Sket Dance 57

1
[side text: The hands of the clock spin backwards, and land upon a hidden past. The story moves back three years...]
[Text: My hero was a TV character. // For the most part, I never went for kiddy shows, but Poppman was different. // For the most part, he was absolutely useless, but when push came to shove, he'd save the day. // An unreliable hero.]
Mother: Hime~~~! If you're goin' to hockey, you better be ready~!
Himeko: Yeah, I do know...
[Text: Himeko, 14, Summer...]

2-3
Sket Dance
Chapter 57: Ogress (1)
[insert text right: Congratulations! A full year of serialisation!! / (although I get the feeling we passed that a while ago...)]
[insert text left: An quiet afternoon spent together. These moments are irreplaceable...]

4
[TN: THESE ARE NOT THE RESULTS. THIS IS JUST A CHARACTER LIST FOR VOTERS TO USE AS REFERENCE. Just thought I'd clear that up in large text to avoid any confusion.]
[FIRST!! / Sket Dance / Character Popularity Contest Begins!!]
Bossun: We're waiting for all your submissions!
[We've listed here pretty much all the characters that have appeared so far! So take a look, and vote for the character you like the best!]
1. Bossun
2. Himeko
3. Switch
4. Chuu-san
5. Sugihara Teppei
6. Jougasaki
7. Saburou
[TN: ...Since when did that guy even have a name? >_<]
8. Ma-kun
9. Yumi-chan
10. Yabasawa-san
11. Yeti
12. Kanegi-sensei
13. Yuuki Reiko
14. Otakura-kun
15. Shimada Takako
16: Yoshi
17: Shinzou
18: Captain
19: Momoka
20: Inui
21: Sarukawa
22: Kijima
[TN: Maybe this will help me remember that these guys actually have names...]
23: Roman
24: Tetsu
25: Misaki
26: Agata
27: Tsubaki
28: Mimorin
29: Shinba
30: Daisy
31: Kitaooji
32: Kindergarten Teacher
33: Pelorin
34: Yagi-chan
35: Kura-chan
36: Yoshimura-sensei
37: Yamanobe-sensei
38: Master Huang
39: Marriage Blue
40: Maternity Blue
41: Reality☆Maji
42: Director Suemasu
43: Liberty☆Maji
44: Uchida
45: Kusabe Naoyuki
46: Hinohara Enta
47: Principal
48: Editor Tomori
49: Announcer Nitta-san
50: Referee
51: The Shinbals
52: Cookery Judges
53: Shinzou's Father
54: Tadokoro-san
55: Lazy Musaborou
56: Dante
57: Obaa-nyan
58: OG-3
59: Upstream
60: Yandogira
61: Bob Fernandez
62: Demon
63: Kobayashi-kun
64: Yoshihiko
65: Shinpei
66: Usui Masafumi
67: Yamauchi Sawa
68: Hirai Yukino
69: Mikami Shinji
70: Izumisawa Yukie
71: J-Son-sensei
72: Sugisaki Ayano
73: Yabasawa Books
74: CHannel-CHannel
75: JardiN
76: Teruko-san
77: Enigman
78: Quecchon
79: Switch's Bossun
80: Dodondondodon
81: Mass-Production ZAF
82: Maccha Azukina
83: OL (OTL)
84: Abrasimovich
85: Abrasimodach
86: Master Huang's Grandsons
87: Roman-sensei
88: Heta-P-kun
89: Heta-Koita-kun
90: Fumi-chan
Switch: Don't ask me why all these characters are being treated the same...
Himeko: You're only allowed to send one postcard per person!
[iNSERT RANDOM STUFF HERE. DESU. (because I can't be arsed to translate that textblock/10]

5
Himeko: I'm o~ff!!
[Text: My old man was the one who gave me the name "Hime". // It means "wholehearted love". // It's kind of too cute for a tomboyish girl like me... // ...but I like it.]
BullyA: Oi. / O~~i.
BullyB: Say somethin', will ya?!
Himeko: Oi.
BullyA: Hmm?

