Hell Teacher Nube 72

When making a new friend, there are sometimes skeletons in the closet that may prevent it from going well. For Makoto, his new destination of enjoyment...may turn into a personal nightmare when discovering a horrific truth!

#72: Habataki Hageatama

71.
Narrator: The youkai introduced in “Nube” isn’t limited to just beings from Japan. Even within the fan letters from the readers, we’ve been collecting many letters that speak of wanting to take up more foreign youkai.
Narrator: What we’ve taken up for “Nube” this time is…a youkai who has crossed the seas and come to Japan long ago.
Narrator: What exactly…do you think this is?
SFX: Bata bata bata

72.
SFX: Pata pata pata pata…
Caption Box:
Habataki Hageatama: It flies with a pitter-patter at night as just a head with it’s ears as wings. It’s faster than a car and can fly in an area around 2 meters from the ground.
(TN: Honestly this was an easily-translated youkai name, but considering it is the name of the youkai, I have to keep it in Japanese. In this case “Habataki Hageatama” simply translates into “The Fluttering Bald-Head”)

73.
Student 1: Hey, Nube, Habataki Hageatama has appeared.
Student 2: There are already 20 eyewitnesses.
SFX: Zoro zoro
Nube: Yeah, yeah.
Kyouko: It’s a strange rumor by the lower grades again…
Kyouko: Well, but it may be true.
Nube: It isn’t! It isn’t! That guy with the stupid design.
SFX: Pako—n
Baseball Player: Ah, sor—ry.
Nube: Ya—y, it’s filled with Habataki Hageatama—(Ehe ehe ehe)
SFX: Pata pata pata
Kyouko: Infirmry, infirimry…

74.
Nube: N?
Nube: What’s that? A crowd…
Kyouko: It’s a newly-opened bakery. It’s popular due to good service with its love of children.
Bakery Sign: Kaba Bakery
(TN: I’m not quite so sure if “Kaba” should be translated or not, but assumably it is in reference to the Japanese word for “hippopotamus”)
Baker: Here, I’ve baked some bite-sized anpan. Ten yen each.
(TN: Anpan is a bun usually filled with a red bean paste and eaten as a sweet)
Kids: Waa—
Nube: What’s with buying sweets among the lower grades? Inexcusable!
(TN: Nube doesn’t just say “buying sweets” but “kaigui”, which is to buy and immediately eat something, usually sweets)
Kyouko: It’s—fine, don’t speak so stubborn on it.
Nube: No, I can’t do that.
Kyouko: That man really does love children.
Nube: Where’s that? He seems like a former KGB hitman.
(TN: Just as a note for those who don’t know, the KGB [Komitet Gosudarstvennoy Bezopasnosti] was the national security agency for the Soviet Union between 1954 to it’s fall in 1991…of which this was about 4 years later with the chapter’s release in 1995)

75.
Makoto: May I please have mine!
Baker: Well, Makoto-kun, I’ve baked this for you.
Bag: For Makoto-kun
(TN: The bag doesn’t have “for” on it but “you”, the kanji that stands for “use” or “usage”, thus it’s for usage for, obviously, Makoto)
Makoto: Yaay!
Nube: What, you’re a regular here too, Makoto?
Makoto: Gyo: Nube-sensei.
Baker: Eh, his teacher? Well~~~
Nube: N? What is that?
Makoto: Specially-made Gamera Bread. He’ll make it in the form that you like if you order it. He’s an extremely skillful person!
(TN: Yeah, the form of Makoto’s bread is the shape of the classic Daiei kaijuu Gamera, a giant turtle monster notable for being friends with children who originally appeared in 1965)
Baker: Noo, I’m happy just in the delight of children. I’m embarrassed.
Makoto: Thank you for that--!
SFX: Niko niko niko
Nube: ……

