Chapter 08 - "Welcome to the Vacation!"

Welcome to the Vacation! ("Bakēshon ni yōkoso!", バケーションにようこそ！) is the eighth chapter of the Welcome to the N.H.K. manga.

Summary
Tatsuhiro has an eerie imagination where Misaki betrays him at the fireworks show. She claims she is an N.H.K. Agent that was sent to him in an effort to make him remain as a hikikomori forever. After he snaps out of it, he realizes the core reason of his hikikomori state of mind—he is afraid of getting hurt. In a moment of satire, he bolts up his door to keep everyone from the outside world out.

There is a brief scene with Hitomi Kashiwa. She now works as a social worker, and the proposal she's written up for her boss was fiercely rejected, as he believes she is neglecting the needs of citizens. After her boss made a fool of her, she gets teased by her coworkers and only the least favorable of coworkers stands up for her. She presses on with her work, and it is suggested that she downs some pills on her break to make her feel better.

As Tatsuhiro ruminates on why he is a hikikomori today, he recalls a memory with Hitomi. At the end of the year school festival, Tatsuhiro notices Hitomi's boyfriend over the balcony. She corrected Tatsuhiro and told him that she broke up with him. She asked Tatsuhiro if he was happy with it, and he said no. She subtly entered a bad mood after he said that. She seemed to act very goofy and happy, only to break down in tears. He knows that he did nothing to help her because he was afraid. He regrets his actions and criticizes himself for being a coward who's too scared to do anything. At that moment, Hitomi calls him up, looking for an excuse to meet up with him. She shows up at his house without permission, in a goofy and sporadic mood, suggesting an emotional breakdown, as well as a pill overdose. She drowns her sorrows in alcohol. Just like the past dictates, she begins to cry again. He jumps at the opportunity to prevent a hopeless situation and asks Hitomi if she wants to go do something with her to make her feel better. She misinterprets his offer and assumes he's referring to the offline meeting flyer she brought in, and is thrilled to know that she won't be going alone.