Hell Teacher Nube 64

Is the future something to mess around with for things that could potentially change your life? Kyouko claims she has no interest, but when she hears a particular story, it may end up drawing her closer...or further apart to...destiny!?

#64: 0:00:00

92.
“Narrator”: “12 A.M. Reflecting Water”: At 0:00:00 AM, you hold a razor in your mouth, look into a water basin fully filled with water and in there, the face of your future marriage partner will be reflected.
(TN: There are many facets in Japan that typically goes by 24hr time, thus 0:00:00 is usually what is considered 12:00 AM in a society with a 12hr clock)
“Narrator”: A-ko-san, who heard this story, immediately tested it for herself.
“Narrator”: Placing a razor in her mouth, she looked into a water basin filled to the brim with water at exactly 12 A.M….and then!
SFX: Boooo
“Girl”: Ah
SFX: Poro
SFX: Pochan!

93.
“Girl”: !!
Miki: At that instant, she thought that the water in the water basin was dyed in the color of deep-red blood, but it immediately returned to mere water again…
Miki: Many years after that, A-ko-san went to an omiai with a single man. Both of them exactly hit it off and ended up getting married.
(TN: A “miai” or “omiai” is a Japanese tradition where unattached individuals are introduced to consider marriage with one another. While it still exist, it hasn’t really been that notable since after WWII)
Miki: However, the left half of his face was always hidden by hair and was never seen by her.
“A-ko”: We’re married, steadibly show your face!
“Man”: That is…my face was cruelly wounded by some person long ago.
“A-ko”: Eeh? Who did that cruel thing!
“Man”: It was……

94.
“Man”: You--------
Miki: ………………
Miki: Ho ho ho: everyone was surprised by my clever conversational skills! (Ka ka ka)
(TN: “Conversational skills” was in Japanese “wajutsu”, which literally is “the art of conversation”)
Nube: You fool! We were surprised by the hugeness of your voice!

95.
Kyouko: In general, that thing wasn’t a good story—
Girl: Right—right—
Shizuka: I read the punch-line midway.
Hiroshi: Huh, I don’t understand at all that story now. Who exactly hurt him? When? Where?
Kyouko: ………………
Kyouko: …Really! That Hiroshi…it’s because he truly is an idiot…!
Kyouko: But…well, even that idiot
Kyouko: If there is worth, he’s good…
SFX: Wa—wa—

96.
Kyouko: You’re tired.
Hiroshi: Ah—Kyouko? Hold on a moment.
Player: Hey Hiroshi, big news! It seems that the player Mosura of Perudi has come to the department store in front of the station.
Hiroshi: What, player Mothra!?
Caption: Spits out string
(TN: This joke is just one that really seems to feel nebulous due to its set-up, even with a weird/hilarious punch-line. While I really have no idea who “Mosura of Perudi” is supposed to refer to, Hiroshi obviously mistaken him as the classic Toho kaijuu monster “Mothra”, which has the same reading as “Mosura”. If you can figure out what it means, then you can make the appropriate adjustment in the reading)
Hiroshi: Let’s go, let’s go, I want his autograph!
Kyouko: Just a moment, Hiroshi, you promised you’d go shopping with me today…
Hiroshi: What are you saying? It’s Mothra, Mothra! Go on your own.

97.
Kyouko: Which is more important, your promise with me or Mothra!
Hiroshi: Mothra!
Kyouko: What’s that you!
SFX: Doga
Hiroshi: Bubera
Kyouko: Dummy, idiot, the worst! I’ve broken up already with you!
Hiroshi: Shut up—I won’t ask you anything from tomorrow—you!
Player: Hiroshi—it’s the middle-finger you put up~~
Voice: …Really; that Hiroshi has to get a brain!
Kyouko: Well, it’s fine I did it to that guy but.
SFX: Shaka shaka shaka
Box: Safety razors

98.
Kyouko: It’s nothing. I seriously don’t have reason to believe this.
Kyouko: Some—how I’ve decided it is nonsense but…generally; it’s not that there isn’t a reason to know that thing myself…
Kyouko: My future marriage partner.
SFX: Chi chi chi
Kyouko: It’s stupid: this won’t be interesting because it doesn’t know the future! I’ll stop; I’ll stop this thing…
SFX: Chi chi chi
Kyouko: If…it wasn’t Hiroshi…

