Oh, God!
It's happened again?!
Who the devil would do such a thing?!
It seems the "Glass Man" has struck again.
This is no accident!
Say, have you heard any rumors?!
Episode 33: The Glass Man
You want to do an in-depth story?
Yes. With your cooperation...
So you're gonna stick to us like glue?
You and me, Yagi-chan?
And then interview me or something?
What's your favorite food?
Tangerine jelly...
That's not what covering a subject closely means.
That's our Yagi-chan!
You don't fall victim to anyone's stupid lines.
It's a sort of documentary.
The idea is to record a club's activities on camera.
I came up with the idea after I heard about you guys from Yagi-san.
Wait, you were...
...part of that in-school TV broadcast...
Right. Thanks for your participation then.
I'm Yasuda Saori, with the Broadcasting Club.
The Sket-dan is an unusual club,
so if we submitted footage of you to a broadcasting contest,
I'm sure it would be an interesting work.
And I promise that I wouldn't get in the way of whatever you do...
So what do you think?
Well, it's all right with me, but...
...it's not like something happens here on a daily basis.
To be honest, I think you'll be disillusioned.
Usually, we just sit around and make origami and stuff...
You wanna film that?
If you've got nothing to film, how about if I make funny faces?
It's kind of a riot...
Don't worry.
We've got something for you to do.
"The Glass Man Investigation"?
What's that?
You haven't heard about it?
Everyone's talking about the vandal who's breaking school windows.
Oh, yeah, there was an article on it in the school paper.
I guess it is a popular topic of conversation, but I don't know much about it.
The Glass Man is a mysterious figure who's recently been on a roll
breaking windows on school grounds.
There's no sign that he steals anything,
so it's thought that he gets off on the attention.
His first crime took place last Thursday.
A window of the multipurpose room was shattered.
At first, people thought it was just a prank...
...but the next day, a window in the academic affairs office was broken.
Next, this Monday, the chemistry lab was hit.
On Tuesday, the Manga Club...
And yesterday, a window in the AV room was smashed.
There haven't been any witnesses yet.
And this morning too, a window in the etiquette room was smashed.
- Academy Times -
Strikes Again
One Window a Day, For Six Cases of Vandalism
That makes six incidents.
Come to think of it, Chuu-san was going on about it.
Roman, too.
Some villain is after me!
Or something along those lines...
Roman said that?
I see, since the Manga Club window was broken, too...
That's right! Help me, Prince!
Huh? You're talking again?!
Didn't we run this bit into the ground last time?!
That's not the right kind of mood for this episode!
I bet the culprit looks something like this!
I don't think so...
This will give us a scientific criminal profile of the vandal...
That's not necessary...
These acts were committed by a poltergeist!
Something's here again!
And so, the Sket-dan can solve this case.
That's Yagi-chan all over...
Okay, I'm gonna start filming.
Makes me a little self-conscious when I know I'm being taped.
Right, Bossu...?
Oh, no! He's totally nervous!
You can just act the way you always do.
According to a statement by Yoshimura-san, the school janitor on patrol,
the vandalism probably takes place between 6:30 and 7:30 in the morning.
In which case...?
Right. Recently, it seems the only ones who've been coming to school
at that time are a few members of the baseball club practicing alone.
Gotcha! Then all we have to do
is put the screws to those baseball club guys 'til they 'fess up, right?!
Leave it to me! I'll go right now!
Wait, wait, wait, wait.
Chances are it's the baseball club, but we don't know for sure.
First let's hear their alibis...
Bossun, I've been doing some legwork.
Our villainous vandal has screwed up big-time.
Why are you wearing a trench coat?
Well, we haven't had a case like this in a while, so I'm into it...
That's not "being into it"! Admit it, you're just clowning around!
But whatever!
So what did you find out, Switch?
I like that name. Makes me feel like a detective...
That's your nickname anyway!
Apparently, this was on the floor of the multipurpose room,
where the first window was broken.
All right!
Let's pay a visit to the baseball club!
You're the manager here, Takashima-san?
Yes?
We'd like to ask you a couple of questions.
Enough with the friggin' afros already!
Baseball Club
The players who practice alone in the morning?
Now there are only three of them.
Would you tell us who they are?
Um, there's the shortstop, Ozaki Mamoru-kun...
Shimasaki Takao-kun, our cleanup hitter...
And... the boy who means a lot to me...
He's not a regular, but he said,
"I'll take you to the Koushien, Sakiko!"
He's the relief pitcher, Hiraizumi Eiichi-kun.
That's a little too much information.
But why are you asking about them?
Uh, we're actually helping out the Broadcasting Club a bit...
Anyway, thanks!
Ozaki, Shimasaki, Hiraizumi...
The Glass Man is one of them!
Ozaki Mamoru (shortstop)
I'm Ozaki Mamoru.
Nice to meet you.
Between 6:30 and 7:30? Sure!
I'm always running then.
