“Actually, I’m not really okay, but it’s fine” is certainly a mood. Chiyo asks Asa an even more pointed question a little later: “Did you think your life was over [after your parents died]?” The answer changes depend on when the question is asked. At the start of the series? Asa probably wouldn’t have an answer for Chiyo. These days, however, it’s an emphatic no: “It’s not over, because I’m alive!” And Chiyo can take solace from that. The sexist university administrators being caught red-handed won’t solve systemic discrimination overnight or even anytime soon. But unless she’s six feet under (or in an urn), she can keep fighting the good fight. She can keep trying to make the world better not just for herself, but for future generations of girls like her. And sometimes, we don’t need to score big wins. Simply going to school shows that you haven’t given up, and that’s a win in itself. A small one, but it’s fine, right?