Hell Teacher Nube 168

To know the past; to understand the present; to see the future. The power of fortune-telling is a delicate one which can bring great fame...or great infamy. One strange man knows exactly the good...and bad of such a power...

Vol. 20: Nube/Yukime: The Final Battle of Love!?
#168: Old-Man Akashiya’s Mysterious Paper

8.
SFX: Gara gara gara…
Kyouko: What is that?
Hiroshi: A ramen cart?

9.
“Old Man”: It’s Kinako Mochi. It’s tasty.
(TN: “Kinako Mochi” is a type of mochi that is broiled, and then coated in soybean flour)
Flag: Kinako Mochi
Nube: Hee, that’s nostalgic.
Kyouko: Ah, Nube, is it tasty? That…
Nube: Yep, it’s tasty. You put on kinako with a red and blue and yellow agar and eat it. It’s cheap and…alright, shall I make it tonight’s dinner?
(TN: “Agar” refers to a gelatinous substance derived from a polysaccharide usually used as a dessert in Asia, but also used for the creation of cultures in microbiology)
Kyouko: Don’t.
“Old Man”: I have a special service for children who buy Kinako Mochi.

10.
SFX: Katan
Kyouko: What are those papers dangling from the roof?
Hiroshi: Is that flypaper?
“Old Man”: These are called “Akashiya Pages”. They have written a person’s fate. With these, I know everything of a person’s life.
Students: Hee—
Miki: In short, it’s fortune-telling. Seems interesting. I’ll do it.
“Old Man”: Thanks. Your name is?
Miki: Hosokawa Miki.

11.
“Old Man”: U—m, Hosokawa, Hosokawa…it’s around here.
Miki: ?
“Old Man”: U~~m, Miki, Miki…um.
SFX: Para para
“Old Man”: Here it is. With this, I’ve written everything in your life.
Miki: (to herself) Liar~~ (out loud) Here, here.
Miki: !?

(TN: This portion of the chapter I sort of had been dreading since I started Nube because, as you can see, the entire history of Miki’s life is listed here (well the first few years). Unfortunately since I am translating Nube off a scan (and probably won’t get my hands on my original volume version I have for a while…if I ever remember to bring it in), the quality of print makes it really hard for me to read everything off Miki’s “paper”. (not to mention a lot of it probably is rather trivial and some of it really bares no connection to the story while other bits will be revealed on the next page. However, there are a couple things that probably could be revealed that I was able to make out without any problem.
-Miki’s official date of birth is “April 7th, 1985”; honestly this is making the assumption she is 11 throughout the run of the entire series so the “1985” may only be based on the factor that she’s 11 and the year of printing of this chapter is February, 1997. So just take the birthdate correctly but don’t take the year of birth.
-It’s sort of tough to make out her dad’s name from the scan (then again he never showed up), but I can easily confirm that her mom (whom we have met…that really cute one who shows Miki’s “potential”) is Hosokawa Mika)

12.
Miki: Just a moment, what is this---? What is this paper with my name written on it…What , huh: born April 7th, 1985…that’s correct. When I was 1, I bereaved my grandmother Hosokawa Fumi.
Kyouko: Is that true?
Miki: Y…yes: actually when I was 1, my grandmother…
Miki: August 10th when I was 2: I swallowed a 10-yen coil and was close to death: correct! October 8th when I was 5: I took a gold prize at the Prefectural Art Contest: correct! June 10th when I was 7: a boy in the same grade played a prank on me making me naked and both of our parents were called: correct!
Miki: January 2nd of this year, as I’m 11: I ate 69 mochi and was taken to the hospital: that’s correct---!
“Old Man”: Alright, that’s enough. I’ll read the future.
(TN: As I stated before: this chapter was released in and around February, 1997, so anything past January would be “the future” in perspective of this chapter)
SFX: Pitsu
Miki: Ah.

13.
“Old Man”: Hmm hmm, understood…you’ll have a dreamy lover…
Miki: Really!?
Miki: Ama—zing! He’s a real fortune teller! He can forecast everything!
Student 1: Amazing--! Tell my fortune too!
Student 2: Me too—
Student 3: What will happen in my future--?
SFX: Wa—wa—wa—
“Old Man”: Alright, alright, in turn. Buy a Kinako Mochi as well.
Nube: Sorry, are you fine speaking for a moment?
“Old Man”: Yes?

14.
Nube: You wrote those papers. They’re wonderful predictions.
Akashiya: No no, they aren’t a great thing.
Nube: But you had everything on those papers of the children who heard their fortunes…it’s mysterious.
Akashiya: It isn’t mysterious at all. What those children had forecasted today were known with a prediction from before.
Akashiya: When I close my eyes, it appears.
Akashiya: The past, the future, all things, people and creatures: these papers where these records are written windingly…though it’s an enormous record, the information that I think I want to see somehow is discovered immediately. I just transcribe them.

