Nerune and Tsumune 

This is the mysterious world of the Gunma Prefecture, where talking animals and humans live together in harmony.
Situated there is Safari City, where many animals live happily every day.

Gunma Prefecture is home to two famous weathercasters.
One is Tsumune, a veteran whose reliable forecasts and cheerful personality are a huge hit with viewers.
The other is Nerune, a clumsy, hopelessly airheaded rookie.
The two have a senior-junior relationship, and Tsumune has been looking after Nerune as his mentor.

“Oh, come on! You’ve made another weird mistake! Today’s high isn’t 60 degrees, it’s 24! 60 is the humidity! You’d figure that out if you just thought about it for a second!”
“Haha. You’re right. If it were that hot, we’d all dry up.”
“Seriously, you’re something else…”

Exchanges like this happened all the time, and Tsumune was at their wits’ end with Nerune, who just wouldn’t seem to grow up.
Ignoring his troubled senior, Nerune didn’t feel bad at all.
Then, one day…
As usual, Nerune had made a mistake and been scolded by Tsumune. Showing no sign of remorse whatsoever, he was on his way home, humming cheerfully to himself.

(Hmm, what should I have for dinner today? Maybe some bread? Or rice…? The melon bread from Panta-kun’s shop sounds good too…)

Perhaps because he was walking without looking ahead while lost in thought?
Nerune accidentally tripped over something.

“Whoa!? Some meanie must have left a pebble right here… …Oh well, whatever. Time for food!”

Nerune didn’t even glance at what he’d kicked and kept walking.
Unbeknownst to him, that pebble was staring intently at his retreating figure…

A few days later…
Amid the bitter cold, Gunma Prefecture’s signature karakkaze began to rage. To deliver weather forecasts and safety warnings to the residents, Tsumune and Nerune were holding a meeting.

“Senpai. It’s going to pour tomorrow, right?”
“No. That’s completely wrong, Nerune… Tomorrow, watch out for dryness! …The karakkaze will get stronger, so it’s going to be a day where you have to be careful about skin irritation and washing your hands and gargling.”
“I see. So, watch out for skin irritation. If I leave it to you, Senpai, there won’t be any problems. Haha.”
“You need to be able to predict this much on your own! Now, write down what I just said!”
“O-okay.”

With a listless reply, Nerune began jotting down the forecast Tsumune had told him.

(Soooo… Tomorrow is- oh, that’s right, it’s the release for that manga. Hehe, I’m so excited. It’s gonna be a cheerful day.)

“Alright, I’m done. It’s almost time for the recording, so I’m off~”
“I-I wonder… if it’s really going to be okay…”

Tsumune had a bad feeling about this, and unfortunately, their premonition came true.
Believe it or not, Tsumune gave an unbelievable forecast during the live broadcast.

“Soooo… Tomorrow you’ll have a fun day that’ll put you in a cheerful mood~. The weather will be cheerful, too~”

The next day…
As expected, Nerune’s rough forecast was completely off, and the TV station was flooded with furious complaints. But Nerune just laughed, with no shame.

“I just read it exactly as it was written in my notes. Looks like I wrote something weird~. Oh, I’m heading out now. I have to go buy some manga.”
“Hey, wait a minute!! Nerune~~~!!”

Unfazed by his senior’s angry shout, Nerune left the TV station.
Afterward, having bought the manga he wanted, he showed absolutely no sign of remorse.

“I’m gonna read this at my leisure~ I’m so excited~”

The memory of his mistakes had already slipped completely from Nerune’s mind. Just then, a signboard carried by a strong wind suddenly flew straight toward his clueless head.

“Ouch!! Eeeh… Now I’m not so excited.”

