Hell Teacher Nube 125

Nube may possess an incredible power in the Oni no Te, but unfortunately it's instability is always risking his life and forcing him to balance its usage. But a strange discovery may finally give him the means to begin to control it on his own...

#125: Oni no Te: A Super Power-Up!?

49.
Voice: This bracelet is called “Gyokirin”. It is a ritual implement that freely manipulates the Oni of hell.
(TN: “Gyokirin” = “Oni-Governing Ring”)
Voice: Long ago, the spiritualist who possessed the strongest power in history called En no Gyouja placed this on the Oni “Zenki” and “Kouki” and manipulated them to his hearts content.

50.
Oshou: So if you act now, it will be ten-thousand yen with ten convenient futon compression packs, ten-thousand yen. How about it: I came across this by chance when I was cleaning the cellar yesterday.
(TN: “Futon Compression Packs”, or “Futon Asshuku Pakku”, is what it sounds like: plastic bags that compress the air and preserve futons for longer usage)
Caption: Oshou of Doumori Temple (Nube’s Friend)
Nube: I won’t have it.
Kyouko: It’s shady~~
Oshou: Isn’t there a reason that this precious treasure is in Doumori Temple! Well, without saying that.
Nube: No way.
Oshou: Well well, selling off this rare thing can only be done for you…
SFX: Kachi
Nube: Hey
Nube: Huh!?

51.
Nube: That’s---!?

52.
(No need to say…yeah, the Oni no Te is a sword now)

53.
Oshou: Huh…huh…it’s…for real… (I’m surprised~~~)
SFX: Doki doki
Nube: ………………
Hiroshi: A…amazing—it’s like a sword—
Ritsuko: Ah, I forgot to cut this youkan I got from my guest…
(TN: Youkan is a thick jelly desert made of red bean paste, agar and sugar, usually sold in blocks and eaten in slices)
SFX: Suko suko
Ritsuko: Ara, thank you…
Ritsuko: Gyaaaaa!!
Nube: Wh…what---have you done with this--!
Oshou: At…at any rate, if you have in mind that it will return to normal.

54.
Nube: Return to normal, normal.
SFX: Shuuu…
Oshou: Ooh, it returned!!
Nube: This…can control the Oni no Te…!?
Caption: Doumori Temple
Oshou: Well, this is a scroll that came together with the implement. How about it: now it’s a hundred-thousand yen with a three-piece set of multi-purpose arranging rack.

55.
Nube: ………
Kyouko: What’s written on there?
Nube: This really is a ritual implement for freely manipulating the Oni. With this, I may be able to control the Oni no Te.
Hiroshi: Aren’t you controlling it enough now?
Nube: No…the controlling of the Oni no Te now isn’t my power. It’s the power of Minako-sensei, who is within the Oni no Te.
Kyouko & Hiroshi: Ah.
Nube: Minako-sensei is…my teacher when I was in grade school. Teacher always exorcised me, who was being easily possessed by spirits, with her Hand Healing.

56.
Nube: However, one day her exorcism failed and she lost her life for me. And then
Nube: The soul of my teacher, which was strong in spiritual power, was absorbed by an Oni of Hades and she became part of the Oni.
Nube: …And hten, that Oni appeared in front of me when I had become a new teacher three years ago. It was lead there by the soul of teacher…
Minako: Please seal the Oni. I’m surpressing the Oni’s power from inside.
SFX: Dokun dokun dokun
Nube: Uaaaa!!

57.
Nube: And thus…the Oni was confined into my left hand.
Nube: Even now, teacher is suppressing the Oni’s power within this hand. I want to save her but…just my spiritual power can’t suppress the power of the Oni.
Nube: But if this ritual implement can 100% control the power of the Oni, then I won’t need the power of Minako-sensei anymore. I may be able to release teacher’s soul from within the Oni no Te…
Kyouko: Nube…
Oshou: 100,000 yen.
Nube: So then, first I have to get accustomed to how to use this implement. This isn’t completely familiar to me yet. If I don’t practice…
SFX: Za

58.
Nube: Ha!
SFX: Jakiiin
Nube: Namu!
SFX: Gyuaaaa

59.
Nube: On (to himself) Ku…this is quite a force of will…
Voice: Nueno-kun.
Nube: Minako-sensei.
Minako: Don’t overdo it for me.

60.
Nube: Overdoing…I can’t overdo this. I promised…to certainly save you from within the Oni no Te…That is my life as a spiritualist: the ultimate objective of Nueno Meisuke!
Nube: Very soon! I will come to save you very soon, Minako-sensei!!
SFX: Gyan!