6
Himeko: Hyahh!!
BullyA: Mngh!!
BullyB: Aahhh!! / Onizuka!!
Himeko: Honestly... you punks just never quit bullyin' folk, do ya?
BullyA: Ngh... // Hey, it's the stupid kid's own fault, ya know! // He's so damn pathetic, it makes me sick! // I can't even stand to look at the guy!
Himeko: So there's a reason behind it, huh...? / Well, that makes sense. // Bullyin' someone without even a reason... that'd be crazy. // However...

7
Himeko: EVEN IF THERE IS A REASON, THAT DOESN'T MEAN YA CAN GO AROUND BULLYIN' PEOPLE! // IF YA BULLY SOMEONE, THAT MAKES YOU THE BAD GUY EVERY TIME! // If you've got any objections to that, let's hear 'em. / Go on, I'm waitin'!
BullyB: Whaaa?!
BullyA: Well... ya think it's just all right for you to go smackin' us, then, huh?
Himeko: Sure I do.
BullyA: The hell's with that?!
Himeko: Well, y'know, I was holdin' back to make sure you didn't get hurt too bad.
BullyA: Say what?! / You call that "not hurt too bad"?!! // This ain't over!
Himeko: You okay there?
Kid: Yeah... Thanks... // Man, even though you're a girl, you're tough like a demon, huh, Hime-chan!
Himeko: Ugh......
[Text: My surname, "Onizuka", though, I'm not too keen on.]
[TN: In case anybody isn't aware, the "Oni" of "Onizuka" means "demon".]
Himeko: Can't ya find a better way to put that, huh?!
Kid: Oww...

8
[Text: I first started playing hockey in my fourth year of primary school. // I only started playing because there happened to be a club near where I lived... / ...but I got surprisingly into it, and kept on playing even after I moved on to middle school.]
Someone: Nice shot~!!
[Text: Every day was fun... // ...and I smiled all the time.]
Himeko: What?! // Movin'?!

9
Father: I'm real sorry about this... it's my job, ya see...
Himeko: I don't wanna!! I wanna stay in Osaka forever!! / I've got so many friends here!!
Mother: Now, now, Hime. // Can't very well stay here on your own, can you?
Father: An' the school you'll be goin' to there is just for girls, ya know. // I hear they have a hockey club, an' all!
Himeko: Hm? / Really? // (Agh... he got me...) // That's pretty rare...
Father: I know, right? // I know that doesn't make everythin' better... / But you can deal... right?
Himeko: ............ // So where is it? // Where're we goin'?
Father: Tokyo!

10
[Text: I was never keen on Tokyo. // Not that I had any real reason... // It just always... // ...sounded kind of cold to me. // But I'd still be able to keep playing hockey... // A school hockey club... // What would that be like? // I was actually a little excited.]
Himeko: My name's Onizuka Hime; I'm from Osaka. // Pleased to meet you all! // H - Hey there.
Someone: Oh - / Hey...
Himeko: .........

11
Himeko: ............ // (Man, nobody seems to want to talk to me... // This just sucks! / Is it always like this for transfer students...?)
Girls: Let's head to the toilet. // Yeah, okay. // Oh, you've had a haircut! // Wow, that suits you~! // So cute~! // That's great~!
Himeko: (An' the atmosphere's kinda different, too...! // Am I really gonna be okay here...?!)
Girl: Ah... // I'm sorry!
Himeko: No... that's okay.

12
[Text: Looking back now... // ...this discomforting feeling of exclusion was actually a feature particular to this one school... // ...but it stopped me from feeling comfortable in Tokyo... // ...and a short while after the move, I began to isolate myself.]
Himeko: Back in Osaka, I played hockey ever since the third grade of primary school... // I play forward. / Pleased to meet you all.
GirlA: If you've got that much experience, I guess you should be pretty hot stuff, yeah?
SomeGirl: But I don't know... / I'm not sure I like the idea of this kid just barging in and strutting around...

