Novel