Hell Teacher Nube 38

While Nube may seem like the expert on spiritual knowledge, he may not be the only one who claims that! When a new teacher appears at Doumori Elementary with his own way of handling the spirtual, it may drive Nube...a tad off the wall!

#38: Nube vs. Ootsuki-sensei

109.
Narrator: Doumori Elementary School. In here are not just youkai; there are many of popular teachers.
Narrator: Nube-sensei, the spiritually-powered teacher.
Narrator: Ritsuko-sensei, the Madonna of the campus.
Ritsuko: My appearances have been few recently.
Narrator: And…
Voice 1: Hurry, hurry.
Voice 2: Nube, it’s here!
Nube: There’s the spirit of a student without a head in the 2nd floor storage room!?
Kyouko: Seems like it; hurry and exorcise it!
Hiroshi: What? A crowd has risen though Nube hadn’t come?
Boy: Yep: Ootsuki-sensei is doing away with the spirit!

110.
Hiroshi: Ootsuki-sensei…?
SFX: BACHI BACHI BACHI
Ootsuki: IT’S PLASMA!! THE SPIRIT IN HERE WAS CAUSED BY PLASMA!!
SFX: BARI BARI BARI BARI BARI BARI BARI

111.
Ootsuki: I will entirely erase the plasma in this room with this Plasma Neutralization Apparatus that I invented!
SFX: BARI BARI BARI
SFX: CHUDO~~N (KABO~~OM)
SFX: GOGOGO
SFX: KARAN…
Ootsuki: Wa—hahaha: I’ve done it—the plasma’s been entirely erased—
Students: WA—OOTSUKI-SENSEI—YOU’RE COOL—

112.
Kyouko: Is this for real: who is this person, Nube?
Nube: It’s Ootsuki-sensei of class 1, who came here with a change in job. He was doing plasma research at a graduate school long ago.
Hiroshi: What a lie—wasn’t he part of the Ghostbusters…
(TN: Hiroshi does actually mention the “Ghostbusters” here, as in the heroes of the American film franchise originally set up in the 1984 film directed by Ivan Reitman. Of course, there is some similarity between Ootsuki and the original trio of Peter, Egon and Ray: remember that the trio originally was working in various paranormal research positions at Columbia University before they were subsequently fired, leading to their set-up of the “Ghostbusters” organization using plasmatic technology to fight against supernatural threats)
Boy: What—a stinking lie--!
Girl: All of you are Nube’s class, with a grade of an unscientifically bogus spiritual power.
Hiroshi: Hey, what’s that---!
Kyouko: Spirits are for real!
Boy: Heh, they’re spirits or something!
Girl: It’s as Ootsuki-sensei said: they’re all caused by plasma!!
Nube: Well—sorry: children take things seriously easily… (HAHAHA...)
Ootsuki: Spirits are plasma.
Nube: That’s right: there are situations where they’re mistaken as plasma within those.
Ootsuki: N—o, they’re all plasma.
Ootsuki: Spirits don’t exist! They’re all plasma that can be explicated scientifically! What’s that? You’re deceiving children with bogus spiritual power…it’s because of that that you can’t even have a sweetheart though you’re old enough for one!
SFX: PUSHI PUSHI

113.
Nube: It’s…it’s none~~of your business…!!
SFX: GOGOGOGO | HIKU HIKU
Hiroshi: Huh?
Kyouko: This is bad…
Nube: So what about this? Are UFOs and such plasma?
Ootsuki: They’re plasma.
Nube: Of course fireballs and such…?
Ootsuki: Exemplary plasma!!
Nube: How about spirits that have taken the form of people like Hanako-san?
Ootsuki: Plasma can take various forms!
Nube: We have a girl student who can stretch her neck night after night in our class.
SFX: PIROPI~~RO | NYU---
Ootsuki: Ha ha ha, it’s plasma that can’t even be seen. Look at it, hey.

