Q & A 2

Q&A, Chapter 2, Monthly Shounen Sunday, July 2009


<1>
Chapter 2: Dero!


<3>
ZWUU—SH

GLUB GLUB GLUB...

GACHUK

[x2]BARK


<4>
=Atsushi—

=Did you eat those cakes—?//The ones from last night?

=Wasn't me.

=Then who was it?

=It was... Q-chan.

=...Okay.

=You're right, it must've been Q-chan.
=No, wait!//See,//It really was Q-chan!


<5>
=Sure it was.
PSS—T

GACHUK


<6>
CHIRP CHIRP..

=I'm back in my hometown—

=For the first time in 6 years—


<7>
=My father, Kouichi Ando (age 43)//Is off to work.

=We moved out of this place 6 years ago when the old man got a transfer,//—And that winter...

=My brother, Hisashi Ando (aged 11)//Aka Q-chan.
=Died in an accident.

=My mother, Reiko Ando (age 40)//Is doing some housecleaning.

=My brother died in an accident...

=And I, Atsushi Ando (age 15)//Am in the middle of changing.

=My dead brother...

=—Alright!


<8>
=We're now a family of three.
[sign]Ando

=Atsushi—//Give Dero his breakfast.
=—Plus,

=One dog—

=Dero,//Breakfast!

=He—y,//Can't you hear me?!
=Dero!

=Dero!


<9>
=Yes?
[note]The dog's name "Dero" (デロ) is homophonous with "出ろ" the Japanese word for "come out." Hence the brother's sudden appearance.

=M-//Mom!

=What?

=He-//He's here!
=Don't waste your breath.

=Who?

=There!//There!
=Nobody else can see me or hear my voice...

=Where?


<10>
=Here!

=You,//Missed a spot...

=You sound like a mother-in-law.

[x2]BARK

=He can't talk,//But looks like Dero can see me too.
=Don't equate me with a dog.
[x2]=HUFF


<11>
=Hey,//Where you going?
=Leave me alone!

=Mom,//I'm going over to Ken-chan's place for a little bit.

=You sure?
=Shaddup!

=Jinno's waiting for you outside.

=What was that?


<12>
=See?

=Man...//He looks real pissed.

=And whose fault is that?!

=Oh!

=That bellybutton is—

=What're you guys doing here?


<13>
=None of your business.

=Actually,//I think I already know...

=What?!
=Spit it if you're so sure!

=Q-chan always beat you up, so you're trying to get payback by beating up his little brother.
=Bingo—!
WHACK

=He tried to make me eat mud pies yesterday!

=Mud pies?
=Yeah!//That guy brought 'em over to my house pretending they were from Monsieur's!

=What a grade schooler.
=Indeed...


<14>
=Anyways, everyone was mad 'cause no one from your place showed up for morning town-cleaning.
=Ohh.

=Old man went drinking last night.
=Guess he's still asleep.

=Then you go and do it for him.

=Hey!//Watch your language when you speak to Jinno-san!
=Just 'cause you're a girl doesn't mean—!

=Hurry up!
=Listen, you little—!

=ACK!

=Fine.
=I'll go.//I'll go, damn it!


<15>
=You guys are coming too!
=Huh?

=Looks like,//Yuho got rid of 'em for you.

=Jinno sent her a ton of love letters during junior-high, and she kept 'em as collateral.
=That's why he can't stand up to her.

=Ohh—

=Oops...

[x2]=TAP


<16>
=Hey, did you know//That Yuho started track 'cause of me?

=Yeah right.
=I'm serious.

[x2]WA—


<17>
WA—

[sign]Sports Day

=But man, that brother of yours.//He really was fast, huh?

=And he wasn't just fast.//He broke the school records for pretty much every event by 5th grade.
[sign]Ken-chan's place

=Oh yeah,//Remember the time when he—?
=Dude...


<18>
=It's been 6 years, and all you wanna talk about is my brother?

=Oh,//My bad.

=Yeah—It's been 6 years, huh—?//Well well,//Back then you were—

=What were you doing again?

=Right,//See ya.
=Yeah.
=Maybe in 6 years...

=—Geez.


<19>
[bubble]CAW//CAW

=Yo,//Little Ando...

S-SWISH...


<20>
=U-//Umm,
=Do you believe in spirits?

=Huh?

=Well,//You see,//They're kinda like ghosts...
=And...//Some of them are like, bad...//Uhh—

=...So they sometimes play pranks on people.
=Like changing cakes into mud pies?

=R-//Right!
=Exactly!


<21>
=Hyuk-hyuk-hyuk!

=I like your spirit.
=Huh?

=Oh—//A pun. I get it.

=What's that?//My right fist is telling me something.
=Huh?

="Give him a spirited punch."//—I see...

=Oh,//I didn't hear that!
=Nope,//You misheard!

=This'll lift your spirits!


<22>
=You're lucky it's after sunset.

=Huh?

=You little—!

SWISH

=I gotta stay in that house until its dark out.//Get it?


<23>
=Hi-yah!

SWUP

=Bigger frame, but the same old moves.//He never learns.

=Th-That pose—!

=Huh?


<24>
=Jinn!//What're you doing here?

=Not again...

=Your father was looking for you.
=What about?

=He wanted you to run over to the liquor store.

=Damn it,//Is he ever gonna start working for real!?

=Alright,//We'll settle this next time, Little Ando.

=Don't let him get away!
=Huh?


<25>
THWHACK

=Spirit punch, Atsushi!
=Huh?

BWHACK

=Cut it out!//It's not fair to attack when your opponent isn't looking!

=...Y-Yeah.
=Hey hey,//Didn't she just attack you when you weren't looking?!

=Besides, Jinno started it!//Tell her, Atsushi!//Tell her there's no rules for fighting!
=Just shut up...


<26>
=—Gosh!//You're such idiots!
=All of you!

=Hey, wait! We're not like Jinno!
=Huh?

BWHISH


<27>
=What a grade schooler.

=Um,//...Yeah.

=Gee—//Doesn't it feel great when it's dark—?

[bubble]Oooh—//Boo!

=Stop fooling around.


<28>
=Besides, if you can move around like that,//Then why didn't you just follow us instead of waiting around for 6 years.

=I couldn't—//There's a limit to how far I can travel.
=You see,//I'm only allowed to haunt this neighborhood.

=Alright,//Then how come you can move my body around,//Even though I can't touch you?

=It doesn't work for everybody.
=I can touch objects and stuff,//But not other people.

=—But I can touch Dero,//So I guess it only works with guys that can see me.

=Might wanna decide on that right now.
=It might get messy later on...


<29>
=No no,//There's still a lot we don't know about ghosts.
=The scientists and editors can only learn so much...

=You'd better not be planning to leave it at that.

=Listen, Q-chan. You're—
=Hey—

=Don't call me Q-chan anymore.

=Why?

=Well, you know...//The name and the character...//People might start complaining.
[note]Reference to the main character of Obake no Q-taro (lit. "Q-taro the Ghost), a popular series by Fujiko Fujio that ran during the 1960s and 70s.

=Then what am I supposed to call you?


<30>
=You're in high school now,//So it's gotta be "big bro."
=Big bro.

=Since when do high schoolers refer to grade schoolers as "big bro?"

=Say it.

=What're you blushing for?//Say it.