Tanaka-kun is Always Listless

This constant rain is depressing...

Morning, Ohta.

Oh, morning, Tanaka.

Man, the rain makes it so humid. It's killing me.

I think humidity is the least of your problems. You're soaking wet.

Tanaka-kun Is Always Listless

Episode 6

The Sick Tanaka-kun

My sister told me to take an umbrella because the chance of rain was 80%.

So I did leave home with one...

I don't need to use it for this much rain.

It wasn't raining much when I left the house.

But after that...

I can make it.

I can still make it.

The next thing I knew, it was a downpour.

Your umbrella must've been miserable,

being so close, yet unable to fulfill its duty.

I don't really like umbrellas to begin with.

My hands get wet every time I open or close them.

There's no place to put them on buses and trains.

Also, I tend to forget them somewhere,

and I have to buy a new one every time.

Well, I guess they can be a pain,

but I think they're generally useful tools.

If you think back, I'm sure there've been several occasions where they've helped you.

Helped me...

Oh, yeah...

One day, when I had nothing to lean against,

the umbrella supported me firmly as a cane.

I could hear the umbrella's pride shattering just now...

It's really raining hard.

I know it's cliché,

but it must be so nice to share an umbrella with the person you love...

Oh, gosh... I'm thinking about it so much, it's starting to look like he's actually there.

A soaking wet Tanaka-kun...

That's really him!

Tanaka-kun, what are you doing?!

Tanaka! You disappeared on me! What are you doing out here?

The bodies of insects and birds

conveniently evolve to keep them safe, right?

So I thought, if I kept standing out in the rain like that, I might...

Tanaka has acquired the special ability "Rain Barrier"!

...be able to achieve a very convenient constitution, too.

If mankind had that kind of latent potential,

it would've been unlocked long ago by our ancestors,

who survived the age before umbrellas.

In any case, your hatred for umbrellas runs a lot deeper than I thought.

Well, they're such a pain.

I see now.

He was talking about a "rain barrier" because he doesn't want to use an umbrella.

Using an umbrella can be bothersome,

but if you catch a cold from being wet, you'll feel worse,

and that could be even more bothersome...

That's a good point.

Okay, I'll use my umbrella properly.

You're serious, Tanaka? Nice job, Shiraishi!

Y-Yeah... I'm glad.

I remembered one more thing I hate about umbrellas...

People always grab mine and take it home by mistake.

I go in a different direction from here, so can you take over, Shiraishi?

B-But... I...

God, Buddha, Ohta-sama...

Shiraishi-san, can I scoot closer to you?

No...

I'm afraid any closer might affect my heart, so I don't think that'll work!

Okay...

This is awful...

I panicked and rejected him flat-out.

But...

Being this close is more than enough for me.

My shoulder is cold...

I want to get further under the umbrella...

Morning.

This again?

You realized too late that it was a downpour?

What happened to your resolve from yesterday?

No...

With today's rain, I thought if I just dodged between the raindrops,

I could make it here without getting wet.

But it was too high-level for me.

I must train in either Iga or Koga, or perhaps...

It's about 500 times easier to just use an umbrella.

Whoa, that's awful, Tanaka.

I barely recognized you.

Master...

Morning. What's up?

Morning, Ohta...

You sound terrible. Are you sick?

Seems like it...

Master! Master!

U-Um, are you okay, Tanaka-kun? Is it because you were out in the rain?

Master! Master!

My throat hurts a little, that's all.

You gave me good advice, and I still got sick... I'm sorry.

Don't worry about that.

I'll take you to the nurse's office if you're not feeling well.

Thanks, but I'm fine.

I don't want you to catch it, so you should stay away.

If you start feeling really bad, I'll take you to the nurse's office.

Everyone spaces out when they're sick.

Tanaka is sluggish to begin with, so he'll probably move even slower.

I'd better keep an eye on him...

A-Are you okay, Tanaka?!

His movements are actually more violent than usual.

I feel as though my strength is

gradually depleting against my will...

You can't do anything about those coughs that crawl up on you.

Judging by your voice, it's really taking a toll on your throat.

You should try to avoid talking so it won't get worse.

But if you can't speak, I wonder how we should communicate...

We'll be fine...

Huh?

What?

Between you and me, lip reading should be sufficient.

Tanaka, do you know which part of your body that mask is covering?

Lip reading is difficult, so let's communicate through writing.

Okay.

Such tiny handwriting...

Wait, is this kanji right?

Sorry, can you hang on a sec, Tanaka?

I'll look it up real quick. Let's see...

You can just talk normally, you know.

Oh, no, Ohta. I forgot my Japanese History textbook.

Seriously? Why don't you ask Echizen in the class next door if you can borrow hers?

Someone else, if possible...

But we don't know anyone in the other classes except Echizen...

... True.

Oh, hey, Tanaka. What's up?

The name "Echizen" takes so much time to write. What a pain.

What are you doing?

You should change your surname to "Ohta" or "Tanaka"

A proposal from you? Not in 100 years! -Echizen

How did a conversation about a Japanese History textbook lead to that?

No idea...

If writing to converse is too hard, we could try gesturing.

In this case, my comprehension skill will be vital to understanding you...

Try something so we can practice, Tanaka.

Tired.

Sleepy.

It's working pretty well. Nice, Ohta.

Yeah, this is going great. It's easier than I expected.

Don't you need a method to convey other messages besides those two?

Is he trying to awaken a new ability again because he's too lazy to talk?!

Tanaka has acquired the psychic ability "Telepathy"!

It's easier to just talk, so I'll talk...

I-I see... So you gave up on telepathy.

Huh?

Tanaka... Is your skin more radiant than usual?

I've been wearing a mask, so my breath must have moisturized my skin...

I see. That's an unexpected effect.

Also, I actually figured out a new game I can play while wearing a mask.

It's quite fun.

Oh? I guess you discover new things when in unusual circumstances.

I'm glad you were able to get something out of being sick.

Morning, Tanaka.

Oh, good. You're not wearing a mask, so you must feel better, right?

Yeah. Morning, Ohta.

What's wrong, Tanaka? Your usual listlessness is gone.

Are you coming down with something other than a cold now?

Oh, yeah... I'm not wearing a mask...