Sket Dance 71

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[Insert text: And the name of the true culprit is...!]
Bossun: The culprit is... // You. // Yasuda Saori.
[Sket Dance]
[Chapter 71: Glass Girls]

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Saori: What are you talking about?!! // You're saying I'm the one who broke all those windows? // All I've been doing is covering your investigation, and...
Bossun: The one who broke the windows was Takashima-san. // You're the one who manipulated her into doing it.
Takashima: Huh? Yasuda-san... as in from Miyano School?
Himeko: You know her, Takashima-san?
Takashima: Uh-huh... well, not personally, but we went to the same middle school...
Bossun: I knew it.

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Bossun: Let's work out what really happened here. // Yasuda Saori. // I don't know why, exactly, but you have some kind of grudge against Takashima Sakiko, so you tried to set her up as the "culprit" of this case. // You used your knowledge of the fact that she was overweight in middle school, and manipulated her through letters planted in her shoe locker. // Takashima-san was forced to do exactly what you wanted... every morning, she went to a different classroom, as ordered, and broke the windows there. // But in truth, there was a code hidden in the classrooms you chose. / Take the first characters and re-order them, and they spelled out her name: "Takashima Sakiko".

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Bossun: In other words, you wanted us to catch on to the clue you planted... / ...and under the pretext of giving our investigation "total coverage", you meant to capture the whole investigation on film, right up to the moment we caught her in the act. // Even without showing the film at the Media Contest, just by showing it to a few students here at school, you would have ruined Takashima-san's reputation.
Takashima: H... How could you...?!
Bossun: Naturally, you thought your code was simple. Once someone realised it was there, they'd be sure to solve it. // And now I come to think of it...
[FlashbackPanel]
Someone: A code or something?
Bossun: Hm? / Mm... it's a possibility.
[/FlashbackPanel]
Bossun: You gave us exactly the hint we needed while filming our brainstorming session.
Flashback!Saori: A code or something?
Flashback!Bossun: Hm? / Mm... it's a possibility.

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Bossun: If we had just reached the conclusion you wanted at that point, your plan could have worked. / But you made two miscalculations. // The fact that your anagram also fitted another name - "Shimasaki Takao"... / And also... // Takashima-san's idea of coining a nickname for the culprit - the "Glass Man". // I was misled by my preconception that the culprit was male, and subconsciously eliminated Takashima-san from the list of suspects.
[FlashbackPanel]
Girl: Uh-huh - it looks like he's struck again! Kanegi-sensei was talking about it!
Takako: Again?! / But that's the third time now!
[/FlashbackPanel]
Bossun: As a result... / I reached the "wrong" conclusion - "Shimasaki Takao" - and predicted that the next location would be the Reception, to match the "O" in his name. // Oh, that must have pissed you off. At this rate, Takashima Sakiko wouldn't be caught after all! / And in your panic, you made your biggest mistake of all. // In an attempt to put an end to the whole case once and for all, you took advantage of the mistake that I had made.

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Bossun: Instead of making her attack a room beginning with "ko" that final time... // ...you sent her to one beginning with "o" instead. // And that was what gave you away as the true culprit!
Saori: Wait... what are you even talking about?! / I don't get it at all!
Bossun: You're the only one it could have been. // Who knew that we would be lying in wait here? // Only the Sket-dan members should have known that! // Not only that, the culprit knew exactly what mistake we had made. // All because... // ...that culprit had been covering our entire investigation, non-stop. // It could only have been you. // Yasuda Saori.

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Saori: Hah... // Hahahahahahahah... // I see... That figures... // I thought I had it planned out so well, too... but I just had to slip up at the end. // Brilliant work, Fujisaki-kun. / It looks like I was right about you.

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Saori: You are correct... I am the real culprit. // I was the one manipulating the Glass Man - I mean, Takashima-san.
Takahashi: But why...? Why would you do a thing like that...?!
Saori: Because I hate you. // I hate your goddamn guts. // Takashima Sakiko.

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Takashima: ............... // Why...? // I don't even know you...! / Why would you...
Saori: Oh, you may not know me... // ...but I sure as hell know you. / And I'll never forget what you did.
Takashima: ?!
Saori: You see, back in middle school, there was a guy who I really liked... // The same guy that you liked.
Takashima: ...............?!

