Sket Dance 53

1
Switch: "Pan" [bread] may be "pan", but what kind of "pan" is hard and inedible...?
[insert text: It may be a little sudden, but... Switch's Quiz Corner☆?!]
Himeko: Whaat?! // Uhhhhhhhhhh...
Bossun: ...............
Himeko: A kind of "pan" you can't even eat? / Does that seriously even exist?
Switch: Indeed.
Himeko: Ah - I've got it! You mean bread that's gone stale! / If you leave it out, it goes all hard and you can't eat it! // Hah, got it!
Switch: Bzzzzzt.
Himeko: Whaaat?!
Bossun: .................. // It's gotta be a "frying pan", right?
[TN: For the record, this is an incredibly well-known pun. Hell, even I've heard it any number of times, and I've never even been to Japan or anything.]

2
Himeko: ......... // Ahhhh... / Ohhh!! / "Pan"... a "frying PAN"...!!!
Bossun: Well, yeah. It's hard... and you can't eat it...
Himeko: It's a FRYING PAN!! / You're amazing, Bossun!! / You really are so smart...!
Bossun: ............
Himeko: All right!! I get this now! Now, give me another one, dammit, hit me with it, NOW!!!!
Switch: All right - next question. // Above me a flood, below me a fire - what am I?
Himeko: OH, COME OFF IT ALREADY~~~~~!!! // THIS IS JUST FREAKIN' STUPID!!! // Ahhh, no, no... / Man... this is a tough one... ummmmm... uhhhhh... // I've got it!! // It's "disasters"!!
Switch: Bzzzzt.
Himeko: Whaaa?!!
Bossun: ...It's a bathtub, right?
Himeko: ............ // YOU'RE A FREAKIN' GENIUS!!!
Bossun: ............

3
Bossun: What are you guys meant to be, little kids who failed school?!! / Anybody could tell you the answers to those!!
Himeko: What was that?!
Switch: What was that?!
Himeko: Ah, don't be freakin' ridiculous! C'mon, Switch, give us another one!!
Switch: Bossun has become a mouse! About how big is he now?
Bossun: "Chuu", of course!!
[TN: "Chuu" meaning both "medium size" and the noise a mouse makes ~_~]
Himeko: He's not a genius!! He's a freakin' GOD!!
Bossun: Oh, shaddup~~~~!!
[book: Challenge the Puzzle Genie: Nazo Nazo Land]
Bossun: And what the heck is that obviously-for-kids book you've got there anyway?! Where did you get it?! Man, that takes me back...!! // Honestly, you guys are...
Himeko: Hm? // Huh? // Since when was this thing on my desk? // What is this box...?
[sket Dance]
[insert text: This strange box heralds "mystery"!]
[Chapter 53: Quiz Warrior Enigman]

4
[sFX: WAHAHAHHAHAH!]
Bossun: ?!
Voice: So you finally noticed it... Ladies and Gentlemen of the Sket-dan.
Bossun: Wh... Who's there?!
Voice: I have sealed the doll that was upon your desk inside that box!
Himeko: Aaagh!!! // It's true! Pelorin's vanished!!
Voice: Hohoho... I took him as my hostage before you arrived.
Himeko: Who are you?! Get out here!!
Voice: To be honest, I was starting to become afraid that you would never notice...
Himeko: Shut up an' show yourself!!!
Voice: Hohoho... / Yes, I shall appear before you. // Be it a mystery, a puzzle or a mystery, you can be sure I will be there! // For they call me... ENIGMAN!!

5
Himeko: So it was you, was it, punk?!!!
Enigman: Owowowowowowwwww!!
Bossun: Stop that, Himeko!
Himeko: Ohh, you've got some guts showin' your face after messin' with MY stuff...!! / RIGHT?!!
Enigman: Owowowowww!!
Switch: This is Daimon Akitoshi-kun, from the Quiz Society.
Enigman: Pleased to meet you...
Himeko: What, you're just some failed magician?!! Give Pelorin back, now!!
Enigman: Hohoho... Not so fast. // I am here to challenge you all to a quiz battle.
Bossun/Himeko: A quiz?!
Enigman: Indeed! It is the way of the Quiz Society to challenge other clubs to contests of the mind! // This year, we have gone thus far undefeated in ten straight matches! / And you, my Sket-dan friends, have been lucky enough to be selected as our next targets!

