Saiki hesitated for a moment, then suddenly froze. A ball flew over out of nowhere and knocked the mineral water bottle away.
"Ah!!"
Kitagawa Marin was on the verge of breakdown. Who was ruining her moment again?
Sugawa Ryou took off his black robe, scratched his head, and grinned sheepishly. "Ah, sorry sorry, my bad. Totally careless."
(Were you careless or did you do it on purpose?)
The other boys watched with great satisfaction. [How can we let Saiki enjoy a girl handing him water? That guy's way too enviable — it's infuriating.]
(I'd happily trade places with you guys.)
"Saiki-kun!"
"Saiki-kun!"
Two figures — one pink, one purple — appeared again. Shikimori Miyako and Kubo Nagisa, both in gym clothes, approached Saiki from left and right, each holding a bottle of mineral water and offering it to him.
"Please have some!"
The two exchanged a glance as if sparks flew between them, then presented Saiki with a two-option choice.
[Uh…]
…
Noon.
Lunchtime arrived. Saiki took out his bento box right in the classroom, planning to eat while enjoying the view outside — that was enough.
As for why he wasn't going to the rooftop, apparently the railings were unstable and it was under renovation, so students were prohibited from going there.
"Saiki-kun, can I eat lunch with you?"
Kitagawa Marin walked over holding her own bento box.
(You still haven't given up! Just how bored are you… wait, no — how much persistence do you have?)
[That might not be such a good idea.]
"It's fine, don't be shy!"
[This isn't about being shy or not.]
Saiki glanced around at the atmosphere and used his eyes to signal Kitagawa Marin.
Kitagawa Marin also noticed the heavy mood, especially the boys staring daggers at Saiki.
"Ah! Damn it! That jerk Saiki is way too enviable!"
"You said it — ever since even Kitagawa's acting like this, my goddess!"
"Damn you, Saiki. I curse you to eat instant ramen without the seasoning packet."
(That's a vicious curse!)
Kitagawa Marin: "What's going on? Everyone seems kinda weird."
(It's because of you. You're the cause.)
"Whatever. Saiki-kun, is it okay?"
Kitagawa Marin crouched down, placed both hands on either side of Saiki's desk, and looked at him with eyes that seemed to sparkle.
(Damn it, why do your eyes come with special effects?)
From behind, Shikimori grabbed Kitagawa Marin and pulled her aside. "What are you doing?!"
Kitagawa Marin tilted her head. "Nothing much, just eating lunch."
Shikimori: "Then come over here. Let's eat together."
"Uh, no thanks. Today, um… I won't eat with you. Next time."
Shikimori ("▔□▔)
Kitagawa Marin leaned close to Shikimori's ear and whispered, "Relax, it's not like before — friends' husbands aren't off-limits or whatever."
"You… what are you even saying?"
Shikimori's face instantly turned red at Kitagawa Marin's words. What "husband" nonsense? She and Saiki hadn't even progressed that far.
Shikimori shot a death glare toward Saiki, only to see him steadily shoveling rice into his mouth as if he hadn't noticed anything happening over here.
Still blushing, Shikimori returned to her seat and started eating with her head down.
Kitagawa Marin then carried her bento over to Saiki's side and noticed he was already almost finished.
"So fast. Saiki-kun, were you that hungry?"
Saiki turned his face aside while chewing.
[Lately my appetite's been pretty big.]
"Then do you want to try some of mine?"
[No thanks.]
Kitagawa Marin sat down, thinking to herself [Saiki-kun's guard is really high!]
But the next second, she pulled a crepe out of her bento box and held it out to Saiki.
"Saiki-kun, try this! It's from the best crepe place near my house — super delicious!"
(Though Kitagawa Marin had actually never eaten there herself.)
[Can… can I?]
Saiki looked at the crepe with unusually gentle eyes.
"Of course! Here you go!"
Kitagawa Marin [Hehe, yesterday Umaru told me Saiki loves sweets and desserts the most. This crepe should be sweet enough!]
(What a useless disciple, casually leaking her master's info like that.)
After his inner roast, Saiki smiled slightly, took a bite of the crepe, and chewed.
Kitagawa Marin [He ate it!]
"He ate it."
"Damn you, Saiki."
The classmates gritted their teeth.
The soup spoon in Shikimori's hand slowly bent. [This girl really was lying to me!]
Saiki didn't seem to care about the surrounding voices and continued enjoying the food. But as he chewed, something started feeling off.
Saiki's face gradually shifted from a happy expression back to his usual blank one. No — although he didn't show much expression, there was clearly an unhappy vibe.
"Wh… what's wrong? Does the crepe not suit your taste?"
Kitagawa Marin asked anxiously. Don't tell me I grabbed the wrong one again.
Saiki held the crepe with lifeless eyes and answered Kitagawa Marin.
[This… this crepe is… salty.]
"Σ(っ °Д °;)っ Huh?"
"Re… really? Let me check."
In a panic, Kitagawa Marin snatched the crepe from Saiki's hand, took a big bite from the other side while covering her mouth, and chewed.
(Hey! I just ate some of that!)
Shocked, she exclaimed, "It really is salty!"
"Sorry, Saiki-kun!"
Kitagawa Marin [What the heck is going on? Even the crepe is salty? Nothing's gone right today.]
Kitagawa Marin felt like crying but had no tears. She never imagined she'd go to the shop famous for salty crepes, so she'd never bought one before and had no idea.
"Saiki-kun, why aren't you saying anything? Are you mad?"
[I'm fine with this. I'm leaving first. I'm full — see you.]
Saiki packed up his bento and headed for the door. Kitagawa Marin wanted to ask more, but she felt someone grab her shoulder.
Turning around, she saw Shikimori giving her a "kind" smile.
"Shi… Shikimori!"
Kitagawa Marin took a guilty step back. Then Kubo Nagisa suddenly appeared from behind and grabbed the hand holding the crepe.
"Kubo-san, even you?!"
Earlier Kubo Nagisa had gone to buy water. When she returned to the classroom, the atmosphere felt strange, and she just happened to catch the moment when Kitagawa Marin took the crepe that Saiki had bitten once and then bit into it herself.
Kubo Nagisa looked calmly at the crepe with two bite marks and asked, "Is the crepe good?"
!!!∑(°Д°ノ)ノ
"Th… the taste is a bit salty!"
Watching the two approach her from front and back, Kitagawa Marin instinctively clutched her chest.
After thinking for a moment, she balled up her little fist and lightly bonked herself on the head.
"Sorry!"
"…"