76.
Nube: He really is a man loved by children. Well, I’ll tolerate these sweet-buyings.
Kyouko: Right, right: that’s it Nube.
Nube: By the way, baker, I’ll have one too…
SFX: Boso boso
Baker: Eh!? Nude bread of Ritsuko-sensei? What’s that? That frankly by me would be…
Kyouko: What exactly will he use that for?
Narrator: That night…
Makoto: Aah: it’s gotten late with my penmanship lessons.
Makoto: It’s eerie out.
Makoto: I’ll get home quickly and get into the bath. Quickly…
SFX: Bata bata bata

77.
Makoto: Hi!?
SFX: Pata pata pata pata
SFX: Pata pata pata…
Makoto: Ha…Habataki Hageatama…?
SFX: Oooooooooh
Makoto: The…baker…!?

78.
SFX: Musha musha musha (munch munch munch)
Makoto: He…he’s eating bugs. Uwa…wawa
Makoto: Waaa~~
Nube: What’s that? The old baker’s true identity is…Habataki Hageatama!?
Makoto: I saw it with my own eyes. He was pitter-pattering with his ears as wings.
Nube: Wasn’t it an overweight bat?

79.
Makoto: I’ll tell everyone! If that shop is a youkai’s shop, then I can’t let them get close to it!
Nube: Hold on!
Nube: That man has an occupation. Don’t spread rumors about it. It will obstruct business!
Makoto: Everyone’s buying plenty from that shop…Yet he may have inserted bugs from last night into the bread…
Makoto: I have to outrun him like I didn’t discover it…
Baker: Makoto-kun!
Makoto: Gikuu!!

80.
Makoto: Hii!
SFX: Da!
Baker: Makoto-kun, what’s wrong? Please hold on.
Baker: Makoto-kun.
SFX: Gogogogo
Makoto: Gya—
SFX: Guwashi!
Baker: Here: the bread that you ordered.
SFX: Nyuru nyuru nyuru

81.
Makoto: Hii—
Baker: ?
Narrator: From then on, it was said that every day Makoto came to run away in front of the shop…

82.
Baker: Fuu--…
Nube: You seem to be extremely anxious about Makoto. Do you have some reason?
Baker: Ah, the teacher…I give, haha…
Baker: Actually…I have a child who is a splitting image of him…a year ago, my wife suddenly said she was divorcing me and left…
Baker: I seem to have a strange sleepwalking habit. My wife said that she had bad feelings about it. It’s as if I haven’t experienced it personally but…
Nube: Sleepwalking?
Nube: A bruise…?
Nube: ………
Baker: It’s because of this frightful face! It’s not impossible that I’m not even liked by children, but even so, why would she suddenly…

83.
Nube: It can’t be…
Narraotr: That night—around dawn at 4 A.M.
Makoto: Can you really exterminate Habataki Hageatama?
Nube: Aah, I really can.
Baker: I’m sorry, teacher: that you have to cure my sleepwalking with spiritual power.
Nube: It’s fine. So then, please go to sleep.
Makoto: Go away youkai! Go away youkai!
Baker: I don’t boast this, but I am weak to alcohol and immediately go to sleep with a gulp of it.

84.
SFX: Guri guri goro goro goro
SFX: Meri meri meri | Buche
Nube: ¡!
Makoto: Hiii

85.
SFX: Pata pata pata
Makoto: Waaa
Nube: As I thought. He’s…Hitouban!
(TN: Hitouban’s literal translation is “Flying Head Barbarian”)
Nube: There is a description of a clan called “the Rakutou People” who lived in southern Qin in the “Soushinki” of Ancient China. They’re a clan of youkai who fly in the air as just heads with their ears as wings and eat bugs late at night.
(TN: A few things
1. “Soushinki”, known in English as “In Search of the Supernatural” (and literally translates into “Spirit Search Record”), is a compilations of legends written in China in the 4th Century. It is cited as written by Gan Bao, a historian in the court of Emperor Yuan of Jin, but it is completely unknown.
2. The “Rakutou People”, also known as “Rakutoumin”, literally translates into “Falling Head People”.
3. Qin is most likely in reference to potentially the area that was connected to the unified China in the first empire period after the warring period)
Nube: This clan before long understood commerce and entered into Japan. And, in some generations, there is one person who awakens into a throwback like this…
SFX: Pata pata pata
Makoto: Hi—
Baker: Ke—kekeke
SFX: Pata pata pata
Nube: Ku

