Hell Teacher Nube 83

For some, the idea of domination through bullying is just an impulse that must be done. For Kaneda, this is a needed requirement to satisfy his life...until his encounter with a strange girl with that forces...a different perspective.

#83: That Girl is Nopperabou!?

107.
Nube: Youshin Jutsu
(TN: We’re going to learn a bit more about this now…even if we saw this before in a way…but “Youshin” literally translates into “Yang Soul”)
SFX: Shuu shuu

108.
Caption: Youshin Jutsu
SFX: Pou
Caption: A quite advance art used in Buddhism and Shinto.
SFX: Poto
Caption: You need together spirit and manufacture a clone of yourself. (a youshin)
Caption: This differs from a clone by erethral-body separation (an inshin); it can be seen by the eyes and touch things. It’s an entity that is completely constant to an ordinary human.
(TN: “Inshin” = “Yin Soul”)
SFX: Gugugu…
Caption: This is one of the extremely ultimate secrets for Nube.
Kyouko: Ah, he’s in here. Nube, it’s terrible!
SFX: Fu

109.
(Title page: so I guess the chapter involves Kaneda and…a mysterious glasses-girl!? So what was with that intro!?)

110.
Makoto: Uwa~~h, stop that, Kaneda-kun!!
SFX: Ja—
Makoto: Why are you tormenting me?
Kaneda: Shut it—you had written “please torment me” on your face, gyahaha…
Nube: Hey, Kaneda!
Kaneda: Chi, here he comes: that 0-ability teacher.
Nube: Hold on! Apologize to Makoto!
Kaneda: No way I am doing that!
SFX: Pyon (boing)

111.
Kaneda: Heh, tormenting the weak is my sole hobby! Aim for bullying a thousand people… (Gyahahaha…)
(TN: Kaneda’s “aim for bullying a thousand people” is in Japanese “Mezase Ijime Senningiri”, with the “giri” being “attack down” akin to “cutting” or “killing”)
Kaneda: Kinoshita Ayumi: a girl who doesn’t stand out even in class by her reading just books. She’s too non-conspicuous and I’ve forgotten to bully her.
(TN: This probably is one of the most perfect introductions to a character I’ve seen in this series: Ayumi’s last name, “Kinoshita”, is literally “under a tree”, thus her name is “Ayumi Under a Tree”…and note where she is…you’d wish she did have more notice in the manga but that’s a complaint for another day)
Kaneda: I’ll specially inquire on her with a bucket of water.
Kaneda: There!
SFX: Basha
Ayumi: Kya

112.
Kaneda: He—y, look at your state!!
Ayumi: ……Uh…wh…who is that…?
Kaneda: Wahahahaha…
Kaneda: !!

113.
Kaneda: Uwaa~~
Nube: It’s Nopperabou! It’s Nopperabou—
Nube: It’s for real.
SFX: Ahahahaha…
Kaneda: She really didn’t have a face.
Kyouko: Kinoshita-san is Nopperabou?
Kaneda: It seems for real.
Hiroshi: Don’t say those random things—
SFX: Kara…
Kyouko: Where is that Nopperabou?
Kaneda: Strange, she really was…

114.
Nube: At any rate! Kaneda will be cleaning the bathrooms for a week as punishment for tormenting Makoto!
Kaneda: Eh~~
Makoto: Ya~~y, serves you right!!
Kaneda: Kinoshita Ayumi: she really is a person who doesn’t give a feeling of existing. She’s always seeming like she’s reading just her books alone, not having even a relation of a good friend.
Kaneda: She truly came to not have her face, like it melted, when she was hit by water earlier. I’ll pour water on her and her true form will be revealed…
Kaneda: Al—right, I’ll ascertain this. Softly like I won’t be noticed…

115.
Ayumi: Kaneda-kun…
Sign: Society
SFX: Biku!
Kaneda: Ye…yes!?
Ayumi: I do have work for the library committee from here but…do you have some business?
Kaneda: N…no~~I do love books—I don’t have a good book to…
Ayumi: Really!? Kaneda-kun!?
Kaneda: Eh? Eh?
SFX: Yusa yusa yusa
Ayumi: Kaneda-kun loves books too!?