Rubbing his sore head, Nerune headed home. Behind him lay the pebble he had kicked a few days earlier…

A while later, on a certain winter day…
Tsumune sensed that heavy snow was likely to fall on the other side of Mount Akagi, and predicted that the weather in the plains of Takasaki and Fujioka would be dry and clear.
They relayed this information to Nerune, but…

“Hmm, hmm. I see. You really are the expert, Senpai~”
“…Did you really understand that?”
“Absolutely! Well then, I’m off to the recording studio right away~”

Watching Nerune run off to the studio with a giddy laugh, Tsumune had that bad feeling again. And once again, their premonition proved to be spot on.

“Soooo… Tomorrow in Gunma Prefecture, the weather will be dry and clear all over!”

Nerune had only heard the part about “dry and clear weather” from Tsumune’s explanation.
Sure enough, his sloppy forecast was way off, and heavy snow began to fall.
Complaints flooded in from viewers who had trusted Nerune’s forecast, throwing the TV station into complete chaos.
But Nerune, the cause of the whole mess, has vanished without even apologizing.

“Nerune~~~!! Where did you go?! Come out here right now~~~!”

Tsumune shouts so loudly the building shakes, but Nerune doesn’t come out. And no wonder. At that very moment, he was outside playing in the snow.

“Hahaha. I did it again. But it’d be a waste of time to get down about it, right? It’s snowing so much. It’d be a waste not to play.”

Nerune is in high spirits as he builds a snowman, but his feet slip on the frozen ground, and he takes a grand tumble.

“Ouch… Hmm, that’s weird. I feel like I’ve been getting hurt a lot lately… Oh well. Snowman, snowman~”

Nerune starts playing in the snow again. But he hadn’t noticed.
That right next to him lay the pebble he had kicked away that other day…

It happened during a recording session one day. For some reason, Nerune suddenly started blowing bubbles.
He winked at the perplexed staff and Tsumune, who was watching the scene unfold.

“Hehe, today, for a change, I’m going to do the weather forecast while putting on a show~”
“Nerune… you…”

Tsumune was moved by Nerune’s performance.
Lately, the weather forecasts have been consistently inaccurate, causing the duo’s ratings to plummet.
In response, Nerune had finally felt a sense of responsibility and had been trying various things to contribute in some way.
Although their approach to improvement was different, Tsumune sensed a small sign of growth in Nerune. However, that sense of admiration quickly vanished…

“Look, look!Take a look! The soap bubbles are swirling, aren’t they beautiful? Hehe, maybe a tornado will happen today, just like this~? Just kidding~”

The moment Nerune started to say that while blowing soap bubbles, two massive tornadoes actually formed right next to him, one on each side.

“W-what the heck! Everyone, run! Quick!”

Though confused by the sudden turn of events, Tsumune gave precise evacuation instructions and ensured the staff’s safety.
Having managed to get everyone out of the tornado’s path unharmed, they breathed a sigh of relief, only to realize Nerune was nowhere to be seen.
Panicking, Tsumune looked back toward the tornado and saw that Nerune had been sucked into its vortex.

“Waaaaaah!!”
“The overwhelming destructive vacuum created between two tornadoes is truly a microcosm of a gear-like storm…! Wait, this isn’t the time for that! Neruneeeee!!”

To save Nerune, who had been swept up by the tornado and was being spun around like a top, Tsumune dashes forward.
Nearby, a pebble was glowing mysteriously.

It happened one day, as the winter chill began to ease and the weather turned mild enough for flowers to start blooming.
To let viewers know that pollen was starting to fly, Tsumune and Nerune were filming outside.

“This year, you see… I think there’s going to be way more pollen flying around than usual. So, everyone with hay fever, please be careful and don’t take off your masks.”

Unlike before, Nerune was giving a proper forecast. The entire staff and Tsumune breathed a sigh of relief, thinking that this time, Nerune had finally delivered a reliable forecast.
But…

“However, everyone… Have you ever seen pollen? I figured some of you might not have, so here it is! I brought some along~”

Suddenly, Nerune pulled out a branch from a cedar tree.

“Oh no, he’s up to something weird again!!”

