"The moment I opened my eyes, I saw the scene of a chained cow being brutally slaughtered."
[Eh?]
"When I tried to sneak away, I got shocked unconscious again…"
"And when I opened my eyes once more, there was another chained cow."
[You really watched two full showings in a row.]
"Every time I tried to escape again, I lost consciousness once more. This overwhelming sense of inevitability hit me—that no matter how many times I open my eyes, it'll always be the cow-killing scene—so I gave up trying to run."
Yoshii Akihisa put on a serious face, pinched his chin, and said solemnly, "I'll never get to see the beginning of the movie."
[That's not the main point here!]
"More importantly, what am I supposed to do until next month's allowance comes in…"
Sakamoto Yuuji said nonchalantly, "Just sell off that mountain of games you have. Problem solved."
(As expected of Yuuji. He gave the most normal, practical, and correct solution to the current situation.)
Yoshii Akihisa angrily shouted at Yuuji, "What are you even saying!"
"How could I possibly trade those irreplaceable masterpieces for food!?"
Saiki looked utterly speechless. (What an idiot.)
Sakamoto Yuuji gave Akihisa a sideways glance. "Ever heard of the phrase 'you reap what you sow'?"
The latter immediately shot back, "You're only saying that because you're loaded right now and financially secure. For me this is literally a matter of life and death."
(Then you should sell the games even more.)
Hearing Akihisa's reply, Sakamoto Yuuji's art style suddenly shifted. His face turned pale as he grabbed Yoshii Akihisa's shoulders. "Akihisa… do you think I'm not in danger too?"
Yoshii Akihisa seemed to understand something and matched the art style change. "Sorry…"
"It's fine…"
(Yare yare, I'm not getting involved in whatever brotherly moment you two are having.)
Saiki silently finished changing his shoes and headed to the classroom alone, leaving plenty of space for the two of them to continue their conversation.
As soon as Saiki entered the classroom, Izumi Yuu—who he hadn't seen in a while—came over and said, "Today's going to be exciting, Saiki."
[Exciting? Exciting for what? Did something happen today again?]
Shiraishi quietly poked his head out from behind Saiki. "Saiki-kun, did you forget? Today is the sports festival."
Izumi Yuu jumped in surprise. "Whoa, Shiraishi-san! You're still tailing Saiki-kun like always. You really startled me popping up like that."
[Yare yare, sports festival? I almost forgot. Can I just skip it? I'm not interested in this kind of thing at all.]
...
By noon, the sports festival team assignments were posted on the blackboard.
Izumi Yuu and Inuzuka Shu stood in front of it, looking at the lists for basketball, volleyball, baseball, and soccer.
"Izumi, looks like you and I are on soccer."
"Yeah. Saiki-kun said he wasn't feeling well, so Shiraishi-san took his place. Let's do our best together, Shiraishi-san."
Izumi Yuu looked excitedly at Shiraishi beside him.
Shiraishi replied indifferently, "I'll try my best."
(Yare yare, sorry, Shiraishi. I still haven't mastered precise control over my leg strength. Soccer really isn't suitable for me.)
Inuzuka Shu looked at Saiki. "Saiki, I can't believe there's actually something wrong with your body. That's hard to accept."
[Can't be helped. I've been frail and sickly since I was little.]
Yoshii Akihisa and the others walked over too. "Yo! Saiki. Yuuji and I are on baseball. Too bad about your health. Wanna come watch our game later?"
Tsuchiya Kouta: "You doing okay, Saiki?"
[I'm fine. Where's Hideyoshi?]
Sakamoto Yuuji: "Oh, resting. He's changing right now."
"I clearly should have been playing baseball too. Why did it turn out like this?"
Saiki looked toward the voice. It was Hideyoshi, now dressed in a cheerleader outfit, standing right behind him.
[Hideyoshi, why are you…]
Hideyoshi explained with a shy expression. "I clearly said I wanted to play baseball, but they told me there were already enough players. Then they said they were short on cheerleaders and gave me these clothes to wear."
Saiki: ...
Yoshii Akihisa looked excited. "This is actually pretty good! It suits you a lot, Hideyoshi. Right, Saiki?"
"No way! How could this suit me? Saiki, you tell him." Kinoshita Hideyoshi pouted and looked at Saiki.
(If I don't lie through my teeth here… yeah, it actually suits you quite well.)
Tsuchiya Kouta was already snapping photos like crazy from the side.
"Hideyoshi-san, please don't seduce Saiki-kun."
Kubo Nagisa and Shikimori Miyako suddenly appeared, grabbed one of Saiki's arms, pulled him back, and then stood in front of Hideyoshi to block the view.
In some corner, a girl with flax-colored hair was also glancing over, quietly observing the scene.
"I'm a boy!!!"
(Yare yare, why does it always end up like this!)
Shimada Minami and Himeji Mizuki also appeared, wearing cheerleader outfits.
"Geez, Yoshii-san, don't just stare at Hideyoshi, okay?"
"Akihisa, we'll be cheering for you from the side too. Hideyoshi-san, you changed so fast—why didn't you wait for us?"
Hideyoshi explained helplessly, "We weren't changing in the same place. And I really don't want to show off in this outfit."
Himeji Mizuki: "Hmph. Only a total playboy like you wouldn't understand how we feel."
Shimada Minami: "Exactly."
Yoshii Akihisa looked at the two girls' cheerleader outfits and blushed unconsciously. He cleared his throat twice. "By the way, how come you two aren't participating in the events?"
Himeji Mizuki held her chest. "I'm not really suited for those two intense sports. So instead I…"
"I see."
Shimada Minami noticed Yoshii Akihisa staring at her and quickly explained, "What are you looking at? Don't judge me by appearances—I've got plenty to work with. I'm just not doing sports because…"
Yoshii Akihisa cut in directly. "I know, Minami-sama. You don't have to explain. Actually, your figure is way more suited for sports. No pressure at all—you might even win first place. Plus… my spine, my spine—"
Before he could finish, Shimada Minami swiftly moved behind Yoshii Akihisa, grabbed him around the waist, and performed a back suplex, slamming his spine into the ground while still applying pressure.
With just a little more force. "What are you saying? I've got plenty, okay? It just doesn't show much normally. And what's with calling me 'Minami-sama'? Are you mocking me or something?"
Yoshii Akihisa struggled in pain. "Ow ow ow ow! I was wrong! Didn't you tell me to call you that?"
"Just call me Minami normally."
"Yes ma'am… Minami… without thinking it through—ow ow ow ow! My spine just cracked again!"
"I can see it, I can see it, I can see it clearly."
From the side, someone else was holding a camera, frantically capturing the mysterious scenery.