6
Bossun: Ah, shaddup. Quiz, my ass.
Himeko: Yeah, you're just a freak in a crazy costume!
Enigma: I must take offense! For quizzes are my very life! // Did you know? There are only three types of person in this world. // The "sado"... // The "maso"... // ...and the "nazo".
[TN: "Mystery"]
Himeko: Oh, gimme a break already!!
Enigman: Ah, how it thrills me to watch others struggling with difficult problems!!
Himeko: You ARE a freak!
Enigman: As such... ladies and gentlemen of the Sket-dan! It is time for you to accompany me to the designated battleground we have prepared!
Bossun: Yeah, like hell we will!
Enigman: Naturally, should you refuse, we shall never provide you with the key to that box...
Himeko: Aghh!!
Enigman: I shall await you on the rooftop!
Himeko: Hey! Wait up, you freak!! Oi!!
Bossun: ......... // ...You don't really need Pelorin, right?
Himeko: Yes, I do!! / C'mon, let's get movin'!
Bossun: Ughhhhh... / This is such a pain...

7
[sign: The Quiz Society Presents / BATTLE Q]
Enigman: Now... It's time for us to start the latest instalment of everybody's favourite... "Battle Q"!! // And joining us here today, we have the Campus Support Group... the Sket-dan! // And... applause!! // I, Enigman, head of the Quiz Society, will be your host... and here is my lovely assistant!
Quecchon: My name's Quecchon.
Bossun: ...How long are they gonna keep with this crazy quiz-show introduction stuff...?
Switch: This is rather tedious.
Himeko: We don't care about this crap, just start with the quiz!
Enigman: Say, now, Quecchon... don't you think that new outfit of yours is a little... revealing?
Quecchon: Oh, but... you were the one who told me to...!
Himeko: Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa... what are they even talkin' about? Just start already!
Enigman: Incidentally, Quecchon is even more of a "nazo" than I am!
Quecchon: Ahh~!☆
Himeko: LOOK, WE DON'T GIVE A CRAP, OKAY?!! JUST START!!

8
Enigman: Well, then, Quecchon, if you could explain the rules for us!
Quecchon: Of course!☆ Just take a look at this simple illustration!
Bossun: This is really getting annoying...
Quecchon: The quiz consists of a total of three questions. Each team member gets one chance and one chance only to answer each question. / If all three questions are answered correctly, then the Sket-dan win the contest! So everybody do your best out there!
Bossun: ...Did this really need an illustration?
Himeko: You guys just wanted to do an illustrated description, didn't ya!
Bossun: Hey, Enigman. You are gonna give us the key to that box if we win this, right? // 'Cause Himeko really cares about that doll of hers. // So you'd better not go back on your word or anything.
Enigman: Hohoho... but of course! A game is no fun unless the rules are followed to the letter! // If you win the game, then I promise you, the key will be yours. // Now............ The waiting is over; let the contest begin!!! // It's time for Battle Q to truly commence!!
Bossun: Jeez, how does this guy manage to get so damn excited...?
Enigman: Question One.

9
Enigman: A teacher wanted to give out presents to all the students in his class. He was in the process of separating them out into presents for boys and presents for girls.
[Labels: For Girls // Unsorted // For Boys]
[on the present: Boy]
Enigman: The bags of presents were individually labelled "For Boys" and "For Girls". The presents he has yet to sort were stored in a third bag, labelled "Unsorted". // However, whilst the teacher's back was turned for a moment, cheeky little Shigeru-kun switched around all three of the labels on the bags. // Now all three of the labels are incorrect. // Now, the question: How can the teacher return the labels to their original positions, without taking more than a single present from one of the bags? // Your thinking time starts... NOW!!!
Himeko: Ehhh?! / Lessee now...
[box: Readers, you can try to solve the problem as well.]
Enigman: Don't forget, each team member can only answer the question once!
Himeko: ............
[bubbleSFX: bing-bo~~ng♪]
Enigman: Yes - Onizuka-san?
Himeko: SMACK SHIGERU-KUN.
[bubbleSFX: BZZZZZZZZT.]

