01x69 - Kinku no Pawa! Kurama no Zuno

[bunniefuu]

Yusuke had been abducted
by three unknown guys.

Kuwabara, together with
Botan, Kurama, and Hiei,

rushed to the appointed location.

What they found waiting for them was
a boy with a special ability, named Kaito.

Within his Territory, tactics involving
physical force can't be used.

The only thing they can do
is win at his game of words.

"The Power of Taboo! Kurama's Intellect."

WHOEVER ENTERS THIS HOUSE
MUST BY NO MEANS SAY "HOT." IF THEY DO...

Yes, that's right.

Inside that house, you must not say "hot."

What if you do say it?

-Jorge...
-Yes?

You'll be surprised to hear this!

You'll have your soul taken
out of you, just like Hiei did!

Not to mention the fact
that they kidnapped Yusuke,

these guys are quite capable.

We'd better not take our eyes off of them.

How many times do I have to tell you?

No matter how hard
you struggle, it's futile.

It appears that one of your friends
has fallen victim to the Territory.

What do you mean?

Afterward, we'll take the time
to explain it all to you.

There's no reason
why we need to keep silent, is there?

All we have to do
is not say the taboo word, right?

That's easy enough.

Kurama, tell me about him.

What kind of guy is he?

Kaito Yu.

He's one of my classmates.

Ever since he entered the school,

people have been talking
about his exceptionally high IQ.

He has a genius-like intellect

unlike any other seen
at Meio Academy since it began.

You're just bragging about yourself
in a roundabout way, aren't you?

Not once have I ever beaten
you on the comprehensive test.

You're better at the literary arts, right?

You've already published several books

of philosophical essays
and literary critiques.

You could say that you're a specialist
when it comes to words.

So you're a genius up-and-coming
literary man, are you?

You really can't judge a person
by how they look!

Thank you.

You must really take us for simpletons!

Did you think we would say that word
just because of all this?

But you know, it is stuffy in this room!

I'm raising some tropical plants
in here, that's why.

The room temperature is 27 degrees,
and the humidity is 80 percent.

I suppose it could be hard
on those not used to it.

If you're thirsty, there are several kinds
of drinks in the refrigerator.

There are glasses too.

I don't suppose
there would happen to be any juice

with truth serum in it,
would there? You drink first!

I never even thought of that.

Indeed...

You really are a bright one, huh?

You give me too much praise.

I'll serve!

I have to be doing something,
or I can't settle down.

Oh, my!
There are all kinds of drinks here.

Let's see...

Kuwa-chan, is orange juice okay with you?

Yeah, ought to have you put some ice in,
while you're at it.

And a straw too, if any are there.

Geez, that's a tall order, huh?

Kuwa-chan!

There. That's two.

But why?

Kuwa-chan never said "hot," did he?

Oh, no!

I slipped up!

There, that's three.

Good grief,
they fall into my grasp so easily!

Why? Why was Kuwabara's soul
taken from him?

Botan's grand stupidity aside,
Kuwabara never said "hot," Jorge!

Right.

Let's rewind it and see.

Here it is.

Kuwa-chan, is orange juice okay with you?

Yeah, ought to have you put some ice in,
while you're at it.

And a straw too, if any are there.

Geez, that's a tall order, huh?

Where is it he said "hot"?

Yeah, ought to have you put some ice in,
while you're at it.

"Yeah, ought to have..."

"Yeah, ought..."

"Yeah, hot..."

He did say "hot," didn't he?

He did say it! Is that legal?

You never asked, so I didn't tell you,

but inside my Territory,
taboo words are strictly observed.

You cannot say the sounds
for "H," "O," and "T" in a row.

There was no meaning or intent behind it.

Those are just the cold, hard rules.

I get it.

Souls sure are pretty things, huh?

The girl one is my favorite color.

There's no way
to strengthen a soul by itself, you know?

Beautiful and fragile. For those of us
who can touch them like this,

with just a little force,
we can crush them so easily.

Maybe I should see what happens
if I scratch one of them just a bit.

Just a little bit.

Go ahead and try.

But let me warn you,
to me, that would be taboo.

If you try to pull something like that,

I will use any means to k*ll you.

Nice. I get the feeling that
I'm finally seeing your true face.

How long do you think
you can maintain that pose?

Is that the key to that door?

-Well?
-The key should be here in my pocket!

Impossible!

It's gone!

When did you steal it?

It didn't particularly hurt, right?

I just borrowed it
out of your breast pocket on the sly.

Dammit.

As long as I obey your rules,

it would appear
I can still use my abilities as well.

You mean I was pickpocketed by a plant?

That's his ability?

Take close care of those three souls.

I am going to get them back
from you safely, no matter what.

Unless you beat me,
you cannot take back these souls.

By the way, can you change
what the taboo word is?

I am not going to say that word.
You won't say it either, right?

We could sit here
like this for hours on end.

Of course, I can change
what the taboo word is.

The truth is,
I planned to do so from the start.

Once it became one-on-one between us two,

I wanted to make the rules
a little more advanced.

If you let me choose
what the taboo word is,

I assert that I can make you say
the taboo word within 45 minutes.