Tsumune tried to stop him, but it was too late.
Nerune innocently waved the branch around, scattering pollen all over the studio.

“Look, look! Take a look. This is pollen, you see~”
“Achoo! Achoo! Hey! S-stop it, Nerune! We all have hay fever!”
“It’s okay~. I don’t have hay fever~”
“You are not listening- Achoo! H-hurry up, hurry up and stop it~~~!!”
“Well, I thought I was doing the right thing… Alright, I’ll stop right- Achoo! H-hey? Achoo! T-that’s weird, did I just catch hay fever too?”

Holding the branch, Nerune sneezes dramatically. The force of it sends even more pollen flying from the branch, and soon everyone present has a mess of tears and snot all over their faces.

And so, as time passed, the rainy season arrived in Gunma Prefecture.
Amid the endless days of humidity and gloom, the residents were all fed up, but Nerune the frog was in high spirits.

“Wow, with all this rain, the water’s pooling up, so I’ll be able to boil up a whole lot of mizusawa udon! I wish it would just keep raining forever!”

He even blurted something like that out during a recording session.
And his carefree remark drew the ire of the residents.
As usual, complaints about Nerune flooded into the TV station, and Tsumune lectured him with a sigh.

“Listen. You really need to cut it out… How could you say something like that on live TV…”
“But that’s really what I thought! You like rain too, don’t you, Senpai?”
“Well… I am a snail. I don’t hate it. But listen, Nerune. Not everyone living in this prefecture is a frog or a snail, you know? You need to be more considerate.”
“Hmm. Even so, I still really hope the rain continues. It just puts me in a good mood…”
“Y-you are so self-centered…”

Tsumune looked utterly exasperated, but Nerune just laughed and showed no sign of remorse.
But after a while, his delighted expression began to cloud over.

“W-why…? It’s been raining for a whole month…?”
“I don’t know… Isn’t it because you said something so careless…?”

Ever since he’d made that sloppy forecast, the rain had been falling nonstop.
Even though Nerune was a frog, he was starting to get fed up.

“Ugh, enough already! I never want to see rain again! Just stop it already!”

As Nerune shouted that, the pebble nearby glinted in the light…

“Ugh, enough already! I never want to see rain again! Just stop it already!”

As Nerune shouted that, the pebble nearby glinted in the light…
Suddenly, the rain stopped, the gloomy clouds vanished, and the sun peeked out.

“Huh? This is a bit beyond natural disasters. What’s going on…?”

Tsumune was puzzled by the sudden turn of events. But Nerune didn’t seem to care at all; he was skipping along.

“Who cares about stuff like that, Senpai♪ Look, look, the rain stopped! Good morning, Sunshine~♪”
“You really are carefree. But I guess we’re saved, after all…”

But that thought didn’t last long. To their surprise, a month-long drought followed.
With no rain and relentless, scorching heat, Nerune and Tsumune, a frog and a snail, found their stamina completely drained.

“Phew, phew… I did say I never wanted to see rain again… but if these hot days keep up, we’re going to dry right up~~~!”
“Uuuugh. Why is it that your forecast is always wrong, but when you say something reckless, it actually comes true?! Thinking back, it was the same with the tornado! This must be happening because you keep saying all sorts of nonsense! Do something about it!”
“Okay, fine. I’ll go ahead and make up some more nonsense then~ I don’t want to see the sun ever again! Hurry up and get cloudy! Let’s just get the rainy season started already~~~!”

Nerune shouts this, but the weather doesn’t change one bit.
Under the intense sunlight, Nerune and Tsumune gradually begin to dry up…

Under the blazing sun, Nerune kept spouting random forecasts.
But the weather showed no signs of breaking, and Nerune and Tsumune slumped their shoulders in disappointment.

“Why is it always like this… Why don’t your forecasts ever come true when I want them to? Everything always turns out for the absolute worst!”
“E-even if you say that… Sigh… It’s so hot, my head’s starting to feel fuzzy…”

The heat was so intense that the two of them were staggering. Then, they noticed something cold hitting their bodies.

