Paint-Mask (volume)

Paint-Mask (ペンキ仮面, Penki kamen) is volume 1 of the Sket Dance manga.

Chapter 1
"Paint-Mask (ペンキ仮面, Penki kamen)"

Shortly after transferring to Kaimei High School, Teppei comes to the Sket Dan covered in paint and asks for their help in catching the one responsible, who they dub "Paint-Mask." The trio leap into action, going around and questioning students in the area of the incident. They learn that a troublemaker named Jōgasaki had been cleaning walls nearby, and decide to tail him. After Bossun is targeted by Paint-Mask and the group return to the clubroom to compare notes, Bossun utilizes his concentration mode to discern the truth behind the incident.

Chapter 2
"Ape Escape (エイプ・エスケイプ, Eipu Esukeipu)"

Yabasawa asks the Sket Dan to look after her pet monkey, Yeti for the day, but he turns out to be mischievous and perverted. Chū-san calls the trio after he manages to create an explosive potion which he has locked in a baseball-sized sphere, and asks them to dispose of it for him. However, Yeti takes the sphere and bolts, leaving the Sket Dan to chase him throughout the school grounds.

Chapter 3
"The Ghost of the Incinerator (焼却炉の幽霊, Shōkyakuro no yūrei)"

An article in the school newspaper about a ghost being sighted near the incinerator leads to Switch conducting an investigation to prove it doesn't exist. He goes around the school, questioning students about the rumor, while Bossun and Himeko follow after him. When the trio return to the clubroom to go over their information, Bossun has a revelation and uses his concentration mode to verify it. Later, Himeko runs to the newspaper club's room, shouting that the ghost has reappeared. When everyone arrives at the incinerator, reporter Takako is stunned to see the ghost... because, as Bossun reveals, she had staged the article picture herself.

Chapter 4
"Peppermint Samurai (ペパーミント侍, Pepaaminto samurai)"

Shinzō, a self-fashioned modern-day samurai, comes to the Sket Dan to ask for assistance. Since becoming captain of the Kendo Club, his success in matches has plummeted and he wants to recover his former prowess before the upcoming inter-school matches begin. The Sket Dan soon discover that despite him being a samurai, Shinzō is actually very keen on modern conveniences and also relies on eating FRISKE mints to improve his concentration and increase his "battle potential." Though this does, in fact, appear to be true, Shinzō becomes useless when the effect wears off.

Chapter 5
"The Legendary Onihime (伝説の鬼姫, Densetsu no onihime)"

While heading home, Himeko is cornered by a trio of delinquents she had beaten up the previous day and discovers that her usual field hockey stick has been replaced with a Reality Maji toy. Exhausted from a softball request and lacking her usual weapon, Himeko is overpowered and rendered unconscious. When she wakes up, she finds herself tied to a tree and facing the delinquents' leader, a girl named Momoka who calls herself the "Onihime."

Chapter 6
"Onihime and the Crowbar (鬼姫に鉄棒, Onihime ni kanabō)"

As Momoka and Himeko have a verbal confrontation, Himeko's phone goes off. The caller is Bossun, who soon discovers that Himeko is in real trouble. He tries to get Momoka to reveal her and Himeko's location, but is unsuccessful and instead has to rely on his concentration mode to discern their whereabouts. As the tension increases, Momoka attacks her captive with a bat but is stopped by the sudden arrival of Bossun and Switch. Thanks to a Pelollipop Candy and the resturn of her trusty field hockey stick, Himeko is back to her usual self and Momoka realizes that her captive is the real "Onihime."

Chapter 7
"The Prince of the Hill (坂の上の王子様, Saka no ue no ōji-sama)"

Enter Roman, a girl who views the world as if it were a shōjo manga. She asks the Sket Dan to find the "prince" she saw tending to a bedraggled puppy in the rain. As the foursome check out the original scene of the sighting, Roman's description of the puppy leads Bossun to realize that the "prince" she saw was in fact him, with a drenched Pelollipop towel.