Hell Teacher Nube 46

A personal trauma tends to lead to spiritual trauma with Nube's class, but not in ways they wish to have. For Makoto, his own hatred of studying may bring him close in an encounter with the ultimate study guide...but does it want him dead!?

#46: Run! Ninomiya Kinjirou

87.
Makoto: Oh brother: I forgot my homework again and got detention. And making things worse, I have homework of math drills…I hate studying and yet…
Book: MATH DRILLS
SFX: HITA…

88.
SFX: HITA…HITA…HITA…

89.
SFX: GIGIGI
Makoto: UWAAAA!!
Makoto: Don’t come—
Makoto: Hiee
Makoto: Ninomiya Kinjirou is---!!
(TN: As Makoto just revealed, the “statue” following him is Ninomiya Kinjirou: also known as “Ninomiya Sontoku” [Kinjirou was the name he held in his youth], he is the best example of “rising from poor beginnings to the tops of society”, growing from his birth as a poor peasant in 1787 to dying in 1856 as one of the entrusted of the estate of the shogun in Odawara Domain/Shimotsuke Province. Ninomiya Kinjirou is mostly known today in Japanese pop culture through a statue that is in front of many schools throughout the country, which goes along with a folklore about him stating that, as a boy, he would bring books for studying that he would read while bringing a load of firewood back to his home, showing his obsession with studying as a means to rise out of poverty)

90.
Makoto: It’s true, believe me.
Voices: AHAHAHAHA…
Nube: You were pursued by Ninomiya Kinjirou and dropped your math drill homework?
Makoto: That’s—right! I don’t ever have meaning to forget it!
Katsuya: Makoto—you have to make up a much better lie—
Miki: HAHAHAHAHA
Kyouko: But do we have a Ninomiya Kinjirou statue at our school?
Nube: Yeah, it’s been in our backyard since exactly a month ago.
Nube: We’re keeping custody of it due to Doumori Middle School is in the middle of reconstruction.
Makoto: Hie

91.
Nube: The man Ninomiya Kinjirou loved studying to a great extent; since his household was poor, he studied while he worked. Long ago, these statues would certainly be at every school, but I’ve come to not really see them recently.
Nube: He’s what you call “The God of Studying”. There isn’t a reason he’d attack children. (HAHAHA…)
SFX: KON | POKI
Nube: HIEE
Student 1: We—don’t know, we—don’t know
Student 2: He’ll be scolded by the principal.
Katsuya: Kekeke, I’m certain he was aiming for the study-hating Makoto because he’s the guardian deity of studying.
Miki: Giggle giggle…it’s certain you’ll be attacked today—
Makoto: That’s!
Kyouko: Is that capable of being said by you two?
Katsuya: You’ll be attacked by Ninomiya Kinjirou and die! Right?
Miki: That’s a bad way to die—
Nube: Hmmm
Makoto: I’m scared…what will I do if I’m pursued today too…

92.
SFX: HITA HITA HITA…HITA…
Makoto: It…it’s come…
Makoto: It’s aiming for me after all. Why…? I haven’t done anything bad…Hii!

93.
SFX: NUN
Book: HELL’S ARITHMETIC (5TH GRADERS)
Makoto: Ugu. UGUGUGUGUU
SFX: BASA
Makoto: This pain!! Let me go; I’m suffocating…!
Makoto: Puha
Makoto: !!

94.
Makoto: WAAAA
Makoto: I truly was attacked by Ninomiya Kinjirou
Makoto: He suddenly pushed a textbook down on my face…
Miki: He was coming to seem to suffocate you to death!?
Katsuya: So…somehow this seems like it isn’t a lie…
Makoto: I’ll get it exorcised by Nube!
Miki: Right!
Katsuya: You should!!
Sign: STAFF OFFICE

95.
Nube: I can’t exorcise the Ninomiya statue.
Makoto: Why!?
Nube: I told you: that statue doesn’t have a reason it would attack children as the guardian deity of schools!
Makoto: Bu…but it really was killing me!
Nube: Hm—m, what’s the best way to explain that?
Makoto: That’s enough!
Nube: Ah, hey
Makoto: You fool, Nube!
Makoto: Hmph…! That idiot Nube…ah—what do I do; I’m so scared and I can’t go home.
SFX: PON

96.
Makoto: Hiroshi-kun.
Hiroshi: I heard your story. You’re being pursued by Ninomiya Kinjirou.
Makoto: That’s right: he’s a youkai that I’m certain is attacking children who hate studying without discrimination and yet Nube…
Hiroshi: A youkai that attacks kids who hate studying…isn’t that someone else’s business…
Makoto: Even Nube won’t defy the god of studying because he’s a teacher.
Hiroshi: Alright, Makoto! We’ll combine the power of comrades who hate studying and fight Ninomiya Kinjirou!
SFX: GASHI
Makoto: Right! We’ll show it the power of study hatred!
Kyouko: It’s~~some back-facing friendship—
SFX: OOOH…OOOOOH…