10
Enigman: What?! You want to smack him? No, no!! That's not right at all!!
Himeko: Why the hell not?!! If Shigeru-kun hadn't been a little ass, everything woulda been okay!!
Enigman: Uhhh... I don't think that's quite the idea here...
[bubbleSFX: bing-bo~~ng♪]
Enigman: Yes - Usui-kun?
Switch: Place Shigeru-kun into a fourth bag, labelled "Lion Food".
[Label: Lion Food]
[bubbleSFX: BZZZZT BZZT BZZZZZT!]
Enigman: You people are just scary!!! / We don't have any bags like that!! // Now could you please stop taking this out on Shigeru-kun?!! / He's not that bad really, you know!!
Himeko: Just put him in the lion's stomach.
[TN: This is a bit of a pun: the Japanese for "stomach" includes the word for "bag" ~_~]
Enigman: Noooooo!!! Stop coming up with these witty ideas!! / And you don't have the right to answer this question any more, anyway!! // Honestly, Fujisaki-kun!! Are you all right with this tomfoolery?!! / You're the only one who still has a chance to answer, you know?!
Bossun: ............ // Okay, I've got it.
[sFX: bing-bo~~ng♪]
Enigman: Huuuh?! / Oh... all right, then, Fujisaki-kun.
Bossun: Basically, the important thing is that "all" of the labels have been switched around.

11
Bossun: If all of the labels have been switched around, then the situation looks like this.
[TN: Diagram should be fairly self-explanatory. The top one is labelled "For Boys" and contains either "Girls" presents or a mixture of "Boys" and "Girls" presents. The second is labelled "For Girls" and contains either "Boys" presents or a mixture of the two. The third is labelled "Unsorted" and contains either entirely "Boys" presents or entirely "Girls" presents.]
Bossun: In other words, all you need to do is take one out of the "Unsorted" bag. // Let's say it happens to be a "Boys" present. That means the bag labelled "Unsorted" is really the "For Boys" bag.
[Present: Boys]
[Labels: Unsorted // For Boys // For Girls]
Bossun: In which case, the bag labelled "For Boys" is really "For Girls", and the "For Girls" bag is really "Unsorted".
Enigman: ......... // C... Correct...
Himeko: Whooo!
Bossun: Whoo! / Whoo!
Enigman: (Ugh... / I suppose that question was a little too simple...) // Time for the second question!! // In front of a sheep stands one dog. In front of a dog stands one sheep and one pig. Behind a pig stands one dog and one sheep. Behind a sheep stands one pig. Now, assuming the lowest possible total... how many animals are there altogether? // Everybody illustrate your solutions on the cards in front of you! Ready... go!!
Himeko: Stop getting all into this!!
[box: Readers, you can try to solve the problem as well.]

12
Enigman: Now! It looks like you've all finished drawing... // So first of all... let's see what's on Onizuka-san's card! // Turn your card over... now!!
[sFX: da-da-da~!♪]
Enigman: What the heck?!!
Himeko: The answer is eight.
Enigman: So many!! / BZZT! That's wrong!! / ...And eight of what, exactly?!! This is just creepy!!
Himeko: What's so creepy about it, huh?!! They're just sheep and dogs and pigs!!
Enigman: Which is which is which?!! I sure can't tell!! They all look like "Monsters I Happened To Think Up"!!! // Oh, forget it! Next! Usui-kun, let's see your answer!
[sFX: da-da-da~!♪]
Switch: Here.
Enigman: Huh?!
[sFX: baa baa~ // woof woof~ // oink oink~ // baaa~]
Enigman: There's someone... riding on the sheep?!

13
Himeko: Hey - that's Bossun! / Aww, Bossun's so cute when Switch draws him~!
Bossun: What the hell is that meant to be?!!
Enigman: Come, now!! Don't just throw a person into the mix!!
Switch: Oh, now, now. That was just a little doodling. // The answer is just four.
Himeko: Hell yeah!!
[sFX: BZZZZZZT]
Enigman: Sorry~~~~~! I'm afraid that's wrong!!
Bossun: ......... // I see... // In that case...
Enigman: Now... next up, it's your last chance! // Fujisaki-kun, let's see it!!
Bossun: If you line them up like this... // It's three!