114.
Nube: What’s with everything being plasma!!
Ootsuki: That’s right!! The paranormal are all plasma! Incidentally, even this spark is plasma!
Ootsuki: Fine then, everyone: there isn’t anything in this world what can’t be explained by science! These spiritualists are all bogus! They’re human waste!
Students: YE—S
Hiroshi: He’s a bad-mouth teacher. (He’s speaking that far?)
Nube: H…hmph: fine, whatever comes to having that sort of narrow view!
Kyouko: That’s—right—
Nube: Well, let’s go, let’s go.
Ootsuki: Hahaha, the loser goes home dejected!
SFX: POKA! (BONK!)
Nube: If spirits exist, then they do if they do. (DAMN YOU~~)
SFX: POKA POKA POKA
Ootsuki: If it’s plasma, then it’s plasma if it’s plasma!
Hiroshi: U—h.
Kyouko: It’s a quarrel of children…

115.
Nube: Really! That oldie came to have that!
Nube: Its fine since there’s the freedom of individuals to believe or not believe in spirits but…!
SFX: GUCHI GUCHI GUCHI GUCHI GUCHI
Nube: It’s unforgivable that I was caught as a lady-killer and called an unpopular man!
Kyouko: I think he was right but…
Hiroshi: But what is this “plasma” to begin with?
Nube: Why don’t you know that?
Nube: Did you know that substances can change into the three states of solid, liquid and gas by their temperature?
Kyouko: Yes.
Hiroshi: Ca…can they?
Nube: A substance of low temperature becomes a state of “solid”, like stones or ice. This is a state where small particles called molecules are tightly united.
Caption: SOLID
Nube: When the temperature increases, the connection of molecules becomes weakened, becoming “liquid”.
Caption: LIQUID
Nube: With a much higher temperature, molecules become scattered and move freely. This is “gas”.
Caption: GAS

116.
Nube: With an even further higher temperature, these things that are atoms disassemble, splitting into cations (the nucleus) and anions (electrons). This is “plasma”, said to be the 4th substance state continuing from solid, liquid and gas. Starting with the sun, over 99.9% of the substances in the universe are this plasma state.
Right Box (top to bottom): MOLECULE | ATOM | ELECTRON | NUCLEUS
Left Caption: Auroras and lightning on earth are plasma.
Kyouko: Heh, surpising—Nube knows things other than spirits—
Nube: You idiot, even so I am a teacher--! (Really)
Hiroshi: ZZZ…
Nube: Really, people here and there treat me as a spiritually-powered geek… (N?)
SFX: WA—WA—
Nube: !
Ootsuki: Alright, with this from here, we will experiment with Plasma #1, which runs on plasma energy, the first in humanity!
Machine: PLASMA #1
SFX: SHUPPOKO SHUPPOKO

117.
Nube: Wh…wh…what is that junky mish-mash!?
Hiroshi: Was that made by Ootsuki-sensei!? (Interesting--)
Kyouko: I understand: that’s the secret of his popularity.
Ootsuki: The inside of this drum has become a vacuum and plasma is floating in there! The plasma is high temperature, but can’t be removed from the container due to the internal vacuum.
Ootsuki: With this plasma being rapidly condensed, soon the fellow nuclei will adhere and it will change into a different substance. The temperature at this moment is one-hundred million degrees; if this state can hold for more than a second…
Ootsuki: N, there’s something strange.
SFX: PUSUN PUSUN | GATA GATA
Ootsuki: Everyone, please get away!
Student 1: Kyaaa!
SFX: DOKAAAN
Student 2: Teacher---!

118.
Student 1: Teacher.
Student 2: Ootsuki-sensei!
SFX: ZUBO
Ootsuki: Are you alright? You aren’t hurt, are you?
Girl: No, but teacher has…
Ootsuki: Calm down, calm down.
Ootsuki: It’s a side there was failure in the science experiment! But I can’t ever give up; there is infinite potential in granting human dreams by science! (HA HA HA)
Students: GREA—T, YOU’RE COOL—OOTSUKI-SENSEI—
Nube: Hee…that teacher…

119.
Kyouko: Hee--! He’s a quite good person!
Kyouko: I’m certain Ootsuki-sensei possesses a policy in confronting with science. That’s greatly different from someone!
Hiroshi: Right right
Nube: (HMPH!) At any rate, I’m indecisive!
Voice: Nube—it’s terrible, come quicky—
SFX: BATA BATA BATA
Boy: A monster…a monster has attacked our friend!
Nube: Eh!? What’s that!?
Boy: We had gone exploring in a worn-down house that was rumored to the haunted house of 5th Chome. When we did that, some white thing came out from the floor and dragged down our friend.
Nube: The haunted house of 5th Chome? Right, I’ll go immediately!

