Sporting Salt 1

Page 01
Red and Yellow Boxes: To save all the sportsmen in the world!!

Page 02
Box: The year 2020 AD,
Box: at the New National Stadium.
BGText: This is the stage of dreams!!
Orange Box: The third new series!!
Announcer: To everyone in Japan! And everyone from around the world!
Announcer: Right here, right now, the Tokyo Olympic games will begin!
Guy: How splendid. (small text by head: *nod*)
Guy: Surely, this place is
Guy: the crown jewel of all sports.

Page 03-04
BG Text: As a gift to all of you boys in clubs and
BG Text: all of you sports-playing girls out there!!
BG Text: I’ll show you the most dazzling of techniques!!
Sal 1: The Anatomical Science of Shioya

Page 05
Girl: Go, Manabu!
Girl: Get into position!
Girl: Bam!
Manabu: Uwaahhh!!
Black SFX: ::slip::
Manabu: Ah—
SFX: roll~
SFX: wham!
Manabu: Guh!
Manabu: Man, Runa-chan. I guess the crouching start is just impossible for me, after all…
BG Text: This boy is undergoing special field sports training!?
Runa SFX: tmp tmp tmp tmp
Runa: Hah!
Manabu: Gwah!!

Page 06
Manabu: What the hell was that for?!
Runa: You gotta put more spirit into it, Manabu!!
Runa: Weren’t you the one saying you’d take the first place at the sports festival!?
Classmates: Hahaha! And that’s why it’s impossible for Manabu to take anything even near first place.
BG SFX: Hahaha!
Classmates: You’re running out of time.
Classmate: Hey, did you know?
Classmate: A person’s speed is based on the number of revolutions their legs can make.

Page 07
Classmate: But for you, I think your body simply ain’t up to the task…
Runa: You jerks! I’m not gonna let you off for making fun of Manabu!
Classmates: Oh no! Runa’s all pissed off!
Classmate: Flat as an airport runway!
SFX: Hahaha!
Runa: I’LL KILL YOU ALL!!!
Manabu: Runa-chan, please calm down… All kids have flat chests...
Manabu (small): Why’d she hit me…
Runa: Damn! Just because that jerk Kengo thinks he’s so fast…
Runa: You gotta man up and beat him, Manabu!
Runa: My papa’s super fast, so he’s gonna get promoted to branch manager soon!
Runa: And when that happens, we’re gonna eat steak and he’s gonna buy me Pokemon Omega Ruby.
Manabu: You know… I don’t think being fast has anything to do with becoming branch manager.

Page 08
Runa: I’ll be cheering you on, okay?
Runa: It’s a mark of our closeness as childhood friends.
Manabu: Say… ummm, you know… if I win tomorrow...
Guy: Try saying that again!
Manabu: Hmm?
Thug 1: Quit smoking?!
Thug 2: Who the hell do you think you are, brat!
Runa: What’s going on?
Shioya: Calm down, everyone..
Shioya: It’s just not good to smoke when you’d like to play sports.

Page 09
Thug: Huh? Why the hell would we play sports?
Thug: Are you making fun of us?
Manabu: That guy really needs to be more careful around thugs like that.
Runa: He’s got real guts…
Shioya: What a waste…
Kids: Hm?
Shioya: UGHHHHHH!! What a waaaaaaaaste! Those muscles are just GOING TO WAAAASTE!!!
SFX: shock!
Kids: EHH?!
Shioya: Muscles! The crystallization of effort.
Thug: Guh!
Shioya: The turquoise of sweat and tears.
Thug: Wah!
SFX: crack!

Page 10
Shioya: Particularly for sports!
Shioya: There is nothing more beautiful in this world than muscles that do sports!
Shioya: Nor more ferocious!
Shioya: Ohhhh, muscles! There is nothing in this world more beautiful than you!
Thug: W—what the hell is with this guy?!
Shioya: Now then, let’s throw away those nasty cigarettes and go play sports!
Thug: Hey! Get the hell off me, you damn pervert!!
SFX: toss!
Manabu: That’s a pervert, Runa-chan.
Manabu: That pervert is picking a fight with those thugs.