86.
Nube: Since long ago, there was a unique bruise on the neck of Hitouban. Understand this. This is their weak point too.
Makoto: I ha-ve-a-bad-fee-ling…
Nube: To defeat a Hitouban, you cover their neck with a sheet of copper.
Nube: And thus, when they return to their neck at the moment of dawn…
SFX: Pata pata pata…
SFX: Pata pata pata
Baker: !!

87.
Baker: Gyaaaa~~gyaaaa~~
SFX: Bata bata bata
Nube: They can’t unite!!
Nube: Hitouban will die when hit by the light of the sun with it separated from its body…
Makoto: Are you killing it!?
Nube: No…this person is far and away strong with his human soul…I’m purifying just his Hitouban soul.
SFX: Ka
Nube: Namu Daiji Daihi Kyuugu Kyuunan Koudai Reikan…evil deceased spirit of long ago, now with the light of the sun…
SFX: Shuuu…shuuuu~~

88.
Nube: Be purified!!
SFX: Doshuu~~
SFX: Shu—shu—
Caption: The next morning…
Makoto: I’m sorry…in thinking that you were a youkai, sir…
Baker: It’s fine. However, here: I’ve remade a new one. Teacher, I truly thank you very much.
Makoto: No problem.

89.
Makoto: It really is a nice guy who likes children! I’ll be coming to buy from him from now on!
Nube: That’s fine.
Makoto: Huh? That kid now somehow was exactly like me.
Nube: N?
Narrator: Hitouban mostly doesn’t appear now. Even so, they do occasionally appear. Perhaps there may be a Hitouban even in your town.

90.
RETURN OF THE GREAT YOUKAI ENCYCLOPEDIA

#10: Hitouban

Hitouban is called the Rokurokubi of China. With Rokurokubi having stretching necks regarding them, Hitouban have their heads completely disconnected, having it independent and fly around in the air. (Due to this, they also have an alias of “Nukekubi”) These two youkai are considered as the same youkai, as they are well mixed up. In actuality, their common features are many.

By the way: Hitouban live outside of China as well. The youkai called “Chonchon” of Chile (in South America) also flies about with their ears becoming wings, but in truth they’re said to be the messengers of the dead.

(TN: A couple notes:
1. “Nukekubi” literally translates into “removed neck”
2. A bit more about the Chonchon: a creature of the mythology of the Mapuche people, as well as being adopted by Chile and southern Argentina, the creature is actually a kalku (a Machupe sorcerer) who is anointed by a magical cream on his throat, allowing for them to change into a creature similar to the Hitouban: a detached head with large ears that allows it to fly. They are seen as a mythical bird that brings bad luck and said to also drink the blood of sleeping humans.)

TN: For a one shot character, I really liked the design of the baker I honestly admit. With as many good looking characters or those who look rugged but are actually tough, having someone who looks rather strange but homely and slightly scary was a neat touch allowing for him to show his good-heartedness...even with the youkai problems haunting his family. In fact, while the chapter probably could have turned out one direction in making things stupid or worse, the way it was built upon and developed just worked well for a nice little story: introducing a strange character with a good heart, showing the horrific side of him, then working to figure out why he is like he is while solving some of his problems. I did find it a tad weird that the baker's son is essentially a Makoto clone but it does explain why he takes to the kid of Nube's class so easily: with someone like his own son, he wants to protect him considering his failure with his wife and son with the whole Hitouban malady. Besides, it's not every day you meet a guy who can bake bread in the shape of Gamera...well outside "Yakitate! Ja-pan".