120.
Kyouko: Well? Do you feel something?
Nube: It’s faint.
Nube: I’ve heard there are randomnly many suicides and accidents in this area. It may be some absurdly evil spirit.
Voice: Are you deceiving students with bogus spiritual power again, Nueno-sensei?
Nube: OOTSUKI-SENSEI!

121.
Nube: ……!
Student 1: Right--! Go home! Bogus teacher--!
Student 2: Its better that you leave this to Ootsuki-sensei.
SFX: BOO—BOO—BOO—BOO—
Nube: He said they saw a white thing. I think it’s a spirit but.
Ootsuki: Hmph, that is evidently plasma!
Nube: No…I feel the aura becoming strong…
Ootsuki: N—o, the unrest in the magnetic field is becoming severe!
SFX: GA—GA—GA—
Voice: Uuh…uuh…

122.
Ootsuki: Look, it’s the student who fell into the floor.
Boy: Uh.
Nube: No, look!
Nube: Namu Daiji Daihi Kyuugu Kyuunan. Being that is here! Show yourself!
“Spirit”: OOOOOH OOOOOH

123.
Ootsuki: That’s…
Nube: Are you surprised…that is the form of an old Jibakurei that has changed into a youkai...this spirit feigned the suicides and accidents, killing people and making them part of its own body…
Ootsuki: What a huge plasma.
Caption: DIDN’T HEAR AT ALL
Ootsuki: There is danger in this giant plasma occurring in a residential area. If we don’t remove it
Nube: Wa…watch out, Ootsuki!
(TN: Nube actually says “watch out, sensei”, but somehow it felt weird in having Nube say “watch out, teacher” in English considering he’s a teacher too and they’re equals, not like it’s a superior teacher looking after a younger or less trained teacher)
Ootsuki: Hie
Spirit: SHAA~~
Nube: I can’t come to say nothing! Please withdraw! It can’t be defeated by human power. If I don’t borrow the power of the Oni…

124.
Nube: Please step back, hurry!
Ootsuki: Nununu
Ootsuki: Muuu…it’s as if it possesses will. This plasma is the first I’ve seen with that…This may be a thing that surpasses my plasma theory…it’s impossible to remove it with the ability of the apparatus…
Boy: Uuh.
Ootsuki: But…I don’t have reason to abandon a student. Even if plasma theory is still incomplete, just this is

125.
Ootsuki: Just this won’t bend the plasma theory!!
SFX: BATSU
Nube: OOTSUKI-SENSEI!
Nube: NAMU!
SFX: KAKA!

126.
SFX: SHI—N
Hiroshi: It’s quite
Ootsuki: Be relieved already. The plasma was removed!
SFX: WAA—
Kyouko: Nube!
Nube: Hahaha
Hiroshi: Was it really plasma? You were lying—huh—
Nube: No, I can’t say as such. I too have always been saying “it’s a spirit” or “it’s a spiritual substance” with a word, but that’s because I don’t have reason to analyze it’s composition…perhaps if “spiritual substance” was analyzed scientifically, it may be a kind of plasma.
Kyouko: Understood, it’s a different viewpoint…

127.
Nube: However…Either of them is fine: with what they are anyhow, that person is a splendid teacher.
Nube: Ootsuki-sensei, we’ve had many things, but let’s be friends from here on.
Ootsuki: Hmph: what are you babbling about! Y—ou faker--!
SFX: PUTSU PUTSU
Ootsuki: Everyone, you don’t go and believe in whatever is said by that 0-spiritual-power teacher!
Student: Ye—s.
Nube: Th…that guy~~
Hiroshi: Well—well—
Kyouko: It seems the quarrel of those two will continue for the moment…

128.
NUBE-SENSEI’S GREAT YOUKAI ENCYCLOPEDIA

28. The Science of Plasma

This time we’ll be going away from the occult and have a scientific talk.

