Chiyo enters an office where Kurosawa-sensei is seated at a desk. She asks if she wanted her for something. Kurosawa tells her that she had to call her in because she just received a package in the mail: it's Chiyo's school swimsuit. She hands it to Chiyo, who thanks her. Kurosawa tells her that while she can special-order swimsuits, she can't special-order the size of the pool; it's going to be deeper than she might be used to, so Kurosawa advises her to be extra careful. Chiyo agrees.
Just then, Yukari shows up and suggests to "Nyamo" that they go out drinking. Apparently, there's a special on draft beers, and it's "Ladies' Night", to boot. Kurosawa points out that she's trying to have a serious conversation, and tells Yukari to stop bugging her. Yukari tells "Nyamo" that it's not good for her health to be so serious. Chiyo confusedly asks what "Nyamo" is. Yukari tells her it's short for "Minamo", Kurosawa-sensei's given name. It comes from their school days. "Nyamo" tells Yukari to stop using it at school. Yukari asks who cares. (Well, Minamo, for one, and that should be good enough, but...)
Yukari sits down and munches some chips (crisps, not potato wedges). Kurosawa calls her on her messy desk, but Yukari understands how she organized it, and knows where everything is. Kurosawa tests this by asking for a lent dictionary back. Yukari finds it within seconds, and pulls it out. Unfortunately, this destabilizes the pile, and Chiyo rushes to stop the avalanche. They applaud her efforts, but she wants help. She can't hold it for long, and is buried under the mess. She pleads with Yukari to tidy up. Yukari agrees, but doesn't sound serious. Some more of the stack falls on her.
In the hall, Osaka sounds impressed. Apparently, Chiyo told the group that the two went to high school together, so Osaka's repeating it for us. Chiyo further reveals that they went to the school they're attending now. Tomo says that she and Yomi outrank them in terms of time being in school together. Like, since the start of grade school. Chiyo is impressed; she doesn't have anyone like that! Yomi bets she doesn't.
Tomo proceed to let on that she knows secrets about Yomi. Yomi is concerned about what Tomo's going to say. Tomo proceed to tell about The Terror of the Moldy Bread. She relates that some bread Yomi once left in her desk in grade school grew moldy and evolved, gaining cognizance. They found themselves taking refuge in the science preparation room, using an alcohol lamp, and keeping the mold back. Tomo then had the idea to defeat them with mold remover. In the present, Osaka realizes that the story was made-up. Yomi wonders why she thought it was real. Osaka thought there was a real sense of reality to it. Tomo claims it was based on a true story. Yomi says it wasn't.
Kurosawa approaches, and Tomo calls her over. When she gets there, Tomo relates what Chiyo said, and Kurosawa confirms it. Osaka asks what kind of student Yukari was. Kurosawa thinks there are a lot of stories to choose from—
"LOVE LETTER! LOVE LETTER LALALALALOVEY LETTER, LOVE LETTER, LOVE LETTER, LOVEY-DOVEY-DOVEY-DOVEY LETTER, LAA LA LA LA-LA-LA-LA LOVE LETTER, LOVE LETTER..."
Yukari sings as she passes, prompting Kurosawa to claim that most of the stories were boring. Yomi figures Yukari has something on her.
Factional Rivalry
In the classroom, one boy asks another who he thinks is the cooler teacher of the two female teachers we've met. Easy, right? Yukari walks up behind the boy who asked the question, and who didn't hear the foley artist. The boy who was asked wisely answers "Yukari-sensei". The first boy laughs at his answer, prompting Yukari to hold up a folio and start laughing, as well. The boy is about to explain what's so much cooler about Kurosawa-sensei when we get an exterior shot of the corner of the building, but he's been thwacked.
