ハヤテのごとく！/Hayate no Gotoku Manga
Hayate the Combat Butler Chapter 458 Review

SPOILER Summary/Synopsis:

Nagi wakes from her nap after her hour of work and observes Isumi leaving. When she asks Maria about this, Maria says she hasn’t seen Isumi.

Meanwhile, Yukiji shows up in a hannya mask, revealing that she’s no longer Katsura-sensei, but is Higanman, who comes from Higan Island to take revenge on Hayate for stealing the pirate curry. Further, the spirit confesses to being the murderer of the island, and isn’t interested in the fact that as a spirit, it could not use the curry. Hayate informs Higanman that legally, the spices weren’t stolen, leading Ikusa to scold him for using legal arguments against evil spirits.

Ikusa says he will act as a Lifesaver to battle this evil spirit, causing Higanman to remind them that hurting it will hurt Yukiji. In response, Hayate punches Higanman-Yukiji in the face. The evil spirit is stunned by this as Hayate tells Ikusa that they can go all out as Yukiji will be fine. Higanman attacks with supernatural abilities, so Ikusa counter attacks, only to have his punch stopped by Higanman. Ikusa is surprised by this as the evil spirit reveals it has taken Ikusa’s pouch with the King’s Jewel inside, causing it to power up even more.

About that time, Nagi’s voice is heard.

Thoughts/Review:

Heh!heh!heh! Having Yukiji be the one who shows up at the start of this chapter AND be the opponent was completely unexpected.  However, it fits to back when Yukiji was possessed during the quest under the church for Hayate’s butler training. So it was funny having Hayate punch her, knowing she could easily take it.

Yukiji being possessed would seem to suggest that Isumi transferred the possession from Hina to Yukiji. Did Yukiji sacrifice herself for Hina’s sake?

Also, why did Isumi slip out without informing anyone?

Regardless, it is interesting that Hata-sensei seems to be bringing Yukiji up by giving her a reason for being so strong. I suppose it is only natural, considering how strong Hina is. I wonder if Hata-sensei has long term plans for Yukiji in terms of how the story pans out.

Beyond that, I’m not finding a great deal to discuss. I did enjoy the chapter and am looking forward to seeing where Hata-sensei takes things.