15.
Nube: That’s…the Akashic Record……A databank said to be of the spirit world said to have recorded everything from the past to the future of all things…
(TN: We’re going to go a bit further into it in the Supplemental but a brief introduction is needed: the Akashic Record is stated as a compendium of mystical knowledge encoded in a non-physical plane of existence, stated to be composed of all knowledge and all history of any-and-everything. The term is derived from “akasha”, a Sanskrit term for “sky”, “space” or “aether” and was popularized in Hindu philosophy in the 19th century by Samkhya)
Akashiya: Hmm, that seems like the technical term. I don’t understand these difficult things but…
Nube: The Akashic Record appears to him!? If it does, then he’s a forecaster who possesses an amazing ability. Why would this person be a Kinako Mochi seller in this place…?
Miki: It seems so: he was exact up to the birth date—
Noriko & Shizuka: Hee.
Narrator: Rumors of the old man spread through the school at once.

16.
Narrator: And he became a popular person with the children through Doumori.
Nube: Since I don’t have that prediction ability…oh well, he’s completely earned his popularity.
Narrator: However…
Sign: Art Lab
Katsuya: Now it seems like he’s foolishly fishing for bass in the Doumori River.
Miki: Heh, he can fish?
Kyouko: Take us to him.

17.
Katsuya: Hey, it’s the old iron bridge of the Doumori River. He fishes from on top of it.
Hiroshi: Aah, he’s over there?
Kyouko: Then with tomorrow Saturday, shall we go to the Doumori River iron bridge?
Miki: N?
Miki: Wh…what is this? It’s a newspaper of 8 years ago.
Newspaper:
Top Headline: Predictions A Big Lie
Side Headline: Popular Man With Prediction Ability
Center Side: Accusation
Caption: Akashiya Kazuma
Miki: Is…isn’t that the old man? What, huh: on (O-month, X-day), Akashi Kazuma, a popular prognosticator, made a prediction on TV of the crash of GAL Air Flight 602. Due to this, most of the passengers cancelled, but Flight 602, which flew as predicted, did not crash and the aviation company was in a posture to complain…
Miki: Other than this, Akashiya had predicted a skyscraper fire and the assassination of a politician, but they were all lies…with the severity of too many lies, he was eternally banished from the television world…
SFX: Zawa zawa zawa…

18.
Voice: What’s going on here!
Miki: Old man, you were exiled from the television world with your big lies.
Kyouko: Were our futures also big lies!?
Miki: Please say something!!
Akashiya………..
Noriko: But what was written on the old man’s papers about everyone was correct.
Kyouko: Seems so. He’s correct about the past.
Miki: Hmph: predicting is seeing the future, so what about that?
Miki: Old man, I’m presenting you a final chance. Please predict an event of tomorrow!

19.
Akashiya: Tomorrow, Miki-chan and the others will…discover about 200 million yen in buried treasure in the bamboo thicket behind Doumori Temple.
Miki: …...
Miki: Is…is that true?
Akashiya: Yes. It’s absolutely, absolutely true!!
Hiroshi: Alright, I believe that!
Miki: Amazing, amazing
Katsuya: I’ve given up fishing off the iron bridge of Doumori River---!!
Nube: ……

20.
Narrator: The next day…
Students: Uoryaaaaa!!
SFX: Zaku zaku zaku zaku
Voice 1: 200 Million, 200 Million--!
Voice 2: Yeah---!
SFX: Zaku zaku zaku zaku zaku zaku zaku
Voice 1: 200 Million—
Voice 2: Yeah—
SFX: Zaku…zaku…zaku…
Miki: The…200 million…
SFX: Ze—ze—haa—haa—
Kyouko: Isn’t here.
Miki: That oldie~~~
Hiroshi: He spit out big boasts after all.

21.
Voice 1: What, were you think of the children!
Voice 2: Why would you tell lies and deceive people!?
Kyouko: You told lies so you could sell Kinako Mochi.
SFX: Patan…
Miki: You did that, deceived the children of the town and the money rolled in.
Miki: Well, are you leaving town? Running away!?
Miki: What a cowardly oldie.

22.
Nube: Why…did you tell those lies…?
Akashiya: Is that…the iron bridge of Doumori River, teacher…
Nube: Ye…yes: recently it had become a fishing spot for the children but…?
Dog: Wan wan…
SFX: Mishi!

23.
Dog: Kyai~~n
Nube: !
SFX: Gara gara gara

24.
Nube: Huh…!?
Akashiya: It was rusty…and on the verge of crumbling…what a shame: a poor thing has happened to that dog. But its fine there wasn’t any person who was hurt.
Nube: …If the children had come to fish, then I’m certain all of them would have been greatly hurt…with that, you made the prediction of the fake buried gold…
Nube: Bu…but then, if that’s the case, then if they had gone fishing since the bridge will fall…
Akashiya: Then I guess the bridge wouldn’t fall. Which would you do: wouldn’t you have lied?
Akashiya: It seemed that way too when I was on TV…I predicted the accident beforehand…and with people avoiding the danger, the future changed a bit…And thus, the accident didn’t happen.
Akashiya: The airplane accident seemed to be reported too. A man who murdered without discrimination should have set up a bomb but…due to the passengers mostly cancelling, the criminal suspended his plan…
Nube: That’s…in spite of this amazing ability, you can’t be appreciated by anyone…

25.
Akashiya: That is fine. Predictions can’t be used for people. I am a peeping tom who peeks into the fates of mere people. If I were to save even the life of one person, it’s easy for me to come to lie to them.
Nube: …………
Nube: Old man, you are…..a magnificent prognosticator.

