Hell Teacher Nube 158

There are many sources that may lead to idiocy, but what if the problem just is...a disconnected mind? As stupid as Hiroshi can be, a slight defect noticed by Kyouko may reveal his mind may be more out of whack than he realized!

#158: A String Came Out!

177.
Nube: Um—I’ll return the tests from the other day. Abe—Itou—
Students: ………
Nube: Well! With that, I’ve finished returning them to everyone.
Students: Ri—ght!
Hiroshi: Huh…where’s mine…?
SFX: Ton ton kan kan

178.
Banner:
Hiroshi – 0 Points
His 100th Achieved
Congratulations
Page in Nube’s Hand: Tateno Hiroshi – 0

179.
Miki: You’ve done well, Hiroshi, congratulations.
Student: Amazing, amazing.
SFX: Pachi pachi…
Katsuya: When I thought that “KochiKame” would break through it’s 1000th chapter, Hiroshi did this too.
(TN: I’m not sure if I mentioned it in the earlier chapter, but this period in 1996 was both notable for “KochiKame” for it’s 20th anniversary in WSJ as well as it’s 1000th chapter!)
SFX: Hyu—hyu—
Kaneda: This can’t be done by a quite normal person—
Hiroshi: Noo, even with the extent of this!
Kyouko: They’re making fun of you! Dummy!
Kyouko: Nube! Is it good for a teacher to have that joking attitude!? Be much more serious…
Nube: Ah~~N?
Nube: Then…how about I deal with this seriously…huh?
SFX: Gogogogo | Hiku hiku

180.
Kyouko: …N…no, let’s go with lightly, lightly~~huh?
Nube: Hahaha, that’s—good. Alright, then here’s your trophy.
SFX: Goso goso
Hiroshi: ………
Trophy: Dummy | 100 0s
Certificate:
Certificate of Honor
Appointed for Successive School Lunches
For One Month!
(TN: Remember: students end up being appointed to work school lunches, including getting it from the cafeteria and serving it, thus Hiroshi’s award is also somewhat of a punishment…)
Hiroshi: Is…is he angry at me, Nube…
Kyouko: He really is. You may not be saved anymore even if you get possessed by a youkai.
Kyouko: Sigh--…with having those 100 0s, isn’t your brain only about a tiny tomato?
Hiroshi: Do…don’t say that cruel—thing.
Hiroshi: A tiny tomato would come out from my ear—huh!
Kyouko: I was joking, idiot. Enough…N?

181.
Kyouko: What is that…? That white string.
Hiroshi: Huh?
Kyouko: Is this trash…should I pull it?
Hiroshi: Eh? Aah. What is that piece of thread…
Kyouko: Then I’ll pull it out. Here—we—
Caption: Hiroshi’s perspective
Kyouko: Go
SFX: Buchi
Kyouko: Ah

182.
Kyouko: ………What is this, Hiroshi………this ball…
Kyouko: …Hey, get up…Hiroshi? Hiroshi, get up!
SFX: Paku paku paku
Kyouko: Kyaaaaa!!

183.
Voice: What’s that!?
Sign: Infirmary
Nube: Hiroshi’s brain came out!?
Kyouko: Th…that’s right; that’s why when I pulled…on the string…this tiny tomato was his brain…noo~~
Nube: Calm down; with that, what happened to that brain!?
Nube: Th…this is Hiroshi’s…?
Miki: Do you understand what this is, Nube?
Nube: I…I don’t understand. Even looking at it, there’s nothing I can ask.
Nube: ………However…

184.
Nube: Since it came out from his ear, let’s return it through his ear.
SFX: Supo
Kyouko: This isn’t that sort of manga!
Hiroshi: Huh?
SFX: Gaba
Kyouko: How…how could it be that this small thing was Hiroshi’s brain…? (whisper whisper)
Nube: It may be…at any rate, he is the man with 100 0s…
Hiroshi: Eh? Wh…what’s wrong it me? Exactly…
Hiroshi: Huh…
Hiroshi: My brain came from my ear? That’s foolish…
Kyouko: I thought it was wrong but…even Nube doesn’t know its true identity.

185.
Kyouko: Well, since he returned to normal, teacher did say that even as is he’s alright but…I’m worried…
Hiroshi: ??
Announcer: At this moment, a fire has occurred in the cooking lab. This is disaster drill. Leave to the campus with speed.
SFX: Jiririri…
Hiroshi: Wa!!
SFX: Ga
SFX: Dote! | Korokoro
SFX: Oi oi | Kaya kaya

186.
Kyouko: Nooooo!!
SFX: Dodododo
Kyouko: Nube
SFX: Supo
Hiroshi: Huh?
Nube: This isn’t a temporary thing. It’s no good as is after all.
Caption: Doumori Library
Kyouko: Quickly, research it quickly.
Nube: Hm~~m, even if you say that, this isn’t appearing anywhere.

187.
Nube: ! If…if you say that…
Kyouko: Eh
“Sleeper”: ZZZ…
Nube: A brain came from the ear of Bakabon’s father too…
(TN: “Bakabon’s Father” refers to a character from the Fujio Akatsuki manga series “Tensai Bakabon” (The Genius Bakabon), notable for being a complete idiot but being a very cheerful in everything turning out alright)
Kyouko: Dummy--!
Izuna: You’re being a tad noisy--! Can’t a library seem to be a plce where I can sleep quietly—
Izuna: What, is that 0-ability teacher?
Kyouko: Izuna-san!
Nube: Hmph! The delinquent girl? I’m busy—today. Go over there. Shoo, shoo.
Izuna: What’s that, from his ear? That’s a Kotowari Ball.
(TN: “Kotowari Ball” or “Kotowaridama”, literally translates into a “Reason Ball”, “Apprehension Ball” or “Logic Ball”.)
Nube: Kotowari?
Izuna: Yeah…long ago, there was a customer with that condition for my Itako grandma.

