On the front cover of volume 5, Yotsuba is viewed through an open train door, standing wearing a Kodomo Usagi shirt, a hat, shorts, shoes, a backpack, and a swim ring. On the back is a cardboard robot with Yotsuba standing beside her, pointing forward and holding a coin purse.
Inside, Yotsuba, clad as on the front cover, is running off the edge of the page...
...and onto the table of contents.
Someone says "Hello!" The next panel shows Miura entering a house. The Ayase mother greets her and invites her in. Miura thanks her, and Mrs. Ayase calls up to Ena, letting her know Miura's here. She asks Miura if she's working on her project again. Miura says yes, and that it'll be finished today. Mrs. Ayase asks if she's going to wear it home, but Miura says she'd be too embarrassed. Mrs. Ayase can't wait to see it, and wants to be shown when it's done.
The chapter image is of Miura and Yotsuba. Miura is wearing a girlish dress with a patchwork skirt, and carrying a basket. She's blushing unhappily. Yotsuba is wearing a boyish suit and looking at her as if wondering, "Wow, what's wrong with her?"
At the Koiwai home, Yotsuba watches her father. She asks if he never gets tired of working, and says she's going next door. Koiwai points out that she never gets tired of going next door. Yotsuba calls it her job, so her father tells her it can't be helped, not to bother them, and also to have a safe commute. Yotsuba doesn't know "commute", so Koiwai explains it: to go to work.
Yotsuba leaves with a yell of "Commute!" In the Ayase home, she greets the mother with an "Afternoon, Boss!" and asks about the Ayase daughters. Asagi and Fuuka are out, it seems, but Ena's upstairs. Yotsuba ascends the stairs while Mrs. Ayase puzzles over being called "Boss". She hears Ena and Miura in Ena's room, and Ena saying something looks good, and is really cute. Yotsuba opens the door with an "Ena! Commute!" and finds Ena and... a robot? Yotsuba gains target eyes, and the robot notices her. Yotsuba closes the door partway, but peeks around it. She realizes she's forgotten her gun. Ena tells her it's okay, so, still unsure, she enters again. However, she moves to the corner farthest from the robot, and asks if the robot is one. It raises its left arm to the side, Prompting Yotsuba to say that it moved. Then it raises its right arm to the other side. Then it comes toward her and gives her a noogie with the end of its arm. Ena hits the back of the robot and tells Yotsuba that it's okay; the robot is a friend. Yotsuba questions this, and the robot says that it is, prompting Yotsuba to say that it spoke.
Yotsuba asks if there's a person in there. After a pause, the robot says there isn't, and tells Yotsuba to come to it and look at the side of its head. Yotsuba finds a switch, which the robot says humans don't have. It asks if she wants to flip it, so she does. Light shines from the eyeholes, and Yotsuba points this out, too. The robot points out that humans don't have that, either, and has Yotsuba turn it off. Yotsuba accepts that the robot is one, and is understandably awed. Then she starts punching it in the chest, making it ask her what she thinks she's doing. Yotsuba thinks that it's strong because it's a robot, and being hit is no problem. The robot nervously says it's no problem, so Yotsuba starts hitting it again, prompting it to tell her to stop that, as it'll break. Miura, inside, is concerned about her homework being ruined. Ena tells Yotsuba that it's a computer, so she can't go hitting it. Yotsuba mentions her dad's computer, and says he gets mad if she touches it. Ena says it's like that. The robot says she shouldn't go hitting things, but that when it fights for real, it's super strong. Yotsuba asks if that means it has weapons. It says it has missiles. Yotsuba asks if the missiles are awesome, and it says they're shock and awe. Yotsuba is ready to be friends with the robot, and the robot accepts.
Yotsuba asks its name. Miura considers, and comes up with a name relating to the cardboard used to make it: Danbo in the original and preserved in the Yen Press version, but Cardbo in the ADV Manga version. (I'll be using Danbo unless the version I have trips me up.) Yotsuba says the name. Yotsuba tries to have Danbo sit, but it starts to say that robots can't sit down, then amends that to "don't". (Meanwhile, Ena starts hiding evidence that it's not really a robot.) Yotsuba asks where it came from. It replies that it came from a country far away across the ocean. Yotsuba says she came from her Grandma's house, which was also far, and before that, from somewhere so far she had to take a plane. She then asks Danbo if it flew here, and if it can fly. It says it does, and flew there today. Also that it raced a jumbo jet and won, but downplays it. Yotsuba is impressed, anyway.
