[Here, it's your turn to take over.]
Saiki handed the umbrella to Izumi Yuu.
"Thanks."
The latter took it, then held the umbrella while standing beside Saiki's bed, using it to shade both Saiki and Hachimitsu Yui from the sun, while he himself stayed out in the sunlight.
?
[That's not what I meant at all!]
The scene shifted: Izumi Yuu holding the umbrella with Hachimitsu Yui inside it blocking the sun, while Saiki stood outside in the sunlight.
Nekozaki Kyo raised his hand with a suggestion: "Guys, I want to go to the beach during summer break."
"What, for real? The beach!"
Shikimori clenched both fists tightly, looking extremely excited.
Hachimitsu Yui [She looks really hyped.]
Izumi Yuu [So Shikimori-san likes summer, huh.]
( The beach, huh? Summer break is definitely going to have a huge crowd.)
Inuzuka Shu: "The beach sounds nice, it really feels like summer."
Izumi Yuu, Hachimitsu Yui: The artsy type
Inuzuka Shu, Nekozaki Kyo, Shikimori: The sporty type
Saiki Kusuo: The anywhere type
...
Izumi Yuu [Summer and the ocean should be pretty fun, but too bad—my constitution is pretty weak, I get dizzy after just a little sun, so I'd probably end up causing trouble for everyone!]
Izumi Yuu leaned closer to Saiki and asked: "Saiki-kun, do you prefer summer or winter?"
[Me? Doesn't matter, they're all the same.]
This simple reply, in Izumi Yuu's ears, sounded like: We're the same anyway—whether swimming in summer or winter, I'm invincible either way.
(Why did it turn into this? Even though what I said was the truth.)
"Hey! Saiki, what do you think! Give us your opinion!"
(Why are you asking me? Wait, don't tell me you guys lumped me into your plans from last time!)
Inuzuka Shu stepped forward, patted Saiki on the shoulder, and said: "Hey Saiki, what kind of place do you like to go to?"
[I like cool places. Quieter is better, I guess.]
(The best place that fits that description is a home with the air conditioning cranked up.)
"Quiet and cool…"
Inuzuka Shu glanced at Izumi Yuu, smiled, and said: "Alright then, let's go to the river. It's not that sunny there, perfect for Izumi since he's worried about the sun, and we can still swim. Sounds good, right?"
Nekozaki Kyo: "Yeah! The river works too!"
Izumi Yuu saw that everyone was kind of accommodating him. If they changed their plans because of him and didn't go where they actually wanted, he'd feel bad about it.
"Wait, guys, you don't have to accommodate me. Don't change what you want—if everyone wants to go to the beach…"
Before Izumi Yuu could finish, Inuzuka Shu cut him off.
"We're not accommodating you. If we're gonna play, we have to pick a place everyone can actually go to. Plus, that was Saiki's request just now—quiet and cool, the river fits perfectly. We can even barbecue!"
Inuzuka Shu patted the Saiki beside him and laughed.
"Right, Saiki?"
[I was just giving you guys a suggestion, wasn't I? Since when was that my request?]
Nekozaki Kyo: "It works. Saiki at the river sounds pretty fun too—you came up with a great idea…"
Shikimori: "As expected of Saiki-kun, so observant—he carefully checked and picked out the most suitable place for everyone to go together!"
Inuzuka Shu: "I was the one who said it, though."
"So what about you, Izumi? Where do you want to go?"
Izumi Yuu gripped his mineral water bottle tightly and looked at Saiki [Thank you, Saiki-kun, always thinking about everyone.]
(No need to thank me—I didn't do anything.)
Izumi Yuu: "Then let's go to the river!"
"Alright, it's decided!"
"OK!"
Amid the cheerful voices and laughter, no one asked for Saiki's opinion.
Inuzuka Shu looked at Hachimitsu Yui, who still hadn't decided: "Hachimitsu probably wants to go to the river too, right!"
Hachimitsu Yui gave a faint smile: "I want to find someone's house to laze around in, with the air conditioning blasting."
Saiki gave a thumbs-up, looking like he admired Hachimitsu Yui's idea.
[Good thinking.]
Hachimitsu Yui and Saiki high-fived: Comrades!
"Hey!!!!!"
...
[Yare yare daze, so in the end this is how it got decided…]
As Saiki walked down the stairs, he suddenly stopped and turned his head.
Sitting in the corner at the bottom of the staircase, in the spot where a desk was still placed, was a lonely Gotoh Hitori—Bocchi-chan—sitting there all by herself, tears streaming as she ate her bento.
[What is this situation now.]
"Saiki!"
Gotoh Hitori had noticed Saiki too.
[You usually eat here?]
"Never mind that for now—hurry over here, don't stand in such an obvious spot."
Gotoh Hitori waved at Saiki, scooted over a bit, and made space on a seat without a chair.
"There, sit."
[Si… Sit where? On the ground?]
Saiki walked over and sat in the spot Gotoh Hitori had cleared.
[So what's going on? Why are you secretly eating here all alone? And hiding from everyone else too—you're supposed to be working today, aren't you?]
"U-Um, how should I put this…"
Gotoh Hitori: "Well, I thought since I formed a band and even started working part-time, and I've performed before, I shouldn't seem like such a gloomy weirdo anymore. So I figured if I brought my guitar to school, maybe someone would talk to me…"
Gotoh Hitori's voice gradually grew quieter.
"But in the end, no one did…"
[Alright, I get it.]
Gotoh Hitori [Not only that, when I overheard some girls in class talking about bands, I subconsciously wanted to join the conversation, but right after I managed to say something, I realized I usually just imagine these things in my head. When someone actually talks to me, I can't speak at all, and in the end I could only say I forgot…]
(Are you a goldfish? But still, someone in class actually remembers you—that's pretty good already!)
Gotoh Hitori subconsciously lowered her head, letting a single genuine tear fall o(╥﹏╥)o [This is fine. If someone really did talk to me, they might think I'm a dangerous person for eavesdropping on their chat. This is better. From now on, I'll just keep living humbly like this.]
(It's not that bad…)
Saiki said speechlessly:
[So you still haven't explained why you're eating alone in this kind of spot.]
"Mm…"
Gotoh Hitori thought for a moment and explained: "Be-Because it's really quiet here. It's perfect for eating lunch. Finding such a good spot is actually really nice."
[Good… Good in what way, exactly? Sure, it's quiet, but if someone sees a person hiding alone in the corner of the staircase eating, they'll think they're a weirdo!]
Gotoh Hitori's expression gradually darkened.