Soen ni Natte Ita Osananajimi to Seki ga Zengo ni Natta - Chapter 16 English

 Chapter 16 – Studying for the exam

 It was almost time for the first midterm, the first regular exam since I became a second grade high school student.  However, there was a friend who stared at the void in front of me.

 "Kana?  Are you okay?"

 "Eh?"

 "Your hand stopped."

 "Oh yes."

 I've been doing this since the final exams for the first semester of the first grade, so this time I'm studying again in the after-school class with Kana, but she's soon lost in thought and can't concentrate at all.

 Well, I know what you're thinking.  However, if you are unable to concentrate before the test, you may get a red grade.  When you were in first grade, you did your best to achieve an average grade, but now I am very worried about your condition.

 "Hah..."

 If I look closely, I can see that she has dark circles around his eyes.

 Hmm... I wonder what to do about it... I can't concentrate on studying thinking about it.  If I'm going to tell others, I should be able to do it myself.

 With that in mind, I lightly patted her cheek with both my hands.  Then I looked at Kana, and she froze again with her eyes shifting from the question book.

 “Kana, you are lost in thought again!  Look… we're going home in 40 minutes, and you really need to focus!”

 "Okay!"

 And it's time to leave school.  Kana looked able to concentrate for the last 40 minutes.

 But at this rate, I don't think I'll be able to study at home at all.  ...Hah...I'm worried about her...

 +×+×+×+

 —Ping!

 "Hmm?"

 While I was studying Japanese history, my smartphone that I had left beside me rang.

 When I checked, it turned out to be a message notification from Masaki.  I can guess what it's in... I don't understand this stuff so explain to me, I didn't write this material so let me see your notes, I'm too tired to study so let's chat?  I suspect the content is one of those three things.

 With that in mind, I unlocked my smartphone and checked the contents of Masaki's message.

 "Could you show me your last chemistry notes?"

 That's the second... It's the one I tend to reject the most of the three.

 "You didn't write it?"

 “No, the writing of the material is too complicated for me to understand.  Look at this."

 The messages I sent were immediately read and replied to.  In the end, he sent a photo of his note, which I immediately opened.

 "Hahaha..."

 I couldn't help but laugh.  It was a photo of a notebook with a drawing on it that looked like a slug was crawling across it.  The only good thing is that the diagrams are drawn in an extraordinarily neat manner, perhaps in an attempt to wake him from his drowsiness.

 “I can see your effort to stay awake.  (lol).”

 "Precisely.  I've tried enough."

 "So I don't have to show my notes?"

 "I am sorry.  Let me see it.”

 "Okay.  Wait a moment."

 And, well, it's nice to have small talk with Masaki for a break.  I'm tired of memorizing things, and if I was going to pull out my notebook, I might as well study chemistry.

 I took a notebook out of my bag and took a picture with my phone of the part that was sent to me earlier in the photo.

 ...Oh, I wonder what kind of questions will be given to us during the exams... If I join one of the clubs, will I be able to pass the exams... For math lessons are mostly predictable, because the teacher  unchanged since first grade.

 I sent Masaki the photos I took while thinking about that.

 "Thanks!"

 "Aren't you worried about math?"

 In first grade, I had a lot of trouble with math, and even got a red grade once, so I asked him about it.

 ... "Momoyama NG".  Don't tell NG.

 [TL Note: NG = No Good.]

 "Stop running from reality."

 As far as I remember, math is first in this exam schedule.  Well, I think it should be planned, but in terms of sequence, I think math should be the first subject to learn.

 "Red grade are troublesome, because Yamamoto-sensei will hold remedials."

 “I know because I followed that once.”

 Yes that's correct.  Well, I'll do something about it.

 “I know (lol).  Hang on."

 "Is math difficult?"

 “You can do it if you try”

 "You can't do it if you don't try."

 "Precisely."

 You're taking that too lightly.

Translator: Janaka