A girl with long braided pigtails advises another girl with short hair to talk to Kurosawa-sensei about problem that is not elaborated upon. The other girl decides it's a good idea, thinking she might understand. Yukari comes up angrily and asks if anyone needs a teacher they can easily talk to. The two girls scream and run off. Yukari wonders what makes Nyamo so popular. Oh, I don't know, her approach, perhaps? Then she spies her hitting a ball around with some students. Yukari thinks she understands, but—
"BASKETBALL!" she yells, opening the door to the classroom where Yomi, Kaorin, Tomo, Chiyo, and Osaka are sitting and standing around. They turn to look, confused. Yukari calls it the basketball era. (What, the Heisei era is over already?) She wants them to go to the gym and play basketball with her. When they don't come right away due to standing still in shock, she opens the door and yells at them to "ASSEMBLE NOW!"
In the gym, Yukari names her team "Yukari Chi-mu", which is herself, Yomi, and Tomo. "Yaaay," they say. Osaka names their team "Namako Chi-mu", or "Team Sea Slug", shocking teammates Kaorin and Chiyo. She gives the name again, and the two also give a "Yaaay."
Yukari decides that the winner of one game is the ultimate victor, and that the losers buy the winners juice. The students seem shocked that she's making a bet, but Yukari says it won't be exciting otherwise, and also that she's not going to go exercise without incentive.
So they start playing.
Kurosawa approaches the gym, seeing the door open a crack and hearing sounds of basketball. Yukari makes a basket. A cut to the scoreboard shows the score at 0-12. It also shows that they've ditched the "Sea Slug" name and named the team after Chiyo.
Speaking of whom, Yukari is teasing her by keeping the ball out of reach. The other players are just kind of standing around. Kurosawa comes between Yomi and Tomo (instead of walking around them) and asks Yukari what she's doing. Yukari is surprised. Kurosawa offers to switch with Chiyo. Chiyo takes her up on it. Yukari says it's not fair to add in a teacher, but it's obviously because the deck is now not stacked so heavily in her own favor. Kurosawa points out that Yukari is a teacher, but Yukari claims it's different because she's a P.E. teacher. While Yukari is explaining the difference, however, Nyamo steals the ball and starts dribbling down the court! Tomo and Yomi move to block, but Nyamo dodges between them! Yukari attempts a steal, but fails, and Nyamo makes a jump shot which goes around the rim before falling in! Nyamo lands dramatically, but Yukari is sprawled out on the floor.
The girls praise her playing, but Nyamo says she just played a little in high school. Yomi still thinks it made a difference. Nyamo says she only joined when they were short. The girls praise her some more, until Yukari's rage, indicated by the whistle of a teakettle, builds enough for her to yell and go on some sort of rampage while the image is that of the exterior of the gym.
A can falls out of a machine. Yukari retrieves it and confirms that Nyamo wanted cola. Nyamo thanks her, but before she claims her prize, the girl from before calls her over to talk. Yukari gets the idea to shake the can. Nyamo comes up, somehow not seeing her do so (or maybe seeing, but not letting on), and tells her that it's urgent, and that Yukari can have the soda if she wants. Yukari is now stuck with it, so after a few seconds, she opens it because it's funny when she gets a faceful of carbonated beverage.
The episode dividers feature the yellow cat-thing, and Chiyo.
Yukari's Here
A doorbell rings. Nyamo, sitting on the floor reading, asks "Yes?" Yukari announces her arrival, and Nyamo goes to open the door. Yukari gives a greeting. Nyamo points out the rarity of her visits; Yukari isn't sure that they're that rare. Nyamo invites her in. Yukari says that there's been lots of construction that morning, and it's noisy. So, she slips under the covers of Nyamo's bed and lies down. Nyamo is shocked that she came over just to sleep. Except that Yukari suddenly screams in frustration. She points at the oddly-shaped thing she had her head on, asks what that squishy thing is, and starts squishing it. Nyamo relates that she bought it the other day. Yukari asks how much it cost. Nyamo says it was about 10,000 yen (under $100 USD). Yukari calls her a "damn bourgeois", and tells her to get out. Nyamo asks where she would go. Yukari describes the texture, and Nyamo says it helps you sleep. Yukari thinks it's French, but Nyamo says it's made in Denmark. After another squeeze, Yukari comes to the conclusion that Nyamo is right, but Nyamo is surprised she's able to tell without looking at a tag or something.