116.
Ayumi: This is great; I was so lonely due to everyone in 5-3 not really reading books! I recommend this book, and this, and this.
Ayumi: Books are interesting! They’re fun! Huh!? Huh!?
Kaneda: Ye…yes. (to himself) She becomes amazing—when it comes to books…
Book: Complete Works of Koizumi Yakumo
(TN: Yakumo Koizumi is the Japanese name of Patrick Lafcadio Hearn; the son of a British father and Greek mother, he became notable for his travels and writings in the United States and, more importantly, became the bridge between the revelations of Japanese culture to the West when he lived in Kumamoto. Some of his most notable and famous works include those involving the Japanese supernatural, including the notable “Kwaidan”, which was subsequently made into a movie and spoke both of ghost stories and, towards the end of the book, thoughts regarding various Eastern concepts of insects such as butterflies, mosquitoes and ants)
Student 1: Gege—Kaneda’s reading a book!
Student 2: The guy that is of the extent of skipping even the printed words in manga.
Kaneda: Shut it—
Student 3: It’s not even raining is it…!?
Kaneda: I…I like this book…
SFX: Chira | niko…

117.
Nube: This is bad…of all things; Kaneda…is suspicious of Ayumi’s true identity…
Kaneda: Uuuh: this isn’t a joke. Somehow I must read this thing—
Kaneda: Uuh~~I’m bored—of this thing. Ah—it’s boring.
Caption: Kaneda’s House
Kaneda: I’m bo…
Kaneda: And…when looking at the face, it was like an egg without eyes or a nose on there… (what?, what?)

118.
Kaneda: Fr…from there? How—did it get that way!?
Book: From “Mujina”, author – Koizumi Yakumo
Narrator: Books are interesting…this was produced and experienced for the first time for Kaneda, the physically strong idiot.
SFX: Chon…chon… | Chichichi…
Kaneda: I didn’t sleep all night…
Ayumi: Morning, Kaneda-kun; did you read it!?
SFX: Don!
Kaneda: O…oh, Koizumi Hachiun. I’ve become a fan. (Fu)
(TN: Kaneda screwed up the reading of his name, switching the reading for both kanji and turning “Yakumo” to “Hachiun”)
Ayumi: Eh!? Amazing, you read all of that in one night!?
Kaneda: Aah, this was the first book that was produced in me…wasn’t it? This interesting book is the first one that produced that in me.

119.
Kaneda: Hee…isn’t she quite—a good person when I speak to her? She isn’t a youkai like this…she may be a good friend…
Kaneda: A puddle…
Kaneda: Here…if I can thrust and have her fall in the puddle…I may discover her true identity…
Ayumi: Hey, Kaneda-kun.

120.
Ayumi: I’ve always wanted a friend I could talk about books with like Kaneda-kun. I’m really glad that I’ve met Kaneda-kun.
Kaneda: ……
Kaneda: Ah!
SFX: Ga
Kaneda: Watch out!
SFX: Za—
Kaneda: Dummy, you’ll get wet.
Ayumi: Thank you, Kaneda-kun…

121.
Nube: It seems I was overthinking…Isn’t this a good thing for Kaneda…
Nube: Rain!?
Kaneda: Ah…ah!!
Ayumi: Aah…
Kaneda: Ayumi!!
Ayumi: Nooo~~~
SFX: Za—za—za—
Kaneda: Ayumi is…meeting!!

122.
Kaneda: Ayumi! Ayumi—
Nube: Don’t look, Kaneda!!
Kaneda: She’s flowing! Ayumi is flowing there!
Nube: Don’t be confused!! Ayumi isn’t dead!!
Kaneda: What’s going on!? Is Ayumi a youkai after all!?
Kaneda: He…hey, where are we going? This isn’t the place…
Voice 1: The Staff meeting is complete.
SFX: Soro soro
Voice 2: Well, let’s go to class.
Kaneda: !!