61.
Caption: The next day.
Student 1: What’s that fashionless bracelet.
(TN: “Fashionless” is “dasai”, which literally is “out of fashon”)
Student 2: Shi: it does suit him.
Student 3: Did he buy that from that suspicious religion?
SFX: Ga—n
Nube: Should I stop wearing this after all…
Kyouko: What are you saying: that’s Nube’s Power-Up Item.
Miki: Eh, what, what!?
Hiroshi: Right, right: we have hope of asking and receiving new developments.
Nube: Shh—I’m in the midst of super-secret item training.
(TN: It’s not literally “super-secret”, it’s “Gokuhi” or “absolute secrecy”)
Boy: Nube-sensei…
SFX: Ki—n ko—n ka—n
Nube: N?
Yamada: I’m Yamada of class 6…please, save my big sister!
Nube: What’s wrong with her?

62.
Yamada: Big sister failed her exam this year and since has attempted suicide 8 times.
Nube: Well.
Yamada: Further, she’s always usually going to commit suicide at the same place, like she’s possessed by something.
Yamada: That’s big sister.
Yamada: Here: she’s always jumping off that abandoned building…
Nube: There’s already a strong aura.

63.
Nube: Namu Daiji Daihi Kyuugu Kyuunan: spirit that is here, show yourself.
SFX: O—i…o—i…
Sign: No Entry

64.
Nube: It’s originated by that giant Jibakurei. It’s driven many tens of people to suicide over hundreds of years and has stored up the aura. It’s quite stubborn if it’s come to this…
Kyouko: What will you do?
Nube: Alright…I’ll test this!
Kyouko: Oh, he’s like a cool hero—
Nube: This is an experiment. I’ll liberate the Oni’s power bit by bit and see whether this implement can endure or not with 100% of the Oni’s Youryoku…first I’ll liberate 10% of the Oni’s Youryoku.
Jibakurei: Guoooo!
Nube: Come!

65.
SFX: Gyaaa!!
Nube: Raise it: liberate 20% Youryoku!
Nube: 30%
Nube: 40%

66.
Nube: 50%
SFX: Bari bari bari bari
Nube: I’ve done it…I can control the Oni no Te even when I liberate up to 50% of the Oni’s power! I’m good: if I do this…
SFX: Juu
Nube: !
SFX: Biki biki

67.
Nube: !!
SFX: Pakiiin
Hiroshi: Nube!
Nube: Huh…this implement was at 50% with all it’s might…!?
SFX: Shuuu
Minako: Right…that’s because that isn’t the real Gyokirin…it’s a fake made by a high priest who imitated the Gyokirin and knew of its reputation a bit…
Nube: Eh?
Nube: Ku…ri…right: it’s no wonder that’s the reason it was somehow at Doumori Temple…
SFX: Gaku
Nube: Damn this! Damn this!! Though I thought I save Minako-sensei with a bit more…!
SFX: Gag a

68.
Nube: Damn this…
Yamada: Nube-sensei, thank you.
Kyouko: It…it is regrettable, Nube.
Nube: Yes, but this has excited my hope.
Nube: I’m certain there is a real Gyokirin somewhere in the world. I’ll find it…and certainly save you, Minako-sensei…

TN: This chapter is a peculiar one that is somewhat of a crucial one in the development of Nube's character continuing on from what happened with the Oni no Te's "awakening" and the discovery of Minako-sensei protecting it back in Volume 12. In particular, this is the first true time that Nube is trying on his own to actively learn how to control the power of the Oni that he's forced to have this tenuous alliance with so he can find a way to free Minako-sensei from the prison she's stuck within. The Gyokirin subplot is a nice one that sort of continues some of the main concepts and advances them in a way to allow for Nube to continue his development not just merely in using the Oni no Te to face spiritual threats but to figure out a way to save his teacher once and for all from the grasp of the monster that she is forced into this strange alliance with. I do find it a tad strange that Oshou would have such a thing, even a fake one, lying around his temple, but considering it was a fake, it did actually at least start to prove that one could exist without specifically having Nube just gain and master it as sort of a typical "shonen power up" that tends to happen in these types of series. Heck, I really loved the fact in this chapter that the other students in the class did see Nube's usage of the Gyokirin as a "power up" akin to a shonen character without fully understanding themselves that it's merely just a stop-gap and that a lot more work needs to be done before the Oni is finally under Nube's control. Heck, the whole fight between Nube and the Oni is part of his character and why a power up of this magnitude really doesn't fit him: it's powerful enough on it's own with Minako-sensei's suppression and that making it any further so would still risk Nube's life and just...well, not make this Nube. Sure I don't mind if Nube did finally master the Oni no Te someday, but...that's for another time, not now.