Hell Teacher Nube 85

Even for someone considered talented and brilliant, there are certain limits that push them to success in things they may not want it with! But is the answer to solving this...a youkai!? For Makoto's lady friend Ai, it may just be!

#85: Nikujin

147.
Oshou: Wh~~ee
Sign: Doumori Temple
Oshou: Hic, I’m in a good mood, baby~~~~
Disciple: Oshou-sama, you’re annoying the neighborhood.
Oshou: Push down the ball, rock-and-roll. Like a cat in Kanbukuro, rock-and-roll
(TN: “Kanbukuro” is a notable restaurant in the Sakai area of Osaka that has actually had history since the 14th century and ended up getting its name in the 16th century when the owner got this nickname from Toyotomi Hideyoshi for his assistance in building Osaka Castle. It is famed for its two notable sweets, mochi and shaved ice, both made with a particularly sweet flavored anko paste)
SFX: Zuru…Bita…Zuru…Bita…

148.
Oshou: Hiee!!
SFX: Zuru Bita Zuru Bita

149.
SFX: Ban!
Kyouko: Magnificent~~Shinozaki Ai of class 6-5: the talented girl who partakes in special gifted education as the daughter of the very rich.
Miki: Even though her violin took the all-nation classic junior division last year, this year she’s challenging it on the piano.
(TN: While I’m not quite sure if this is what they were inferring, there is an all-Japan junior-classical competition held every year sponsored by the Tokyo International Association of Artists. The competition is held for several grades under several divisions: Piano, Vocalist, Brass Instruments, String Instruments and Solo/Chamber Composition. Therefore, this possibly is why Ai was able to compete with her violin last year [most likely under the String Instrument competition] and this year compete with her piano work)
Miki: U~~h, that really is a good tone. There isn’t anyone who isn’t moved by this…
SFX: Gu—ga—

150.
Makoto: Guo—
Kyouko: Makoto---!!
Makoto: What are you doing? Even so, I am Ai-chan’s best buddy.
Kyouko: If you are, then why don’t you listen much more seriously!
Miki: To some there are rumors that they are lovers…
Makoto: Do your best—but since that song is boring, you should play “Mikan Sentai Oranger”.
(TN: Like Kakukakuranger before it, Oranger is likewise a parody of a recent-run Super-Sentai series. This series is based on the 1995 [the year of this chapter] Super Sentai series “Chouriki Sentai Ohranger” [Superpowered Sentai Ohranger], which is known to the US as the footage for “Power Rangers Zeo” and was a battle between ancient technology and a machine empire. However, “Mikan Sentai Oranger” literally translates into “Mandarin [Orange] Sentai Oranger”, and seems to have a fruit/orange theme)
Ai: Ah!

151.
Principal: We should have that girl due her best, because she is the pride of our school.
SFX: Wai wai gaya gaya
Ritsuko: We’ve expressedly called a special coach from a music college.
Kyouko: I’m absolutely certain she’ll take the championship.
Ai: Everyone has too much expectation…I don’t have self-confidence in the piano; I’ve just been forced to do it for my parents since I was young…
Ai: A—ah, I don’t want to practice anymore. This championship is extremely…
Voice: That is Nikujin, Oshou.
(TN: “Nikujin” literally is “Meat-Man”…yeah, that’s what it’s called)
Sign: Staff Office
Oshou: Nikujin?

152.
Nube: Nikujin: If you go by records, it was said to have appeared at Tokugawa Ieyasu’s Sunpu Castle in the 4th year of Keichou. It is said that if you eat it’s meat, which has an extremely good flavor, then any unskilled person can become the ultimate warrior of the military. Unlimited to the military, the meat of Nikujin is a miracle drug that raises to the utmost limit various abilities, without practice or training.
(TN: A couple notes:
-Keichou is the period in Japanese history found between October, 1596 and July, 1615. The “4th year of Keichou” would be 1599, considering that the first year is always from the ascendancy of a new emperor to the very end of that year.
-Sunpu Castle is a castle located in Shizuoka and particularly notable as the original base of the Tokugawa Shogunate starting from Tokugawa Ieyasu. The Tokugawa family controlled the castle all the way through the Meiji Restoration in 1868)
Oshou: That story means nothing!! Exorcise it and I’ll give you a thousand yen. I’m scared of youkai and ghosts.
Nube: Well well, Nikujin will do nothing here; it’s harmless to man and beast…
Oshou: I have 1200…no, 1300 yen to give you without you saying that!!
Ai: It raises to the utmost limit abilities without practice of training…a magic miracle drug…

