Hell Teacher Nube 219

Sometimes, you may not realize who really cares about you until after you've passed on. Such is the case with a strange old woman, whose death may end up revealing who is really on her side, including possibly a certain redhead...

#219: Kasha: The Moving Corpse

149.
Kyouko: This is Inaba Kyouko's 24th starring role in total.

150.
Hiroshhi: Hey Nube, treat us to the game center.
Nube: Guu (SFX for snoring)
Miki: He's sleeping.
Old Lady: Fuu fuu...
Hiroshi: Ah, that old woman has a problem.
Miki: That's heavy-looking baggage.
Nube: OK, let's help her out.
Kyouko: ...

151.
Kyouko: Please give it up: it would be best to ignore her.
Nube: What's wrong? This isn't like the typical Kyouko.
Hiroshi: Heartless person.
Kyouko: ...Then if you help her?
Kyouko: ...
Nube: Let us help you.
Katsuya: Old lady, this is where you leave this to us.
Old Woman: My goodness, I'm sorry for this.
Katsuya: This is heavy.
SFX: Zushiri
Hiroshi: What is in here?
Katsuya: Old lady, aren't we there yet?
SFX: Ka--ka--
Hiroshi: It's far.
Old Woman: Just a bit more.

152.
Old Woman: Here will be fine. See you.
Hiroshi: Ze--ze--haa--haa--
Hiroshi: Old lady, you forgot this, you forgot this.
Old Woman: Well I can't do that.
Old Woman: I forgot this, my furoshiki; my furoshiki.
(TN: A "furoshiki" is a cloth used for wrapping objects up and transporting them)
SFX: Ba! | Ga---n
Nube: What are those---!!
Old Woman: Eh, I don't know. They were just for drying out my furoshiki in the shade. I brought those things with arbitrarily.
Miki: Puu! Nube, what's with your face?
Nube: Eh
Nube: Ah--!
Old Woman: My goodness, somehow there was just charcoal on my hands.

153.
Old Woman: Mu
Old Woman: It's terrible. Everyone stand in a line!
Nube: Eh
Miki: ?
SFX: Basha----
Old Woman: Fu---you saved me.
Old Woman: Gyahahahahaha, stu--pid, stu--pid.
SFX: Poo poo (Fart fart)
Kyouko: That's why I said that: this old woman is the famous prankster of our neighborhood: Old Lady Luck.
(TN: The name that Kyouko gives to the old woman is "Ofuku Baachan", which translates into "The Lucky Old Lady". I decided to make it a little easier to read by making her literally "Old Lady Luck" in the way her name is made out)
Old Lady Luck: Hey, Kyouko.
Hiroshi: That outrageous granny!
Miki: What is she thinking?

154.
Miki: F**king Granny
Katsuya: Don't have a decent way of dying---!
Old Lady Luck: Kekeke, I'm living fifty more years.
Narrator: However, within not even a week elapsing since then...
Voice: Eeh!? That old woman has died!?
Nube: What again! That stubborn-seeming...no, energetic old woman has...
Kyouko: It seems to be a heart attack.
Kyouko: There was a spontaneous discharge when she was ringing out quite a few pinwheel firecrackers and she died of the shock...
(TN: "Pinwheel firecrackers" refer to the Japanese term "Nezumihanabi", which literally has a translation of "mouse firecracker" but refers to the firecrackers that spin when they're on the ground)
Nube: ...That's like that old woman...
Kyouko: She didn't have relatives that could take her in. She's being given a funeral by we, the people of the neighborhood.
Nube: Right: this too is some sort of connection. When work is finished, we'll raise incense for her.

155.
Voice 1: However...she died doing what she terribly loved, that old woman...
Voice 2: Because she was the bad one in the neighborhood.
SFX: Piku
Man 1: He...hey, was that movement now?
Man 2: That's your imagination.
Man 1: Well, let's prepare for the wake.

156.
Woman: Kyouko-chan will take her turn here.
Kyouko: Eh~~
Woman: From here on, you earnestly can't let the flame on this candle go out. Because "Kasha" will come.
Kyouko: Kasha?
Woman: Kasha is a youkai who is said to steal corpses. Kasha comes during a wake, moves the corpse and frightens the person. And then, if by any chance the candle goes out, it goes into the corpse and takes it as is. If it comes to that, then even the soul won't ever come to rest in peace.
Woman: Understand?
Mrs. Inaba: It will be fine, Kyouko; we'll be preparing in the room over there.
Kyouko: ...Together with a corpse...I have some bad feeling about this---well...she isn't a person I don't know altogether...

