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Chapter Text

Saiki flew towards the meteor that was hurtling towards Earth, not in any particular hurry. After all, he had two full hours before it actually made impact. Two hours to save the world might seem like a large ask, but Saiki could do it easily and still have some to spare. 

That's not to say that this wouldn't be a bit troublesome. After all, the entire world was focused on the meteor, and a flying teenager breaking it apart with his bare hands wouldn't exactly be inconspicuous. In addition to that, Saiki's powers were still unstable due to their only recent reemergence. Even now, Saiki's mind was being flooded with random bursts of thoughts from people all around the world, because he hadn't put his limiters back on before taking off into the atmosphere.

No way I can use a mass brainwash, if I made even a small mistake it could have drastic consequences.

By now, Saiki was approaching the asteroid, taking careful measures to avoid the nearby satellite. It was anticlimactically small, actually. It wouldn't take much effort to break it apart.

I'll just make it look natural. If I avoid getting caught on video, no one will care too much.

With his plan in mind, Saiki picked up speed with a new burst in confidence. He was only 100 meters from the asteroid now, and getting closer.

50, 40, 30... 

Saiki pulled back his arm and clenched his hand into a fist.

Softly now, I have to make it look natural.

20, 15, 10...

Suddenly, Saiki noticed something out of the corner of his eye resting on top of the satellite. 

What is that? 

10, 5, 4...

Saiki had made two mistakes. The first was that he failed recognized the camera lens flashing directly at him from the top of the hull, and the second was the fact that he had overestimated the control he had over his powers in that moment. 

As soon as he noticed the camera, a single thought sent the entire million-dollar satellite hurtling into space, most likely never to be heard from again. But the damage had already been done.

Damn.

3, 2, 1...

With a solid thump, Saiki hit the meteor. Instead of breaking apart gracefully, the meteor cracked into billions of tiny pebbles and continued to fall down into the Earth's atmosphere. Admittedly, much less damagingly. 

Saiki sat floating up in space, looking back at the Earth for a while, a blank expression on his face. This was going to be a pain.

About that time, the chorus of 7 billion voices came rushing back into his already overflowing mind. 

I hope they didn't see that.

He already knew they had.

He was right.

The second he touched back down onto the planet's surface he knew something was wrong.

After going upstairs to grab his limiters, Saiki went downstairs to find his parents staring in shock at the living room TV.

"Kuu-Chan..."

"Kusuo."

The TV behind them was flashing with photos of the meteor and a pixelated version of himself. 

Good, at least I won't be easily recognized.

The broadcaster on screen was frantically going through her papers and reading as fast as she could. The headline underneath read "Meteor destroyed by UFO that looks to be a human." 

"We are still waiting on higher quality photos, as it seems that the government has lost connection with the satellite responsible for taking these. Oh, we have just got word that the satellite has... disappeared out of thin air? Yes. We have several sources reporting that the satellite is gone completely. We can only speculate as to weather this mysterious man was the cau-"

Just like that, the screen changed to an ad for a toothpaste company. Saiki Kuniharu stared back nervously at Kusuo, holding the remote in his hand.

"So... did you see that amazing program on Chappie the dog? Can you believe he was able to walk again? Truly inspirational, right mama?"

He said, trying to fight off the conversation he knew needed to be held.

"Kuu-chan, are you okay?"

A small sigh came from Kuniharu.

I'm fine. More importantly, where is that guy?

"Oh, Kusuke just left. He said the government wouldn't stop bothering him, so he stepped out. What's-"

But after hearing that, Kusuo teleported direcly in front of Kusuke, startling him a bit.

How long until I can control my powers again?

"Well I'm not sure, this hasn't happened before. More importantly, how are you going to cover this one up? This whole thing isreally quite funny if-"

Saiki got rid of any kindness that was remaining in his voice.

I didn't ask if you thought this was funny, I asked how. long.

"Judging by the fact that you almost have a complete range now... three days?"

Three days is too much time.

"Well, I wasn't the one who tried to get rid of your powers Kusuo, and there's no way that didn't have an effect."

Saiki promply walked away from Kusuke. It wasn't going to be fun, but after three days if everything went well he could brainwash the world again and everything could go right back to normal. 

But when do things ever seem to go well for me?