By yourself?
Yep!
Can you tell me your course?
Sure! First, I pass behind the multipurpose room,
then run along the side of the building with the academic affairs room,
and make a u-turn by the Manga Club!
After that, I head towards the AV room and pass behind the etiquette room...
You're incredibly suspicious!
Alibi?
I always practice pitching alone, so I can't prove it.
Then you're the culprit, aren't you?
Admit it.
Hiraizumi Eiichi (relief pitcher)
Culprit? I'm out here every morning throwing dozens and dozens of pitches.
I made a promise, see?
I told Sakiko...
...that I'd take her to Koushien!
His control is as lousy as Switch's!
Depending on the location, this guy certainly could have broken the glass...
You're the criminal after all, aren't you?
Confess!
Confess?
Shimasaki Takao (cleanup hitter)
I'm Shimasaki Takao, the cleanup hitter.
During that time, I was practicing my swing alone.
Listen. To me, the bat is a weapon to take down the enemy.
When I touch this bat, it gets me really worked up.
Then...
...I feel like completely destroying whatever's over there!
They all seem guilty as hell!
However, not having an alibi also means there are no eyewitnesses.
Well, without evidence, there isn't a thing we can do!
I don't even know what the vandal's point is.
Thurs: Multipurpose Room Fri: Academic Affairs Mon: Chem Lab Tues: Manga Club Wed: AV Room Thurs: Etiquette Room
There's nothing that connects the rooms he's been targeting...
A criminal who does it for the attention may just be doing it to assert himself.
People like that crave the limelight.
Hmm... Assert himself...
Name?
Maybe like a code?
Yeah... A code!
A code?
Yeah. In other words, circle each one like this...
All right! I'm good at stuff like this.
Taki, Takika, ma...
No.
Shi... Shika, Tama...
Tamaka... Sa... Ta, Ka...
You make an interesting face, but I worry about you every time.
What? Did you figure something out?
Yeah. Tomorrow morning, the Glass Man will...
...show up in front of the reception room!
Who are you talking to?!
The reception room is over there.
You really think he'll come?
The culprit encoded his own name and left it there.
The next target can only be this room.
There!
Now!
Freeze, Glass Man!
Whoa! There's no point in running.
We know who you are, so give it up.
There was a reason you chose to break the windows
in those classrooms, wasn't there?!
The first characters...
Ta-ki-ka-ma-shi-sa.
Scramble the characters around a bit and you get a name.
If you break the window of the reception room, it would complete the code...
Shimasaki Takao
Shimasaki Takao!
Himeko!
On it!
You're not goin' anywhere!
Give it up, Shimasaki Takao!
A w-woman...?
Huh? She's... the baseball team's...
Takashima Sakiko, from 2-F.
She's at school every morning for the individual training,
but since she spends it doing miscellaneous duties, she has no alibi.
So you were the Glass Man?!
That's right.
I'm the Glass Man.
But that's ridiculous! It isn't Shimasaki?
If I mix the characters around again, can I get another name?
Ta... Taka... shima... sa... ki...
"Takashima Sakiko"! It fits!
What the hell?! Isn't the Glass Man a man?!
Not necessarily.
We don't even know who came up with that nickname in the first place.
But why did you do this?!
Did you create a stir to attract attention?
That's right. I wanted to stand out...
I broke the windows to let off steam.
What?! You really did it just for that?!
To her, it was important enough to break windows over.
You'll go with us to the faculty room, won't you?
Case closed, eh?
Yep. I guess we should just be happy
that she wasn't able to break a window today...
The reception room?
Wait a second!
What's wrong?
Why... Why did you come to the reception room?
When there's no "o" in your name!
What are you talking about?
I thought the culprit was Shimasaki Takao,
so I predicted the next target would be the reception (ousetsu) room.
But if the vandal's name is "Takashima Sakiko",
today's classroom would've started with ko.
For example, you would've gone to the craft (kougei) room.
I can break windows wherever I want!
You're hiding something, aren't you?!
Sket Dance!
Culprit?
Sket Dance!
Takashima-san, huh?
I know it might be hard for you to say, but we're not your enemies.
Bossun will listen to you.
I... was ordered to do it.
Ordered?
I couldn't say no.
If I didn't do it, they'd reveal the secrets in my past...
There was a letter in my shoebox last Wednesday.
It said to come behind the multipurpose room at 6:30 the next morning.
And with the letter...
A picture?
Don't even think about it, you two!
Who?
That's me in middle school.
No way! But...
I was really... fat, right?
It said that unless I did what they said, they'd spread this photo around the school!
The next morning, I went to the place they told me to.
And then...
A picture of me from middle school was taped to the glass.
But when I removed it...
...there were letters that looked like they were scratched with a nail.
"Takashi Sakiko used to be a fatty," they said.
I didn't know what to do!
So there was a baseball sitting there?
What do you mean?
The culprit's aim was to make you break the window.