Page 11
Shioya: Oh man… Guess I’ll give up.
Shioya: Hm?
Kids: !
Shioya: Could you guys possibly tell me where I am?
Shioya: You guys probably saw, but I got a bit beat up.
Manabu: Huh? You were the one beating them up, though.
Runa: Stay away, you pervert!
Runa: Manabu’s busy training for a race!
Shioya: What! A race!!
Shioya: How wonderful! This meeting must be divine fate!
SFX: shock!
Manabu: Uwaahhh! He’s really holding on to me!
Shioya: Just like internal medicine has surgeons,
Shioya: for sports, there are sports doctors.

Page 12
Shioya: I’m a second year from Tachibana Minato High School, Shioya Hiroyuki.
(T/N: “Shio” means salt.)
Shioya: I’m the man who will become the best sports doctor in all of Japan!!

Page 13
Manabu: Huh? A doctor?
Shioya: In exchange for telling me where I am, I’ll help you get stronger.
Manabu: No thanks… you’re too shady.
Runa: Looking at you, there’s no way you’re a high schooler.
Runa: You’re way too short.
SFX: stab!
SFX: stab!
Shioya: It’s decided! I’m going to make you way stronger!
Shioya: This week’s Deceptive Doctor Item is Mr. Explosive Feet!

Page 14
Manabu: Huh? What’re these?
Shioya: If you wear them, they’ll make you faster on corners!
Manabu: Corners..
Runa: You mean…
Manabu: Th—these are Syunsoku’s!
(T/N: Syunsoku is a brand of high performance running shoes.)
Manabu: Eek~
Runa: Uwah...
Manabu: These have gotta be counterfeit, right?
Shioya: If you act fast, I’ll let you have them for 500 yen.
(T/N: About five dollars.)
Manabu: You think I’ll buy them!?
Runa: These slant to the right.
Shioya: That’s right! That’s because you turn toward your right.
Runa: But doesn’t the track curve to the left?

Page 15
Manabu: Hm? You’re right…
Manabu: Hey! These won’t...
SFX: ::ring ring ring:
SFX: ::click::
Shioya: Ah, hello? Paul? About those shoes I got from you earlier…
Shioya: Well, you think I can return them?
Shioya: At least give me half my money back...
SFX: ::click::
SFX: Beep
SFX: Beep
Shioya: Now then, I wonder what else I’ve got in here?
SFX: :Click:
Manabu: You got ripped off!
Shioya: Another chance! Just gimme one more chance!
SFX: ::slip::
Manabu: Hey, let go! You’re making my bag fall! Anyway, to me, doctors are...

Page 16
(No Text)

Page 17
Manabu: !
SFX: ::stare::
Manabu: What’s going on? He made such a serious face just now…
Manabu: Don’t tell me, he’s really a…
SFX: brake~
Shioya: Uwaaahhh! Hey miss! You look like you have really strong legs! I want to touch them!
SFX: Bwuh?!
Manabu: He’s a pervert!
Runa: He’s a pervert, huh? The real thing.
Shioya SFX: Agh
Black SFX: Clang!
Bike girl: Take this!
Manabu: Yep.
Manabu: haa
Manabu: haa
Manabu: haa

Page 18
Manabu: Geez.
SFX: ::step::
Manabu: What was up with that guy yesterday?
Runa: I’ll be
Runa: cheering you on, okay?
Manabu: Tomorrow’s the real deal.
Manabu: Well, for today, I’ll just do my best.
Manabu: I’m home—
Manabu: Moooom, is lunch…
Mother: Oh, Manabu! A friend of yours dropped by.
SFX: munch munch
Manabu: Gyaaaaaaah!!!

