Hell Teacher Nube 155

For a little guy like Makoto, his childish nature may be something that has advantages...and disadvantages. Of course, the only way he may finally get some respect may involve a strange little youkai with some magic to make things grow...

#155: The Seed-Sowing Youkai: Tankororin

115.
Businessman: Thank you, you’ve helped me out telling me where the road is. I’ll be steady with that now. Are you a 1st Grader? I’ll give you candy.
SFX: Kachin!
Makoto: I am a 5th Grader!!
Businessman: Eeh, you are!? Sorry, my mistake.
Makoto: Well excuse me.
SFX: Butsu butsu butsu… (grumble grumble grumble)
Makoto: Even so…I’ve reached the real outskirts of town. This is…
Voice: If it’s Tankororin, then it will for real.

116.
Makoto: !

117.
Makoto: Wh…what is that…a youkai?
Makoto: ……
“Creature”: If it’s Tankororin, then it will for real-rin. If that is strange-rin, then I’ll show you-rin. I’m fu—ll of zest—and gusto—
(TN: Apparantly the new youkai is “singing” a song, but it sort of is tough to translate due to what presumably is it singing in “Mikawa-ben”, a Japanese dialect spoken in the eastern half of the Aichi area, stated to be close to “Nagoya-ben”, but stated by the locals as different. The youkai does state “rin” quite a few times in the song and I did try to keep those)
SFX: Boro boro
Makoto: These are…seeds…
SFX: Baa!

118.
Makoto: Ah!
SFX: Bobobo
Makoto: Amazing, that’s the youkai’s youryoku…
SFX: Koten! (ZZZ…)
Makoto: (Slow~~ly slow~~ly) It’s sleeping…
Makoto: When he sprinkled this powder, the seeds sprouted. I’m certain it’s magic powder.

119.
“Voice”: Hmm…that is “Tankororin”.
“Nube”: Tankororin is said to be a spirit of old persimmon trees. They say in places where it walks, seeds fall here and there and trees grow.
(TN: The “persimmon” mentioned here is the Japanese term ‘kaki’ which refers to “Diospyros kaki”, also known as the “kaki persimmon”, the “Japanese persimmon” or the “Asian persimmon”. As for why I put “Nube” in quotes though we do see his trademark eyebrows…well…)
“Nube”: Tankororin is a propagation spirit that increases greenery like that.
Makoto: A propagation spirit?
Miki: Yes: the plants are eaten by birds and animals and they transport the seeds by making excrement. That was thought as the spirit’s actions by people long ago…that was said as the opinion of ethnologists but…but then, just a bit of that is the act of Tankororin that exists.
SFX: Pera pera pera pera
Nube: ……Miki.

120.
Nube: You’re involuntarily mimicking a person. Youkai explanation is my role!
Caption: Attachable Eyebrows
Nube: Well, Makoto, what youkai tale do you want to hear?
Makoto: I’m fine already.
Nube: ……… (…My only appearance is…)
Makoto: A propagation youkai? Right: this powder possessed by Tankororin grows trees…is it a medicine for accelerating maturity?
Makoto: Perhaps if I take it, I’ll mature quickly too and I won’t be mistaken as a 1st-grader anymore.
Caption: Diagram of 8-heads tall Makoto
(TN: As I explained in a prior chapter, the typical human body is 7-to-7.5 heads tall, while the idealized version is 8 heads tall)

121.
Makoto: Though…it raised trees, but I don’t know whether it will for humans.
Girl: We can’t raise any of these medaka we’ve used for our science study.
(TN: “Medaka” refer to “Oryzias latipes” or “Japanese killifish”, a small fish usually found in rice paddies and notable for their short gestation period allowing for the easy breeding and raising of subjects)
Boy: Nothing we can do since they were expensive.
SFX: Papa
SFX: Dobabababa
Students: Waa—

122.
Makoto: Hm~~m, I can’t come to take this with my worry of its other effects. This really isn’t effective on humans.
6th-Grader 1: Hey, did you know? If we raise these daikon sprouts, they’ll become daikon radishes.
(TN: “Daikon sprouts” actually are a delicacy themselves: known in Japanese as “kaiware daikon”, they are particular sprouts of daikon (Raphanus sativus) radishes used as salad greens or for sashimi)
6th-Grader 2: You’re kidding—
SFX: Pa
6th-Graders: Kya—kya—kya—
SFX: Bobobobobo
Makoto: Waa! It’s for real.
Voice: Makoto.
Miki: What is that there; you have such an interesting thing.

