Over where I was reading it, this is called "Yotsuba & Donmai". Yotsuba is on a motorized bicycle (a scary thought!) and wearing a helmet with the goggles up. Her shirt has a "1" on it.
Our story begins with Yotsuba lying across her futon, near the pillow. She awakens, rolls to the end, and stands up with a hearty "OHAYO!" Only, her daddy's not in the room to say it to. She checks the TV room. No daddy. She heads up the stairs (on all fours) to the work room, but stops when she sees her daddy dancing at the top. The moves seem to consist of hopping from one foot to the other while punching the air with the fist on the same side at the foot that's on the ground at the time. "WHAT'S GOIN' ON!? IT'S THE DADDY DANCE!!" She joins him, mirroring his movements. The reason he's dancing is because he just finished a big work project. He takes her in his arms and dashes down the stairs for breakfast.
Yotsuba says the miso soup is good enough for a Nobel Prize. Koiwai says it's well said (or "Yeah right!" over at the online thingy). Yotsuba bumps her drink, knocking it over. Yotsuba overreacts a bit, but Koiwai breaks out the chapter title. Yotsuba doesn't understand it, but seems to pick up that it's something positive. Koiwai explains it, they say it to each other, and then Koiwai hands her a rag and tells her to clean it up.
After their good meal, Koiwai tells Yotsuba that he hasn't slept much recently, and got no sleep yesterday. "So Daddy's about to pass out." He lies on his futon and tells Yotsuba, "The rest is... in your... hands..." which sounds like he's dying or something, but consider an alternate rendering: "Do whatever you want." Yotsuba says she'll let Daddy hinerba... hiberaber... hibanate... ...hi... SLEEP!! (And if we're going with the idea of those being Mind-Control Eyes, here's a good shot for it.) He drowsily asks her to be quiet.
Yotsuba goes to her Yotsubox (Yo-tsu-ba-ko) and, getting the idea to make it look cool, empties it. (There's the squirt gun and the bug cage, both from other chapters.) She starts drawing "Juralumin" when she hears the gatebell. Thinking it might be Jumbo, she opens the door to find... a man from the newspaper. Yotsuba asks who he is. He asks about her parents being home, and she cheerfully replies that there's a daddy here, but no mommy. He asks if she can get him; the answer is "NO." He responds with an "EEH!?", but she "shhh!"s him, and goes back inside.
She examines her finished Juralumin picture, and is considering her options for more drawings (a cicada or a cake?) when the phone rings. She answers, but it's a wrong number. Yotsuba breaks out the chapter title, confusing the caller, but she explains it, and hangs up. She checks on Daddy, who's still sleeping, and covers him with a blanket.
Then she gets an idea. She brings her box up, and draws his picture on it. She decides to add a beard and mustache to the picture. Then she has a really great idea: give Daddy a mustache and beard! She does so, then gives him a black nose and rings around his eyes. She shakes with laughter, still not waking him up.
Then she realizes that she might get yelled at. She tries rubbing the marker off with a cloth, but it doesn't work. She goes to the Ayases.
Once there, she (apparently) asks Fuuka how to get rid of magic marker. She asks what Yotsuba drew on, and Yotsuba answers. Visible Silence, broken with the explanation that he was sleeping.
Fuuka thinks she remembers a household hint she saw on TV. Use mayonnaise, and wipe it off! She dashes off, just in time for Ena to notice. She asks Fuuka about it, and Fuuka explains why she was there, and gives her solution from what she remembered. Ena, however, remembers that the solution was butter. Beat Panel.
Yotsuba, meanwhile, is taking Fuuka's erroneous advice. It's not very effective. After some thought, she yells the chapter title, and she lies down with daddy. Aww.
The last page is a sketch of Yotsuba and her daddy carrying bags, Koiwai still with the marker on his face.
Next time: I'll probably do chapter 12!
