Hunter x Hunter 274

Note about this chapter: The gender of Nefelpitou has been an oft-debated topic for many HxH fans, since the character looks very effeminate, but uses "Boku" to refer to itself, which is a decidedly masculine word. In the Japanese text whenever the narrator talks about Pitou, it always snakes around using gender-specific vocabulary and therefore us fans have never had a definitive answer to the question. In my previous translations, I've used he, as that seemed to be the consensus. After this chapter, though, I think I'm leaning toward Pitou being female. There are instances in other manga (and fiction altogether) of females using masculine pronouns for themselves, so I'm willing to excuse that, especially with the new proof we're given in this chapter.

I'd like clear this up if possible, though, so after reading this, if anyone has any good ideas or possible clues as to what gender Pitou truly is, reply to the thread and let me know what you think. Anyway, sorry for cluttering up the top of this -- enjoy another great chapter.

HUNTER X HUNTER #274

tl by molokidan

01)
Black: At last, face to face with his bitter enemy!!

Box: None of Gon's words
Box: Reached Pitou.
B: At that moment,
B: all of the cells within Pitou's head
B: were devoted to figuring out
B: how to overcome this situation as well as follow the King's orders.

02)
No. 274 - Answer

03)
P: Protect Komugi.
P: No matter what...!!!

04)
K: Strange...
K: Killua, who was a step behind Gon, noticed the abnormality.
K: Why, despite being right in front of us,
K: isn't she in a stance prepared to fight?
K: Protected only by a thin aura...
K: virtually naked!
K: In other words, completely defenseless!!
K: Does she really think she can win...?
K: Without even relying on her aura...
K: No!! That can't be.
K: The aura swelling from Gon is different than before!!

05)
K: No matter how powerful Pitou is,
K: she can't possibly fight against that while being completely defenseless...!!
K: Which means...
K: the space in-between?
K: But at a range like that, even if the opponent had some trick prepared,
K: I'm confident that the invocation of enough nen would still allow for a pre-emptive strike...!!
K: That can mean only one thing.
K: But...why!? I can't see that at all...!!
K: But...that's it.
K: Yes, that stance is just like...

06)
K: a mother's...!!!
K: Just like she's volunteering her body out to protect something weaker....!!
K: That's impossible...she's...!! She's not kind of person!!

07)
K: But...
K: Then why did Grandpa
Z: Judge what's happening inside for yourselves.
K: mention such a suggestive phrase...?
B: While Killua was desperately arguing with his own intuition,
B: in Gon's eyes,
B: the figure of the girl lying down
B: and the broken body of Kaito
B: were overlapped.

08)
sfx: gyuru gyuru

09)
G: Get away
G: from that person.
G: I said, get yourself and that monster
G: away from her, right now!!!
G: And...
G: fight me!!
G: Fight me,
G: and bring Kaito--

10)
B: Her open palms
B: were a gesture made with all her might to show that she bore no malice.
B: Killua knew that.
P: I beg you.
P: Please wait...

11)
G: Get serious!!!
G: What do you want me to wait for?!?!
G: Stand!!!!
G: Let's go outside!!!
B: Pitou's unthinkable lack of resistance left Gon lacking any means by which to strike the hammer of his emotions.
B: Meanwhile,
B: Killua was in the process of grasping the situation -- which was...

12)
Z: What happens afterwards is of no concern to me.
K: That means there were conditions he wasn't informed of!!
K: Grandpa sent down the dragon without knowing anything...!!
K: His job was most likely
K: just to use "Dragon Drive" and "Dragon Head" in order to separate the King from the Royal Guards.
K: What he didn't know
K: was that she was here.
K: No...I bet this girl is
K: that "third being" that none of us were aware of!!
K: This is just a hunch, but -- she's also the reason the King hurt

himself...!!
K: Why would he do such an irregular thing...!?
K: ...that's because to the King, she is
K: "special."
K: Right now,
K: she isn't being taken apart...

13)
K: She's being healed
K: by the orders of the King...!!!
K: Pitou's healing ability doesn't only keep her from using "En,"
K: it also requires her to concentrate all of her aura onto the target!!
B: To Gon what could only be interpreted as a negative outcome,
B: was keenly realized by Killua.
K: What should I do?!
K: What should I say...!?

14)
K: Go...
P: Anything!!
P: I'll do anything you say!!
P: So please wait.
P: I...

15)
P: I absolutely must
P: save this human!!
G: Save...?
G: Save...what?

16)
K: Anything? By "anything," do you mean--
G: Killua.
G: I'm doing the talking here.
G: Has to save her...?
G: What?
B: Komugi's life depended on her next answer,
B: but she didn't know exactly what to say.
B: And so, in this atmosphere, strained to its utmost limits,
P: This human is...
B: the answer Pitou chose was

17)
P: of importance to
B: was not a lie.
P: the one who is of importance to me.
P: Since this human has been here, His Majesty...His Mjaesty--
P: If this human dies, His Majesty will...
P: no longer be His Majesty.
P: It's to that extent...therefore,
P: If I must save her...
P: then so be it.

18)
P: After I finish healing her,
P: I will do as you say...!!
P: Therefore
P: please wait...
G: You want
G: to save her?
G: Must save her...?
G: Means she is saving her?
B: Gon
G: Haa...
G: Hah.

19)
G: How can you say...
G: such a selfish thing...
B: fought
G: So selfish.....!!!
B: with all his might.
Black (right): What he could only see as one with which to fight,
G: Dammit...!
Black(left): and himself...
Slanted black text: Swaying!!!