[Hey!! Calm down, this might just be a prank.]
[Deciding that so early is way too hasty. Take a closer look and you'll know.]
Saiki picked up the letter again.
"You're right, yeah yeah, Saiki, I agree we shouldn't jump to conclusions so fast."
Yoshii Akihisa nodded in agreement.
(Would using psychometry really make it obvious if it's real?)
Psychometry: One of Saiki's psychic abilities. He usually seals it with ultra-thin gloves. Anything touched by Saiki's hand allows him to sense the residual memories and thoughts that people have left on the object.
If he accidentally touches something else, things could get really bad. For example, touching a book might let him see the printing process of the book, or he'd get spoiled on a page he hasn't read yet by the author who's on the verge of dying from overwork... and a whole series of awful things like that.
Saiki took out his transparent gloves, placed his hand on the letter, and saw a man writing it with an excited mood, face slightly flushed, grinning foolishly as he wrote: "Ah~ Yoshii-kun."
The scene pulled back, and Saiki saw what the person looked like. It was none other than Kubo Toshimitsu.
Saiki handed the letter to Yoshii Akihisa, who asked nervously: "What's wrong, Saiki? Why aren't you saying anything?"
Saiki said seriously, [The person who wrote this letter is completely serious!]
Sakamoto Yuuji put a hand on Yoshii Akihisa's shoulder. The art style turned grayscale again as he comforted: "Do your best!"
"I don't want this!!!!"
...
The midday breeze felt especially cool and refreshing, calming the mind.
[Oh, so you're saying you want to look for a club?]
Saiki looked at Shiraishi in front of him.
"Yeah, I do have that idea."
Saiki sat next to Shiraishi. [So why the sudden thought?]
Shiraishi scratched his head: "It's not exactly sudden. I've had this idea for a long time. My presence is really low. I was originally planning not to have any contact with those normie types during high school."
"But after meeting you, Saiki-kun, I always feel like this isn't good. I should improve myself too."
[You don't have to worry about what I think. Shiraishi is just Shiraishi. I think that's fine as is.]
"Thanks, Saiki-kun. But whenever I look at you while thinking about joining a club, I still feel like I can't keep going on like this. And if I join a club and start socializing with others, maybe my presence won't be so low anymore... I won't get ignored so much..."
(I actually don't think it's a big deal, but if Shiraishi really feels that way, as a friend it's good to help out.)
[Alright then, I'll help you.]
"Help me?"
Saiki stood up and beckoned to Shiraishi.
[I'll go with you to check out clubs. The school has quite a few.]
"Wait."
Saiki headed toward the club activity area, and Shiraishi followed.
[How about the soccer club?]
"I played with Izumi-kun and the others last time, and I came to watch too. It's not for me."
[Mm, what about the baseball club?]
"I came here too. I got ignored, and the vibe inside was kind of..."
[Swimming club?]
"I might pass out halfway through swimming."
...After checking many clubs
Seeing that Shiraishi wasn't satisfied with any of them, Saiki suddenly thought of one more. [Then how about the rock club.]
"Rock, huh? But I haven't really gotten into music yet, and..."
Shiraishi suddenly realized that rock is pretty lively, right? A lot of people's emotions get pumped up. If he stood on a rock stage, at least he'd be really noticeable.
"Then let's go check it out."
[Mm, okay.]
Saiki nodded. Honestly, he never expected Shiraishi to actually agree.
Saiki headed toward the rock club. At the entrance, he saw a girl with pink hair wearing a pink tracksuit. She unzipped it, revealing clothes underneath that screamed rock style with an explosive vibe. She had a guitar on her back and colorful wristbands on her hands.
[Gotoh, is that you? What are you doing here?]
Gotoh got startled, but when she saw it was Saiki, she relaxed.
"Sai... Saiki, why are you here too?"
[It really is you.]
Saiki looked at the girl in front of him, a bit puzzled. It seemed Saiki had never known that Gotoh Hitori attended this school.
[Isn't your house pretty far from here?]
Gotoh scratched her head and said: "Y-yeah, it's pretty far. But originally I didn't want to run into anyone I knew from middle school, so I chose a school farther away. I didn't expect to still meet someone I knew from before... but luckily it's you, Saiki."
[I see. Looking at your outfit, are you planning to join the rock club?]
Gotoh Hitori: "Well, I..."
"Saiki-kun, what's up? Is this someone you know?"
Shiraishi stood to Saiki's left, watching the two talk like old friends.
[Oh, this? A friend and classmate from before.]
Shiraishi politely greeted her: "Hello."
When Gotoh Hitori saw the suddenly appearing Shiraishi, she quickly zipped up her tracksuit. Her expression grew a bit tense. She looked like she wanted to say something but couldn't get it out, clearly very nervous.
"Th... this, hello, Saiki-kun. I have something to do first, so I'll go. Contact me on my phone if anything comes up."
Gotoh Hitori quickly ran off.
[Hey!! Gotoh...]
Saiki watched the person running away so fast. He originally wanted to reach out and keep asking.
[Same as always, running away so quickly.]
"Saiki-kun, your friend seems a bit unwell."
Saiki shook his head helplessly. [She's been like this for a long time. It seems she hasn't changed at all.]
(Gotoh didn't expect to run into you in a place like this, but it looks like you haven't made any progress.)
Author's narration: Gotoh Hitori was Saiki's middle school classmate. Back then, both attended PK Middle School. Most people who graduated there would go on to PK High School, but these two apparently didn't.
Because both had pink hair, they ended up hanging out together, and a lot happened afterward. More precisely, Gotoh Hitori's only friend in middle school seemed to be Saiki.
Saiki: It's not because of the pink hair.
Saiki recalled scenes of this girl from middle school.
(Gotoh, huh. She's still the same total super social-phobe as before. Back in school, I'd often see her alone. She wouldn't talk to people, just stayed in a corner by herself. Even after we became friends later, it was still the same.)
(Over time, people at school gradually forgot about her. But with me, it was different. Maybe I was her only friend as a social-phobe. She could open up to me and say what was really on her mind.)
(The two of us would walk and talk together at school. Other people would come up and talk to me, and I'd chat with them. But if I had to leave for something, even just for a moment, Gotoh would get extremely nervous and couldn't say a single word. It often turned into awkward scenes.)
(But that only happened when she was with me. With other people, she never changed. Back in middle school, I originally wanted to help her get over this social anxiety. The people around me were lively and weird in their own ways, but she always felt a bit out of place...)