99.
SFX: Wara!
Kyouko: Eh!?
SFX: Poro
SFX: Pasha
Kyouko: Kyaaa……
SFX: Ooooooooh

100.
Narrator: The next day
Hiroshi: Morning, Nube, its cold—
Nube: Morning.
Miki: I want to gulp up some hot sake on this day—
Voice: Hiroshi—
Kyouko: Let me see your face
SFX: Guki!
Hiroshi: Gue!
Hiroshi: What are you doing suddenly, dummy!
Kyouko: Good, it isn’t wounded…
Kyouko: It was only an illusion after all. I’m glad—(Ho--)
Nube: What’s—wrong with Kyouko?
Hiroshi: I don’t know—she’s been strange since yesterday.
Nube: Oh, a bonfire.
Hiroshi: Let’s go warm for a bit—

101.
SFX: Pachi pachi
SFX: Pan
Hiroshi: Gyaaa
Kyouko: Hiroshi—
Kyouko: Are…are…are you alright--!? Is it your eye? Can I see!?
Hiroshi: Ow~~
Old Man: A chestnut jumped up, are you alright!?
Nube: It didn’t hit his eye so he’s fine.
Miki: Great—you can’t have hurt the face of your future husband! (Kekeke…)

102.
Nube: Hmm hmm: it was Hiroshi’s face in the water tub at 0:00:00…
Kyouko: Right, Nube, I haven’t told anyone…I’m really worried.
Nube: Ahahaha, that’s ridiculous. Are you worried about Hiroshi that much with that? (Babababa)
Nube: She’s serious…?
Nube: Well—don’t worry too much. Even if what was reflected was an illusion, the feelings of worry that you’re sending will become an ikiryou spirit and there will be a situation where it will bring injury to Hiroshi.
(TN: “Ikiryou” typically has a meaning of “vengeful spirit”, but has a literal meaning of “living spirit”, as it will further be emphasized later; thus why I have to keep it in Japanese)
“Kyouko”: You’ll get hurt, you’ll get hurt
Nube: An Ikiryou isn’t just feelings of hatred for a person; it is made of various feelings for another person.

103.
Nube: Yet even so, isn’t that good? You exactly had reflected the face of your marriage partner! Actually I too was worried and secretly did it last night but no—one was reflected in it. Hahaha…
Kyouko: …Pathetic…
Kyouko: Right…it isn’t good to overworry. But, I am worried yet…
SFX: Ki—n ko—n ka—n ko—n
Students: Bye by—e, goodbye.
Kyouko: Th…there particularly isn’t a reason I want to go home together with you! There’s nothing we can do since we’re going in the same direction…
Hiroshi: Ah, yeah.

104.
Caption: They have this pace due to always going home together.
Sign: Sewer Construction: Doumori-Town Water Department
Hiroshi: Hey, walk by going away a bit. This is gradually feeling bad!
Kyouko: Shut up; please go home by making a detour somehow.
Hiroshi: What’s that---!!
SFX: Mishi…mishi…
Kyouko: What!
Hiroshi: ! The ground is
SFX: Bara gara gara gara
Kyouko: Kyaaa

105.
Kyouko: Owow; that’s a very sloppy work.
Hiroshi: Are you alright, Kyouko?
Kyouko: Eh? Ah…did you protect me at once!? Thank you.
Hiroshi: !!
Kyouko: Your face!!
Hiroshi: It is—n’t a serious thing. It’s 3 meters to the top from here. We can’t climb—up.

106.
Hiroshi: He—y, will someone save us—
Hiroshi: No good: there’s a break on construction today. We can only wait until tomorrow.
Kyouko: But, Hiroshi, is your wound alright…?
SFX: Hikku…hikku…
Hiroshi: It’s fine: the blood has already stopped long ago.
Kyouko: It’s my fault. Because I tested 0:00…! (Waa--)
Hiroshi: Wh…what are you saying? It’s because of their sloppy work.
Kyouko: I’m sorry…I’m sorry…
SFX: Hikku…hikku…
Hiroshi: Don’t cry, stupid.