153.
Makoto: What’s going on; you called me on my way home from penmanship…
Ai: I’m sorry; I wanted you to come with me together for a bit.
Ai: Tonight…we’re keeping company until late…I’ve got some good thing while it’s the two of us…
Makoto: I thought so: We’re going to see the Kiken Sentai Kakukakuranger video at the house. (From where do you come from, Kakukaku~~~)
Ai: Ho…hold on, I was joking now. (to herself) Kakukaku over me…
SFX (or Makoto): Kakukaku
Ai: It’s here. Ma…Makoto-kun, as a man, you will protect me.
Sign: Doumori Temple
SFX: Ooooh
Ai: I’m depending on you.

154.
SFX: Shi—n
Makoto: We’re going to see Kakukakuranger after all.
Ai: It’s not coming--…

155.
SFX: Moko
SFX: Mo
SFX: Ooooh…

156.
Makoto: Wh…what is that mass of meat?
Ai: That’s Nikujin…According to Nube’s tale, he’s harmless to man and beast…it’s truly eerie, but from looking at it, it seems slow…
Makoto: Ah…what are you…
SFX: Zun zun zun
Ai: I’m sorry.
SFX: Saku
Makoto: Y…you’re saying I’m sorry~~
SFX: Kuri kuri kuri | Poto
SFX: Sosokusa!

157.
Makoto: Wh…what are you doing with that meat; are you practicing cooking!?
Ai: Ufufu: A – Se – Cret…
SFX: Bita~~n!!
Ai: Bu
Ai: Th…there’s a wall in this area…?
Makoto: That’s strange; we’ll run to here.
SFX: Mo
Ai: It’s chasing us.
Makoto: It’ll be fine; it’s slow.
Ai: Ah! Here too!!
SFX: Ta
Makoto: Here too!!
Ai: Why are there suddenly walls…

158.
Ai: St…strange…
Makoto: There isn’t an exit…
Cat: Nyaa
SFX: Gasa
Ai: Hi!!
SFX: Nu
Cat: !!
SFX: Zuzuzuzu… | Zubu zubu
Cat: Nya—nya—
Ai: Kyaaaaa!!

159.
Ai: It’s putting it into it’s body.
SFX: Subu subu…
Makoto: Nooo!! Where is it harmless to man and beast!?
Makoto: It’s movements are slow, but there isn’t a place to run.
SFX: Mo
Ai: We’re being cornered!!
Nube: N? Wasn’t there some voice?
Caption: Taking the exorcism after all.
Oshou: Well that’s stupid. We’re in the dead of night. What’s going on? If the monster is holding an athletic meet…
Nube: No…I’m familiar with those voices…it’s Makoto and…Ai!
Oshou: What!? Ai and Makoto…
(TN: As mentioned before, the “Ai and Makoto” bit is in reference to the famed shonen manga by Kajiwara Ikki and Nagayasu Takumi)
Nube: Th…that’s

160.
Nube: !!
Voices: Uwa—kya—
Oshou: Wh…what is that wall!?
Nube: No…that isn’t a wall. That too is part of it’s body.
Nube: No good: it’s too think and can’t be destroyed! Further, it immediately regenerates…
SFX: Zubo zubo
Makoto: Hiii~~we’ll be eaten by meat~~
SFX: Oooh…ooh…
Ai: Save us—Nube-sensei—

161.
Makoto: It’s angry because you took the meat! Hurry and give it back!!
Ai: Bu…but…I can’t…do it.
Ai: If I eat Nikujin’s meat, my abilities will go up. Since I’m not self-confident in the piano, my abilities will go up with this…
Makoto: What’s that!?
Ai: But everyone has expectations…I must win the championship…do you understand?
Makoto: I don’t understand.
Makoto: Why must you win the championship? Why are you worried about everyone’s expectations?
SFX: Kiri!
Makoto: Because of this, you’re not having fun even as you play the piano. If you aren’t having fun, then it’s better to quit it and play Kakukakuranger together with me.
Ai: Makoto-kun…

162.
Ai: ……Right…it’s as Makoto-kun said. I’ve been stupid…
Makoto: You don’t need this meat anymore. Loan it to me.
Ai: Eh?
SFX: Paku! (Chomp!)
Ai: !?
Makoto: We’re escaping from here!!!
SFX: Mogu mogu mogu (Munch munch munch)
SFX: Gashi!!
Makoto: Build up my jumping ability---!!
SFX: Dodododododo | Muki muki muki

163.
Ai: A…amazing, you’ve gotten over the high wall with one leap…
Makoto: This will get the gold medal in the Olympics.

