How are you today, Yayoi?
I'm very good, Kanako.
I see. I'm happy to hear that.
I read another fascinating book.
My, what was this fascinating book called?
Well... Oh, I've forgotten the title.
Will you tell me what kind of story it was?
Yes, gladly.
It was the story of a school where the rules don't apply.
Students with many and varied personalities
are fascinated by the sudden arrival of a beautiful instructor.
The instructor responds to the students' desire for learning,
hidden within the depths of their pure eyes, with fervent conviction.
And gradually, the hearts of the class become one.
My, what a moving story!
This instructor had a phrase he would always say.
What is it? Tell me.
It was...
It was?
It was...
Yayoi?
Yayoi?!
SubDESU Presents
NATSU NO ARASHI!
Yeah. Take a look at this.
Mackerel sashimi?
Way past its expiration date.
Two weeks ago, I bought it to go with some saké, but I totally forgot.
Geh! It smells awful!
Master, you're not-
Yes, I'd like you to take this back in time, to before its expiration date.
That again?
Don't worry. You're going back before its expiration date and eating it.
I told you that it's impossible.
It says right here that it was made after 4:00 PM.
That has nothing to do with it!
It's high quality mackerel. It was expensive!
That's not the issue here!
Well, I can understand why you're worried.
Have Hajime taste it, and if he doesn't fall over dead, give it to the past me.
I'm the one who tastes it?!
I think we should stay away from mackerel.
Oh, come on. I've got an idea.
Take it way back into the past. Way before the expiration date.
Like a half year ago.
That'll make it safe.
I see. That might be safe!
No, it won't!
Jeez, why don't get you guys get it?
You're all dumb.
I'm dumb?
Go on, try it.
And then we'll know who's right.
Wait a second.
Six months ago... That isn't only before the expiration date; it's before it was made.
Which means it's before the mackerel became sashimi!
It's not even at the supermarket yet.
It's still swimming in the sea.
Then we can't eat it.
Oh... Too bad.
Yes.
Six months was "fin-essing" the numbers a bit too much.
Salt, please.
Now's the Time for You to Become a Hero!
But man, what a waste...
It was expensive.
Give up.
You'll get sick.
You can go back to the past, so I'd think we'd be able to do something...
No.
Going to the past doesn't mean you can do just anything.
There's such a thing as a time paradox, too.
Time paradox?
It's a famous thought experiment.
For instance, let's say I went to the past and told you to eat the sashimi before it spoiled.
If you ate it, it wouldn't spoil.
If it didn't spoil, I wouldn't go back to the past,
which means you'd forget about the sashimi.
So, does the sashimi spoil or not?
So, what's the answer?
There isn't one. It's a paradox.
Don't give quizzes without answers!
I won't be able to sleep at night if I start thinking of it.
It wasn't a quiz.
This mark does bother me.
Oh, the one Kaya-san made.
Kaya made it?
When we were in the past, she kept scratching it.
She should've just talked to the master.
Yeah? Cute...
Wh-What... What are you...
Come to think of it,
you were here at the Ark every summer, right?
That's right.
When did you notice this mark?
When Kaya and Jun-kun went to the past.
You were with me.
You never saw it until then?
I can't remember.
Thinking about it, I might have or I might not have...
It was made sixty years ago, so it should've been here this whole time.
That's right, I guess.
Yasaka, why does it bother you?
When the counter with the mark was created, where'd the original go?
Pathetic.
How long does it take to bring a single girl?
I'm amazed you can call yourself a detective like that.
Well, you see, I lost a bet, and so I had to...
What are you talking about?
You took the job.
You're right, but that Arashiyama Sayoko girl... She's kinda weird.
I'm sorry, but are you really her relatives?
You're putting your own failure aside and questioning your employer?
No, that's not-
I don't expect that you can comprehend this, but she is one of our few remaining, beloved relatives.
Isn't it a bit late for that?
We all know that doing something in the past affects history.
I know that we're changing history.
We've been saving who were supposed to die.
Then what's bugging you?
If history changes, where does the history that existed before go?
The history that existed before?
