August
September
Naruka Exhibition
Two more weeks...
The more impatient I get,
the harder it is to write well.
For some reason...
Since I came to this island, there are times when I really want to write calligraphy.
I feel something well up,
and my hands tremble.
If I only had that hand-trembling feeling now...
Maybe taking a bath will help my mood.
Tepid
Off
Hot Water Press & Turn Shower
Huh?
It's not catching.
Hot Water Shower
Off
Press & Turn
Reheat Do Not Heat Empty Tub
It won't light?
That can't be right!
Hot Water Shower
Off
Press & Turn
Reheat Do Not Heat Empty Tub
No!
Why?!
You're kidding!
Barakamon
Okega Makucchi Shita
Translation: Almost Got Badly Hurt
It's broken.
How long before someone can come to repair it?
Let's see...
Generally a week.
I was afraid of that...
I know!
For this occasion, wanna try going all-out?
Ta-da!
It's a bath heater!
Burn wood in here, and it'll heat up the bath.
Is this thing really usable?
You'll be fine!
My house has a wood-heated bath, too. They're great!
Uh, but, but but...
What about firewood?
I don't have any.
There're hills near your house. You're all set!
You need dry twigs for it to burn.
It's no use.
He's already in gung-ho mode.
I can't say it's too much trouble!
There's more that way!
I have to do this for a week?
Gross!
You...
I'm sorry, Village Chief!
That should be enough kindling.
Sensei, you ought to find yourself a wife to manage the fire.
I'd like a gas-heated bath more than a wife.
You're twenty-three years old.
Don't you have a girlfriend with plans to marry?
No, nobody like that.
Oh, come now!
I've spent my whole life just writing calligraphy.
I guess you could say...
I'm the type who ends up dying alone.
He's not disagreeing with me...
Okay, you can handle the rest.
Say, Miwa-chan.
Isn't that smoke coming from Sensei's house?
You're right.
Is he cooking over a fire?
Would Sensei do that sorta thing?
It must be...
Fire!
It's a bath.
That's it?
Don't go scarin' people, Sensei.
But if it's a bath, relax.
I can do that.
You know how to do this?
Yep!
Whenever Grampa takes a bath,
Enjoying your bath, sir?
I always tend the fire.
Yep! But put it out if it gets too big.
Are you sure you'll be all right?
Leave it to me! I'm used to it!
Getting it ready was tough,
but it's kind of exciting, like I'm visiting a hot spring.
Hot!
Sensei, is it too hot?!
No, it's fine.
Thank goodness...
Ahh, I've come back to life...
It's permeating right to the bone.
I can see why the village chief is into this.
It's like a reward for the effort.
Sensei, there's trouble!
What's wrong?!
Oops!
Naru!
Why are they here?!
They thought there was a fire.
A kid tendin' the fire while you have a nice bath?
As punishment, we'll see you naked!
I don't get your reasoning!
Weren't ya really wantin' young girls to see ya?
Don't talk like I'm an exhibitionist!
There's no fire here, so leave!
As always, he can't take a joke.
What's that camera for?
I thought I'd collect reference material for my manga.
Reference material...
But ya can't show full nudity, even in manga, right?
It'll be fine, if I add a mosaic over the tip.
So long as you can get the idea...
I can't relax.
No, it's still no good.
Looks like I can't take a bath during the day.
Eh? Why not?
At any rate, for now,
I'll wait until they get bored and leave.
It's too hot, idiots!
Run away!
Sensei, is it too hot?
Obviously!
See how red I am?
Run away!
No, don't you run away, too!
At any rate, that turned my mood around.
Okay, time to wri—
Hey.
Hiro!
Wh-What are you doing here?!
Mom's out today,
so I'm making you lunch.
Why at my house?
First, you cut the cucumber.
White Sugar
Combine miso...
White Sugar
and sugar, measuring by eye.
White Sugar
Now add the cucumber slices,
and mix loosely.
With these simple steps,
your miso cucumber is ready.
I feel like even I could make this.
First, cut the cucumber!
Combine miso and sugar, and mix!
Done!
Sensei, didn't you watch me?
What, aren't they the same?
In what way?!
It's all the same once you eat it.
It looks awful but tastes great.
That's what men's cooking is like!
Uh, no... this will definitely taste awful, too.
Let's eat.
Whoa!
This is great!
Sensei, yours is terrible.
All I can taste is cucumber.
Actually, this is awful, too.
Wait a minute!
You just said it was great!
I never said it was great.
All I can taste is miso.
Why're you so stubborn? That's immature.
Who are you calling immature?!
I'm older than you!
It's impolite to point!
If you're older, act your age and admit defeat!