Chapter Text

The teacher had pulled a small TV in front of the class, the one that was usually reserved for substitute teachers. However, today no such video was playing. Instead, a live news feed about the imminent destruction of the planet was being shown to the class of pale teenagers. Already, quite a few had picked up and left for home to be with their families.

The teacher was determined to retain order and insisted on treating this like a regular class. 

"Hairo, please stop rallying the students. It's getting too loud."

"Everyone else, please clear away from Teruhashi's desk."

Things were just getting out of his control when it happened. The anchor received a new sheet of paper, and her eyes bulged as she read. 

"WHAT? A HUMAN JUST DESTROYED THE ASTEROID? HOW?"

Hairo's chants faded as the entire class's attention was rapt to the screen. A few minutes later, the news station received a pixelated photo of something attacking the asteroid. The newscaster continued in a shocked voice, detailing the loss of the satellite responsible for taking the photos.

"No world governments are claiming responsibility. This is a completely unknown person, with unknown abilities. Who is this, really?" The photo on the screen enlarged to show a few blobs of pink and teal.

At that moment, no one noticed Saiki teleport into the back of the room, a bit shocked at the realization of where he was. 

Lucky that I managed to land in the classroom. Even though I was aiming for the roof, it could have been a lot worse.

Then he noticed what everyone's gaze was directed at, and froze for a second time. Snapping out of it, he studied the photo before determining that no one should be able to identify him. After all, he had made sure pink hair wasn't a distinct characteristic. 

If this is the only photo they have, no one should recognize me. I'm completely safe.

"Oh, isn't that my pal?"

Saiki recognized the voice and realized he had made yet another error. There could be no applying logic to the creature known as Nendou Riki. For the third time that day, he sat rooted in his spot. 

His classmate's eyes were still on the screen, but now they were looking at it in a new light.

"Come to think of it, that teal part does look like our uniform. But no way is it Saiki, Nendou."

"I don't know anyone else with pink hair... but it still seems like quite the leap."

"It could be Saiki, after all he is my second in command in the fight against Dark Reunion."

"Haha. No way that's Saiki, he's too ordinary for that, after all I'm the only extraordinary thing that has happened to him!"

"I ALWAYS THOUGHT SAIKI WAS HOLDING BACK, BUT THIS IS A BIT MUCH!"

Everyone's thoughts were pretty straightforward, but thankfully, no one was taking it too seriously. Nendou, though wasn't staring at the screen anymore.

"Oh wait, there's my pal!"

He was looking directly at Saiki, and the rest of the class followed suit.

"Oh, Saiki! Where did you go off to? You kind of just disappeared."

"Yeah, and during all of this asteroid business, too. Maybe Nendou was right after all!"

The class enjoyed that one, and everyone shared a laugh.

That was when the desk next to Saiki caught fire.

"Oh my gosh! Put that out! Right next to you, Saiki!"

"How did a desk even catch on fire?! That doesn't make any sense!"

"Maybe the sun hit it at an angle...?"

Oops.

Saiki just sat as still as he possibly could. He had underestimated how out of control his powers were. His pyrokenisis just activated without him being conscious of it. 

Well, I only came to school in the first place to check to make sure no one had recognized me, but this is bad. I can't teleport now while they're all watching me.

Fortunately, the fire went out after a sharp look from Saiki. Unfortunately, this just added to the shock of his classmates. There was a quiet moment.

I was in the bathroom.

Silence.

"Hahaha my pal was in the bathroom and you all thought he might be the guy who destroyed the meteor."

Sometimes Nendou was a blessing in a hideous disguise.

Everyone, ignoring Nendou's comment, chuckled about the notion that quiet, ordinary Saiki could ever be the one to destroy the meteor. 

Then the newscaster's voice continued in an excited tone.

"It looks like we have an expert from Cambridge who has enhanced the photo!" 

Wait.

"He has asked us to read a message before we display it on air. The message is: 'Having fun, Kusuo?'"

He didn't.

Then the photo displayed on the tv screen. It was still blurry, and he was facing away from the camera, but it was clear enough.

"Oh my god, that's our school's uniform"

"That pink hair... it couldn't be..."

Saiki was running all of his options through his head as fast as he could. It was a very short list. 

"Saiki, is that you?" 

