Saiki was sitting on the rooftop eating lunch and chatting with Akihisa and the others.
Akihisa also took out his bento, pulled out a pack of instant noodles, poured hot water over them, and started eating. "By the way, Izumi-kun really is super unlucky. I'm genuinely worried about how he lives day to day."
(Your own life is pretty worrying too.)
Sakamoto Yuuji: "You've got time to worry about other people? You can barely manage your own life."
Kinoshita Hideyoshi: "Yuuji's right. Look at you eating instant noodles again."
Yoshii Akihisa: "I don't have any extra spending money, but I'm getting by just fine. I wonder if any good luck is coming my way!"
Tsuchiya Kouta suddenly appeared and held out a few photos. "It's not like there's no good luck. 500 yen each."
The photos were exactly of Kinoshita Hideyoshi in the cheerleader outfit.
"I'll take them."
After handing over the money, Yoshii Akihisa held up the photos in celebration. "Yes! Something good finally happened."
At that moment Saiki interjected coldly. [What about your living expenses now?]
"Oh!!!"
Yoshii Akihisa clutched his head in frustration.
Kinoshita Hideyoshi covered his own head speechlessly. "What are you even agonizing over?"
"A man never regrets his choices."
Yoshii Akihisa carefully took out an album and placed the photo inside.
[Yare yare daze, looks like even if you got a do-over, you'd make the same choice. Seriously.]
"Until my allowance comes in, I can survive just fine on one cup of instant noodles a day."
Kinoshita Hideyoshi delivered the finishing blow. "Hey Akihisa, aren't you forgetting something?"
Yoshii Akihisa looked completely blank. "Huh? What?"
"Ah, here it is."
"Found it, found it, Akihisa."
Shimada Minami and Himeji Mizuki suddenly appeared.
Shimada Minami: "Akihisa, where are we meeting this weekend?"
Yoshii Akihisa tilted his head. "Meeting? What meeting?"
[This idiot completely forgot.]
Shimada Minami reminded him. "Did you forget? You promised to take me out for crepes."
Yoshii Akihisa panicked. "Wasn't last time enough?"
Shimada Minami gave him a decisive chop. "Last time was last time. A promise is a promise."
Himeji Mizuki spoke up shyly. "Um, can I come along too?"
Yoshii Akihisa turned around in despair. [Himeji-san wants to come too?]
"I actually have a movie I'd like to watch with Yoshii-kun."
(Geez, if you don't want to go that badly, just say no.)
[I can't refuse Himeji-san.] Akihisa looked like he was about to cry. "My food budget!!!"
...
After school, Inuzuka Shu—with his arm in a sling looking like he had suffered serious injuries—brought Izumi Yuu in front of Saiki as if entrusting him with his last will and testament. "Saiki, I'm counting on you to walk home with Izumi today! No club activities or anything needed."
[First tell me how you ended up this badly hurt.]
Inuzuka Shu just looked grave. "Saiki, only you can save Izumi now."
(Is it really that serious?)
Then Inuzuka Shu left.
Saiki looked at Izumi. [What's going on? What happened to Inuzuka?]
Izumi Yuu sighed and began recalling. "It's all my fault. Today was especially unlucky. A bucket suddenly fell from above."
In Izumi Yuu's mind, he had nearly been hit by the bucket, but Inuzuka Shu pushed him out of the way and took the hit himself.
"Then I almost ran into the guidance counselor."
In the scene, Inuzuka Shu had charged forward to prevent Izumi from colliding with the teacher.
"Inuzuka-kun got the worst of it."
[Poor Inuzuka. Wait, hold on, how do you usually get through school then?]
Izumi Yuu scratched his head awkwardly.
[Normally I'm either with Saiki-kun or around Shikimori-san, so nothing ever goes wrong. But how am I supposed to say that? Without them, I really can't manage.]
(I see.)
[Anyway, don't worry about it. Just be more careful from now on. It'll be fine.]
"Mm, I know."
Right after Izumi said that, as they were going down the stairs, his foot slipped and he started falling toward the bottom.
(You know nothing.)
Saiki and Shikimori, who had suddenly appeared, both grabbed the back collar of Izumi's uniform at the same moment and pulled him back up.
[Shikimori-san?]
Izumi Yuu, now reacting, quickly thanked them. "Thank you, Saiki-kun, Shikimori-san."
"Shikimori-san, why are you here?"
Shikimori rubbed her nose. [I was looking for Saiki. It took forever to break through the crowd.]
"Yeah, usually we walk home together, right? How come you left first this time?"
"Shikimori-san has become really popular. It kinda feels like we're not in the same world anymore. Plus I've caused you a lot of trouble before."
Shikimori shrugged casually. "Eh, it's nothing. I don't mind at all."
Then she turned to Saiki. "Saiki-kun, lately you've been walking home with Shiraishi-kun and the others. We haven't gone home together in a while. So let's walk back together today."
[Isn't that because you guys have club activities?]
Because of club activities, Saiki usually ended up walking home separately from these two.
"All right, all right, stop talking. Let's go, let's go."
Shikimori smiled, placed both hands on Saiki's shoulders, and started pushing him forward from behind.
[You don't need to push. I can walk by myself.]
Izumi Yuu watched the warm scene between the two and wondered if he shouldn't be there.
[Izumi, what are you doing? Hurry up and catch up.]
Saiki glanced back at Izumi, who was still standing frozen in place.
Shikimori also waved her hand. "Izumi-kun, if you don't hurry we're leaving without you."
Izumi smiled. "Coming!"
"By the way, Saiki-kun, why don't you join a club? With your abilities you could adapt to any club super fast. And I think you're required to join one here anyway."
Izumi Yuu couldn't help but point it out.
Shikimori chimed in from the side. "Yeah, Saiki. I think you should pick a club soon. Otherwise Hiratsuka-sensei will definitely start nagging you eventually."
[If Saiki joined a club too, then we could walk home together more often.]
Saiki scratched his head. [A club? Yare yare daze, what a hassle. I'll deal with it when she starts nagging. I really don't like joining clubs.]
Shikimori looked a little disappointed. "Oh well, then just pick one whenever. That's fine."
Izumi looked at the two of them and spoke up. "Saiki-kun, Shikimori-san, are you free this weekend?"
[Hm, nothing in particular. What's up, Izumi?]
"I don't have anything either. Why?"
Izumi Yuu took out three free invitation tickets. "I want to invite you both to hang out this weekend."
"Eh, really? That's great, then…" Shikimori was about to agree enthusiastically but then remembered to check with Saiki.
Saiki looked at the three familiar tickets. [Are these for the movie theater?]
"Saiki, you know about them too!"
[They look kinda familiar.]
Shikimori watched Saiki from the side. "Saiki-kun, come with us." [If Saiki doesn't go, then I'm not going either.]
Izumi also looked at Saiki expectantly. [If Saiki-kun doesn't go, then Shikimori-san probably won't either. In that case, I'll just invite them some other time.]