01x02 - The Misanthrope and the Fleeting Crown of Bubbles

[bunniefuu]

If possible, wear that ring at all times

and don't let it out of your sight.

Principal's Office

It cancels out the anti-perception spell,

allowing you to see the campus,

but it also serves

another important function.

Important function?

Remove the ring outside of school

and you'll lose all your memories of here,

to be rewritten with false ones instead.

Humans mustn't learn of the existence

of this gathering spot for non-humans.

Should you stop being affiliated

with our school, you'll return the ring,

so you can forget your time here

and return to a normal human life.

So if I accidentally take

the ring off outside of campus,

I won't ever be able to come back here?

Your memories will return

if you touch the ring again.

Have another teacher hold onto it for you,

and they can give it back when needed.

I see. That's a relief.

An all-girls' school for non-humans

Shiranui Private High School.

I'll make a fresh start here as a teacher.

Advanced Class

What's wrong?!

Shut up! Stop yelling!

Oh, sorry.

Episode 2

The Misanthrope and the Fleeting Crown of Bubbles

What is it, Minazuki?

There's been another mix-up with my lunch.

Satsuma-age?

For a mermaid like me, satsuma-age

are just like kamaboko and chikuwa,

in that I find them too cruel to handle!

Oh, I guess satsuma-age

is also ground-up fish.

Stop scaring her!

Oh, sorry.

H-How about the two of us—

Wanna trade sides with me?

Beaten to the punch again.

It's mine now!

You're too kind, Tobari!

I'll give you my karaage in exchange.

Here, open wide.

Wait.

If I was swapping with Minazuki instead,

does that mean I'd be the one feeding her?

Here, open wide.

No way!

You're asking way too much from me!

That's no way for a teacher to behave!

Huh?

All of your lunches look different today.

Yes.

To prepare us for when we're human,

we usually get typical human lunches,

but today, we all get our favorite foods.

You'll stress yourself out unless

you blow off steam every now and then.

Makes sense.

I guess as non-humans, your favorite

foods would come off as strange to us.

As a mermaid, Minazuki avoids

eating fellow fish and seafood.

Nori on rice, wakame cucumber

salad, and kombu rolls.

Lots of black.

Usami's a rabbit, so veggies for her

Hold on, isn't this all just carrots?

Ohgami's half-wolf, so lots of meat

That's one hell of a carnivore diet!

Haneda's a bull-headed shrike,

an omnivorous bird,

so her lunch looks relatively

normal for a human

Wait.

Haneda, you can handle seeing

karaage and rolled omelet?

Huh? Why?

Aren't you a fellow bird?

It's not like I'm a chicken.

That's the reason?

Why do you ask?

I mean, as long as you're fine with it

Must be hard for your dorm mother

to come up with these meals.

What with all the different

species in the dorms.

That's true.

Some of our students would prey

on each other out in nature.

How do you deal with that?

It's fine.

We're all humans here on campus.

Oh, I guess so.

Otherwise, as a rabbit and a wolf,

Usami and I would be part of the food chain.

Huh? Don't think about it.

Try anything funny, and I'll chew you up.

Y-Yes! I'm sorry!

I think you have the food chain backwards.

There's still a lot about

this school for me to learn.

Oh yeah, Mr. Hitoma.

Got time to k*ll after lunch?

Not really, but why?

Y'see, we have gym fifth period.

Wanna come and watch?

Watch?

I thought you could learn more about us

if you sat in on gym class.

You know, stuff like what our

strengths and weaknesses are.

I see.

Today, we'll be picking up

where we left off on dancing.

Let's begin by performing

what you practiced last time.

We'll go by your roster numbers

Usami, you're up.

Right.

And last up is Minazuki.

Ready to go?

Certainly!

She's not good at all.

Didn't Minazuki want to

become human so she could dance?

Still

She looks like she's having a blast.

I thank you all for being my audience.

Class Roster

Thanks, Minazuki.

We had just as much fun as you did.

Mind your rhythm and posture,

and it could be even better.

Of course!

I'll strive to keep that in mind!

Huh?

Is something wrong?

Looks like this thing's acting up.

Can you watch them

while I go and grab a spare?

Oh, sure.

I won't take long.

This thing's an ancient relic.

I can't believe it worked until now.

You suck, so shut up already!

My apologies, Usami.

I got a little carried away.

That smile of yours ticks me off!

It's so weird!

You say you love dancing,

but you suck at it!

You're not cut out to dance!

You'll never be able to hold your own,

even after you turn human!

Stop right there, Usami.

That's uncalled for.

But it's true!

Things would be a lot easier

if love is all it takes to make it!

Usami!