The world we used to live in.
I know that one.
It's that parallel world thing, right?
You're pretty well-informed.
I do read manga, you know.
This is the present, and then you've got the celestial world and the netherworld.
I'm not sure that's right.
For example, the two we saved the first time...
Mr. Murata and his son Sankichi were going to die in that attack if Arashi-san and I hadn't saved them.
This means that not only Murata Sankichi, but also his descendants, shouldn't exist.
But we saved him.
If Sankichi grew up and had kids, would they just suddenly appear?
Well...
Maybe it's not that our doing something in the past changes history, but that we go to another world.
Salt, please.
In other words, like this:
Past
Present
Parallel World
When Arashi-san and I went to the past and saved Sankichi, a new history was born.
Salt, please!
Past
Present
Parallel World
And when we returned from the past, we arrived to an already changed world.
Um, salt...
The problem is that we still have memories of the old world.
Salt, please!
We, ourselves, should be able to tell whether we've gone to a world where Sankichi survived.
Should?
Before I go to the past, I don't know if Sankichi is alive or dead.
I don't know that, either.
Arashi-san.
Then how do you look for the people you have to save?
I just know, I suppose.
You just know?
I can tell, somehow, who will get caught in the bombing raids.
So before I rescue them, I don't know if the people I save were alive in this era or not.
The problem is this. If, hypothetically, we're moving to the world we changed,
what happens to the world that existed before the change?
Past
Present
Parallel World
Are new worlds being born every time we go to the past?
Or do the old ones disappear when the new are made?
If I give the sashimi to the master in the past, what happens to us in the present where it's rotten?
Who cares?
It's not like there's some kind of problem.
There is!
Someone in the future will scientifically prove I'm right!
When they do, you'll be able to reset anything that's happened.
Being able to save people who should've died is the same as bringing back the dead!
If this is explained scientifically and anyone can do it, wouldn't that be wonderful?
Huh, Arashi-san?
It's a bit too difficult for me to understand.
If this power were ever explained,
I'm sure it would be misused many times, and it would make many people suffer.
In my time, that was how things worked.
Arashi-san...
And I'm the same way.
In exchange for my saving somebody, somebody else disappears.
If history changes, that means some people won't be born.
It really is kind of tough.
But you know, I can't ignore suffering that's happening right in front of me.
OK, I'm going to water down the dust outside.
Fight!
Did I say something I shouldn't have?
You're definitely an asshole.
Asshole
I don't get all that science junk, but you just denied the righteousness of your loved one's actions.
I think before you go babbling about crap, you need to learn to protect the girl in front of you.
A stupid, annoying kid...
As long as you can't, you're still just a stupid kid.
Don't talk about love. It stains the word itself.
I-I don't want to hear that from a con woman!
Idiot. I know that because I'm a con woman.
This is a warning. Shut up and listen.
What should I do?
Figure it out for yourself.
That's all.
Relying on some detective from the slums...
You bitches aren't exactly on the right side of the law yourselves, are you?
I dunno how you did that, but you were using some weird fucking tricks.
Those kids are really fucking shady.
Are you OK, Yayoi?
Yes, I'm fine now.
I guess we can only go this far. In the end, he's just a thug.
I'll have to go see her myself.
But Kanako...
Don't worry, Yayoi.
The people on this side won't suspect me.
If only my body weren't in such a state,
I wouldn't have to force you into doing such things.
Don't say another word.
I'm happy simply being here with you, simply running this comb through your flowing hair.
Do you hear it?
The sound of life.
We must never lose this peace again.
But Kanako...
It's for you and I to live forever.
For that, we need her power.
Um, Arashi-san?
Would you go out with me?
Ahh! I didn't mean it like that!
I mean, you can take it like that if you want, but you don't have to.
That is, like, um... Would you go back in time to a recent year with me?
OK! Let's go, let's go!
Arashi-san!
It's unhealthy not to visit a peaceful year once in a while.
What year do you want to go to?
Hmm, let me see...
1985, maybe?
1985, that's...
The Tsukuba Expo '85!
I'm amazed you knew.
