Chapter 73

PubliPSIzing the Popularity Contest Results! is the 73rd chapter of The Disastrous Life of Saiki K. (Saiki Kusuo no Psi-nan) manga series released on the 9th of September 2013.

Characters

 * Saiki Kusuo / Kusuko
 * Asou Shuuichi (Mentioned)
 * Nendou Riki
 * Saiki Kurumi
 * Saiki Kuniharu
 * Kaidou Shun
 * Nakanishi Kouta
 * Teruhashi Makoto
 * Teruhashi Kokomi
 * Takahashi
 * Hairo Kineshi
 * Yumehara Chiyo
 * Toritsuka Reita

Abilities Used

 * Invisibility
 * Transformation

Short Summary
Kusuo wakes up to find there are strange signs above him and the others. He soon learns that it is due to a popularity poll and people are treated according to their rank. Annoyed with the attention he is getting, he transforms into his female version and finds an alternate version of himself.

Long Summary
Kusuo wakes up and feels he is already in a new disaster. It looks like a normal morning but it feels off for him. He finds a “popularity poll” next to him, placing him in first place with 3,869 votes. He questions it, thinking it is a new ability of his and tells it to go away. It vanishes and he hears lots of noise coming outside of his bedroom window. Looking outside he sees many classmates and strangers cheerily calling out his name. He immediately slams the window and wonders what is going on. He knows he is not in a dream since he can use his abilities just fine and wonders if he accidentally used mind control while being asleep.

Kurumi states she will come into his room, opening the door and she tells him breakfast is ready. She has a popularity poll next to her, placing her in 9th place with 366 votes. Kusuo questions her being in 9th place and what they are. She tells him that everyone is waiting for him and he is popular as always. He remembers that he was in first place and wonders if there is some correlation with it. He goes downstairs and finds a big feast in the kitchen. He is surprised since they never had this type of breakfast. Kuniharu tells him good morning and to wait a bit since he is almost done with cooking the main course dish. Kusuo is more surprised that he is the one cooking. Kurumi tells Kusuo to leave Kuniharu alone and eat what is currently on the table. Kusuo questions what she just said, usually she never starts eating and waits for Kuniharu. She likes when the 3 of them eat together, even if Kuniharu is running late from work, so why say that. He then sees Kuniharu and the popularity poll next to him, placing him in 14th place with 277 votes. Kusuo, while eating his food, realizes Kuniharu is the less popular one from the 3 of them and is treated in a lower position.

They finish their food and Kurumi brings in 3 coffee jellies. She gets 1 coffee jelly for herself and places 2 for Kusuo. Kusuo is surprised and wonders where Kuniharu’s coffee jelly is. Kuniharu questions him and says he does not deserve to eat one. Kusuo then finds the popularity poll next to the coffee jelly, placing it in 10th place with 362 votes. Kusuo realizes even objects have a standing and the coffee jelly is in a higher place than Kuniharu, so he definitely has no right to eat one.

Walking to school, Kusuo believes he knows what is going on with this disaster. It is based on the popularity poll and changing everyone’s level of popularity. He looks at a TV where Kokomi’s brother, Makoto, is on a show. He was a popular actor but is now doing random jobs. Then Uryoku appears as the main guest. He was a no name but now is popular. Their popularity level has changed and the popularity poll ability lets him see how much they have. Makoto is in 18th place with 225 votes while Uryoku is in 8th place with 506 votes. Some people find Kusuo and he is disappointed since he took so much effort to lose them. He remembers that he is placed in first so he is the most popular person in this world. The girls around him start saying “offu” at him and he decides to disappear from them again. Closeby, Kusuo is using his invisibility and decides to stay that way to get to school.

Kusuo arrives at the school and is curious if the others have changed. He first finds Kineshi, with him being placed in 13th with 300 votes and realizes he has not changed much. He then finds Chiyo, placed at 12th with 343 votes, also saying she has not changed much. Afterwards he finds Kokomi placed in 6th with 854 votes, not surprising him since that is simply her, popular as usual.

Right when Kusuo starts to believe that nearly everything is not different, he finds Shun talking about Dark Reunion to a huge group of people. He finds out Shun is placed in 2nd with 1,307 votes and things have changed. He questions why Shun is in 2nd place, who made this order and wonders if 3rd place is going to go towards Riki. He sees a large group of people and finds Riki, and he is indeed in 3rd place (with 1,264 votes) and he is not as surprised. He then starts to believe 4th place will come soon but wonders who is left to be in that place. He sees Takahashi, is initially surprised but then finds he is in 25th place with 165 votes. Reita starts coming his way with a group of people. Kusuo is surprised it is him that is actually placed in 4th with 1,093 votes. He sees girls asking for help from Reita and him telling one of them they will stay with them the whole night, he tells him to die. He starts to think that most of his votes must be a joke. Reita sees him through his invisibility, touches his shoulder and tells him good morning. Kusuo forgot he can see him and the people around them are surprised. Shun and Riki also come by to say hi to him and it makes the crowd scream how the “PK4” are together.

Trying to ignore the crowd, he wonders who is placed in 5th and 7th and who they are since there are not many people left. He hears a group of guys talking about a manga and talk about how Asou-sensei is great. Kusuo questions why he is on the list and placed in 5th with 871 votes. He says it is quite sad on him talking about himself, but a guy mentions they are talking about Jump and then mention other people that are involved in the series. Kusuo again questions why all of them are on the list.

Later, at a park, Kusuo mentions how it has been a while since he has used transformation to turn into his female self, Kusuko. He believes he will not be bothered in this form and will stay this way until the situation changes. However he is surprised that even in this form he is placed highly in 7th with 762 votes. He questions how is it possible and what is going on but is cut off when he hears a voice. He is confused because he has not said anything, the voice questions him, and he is surprised once again. He is surprised someone else is using telepathy, with his exact same voice and questions if he is wording it correctly but questions if it is himself.

The door opens to find another Kusuo, with slight changes in appearance, and he greets himself. Kusuko questions how there are two of himself. “Kusuo” corrects Kusuko since there is currently one of them as a male and the other is female, and with that he is finally able to reappear. “Kusuo” explains that the same person can not live in the same world. Kusuko realizes that she was right, “Kusuo” finished the sentence by saying that this world is a parallel world. “Kusuo,” about to explain what a parallel world is, is then asked by Kusuko if he can somehow change his narration box to not be confusing. He changes it and explains that in life we make different choices and this world is the result of one. He has taken another path that was opposite to what Kusuko has done. Kusuko questions him as to what path lead to his current path since it is quite different and reminds him that they are in the girl’s bathroom. “Kusuo” tells Kusuko that it happened in Chapter 1, he did not save the dog in time and that all of this is the result. Kusuko wonders how that is relevant since it is unrelated. “Kusuo” mentions how seeing the dog die made him feel a sense of purpose and changed his perspective. He concerned himself on matters, helped others and made a lot of friends along the way. Seeing him with a sincere smile and displeased with what he said, Kusuko says that this version of himself is disgusting. “Kusuo” then tells Kusuko that this is his world and should go back to her own and pushes her back.

Kusuko sees he is gone and assumes she is back to what should be her world. She then says that she is glad that she saved the dog in the first chapter.

Trivia

 * This chapter was originally the 66th chapter and was subsequent reorganized as the 73rd when republished in Volume 7.