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Saori: I couldn't even work up the courage to talk to him... yet he was on my mind every waking hour. // In the end, I used the classic method of writing a love letter, and leaving it in his shoe locker. // I was so worried... what if he rejected me? What if he didn't even read it? // I would be too ashamed to even show my face... // What if he accepted me? / If he agreed to go out with me, what would I talk to him about? // My mind was full to bursting with all these different thoughts...... // I'm sure you can understand that, can't you? // After all, you did exactly the same thing yourself.
Takashima: ............... // Huh...? // ......Ahh! // Could it be...?!
Bossun: ?!

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Saori: Oh, yes! I was there on that day! I was watching! // After I left the love letter for him, I hid myself by the lockers... watching to make sure that he found it... / And I saw it all!! // As I looked on...... // You came along...
Flashback!Saori: (That's... Takashima-san, from Class 3? // Ahh! What's that?! // It couldn't be...... // She's written a love letter as well...?!)

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Flashback!Saori: (She found my letter... what's she going to do?) // !!!
Saori: You crushed my letter in your fat, filthy hands, leaving nothing but your own letter waiting for him in that locker! // I SAW IT ALL!!

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Saori: You little bitch! / Trampling all over my feelings, trying to make sure that you alone had a chance at his heart!!
Takashima: I remember... / I just... I... I didn't think...!! / I was so taken aback... // So it was your letter in that locker... // I'm so sorry!! // I really am... / I don't know how to apologise enough...!! // I'm so sorry... // But in the end, he never even responded to my letter...
Saori: I don't give a crap about that.

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Saori: Why should I care about that, hm? / The problem here is that, thanks to you, he never even found out about my feelings for him! // And then... / Even worse than that...... // You came to the same high school as me... / Fell for the same guy as me again... // And you were the one who won his heart!
Takashima: (What.........?!)
Bossun: I see. // So that's what happened.
Takashima: What?! / You mean...
Saori: That's right! / I was crazy about Hiraizumi-kun, just like you were! / But who is he going out with now? YOU!

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Saori: I wanted to confess to him as well, you know! I was just waiting... waiting for the right moment! // But you...! // You went on a diet before entering high school... made yourself so lovely and beautiful...!! // You confessed to him before I ever could... and you stole him from me!! // Why?! / Why do you do this?! // How many times do you have to ruin my life before you're satisfied?!!
Takashima: Yasuda-san... // Aaaahhhhh...!! // I'm so sorry! // Yasuda-san... I...!

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Bossun: ...Ugh... what kind of screwed-up joke is this? // You think that makes it all right to use somebody's past against them? To set them up and force them to do bad things? // Young girls in love sure can be terrifying beasts... // Okay, so Takashima-san did something that wasn't very admirable. / And sure, she should apologise for that. // But when she had her feelings dashed, she worked her ass off to make up for that!! // She hated how fat she was, and so she did something about it! / She moved on ahead!! // "Waiting for the right moment"?! // No! / You were so caught up on your old grudge... // ...that you just stopped in your tracks!

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Bossun: You're the one with pent-up frustration! / You're the one who really wanted to smash all those windows!!
Saori: ......You know what? // I think you're right......
Takashima: Yasuda-san...

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Saori: I'll take the blame for breaking all the windows.
Takashima: What?! / But...
Saori: It's all right. / I'm sure Fujisaki-kun will help me explain everything to the teachers.
Bossun: ............... // Nah. // Screw that. // I got up early for this... and now I'm real tired. / You can handle the rest yourselves.
Himeko: Well... you heard the guy!
Saori: Huh? // Huh?
Switch: I'll be taking custody of this. I won't misuse it. // Goodbye.
Takahashi/Saori: ...............

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Yagi: Yes, I thought you might do that in the end. // I must apologise for everything that happened here. / I assure you I have scolded Yasuda-san for her actions myself.
Bossun: Nah, nah. / No problem, no problem.
Himeko: Don't be too harsh on the poor girl. We don't want to get her all depressed.
Yagi: Still, are you sure about this? I feel like the blame-taking may be getting a little out of hand...
Bossun: Nah, nah. / No problem, no problem. // We're used to people getting mad at us, anyway. // Let's just say... // ...the likes of us don't stand much of a chance against two young girls in love.
[Newspaper title (right): Campus Times]
[Newspaper headline: The Sket-dan Strikes Again / Breaks Six Windows Playing Catchball]
[Newspaper subtitle: The Window-Breakers Confess]
[TN: They're always taking falls, aren't they...? Still, good job!!]