Page 19
Manabu: Mom, why’d you let this guy in?
Mother: You—
Mother: This won’t do! You’ve got to treasure your friends!
Mother: Not to mention… Shioya-kun was really quite skilled~
Manabu: What the hell did you do to my mom, you bastard?!
Shioya: Yo...You just need to listen to her heart, Manabu-kun...
Shioya: You’re all knotted up here~
Mother: Mmmm… that’s just the place.
Manabu: Hey, you. Since your goal is to become a doctor and all, shouldn’t you be at home studying?
Manabu: So it was just a massage, huh...
Mother: My shoulders feel much better now!
Shioya: Well, yeah. Studying is necessary.
Shioya: But for sports doctors, outside of the standard medical license,
Shioya: you need qualifications from three other organizations too.

Graph (Top to Bottom)
Qualifications
Japan Athletics Association - Sports Doctor Accreditation
Japan Department of Orthopedic Surgery - Sports Doctor Certification
Japan Doctors Medical Association - Certified Sport Doctor
Medical License

Shioya: But, above all else, what you need are analytical skills.
Manabu: Analytical skills?

Page 20
Shioya: The first time medicine was applied in the world of sports was with the former tennis world champion, Martina Navratilova.
Shioya: For her meals, she had pasta which was easily absorbed by her digestive system.
Shioya: From that alone, her play was able to change.
Shioya: No matter the specifics, I want to be able to bring out an athlete's distinctive characteristics through physical contact analysis.
Shioya: That’s why I really want to get a feel of your muscles.
Manabu: No thanks.
Manabu: But… analysis, huh…?
Manabu: I really want to win tomorrow’s sports festival, at all costs.
Manabu: That’s why I’ve been doing research and running for so many months now.
Manabu: But according to my friends, my entire body is so slow that it’s just pointless.

Page 21
Shioya: Well, what if I were to tell you…
Shioya: that even if you’re slow, there’s a method you can use to go faster?
Manabu: Huh??
Shioya: Here I have two chopsticks.
Shioya: One of them I drop willy-nilly! It falls over.
SFX: clack!
SFX bubble: roll
Manabu: I can see that.
Manabu SFX: sip...
Shioya: But for the other chopstick, I straighten it out and...
Shioya: drop it.
SFX: crack!

Page 22
Shioya: Its power is concentrated at a single point,
Shioya: and so, it springs back up.
Manabu: Ah…
Manabu: I get it now!
Manabu: So, for example, if you use your toes to kick off from the ground, your power will be concentrated at that point.
Manabu: Moreover, if you take each step with your leg fully extended...
Manabu: As your power grows, each step will get progressively faster! Then you can shave seconds off your time!

Page 23
Manabu: I’ve gotta go put this into practice!
Manabu: Shioya-kun, you’re really…
Runa: Kyah!
Manabu: Runa-chan!
Manabu: Runa-chan, I’ve discovered something amazing.
Manabu: I think I can actually do well tomorrow.
Manabu: So, if I actually win…
Runa: Manabu.
Manabu: ?
Runa: Manabu… you know… I’m…

Page 24
Runa: Soon, I’ll be…
Manabu: Eh?
Manabu: You’re moving!?
Runa: Soon, because of Papa’s job.
Runa: I have to change schools, too.
Manabu: Dammit... One more time! Maybe if I focus less on each step…

Page 25
Shioya: No… I think you should give it a rest now.
Manabu: !
Manabu: Shioya-kun! Why are you here?
Shioya: Nighttime at the park is a treasure trove of amateur runners. It’s like an all-you-can-stare muscle buffet!
Shioya SFX: Ha ha ha!
Shioya: More importantly, it looks like there’s no point in you doing that.
Shioya: You'll just injure your bones and stunt your growth.
Manabu: I’m doing this because I’m in love with Runa-chan.

Page 26
Manabu: It was during summer vacation when she said it.
Manabu: She said, “People who can run fast are so cool!”
Manabu: She’s always so cheerful and it’s fun to be around her.
Manabu: But I’m just so weak.
Manabu: It’s stupid, right?
Manabu: To think that I want to show her how cool I can be and finally confess to her… it’s so childish, isn’t it!?
Manabu: But, I thought if it was just running, then maybe I could do it.
Manabu: If I could only make myself a tiny bit faster…
Manabu: I thought that maybe I could grow a little bit.

