Naoki’s exit in the previous chapter was always doing a little more work than it seemed like on the surface. On one hand, it’s a character beat-- because of course Naoki would casually step away for coffee. But structurally, it also creates the breathing room the outbreak needs to actually become an outbreak.

Because let’s be real... If Naoki had been standing around when things first went sideways, this chapter probably would’ve been very short.