Yukari puts "Dutch Boy" to the test. Nyamo wonders about the "Dutch" part; it should, of course, be "Danish". (Of course, in subtitling, and probably Japanese, as well, "Dutch Boy" doesn't come up at all, so Nyamo says nothing.) She tries to point out to Yukari that she's placed the pillow the wrong way around, with the bump that's supposed to be under your neck ending up under her head, but Yukari is already asleep.
Later, a courier pulls up and rings the doorbell. Nyamo had gone back to reading, but she responds. He delivers a package from Yamazaki-san in Hokkaido. Apparently, this is her uncle. Also apparently, Yukari's attention has been grabbed. She yells "Hokkaido!" before running up, taking the package from Nyamo, and running back with it, over Nyamo's protests. She starts furiously opening it. What on earth could she be thinking? Crabs, sea urchins, and salmon stew, it seems, but she is soon sorely disappointed: it's a bear statue. Nyamo remarks about it not being food. Yukari springs into action, quickly dialing Nyamo's uncle with the stated intent of having Nyamo's bear statue exchanged for fresh crab. Nyamo, too, leaps into action, grabbing the phone, telling Yukari she can't make demands about gifts, especially gifts that, um, AREN'T FOR HER, and telling the call recipient that she got the wrong number, evading Yukari's attempts to grab the phone. Call crisis averted, Yukari asks what Nyamo is going to do with it; Nyamo figures she'll display it by the front door. Yukari says you can display crabs, but Nyamo says you don't get crabs in order to display them. (And yes, I mean Infraorder Brachyura, not Genus Pthirus.) Yukari wants to return it, but Nyamo grabs her in the act of trying, and Yukari drops it. Nyamo tells her to knock it off, but Yukari makes reference to her being too worried about appearances to find a boyfriend. Nyamo says that has nothing to do with this, but Yukari continues, relating how it caused her to "drag her feet", allowing a junior to go right under her nose. This really freaks Nyamo out.
The two children women start pulling at each other's cheeks for some reason, because Yukari said something she wasn't allowed to say. I guess. As they argue, the poor courier is still standing there, waiting for at least one of them give a stamp of receipt. (Well, in English, it says he needs one of them to "sign for" the package, but...)
Not My Fault
Well, it turns out after all that that the bear broke. A plant, a chair, and a table have been knocked over as well. Yukari suggests going for drinks, and Nyamo agrees.
They walk on. Nyamo wonders if they're going someplace close, or to the station. Yukari is leaving the decision up to the sponsor. Nyamo asks who that might be, in a tone that makes you to know that she knows perfectly well who Yukari intends to be the sponsor. Yukari says it's Nyamo's turn to treat her, but Nyamo wants this bit of nonsense explained. Yukari starts to explain, but Nyamo doesn't want to hear it. Yukari says she'll reciprocate in the future, but Nyamo knows better. Yukari asks when she's ever lied to her, but then notices something and runs in the opposite direction, telling Nyamo to stay there.
As Nyamo is wondering where she's going, a man approaches her, obviously foreign, and proceeds to speak blah-blah. (Or "pera-pera".) Nyamo, flustered, says she'll go get her friend who speaks his language. She looks around, wondering where she got to... but then spots her peeking from behind a building. She yells at Yukari for hiding like that, but Yukari says it was too funny to pass up. Nyamo pushes her in the direction of the foreigner. Yukari starts with Spanish and French before settling on blah-blah. The foreigner seems pleased at this. They start to converse. Nyamo notes that it's almost like Yukari's not stupid. Yukari asks what the P.E. teacher said, and continues conversing. They both laugh, prompting Nyamo to ask what was so funny. Yukari relates that he says P.E. teachers are stupid where he comes from, too. Nyamo tells her to shut up.
So now Yomi and Tomo are walking along when Yomi notices Osaka. Tomo calls to her, and she turns around, says she'll never forget them. Tomo wonders where that came from, and Yomi wonders if she's transferring again. She replies that it's ichiko, ichie, "one life, one meeting", which is expanded in Japanese writing to "To meet only once in one's lifetime; something limited to once in a lifetime." Tomo wonders what she's talking about. Yomi explains that when you meet somebody, it's supposed to be treated like you might not ever see them again. Osaka doesn't really understand it, but she knows to cherish it. Tomo relates it to "shame on the road is written off," shocking Yomi. Osaka thinks that could be fun. Tomo wants to sing at the top of her lungs, and Osaka wants to try slipping on a banana peel. They then shout "Ichiko, ichie!" at each other a few times.