Mr. Hitoma.

Please don't mind her.

I happen to agree with her on the matter.

Eh?

I know better than anyone else

that I dance poorly.

That said, I'm certain no one

loves dancing more than I do.

I've put my life on the line

to be here at this school.

My determination is genuine.

I'll show you all that love

alone can be enough to make it.

I can't stand that attitude of yours!

You don't get frustrated

because you've given up on yourself.

With that stupid c*ck act of yours.

I find my desire to learn

more outweighs my frustration.

That's not how you really feel.

You don't feel bad about yourself.

That's because you look

down on the rest of us.

I wouldn't dream of it!

I truly think you're wonderful, Usami!

There's so much I've learned from you!

How you always strive for perfection,

your high standards for yourself,

your desire to always improve

I greatly respect those things about you!

You need to shut up!

Yes, I do have a tendency to talk a lot.

Ah, Minazuki.

What is it?

You're amazing.

Huh?

I mean, Usami really laid

into you back there.

I think it's amazing that you

were able to respond how you did.

How kind you are, Mr. Hitoma.

"Tomorrow is another day."

All I want is to continue

being someone who I can love.

"Tomorrow is another day."

Gone with the Wind, I believe?

Indeed.

There was a time when I hated myself.

What?

I was under a lot of pressure.

Due to my strict upbringing, that is.

Mr. Hitoma, do you know who Poseidon is?

Yeah.

The god of the sea who shows up

a lot in video games.

A buff old guy with a trident, right?

That "buff old guy" is my ancestor.

No kidding?!

As a direct descendant of Poseidon,

I was expected to take over

in the future as guardian of the sea.

Which is why my parents were staunchly

opposed to my becoming a human.

I can imagine.

However, my life

was changed on that fateful day.

The nimble movements of those

humans dancing on that ship

As a mermaid, I was captivated!

It was then that my dreary

and oppressive days took on color.

In that moment, I found a reason to live.

I'm prepared to throw away my life,

should I fail to become human.

Or that's the rule, rather.

Rule?

Since ancient times, the rule is

that mermaids wishing to become human

will turn into sea foam if they fail

to do so within a certain time frame.

And what exactly is that time frame?

I'm not allowed to say.

A rule is a rule.

There's no need for you to worry!

I'll make sure I become human.

And in the event that I don't,

I'll still be content.

As long as I can be someone

who I can love to the end!

Minazuki

Tomorrow is another day!

And that day will bring with it a new me!

That's why I'll live today to its fullest!

And it's not just human dancing.

I find new human endeavors

to fall in love with every day!

I'll do all it takes to stand among

humans in their world on my own two legs!

You sure are strong.

I am, indeed!

I'm standing tall and proud!

I'll be waiting for an invite for the day

you stand on stage as a dancer.

Why, most certainly!

Sorry to take up your time.

Not at all.

Minazuki used to hate herself, did she?

Just like I did

Advanced Class

I'll see you all tomorrow.

E-Excuse me!

What is it, Ohgami?

Um, well

I have something important

to tell you, Mr. Hitoma.

Go on.

Um, I'm not sure how to put it

That's fine.

Just try the best you can.

Okay

But when I tell you,

you might think I'm weird

I'd never think that. Don't worry.

Is that right?

Then, um

You could say

I'm a little bit unusual

Unusual?

The truth is, I become

very naughty at certain times.

Eh?

You could describe it

as wild in a way

Huh

There's no way for me to control it

I can't imagine what you'd think

if you saw me in that state

I'm sorry!

H-Hey, wait!

Ohgami?!

Wild and naughty?

Ah, you're thinking something dirty!

Could it be that you've

got Isaki on your mind?

A passion that transcends teacher

and student no, human and non-human!

How romantic!

Hitoma, don't get the wrong idea.

You don't need to tell me!

I would never enter

a relationship with a student.

I'm done making trouble for myself.

Teachers' Office

Ms. Saotome's such a fine woman!

So pretty and adorable

Maybe dating a co-worker

wouldn't be so bad?

Oh, Mr. Hitoma!

Here, I baked these cookies myself!

For me? I can have these?

Of course!

Thank you very much!

Could it be that Ms. Saotome's into me?

Is this the start of an

office relationship?!

I made these

for an experiment in science class.

Huh? An experiment?

Science is the foundation of baking.

The Maillard reaction and caramelization

are what give cookies their aroma!

I-Is that right?

Here's your share, Mr. Hoshino.

Oh, thank you.

Why don't I make us some

coffee to go with it?

Won't you join us, Mr. Hitoma?

I've just roasted a good batch of beans.

She was giving them out to everyone?

Yeah, figures.

Die!

