Sket Dance 56

1
[insert text: Some kind of incident?!]
Criminal: Now, don't make a fuss, yeah? // You can scream all you like, but nobody's gonna find us in here. // Nobody ever comes down here - I checked that out already. // So just hand over the cash nicely, you spotty punk. // !! // Tch... // People... // This way, now!!
Victim: Aaahhh!!

2
Criminal: Ugh... / This girl...! // It's... the Onihime...!
Bossun: Don't you worry now. // Do~n't you worry.
Himeko: Extortin' cash from people, huh? That's fuckin' low. // If you need cash, then GO WORK FOR IT, ASSHOLE.
Criminal: Sh... // Shaddup!! // You won't beat me that easy, girlie!!

3
Criminal: !!! // .........

4
Himeko: Ohhh...? // So you want... // ...to fight me, huh?
Criminal: N - No! / Please, not that!! // I'll give the money back!
Bossun: Hey... / Good work out there, Nee-san.
Himeko: Yeah.
Switch: Here, Nee-san; a barley-tea-flavoured Pelocan.
Himeko: It's all right now!
Victim: Th... thank you so very much!
Himeko: Just call us if he bothers you again, yeah?
Bossun: Hey, Himeko... / Your... / Cyclone...
Himeko: Hm?

5
Sket Dance
Chapter 56: Flagrance
[insert text: The end is broken off...!!]
Himeko: Ahhh!! // ............ // Hold it, hold it... / Wait a minute. // What are you guys doin' here, huh? // Do all three of us really need to go just to pick out a new hockey stick? / Why're you both just taggin' along, huh?

6
Bossun: Huh? Oh, c'mon.................. / We're worried about you, of course!! It's not that we've just got nothing better to do or anything!
Himeko: So you were just bored, huh?!! "Worried", my ass. I'm not some little kid, ya know!!
Bossun: So... I've got some Pocky...
Himeko: Pocky? Why's that?
Bossun: What do you mean, "why"?! You've got to have Pocky on a long train journey, anyone could tell you that!! // You want one?
Switch: I'll have two.
Bossun: ...Two...?
Himeko: Just so you know, if you guys start messin' about, you're goin' straight back home. // All right? This is serious stuff, like a samurai going out to buy a new sword. // Back when I broke my last stick... / I was plenty serious about choosin' Cyclone. // I've gotta be careful what I do here!
Bossun: Want one?
Himeko: Yeah, two, please.
Bossun: Two? Why do both of you want two of them, anyway? // ...This shop's a long way, huh...
Himeko: If you're gonna complain, you can just go the hell back home.

7
Himeko: This is the place.
Bossun: Huh, just sitting around in a place like this? / There's nothing else here...
Himeko: Well, there aren't too many specialist hockey shops around. // This is the place I bought Cyclone, back when my last stick broke.
Manager: Oh... / Welcome to the store! // Hahah... / I don't get too many customers, you know.
Himeko: Oh - hello. Are you the manager here now, then?
Manager: Hahah, yeah... I just took over this store last month. / I look forward to doing business with you. // So, how can I help you today?
Himeko: Well, I'm looking for a new hockey stick.

8
Himeko: Something similar to the Blast Cyclone would be good... / Another Blast product, with a carbon-heavy composite makeup. // Something with a maxi head, and a bow of 22 millimetres.
Manager: Huh?
Himeko: Got one like that?
Manager: Huh? // ......... // Ehmmmmmmm... // I - I'm sorry... I'm still really kind of new to this... / If you're after a Blast product, we keep them over there.
Himeko: Oh, right...
Switch: That's a former hockey ace for you...
Bossun: It's kinda weird seeing Himeko say all that geeky stuff...
Himeko: Mmm... something like this would work... / ...but I'm not really too keen on the appearance... // You two quit standin' around staring and get lookin'!! / Design is important, ya know! Get to it!!
Bossun: Aye, aye, sir! // Nee-san, how about something like this?
Himeko: Let's see it then...

9
Bossun: The Blast "Kyouki".
[TN: "Kyouki" means "madness", but here it's written with the kanji for "evil"]
Himeko: "Kyouki"? // Oh, come off it!! / This design's just freakin' scary!! It looks like some kinda weapon!!
Bossun: ...Considering what you're likely to use it for, isn't that kind of appropriate...?
Himeko: Where the hell did you find a stick like this, anyway?!!
Manager: Oh, you've got an eye for quality! That stick is in the top 100 best-selling sticks we stock!
Himeko: An' that's meanta be impressive?!!! // Nah, not a chance. / It's gotta be cuter than that thing...
Switch: Nee-san... // If it's something cute you're after, how about this? // The Blast "Fancy♡Donki"!
[TN: "Donki" means "blunt weapon" ~_~]
Himeko: Wow, that is pretty cute... / WAIT, IT SAYS "WEAPON" IN THE FREAKIN' NAME!!! // What's wrong with these Blast products?!! Are they all like this lately?! // An' could you guys stop pickin' out the weirdest ones?!! // ...an' I bet while I'm sayin' all this you've gone an' picked out the next stupid idea, haven't ya...