Soon enough, though, a struggle between Yukari and Nyamo passes by. Nyamo tells Yukari something about tomatoes and fruit, but what she says depends on the sub or the dub. The subtitle says Yukari used to think a tomato was a fruit until she got into college, while the dub says she didn't know a tomato was a fruit until then. Not speaking Japanese myself, I don't know how the original dialogue falls. (The apparent real answer? Botanically, it's a fruit, while culinarily, it's a vegetable.) Yukari counters that Nyamo was secretly taking commemorative photos in front of Takeda-sempai's home. It's ancient history, but Yukari loves digging up people's pasts.
The struggle having passed, Tomo is ready to go home. Yomi wonders what happened to singing, but Tomo figures that being able to write it off doesn't mean doing stupid things just because. Yomi thinks that's wise.
Forever and Ever
The scene changes to Yotchan. (I guess they decided to go there after all, then.) Yukari downs some sort of beverage, and says something about that "shame on the road is written off" thing. Nyamo thinks they're still in their neighborhood, but Yukari measures "neighborhood" by the walkable distance in flip-flops. Nyamo lets the definition stand, as she doesn't care that much. Yukari decides that she's won, and that therefore, Nyamo should pay the bill. Yukari tells her not to sweat the small stuff.
Yukari seems to be having trouble picking up a croquette with chopsticks. Nyamo finally lets on to Yukari that she doesn't hold her chopsticks right. (In the manga, it's Kimura-sensei who randomly stops by the table to tell her that. Either way...) Yukari asks about her "shopsticks". Nyamo says that it doesn't work when the chopsticks are parallel: they're supposed to be open in the back. Yukari tries it one way, but it's still not right, so Nyamo gives her a better look. Yukari still doesn't get it right, and starts breaking apart the croquettes. Nyamo demonstrates again, this time by picking up some food with it. She demonstrates again... and again... and again... and again... and again... and again... Yukari's rage builds until she hits Nyamo in the face with her chopsticks. They fall to the floor.
Later, the food is almost gone. Yukari downs another glass and says something about why she's the chicken. Nyamo suggests that she's had a bit too much. Yukari tells the "captain" she'll be fine, and that she must continue until the end. Nyamo wonders what end. Yukari down another drink and clarifies: "EDUCATION!" She goes on to compare it to a yakitori: according to her, she's the meat, and Nyamo is the green onions. Nyamo doesn't get her at all. Yukari says that's what makes Nyamo the stupid one. Nyamo gets irritated at that, and Yukari gives off flowers and sings something about becoming a language (English) teacher in order to marry and get richer. She sinks to the floor, in her happy place. Nyamo becomes concerned that she'll fall asleep there, because she knows what happens when she falls asleep while drunk: sleep-barfing, as Yukari says. Nyamo warns her not to, as she's not her maid. She repeats her warning not to fall asleep. (Say, this is reminding me of the end of episode 2...) Yukari reminds her that she bought the pillow. Nyamo wonders what she's supposed to do with her.
Outside, Nyamo is attempting to support Yukari as she walks. She's trying to get her to walk straight. Yukari goes down to let some food out. (What we see, however, is a white background with the Azumanga Daioh the Animation logo and Chiyo riding Tadakichi-san on it.) Yukari's in a pinch. Nyamo agrees: Yukari always drinks too much, to the same result. She returns to crutch duty. Yukari yells, "Believe in yourself!" (And yours will be the grill that pierces the scallions?) Nyamo decides to get a taxi, but first they have to get to the street. Yukari starts yelling things: "Fire the engines! Damn the torpedos!" (Or "Retro-firing! Volley firing!") Nyamo yells at her to stop it, as we tilt to the night sky...
Next time: Episode 4! Look 4ward to it!
