Tanaka-kun is Always Listless

What are you doing, Tanaka?

Ohta...

The weather's nice and the breeze feels good.

The little birds are making their cute chirping sounds.

Perhaps people nowadays have forgotten how wonderful nature is...

Yes, don't you think it's a waste to not feel it with your entire body like this?

Morning, Ohta and Tanaka.

Thanks for retrieving Tanaka.

Yeah, morning.

My desk...

Thanks again, Ohta.

Yeah.

Why don't you use your own legs for once?

It's hopeless. He's Tanaka.

Morning, Ohta-kun.

Morning, Shiraishi.

Tanaka-kun Is Always Listless

Episode 1

Tanaka-kun and Ohta-kun

Year 1 Class F

Tanaka, next period is gonna start.

You should take out your textbook, at least.

Hey, Tanaka. Are you listening—

Your arms fell asleep?

It happens pretty often.

When I sleep with my head on the desk, my arms fall asleep, and I can't move them.

When I try to lean on the window,

I misjudge the distance and hit my head really hard.

And when I rest my chin on my hand,

my posture gets increasingly awkward, and I end up hurting my wrist.

Crack

I just want to relax...

Being so listless is riskier than I thought...

Self-Study

Okay, let's do this.

Do what?

I finished the worksheet,

so I can finally take a break.

I can doze as much as I want...

What's wrong?

Since I moved my desk over here, those people are blocking the breeze.

You're pretty sensitive to that stuff...

I thought you could drift off anywhere, anytime, but I guess that's not the case.

I can't relax today, for some reason...

I'm not too far from my usual spot. Maybe that just makes the little differences seem bigger.

I see.

More importantly,

this is self-study time, an opportunity granted by God.

I need to face that under optimum conditions, with no compromises.

The guilt of knowing how lazy I'm being

while students in the other classes are studying hard...

I want to savor that feeling.

Hey, Ohta. Did you take notes last period?

Yeah, I did. You wanna copy them?

I'll be right back.

See you later.

It's over there.

There? Okay.

It's here!

This is what I wanted all along... The best of lazy situations!

Now I can enjoy some choice dozing.

T-Tanaka!

I'm surprised you're willing to participate in P.E.

Yeah.

I want to build up my physical strength so my limbs won't fall asleep

or get hurt, no matter how lazy I am.

I'll work my body hard so that I can slack off worry-free.

I think that's a tad contradictory, but I see your point.

All right, let's start warming up.

We're playing badminton today.

Man, I wanted to play soccer.

You're both on the soccer team, aren't you?

Tanaka, don't take breaks during warm-up exercises.

And don't skip to the end by yourself.

You guys are playing against us athletes. What lousy luck!

Go easy on us.

Ohta, you're really visually intimidating...

Ohta! Take it easy! Take it easy!

Sorry.

You're so cool, Ohta.

I wanna try that, too.

Go for it.

Tanaka! Your grip! Your grip!

Are you trying to kill us?!

Huh?

Why don't you take a break?

Yeah, yeah.

Your form wasn't bad, Tanaka.

Nice try.

Looks like the boys are having fun.

Yeah.

Why can't we win against one person?!

Since we're on the same team,

I wonder if Ohta's performance will automatically count toward my grade,

even if I'm resting like this...

I wish the world would adopt a system like that.

Sorry, I hit it too high.

I'll go up and get it.

Just get it later, Ohta. We have extra shuttlecocks.

They're not here.

Huh? Where'd they go?

Found them.

They're here, but...

I'll get the one that's stuck up there.

Yeah... I'd feel bad waking him up.

What was he trying to do, anyway?

Ohta...

Help...

He tried to take it off without unzipping it.

Ouch...

Hang in there.

Hang in there.

Ow...

Huh?

Since I worked so hard in P.E., I'm hungrier than usual...

You call that working hard?

Strawberry Custard Danish

Melon Bread

Loaded Hamburg Steak Sandwich

What should I get?

I've decided.

Me, too.

Can you pay for mine, too? I'll pay you back later.

All right.

Here you go, boys.

One loaded Hamburg steak sandwich on French bread,

and this is the strawberry custard danish and caramel muffin.

The other way around?!

Ohta, you sure love sweets.

Yeah, these two are new this month.

I have to try them.

But you don't look like the type to eat strawberry danishes,

so the cafeteria lady look surprised.

You don't look like the "loaded" type, either.

By the way, Tanaka, I read somewhere that

you shouldn't make a habit of resting your chin on your hand.

It can lead to temporomandibular joint disorder or nasolabial folds.

Developing physical strength is fine, but you should fix your bad habits first...

Tanaka?

H-He spit up blood?!

Hey, Tanaka! Are you okay?!

Hang in there! Did you work too hard in P.E.?!

A piece of French bread stabbed the inside of my mouth.

And, now that I think about it, I wasn't all that hungry.

It was just my imagination.

I'll eat the rest for you. Don't force yourself.

No matter how hard you work to build up your physical strength,

the human body still loses easily to a piece of French bread...

Training can only go so far, after all.

If that's the case, instead of getting rid of numbness and pain,

maybe coexisting with them is the true answer.

What's important is an unwavering mind and the ability to not care,

not physical strength.

Ohta, I...

I think I should start copying sutras.

Phenomena becomes emptiness

Emptiness becomes phenomena

You may look listless,

but you might actually be super aggressive...

I bought it, but it won't form a circle.

Well, that's useless.

I wonder if it'll get warm.

Hey, Ohta.

Look.

What is it?

In the story known as Life, everyone can become a main character!

I don't even want to be the main character in my own life...

Seriously?

Think about it.

Fight alongside your allies!!

Roarrrrr

Vol. 32 on sale now!

Latest Issue

Detective Coban

Vol.12

Main characters are involved in so many murder cases,

or they have to awaken new abilities to fight tough enemies,

or they have to be a pirate and collect all the dreams they can, until the story ends.

It sounds exhausting.

Well, playing the active role is what makes a main character.

Background characters have it easy.

They basically have no lines,

and in extreme cases, their faces aren't even drawn in completely.