Kanzume Shoujo no Shuumatsu Sekai (缶詰少女ノ終末世界) is a mystery and action visual novel developed by SILKY'S PLUS. Released in 2019 (it also has a very small fandisk), it features one of the most unusual and interesting storylines I have read recently.

The story follows high school student Koumi Masataka as he seeks shelter from heavy rain at a convenience store. There, he finds a beautiful high school girl named Sarasa Sari opening and eating a can of miso-flavored mackerel. This leaves him extremely surprised by her eccentricity; I mean, who would actually do that?

He does not manage to speak with her at that moment, but the next time he sees her at school, he asks her why she was doing that. She answers that it was all in preparation for the end of the world and that she is a "Prepper", an individual who makes preparations for the apocalypse that will end the civilized world.

As the story progresses, Koumi and his friends get more involved with her, learning more about why she thinks the world is ending and what they can do about it. They form the Preppers Club at school and start investigating what would be needed to survive an apocalypse.

In this club they explore old fiction showing the end of the world from different angles and try to understand what would be needed to survive in such a situation and experiment together. It's quite fun and it makes a lot of citations of popular books and movies.

At the same time, there is another protagonist named Tsubaki who seems to have supernatural powers and is currently under the supervision of a woman named Karasumori Amika. Tsubaki is often used by her family to eliminate enemies, even though she really wants nothing to do with it.

The two sides (the first being very comedy-focused and the second more thriller-focused) seem completely disconnected for a good chunk of the story. Eventually, however, you get to know the truth, but that is something you will need to learn by reading the visual novel.

The main heroines are:

Sarasa Sari

The main heroine and the one who caused the Preppers Club to exist in the first place. She is socially awkward and quite shy, but she is extremely sweet to everyone. She genuinely thinks that the world is close to ending and uses various novels and documents to explore how it could happen.

Karasumori Amika

Tsubaki's handler and caretaker in the second side of the story. She is extremely sadistic and loves teasing Tsubaki all the time. She is also a relative of Koumi in the first side of the story and acts as a sort of older sister figure for him, generally hiding her true personality.

Tsujika Saki

The daughter of the owner of a camping goods shop. She is the "leader" of the club (mainly because everyone else is too disorganized to manage it) while also being the youngest member of the group. She is small but quite dependable.

Yaotome Hanae

A gal and the mood maker of the group. She is the one who initiates most of the jokes and the teasing of the protagonist and other characters. It is clear from the beginning that she has a secret she has not told anyone, but exactly what that secret is remains a mystery.

My favorite character among the four is Tsujika Saki. Her story is the weakest in terms of impact on the main storyline compared to the others, but I still feel that her emotional moments were the best explored. I really love her voice and personality, though looks-wise, I do prefer Amika.

You can tag this visual novel as having an "enforced playing order" and a "One True End". Each route works as a way to discover new elements of the mystery, allowing you to speculate about what is really happening in that world. This eventually leads to the final route where all mysteries and issues are resolved.

I really suggest giving this visual novel a shot. It takes a few hours to pick up speed, but the story (which is around 25 hours long) becomes so intense and interesting that you will not be able to put it down.