26.
Nube-sensei’s
(Useless) SUPPLEMENTAL EXPLANATION

#14: Akashic Record

The Akashic Record is the databank of the universe. In there is said to be packed with records that are related to the past, present and future of everything since the beginning of the universe. This is an extensive volume of data that is beyond imagination, but information that is wanted to known can be retrieved immediaely. Being able to access this databank seems to be limited to super-powered beings of quite a high level. According to a theory, well-known prognosticators of all times and places have all gained prediction information from this Akashic Record in some form.

Well then, the prediction method of old Akashiya who was introduced in the chapter actually had a model. The prediction writings of Agastya, a prognosticator of India 4500 years from today, had left-behind writings that had predictions related to individuals like what was drawn in this chapter. At first it was written in Ancient Tamil on the skins of deer, but since it was transcribed as Tanzaku on the leaves of palms and every 500 years since then it would be transcribed on new leaves while reaching into this time. These prediction writings, which were called the Leaves of Agastya, have been thought as "didn't this become the basis of the information gained from the Akashic Record?". Presently, these prediction writings have been made into many copies and are said to be seen in dozens of places in southern India. If you go there, you may discover prediction writings written about yourself. However, since this seems to be a place where fakes are done for making money among them, you shouldn't believe them 100%.

(TN: A couple things:
1. It's tough to really find anything about the prognostication powers of Agastya, but he is known within Hindu philosophies of Southern India as the discoverer of many mantra of the Rig Veda, possibly the first to have them revealed by the supreme Brahaman, as well as the greatest of the Seven Sages, also known as the Saptarshis. It is also the Indian name of the star Canopus, stating as the cleanser of waters", in this case of the Indian Ocean.
2. A "Tanzaku" is a long sheet of paper or card that possesses text on it, generally a poem. These were the pages we saw within Akashiya's stand which possesses his collection of writings from the Akashic Record.)

TN: I know there are probably some of you who are still scratching your head with the ending of the chapter, but I guess I can sort of explain it as such. According to Akashiya, he knows the future of "everything" due to his connection to the Akashic Record. "Everything" not only includes people but objects as well, such as the old bridge over the Doumori River. From what he knew, there was a strong possibility with the future that he saw for it that it would come down, collapse and take with it anything that was on it at the time it did fall. However the whole "maybe it wouldn't fall" aspect shows that even with the potential of the bridge falling, the future wasn't written. As he stated with the whole scenario with the terrorist bombing, the future still seems somewhat uncertain and can still be written until the moment it becomes the present, upon which it is permanently recorded as the past. There is a possibility that he could have checked the records of the students of Nube's class who saw him fishing there and saw them on the bridge doing as such. They could have been fine, but he knew from the record that the bridge was probably still too unstable. Maybe it wouldn't have gone down and they would have remained fine, but for how long? The bridge was falling apart from the rust and was bound to go down, it was just a matter of when. If Akashiya didn't lie and force the students to go on the futile treasure hunt, they could have been on the bridge when it finally collapsed. Thus, they or someone else could have been killed with the falling debris going into the Doumori river, which would have been a tragic turn of events. Maybe the bridge wouldn't have gone down right away, but Akashiya saw it coming regardless and just rather have it sooner with minimal-to-no damage or loss of life than to bare with the consequence. Similarly, he told people about the plane crash, which lead to him changing the future even if it lead to the loss of his reputation. It's a sad burden but it's one he takes on with the power he possesses, if only to minimize the damages and make sure those who could get hurt would not do so.

With that said, this was a very excellent chapter that seemed to further show the burden of power and that some who try to use it for good as opposed to just to take advantage of others. Akashiya seems to continue a strange storyline we've seen a lot of around this point (mostly with Izuna's chapter last time and Jikuu) regarding the whole treatment of supernatural power and the burdens of fame and fortune over doing what is respectable. Whereas Jikuu was forced to turn to the dark side of selling out in order to gain respectability, Akashiya shows a different path of the inverse: thinking he would do good by being a star, but ultimately hurting his reputation though he saved many lives in the process. He does show regrets in lying, particularly to the children he just wants to do parlor tricks for, but he sees it all for the good of those around him. In some ways you could imagine Akashiya as just as noble as Nube if not moreso: a man who not only has a power and knows his limitations but knows that he can't ever win and must hurt himself in order to do the best for those around him. All in all this is just a very emotional and powerful chapter and probably one of the most consistent ones I've had in a really long time, just emotional and keeping interest from start to finish.