Sensei!
What's wrong, Hina?!
Did something happen?
I can't understand your moaning! Settle down!
Don't rush her, Sensei.
Here, Hina. Drink this and calm down.
If she came over in such a rush, then it must be an emergency! Tell us, quickly!
We don't need to rush so much for a child's emergency.
But aren't you curious?!
You're being immature again.
All right, Hina! Just calm down!
We'll listen to you!
Naru...
Naru's getting picked on by grade schoolers from the next village!
This way!
Naru! You all right?!
Cut it out!
Actually, that looks like a lot of fun.
Naru!
Hina! Save me!
You went and got grown-ups?!
Coward!
Where are you kids from?
This is their playground.
Shut up, fox-faced jerk!
We just took over this place!
Fox-faced jerk...
They're from Rokunosaki Village.
We haven't gotten along with the neighboring village for ages.
Sensei, make 'em go away!
We were playin' here first!
Uh, sure.
Hey!
Kids from the next village!
How dare you call someone you've just met a "fox-faced jerk"?
How am I a fox?
Sure, sometimes people say I have a mean look in my eyes,
but only sometimes!
Sensei's making this totally personal...
Shut up, good-for-nothin' wimp!
Go away!
That hurt.
What is this?
My heart hurts.
That kid's amazing.
He only just met you, yet he can tell that you're good-for-nothing and a wimp.
Hey!
With punks like these, tough talk won't work.
Hey, you guys!
Dyed blonde hair!
He's got dyed blonde hair!
What? You tryin' to threaten us?
Y'all are bigger'n these kids,
so can't ya be nice to 'em?
C'mon, can't ya?
If yer gonna say it that way...
Say it on yer knees.
Stop! Calm down, Hiro!
Let me go!
I'll show him how harsh society can be!
*Snot-nosed punk = Mean kid
Snot-nosed punk!
Run away!
Actually hitting a kid will just cause more problems!
Stupid violent adult!
Yankee go home!
Sensei, we were wantin' to play dodgeball here.
Get out, outsider!
Well, then, we can't back down now.
These kids are counting on me.
Now is the time to show some dignity!
Hey, you boys!
You say somethin', white noodles?
White... noodles...?
We're adults, so we don't use violence.
However, if you guys throw your weight around here any more,
I'll have to make a phone call.
What? Who're ya gonna call?
The police!
What makes ya think the police would come?!
I'll give an anonymous tip that you guys are bullying little kids.
Getting arrested is embarrassing, y'know.
It'll upset your parents, too.
You'll be ruined for life.
You see?!
This is an adult tactic!
So immature.
Dang it, yer usin' dirty threats!
Take this!
You finished off my cell phone!
What do ya mean, "finished"?
It's just got poo on it.
Don't give me that, you brat!
Sure, it no longer works as a phone,
but it's still served me faithfully as a clock! And look at it now!
Can't use it as a phone?
You were trickin' kids, then!
You insulted my phone, so why are you getting mad?!
Hiro, were you laughing?
No, I'd never laugh at that.
Jeez, what're they doin'?
Let's leave 'em and go play baseball.
Wha?!
Wait, Sensei!
They're trying to ignore us!
What?!
Don't make me repeat myself!
Use your own village's playground!
Shut up!
Middle schoolers took over our playground!
A real tough-fightin' girl and a glasses girl.
It's them...
That ain't got nothin' to do with it!
Get outta here!
Naru!
Hey! That's going too far!
What? Didn't ya say adults ain't violent?
If an adult from this village hits us,
we're tellin' our parents!
If an adult hits a kid, that's who's goin' to the police!
You'll get arrested for child abuse!
If they put it that way, we can't argue.
Right, an adult should never strike a child.
Naru, they want to play baseball here.
So let them play.
Aww...
You shoulda done that in the first place!
They'll play their game.
So how about we play dodgeball?
Yeah.
You were gonna yield this place to us!
Play all the baseball you want.
We're going to play our own game.
Sensei and I will be outfielders.
Get running, you guys.
W-Wait, time out!
We're playin' here!
Here!
Ow!
That's our Sensei.
Playing seriously against kids.
It don't count if it don't hit us!
Clumsy—
Now, who's next?!
He hit it back?!
Get a grip, Sensei!
If they take the ball, it's all over.
Dang it, yer supposed to be adults!
Why are ya takin' this seriously?!
"Supposed to be adults"?
Hardly.
It's because we're adults!
Take this, brat!
Sensei, toss it here!
I'm impressed they can horse around in this heat.
It's Akki!
Akki!
What're ya doin' out here?!
Hey, I'm stuck on that game ya lent me!
You guys! The battle's not over yet!