That's just like you.
All right, let's go!
Right!
This is 1985.
The Ark hasn't changed.
Hajime-chan, hurry!
I'm in this time, too.
Oh, right!
Wow! It's like it is now, but a bit different.
It's the past!
It's before you were born.
The car designs are all different.
There are pay phones everywhere.
The cell phone hasn't caught on yet.
Wow, 8-bit!
Is it that incredible?
It's incredible how not incredible it is.
I love it!
About twenty years before this, they went to the moon with a computer about this powerful.
It's hard to believe.
You always love science stuff.
Yes, I do!
Outta the way.
How long are you going to keep playing?
Are you OK, Arashi-san?
Hey, kid! What are you doing?
I'm not a kid! I'm Hideo!
When your turn is over, let others play.
What?!
What if Arashi-san had gotten hurt?!
I'll kick your ass!
Arashi?
Miss, your name's Arashi?
Sorry. It's a war zone there.
Damn.
Kids in the past were way too strong.
Anyway, you're pretty, miss.
My, thank you, Hideo-kun.
Kid, you're getting a bit too friendly.
You're just like the girl my dad told me about.
During the war, this girl saved my dad's life. Her name was Arashi, too.
She was a student with long black hair. She saved my dad from a bomb blast when he was a kid.
He said she was really cool.
This is my house.
Murata?
Your name's Murata?
Yeah, Murata Hideo.
Hideo's written like "hero."
Like that Arashi person.
I'm supposed to grow up like her, a strong person who would risk their life to save someone.
Hey, what's your dad's name?
Murata Sankichi.
You're Murata Sankichi-kun, right?
Well, I know you're not that Arashi.
It was when Dad was a kid.
But he still talks about it.
He says if he ever met that Arashi girl again, he'd want to say thanks.
Hajime-chan.
Thank you.
I'm glad we came.
No, I have to be strong.
Once I'm a stronger man...
It's hot today.
They say it's global warming.
Wanna hit the back lot?
Maybe Tokusho Park would be good.
I found a huge horned beetle in the park!
I see.
It's that hot today...
I can't feel the heat anymore, except by the patterns in the sky.
OK, I'm going shopping.
Wait, I'll go with you.
Don't worry.
I know the shortcuts.
But you'll be carrying stuff back.
I'll go. I'm not doing anything now.
Thanks.
Maybe we should switch to organic beans for our health.
You're the authority, but doesn't that kind of make you seem like an old lady?
Kaya-san and Jun seem a bit different.
Jun's more manly, somehow.
Damn, when did that happen?
It's just because he understands the female heart better than you.
You're the one who doesn't understand.
What?
I can't say.
Arashi-san and I have already hugged!
Welcome!
Oh. My, you have pretty hands.
N-Not at all. They're in the water all day, so they're rough.
What's wrong, Arashi-san?
Arashi-san!
Arashi?
Are you all right, Arashi-san?
Yeah, I'm fine now.
You didn't use too much of your power, right?
I didn't go back in time today...
Do you get tired going back in time?
Yes. More precisely, you don't get tired. Your very existence gets unstable.
For ethereal spirits like us, it's all we can do to stay in this world.
If we overdo it, we disappear.
We're that unstable.
I feel kind of unstable...
Don't overdo it.
Get on back.
Thanks, Hajime-chan,
but I think I'd fall.
We meet again.
You're the one from this afternoon.
Yes, the coffee was delicious.
Awful, isn't it?
We couldn't even go outside like this. We just stayed locked in our little room.
This is actually a lot better.
Arashiyama-san, it's thanks to you.
Why, you... Let go of Arashi-san!
I have to tell her...
I have to tell Kanako...
The phrase the instructor would always say...
He
would
always
say...
I'm in despai-
When you think of summer, you think of radio calisthenics, right?
You get up early to get a stamp on your card.
I did them all.
You used to be a good student.
No, I stole one from a good student.
Get up bright and early tomorrow!
Watch out for more anime Subs from SubDESU.
Get up bright and early tomorrow!
Illustration by Nakamura Hikaru
NATSU NO ARASHI!