By the time Oga finally dragged Furuichi through the school gates, Ishiyama High looked less like a delinquent stronghold and more like a hospital ward.
The mighty Tōhōshinki—the feared top dogs of the school—were slouched across benches, desks, and hallways like discarded rags. Kanzaki's normally shouting was sleeping upside down on table(don't ask how). Himekawa's polished suit was rumpled, tie dangling, sunglasses cracked on one side. Natsume sat cross-legged on the floor, muttering something about "a world of endless crying" like a monk lost to despair.
"It's no use, man..." Kanzaki groaned, face buried in his arms. "That brat's cries... they echo in my skull..."
Himekawa lifted his head just enough to glare weakly. "Do you have any idea how much my beauty sleep is worth? Do you, Oga? My face cream isn't even working anymore!"
"You guys look pathetic," Oga muttered, shifting Beel on his back. "It's just a baby crying."
"JUST A BABY?!" The three chorused, voices cracking in unison.
Natsume lurched up, pointing dramatically at Oga. "That 'baby' has the lungs of a demon army! Do you know what it's like to close your eyes and still hear the screams, Oga?!"
"Yeah!" Kanzaki chimed in. "I dreamed I was being run over by a truck, and it was STILL him crying!"
"Every time I blink," Himekawa whispered, clutching his temples, "I see his face. The drool. The sparks. The horror."
Beel squealed happily at that moment, letting out a sharp "DAAAH!!" accompanied by a tiny lightning crackle. The Tōhōshinki screamed, leaping backward like he'd fired a shotgun.
Oga groaned, dragging a hand down his face.
"Stop acting like wimps. You think I've been sleeping? I tried everything to shut him up, and nothing works. Yesterday, I even—"
That was when Furuichi cut in, staggering forward with wild eyes. "HE BATHED WITH KOGEN. THEN SLEPT WITH HIM."
The entire class froze.
Oga's jaw dropped. "DON'T START THIS AGAIN!"
But the damage was done. The Tōhōshinki's collective exhaustion made them ripe targets for Furuichi's nonsense. Kanzaki's mouth hung open, eyes bulging. Himekawa dropped his sunglasses completely. Natsume muttered, "So that's why he hasn't snapped from the crying..."
"You bastard..." Kanzaki hissed. "While we've been suffering, you've been living it up!"
"I'VE BEEN SUFFERING TOO, DAMMIT!" Oga roared.
But his classmates weren't listening. Already, whispers spread across the classroom like wildfire. Students collapsed dramatically onto desks, muttering about Oga's "secret life." Some started giggling nervously, others looked horrified but envious.
Meanwhile, Beel chose that moment to burst into laughter, sparks of electricity zapping Oga's hair into a frazzled mess.
"SEE? EVEN THE BABY'S MOCKING US!" Kanzaki yelled, clutching his head.
"Gods help me," Oga muttered, punching the blackboard so hard it cracked, the sound silencing the room. His glare swept across the class. "Anyone else says a word about baths or futons, and I'll bury you in the schoolyard."
The room froze. Silence... except for Beel, who clapped like a tiny cheerleader.
The Sleep-Deprived Fight
By lunchtime, the situation somehow got worse.
Two second-year gangs confronted Oga in the hallway, sneering despite their own drooping eyelids. "Oi, first-year. We heard your brat's been keepin' the whole town up. Someone's gotta teach you responsibility."
Oga cracked his knuckles. Normally, this would have been the start of a bloodbath. But when he swung his fist forward...
He yawned.
And promptly fell asleep mid-punch.
The punch still connected—sending one delinquent flying into a locker—but Oga collapsed immediately afterward, snoring loudly on the floor. Beel giggled, smacking Oga's face repeatedly with his tiny fists to wake him up.
The other delinquent tried to counterattack... but Kanzaki and Himekawa stepped in, half-conscious themselves. Kanzaki threw a kick, missed completely, and fell flat on his back. Himekawa adjusted his jacket, muttered "I'm too tired for this," and promptly collapsed onto a bench, using the delinquent as a pillow.
The fight ended not with fists, but with everyone passed out in a heap, groaning and snoring.
"Pathetic..." Natsume whispered from the sidelines before he too slumped forward, snoring against a wall.
Nightmare Echoes
By the last period, Oga's head thudded against his desk, eyes closing despite himself. But instead of relief, he found himself in a dream.
A vast black void. Echoing cries—Beel's voice, multiplied a thousandfold.
"DAAAAAH! DAAAAAH!"
Each cry reverberated, shaking the dreamscape like earthquakes. Oga's hands clawed at his ears, but the sound drilled into his skull.
He jolted awake with a shout, desk cracking beneath his fists. The class stared at him. Furuichi leaned in with a smug look.
"Bad dream, Oga? Or was your noght with Kogen too rough and tiring last night?"
The classroom erupted in laughter.
"YOU'RE DEAD, FURUICHI!!!" Oga roared, chasing him down the hall while Beel shrieked happily on his back.