Oh, it's okay now.
We're gonna go play with Akki.
Wait a minute. You're giving up that easily?!
I'm sorry for interrupting your fun.
Uh, no, it wasn't really...
So long!
We'll come again!
Akki is amazingly mature.
Yeah...
Don't follow me.
I'm heading back to my house.
Aww! I wanna play more!
Don't stretch it!
By golly!
Let's play Tarzan! Tarzan!
Tarzan?
We play it up that way!
It's gobs of fun!
Oh, all right.
Just for a bit.
Yay! This way, this way!
Say...
This is...
the most realistic Tarzan setting I've ever seen.
It's easy!
No, it's not!
Isn't that a real vine?!
I'll show ya how it's done!
Stop, it's dangerous!
Hey!
Just... like that...
What'll I do?
This doesn't look fun at all.
Okay, it's yer turn next, Sensei!
As if I could!
Why not? It's real fun!
Yer pretty lame for a grown-up!
You wouldn't say that if you had an adult's physique!
It's completely impossible!
There's no way this vine could support an adult's weight.
Though, if all of you could hang from it at once, it'd be a different story.
Oh, fine!
So I was wrong!
So, will ya do it too, Sensei?
All right, all right.
But I'm begging you, don't do anything dangerous in front of me!
All right! This'll be gobs of fun!
You may be trying to convince me of that,
but I'm not happy about it.
As long as this vine is here, they're going to get hurt someday.
Sorry, kids, but I'm getting rid of this dangerous toy.
Yer rarin' to go!
I'll pretend to swing, and tear it off!
No, Sensei, you can't stretch it like that!
Stop it!
It'll tear!
Don't!
Everybody, stop!
Are any of you guys hurt?
Nope, we're fine!
That was super scary!
I thought I was gonna die! I thought I was gonna die!
Sensei, yer bleedin'!
You all right?!
I'm fine.
It's just a scratch.
Ya need mugwort for that!
Get lookin' for mugwort!
No, that's okay!
It's not that bad!
Naru!
I got mugwort!
This medicine'll stop the bleedin'!
I said it's just a scratch!
That'll only get bacteria in it!
This's a shortcut home!
Yet another unproductive day...
Day after day I play with kids,
but don't get anything out of it.
Is it really okay to just wait for inspiration to strike?
The deadline keeps drawing closer...
Closer...
There!
That's it!
The God of Calligraphy has descended!
I never thought I'd find the desire to write this easily!
I have to rush home and write!
Right now, I can do it!
What's the matter, Naru?
Sensei's not followin' us.
He just went home a different way without tellin' us.
Ya may be right.
I am right!
Sensei's always like that.
Yer right!
Darn right!
Sensei ain't home yet?!
There wasn't anyone here when we came.
On our way back from the mountain,
Sensei just disappeared.
Disappeared?
I know what happened!
I Want to Be a Hermit
A wild giant from the hills must've trapped him and gobbled him up!
Monster or not, it's still worrisome that he hasn't returned yet.
Even if he got lost in the hills, the forest ain't that deep.
There!
Just a rabbit?
That scared me!
And I finally felt like I could write good calligraphy...
The time I just spent playing with the kids feels far in the past.
This is bad!
I'm panicking so much that my brain's started to fabricate memories!
Keep calm, keep calm.
A little further up, and I'll be back on the path.
You can do it, Seishuu!
All right!
Ow!
This can't be happening...
C'mon, cut it out already!
Darn it!
Pose to reduce surface area in contact with ground
Isn't it about time someone came to rescue me?!
What are they doing?
Getting lost in the wilderness
is the height of isolation!
I'm going to die.
I'm going to end up dying alone, literally.
Somebody save me!
I don't care who!
What's that?
What, it's just a key?
It's a key to my house!
The duplicate key?
I lost it.
Maybe while playin' in the hills out back?
That girl...
This is ridiculous!
What am I freaking out about? I'm in the hills behind my house!
Who the heck gets hopelessly lost in his own backyard?
What's this?
Amazing...
Is this outer space?
A shooting star!
Please fix my bath. Please fix my bath.
Please fix my bath!
No, that's not it.
Please let me get home soon and write calligraphy!
See? I told ya he fell off the edge.
No wonder he wasn't on the usual paths when we looked.
Sensei, I'm so glad yer safe!
Sheesh!
What took you so long?
Is Sensei cryin'?
Yes, he is...
Yes! It's finally come!
Sensei!
I brought the first aid...
Here! It's here!
He's in the middle of work.
Seishuu Handa
STAR
As I thought, inspiration really is important.
Yeah.
I see.
Yeah, got it.
I'll come home.