The question from Teruhashi brought other's gazes back to her and various 'offu's followed.

Faced with the eyes of his friends, something inside Saiki wouldn't let him lie. 

Wasn't I about to tell them a few days ago anyways? Before all this happened? Plus, I can just brainwash them later.

Yes, it's me.

Chapter Text

Saiki had never seen Teruhashi's air of perfection break, even for a moment. However, even for someone who has god's favor, it must be difficult to stay composed after receiving the news that your ordinary crush was actually capable of destroying an asteroid on a moment's notice.

Along with the rest of the class, Teruhashi's first reaction was one of complete shock, as she sat gaping at him.

What was most disturbing about the situation to Saiki, however, was not the stares he was receiving (although that didn't do much to help), but the fact that in that moment all the minds in the room had gone completely blank.

What have I done? I've just created a dozen new Nendous.

Surprisingly, Kaidou was the one who broke the silence first with a very forced laugh that had gone up an octave. 

"Of course, I knew about this as the Jet Black Wings. This is only to be expected of my number two man in the fight against Dark Reunion."

Inside, he was having difficulty holding it together.

"Waitwhatjusthappenedwhyissaikionthetvscreenthere'snowaythisisactuallyrealright?hahanoofcourseit'snot"

Please slow down.

As if the whole room let out a breath they had been holding, their thoughts came flooding back as a few of Saiki's classmates chuckled to themselves.

"Oh, so this was all just an elaborate part of Kaidou's wierd fantasy. Right?"

"Saiki's just so serious normally... it's hard not to take him seriously."

With that the class began to turn back to their normal activities as if nothing had been the miss. But then, something caught their eye.

Saiki had pulled out... a spoon?

"Don't tell me he's going to bend it as proof that he has powers?"

"What on earth?"

The class watched the spoon intently, not sure what they were looking for.

And then all of the desks in the room suddenly crashed into the ceiling.

Right. Can't control my powers right now. That's gonna cost a lot to fix.

At this point, the rest of the class was in complete chaos.

About half of the boys had flung themselves in front of Teruhashi, and now formed a large, loud pile on the floor in front of her.

Nendou was standing directly under one of the desks and laughing to himself about a joke no one else was in on.

Hey, that's probably dangerous. 

Kaidou was just standing, chattering to himself in a disarming manner that might make someone cross to the other side of the road.

Mera was just staring off into space (seeing the spoon had made her launch into daydreams about food), and Kuboyasu was rushing around trying to find something heavy to throw through the window so the class could escape.

You know the door is unlocked, right?

Other than the outliers, most of the class was just staring, dumbfounded.

While everyone was distracted, Saiki used Restoration on the ceiling and desks. By his estimate, he had turned the time back on the ceiling by about 3 years judging by the fact the slight yellow discoloration was gone.

Finally, Hairo stepped in. Somehow, he was covered in a thin sheen of sweat as if he had just been working out.

"Everyone, let's not panic! Why don't we hear Saiki out and then calm down with a light 50 squats?"

Hairo began his squats, and a few students even joined in.

Who's the one with psychic powers again?

But Hairo had his effect, and most of the class turned and faced Saiki, clearly waiting for an explanation.

Saiki had been in this situation(ish) before, when he had to explain his powers to his grandparents, and although he didn't have to recite it much, he had pretty much memorized the lecture that he normally gave out.

However, the normal showcase of abilities couldn't be repeated because of the fact that Saiki had little to no control over his powers.

I am an esper, or psychic. I can use a wide variety of abilities including (in alphabetical order) Astral projection, Bilocation, Clairvoyance, Hypnosis, Invisibility, Mind Control, Pre-cognition-

Seeing that every time he listed a new power the eyes of his classmates got exponentially wider, Saiki decided to cut to the chase.

You get the point.

However, I am unable to use them effectively right now. 

Kuboyasu spoke up, and directed his question at saiki.

"So, it was you on TV, then?

Yes.

The class didn't even bother with a dramatic reaction this time, but stared at him dumbly. 

Teruhashi had regained her composure somehow, and took a deep breath in to say something. As soon as she did all eyes were on her as she began what would surely be an eloquent assesment of the current situation.

"Saiki-"

But then a large crash sounded from outside the window, and Saiki was suddenly aware that the amount of voices gathered in the vicinity was much louder than normal.

