Hell Teacher Nube 28

The care-taking of animals is a major responsibility, but sometimes responsibilities take a dark turn. When Makoto ends up encountering a small youkai animal in the wake of tragedy, he may be releasing something worse on everyone!

#28: The Three Animals Murder!
(TN: The title uses the term “san-biki”, with “biki” in reference to a kanji which is used as a counter for small animals. The proper title would probably be “The Trio Murders!”, but it would lose the emphasis of what those “three” are…though considering you can see who these ‘murderers’ are on the cover, I doubt it’s too much of a mystery)

90.
Miki: Hyaa—what a cruel wind!
Kyouko: it’s because spring has come and it’s quickly becoming warm.
Miki: KYA
SFX: BYUU | PIRA | OOH—
Miki: Ondoriya—perverted wind! What have you exposed, hey— (UGA~~)
Hiroshi: It’s because you’re wearing that short skirt.
Hiroshi: ?
Kyouko: Owowow

91.
Kyouko: That wind now…hit…my leg…
SFX: BAKKURI!
Hiroshi: EEH!?
Nube: Hmmm…this was the deed of the “kamaitachi”.
(TN: We’ll find out a bit more about them but the literal translation of them is “sickle weasel”…though “itachi” could actually be for any sort of mustelid creature like a weasel, skunk, ermine or mink…and though the little guy reminds me a bit of an ermine, I’ll just keep it as “sickle weasel”)
Kyouko: Kamaitachi?
Nube: “Kamaitachi” are three weasel youkai. They freely manipulate the wind and can come to any place.
Nube: The father weasel knocks people down, the mother weasel cuts with her sickle and runs away.
Nube: But the wound is plugged up and blood doesn’t quite come out since it’s covered by medicine quickly by the child weasel. They like mischief, but they’re never bad beings that cause major wounds.
Jar: KUSURI (MEDICINE)

92.
Akira: That’s superstition. In truth, it’s cut by a vacuum created by a whirlwind.
Nube: It seems as such by human eyes. But the raiser of the whirlwind is the Kamaitachi.
Hiroshi: That’s right: Kamaitachi are for real. I saw them at the zoo. (Ehen!)
Kyouko: Eeh!? A youkai at the zoo!?
Hiroshi: It’s actually an animal that has a thick, open mouth and webbed feet.
Platypus: …
Kyouko: Isn’t that perhaps a platypus…(It sounds similar but…)
SFX: GARA!
Makoto: Haa--…
Nube: What’s wrong, Makoto? You’re not energetic?
Makoto: It’s nothing.
Makoto: Haa---…

93.
Makoto: Buchisuke…why did you die……
“Mrs. Kurita”: We’ll buy another hamster or something…
Makoto: WAAAAA…No, I can’t, it won’t be Buchisuke.
Makoto: ?
SFX: GASA GASA
Makoto: That’s Nube-sensei’s Kannon sutra. Was it blown off by the wind?
SFX: GASA…

94.
Kamaitachi Kit: KURURU KURURURU
Makoto: BUCHISUKE…!?
Makoto: …No he isn’t: his hands have become like brushes….is this a youkai?
SFX: BATA BATA
Makoto: It was entangled and captured by the Byakue Sutra…
Nube: Huh—that’s strange, it should have flown to this area but.
Makoto: HA!
Nube: Ah—Makoto, do you know where my sutra is? It blew away when I was drying it in the shade.
Makoto: Eh!? I…I don’t know. Goodbye, see you tomorrow!

95.
Nube: Oh brother, where did it fly to?
Mr. Kamaitachi: Gurururu…
Mrs. Kamaitachi: Kyururu
Makoto: I just brought it home but…what do I do…I don’t have a reason to abandon it now…
Makoto: But he really is like Buchisuke…
Kamaitachi Kit: Kyu—kyu—
Makoto: You’re a reborn Buchisuke for sure. You won’t die since you’re a youkai and we can be together for a long time!
Drunk: Hic

96.
Drunk: I’m an eternal chief clerk. (Hic)
SFX: HYUUU…
SFX: HYU—
Drunk: Tsu!!
Drunk: Wh…what?
SFX: SUPA
Drunk: Ow!
SFX: BISHIHI ZUBA
Drunk: Hi…
Drunk: GUWAAAAA

97.
SFX: GOGOGOGOGO
Headline: DAMAGED IN SUCCESSION BY THE KAMAITACHI PHENOMENON!
Smaller caption: HURT PEOPLE ALREADY IN THE TENS
Picture Caption: SERIOUSLY HURT A-SAN
Kyouko: Teacher!?
Nube: I don’t believe this. Kamaitachi are youkai of the mischievous degree. Doing these major wounds…
Paper: SHUEI NEWS

98.
Nube: Is this the crumbling of balance of the Kamaitachi…
Kyouko: Balance?
Nube: Yes: the actions of falling, slicing and applying medicine of the Kamaitachi are initially arranged with the three of them present. It won’t be complete when they lack even one. Therefore, they’ll be repeating these actions forever until it’s completed.
Nube: It’s particularly a worry if they come to not have the one who applies the medicine. They’ll become phantom killer youkai repeating their falling and slicing infinitely.
Hiroshi: Ho…how can they come to not be like that!?
Nube: I don’t know: at any rate, we need to investigate.
Makoto: THAT’S…IT CAN’T BE…IT’S…!?
Makoto: It can’t be…you’re…the Kamaitachi’s son…!?
Kamaitachi Kit: KURURU

