Even in Hell 1

Eichi: Cough, ahem.

Good morning.

Tsumugi: Oh, Eichi-kun! Good morning to you, too~ ...no, wait, it’s already after lunch?

Eichi: Ah, so it is. Then good afternoon ♪

Tsumugi: Good afternoon~ ♪ I’m surprised to see you at school today. What a relief!

You’ve been absent so many days I was starting to worry. Are you feeling any better?

Eichi: Not particularly, but I was able to persuade my physician to allow me to come, under certain restrictions, because of how much I love school.

Here, look. I can stay until the point that this “Eichi-kun Gauge” drops to zero ♪

Tsumugi: What? That’s certainly a... suspicious-sounding scale.

Eichi: Whenever I do any strenuous activity, the Eichi-kun Gauge decreases.

Once it hits zero, a signal is sent out to my physician and my chauffeur, and I’m forcibly removed from the premises.

Tsumugi: It sounds almost like a game of sorts... Wait, you’re being serious?

It must be hard being the heir to a massive conglomerate, huh? I can’t even wrap my head around it.

Eichi: They’re simply overprotective. God forbid anything happen to their precious heir... It’s not about love at all; they aren’t even concerned about me.

Tsumugi: I think that’s still a commendable sort of love~

My family is so laissez-faire that I could keel over and die at home and all they would say is “Tsumugi, you’re in the way. Move so I can keep cleaning.”

Eichi: Ahaha, you tell a good joke, Tsumugi ♪

That you are so friendly as to be capable of such trivial small talk with anyone is a kind of talent, you know.

Tsumugi: Did you really just call that “trivial” so casually?!

Eichi: I was complimenting you. You must have a lot of friends, right? I’m jealous.

I haven’t gotten to know many people, as I’m too sickly to attend school. Most of my classmates don’t even remember what I look like.

Tsumugi: Ohh, please don’t look so sad! Come on, give me a smile~ I’m your friend, Eichi-kun! Here, shake my hand ♪

Eichi: It would be my pleasure ♪

Thank you, Tsumugi. You’re always so sociable and friendly with me.

I should thank you. Because of you, I don’t feel so out of place in class.

Tsumugi: Ahaha. Well, I know a lot of our classmates and even some students from different grades, too.

I’ll introduce you, Eichi-kun. I’d be happy if we all became friends ♪

Eichi: Of course. Your personal connections will certainly be of great use to me.

Tsumugi: Hm? I thought I heard something alarming.

Eichi: It was your imagination. Anyway, is Ke—is Hasumi-kun not in class right now?

Tsumugi: Oh, do you need something from Keito-kun? He’s been trying to revive the student council, since for a long time it only really existed on paper...

He seems very busy with that. And on top of it all, he’s also a member of the library committee. It must be rough for him.

I wonder why he’d take on such a great burden all by himself?

Eichi: It’s a disease, if you ask me. He’s the son of a temple. It’s hard to tell the difference between Buddhist practices and masochism.

Tsumugi: That’s a pretty scathing critique. Do you two not get along? I heard that you and Keito-kun were something of childhood friends, though.

Of course, I’ve never even seen you speak to each other in class before.

Eichi: This isn’t a game or a manga; it’s rather irritating, actually, that people assume we’re good friends just because we grew up together.

Try as we might, we can’t get away from each other. Still, I don’t understand a thing he’s thinking about these days.

Tsumugi: Fufu. Well, I believe Keito-kun is usually in the student council room during lunch and after school.

The student council has just been reinstated, so I’m sure there’s a lot of paperwork to take care of.

Eichi: Hmm. That’s troublesome, but I suppose I’ll head over there.

Tsumugi: If it’s not anything super serious, I could always deliver a message on your behalf, Eichi-kun.

You’re already so frail, I don’t want to make you exert yourself so much. Maybe you could send him a text?

Eichi: I don’t know his phone number. Besides, it is a rather important matter, so I ought to talk to him in person.

I appreciate your concern though, Tsumugi ♪

To tell you the truth, my grandfather is on his death bed. My family wants to request Hasumi-kun’s temple for the funerary services...

So I need to discuss that with him, among other things.

Tsumugi: Oh, your grandfather? Oh, wow, I’m so sorry to hear that...?

Eichi: Fufu. My family has been short-lived for generations back, so I’m used to hearing news of death.

But my grandfather and great-grandfather lived long lives. I wonder if they were demons, or something adjacent.

In any case, my grandfather is a rather important person, so I imagine my family will be in a state of chaos for the time being.

...It’s a bother, honestly. I’m worried that I won’t be able to come back to school, even if my health takes a turn for the better.

(At the same time, it seems it’s finally time for that thorn in my side to kick the bucket... I should be able to move around more freely, to some extent.)

(It’s not the best timing, but it is the second best.)

(You read the room at the very last moment, Grandfather. Please, rest in peace.)

Eichi: (I’ll pray for your soul. ...As for me, I have no intention of dying just yet.)