Hell Teacher Nube 162

There are many youkai who bring good fortune, but some of them exist outside of even Japan! Heck, even one of the most famous entities in the world could be a youkai...well, if he actually exists!

#162: Is There a Santa Claus?

67.
Announcer: Emergency, emergency, we are performing an emergency water landing due to the break-down of the engine! The position of our aircraft is…
Passengers: Kyaaaa
SFX: Fuwa
Pilot 1: What? The nose has suddenly recovered?
Pilot 2: P…pilot! That’s!
SFX: Shin shin

68.
(Title page…well it’s tough to say Santa Claus exists if Nube has to play him…there has to be a story behind that!)

69.
Nube: I’m glad that I got my bonus. How shall I use it?
Slip: Bonus
Nube: Shall I use it fo—r that?
Caption: Eating 100 Imagawayaki at once.
(TN: I presume we went through this in another chapter, but “Imagawayaki” is a Japanese dessert made in a device similar to a waffle iron and filled with sweet azuki bean paste. It got its name for being sold near the Kanda Imagawabashi bridge)
Nube: Should I use it fo—r this?
Caption: Buy a brand new black glove (Gucci)
(TN: “Gucci” refers to the Italian-based fashion and leather line founded by Guccio Gucci originally found in Florence but with sales throughout the world)

70.
Nube: How about I get together all 101 volumes of “KochiKame”?
(TN: As mentioned a couple times, the long-running “KochiKame” manga series by Osamu Akimoto had a rather prominent year in 1996, both in reaching 100 volumes and its 20th anniversary since starting publication in 1976.)
Nube: H—mm, it’s perplexing…
SFX: Garagara…
SFX: Biku (Nervous)
SFX (students): Uru uru uru uru
Nube: Wh…why are all of you getting big-eyed?
(TN: Nube uses an onomatopoeia here of “uruuru”; which generally is a SFX for the “sad, sorrowful eyes effect akin to what a dog does innocently to get one’s attention or “moisted/teary-eyed”. Generally it has to do with using the eyes in an expression that displays an extreme emotion such as teary, sorrowful or, in this case, innocent/ambitious/sweet eyed as Nube’s students are…for a certain reason)
Kyouko: Ufufu; well then, isn’t it Christmas real soon?
Hiroshi: When you speak of Christmas, it’s of presents…right?
(TN: I have mentioned it before, but in general Christmas isn’t the major religious holiday in Japan as it is in many other parts of the world. In Japan, Christmas is generally seen as the holiday of children and lovers, whereas in the case of the former, many children do receive presents on this day just like children in many other parts of the world. [even if the more important holiday is New Years, even with the gifts received then too])

71.
Nube: Huh! Ri…right; you can’t have it, you can’t! I won’t use my bonus on that!
SFX: Sha~~shi shi!
Kyouko: No one was thinking of sponging off you, Nube.
Miki: Right, right, we…
Miki: Were thinking of asking Santa—
Nube: Santa!? Um?
Miki: Right, Santa Claus.
SFX: Uruuru
Nube: A~~hahaha: seriously!? Even though all of you are now 5th graders!! (Well that guy doesn’t exist~~)
Kyouko & Miki: Ara, he does exist; Santa Claus.
Miki: Zashiki Warashi and Yukionna exist. It wouldn’t be strange for Santa to exist.
Nube: Ye—s: in truth, it may have come to be thought of existing to my class—

72.
Miki: We believe in Santa Claus from all of our hearts.
SFX: Uru uru uru
SFX: Ji~~n…
Nube: All of you…
Nube: What pure-hearted children you are!
SFX: Dodo—n
Background Kanji: Moved By Love
Miki: Hey, Nube, call for Santa.
Kyouko: Please
Nube: OK, leave that to me!!
Nube: Well, everyone, write on a paper what you want! I’ll ask Santa for them.
Students: Yes—

73.
Miki: Fu…that was easy. With that, he’ll strike forth and buy them with his bonus.
Caption: —December 24th—
(TN: Speaking of “the existence of yukionna”…)
Yukime: Will this be fi—ne? Teacher, you bought them like this though it’s your long-awaited bonus…
Nube: Yukime-kun, This too is for pure-hearted, charming children. I don’t regret this.
Yukime: What’s that~~weren’t you skillfully deceived by those children? (Boso…)
Nube: Don’t talk stupidly!