123.
Voice: Eh—
Miki: Then, you were able to steal that medicine from Tankororin!
Makoto: Th…this isn’t actually an accomplishment. It won’t be given to you, Miki-chan.
(TN: I’m not really too sure regarding Makoto’s context here, whether the first “betsu ni dekasite nai” was in regards to “it wasn’t a big deal to take it from Tankororin” or if it has to do with Makoto trying to protect the Tankororin powder from Miki)
Katsuya: So then are you going to get taller? That’s just like you, Makoto, hahaha.
Miki: Well, well, don’t say that steadfast thing.
Makoto: Ah.
Miki: I’m borrowing this. This seems in—teresting.
SFX: Hagu hagu | Kirari!
Kyouko: Kya, what are you doing!?
SFX: Pa pa
Miki: I’m testing it on if I can mature this washboard chest.

124.
Kyouko: You dummy
Kyouko: ! Ah ah
SFX: Muku muku muku
Kyouko: Nooo~
SFX: Dodo—n
Hiroshi: Ky…Kyouko grew huge breasts—
Katsuya: She has an F-cup--!
Miki: Da…damn this—
Kyouko: No~~what—will I do, aah (heart) this is embarrassing. Ha~~ven’t I won against Miki (notes)

125.
Kyouko: Eh
SFX: Zuru
SFX: Bote bote
Miki: Ah~~that was surprising. Seeds of the school lunch melon spilled onto her chest.
Miki: …Is this only effective on plants…?
SFX: Pa pa
Hiroshi: Wa, you
Miki: It’s impossible on humans after all—
SFX: Kun kun
Hiroshi: Waaaaa!!
Girls: Kya—
Miki: Hi…his hair is growing~~
SFX: Suu

126.
SFX: Moja
Katsuya: Ge
Makoto: Uwa—
Miki: Noooo!
Boy 1: Don’t come near us, you example—
(TN: “Example” here is a strange Japanese word that is “engachi”, which translates into “tend to be used as an example”. My guess is that it was used about Miki due to how often she’s an example being with all her connections with all that goes on in Nube’s class)
Boy 2: Nosehair-woman—
Makoto: Ah, the medicine!
Girl: Eww, Futoshi-kun, aren’t those fleas?
SFX: Bori bori
Futoshi: Ehehe, be calm. It’s two or three.
Girl: Kyaaaa!!
SFX: Bo
Futoshi: Is it~~

127.
Shizuka: Wow, Noro-chan, that’s cute.
Noriko: Ufufu, I made it during the break period.
Shizuka: Hiii
Sudents: Waa~~Gya~~Hie~~~

128.
Nube: Fuu, I’m late for lunch with this grading of tests I have to do. N? That’s quite noisy.
Students: Wa—kya—
SFX: Bashi!
Nube: !?
Nube: (strange symbols)
SFX: Birororo~~~
Nube: You idiots—
Nube: Stealing a tool of a spirit is an insane street you shouldn’t have crossed! Return it immediately.
(TN: Although I doubt this is literally what it meant, the expression Nube uses here for what they did is literally in Japanese “Gongodoudan Oudan Hodou”. While it’s practically impossible to really figure out what the meaning of the expression is, the two sets of double words do have specific meanings: “Gongodoudan” is “Outrageous” or “Preposterous”, while “Oudan Houdou” is literally in Japanese a “pedestrian crossing”. Thus the expression would fully translate into “an outrageous pedestrian crossing” or an “unspeakable pedestrian crossing”, but with no real meaning I could find for it or interpret it with, I made up my own usage that sounded approximate)
SFX: Kyoki kyoki

129.
Voice: A vacant lot on the outskirts of town.
Miki: That was the demolition site of an old factory…it was a place where a harmful material called “Hexavalent chromium” was soaked into the ground and not one plant would grow.
(TN: “Hexavalent chromium” is a chemical compound made of the chromium element with +6 oxidation. Virtually all chromium is mined like this and is used for the production of things such as stainless steel, dyes, wood preservation and anti-corrosive agents for wood and leather; it is also notable as an infamous carcinogen that can cause cancer if present in a large amount, even with many cities possessing the compound in drinking water)
Nube: Then, Tankororin was growing trees there and doing as it seems to? That’s great.
Nube: !!
Sign: Managed Ground of the Town of Doumori
Nube: It’s hardening into asphault. Were we a step late?
Kyouko: Here had an arrangement to have trees planted and made into a park, but they all withered and died. The town is making it a public-management parking lot…that’s what’s written.
Makoto: ……

130.
Makoto: Ah, it’s there, it’s Tankororin!
Hiroshi: Where, where!?
Nube: Hahaha…it seems it can’t be seen by all of you. It’s a spirit that can only be seen by the eyes of small children.
Miki: So then that makes him a brat~~Makoto……
Makoto: Shut up.
Makoto: It’s crying.
Nube: Yes…return it’s sack quitckly…it may be late at this late point but
Makoto: I’m sorry, here…
Tankororin: Ooh oooh