13
Himeko: What's your problem?!!! // If there's somethin' ya want to say, then come out an' say it!!
HockeyPlayers: What's with her? // Tch... // Blowing her top all of a sudden...
Arisa: Umm... // Your stick... // It's the same as mine, huh?
Himeko: ...Oh... yeah. // You're right... // ...Ehm...?

14
Arisa: Kanou Arisa. / Nice to meet you!
[Text: That was when I first met Aa-chan.]
HockeyPlayers: W - Wow...
GirlA: Hmph...

15
Arisa: Wow, Onizuka-san... you're really good! // I guess you haven't been playing since primary school for nothing, huh?
Himeko: Ah, no... // It's nothing, really.
Arisa: Oh, no... I mean, me, I can't seem to improve at all. // I just never seem to manage to use this thing properly... // Umm... If you wouldn't mind... maybe you could help me out a little?
Himeko: Huh?
Arisa: Dribbling. / I mean, it's free training time right now, but... I guess not, huh?
Himeko: No, uh - // I... // I guess I could... // Speed it up. // You mustn't let go of the stick there! // That's right.
Arisa: Hup! // ...I did it!
Himeko: Yeah, you were doin' a good job there.

16
Himeko: You pick stuff up quicker than I thought, Kanou-san!
Arisa: Y - You think...? / Oh, and call me Aa-chan. / Everyone else does.
HockeyPlayers: Hey... // You have a moment? // Could we... // Uh... // We were wondering if you could give us a few tips as well, but...
Himeko: .........
Arisa: Th... // That'd be fine, right, Onizuka-san?
Himeko: ...Well... / If you like...
HockeyPlayers: That's great! / You see, I'm just terrible at shooting... // Could you let us see how it's done, Onizuka-san?
Himeko: ...Ah... // ...Call me Hime.

17
[Text: Aa-chan wasn't the sort of person who would stand out during club activities... // ...but if you took a closer look, she was actually an incredibly nice person. // She was attentive... // ...good at judging the atmosphere... // ...got on with everyone without discrimination... / ...and was like by everyone in return. // She was the total opposite of a hot-headed girl like me... // ...but somehow we ended up as friends. // Just when I was in danger of isolating myself... // ...Aa-chan was the one who saved me.]

18
People: [aside]see you~! // good work, guys~! // bye-bye~![/aside]
Himeko: Whew... // I'm real beat. // Oww...
Nanba: ...That hurt.
Himeko: (Hmm...? // Well, whatever... I won't bother.) // Sorry 'bout that.

19
Himeko: (Come to think of it, I heard that there were a lot of nasty types at this school... // So she's one of them...?) // Ah, crap... // I left my bag back in the clubroom... // I guess I'm always so busy with my club that everything else just slips my mind, huh? // Hahah...
[Text: Playing hockey, making friends... // My school life was really starting to look up.]

20
[Text: ...Or so I thought.]
Himeko: (Aa-chan...? // And with her, isn't that... the girl from just now... // The hell... // Those two know each other?)
GirlA: Nanba Kyouko. // Not someone you want to get on the wrong side of. She's the biggest thug in the school. // She's what you'd call a "banchou".
[TN: A term for a leader of a group of juvenile delinquents. As anybody familiar with Minami-ke should know ;)]
Himeko: What's Aa-chan doin' with a girl like that?!
GirlA: Rumour has it Nanba's little gang have taken an... interest in her.

21
Himeko: ......?! / What're you talkin' about?! // What would Aa-chan...?!
GirlA: Didn't you know? Aa-chan's family are pretty damn rich. / That's what those girls are after. Poor girl...
Himeko: Wha... / You sayin' they're stealin' cash from her?!!
GirlA: It - it's just a rumour!! // But... well, a weak-willed girl like her, with all that money... / She would make a perfect target...
[Text: As summer drew to a close... // ...there was a chill in the air.]
[insert text: She had finally found herself a life, but now... The wind blows cold and rough...!!]