74.
Nube: Everyone will be waiting at 8 in Doumori Park. I’ll put on a disguise and you’ll send heavy snow as such that I won’t be exposed. Is that fine?
Yukime: Well…
SFX: Kui kui
SFX: Zuzu…
SFX: Zuzuzu…

75.
Yukime: Wh…what is that……?
Nube: It’s a kind of low-grade spirit with weak youki.
SFX: Pon pon (Pat pat)
“Creature”: (strange noises)
Yukime: Hold on, teacher: please don’t do that pitiful thing!
Nube: Hmph! Don’t stick up for a sneaky spirit thief; let’s go!
(TN: This passage ended up using a peculiar term of “Kosodoro”, which is a “sneak-thief”. Nube refers to the strange spirit as “kosodoro seirei”, which I translated as “sneaky spirit thief”)
Yukime: It’s somewhat extremely weak. Help it out.
Nube: ……
SFX: Paaa…

76.
Yukime: It’ll be fine: teacher is splitting up his spirit power and you’ll be fine soon. Teacher is kind to youkai.
(TN: She should know…especially with all her “evil stuff” she did this year)
SFX: Muku
SFX: Tatata…
Nube: Hey, give some thanks.
Girl: Wa~~h, mama~~~where are you~~!?
SFX: Paaaaa…

77.
SFX: Sute—n!
Girl: Ah
Mother: Kya!!
Yukime: It did that!?
Girl: Mama--
Nube: Seems like it. Can’t it do detestable things in spite of being a low-grade spirit?
Ice Cream Girl: Ah.
SFX: Poro
SFX: Paaa… | Nyoki nyoki

78.
SFX: Nima—
Yukime: It loves the smiling faces of children. It’s a good youkai.
Nube: Yeah. That doesn’t grab the imagination from its face.
Nube: What? Share more spiritual power?
SFX: Gyuu~~
Nube: Don’t talk foolishly! That makes me tired too! Besides, I’m busy now. I can’t be associating with something like you!
Nube: Otto, I can’t do that. It’ll be 8 real soon. Let’s hurry, Yukime-kun.

79.
Caption: Doumori Park
Miki: Nube, are you here yet?
Kyouko: I have a bit of the worst feelings.
Hiroshi: I asked for a Nintendo 64.
(TN: The Nintendo 64, the third major video game system created by Nintendo, was originally released in Japan in June, 1996, thus making it one of the major Christmas presents of the period)
Katsuya: Will Nube’s bonus be enough?
Miki: Even so, it is getting cold…hey, the lake has frozen.
SFX: Dan!
Kyouko: Wa…watch out!
Miki: It’s fine: it’s really thick.
Hiroshi: Waa, it’s true!
Kyouko: Amazing, it’s like an outdoor skating rink.
Nube: Haa haa, we’ve finally arrived……well…! What are all of you doing!

80.
Nube: Hey—watch out—
Miki: Ah, Nube has come…without presents.
(TN: I think the way Miki said it in Japanese sounded funnier: she actually started by saying “present”…then paused before saying “ja nai Nube”, thus adding a bit of a pause for Miki to make it think like Miki thinks Nube has presents…but then realizing he doesn’t. (though those he left behind to stop them from skating on the lake))
SFX: Bishii
Students: Kyaa waaa
Nube: Stupid, let alone I didn’t come here.
Yukime: Teacher! Shall I freeze it!?
Nube: No, they’ll freeze to death with that!
Yukime: Bu…but we can’t save a crowd like this!!
Akira: It’s cold—