188.
Caption: Izuna’s House
Izuna: When I ran away from my home in the countryside, I brought with me various spiritually powered devices and books. It’s in those. U—m.
Izuna: In truth, it’s that book.
Nube: ………
Book Entry:
Kotowari Ball:
There is an erethral body for humans, but on further knowingly dissecting the erethral body, each section has a ball like this; with these, the body has function and can come to move.
Diagram:
Top: Kotowari Ball
Second From Top: Chou Ball (Listening Ball)
Middle: Soul
Bottom: Ashi Ball (Limb Ball)

189.
Nube: Understood: just like the physical body can be dissected in medicine, there exist this sort of thing when you dissect an erethral body spiritually. The Kotowari Ball is…hmm…wouldn’t it be the most important ball that governs the heart? It got disconnected by some chance.
Nube: With that said, Hiroshi will be healed if I can connect the string with the Oni no Te as in this diagram.
Kyouko: Let’s go immediately! I’ve been told that Hiroshi was going to rest at his home!
Nube: With this, we can save him.
Kyouko: Hiroshi!
SFX: Bashi! Bashi!
Hiroshi: Heh, I can’t be bored with some resting at home—I feel bad if—I don’t move my body.

190.
Kyouko: Hey—Hiroshi--!
Hiroshi: Ah, this is bad…
SFX: Ban! | Boro
Kyouko: Aah, Hiroshi again has
SFX: Koro koro
Crow: Caw
SFX: Basa basa basa | Paku

191.
Kyouko: Hey—give that back—
Crow: Caw!
SFX: Hyu—
Kyouko: !!
Nube: Kyaaa!!
SFX: Korokoro korokoro koro
Kyouko: Nooooo!!
Kyouko: Aaah!!
SFX: Koro koro
Dog: Kun kun
SFX: Baku (Bite)

192.
Kyouko: Gyaaaaaa!!
“Dog”: Huh, Kyouko, what’s wrong with me?

193.
Kyouko: Spit it out—spit it out—
Man: Waa~~a moment!
SFX: Gashi gashi gashi
SFX: Koro koro
Kyouko: Hiroshi…Hiroshi…
Nube: OK, then I’ll start the treatment.
Nube: Namu Daiji Daihi Kyuugu Kyuunan Koudai Reikan Byakue Kanzeon

194.
Nube: Understood…by looking at the erethral body with a much stronger reishi, there are balls that are tied together like nerves.
(TN: “Reishi” is a term we haven’t come across but it has a specific Japanese meaning regarding a “spiritual inspection”, just as Nube is doing now. Reishi procedures are rather common with Itako, thus why Izuna would probably have slight knowledge of it before Nube)
SFX: Poo…
Nube: He’s healed.
Hiroshi: Ahaha, sorry sorry, I made you worry.

195.
SFX: Doga
Hiroshi: Why did you do that—
Kyouko: He’s fine. His brain didn’t come out.
Kyouko: I’m glad, I’m glad.
Narrator: There is a well-asked scary story that there is a string coming out from the ear; if you pull on it, it will become pitch-black like electricity is going out right before your eyes. If a string really comes out from your ear…you shouldn’t pull on it…
(End of Vol. 18)



196.
Nube-sensei’s
(Useless) SUPPLEMENTAL EXPLANATION

#7: The White String

There may be many people who have heard this, since it is a relatively famous story.

A certain person made a pierced hole in their ear. A little while after, they realized that some white, string-like thing was coming out from the hole. When they pulled on it there, it came out smoothly. When they pulled on it further, suddenly it became pitch-dark like the electricity had been turned off in front of their eyes. In truth, the white string that they pulled on were for their eye nerves; and there are tales that this person, due to having it cut off, came to not see through their eyes their entire lives.

197.
Mami: You will co~~me to want to buy vol. 19…you will co~~me to want to buy vol. 19…
(TN: Well that’s subliminal if I do say so myself. Mami-sensei may not be a very good witch…or a very competent one…or a very sane one…but she does have powers of persuasion that work in mysterious ways. [mostly to peeve Nube off but at least she’s honest about her abilities]. I say take her advice…really, take it or else…well, you’ve been warned)

TN: I felt disconnected by this chapter, probably as disconnected as having my own brain ripped from my head through a string in my ear. It just felt like the whole gimmick was that Hiroshi's idiocy was seen to be tied to this disconnect of his Kotowari Ball which just fell out and plugged back in over and over until it was finally fixed in the end by Nube. There really was nothing to said gimmick in the chapter, merely that Hiroshi had his "brain" removed, stuff happened, he got it put back in, lather, rinse, repeat two more times. Probably it was more the stuff surrounding the incident that was more interesting than that: I did like that Nube had a bit of a tough time figuring out the whole "brain in a ball" that he had to confront, and while I thought Izuna's appearance was extremely random and almost out of nowhere, I liked that they did use the knowledge of an Itako to get Hiroshi fixed. (yeah, for once Izuna knew something Nube didn't...well it's not like he knows everything or has access to everything there is to know) Probably though the only really brilliant bit was the beginning, where Nube "celebrates"/punishes Hiroshi for 100 0-scores (and Kyouko...smashes him with a baka mallet). Well, he's really only good at terrible test taking and playing soccer...so he has to be doing something right. (somewhere or another) But while a lot of the peripherals were great, the meat of the chapter prevents it from really rising above it or developing beyond that.