“I-is this… rain!? It’s rain, Nerune! Look, it’s starting to rain!”
“R-really!? Woohoo, we did it! Now we won’t turn into dried fish after all…”

The two laugh with joy, but their smiles quickly fade.
That’s because the rain that had just started falling began to turn into hail, hitting at them.

“Ow, ow, ow! We don’t need hail! Do something, Senpai~~~!”
“W-well, there’s no way I can do anything about-“

Tsumune’s scream was cut off by a deafening roar. Right before their eyes, a massive hailstone, so large it could be mistaken for a boulder, came crashing down.
And it wasn’t just one or two. Like a meteor shower, a massive downpour rained down on them.

“Yaaaaaah! S-senpai~~~!!”
“L-l-let’s get out of here!!”

In a panic, the two of them fled from the hail.

Nerune and Tsumune were desperately running to escape the massive hailstones raining down on them.
However, after running for a while, the hail suddenly stopped.

“W-we’re safe…?”

Just as Tsumune muttered that, thunders began to crash down with a deafening roar.

“N-now we have thunders~~~!! What the heck~~~!!”

Gunma Prefecture is indeed a region known for frequent thunderstorms; so much so that there’s even a saying: “Thunders and Karakkaze, duty and humanity.”
But the lightning currently attacking Nerune and Tsumune was no ordinary storm. It had a clear target, striking directly at the duo as they fled.

“What is this lightning?! This is way beyond extreme weather!!”
“But we should be able to dodge them with a lightning rod. I think dodging them about 200 times might bring us some good luck. What do you think, Senpai?”
“I don’t know! Why are you saying such carefree things at a time like this?! Come on, run faster!”

And so, after the two of them kept running for several hours, the lightning finally subsided.

“Well, this is definitely weird… Being involved with you never leads to anything good!! The weather forecast was way off, and I even feel like the weather is trying to kill us!! Hey, did you do something?”
“Huh? Do something…? I didn’t do a thing~… Wait, what? This…”

Then, Nerune noticed a pebble lying nearby.

“Huh? Why is the pebble I kicked back then here…”

Muttering to himself, Nerune picked up the pebble. When Tsumune saw it, their face turned pale.

“Y-you… t-that…”
“Huh? Is there something wrong with this pebble?”
“That’s not a pebble!” T-that’s… the head of the Weather God!!”
“What!? T-this is the Weather God!?”
“You said you kicked it just now, didn’t you? H-how disrespectful… Unforgivable… I will never forgive you…! You don’t even realize you did something wrong…! That’s the absolute worst thing you could’ve done…”

Tsumune spoke with quiet fury, glaring at Nerune.

After that, Nerune was scolded thoroughly by Tsumune. However, Nerune remained somewhat skeptical.

“Is that really a god? I can’t believe it. It’s just a head.”
“It’s because you kicked it that the head got knocked off, isn’t it!? Come on, let’s hurry back and put it back where it belongs! And you’d better apologize properly there! Got it?”
“Ugh… Fine, I get it~”

Nerune nodded reluctantly and set off with Tsumune to apologize to the Weather God.
However, something seemed off outside. Unbelievably, a typhoon had formed, and the weather had turned absolutely wild.

“A, a, a typhoon!? That’s ridiculous! There was no forecast for this!”
“Actually, isn’t this typhoon only happening around us?”

The two cautiously looked around. Sure enough, just as they’d predicted, the sky a little further away was clear; the stormy weather was confined only to the area around them.

“T-this has to be a curse! It must be! Come on, let’s go apologize right away!”
“Y-yes…!”

Nerune must have finally grasped the gravity of the situation. With a more serious expression than usual, he nodded.
Then the two of them grabbed their umbrellas and tried to set off, despite being battered by the fierce rain and wind.
But suddenly, a violent gale swept through, and Nerune and Tsumune were blown away into the distance.