14
Enigman: ...............!! // Ughh... Correct...!
Himeko: You're incredible, Bossun!! ...Wait, those PICTURES are incredible!!
Quecchon: E - Enigman-sama...
Enigman: Don't let this get to you, Quecchon!! It's all right... It's going to be all right!! // (Ugh... You're not half bad, are you, Sket-dan... / However... the I, Enigman, the Angel of Quizzes, cannot possibly lose to you! // Now that it has come to this... I will have to use the special trick question I've been saving...) // All right, it's time for the final question!!
Himeko: BRING IT OOOON!!!
Enigman: Three cats take a total of three minutes to catch three mice.
[Label: Three Minutes]
Enigman: Now, then... how many cats would you need to catch a hundred mice in a hundred minutes?

15
Enigman: I'm not giving you too much thinking time on this one... Ready, go!!
[sFX: bing-bo~ng♪]
Enigman: So quick!!
Bossun: Whoa, whoa, Himeko! This is the final question, you know! You'd better be careful!
Switch: Think about this ca~refully.
Himeko: Don't worry! I knew this the moment I heard it! // One hundred!
[sFX: BZZZZT]
Bossun: YOU IDIOT~~~~~~!!!
Himeko: What?! It ain't right?!!
Bossun: Of COURSE it's not right!! Just calm down and think about this properly!!
Switch: ...You fell for that impressively well. // However, no need to worry, Bossun.
[sFX: bing-bo~~ng♪]
Switch: I understand how this quiz works now.
Bossun: Go for it, Switch~!!
Switch: If three cats can catch three mice in three minutes, then in six minutes, those same three cats could catch six mice. // In a hundred minutes, then, they could catch a hundred mice. // In other words, the number of cats needed is identical: three.

16
[sFX: BZZZZZZT.]
Enigman: Oh, I'm so sorry~~~~~~~~~!! That's wrong~~~~~~~~!! // Now, then... It's just Fujisaki-kun left~~~~!
Bossun: Tch... // Equip.

17
Bossun: (Catching a hundred mice with three cats... // If each one takes three minutes... // In other words...)
Enigman: Ahh, the sight of an amateur struggling with a problem...
Quecchon: It makes my "nazo" heart quiver...
Bossun: Wheeeeeew!!!
Himeko: Are you okay, Bossun~~?!!
Enigman: All right, that's your thinking time up!
Bossun: Heheh... I've got the answer. // The real answer. // It's like this. Three cats take three minutes to catch three mice. // In other words, each single cat takes three minutes to catch each single mouse.
[Label: Three minutes]
Bossun: So if they keep going like that, in ninety-nine minutes they'll have captured ninety-nine mice. / But what about the last mouse? // Do you think the three cats are necessarily going to catch that last mouse in one minute? Not necessarily. After all, it usually takes three minutes to catch a single mouse. / In other words, the necessary time goes up to a hundred and two minutes.

18
Bossun: As such, for those three to catch all the mice in a hundred minutes is impossible.
[Label: 99 mice + 1 mouse]
Bossun: You need a total of four cats.
Enigman: P... Perfect.
Bossun: ALL RI~~~~~~~~GHT!!!
Himeko: He's a god! He really is a god!!
Enigman: Here you go... the key, just as promised.
Bossun: Heheh... Thanks.
Enigman: Tch... / For one such as myself to be defeated so utterly...
Bossun: Eheheheh... You just picked the wrong opponent. / Don't get so down. // That was surprisingly fun.
Enigman: Hmph. // Let us battle again another time. / Next time, it will not be so easy! // [aside]wahahahahah![/aside]

19
Himeko: And with that... // I can finally get my beloved Pelorin back! // Huh?! // What the hell... // Inside the box is... another... box...?
Enigman: BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAH! I had one last trick left up my sleeve, Sket-dan! // Now, for the first question of Round 2!
Himeko: OH, FORGET IT!!
[insert text: He just doesn't quit!]