157.
Kyouko: But...even though she's dead, I'm crying. She didn't even have family or friends...that's a tad...pitiful...
SFX: Utsura utsura...
SFX: Su---...
SFX: Gatsu (Grab)

158.
Kyouko: Gyaaaaa
Mrs. Inaba: What's wrong, Kyouko!
Kyouko: It moved! The corpse moved---
Mrs. Inaba: That wasn't anything.
Kyouko: It...it truly was now...
Mrs. Inaba: You saw a dream while half-asleep. Steady yourself, because we're busy.
Kyouko: You're wrong.
Woman: If you're that scared, then you should shut the fusuma for the next room.
(TN: "Fusuma" is a sliding screen that is used to divide rooms like doors in many Japanese homes)
Woman: Has the candle been put out? Find that out sometimes.
SFX: Patan | Pata pata
SFX: Kucha...kucha...
Book: Ribon
(TN: "Ribon" is a monthly shoujo magazine of Shueisha that has been constantly published since 1955)

159.
SFX: Susu...
SFX: Baku baku kucha kucha
Kyouko: Hiii----
Mrs. Inaba: What's wrong?
Kyouko: It...it's moving, it's moving. It's being manipulated by Kasha.

160.
Mrs. Inaba: Wasn't this nothing?
Kyouko: It...it should have been...
SFX: Gorogoro...
SFX: Dosha---
Woman 2: No, I was airing the wash.
Mrs. Inaba: You must shut the storm door. Kyouko, I ask that you watch the house alone for a while.
SFX: Byuuu | Za---
Kyouko: Ho...how could this have come to this?
SFX: Shi----n...
Kyouko: At...at any rate, just the flame on this candle must not go out. Her corpse will be captured by Kasha.
Kyouko: Why is there suddenly a storm...
SFX: Byu---Guwa guwa

161.
SFX: Zuru
"Corpse": Au--ah---
SFX: Zuru peta zuru peta
Kyouko: Kyaaaaa!

162.
Nube: Hold it, youkai!! Don't lay a hand on my student!!
Nube: Sorry, I had overtime.
Kyouko: You're late~~
Nube: You monster!
"Corpse": Shaaaa
Nube: Fu
SFX: Pako---n

163.
Kyouko: Wh...what's wrong, Nube!?
Nube: Whatever--is wrong, it's nothing; this old woman...is alive!
Kyouko: Wha!?
Old Lady Luck: Heh heh heh, of course. My breathing was restored long ago. There's too--much fun in surprising Kyouko-chan.
SFX: Mukuri!
Kyouko: Wh...what a mischeivous granny...just like Miki...
Old Lady Luck: I said "oh, oh", hyahahahaha
Old Lady Luck: ...Even so, I understand it well...I had my wake and truly didn't get love from anyone... (Hi...hi...)
Old Lady Luck: I...had people who were glad that I was dead...
Kyouko: Old Lady Luck

164.
SFX: Bari---
Nube: What...!?
SFX: Boku
Kyouko: Kasha!
Old Lady Luck: Wh...what is that...
Kyouko: Nube...!

165.
Kasha: Guoo
Kyouko: Run, Old Lady Luck! If this candle flame goes out, then your soul will be taken away.
Old Lady Luck: Hie!?
Kasha: Guooo
SFX: Baki | Baki | Baki
Old Lady Luck: Hi
Old Lady Luck: Ky...Kyouko-chan, let go of the candle...I'm already fine whatever comes of me but...as is it will kill even you. Quickly let it go!
Kyouko: No! I won't let go! This flame won't go out even if I die!