131.
SFX: Pyon
Tankororin: If it’s Tankororin, then it will for real-rin. If that is strange-rin, then I’ll show you-rin.
SFX: Babababa
SFX: Meki meki
SFX: Boko
SFX: Baki baki baki
Tankororin: I’m fu—ll of zest—and gusto—

132.-133.
Tankororin: Zest—and gusto—

134.
Hiroshi: Hyaa…the asphalt was broken through and grass grew.
Miki: It’s natural life-force is earth-staggering……
Makoto: Amazing, amazing!
Makoto: Tankororin!
SFX: Suta suta suta…
Makoto: Ah, huh?
Tankororin: If it’s Tankororrin, then it will for real-rin.
Makoto: It’s gone…

135.
Nube: It’s busy…It has much work remaining. It’s work in making the vacant lands throughout Japan become green forests.
Makoto: If we give this ten years, it will be a splendid forest…
Nube: Yep, you did see that great spirit. There may be profit in being child-like.
Makoto: Y…yep.
Nube: Alright, today I’ll treat you to ramen after a long time.
Students: Ya—y!
Nube: Makoto will get a mini-ramen for children; they’re half the cost.
Makoto: I hate being child-like after all!

136.
Nube-sensei’s
(Useless) SUPPLEMENTAL EXPLANATION

#5: Tankororin

Tankororin is a spirit of persimmon trees. Its form is said to be a large man like a priest and it walks around while dropping persimmon seeds here and there. From the dropped seeds, new persimmon trees grow. Doing as such, it is said persimmon trees have spread to a wide range. Since the Tankororin in this chapter was scattering seeds other than persimmons, it may be said to be an evolved Tankororin.

By the way: there is a similar legend even in America. He’s called Johnny Appleseed yet with that, it isn’t persimmons there; he sprinkled apple seeds. Also, he wasn’t a large man; he was said to be a man of short stature. (Incidentally, this man is an actual person, not a youkai)
(TN: Since there really isn’t too much you can say about Tankororin further, I guess I can go a bit further into Johnny Appleseed for those who don’t know the legend (since this Tankororin was short sort of like him): Born John Chapman in 1774 in Massachusetts, he actually wasn’t as random in spreading out his apples like many consider: he actually had a job as a nurseryman and planted nurseries of apple orchards through many areas of the Midwest, including Ohio, Indiana and Illinois as part of a business plan and would usually plant apples for the cider mills and apple farms that need it. He was also known for sustainable living practices (usually giving his best clothing away and keeping the worst for himself) and was a missionary for the “Church of New Jerusalem”/The New Church under the beliefs of Emmanuel Swedenborg. [who formed his own church of Christianity that didn’t believe in a literal trinity but all three being the “one” of Jesus and some have said influenced the works of Joseph Smith and the birth of Mormonism] The legend tied to him usually ends up adjusting many of these truths to create him as more of a folk hero than the real version, including the concept that he wore a pot on his head, which he never really did.)

TN: OK, why the heck am I suddenly getting deja vu from the time Makoto met Zashiki Warashi...and the Kerakera-Onna chapter from exactly last volume? (more the former but the other one was from last volume!) I get that there was some interesting and new aspects regarding this, in particular the conflict and contrast regarding Makoto both wanting to appear taller and older to go along with his idea of being a 5th-Grader...and his advantages of being like a kid and doing child-like things. But when you start rerunning chapters like this and doing so in such close approximations, you do wonder if somehow you should at least try to make it work in another manner...or at least not make the rerun of concepts so obvious even with a different attempt at a different approach. Some of the stuff regarding the Tankororin powder and the whole trial at environmentalism near the end (how the heck could they pave over the vacant lot that fast considering Makoto just stole the powder...hours ago?) didn't really seem to work and felt a bit more chaotic than usual. (there's nothing wrong with a green message, just make it work and less obvious) However, this chapter really can't be seen as a total loss due to two notable/classic/infamous incidents. The first was Miki's little attempt of "being Nube" early on...the way the panels was set up was just so perfect that it almost makes you believe it's him unless you skip ahead a couple panels down and see it's Miki. (the way it's done and just the cuteness of Miki as Nube was just a fun little moment) And the other...well, is Kyouko's little BE experience. Considering some of the crowd I hang around with, this was another chapter of note regarding those sorts of things...and sadly while it was merely melon seeds under Kyouko's shirt gone out of control, it was nice to see her beat Miki for a change. (though Noro-chan could have gotten a better fate than being a living weed...somehow if the chapter was set up perfectly, it could have had another nice "Noro-chan no Kuse Ni" bit with all the chaos going on once Miki [predictably] took the Tankororin powder)