Page 27
Manabu: I want
Manabu: to get stronger.
Shioya: I understand.
Shioya: Manabu-kun, would you mind clenching your arm briefly?
Manabu: Eh?
Shioya: I told you, didn’t I? I’m going to make you stronger.

Page 28-29
Shioya: I’m starting the operation.
Manabu: Eh!?
Manabu: Did he just say operation?
Manabu: And what does that marking mean?
Manabu: Wait! Shioya-kun, what are you…

Page 30
SFX: bop!

Page 31
Manabu: Huh?

Page 32
Manabu: What the…?
Manabu: For a second, just now, it was like I sprouted wings.
Shioya: Do you feel lighter?
Manabu: !!
Manabu: Shioya-kun! What did you just do!?
Shioya: I gave you a little push.

Page 33
Shioya: Humans, no matter who they are, will at least once in their lives feel the frustration of not being good enough.
Shioya: Just like you did.
Shioya: At times like those, friends will be there to help give you a little push.
Shioya: It’ll be just fine.
Shioya: Got it?
Manabu: Friends...
Manabu: …You’re a weirdo after all.

Page 34
Announcer: Coming up next is the fifth grade boy’s footrace!

Page 35
Manabu: Ru—Runa-chan!
Runa: Um… you know,
Runa: This morning, I met that quack doctor. I don’t think it was a good sign.
Manabu: Oh, you met Shioya-kun...
Manabu: I hope he didn’t say anything he shouldn’t have.
Runa: You know, I don’t really believe in omens or anything, but…
Runa: Do your best.
Runa: Because I’ll be cheering you on!
Manabu: ...Runa-chan.
Manabu: Th—that’s right! I gotta try my best!
Runa: Yeah! That’s the spirit!

Page 36
Kengo: Yo, Manabu! You get anywhere with all of your training?
Kengo: I’m not gonna go easy on you.
Audience: That Kengo guy sure looks good.
Audience: That’s no surprise. His brother’s in the track and field club, after all.
Kengo: Heh. Well… you at least look like you’ve improved.
Manabu: Runa-chan. I like Runa-chan.

Page 37
Manabu: Whenever I’m in pain,
Manabu: She always cheers me up and makes me feel better.
Manabu: So this once,
Manabu: Just this once,
Manabu: I’m gonna show her something cool.
Manabu: Eh?

Page 38-39
(No Text)
Page 40
Kengo: What the hell?!
Manabu: Wha… what is this?
Manabu: It’s like someone is pushing me from behind!
Kengo: Damn! When did he…
Kengo: More importantly, he’s so strong!
Shioya: Yep.
Shioya: That’s an awfully powerful run.
Runa: The quack doctor!
Runa: Don’t tell me you did something to Manabu!?
Shioya: You did it too. Gave him a little push.

Page 41
Shioya: And where we gave him that little push was right here...
Shioya: The “Triangulation Point”.
Runa: Huh? The triangulation point?
Shioya: It involves the swinging of your arms.
Shioya: If you get the upper half of your body moving, then all of your movements get a power up.
Shioya: The upper half of your body is like your body’s motor.
Shioya: And the focus of your upper body is the triangulation point.
Shioya: However, with all the various muscles gathering at this point, it’s easy to have them tighten up.

Page 42
Shioya: That’s why all it takes is a little hit to the triangular point, and your muscles will all loosen up.
Shioya: This is “Triangular Release”.
Shioya: With the triangular point loosened up, the body can make bigger movements.
Shioya: All of the body’s power will...
Shioya: concentrate into the feet.

