If You’re Going Through Hell Anyways, Which One Would You Choose?
TL: PuffyPyjamas.
ED: Daemon.
“Are you okay…?”
The first thing I asked after arriving at school was the confirmation of my friend’s well-being.
“I am not… alright…”
The corpse raises his head and looks up at me in anger—the corpse’s, or rather, my best friend Akira’s voice is filled with despair.
What the hell happened to him? It must have been something extreme for him to be pushed so far.
I wonder if he confessed to Charlotte and was turned down?
I can’t deny that possibility because we are talking about Akira, who is known to do ridiculous stuff. How should I comfort him when he’s like this? It’s hard to say anything because I didn’t expect this to happen.
“Hey Akira, let’s not fall apart and keep moving on, okay?”
I could only say such dull words. I might unintentionally say something that might worsen his suffering, so it can’t be helped.
“Ah… You’re right… I’ll just obediently get scolded.”
Hmm? Get scolded? Can this be… Considering Akira’s words, it seems that I’ve misunderstood the situation.
My bad, Akira. I had assumed that you were heartbroken.
Although I wasn’t caught by him, I averted my gaze just a little from the slight amount of guilt that I felt. Then, I decided to continue the conversation as if nothing had happened.
“So, what did you do this time?”
“Hey, wait a minute! Why are you talking as if I was the one who did something wrong?”
“Huh? Am I wrong?”
When Akira got angry at me for assuming things, I asked him again in confusion. Despite being angry, it felt like a two person comedy act. [1]
“No! I haven’t done anything wrong yet today!”
No, Akira… The moment you say the ‘yet’, you’re already aware of all the things you do wrong.
“Oh, is that so? So, what did you do?”
“Come on! Why are you still skeptical! I just said that I didn’t do anything wrong! I just didn’t complete my homework!”
It seems that Akira’s mood is getting better while complaining, so I decided to tease him a little. I’m glad that everything worked out. In addition, I was able to find the root of the problem and save time.
“You homework… You were given six times more homework than everyone. So, how much did you manage to do?”
“This is all of it…”
On the verge of death, Akira dumped a bundle of papers on the desk.
It seems that he completed around one-third of his homework… Akira probably worked hard for that… However—
“Leaving the amount aside, eighty-percent of it is incorrect… I am sure that Miyu-sensei is going to be mega-pissed with this.”
I briefly glimpsed over the contents of Akira’s homework, and I had a bad premonition of the tragedy that was about to happen in a couple of minutes. The quality of his work was just too miserable.
“A-ah, she sure will. Also Akihito, what the hell were you doing last night? I wanted you to help me with my homework, but I couldn’t get in contact with you even after calling you several times.”
Akira looks at my face with a slightly enraged expression.
Speaking of which, last night it felt like I was spammed with tons of notifications.
I spent a lot of time with Emma and Charlotte yesterday, so it was already quite late by the time I looked at my smartphone. I thought it would be a call about something annoying, but I guess it was about homework.
It would be troublesome if I were to tell Akira about yesterday. Moreover, I couldn’t break my promise with Charlotte after telling her not to expose our relationship.
I am sorry for deceiving you, but it seems I have to lie here.
“Oh, sorry about that. With that amount of homework, even I had a hard time with it.”
“Hm? What do you mean? Wasn’t your homework the same as everyone else’s?”
I lay out a large bundle of printouts on the desk in front of Akira who was curiously tilting his head… Akira’s eyes go round as soon as he lays his eyes on the papers.
To be honest, I was fully aware that Akira couldn’t do six times the homework. So, after Charlotte left yesterday, I went to a convenience store and made copies of yesterday’s homework. The amount of homework is triple the normal. In other words, I did half of Akira’s homework.
Of course, the parts where I have made mistakes are intentional so that I can match it to Akira’s homework. I kept the accuracy rate of the answers at fifty-percent. Thanks to that, I am lacking sleep.
Well, I am not going to complain since it was my choice to help. It was also somewhat my fault the Akira’s homework increased, and since I was in a good mood after hanging out with Charlotte, I decided to help him.
However, I didn’t expect that Akira’s accuracy rate would be less than fifty-percent. Even with a test around the corner, you’ve probably just been playing games without studying, right?
“H-hey Akihito, why are you looking at me with such scary eyes…? Your eyes seem to be asking, ‘What am I to do with this idiot?’, or something.”
“Yeah, you got that right!”
“!”
Akira, who heard me, stood up with his chair making a rattling sound. He tried to escape, but I immediately grabbed him by the shoulder.
“Hey, where are you going?”
“N-no, I was just going to the bathroom…”
“Is that so, well, physiological phenomena are unavoidable. Now, a question for you Akira. Which would be better, going to the bathroom now and experiencing hell later by the hands of Miyu-sensei for not completing homework, or experiencing the hell I am about to show you right now?”
I asked with a smile. Even if it was a question, Akira didn’t really have a choice in the matter.
“I’d rather choose neither of th—”
“Not happening!”
I knew how Akira would answer, so as soon as those words left his mouth, I forced him to sit on a chair.
There are thirty minutes until the homeroom begins. What needed to be done was three times the amount, so I had Akira do two thirds of that. The parts he got right during this were as I predicted, so all that he needed to do was match the same incorrect answers that I’ve given on my part.
If we just copy and rewrite together, we might make it in time. However, I’m going to let Akira do most of the work.
The aforementioned hell I wanted to show was this… Making copies of such a huge amount of homework. We both desperately moved our arms until Miyu-sensei arrived.
TN: