Japan has a broken system for high-school admissions in which, if one misses the entrance examination of a high school for any reason, one will not be admitted to that school.
The central character of the series, not shown here, is Ichinose Hana, who was forced by a case of the mumps to delay her entrance into high school (grades 10 through 12) by a year. Hana felt utterly humiliated, and even moved to a community in which only a cousin knew her. She concealed the truth from all her classmates, even those who became closest to her. But eventually, because of a transfer student, her secret leaked to her friends.
In chapter 135, Hana's birthday is discovered by yet another student, and Hana explains the situation.
What we see on this page is the reaction to that explanation of Hana's close friend Eiko, and the reaction of Eiko's closest friend, Kamuri, to Eiko's reaction.
Now that Eiko sees that Hana can cope, all of Eiko's pent-up concern for Hana can be released and comes spilling-out.
Slow Start has lots of sweetness and some comedy to it; but, like the first work from Tokumi that I saw, it is filled also with empathy.
(This manga is in 4-koma format. Read the right column before the left, and right-hand elements in each panel before left-hand elements.)