"Within 45 minutes"?

And what if I don't say the taboo word
within that time?

I will give you my soul.

So how about it?

Is it so much in your favor
that you're a bit scared?

Since he's just barely learned
what my ability is,

it will be rather enjoyable to see
what kind of taboo he comes up with.

There's no reason to be uneasy.

Ever since I became aware of this ability,

I've researched every type
of word puzzle and cipher,

right down to the very heart of the words.

All right, you've got it.
Those conditions will be fine.

So tell me what kind of taboo
you've come up with.

The taboo will be one letter.

However, after every minute,
another will be added.

We'll begin with "A,"
after which comes "I,"

and after every minute, the taboo
will increase, in syllabary order.

Just as well, I suppose you could say

that the letters available
to use will decrease.

So it will take 45 minutes
before all of the letters are eliminated?

You really are incredible.
This is an interesting one.

Right now, it's 12:51 and 32 seconds...

Let's begin exactly at 1 o'clock!

Very well.

"Whoever enters this house
must by no means

say any of the letters
not inside the braces.

However, be careful, as one letter
will be removed every one minute..."

-Begin!
-Begin!

It will only be a short while longer
that we can speak freely like this.

Very soon, "a" will be gone.

A

We can no longer use words that have this.

The letter "I" too, before long.

Perhaps you'd like to get in
your fill of saying it right now,

while you're still able to,
don't you think?

I'll bet I just said "i"
about nine times there.

If you start out so eager,
before long, you're going to slip up.

I

U

E

O

Five minutes have passed.

We can still talk though.
Even without one of the columns.

Make the slightest mistake,
and you may just say them.

KA (GA)

KI (GI)

KU (GU)

Once you're not allowed to say something,
you want to say it even more!

This is starting to get on my nerves!

Koenma-sama...

"A! E! I! U! E! O! A! O!"

"Ka! Ke! Ki! Ku! Ke! Ko! Ka! Ko!"

"Jorge is an idiot!"

You haven't mastered
the basics of vocalization, huh?

Do you not enjoy exchanging words?

Of course.

Minamino, what are you after?

Well, now,
haven't I already indicated that?

What now?

The bathroom.

Yana, don't say anything.

Right!

I'm also in Kaito's Territory after all.

Be careful.

That rotten punk! What is he after?

In another ten minutes or so,

we won't be able to have
much of a conversation.

Won't be able to have any conversation?

In other words,
we won't be able to even raise our voices!

I've figured him out!

He has his sights set for when
we can hardly raise our voices at all!

Yana!

How the hell did he do this?

That's right! He can control plants!

Don't tell me he's gone ahead alone
to the next room!

No, he couldn't have.

The artist who built this house
was eccentric

and built three doors
to pass through this hallway.

I have the key to the second door,

and the key to the third door is hidden,
just in case.

Besides, he did say that he was going to
take back those three!

Don't tell me he took
just their souls and ran away!

What is this? That b*stard!

They're there!

All three of their souls
and bodies are still here!

Then he hasn't left...

He's in this room!

He intends to settle this!

He's hiding somewhere within this room,
waiting for me to drop my guard.

Where the hell is he hiding?

It's 1:30.

There are only a few letters left
that we can use.

Minamino, I'm not about
to say another word!

As long as I don't say anything, I win.

I know what your strategy is!
You're going to startle me.

You're going to make me raise my voice
by means of a scream.

RU, RE, RO, WA, N

As long as I stay
in the center of the room,

I'll know immediately
where you're calling out from!

Three more minutes...

If I keep this up, I win.

RO, WA, N

There are only three more letters
we can use.

RO

Two more letters...

Where? Where are you planning
on coming from?

There is no way
I'm going to raise my voice!

Wa!

N

No! If I yell out a scream
or any noise, I'll lose!

Stifle it.

Stifle it!

I stifled it!

WA

Time has run out!

I win, Minamino!

No!

Oh, crap!

We're back to normal!

Kaito's Territory has vanished.

To fall prey to your own ability

and have your soul taken
out of you like this...

In the end, we won,

but I shudder to think what would
have happened if Kurama wasn't here.

However, the cause of all this
was you, Hiei!

This was all your fault for getting
your soul taken away from you!

In a contest such as this,

thinking that you can win
as long as you don't say the taboo word

will psychologically make you lose.

Oh, that Kurama!

Kurama!

I can't believe he pulled that face!

Oh, this hurts!

What the hell is going on down there?

Kuwabara brought the g*ng here, right?
Kurama and Hiei too?

Those guys will surely make it
all the way here.

No question about that. I guarantee it.

And when that happens, brace yourself!

Thanks to Kurama's quick thinking,
Kaito's Territory has collapsed.

However, as everyone moves
deeper inside to rescue Yusuke,

what kind of Territory will the next
boy standing up to them have?

Dammit!

These guys are just picking
one strange fight after another!

It's almost as if they're testing
our powers. It really disgusts me!

Damn, which one of them is it?

The one who came up
with this ridiculous contest?

Come on out, I tell you!

Next time, "The Terrifying Truth!
A New Mystery."

The Other World's not watching
for nothing!