Page 43
Runa: Hold on a second! So you mean Manabu…
Runa: had a bad triangular point?
Runa: How could you have known?
Runa: You’ve never really seen Manabu run at all.
Shioya: I saw his body
Shioya: just once.
Runa: Just one time…
Runa: I once read about how doctors can examine your body by touching it.
Runa: In the same way, coaches and trainers can tell, just by touch, all sorts of things that are going on within the body,
Runa: and top-notch trainers, like the best martial artists
Runa: can see through their opponent’s habits and weaknesses simply by passing them in a hallway.

Page 44-45
Runa: A doctor that can see through and draw out an athlete’s abilities in the same way that adding salt draws out the flavors in food...
Runa: Sporting Salt.

Page 46
Runa: That can’t be. Then that run is…
Shioya: It’s not magic. It’s Manabu’s…
Shioya: It's because he was trying with all his might.
Shioya: His effort finally
Shioya: took flight.
SFX: cough
SFX: Haaah...
SFX: cough
SFX: Haaah...
Teacher: Congratulations
Teach: Here’s your ranking.
Manabu: Eh?
Manabu: …
Manabu: Ah.
Manabu: Ahh...

Page 47
Runa: You did it, Manabu!
Manabu: Runa-chan… I…
Manabu: I did it!
Runa: C’mon! Let’s go brag to everyone!
Manabu: !
Runa: Manabu?
Manabu: Hey, umm… y’know… Runa-chan… I...
BG SFX: ba-dump ba-dump ba-dump

Page 48
Manabu: I really like you, Runa-chan.
Manabu: Ah… umm…
Manabu: I mean...
Runa: ...too.

Page 49
Runa: I
Runa: really like you too.
Kid: Uwaaaahhhh! You sure are taking advantage of the moment!
Runa: blushhh
Kengo: He said it! Was that why you were trying so hard?
Kengo: Man, in that case, I totally played the role of the bad guy!
Runa: Oh yeah, Manabu. That quack doctor came by.
Manabu: Eh? Shioya-kun was here?

Page 50
Shioya: Congratulations, my friend.
Manabu: Shioya-kun!
Manabu: ?
Runa: Ah… huh?
Kengo: Hey! Was that guy just now from “Tachibana Minato”?
Runa/Manabu: Tachibana?
Kengo: My older brother told me about it once. When it comes to sports, they’ll definitely be the champions.
Kengo: The prestigious sports school, “Tachibana Minato”.

Page 51
Kengo: Recently, while studying abroad, the student council president there,
Kengo: headhunted someone to be part of the operations’ brain trust.
Kengo: That guy is said to be able to see through an athlete’s abilities just by looking at them.
Manabu: See through their abilities….
Manabu: Runa-chan… you don’t think Shioya-kun is…
Runa: Yeah, that quack doctor might’ve been…
Both: A—

Page 52
Both: Amazing!!!
SFX: ::chatter::
SFX: ::chatter::
Black SFX: Clack!
Student: President, Shioya-kun has arrived.

Page 53
President: He’s here! With this, my school has once again powered up!
President: Nice to meet you, mister transfer student!
Matsumori: I’m the student council president, Matsumori Shizuka.
Matsumori: Heh, you’re shorter than I expected.
Matsumori: Are you really a high schooler? Well, they did tell me you looked a bit shady.
Black SFX: stab!
Matsumori: Shioya-kun, from today…
Matsumori: You are now a part of this school!

Page 54
Matsumori: You have but one mission! To take all eighty-six clubs of Tachibana Minato High School,
Matsumori: and lead them to the nationals!!

Page 55
Matsumori: This school is famous for its sports.
Matsumori: Since everyone is so serious, the anguish will be heavy, and mistakes will hurt.
Matsumori: You think you can handle it, doctor?
Shioya: …Regardless of winning or losing
Shioya: I am here to save anyone who is troubled.
Shioya: I am
Shioya: the man who will become the best sports doctor in all of Japan!
BG Text: He will save anyone who plays a sport!! Shioya’s challenge has just only begun!!
In the next issue, Shioya’s first challenge: he is called on to help a tennis player in despair!! There will be a color page, and the chapter will be a grand 25 pages long!!