107.
Kyouko: I’m sorry, Hiroshi…yesterday I…
SFX: Doki doki doki
Kyouko: N…no, I was bad…
Caption: Annotation: These two are 5th graders in grade school
SFX: Doki doki doki doki doki
Caption: Annotation: These two are still 5th graders
SFX: Doki doki doki doki doki doki doki doki
Caption: Annotation: these two are still grade schoolers, grade schoolers grade schoolers grade schoolers

108.
Nube: Hiroshi—Kyouko—Are you alright--!!
SFX: Suzazaza | Gon
Narrator: The next day…
Miki: Well—did you spend the night with Hiroshi~~? How far did you go: 1st base? 2nd? 3rd?
(TN: Miki lists the “how far” part as “A” “B” and “C”, but somehow I figured this had to have an English-version)
Kyouko: We…did nothing. Don’t have a strange imagination.
Hiroshi: Morning.
Kyouko: Uge!
Hiroshi: What’s wrong: your face, it can’t be from yesterday…?
Hiroshi: Right…

109.
Hiroshi: The criminal who did this to my face was…
SFX: Ba
Hiroshi: You!! (Bua~~choo--!)
Hiroshi: Because I loaned my jumper to you—I got infected—(Buachoo buacchoo!!)
Kyouko: Kya--!!
Nube: Oh brother: they’re good buddies even in their quarrels.
Miki: Ke
Narrator: The wound that was on Hiroshi’s head at that moment remained for a while after that.
SFX: Pera
Narrator: It wasn’t ultimately understood if it was from Kyouko’s razor or not but…

110.
RETURN OF THE GREAT YOUKAI ENCYCLOPEDIA

#5: Bakeneko

In ancient Egypt, cats were used as gods. People made cats valuable, made them mummies when they died and gave them courteous burials.

By Europe in the Middle Ages, cats were thought of as the fingers of witches and were killed one after another. Just raising a cat lead to a conclusion of being a witch and the owner was burned at the stake together with it. As such, due to having cats dropping sharply, there were a great outbreak in rats and it became one of the causes in the great prevalence in an epidemic called the bubonic plague.

Even in Japan, if you speak about which cats are, there comes to be negative and positive things. Even among those, a famous one is a cat rebellion that occurred with the Nabeshima Clan in the Edo period. It’s a famous ghost story where an old cat whose owner had perished killed off his enemies one after another so it could clear away its master’s regrets. Aside from that, it is said you are cursed for seven generations for killing a cat and many number of tales where cats take the perspective of a youkai.

(TN: A couple things:
1. Yeah…this chapter wasn’t about a Bakeneko, but due to some matters regarding the rest of the volume, this entry will be coming at this time. There will be a chapter about bakeneko in this volume…but it won’t be for another chapter or two. BTW: “Bakeneko” = “Monster Cat”
2. The “Nabeshima Clan” is in reference to a prominent samurai clan who controlled the Saga Domain [the western edge of Kyuushuu] from the Sengoku to the Edo eras [except for the city of Nagasaki, which was founded by the Portugese and became one of the only points of connection between Japan and the west due to this disconnect])

TN: There's a moral somewhere with this chapter...but I think it mostly is this: 5th graders are too young to be so passionate for one another. Luckily the whole "Hiroshi and Kyouko scene" near the end was probably more of a parody against that sort of scene as opposed to it, but at the same time it did feel rather emotional. This does seem to show how much has changed between the two of them since the start of the series: sure Hiroshi and Kyouko have so little in common and still nearly try to kill each other, but their relationship has reached a point where so little can set them off...like that. Of course, with Kyouko making weird faces due to her little trick and Hiroshi running around trying to get an autograph of "Mothra", we still have plenty of interesting things going around to prevent it from being mushy. Then again that is probably why I like Nube: it does approach romance concepts, but doesn't go overboard with them and allows for a more masculine and sillier look at love...of course Nube himself is still an utter failure (unless the girl is a yukionna who keeps a little Nube dolly by her side...well she did on the last cover page) so all is right with the world.