166.
Kyouko: Old lady...were you truly lonely? Due to that, you wanted to be cared by everyone and made mischief on them. Isn't it that this pitiful old woman doesn't have a reason to die here?
Old Lady Luck: Kyouko-chan.
Nube: Right, Kasha, there isn't a reason for you to be given this old woman.
Nube: Return to hell!!
Kasha: Gyaaa--

167.
SFX: Shuuu...
Old Lady Luck: Kyouko-chan...thank you...of course, doing my mischief was...I don't have any relatives or friends...It was lonely and lonely every day not being cared about by anyone...I wanted my existence to be acknowledged by someone...
Kyouko: It's fine now, old lady.
SFX: Peta peta
Old Lady Luck: Uh uh, Kyouko-chan.
Kyouko: N
Kyouko: !?
Face: Stupid
Old Lady Luck: Hehehe, stu--pid, stu--pid.
Nube: Kyouko...I think this old woman is truly a mere mischievous old woman...

168.
Nube -sensei's
(Useless) SUPPLEMENTAL EXPLANATION
#45: Virgin Pregnancy

The Virgin Mary was already pregnant with Jesus Christ, the child of God, since before she married her husband Joseph. However, is it possible that a woman actually conceive just alone without having an experience with a man?

Like how a plant can bare fruit by pollen that is carried by the wind, there is a manner of thinking that states that humans too can be pregnant with children by a thing that is like the "origin of humans" which exists within the air. This is called "Panspermism", and it was seriously believed in medieval Europe. In particular, it was said it was easy to become pregnant when the West Wind (Zephyros) blows. In those days, there were records left behind that a large numer of unmarried mothers gave birth due to this.

According to another theory, this "origin of humans" enters from the nose and mouth, accumulates within the body of men, and then after is passed over to the women. In any event, these theories were superstition and there's no basis scienfitically.

(TN: A few notes:
1. Without really getting into the theology of the Virgin Mary, I do need to state one minor truth: it is believed that Mary was already betrothed to Joseph and they were stated to be married when the conception occurred, and many state that Mary may have only been 12 years of age when this occured. Of course one could argue that Joseph is the real father of Jesus...but as I stated, this isn't a theology lesson.
2. Weirdly the name that is given here for Joseph is in Japanese "Yohane", which is more or less the Japanese version of the name "Johan", instead of the typical reading of "Yosefu". Since it's rather obvious that Joseph is the name it was supposed to be, I made said adjustment, but I do find it rather interesting and peculiar.
3. "Paraspermism" is actually taken from the concept of "Paraspermia", a hypothesis that actually believes that all life exists throughout the universe in asteroids and meteroites, usually microscopic bacteria, that generally is more used to try and prove the existence of life outside Earth throughout the Univese. Weirdly the Japanese term is a direct translation of Paraspermia: Hanseishi-setsu. ("Han" being "Pan", and "seishi" being "sperm", with "setsu" being "theory", thus the "theory of Paraspermia")
4. "Zephyrus" is one of the four Greek "Anemoi" or wind gods who protect and bring the winds from one of the four cardinal directions. He is stated to be the bringer of spring from the west, thus also being known as the "fruiticfying wind" or the wind that brings life)

TN: This felt like a really tender chapter, even if somehow it sort of felt difficult (particularly with the ending) to determine if anything was really learned from this. The main key and crux behind why it worked is mostly due to Old Lady Luck, this crazy old woman that caused most of the problems due to both her disorderly behavior...and her "supposed" death. The first few pages did a fun job establishing her, the whole situation of her life as it was, and the fact that Kyouko already knew that she was somewhat nuts before...well, her supposed death. After that, the chapter took a nice and appropriate horror turn with the way Kyouko ended up stuck with Old Lady Luck and seeing her "restored to life" with the possibility of the youkai Kasha possessing her. Some could say it was somewhat strange how Kyouko ended up with her alone, but I thought it worked well: everyone else had to do other things and someone had to protect her candle during the wake, leading to Kyouko being behind it and thus her interactions with the strange actions of Old Lady Luck. With all of the chapters we've seen as of late which seem to more emphasize Kyouko with the rest of the class and with Hiroshi or Nube, seeing her on her own again really identifies with her character and who she is for the first time in a while: she seems so much lately like being identified with someone else (Hiroshi, Miki, Nube) that we tend to forget that Kyouko is a great character and a good choice for being the main female of the class...and possibly the series. The end of the tale sort of doesn't seem like anything was really learned...but it's really hard to say: we know Kyouko does respect Old Lady Luck, but she isn't going to stop being crazy, if only because it gives her attention. Aside from the ambiguity of that part, it was a good chapter and a nice change of pace for what we've had as of late.