81.
Nube: N? What is it?
Nube: What? Give you spiritual power since it will save them? Don’t joke around at this time!
Yukime: Teacher! Do it; perhaps it will……
Nube: ……!!
Nube: S**t, this is sink-or-swim. I’ll fully pour in my spiritual power!
Nube: !?
SFX: Muku muku
Nube: Wh…what!?
SFX: Ba

82.-83.
SFX: Hyoi hyoi hyoi

84.
SFX: Dosa dosa
Kyouko: Kya!!
Miki: Wa
Hiroshi: A…amazing—is that Nube…
Kyouko: He really accomplished htat……
Nube: Stupid, I’m here.
Miki: Is that…..fo…for real!?
Santa Claus: I used up my power when I saved the airplane, ho ho ho. Thank you.
SFX: Pa pa pa

85.
Kyouko: Santa…he’s real.
Kyouko: Ye…yes.
Nube: There exists youkai that brings happiness like the Zashiki Warashi of Japan even overseas. Santa Claus: an elf who loves children like that comes to take a form like that so he can make the dreams of children come true.
Caption: Merry Christmas

46.
Nube-sensei’s
(Useless) SUPPLEMENTAL EXPLANATION

#10: Santa Claus

In 1897, there appeared a certain editorial in the “New York Sun” of America.

This editorial, which was titled “Is There a Santa Claus?” (Santa Claus tte iru deshou ka?), was written in a form where it would be answered by a reporter for the company by a letter from Virginia O’Hanlon, an 8-year old girl who lived in New York. The reporter’s name was Francis P. (Pharcellus) Church. This editorial came to be an immense topic with its emotional contents, was published into a book and even now comes to be cited in various books and newspapers as it gets closer to the Christmas season. Since this is an extremely short section, it would be good for people who are interested to read it.

I’ve come to just introduce a book now, but that’s strange since whether to believe or not believe in Santa is a question of a person’s heart.

(TN: The “Virginia O’Hanlon” incident which occurred in the September 21st, 1897 edition of the New York Sun is probably one of the most famous instances in the media regarding a child questioning the existence of Santa Claus. It is also known as the “Yes, Virginia” editorial and can be read in full on this website if interested:

 HYPERLINK "http://www.newseum.org/yesvirginia/" http://www.newseum.org/yesvirginia/

In regards to the duo connected to the incident:
-Francis Pharcellus Church was a writer and lead editor for the New York Sun who, aside from this editorial, was also famous as a correspondent during the American Civil War as well as the founder of two magazines: the “Army and Navy Journal” and “The Galaxy” [a short run magazine which Mark Twain wrote for a period in].
-Virginia, also known as “Virginia O’Hanlon Douglas”, mostly was known for the letter, but also is notable for gaining her doctorate, having a brief marriage and working her way to being a junior principal in the NYC school system. She lived between 1889 and 1971 and was proud in how she shaped so many lives with her letter.

The letter continues to be read every year, including being made into a book and a Bill Melendez-made animated special that won an Emmy award in 1974

BTW: I kept the Japanese reading of “Is There a Santa Claus?” in the Supplemental mostly since the words were written in English when the explanation was brought up here. It also is the Japanese title for this Nube chapter.)

TN: You know for a Turkish priest turned saint turned jolly-fat guy in a red suit, it really is tough to think of him as a youkai...heck, it's almost as hard to think his true form may be some small little guy who looks like a demonic elf than Santa Claus. But then...that was a nice twist...heck, I wish that Santa remained a small little demonic elf instead of turning back to normal. (you have to wonder where the sled and the reindeer went when he was in that form but..it's Santa Claus, you have to give him all benefits of a doubt.) This was a strange but fun chapter regardless, considering that it did try to confirm the existence of Santa as a youkai but at the same time have this whole aspect of even Nube, the youkai expert, doubting his existence...probably because he's from the West and only rarely seen in Japan. Unfortunately, one thought I had was this: considering Nube spent his entire Christmas bonus on the presents to his students and Santa would have given it to them anyway...how is he going to get that bonus back? (well...aside from another year of hard work...maybe Santa could have just taken the presents for himself and magically given Nube his bonus back)