97.
Makoto: I was attacked on this street yesterday.
Hiroshi: Hm—m…
Kyouko: But it ran away well. Isn’t that strange even though this isn’t a situation where you’re saved by Nube?
Makoto: I knew that; since it ran off desperately.
Hiroshi: I’m certain his legs are slow…because he’s stone.
Kyouko: That’s right…I have a hunch somehow that the real criminal isn’t Ninomiya Kinjirou but…
Hiroshi: Defeat Ninomiya Kinjirou!
Makoto: By swarming him and striking his legs.
(TN: The “knock his legs down” part is tied to an expression of “takonaguri”; the “naguri” is the word “strike”, but the “tako” is in conjunction to the word “octopus”; due to the many legs an octopus usually has, “striking an octopus” is used for an expression for “strike them in the legs”)
SFX: HITA…HITA…HITA…
Kyouko: Footsteps
SFX: HITA…HITA…HITA…HITA…
Hirsohi: It…it’s coming strangely, Nino-Kin.
(TN: Nino-Kin is the short version Hiroshi uses for “Ninomiya Kinjirou”)
Makoto: Hiroshi-kun.
Hiroshi: Weell leave him to me…

98.
SFX: HITA…HITA…HITA…
Hiroshi: UWAAA, he’s actually running!
Makoto: Hey look, it’s as I said!
Kyouko: Noo~~this feels eerie!

99.
Hiroshi: A youkai! Special testicle-kick…
SFX: GAN
Hiroshi: OWW~~~
Kyouko: Dummy! Your opponent is stone!
SFX: GI GI
SFX: GI GI
Hiroshi: Hii!
Kyouko: It’s quite fast!

100.
Hiroshi, Kyouko & Makoto: WAAA~~~
Kyouko: THE RIVER! PUSH IT INTO THE RIVER! BECAUSE IT’S STONE, IT SHOULD SINK!
Sign: DANGER!!
Hiroshi: Ku!
SFX: GA
SFX: ZAPAN

101.
Hiroshi: Look at it’s state! That Ninomiya Kinjirou!
SFX: ZUDZU ZUDZU……
Voice: HEY---!!
Kyouko: Nube!
SFX: BATSU
Hiroshi: What—why are you saving that guy? That’s an evil spirit aiming for children!
Nube: Dummies…! The attack on Makoto yesterday wasn’t by a statue! It was another evil spirit…that is…BEHIND YOU---!!

102.
Makoto: EH?

103.
SFX: GABA
Makoto: GUE
Makoto: MOGA! UGUGUGU
Kyouko: Wh…what is that--!?
Nube: That’s…the jibakurei of a teacher from the next town who died several years ago…He was a degenerate who was killed in a prank by a small boy!!
Nube: Even because of his death, he’s killed many boys like that…!! Run, Makoto!! A life caught by him…
(TN: To tell the truth, I really couldn’t figure out if it was the degenerate who killed boys through pranks…or was killed in a prank. I inferred he was killed by a prank leading to his hatred of boys but the scanslator should adjust at their own discretion)
SFX: PAA
Nube: !

104.
“Spirit”: HI! HIIIII!
SFX: GUCHA KUCHA KUCHA…
SFX: SHUU~~
Voice: I’VE SUCKED HIM IN…
SFX: GAKO

105.
Nube: A sacrificial jizou. It was a Tsukumogami who sacrifies its own body and protects people from calamity. That was what the Ninomiya Kinjirou statue was.
Kyouko: So…it was shadowing Makoto so it could protect him from that evil spirit?
Nube: RIGHT
Makoto: Right…it’s because Ninomiya-san was following me that I could run away when I was attacked yesterday.
Makoto: I’m sorry, Kinjirou-san. I misunderstood you.
Nube: Don’t lament; because he accomplished his mission. The problem from here is
Nube: What—do we do in returning the statue to normal before it’s exposed to the principal?
Kyouko: That’s the leg.
Hiroshi: Nube’s acting awkward~~
Makoto: Ah, the principal.
Principal: Nueno-kun, the costs of repairs will be deducted from your salary.
Sign: PRINCIPAL

106.
<RAKUGAKI>

Creation: He moves between the 2nd and 3rd dimension.
-Drawn as strange graffiti, it is a youkai that traps the people who see it in madness, breaking them down and eating their spirit.
-The graffiti says “10 more until you die”, and the person who sees it will find graffiti “9 more until you die” when you go to another place. It drives the man in this method as it continues until “0”.

Commentary: This structure appeared as a murdering announcement with a similar method within a Sherlock Holmes story. It’s really charming with the “Henohenomoheji” on its stomach.
(TN: The “Henohenomoheji” expression is tied to a strange “face” made of certain hiragana used to make a simple face: the “he no” duo are the eyelashes and the eyes, the “mo” is it’s nose, the “he” is the mouth and the last “ji” makes up the structure of it’s face and right ear)

TN: This was a good chapter...with a weird, abrupt ending. The way that the true nature of the Ninomiya statue was hidden with it being a culprit until the revelation of that "brain-exposed degenerate" was a nice means to show that there was a threat and that the statue was merely a patsy. Similarly, I really do like that we're starting to see plenty of initiative by Hiroshi in handling youkai threats that Nube just doesn't want to bother with...or has better sense regarding considering that his students sometimes are utter morons. The whole fact that he would stand up to a similar student who hates studying shows how trusting he's become and how he seems to be less scared and more brazen in facing down the supernatural threats. The weirdness...was the ending: considering that the statue had become a Tsukumogami and thus gained the power to defeat the evil spirit in exchange for...well, blowing up, why would Nube still get in trouble for what happened? The only real excuse I can think up: he didn't know the jizou power of the Ninomiya statue due to it coming from another school and thus he and the principal thought it was still just a normal statue...and thus why Nube now has to pay the consequences. But hey, anything to see a statue beating up a youkai, that was awesome!