10
Himeko: I KNEW IT!! // Why a freakin' BROOM?!!!
Bossun: Well, you know... after "Kyouki" and "Donki", I thought a "houki" [broom] could be the next logical step...
Himeko: Just get it outta my sight!! Where did you find that thing, anyway?!! // Ah, forget it... / Manager, I'm just gonna try this one out a little. // Hah! // Hah! // Whe~w... / The "Cyclone II", huh? It ain't too bad!
Manager: Ahhh! // How splendid! // You certainly know how to handle that stick!
Bossun: ............

11
Bossun: Manager-san... // You do know how you're supposed to use these, right?
Manager: ! // ......... // Hmm? // Err... What do you mean?
Bossun: Well, the way she was swinging that thing around just then... that's obviously not how a hockey stick's meant to be used. // Say... // Are you really the manager?
Flashback!Himeko: Where did you find that thing, anyway?!!
Bossun: ..................

12
Fake!Manager: Ahh...
Bossun: Huh?!
Himeko: Manager Hokuro!!!
Fake!Manager: Shit!
Manager: H - He's a thief!! Stop him!!
Bossun: Whaa?!!
Himeko: Stop, thief!!

13
Himeko: HYAHH!!
Fake!Manager: !!! // Guahh...
himeko: YAHHHH!!!
Fake!Manager: Unghhh!!!

14
Bossun: Great work, Nee-san!
Switch: Here, Nee-san, have a Pelocan!
Manager: Whe~~w... // Thank you ever so very much! // Now, aren't you the girl who came in here and bought a Cyclone a while back?
Himeko: Ohh, you actually remember me!
Manager: Heheh... Well, I could hardly forget after you swung it around like that. // Now, how about I give you a free stick as thanks?
Himeko: Really?!
Bossun: Huh, there's a spot of luck! Saves you a bit of cash!
Himeko: Well... / Let's see, then... // This one really worked like a charm... // ...Yeah. // I'll take it.

15
Bossun: Whe~w, we're finally back home. / That was quite the little trip.
Himeko: Heheheh... so this is my new partner, huh! / Pretty cool, don't ya think?!
Bossun: Yeah, looks cool.
Switch: Cool indeed. // So, is it going to have a name? Like you had for Cyclone.
Himeko: A name?
Bossun: Oh, yeah, of course! / You know, like a zanpakutou! Banka -
Himeko: A name, huh... // Well, with Cyclone, I just called it by the product name it came with... // This one's called "Flagrance", huh... // Doesn't that mean, you know, "a pleasant scent", or something?
Switch: "Fragrance" means "a pleasant scent", or "an aroma".
Himeko: A scent... // What about "blast"?
Switch: "A powerful burst of wind".
Himeko: "Scent"... / ...and "wind"... // The scent of wind...

16
Himeko: All right! // I'm gonna call it "Kunpuumaru"!
[TN: "Summer Breeze", plus the "maru", which is just a suffix for naming things.]
Bossun: "Kunpuumaru"... // Yeah, I like it, I like it! That does sound like a zanpakutou! Y'know, -
Himeko: It's a tough sorta name, but it's got tenderness too! Yeah!
Switch: Not a bad job, for you, Himeko.
Himeko: Yeah, I like it. // Nice to meet'cha, Kunpuumaru!
Switch: Incidentally... / ...the word "fragrance" does indeed carry the meaning of "aroma"...
Himeko: Hm?
Switch: ...but the word written on that stick... / ...is "flagrance". // It's an "L", not an "R".
Himeko: Huh? Is that a different word? / So... what does that mean, then?

17
Switch: "Flagrance" means... / ..."atrocity". // Or "notoriety".
Bossun: Buahahahahah! / Man, that's, like, TOTALLY different!!
Himeko: Quit laughing, dumbass!! / Aghhh... that's no good... I'm gonna go take it back!
Switch: I think it's rather nice, actually... a perfect name for the Onihime's weapon.
Himeko: *sigh*... // Well, / whatever. // (I'd like to think I've been able to change a little since I joined up with the Sket-dan... // But I guess the name of Onihime never really changes...) // ............ // Onihime, huh...

18
Bossun: This park...
Himeko: It's been a while, huh.
Bossun: Yeah.
Himeko: This is where I broke my first stick.

19
[Text: It happened in the days... // ...before the Sket-dan was first formed. // So now... // ...we have to go back three years...]
[insert text: The hands of the clock spin back... and land upon the Sket-dan-to-be, three years ago...]
[bottom text: Next issue, colour pages to celebrate a year of serialisation! And the popularity contest opens!!]