Konjiki no Gash!! Chapter 12

**Where is the Book!?** (本はどこに!?, *Hon wa Dokoni!?*) is the 12th chapter of Makoto Raiku's Konjiki no Gash!!. This chapter was originally released in Japan as part of volume 2 on August 9, 2001.

## Plot

Yuta speeds down the hall, angry at Kiyomaro for telling him his legs will never heal. Suzume continues running through the halls, determined to get the book back and cheer up Kiyomaro while Gash runs through a different set of halls, pleading for Yuta to not burn the book. At the same time, Kiyomaro is still being held captive by one of the hospital’s nurses. Gash manages to catch up to Yuta by riding a medical cart, but Gash crashes into a room full of nurses and they all chase after him. While this is happening, Yuta returns his attention to getting away from Gash and burning the book. Simultaneously In order to escape, Kiyomaro feigns understanding to trick the nurse, and grabs Suzume’s nearby fruit. He squirts its juice in the nurse’s eyes, and breaks free from her grip. Kiyomaro runs away from the nurse, but he starts thinking about what she said to him, and realizes earlier had had in fact been a jerk to Yuta. As Suzume’s running, she remembers how she used to admire policewomen when she was a child, and a time she pretended to be one to lead a child from the neighborhood back to her home, but then they both ended up at the police station nearly 20 kilometers away from where they had started. Presently, Suzume finds herself outside the hospital somehow.

Yuta obtains a pair of crutches and is on his way to the elevator to get to the book's hiding place, but Gash is already on the elevator when the doors open. Yuta panics for a moment, but then decides to lie to Gash, telling him the book is missing from where he hid it and that they should split up and look for it. Gash agrees, but wants to stick together with Yuta. Yuta lies that he doesn’t want to burn the book anymore, saying it’s okay if they separate but Gash insists out of concern for Yuta’s safety that they look for the book together. Yuta is surprised someone cares about him like that, and agrees and goes with Gash to look for the book. While Suzume is still outside, a flashback is shown of a younger Suzume leading a lost child home. Along the way, she sees in the river a cat in a box and completely forgets about the child she’s supposed to be taking home. Presently, Suzume is now helping one of the hospital’s young patients by retrieving a balloon from a tree for them.

Kiyomaro finds the linen room but cannot find the book. He reasons the book couldn’t have gone too far, since he wasn’t gone long when he got his juice, and determines it has to be on an adjacent floor. After the rooms he’d already checked, he deduces all that’s left is the roof, so he starts to head there next, when he sees Gash and Yuta. Yuta asks Gash if he thinks his leg will ever heal, to which Gash says he’s sure it will, but Yuta is still worried because he’s seen a lot of patients come and go since he’s been there. Gash remains insistent that Yuta’s leg will heal, and Yuta believes him momentarily before thinking Gash is just trying to be nice. Kiyomaro steps in and confirms to Yuta that his leg will heal no matter what, and apologizes for what he said earlier. Gash adds that all Yuta needs to do is eat three meals a day and then he’ll be able to shoot lightning from his mouth. Kiyomaro tries to get Gash to shut up, but Yuta just laughs and thinks it’s funny.

Now on the rooftop, Yuta has Kiyomaro and Gash close their eyes while he climbs up the ladder and get the book without them overreacting. Yuta tosses the book down and it hits Gash on the head. Kiyomaro and Gash ask Yuta how he got up there, and Yuta explains it’s easy for him since he’s used to the crutches. He tells them he’ll be alright, but a strong breeze knocks Yuta off-balance and he starts to fall. Gash looks to Kiyomaro to do something, and Kiyomaro realizes what’s below the spot where Yuta’s falling. Kiyomaro tells Gash to look at the ground and he casts *Zakeru*. Gash regains consciousness and asks Kiyomaro what he made him do, and he and Kiyomaro run to the new hole in the roof. They find Yuta safe and uninjured atop a pile of linen, as Kiyomaro figured out they were directly above the linen room he’d previously explored. Now back in their room at the hospital, Yuta is eating all of his food. The nurse is pleased that Kiyomaro managed to cheer him up, but Kiyomaro is sure it’s only because Yuta now thinks he’ll be able to shoot lightning from his mouth if he eats well. Kiyomaro is ready to rest, but he spots one of Suzume’s fruits with a face on it and he wonders if he’s forgetting something. Elsewhere in the hospital, the receptionist leads a crying Suzume to her destination.

## Features

### Characters by Appearance

* Yuta Akiyama
* Suzume Mizuno
* Gash Bell
* Kiyomaro Takamine
* Nurse

## VIZ Censorship & Other Localization Differences

* A panel that originally depicts Gash with syringes on his head was edited to remove the syringes in the VIZ localization.