Yotsuba asks where it gets its power from when it's flying, and if it has a really long cord. Danbo says she worries about pretty strange things, but goes on to explain that it doesn't run on electricity, as it's an environmentally friendly robot. Ena pats its head and says that's very important, calling it a good robot. The robot points out the slot on its chest. Yotsuba asks if you put money in there. It says yes, it runs on money. It compares it to those rides you put 100 yen in to make them work. Ena sweatdrops at this explanation. The robots behaves as though it's losing power, and asks for money. Yotsuba doesn't have any, so she asks Ena, who offers the use of her coin purse. Yotsuba puts in what she identifies as 100 yen. (I say that because even a high schooler can make a mistake in that department, and this girl's not in school yet. The robot seems excited about the influx of energy, but Ena has a thought. She goes up to the robot and:
- Ena: (quietly) You're going to give that back later, right?Miura: (quietly) Sorry. Once you put it in, there's no getting it back.Ena: (maybe not quite as quietly) What?!
Danbo continues moving its arms, then stops and sighs. Miura asks if she can take the costume off, as it's really hot. Ena tells her she can't destroy Yotsuba's dreams. Miura complains about it being hot again, so Ena turns up the A/C full blast. Danbo (judging from the font, though that might have been a mistake) asks what happened to "environmentally friendly", but Ena says Yotsuba's dreams are more important. Danbo isn't so sure.
Later, Danbo is telling Yotsuba that its maker won the Nobel Prize. Just then, Mrs. Ayase comes in with cream puffs and unidentified drinks with lumps on top that I never noticed until this reading. Yotsuba says "Yaay! Me!" for some reason. Then Mrs. Ayase notices Danbo, and calls it "so cute". Yotsuba and Danbo introduce it, and Mrs. Ayase says it's really well done, and takes a picture of it with Ena and Yotsuba, then leaves, telling them to have fun.
Close-up on the cream puffs as someone — Yotsuba at minimum — identifies them. Yotsuba suddenly wonders why there are three, realizing that Danbo can't eat. Uh-oh. Yotsuba says robots can't eat cream puffs, and thinks Mrs. Ayase made a mistake. Ena concurs, saying the only thing robots can eat is money. Yotsuba offers to eat the spare, which Ena is okay with. (Ena lost 100 yen to sustain Yotsuba's dreams, so I guess that's fair...? Still, it would have been nice to save it "in case Miura comes over." Also, on closer inspection, that lump might be ice.)
After watching Yotsuba polish off her cream puff, Miura can't take it anymore, and starts to remove Danbo's head. Ena sees, and runs her into the wall.
- Ena: What's that, (Danbo)? You're going home?! Oh, my! That's too bad! Aww..."Danbo": Huh?Ena: (quietly) If you want to take that off, you can do it at home."Danbo": Huh?
Upon hearing that Danbo is leaving, Yotsuba says she should stay a little longer. Danbo says it's home is far away, so it should be going now, and also, it's out of money. Yotsuba gives it more of Ena's money, but Ena is less approving this time. Danbo guesses it can stay a little longer, but Ena says its mom and dad are waiting, which Yotsuba accepts upon the promise of its return when it runs out of money. It leaves Ena's room, telling Yotsuba she doesn't have to see it off. It waddles down the stairs, and Yotsuba asks if it's ok, but it says it's fine. It leaves the house with a "See you again." A few steps outside, Miura goes to take the head off, but Yotsuba comes out. Danbo tells her she really doesn't have to see her off. Danbo leaves through the gate, and after a few steps, finds Yotsuba watching again. She walks away, surprising a cyclist, and looks back again. Yep, still watching. Looks like she's going to do what Mrs. Ayase asked if she was going to do after all.
In the sky, a plane flies. Normally, this would just indicate the passage of time, but...
Miura enters Ena's room, this time without the Danbo costume. Yotsuba, holding a teddy bear, tells her how she missed an awesome robot that went wooosh and flew off. (Probably that plane.) "It was (Danbo)!" Yotsuba, holding the teddy bear by its ankles now, reiterates that it flew off, and says it was great. Ena, holdimg another teddy bear, concurs. Miura asks if there are more cream puffs.
The end-of-chapter image is Miura storing Danbo's body in its head.
Next time: Chapter 29!
