(Saiki sits at his desk, staring out the window. The teacher is talking, but he's not listening. His mind is elsewhere.)
Saiki (thinking): Time controls everything. One second too early, and you walk into trouble. One second too late, and you miss your chance. Every moment, every tiny decision, all depend on perfect timing.
(He watches the second hand on the clock tick forward.)
Saiki (thinking): If I left home one second later today, I wouldn't have run into Nendou. If I answered a question in class one second earlier, I wouldn't have gotten stuck in a follow-up question. If I took a different route last week, I wouldn't have ended up eating lunch next to Saiko bragging about his "solid gold" chopsticks.
(He sighs, remembering times when bad timing ruined his day.)
—Like the time he teleported home too soon and had to awkwardly stand in his room while his past self was still leaving.
—Or when he turned invisible a second too late and made direct eye contact with Teruhashi. She spent the whole day convinced fate was bringing them together.
—And worst of all, the time he misread his coffee jelly's expiration date by one day and had to throw it away.
Saiki (thinking): No matter how strong I am, time is the one thing I can't control. No rewind button. No second chances. Every second that passes is lost forever.
(He closes his eyes, lost in deep thought. Then—)
Nendou (loudly): OI, Buddy! IF COWS WERE TEN TIMES BIGGER, WOULDN'T HOTDOGS BE HUGE TOO?!
(Saiki's deep thoughts are instantly destroyed. He slowly turns his head to look at Nendou, who is grinning proudly like he just said something genius.)
Saiki (thinking): …Why do I even bother?
(As the class continues, Saiki stares at the ceiling, wondering if time itself is punishing him.)