Die, die, die!

Hey!

I told you to stop screaming at night!

I was so close

Should you be staying up so late?

You need to leave early tomorrow.

Yeah, it's fine.

I've got everything I need for tomorrow.

Still, it's a load off my mind.

Knowing that you're working

with other people again.

You should go to bed soon.

Working with other people, huh?

Not that they're human beings

Ohgami's on class duty for today?

She gets everything done,

but she's a little on the shy side

That reminds me.

Advanced Class

What was she trying to say yesterday?

Don't you think "papaya"

sounds kinda dirty?

I'm dead right now!

I threw some in my lunch today!

Pa-pa-yas!

A gyaru?

Oh, Mr. Hitoma!

What's good?

Good?

High-key looking like

a zombie in the flesh!

Omigosh, I'm so dead.

And is that bedhead?

Or did you style it that way?

I guess it's weirdly on point,

or like, so not on point that it is?

Also, a tall king like you

should be rocking a cleaner fit!

If you were bae,

I'd be like so done with you!

That necktie is low-key giving

messy cute vibes, though.

And like, that cute depressed emo

aesthetic is totally sending me!

Are you catching those Zs?

I have no idea what she's saying!

And I mean

Who is she?!

Looking closer, not sleeping's done

a real number on your skin.

Big yikes at that face!

Wanna borrow Isaki's toner?

Wait, Isaki

Isaki?!

I'm dying that you call Isaki

by her first name like besties!

Wait, are you Isaki Ohgami?!

That's what I said!

Oh, you didn't realize since it's

your first time seeing this Isaki?

It's true that her ears

and tail are the same.

I get you! I get not getting it!

And she wears them differently,

but those are Ohgami's clothes.

Mr. Hitoma.

Are you that down bad for Isaki?

Oh, no, it's just that

you seem so different now.

Right?

Who knew Isaki was rocking

such a perfect bod?

Okay, that's enough of that!

Are you turning red, Mr. Hitoma?

You're k*lling me here!

Nothing wrong with it,

but why the sudden 180?

Mr. Hitoma, Isaki's a werewolf.

I know that.

On the day of the full moon,

Isaki changes personalities.

I believe they call

it split personalities.

And tonight's the full moon!

That's why Isaki's here at school

for the first time in ages!

So this Ohgami is a different person

than the usual Ohgami?

You got it!

Oh, but I know everything

that the normal Isaki sees and hears,

and the normal Isaki will know

everything I see and hear as well.

So Mr. Hitoma, don't try

anything funny with Isaki.

It's really hard to keep up

when you both call yourselves Isaki.

You two share the same name?

Isaki

Isaki

Isaki

They're different!

Isaki's "Isaki" is written in kanji,

and Isaki's "Isaki" is in hiragana!

How am I supposed to tell

when you say it out loud?

Mr. Hitoma!

Which one of these looks cuter?

They're not the same?

Huh? They're totes different!

This one's coral pink,

and this one's blossom pink!

They both look like mentaiko to me.

I was gonna pick

the color you liked better, too.

You've got otaku vibes, so I picked these

thinking you were into the demure type.

Hey, what kinda girls are you into?

Right, you were into little girls!

I think you mentioned it the first day.

Wait! Wait, wait, wait!

First, I don't remember ever saying that!

And little girls aren't my thing!

They're not?

Don't sound so surprised!

What I said the first day was

that I'm not into little girls!

So what kind are you into?

Huh?

Let me think.

Someone who's cheerful and easygoing

Uh-huh.

With puppy-dog eyes, who looks good

in a skirt, and has long hair

Long eyelashes, and on the petite side

Uh-huh!

Light hair and eye colors,

and big on science

Someone who gives you cookies

Yeah!

Wait, this sounds oddly specific.

Mr. Hitoma, do you already have

someone you're interested in?

Wait, seriously?

I wanna know!

Nothing but sex on the brain.

That's not true at all!

Avoiding the question much?

Sheesh! Talk about desperate!

You'll feel better getting

it off your chest.

I agree!

I think that love is a wonderful thing!

They won't let go of this!

Well, I learned you really are

into the demure type.

Maybe I'll go for

the demure gyaru makeup today!

Demure gyaru?

There are different types of gyaru?

It almost feels like

I have another student now.

I'm a no-good disgrace.

No one else in the pack has to

be locked up for the full moon.

All alone in this cold cell.

Tell me, moon.

Is it all my fault?

Did I do something wrong?

Why does everyone call me a mongrel?

Why can't I be like the rest of them?

Why, oh, why?

Why am I the only one who turns human?

Next Episode:

The Misanthrope and the Lonely Castle Under the Full Moon