The three of them had just walked into the classroom when the bell rang ding ding ding. They went to their seats, put down their bags, and then the teacher walked in.
"Alright, class is starting. First, lesson one..."
Listening to the teacher drone on and on, Saiki Kusuo couldn't really focus at all. For someone like him who gets full marks in every subject, first-year high school material was just way too easy.
He was an esper, after all. Whether using clairvoyance to see answers, psychography to write them out, or... or just listening to heartbeats and using his money ability, he could get perfect scores anytime, anywhere.
Though even without superpowers, he could still get full marks in high school courses on his own.
But he still had to pretend to listen. Even if he was physically in class, his mind was always somewhere else. No helping that.
At that moment, Hiratsuka-sensei, who was lecturing from the podium, also noticed Saiki Kusuo's state, but she didn't say anything. After all, she knew this kid's academics weren't something to worry about. As long as he didn't disrupt class, she let him be.
Morning classes ended quickly.
When lunchtime came, Saiki didn't go down to buy a bento. He just took out his bento box from his bag and prepared to eat in the classroom. Since he made it himself, no need to go anywhere.
Shikimori saw this and also picked up her bento box, walking over toward Saiki. She asked cautiously, "Saiki-kun, want to eat lunch together?"
Saiki Kusuo looked up, seeming to think about how to respond.
[Ah, first time inviting a boy to eat together. So nervous, what do I do? He won't reject me, right? But since I'm Saiki-kun's only female friend, he probably won't reject me... right? No way, no way.]
Although Shikimori was pretty confident in her appearance, she always felt that Saiki was different from normal people. He didn't seem to care much about looks, so the chance of him rejecting her was actually pretty high.
[Sure.]
[Yes! He didn't reject me!] Shikimori let out a sigh of relief. She opened her bento box lid, revealing what looked like a rich and delicious assortment of dishes.
Saiki also took out his homemade bento, opened it, and revealed an even more mouthwatering spread than Shikimori's.
"Saiki-kun, your food looks so abundant. This bento looks delicious! Did someone make it for you? Or did you buy it somewhere?" Shikimori had originally thought that Saiki probably couldn't cook and had bought a bento, so she planned to share some of hers with him. But after seeing his dishes, she instantly felt like her own food didn't look appetizing anymore.
[I made it myself.]
"Eh, no way! It looks way better than what my mom makes."
[It's alright. Your bento looks good too. Did you make it yourself?]
Shikimori paused for a moment.
"Mm~"
Shikimori thought back to yesterday when Saiki bought a huge pile of instant noodles from the supermarket. She had imagined that Saiki couldn't cook, so that's why he bought so many unhealthy things to eat.
[Really can't judge a book by its cover.]
(What does that mean? Are you teasing me?)
"Saiki-kun, have you decided which club you want to join yet?"
[Clubs? I haven't decided yet. Not planning to join for now. What about you?]
"I've decided to join the volleyball club."
(Sports clubs, huh? Not really my thing. I'm not great at sports. If I don't control my strength properly, I'd casually get scouted for the national team.)
(As for art clubs, no way. If I paint scenery, I could accidentally make a perfect 1/3 scale in one stroke—too fast. If I paint people, they'd come out looking hyper-realistic.)
"Eh, since when did Shikimori and Saiki get so close? Eating lunch together like that... ugh, so jealous."
"You're right, it really is enviable."
"Do you think they'll end up as a couple later?"
"I didn't expect Saiki to be so good at cooking too. He's already top in studies, and now his cooking is this delicious? Isn't it supposed to be that when God opens a window for someone, He closes a door? Where's the door God closed for him? His looks?"
"You're overthinking. At least he's better-looking than you. Probably his personality! Saiki does look pretty gloomy, right? Wait, no, actually Saiki's a brooding handsome guy."
[Yare yare, looks like I'll have to eat bento alone from now on.]
He didn't expect that just eating a bento would make the classmates around them buzz with excitement again.
Shikimori listened to the surrounding classmates' words, her face unconsciously turning red. [I don't have that kind of feeling toward Saiki at all! After all, Saiki isn't good at socializing, and I'm his first female friend. Eating lunch together is totally normal. Plus, he's so gloomy and quiet, always lost in thought. Probably no other girls would approach him to be friends, so I...]
Shikimori looked up at Saiki. [If you look closely, Saiki's actually pretty nice. That sullen, dazed face, starry melancholy eyes, he looks full of mystery. It makes you want to get lost in it.]
Shikimori [Ah, wait, what am I even thinking?]
(seriously, if you don't start eating soon, lunch time's gonna end.)
Soon it was time for afternoon dismissal. On the way home after school, Saiki and Izumi Yuu walked and chatted.
"Hey hey, Saiki-kun, have you decided on a club yet? I'm planning to join the soccer club."
[No.]
(Soccer club, huh? Izumi should be fine, right?)
Izumi Yuu caught Saiki's look. "No problem, really! This is also to train myself. I'm confident. It's fine, go for it!"
[As long as you're happy.]
"By the way, I feel like no matter which club Saiki-kun joins, you'd fit in perfectly. You're just that amazing."
(Rather than joining clubs, I prefer the go-home club.)
Just as they were crossing the road, a truck came speeding toward them. The uncle driving it had his eyes closed, asleep.
"Danger!" The pedestrians on the road shouted at the two boys in the middle of the street as the truck barreled toward them.
(Why would someone fall asleep while driving?)
Saiki Kusuo glanced at the sleeping truck driver. (Wake up.)
The truck driver was instantly yanked back from his dream into reality. Seeing the people he was about to hit, he slammed on the brakes hard. Thankfully, it stopped just in time, narrowly avoiding a disaster.
"Sorry, sorry! Really sorry!" The truck driver got out and kept apologizing repeatedly.
"Seriously, how do you drive like that? Be more careful next time. You almost hit these two students."
"Yeah, watch out next time." The pedestrians on the road started pointing and commenting.
...
Soon Saiki returned home, took some coffee jelly from the fridge, sat on the sofa, ate while reading a novel, and thought about everything that had happened these past few days.
(Yare yare, coming to a new school feels alright. If you ignore Izumi Yuu's misfortune body, he's actually a pretty good guy to be friends with. As for Shikimori-san, she's nice to me too, but she's super popular, and she's being way too nice to me. Should I keep a bit of distance?)