All substances are a gathering of small particles called “molecules”. (Fellow molecules are united by a gravity called “Van der Waals Force”. And molecules come to be from further smaller particles called “atoms”, and these atoms can be split into “electrons’, which possess a negative charge and the “nucleus”, which possesses a positive charge. (The nucleus can further be split into “protons” and “neutrons” and these “elementary particles” further are from “quarks”, but that will be all this time since it will become difficult) At this moment, we can treat electrons as “anions” and the nucleus as “cations”, but the state where you separate the dual ionic forces in a substance like this is what’s called plasma.

The name of plasma has a meaning of “an object that changes in form” in originally in Greek. (Plastic has a similar etymology) The ancient Greeks thought that substances came to be from the four chemical elements of earth, water, air and fire, but I think it’s easy to understand by thinking plasma as, in other words, fire, with earth, water and air as respectively solid, liquid and gas. Actually, a high-temperature flame is a plasma state. Other than that, there comes to be a plasma state as well in neon signs and fluorescent lamps. (Therefore by saying this, don’t go breaking your fluorescent lamp and looking inside! The contents of a fluorescent lamp are toxic and will ruin your eyes!) When you continue to condense this plasma, there occurs a reaction called “nuclear fusion”, where the electrons and protons unite and become neutrons. Using this, there is occurring throughout the world research in generating power, but if the true identity of spirits is plasma, then are they coming to generate it using spirits!?

(TN: A few things:
1. “Van der Waals Force”, named after Dutch scientist Johannes Diderik van der Waals”, is the attractive or repulsive force between molecules other than those due to covalent bonds or the electrostatic interaction of ions. Its nickname is “intermolecular force”. While this is notable for molecules, it also explains phenomenon such as the ability of a gecko to climb on glass
2. Peculiarly, when explaining the “four classical elements” of Greece, the kanji used for “air” is “ki”, which is usually translated as spirit. But in going with the “solid/liquid/gas/plasma” balance, it makes a tad more sense to just go with “air”
3. It’s really hard to explain the means by which nuclear fusion occurs, but essentially several nuclei join together into a single nuclei of a heavier element, exerting energy when doing so; however it’s notable as well that while energy is usually exerted, that only goes up to the element of iron; beyond that, energy must be absorbed for the creation of the new element.)

TN: I know it feels strange to admit it but...I like Ootsuki-sensei. There, I said it. No, I'm not abandoning Nube, considering he is just one of my favorite shonen characters and so classic in his series. But the fact that we have a character whose means of handling spirits isn't by the supernatural but by science and the study of plasma just gives him a "Ghostbusters" vibe. And as many who live in America around my childhood and beyond know: "Ghostbusters" is awesome and possibly our first major encounter with the supernatural management in pop culture. (well that or Scooby-Doo but that's some guy in a mask) Not to mention the encounters and battles between Nube and Ootsuki show that the two of them are like oil and water: Nube may gain an appreciation for Ootsuki's methods, but the two just can never get along no matter what the other does with the usage of their powers. My only real complaint about this chapter is probably how much science had to be understood in order to get the concept across, particularly about the whole idea of "plasma". It sort of took the Encyclopedia entry at the end which equates "plasma" as the "fire" of Greek elements to fully understand without having to, say, look it up on Wikipedia or something. (and even so, while it is obvious when you see it, it just seems hard to identify something as "plasma" even when it's right in front of your nose) We come across it so much but in some ways we're so used to the three typical states of matter that it just still seems mysterious.

Oh and about Ootsuki's comments about Nube "never having a sweet-heart": should we refer Ootsuki-sensei back to Yukime…yeah, she’s a youkai and she tried to kill Nube due to yukionna protocol and probably never going to return since she’s waiting for Nube and Nube isn’t going to change his mind about her so she’s going to stay in the mountains waiting and never bug him ever again…never mind, let's just let her be and have Nube continue to treat it like it won't happen again.