[Awake already? Then go wash up. Breakfast is already prepared.]
Hearing the voice, Kubo Nagisa took a few steps and tilted her head to look at Saiki, who was still in the kitchen making breakfast.
Kubo Nagisa felt in a cheerful mood, as if she really liked this kind of life. She responded with an "Oh" and headed toward the bathroom.
Breakfast was just ordinary Japanese fare: miso soup, fried eggs, and fish. But to Kubo Nagisa, it tasted exceptionally delicious.
"It's so good. Anything Saiki-kun makes, even the most ordinary things, turns out this delicious."
[It's nothing special.]
Kubo Nagisa watched Saiki calmly finish his breakfast and added another comment. "It really is so good, Saiki-kun. I wish I could eat food like this every day~"
Saiki frowned. (What's with that? Trying to mooch off me forever?)
[Once I teach you how to cook, you'll be able to make food at this level yourself too. I'm going to check on Shiina Mahiru-san first.] After saying that in one breath, Saiki stopped paying attention to Kubo Nagisa's strange look and headed toward the room.
When Saiki reached the room, he looked at Shiina Mahiru, who was still deeply asleep. He walked over and touched her forehead.
[Hm, looks like she's almost recovered. She'll probably wake up around noon. But I should still have her take the day off today.]
...
When Saiki came out of the room, he saw Kubo Nagisa already at the entrance, bending over while holding onto the wall and hooking her fingers into the back of her small leather shoes.
Noticing his gaze, Kubo Nagisa turned her head and greeted him. "Saiki-kun, are you ready? Time to head out."
Saiki nodded, put on his school uniform, then went into the kitchen, took out a bento box, and handed it to Kubo Nagisa.
[Here, for you.]
"This is…" Kubo Nagisa looked at the bento box Saiki handed her, still a little confused.
[This is the lunch bento I made for you. Just this once, it's free. No repeats. Don't refuse it.]
Without waiting for Kubo Nagisa to think too much about it, Saiki placed it directly into her hands.
[Don't worry, I didn't make too much. It's enough for you to eat plenty. If there's extra, don't waste it. You can share it with your friends too.]
He had made it according to Kubo Nagisa's appetite—enough to fill her up without being too little. A little extra wouldn't hurt anyway, since both yesterday and today she had cleaned her plate completely.
Then he changed his shoes, opened the door, and stepped outside.
[Alright, let's go.]
"Oh, thank you, Saiki-kun." Kubo Nagisa snapped out of it, carefully put the bento box away, and hurried to catch up.
[No problem. Consider it thanks for helping me take care of Shiina-san yesterday. Otherwise it would've been hard for me to look after her alone. After you finish eating, just return the bento box to me at lunch.]
"Yes, yes!" Kubo Nagisa hummed a little tune and skipped ahead.
...
"Morning, Saiki-kun! Huh, Kubo-san? How come you're arriving with Saiki?"
Shiraishi had been waiting for Saiki at their usual spot. Seeing Kubo Nagisa, he asked in surprise.
[That's… a long story. Summarizing it would still be a hassle. Forget it, I'm not explaining.]
"Yahoo, morning, Shiraishi-san!" Kubo Nagisa waved her hand in greeting.
Shiraishi: "Kubo-san, you seem to be in a really good mood!"
"Really? I guess so."
...
"Morning, Saiki-kun."
"Saiki-kun, what a coincidence. We meet again."
Izumi and Shikimori were waiting for Saiki at their usual intersection again.
After the group reached school, Saiki didn't head to the classroom. Instead, he said goodbye to the others and went straight to the staff room.
Knock knock knock… knock knock knock. Saiki knocked on the door from outside until a voice came from inside.
"Come in." Several teachers' voices responded from within.
Saiki opened the door and walked in. Many teachers were preparing lessons.
"Excuse me, is there something you need, student?" A male teacher with short white hair, fair skin, black eyes, and black hair spoke up.
[Nishimura-sensei, I'm here to see Hiratsuka Shizuka-sensei.]
This was Nishimura Soichi, Saiki's PE teacher. He had only started recently, but the students already remembered him clearly—and respected him. An incredibly strong triathlete, he was nicknamed "Iron Man" by the class.
"Hiratsuka-sensei is over there." Nishimura Soichi pointed Saiki in the right direction.
Saiki walked toward where he pointed and saw a young woman wearing a white coat and glasses, exuding mature charm. She seemed lost in thought about something. When she turned and saw Saiki, she looked a little surprised.
"Saiki, this is unexpected. You're here bright and early. Your last test score was pretty good—not bad at all. As expected of my student. Is something the matter?"
[I'm here to request a day off for Shiina Mahiru-san from our class.]
Hiratsuka looked at Saiki in confusion. "A day off? Did something happen to Shiina-san? Why are you the one asking for her?"
Saiki nodded calmly. [It's like this: Shiina-san caught a cold and is sick. She's still passed out in bed and hasn't woken up yet, so I came to ask for the day off on her behalf.]
"Oh, I see. Got it. But…"
Hiratsuka stood up, leaned in close to Saiki, and asked, "So, kid, what exactly is your relationship with Shiina Mahiru?"
(Too close.)
Saiki took a step back. [I'm her neighbor. She lives right next door to me.]
"Ohhh~…" Hiratsuka looked at him thoughtfully.
[Really now? This kid looks so serious and honest, but who would've thought…]
(What are you imagining this time?)
[Since the leave is approved, I'll head to class now.] After saying that, Saiki left the staff room and headed toward the classroom.
(Yare yare, this teacher really loves jumping to conclusions. This staff room really does have that familiar smell, though.)
Whether it was a long time ago in this life or even further back in a previous one, Saiki had frequently been called to the teacher's office during his school days for a "chat." The atmosphere was exactly the same.
Yoshii Akihisa saw Saiki finally coming back just as class was about to start. "What happened? You're unusually late, Saiki."
[Just a small issue plus some force majeure. Nothing serious.]
Saiki didn't bother chatting with Akihisa any further and went straight to his seat.
Tsuchiya Kouta poked his head out from in front of Saiki's desk. "Morning, Saiki. By the way, don't you think Akihisa's grades are really suspicious?"
Yoshii Akihisa seemed to hear someone badmouthing him. Like he'd been summoned, he rushed over from Saiki's left side and demanded, "You gloomy pervert, what do you mean by that? Saiki trusts me completely. We're super close. Are you seriously trying to drive a wedge between us?"
(We're not close at all. Please don't make things up.)
Sakamoto Yuuji stepped in from behind to mediate. "Alright, alright, come on. It's way too early in the morning for this much noise. Saiki just got here, and you're already bothering him like this. Is that really okay?"
(Yeah, Kuma-ji, you actually said something decent for once.)
Then, in the very next second, Sakamoto Yuuji pressed his index finger and thumb against his chin, as if seriously pondering something. "No, wait—this really is a question worth investigating."
(Please don't come near me. Don't discuss this right next to me.)
(…)