99.
Makoto: That shouldn’t happen since you’re so cute.
Kamaitachi Kit: KURURU
Makoto: You are allies with those fiendish youkai but…
Makoto: You’re Buchisuke. I’ve decided that. I really, really won’t ever let you go in my life anymore.
Nube: Understood, that’s what happened…
SFX: GIKU!
Makoto: TEACHER…
Nube: When I thought I didn’t have the Kannon Sutra, it was possessed by you…and further it was to raise a youkai…

100.
Nube: It can be seen by the eyes and be touched when it’s wrapped by the sutra…Makoto! That is a youkai; please hand it over here!
Makoto: No! I won’t hand him over to anyone!
SFX: DA!
Kamaitachi Kit: KURURU
Nube: MAKOTO!
Hiroshi: Teacher
Nube: It’s terrible: the Kamaitachi are on campus!
Nube: What’s that!?
Girl: KYAAA!
SFX: GOOOOO
Boy: Run--! You’ll get cut if you’re touched by the wind!!

101.
SFX: ZUBA
Shuichi: GYAAAA!
Nube: It’s terrible; the children are getting killed.
Hiroshi: Hurry!
Makoto: ……
Kamaitachi Kit: KURURU
Nube: This is bad! They’re raging like they’re confused. Run away everyone—
SFX: DOKA! | WA-- | KYAAA | ZUBA
Nube: Namu Daiji Daihi Kyuugu Kyuunan! Kamaitachi, show yourselves!!
SFX: KATSU

102.
Mrs. Kamaitachi: OOOOOOOO
Mr. Kamaitachi: GURURURU…
Nube: STUPID…! THESE ARE THE KAMAITACHI!? HAS IT CHANGED WITH THE COLLAPSE OF THE “THREE ANIMALS-ONE BODY” BALANCE…!?
SFX: ZAKU
Shuichi: HII!

103.
Shuichi: Hiii—
SFX: DOKU DOKU DOKU
Kamaitachi: PICHA PICHA—
Kamaitachi: GURURU | MEKI…MEKI…MEKI… | OOOOH
Nube: Right…it’s because the one who applies medicine isn’t there…they’ve memorized the taste of blood…they’ve come to be merely fiendish youkai…I can only use the Oni no Te!
Makoto: Teacher.
Hiroshi: Wh…what: Makoto, that youkai is!?
Makoto: !!
Makoto: I won’t give him up! I’ll never give him up!! When teacher defeats those two, then he’ll already be mine.
Makoto: Are you fine with that? Being together with me…
Kamaitachi Kit: GURURU

104.
SFX: GARI
Makoto: You’re not Buchisuke…
Hiroshi: Have you awakened? You alone are satisfied by this. He has to return to his original colleagues.
Nube: NAMU DAIJI DAIHI KYUUGU KYUUNAN!
SFX: SHU SHU
Nube: Ku

105.
Nube: They’re fast…as expected of wind youkai…
Nube: IF I CAN DRAW THEM OUT FOR EVEN A MOMENT…I’LL DAMAGE THEM!!
SFX: BYU BYU
Katsuya: Nube, don’t lose—
Kyouko: It’s a surprising close fight.
SFX: BYU BYU
Kyouko: Don’t go bobbing and weaving, you—
SFX: BUN!
Mrs. Kamaitachi: GI—
Kyouko: KYAA
Nube: Kyouko!!

106.
SFX: ZUBAA
Kyouko: Nube
Nube: Da…damn…!!

107.
SFX: BUTO | PYO—N | BITO | PYO—N
Kyouko: Nube!
SFX: SHUUU SHUUU…
Kyouko: Amazing…the wound has completely been plugged!
Nube: It’s his position of applying medicine…
Nube: Look, the other two are becoming quieted…
Mr. Kamaitachi: Guru
Kamaitachi Kit: Kururu
Mrs. Kamaitachi: Kyururu
SFX: SHURU SHURU SHURU
Makoto: It’s better for it to be together with its family after all.

108.
Nube: They seemed that pleased. The bonds of parent and child are strong even for youkai.
Nube: Perhaps they may have been angered with the taking of their child.
SFX: HYUU—
Makoto: Yes…I’m sorry, teacher…
Nube: But then, it’s a good thing that you love animals. Alright! Today is payday, so your teacher will buy you a pet!
Makoto: Really!?
Narrator: However…even pets are quite costly recently.
Sign: ANIMAL SHOP OKANO
Nube: Makoto~~can’t we get this egg~~? It can be raised~~
Sign: EGGS – 100 YEN
Kyouko: Do you think that’s a substitute, Nube?

TN: This was a well written chapter...but it sort of feels like one that ends up having to make a student seem like a fool in order to make it work. The whole fulcrum of the chapter is Makoto, who ends up being at fault for making the kamaitachi turn into horrible monsters, but in a way he didn't intend due to what he desired. A kid with his mentality experiencing the death of a pet would obviously want to have a pet that can essentially live forever (being a youkai and all), thus why he wanted to keep the kamaitachi kit. He didn't know that the kit was so valuable and crucial to the kamaitachi cycle and, selfishly, thought that even having Nube defeat it's parents would end up making them back down and let the kit remain with him. But while Makoto does seem selfish, it is needed for the conflict of the story. Watching the kamaitachi become more and more bloodthirsty and monsterous to the point not even Nube can stop them built up to the relieving ending where the kit is finally freed and can heal them all as it was supposed to be. I didn't like Makoto's selfishness but it was needed for the chapter's conflict and to allow for him to essentially be brought to this extreme point where he had no choice but to let the kit go and realize the difference between supernatural creatures and animals that can be kept as pets. It does feel weird though that the sutra would blow away just when it catches the kit of the kamaitachi trio, but...as I said, it works for the tale.