164.
Ai: Makoto-kun is dreamy…he’s forever wanting to do as such…like the Kakukakuranger.
SFX: Dan!
Nube: Makoto!!
Nube: You’ve done well. I’m taking out that meat you ate.
Makoto: OK, that’s fine.
SFX: Paaa | Gero
Nube: Here, take it back.
SFX: Becha
SFX: Puri (fart) | Koron

165.
SFX: Noso noso
Nube: When you eat the meat of Nikujin, your abilities are truly increased, but…you can obtain the meat peacefully, yet going home is the hard part: it’s a matter that you can’t gain the power of magic so easily.
Ai: There isn’t something so generous in this world.
Nube: By the way: why did you take Nikujin’s meat…?
Ai: Eh?
Makoto: To use for cooking practice.
Nube: !?
Makoto: From where do you come from, Kakukakuranger, you’re dangerous guys, nuclear.
Narrator: Afterwards, Ai-chan dismissed her coach and decreased her special-training time, but…on the day of the tourney; she performed with a smiling face from start to finish—
Award: 3RD PLACE

166.
RETURN OF THE GREAT YOUKAI ENCYCLOPEDIA

#20: Nikujin

In Keichou 4 (1599), a strange youkai appeared within Sunbu Castle where Tokugawa Ieyasu was. It was a giant mass of meat, in a form that was like it was rounded off like clay, having no fingers even though it had hands and stood as it put out its upper half with its hand. Regretfully, since it was chased off to somewhere by the retainers, nothing further was known.

The record speaking of the appearance of Nikujin is that it isn’t a youkai that really is known at all with that standard. However, it seems a bit more popular in China. Its Chinese name has it called “Shiniku” and it has no limbs, with just two small eyes in the middle of a mass of meat. Since there are limbs on Nikujin, it seems like a different being, but since it is a youkai with an uncertain form somehow, it may have been a style where it had stowed away its limbs. Granted whatever it is, the meat of Shiniku is edible and further extremely delicate. However, however delicate it is, I think that I’m not a long way off from eating the meat of a youkai…would you eat it?

(TN: “Shiniku” literally translates into “Looking Meat”)

TN: I did this last time, I'm doing it this time: music, maestro:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6zdAEs-6Xbc

Um...I meant the Super-Sentai version...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5l0vzr-fAv0

(Yeah, it's Ohranger there, not Zeo...you have to get these things straightened out...though Makoto just mostly sticks with Kakukakuranger, I do have to give Oranger a bit of love)

It's sort of weird thinking about it now. In the progress of two volumes, we've had two chapters about Ai, showing her as a nice, potential interesting character...yet sadly, aside from a few cameos later on, this is really the last story focusing on her. It's not really Ai's fault honestly, but more or less the fact that she's...well, a 6th grader...and Nube's class is 5th graders. It's that one year difference that just hurt her...but hey, at least she and Makoto are eternal friends so it's not like they can't just ignore the fact that she exists. We do meet a couple other 6th graders later on, but as I probably mentioned before, they're really just one-shots sort of like the kid in the phone chapter last volume. (though one of them does get a weird little cameo...with Ai, but we'll get to that further down the road)

As for the chapter itself: honestly most of what was going on essentially was just Ai trying to be too much of a perfectionist due to the pressure he has. She knows she's a genius at violin but the piano was never really her specialty. Yet it was the pressure that forced her to go for Nikujin...and nearly get eaten by it. The problems with overachievers is that they just overachieve so much that they just want to be perfect in everything, usually leading to burnout. Luckily Ai did learn her lesson from this, though it did take Makoto to help her get to that point. Strangely, though, Makoto seemed like the only real level-headed one there, acting like a knight or a concerned little brother while being forced with Ai into the whole Nikujin scenario and even using it's power. Honestly Ai herself probably could have done it...but she probably was so obsessed in eating it to improve her piano skills that she never had it in her to just increase a skill for escaping from Nikujin's trap. As for the current relation status between the two of them...well, Makoto is essentially 10 going on 6...so maybe Ai should just act motherly instead of trying to go too far in "that" direction.