“Nooooooo!!”
“Waaaaaaaa!! I-I’m sorryyyyyyyyyyy!! Gooooood! Forgive meeeeeee!!”

Overwhelmed by the sudden turn of events, Nerune screamed words of apology from the bottom of his heart.
Then, the storm stopped abruptly, and the two of them fell into a nearby rice paddy.

“Ouch…!”

Relieved to be free from the raging storm, yet stunned by the impact of the fall, the two lost consciousness.
And after some time had passed…

“W-where… am I…?”

Nerune woke up in a hospital room. The TV crew had heard the commotion and rescued him and Tsumune.
As Nerune breathed a sigh of relief, he noticed the head of the god’s statue placed by his pillow.

“E-eek! I’ll put it back right away! God, I’m sooo sorry!”

Screaming in terror, Nerune immediately grabbed the head of the god statue and bolted out of the hospital room.
When he reached the spot where the statue had originally stood, he placed the head on the headless statue. Then, strangely enough, the head snapped right back into place.

“I’m sorry. I’m truly sorry. From now on, I’ll work hard and be good. God, I’m sorry.”

While uttering words of apology, Nerune desperately polished the statue until it shone brightly.
After a while, the overcast sky cleared, and a ray of light enveloped Nerune.
When Nerune glanced at the god, he seemed to be smiling gently.

“D-did… you forgive me…? Oh, thank you! Thank you, God!!”

Nerune bowed his head before the statue of the god, tears streaming down his face.
And so, at last, Nerune was forgiven by the Weather God.

Perhaps because Nerune received the Weather God’s forgiveness, the accuracy of his forecasts has skyrocketed.
Viewers are thrilled with his spot-on forecasts! He has earned everyone’s respect and become a popular weathercaster.
Seeing Nerune grow so steadily, Tsumune looks deeply moved.

“That carefree, irresponsible kid… Sniff, he’s become so impressive…”
“It’s all thanks to you, Senpai. I look forward to your continued guidance♪”
“Hehehe, the pleasure is all mine.”
“Well, I’ll be going now.”
“Oh, are you going out?”
“Hehe, I got my bonus, so I bought a car. I thought I’d go for a little drive.”
“Oh, that’s wonderful. Be careful out there.”
“Okay♪”

With a cheerful reply, Nerune left the TV station. He got into his luxury car and set off for a drive. Feeling on top of the world, Nerune’s excitement grew.

“The R badge on the rear side is the symbol of invincibility♪ Can you keep up with my R?”

…Saying things like that, he drove along the prefectural road that ran alongside the rice paddies.

“Hehehe, the wind feels so nice. If you work hard enough, you can even buy a car like this. I’m going to work even harder as a weathercaster~♪”

Nerune was driving along, humming to himself, when suddenly, he scraped his car against something.

“Huh? Did I hit something… Well, I’m probably just imagining things!”

With a carefree laugh, Nerune drove off, leaving the scene.
He hadn’t realized it.
That what he’d scraped against was a pebble glaring at him with a terrifying expression…

…And so begins the second act of Nerune’s eventful life as a weather forecaster, but that’s a story for another time.

• I used they/them for Tsumune because it’s a snail

• In the original text of ep.2 and ep.3, they swapped Nerune and Tsumune’s names in some parts. I fixed that in the translation

• Karakkaze refers to a kind of strong, dry wind that occurs in the Kanto region of Japan. The actual Gunma Prefecture is famous for its karakkaze in winter

• Mizusawa udon is typical of the actual Gunma Prefecture. It’s considered one of Japan’s “Three Great Udons”

• Ep.9 title: according to a Japanese superstition, if you don’t cover your belly button during a thunderstorm, Raijin (the god of thunder) will take you away and eat you

• Ep.11: the R badge is a reference to a quote by Takeshi Nakazato from Initial D *eurobeat noises*