I.e. the only way to get rid of the scratched letters is to break the glass.
The culprit must have left it there on purpose.
All to mark that it was someone with the baseball club behind it.
It happened 2 or 3 times more.
Each time I broke the glass, I got another order.
Telling me if I wanted to keep my secret, I'd better do what they said.
And so you did exactly as told.
But, why go this far?
I was scared!
I suddenly get this letter...
I know it's wrong!
But if he knew that I was fat, I'm sure he'd hate me!
I had no choice but to do what they said!
I guess girls have some things they've gotta protect, huh?
But if this is the case, then the real culprit will be someone else.
Yeah. Someone with a grudge against Takashima-san, say...
Who tried to pin a series of window shatterings on her.
Takashima-san broke the windows each morning, just as ordered.
You didn't even realize that your name was hidden in the code.
But the culprit suddenly changed the last letter of the name.
Why is that?
It's because we, the investigators, had come to the wrong conclusion.
I see!
So that's how it is!
That way we wouldn't have a problem coming to the conclusion it was Takashima-san.
But the culprit had 2 problems.
Shimasaki Takao was also spelled out in that anagram.
Plus...
The name "Glass Man" had started up as a rumor.
Yeah. We were led astray and thought the culprit was a guy,
never thinking to suspect you, Takashima-san.
In the end we went for Shimasaki Takao...
...and headed to the reception room by mistake.
The culprit panicked, and made a crucial mistake.
Trying to get us to catch Takashima-san any way they could,
they went along with our mistaken deduction.
They changed the final location to the reception room, instead of one with a ko.
The only one who could do that is someone who knew we'd be waiting in the reception room...
The culprit's been sticking to us the whole time, and knew what we were doing!
Hey! Let go!
Yasuda Saori, it's you, isn't it?
You wanted to film us discovering this code,
and make sure you got everything from the investigation to the arrest!
Even if you didn't send the footage to the contest,
by showing the footage to a bunch of students, Takashima-san's evil deeds would spread.
B-But...
Once I realized it was a code, solving it was simple.
Now that I think about it, you gave a hint while filming, didn't you?
Maybe like a code?
That's right. I'm the Glass Man.
Or rather, I manipulated Takashima-san!
Why? Why did you do this?
Because I hate you.
Because I hate you, Takashima Sakiko!
Why? I don't even know you!
So, why?
Well I know you.
I'll never forget what you did.
It was back in middle school.
I had a boy I liked.
I wasn't able to talk to him.
But day by day my feelings grew...
I went and wrote a love letter.
Just like you did.
Both of them went to the same middle school.
The same middle school?
That's right!
I wanted to see if he accepted my love letter, so I saw what happened!
Isn't that Takashima-san from class 3?
My letter?
You threw away my letter,
and stuck your own letter in his shoebox!
You trampled all over my love!
So you could have him all for yourself!
So, that was your letter?
But I never got a response!
What does that have to do with me?!
The problem is that it's because of you I never expressed my feelings.
And yet... And yet...
You're the only one who found happiness!
I'm never going to be happy!
Yasuda-san...
It's true that what Takashima-san did is nothing to be proud of.
You need to apologize for that.
But she used that love as a jumping-off point, and worked hard.
You tried hard to change yourself, right?
But you kept that old grudge and never changed!
It was you.
You're the one that had to break the windows.
Seems like it.
Yasuda-san...
I caused this incident.
I'll say that I broke all the windows.
I'll just turn in the part of this with me on it.
Yasuda-san!
Wait! Please wait!
What?
Don't follow me.
This was my fault originally! You don't have to take responsibility!
I'm not doing this for you.
This is a problem I have to deal with.
It's the Sket-dan again!
This is a scoop!
Honestly, you people!
How much trouble do you cause before you're satisfied, huh?
We're very sorry!
You're really sorry about this, right?
Yes!
Good, then.
You're going to do 1 week of community service, got it?
Understand?
Hey hey.
Hi hi.
Hoy hoy.
Got it? Change those hearts of yours and turn over a new leaf! Just do it!
Just do it!
What's important is cooperation!
Team work!
One for all!
I was jealous of you for being able to change.
I'm sorry.
No... I'm the one who should apologize.
I'm sorry.
I apologize about this. She feels sorry for what she did.
Well, no biggie.
Are you sure about this? You ended up covering for her a lot.
We're totally used to getting yelled at!
You just can't beat a girl in love.
Everyone, we're going to start the preview!
On the next Socket Dance:
Onee-san, that's a plug!
On the next Racket Zansu:
That's ping pong!
Sorry... Onee-san is a klutz and mistakes words a lot...
No problemo!
Gunfight at the OK gorge!
Thank you! Don't let mistakes get you down!
On the next Specter Yabas:
That barely even starts with an "S"!
Go for it, Onee-san Romantic Laboratory!
What's Onee-san Romantic Laboratory?
You'll have to tune in to find out!
Sket Dance!