123.
Nube: I couldn’t get out of this staff meeting by any means at all. I am a clone. This sleeping one is the real one.
Nube: Kneading spirit and making an exact clone of myself. This is the Youshin Jutsu.
SFX: Su
Kaneda: Youshin Jutsu?
Nube: That girl had the abilities of a spiritualist by nature. I taught her this technique. What melted was her clone.
Sign: Doumori Hospital
Nube: Anyway, her technique is still inexperienced. She melts when hit by water. No one knows about this.
Nube: Why Ayumi has this technique…?
SFX: Gacha

124.
Ayumi: I’m sorry that I frightened you…I’ve been learning this technique by teacher, but it’s still incomplete…
Ayumi: Teacher has told me to come to school until I can complete the technique, but by all means I…but it’s impossible after all…
Nube: Right: shall we practice a bit more?
Nube: It will be enough…in another half-year
Nube: Or year…or until graduation.

125.
Kaneda: You…
Kaneda: You dummy--! You like going to school!? In that case, come even if it is impossible! If a person knows of your secret and torments you…I’ll hit them!!
Kaneda: So then…come tomorrow.
Kaneda: When there, you can teach about interesting books to me again.
SFX: Da
Ayumi: Kaneda-kun.
Ayumi: OK…I’ll go for sure, Kaneda-kun…without fail.

126.
RETURN OF THE GREAT YOUKAI ENCYCLOPEDIA

#18 Nopperabou

A youkai with a face like an egg, that is smooth without eyes, nose or mouth—that is Nopperabou. In general, it is known widely by “Mujina”, the short story by Koizumu Yakumo (Lafcadio Hearn), but the scheme of Nopperabou = Mujina (a badger) is the production of Yakumo; it isn’t the original legend. Saying that, it was introduced from a famous story.

In Tokyo’s Kinokunizaka, there was an eerie place where was rumored that Mujina appeared. On this hill which bent the moat of the imperial palace, there wasn’t even a person who passed through in the pitched darkness when it came to be night. To there, one merchant was passing through. He was quite hurried; walking on the road of the dark night with one hand on a paper lantern. It was there that he heard the sobbing of a woman from somewhere. As he looked, there was a sole young girl cowering and crying in the darkness on the side of the moat. The merchant, who thought it was suspicious, spoke his voice across to her back. The girl slowly turned around. And then…

“Gya----!!”

The merchant let out a shriek. The face of the turned-around girl was a Nopperabou without even eyes, nose or mouth. The merchant started to run like he was rolling down the hill. He couldn’t see anything in the pitch darkness of the hill. Before long, he saw a faint light far away. It was a soba-shop cart. The merchant rushed to the cart and placed an order to the owner of the cart while out of breath. “Is it possible”, the shopkeeper coldy said. “Wasn’t what you saw this face?” The face of the owner that turned around was another Nopperabou. The merchant lost consciousness in that place.
(TN: Kinokunizaka is a slope on the left side of the national Guest House in Tokyo; it gets the name due to being tied to being the land as the “Land of Kii”, with Kii being the duke who owned the estate)

TN: It's really hard to figure out where to start with this chapter...though I think I know the best part: it's weird that this new character introduced here would have her first encounter with the class bully. But the way that Ayumi and Kaneda encountered one another both through the suspicious aspects and the caring ones show that sometimes complete opposites are needed to balance out one another. Kaneda is more gaudy with his bullying, Ayumi quiet with her reading due to her Youshin abilities and probably desire to stay out of trouble. But in a way, even with the really weird scenario of the Youshin condition and the Nopperabou accusation (though how Kaneda would know she was a Nopperabou prior to reading the story from the book was strange...guess it was all hearsay), these opposites ended up supporting and helping out one another. Kaneda finally found something more rewarding than bullying (maybe not something he'll do for long but no one really gave him the chance prior to her) while Ayumi found a potential friend to hang out with. Though...I do admit that some of her failed Youshin power was rather freaky, particularly when she melted away near the end, it does seem cool that she uses it in a constructive manner (to attend school due to her disability) There is a bit more I could say about Ayumi...but I'll leave that for her next chapter. (since she won't be showing up really outside maybe one or two cameos between now and the next she appears)