"So this is PK Academy, I knew I recognized that uniform from somewhere!"

"Wow, look at all of these news crews."

Damn. I should have realized that they'd be able to track the uniform. 

As a few students peered out of the window, they let out small gasps at the huge gathering of news vans that was barricading the school gate. As they watched, a few military vehicles pulled up as well.

Saiki had an... agreement with the government, but it seemed even that didn't extend to these circumstances.

Tch. These guys were just waiting for an opportunity to launch an operation. 

A tall, lean man disproportionate with muscle climbed out of the largest van holding a megaphone and crossed the school gates as the principal ran out and began furiously talking to him. 

Their discussion didn't last long though, as a small woman with short hair climbed out of the next vehicle and saluted the tall man, pulling the principal aside. After a few words from her, the principal stood down.

The reporters got out their cameras as fast as they could, not wanting to miss a moment of the action.

The tall man put his megaphone up to his mouth and yelled at the top of his lungs. 

"ALL PK ACADEMY STUDENTS, PLEASE EVACUATE FROM THE PREMISES."

Saiki felt bad for his classmates, really. As he watched the situation unfold below, he realized that there was no way they could get over something as huge as the secret he had kept, and the government's presence only made that much worse.

With a sigh, he turned away from the window.

I guess I'll have to teleport. There's no knowing where I'll end up, but that will have to do.

Of course, everyone was back to staring at him. But when he looked closer, something that wasn't there before had crept into their faces. Teruhashi spoke, a bit of flush in her cheeks. 

"What can we do to help?"

"This is my chance to prove myself to Saiki, I can't let him down now! I'll show him what a perfect girl is and he'll have no choice but to 'offu'!

Saiki stood, his turn to be stunned.

What?

Now it was Kaidou's turn to talk, although his voice was shaking more than the surprisingly resolute Teruhashi.

"Yeah, they're after you right?"

"This is exactly like a comic, I can't believe it! This is so COOL!"

Although their thoughts might not have shown it, Saiki could feel that their hearts were in the right place. He had to admit it, he had underestimated them. 

Thank you. Actually there is something that might work better, but it's a bit... crazy.

The students of PK Academy filed out of the school, class after class. There were murmurs shifting through the crowd, as they huddled in a frightened mass.

The principal stood off to the side, talking to the short woman who was holding a clipboard, and checking off the school by class.

Toritsuka met up with Aiura, who had run off to the bathroom with Chiyo when she had seen the asteroid in order to scry the situation in peace.

"So you weren't watching the TV?"

"No, but I saw what happened when I scried it."

"So, what happens next?"

"..."

"Did you not see? Are you kidding me?"

"I only saw Saiki destroying the asteroid. I can't believe he got his powers back!"

Aiura was almost glowing with how happy she was at this new development.

"Don't let him see you happy about it. Plus, this disturbance is not going to put him in a good mood."

"That's true, I'm excited to see how he gets out of this one."

While they were talking, they looked around at the crowd, trying to see anyone from his class they could hail down.

Before they saw anyone though, they were through the gates and the reporters pushed in and pulled people away to be interviewed. 

"Can you tell me why the mysterious person who destroyed the asteroid was wearing your school's uniform?"

"Did you know who it was? I have the photo here. Pink hair and this school's uniform?"

Of course, Pink hair wasn't a particularly stand out trait thanks to Saiki's brainwashing. But just because of that didn't mean that it was common, either. People just didn't take note of it. 

The students had a hard time remembering who it was, and Saiki's name didn't get out. Aiura breathed a sigh of relief.

"If it keeps going like this, they won't find him. Speaking of finding him though, I haven't seen anyone from his class. There would be a huge commotion if Teruhashi was here.

Still, as someone with pink hair, he will be the prime if not only suspect."

Just then, the reporters stirred and abandoned their current interviewees, who were left looking dejected at the lack of attention.

At some point, the military had pushed back the reporters behind a line, which they were threatening to break past.

The tall man with the megaphone began shouting again.

"CLASS ONE OF PK ACADEMY, COME OUT. YOU ARE THE ONLY CLASS UNACCOUNTED FOR."

Aiura's breath caught in her throat. 

"Class one. That's Saiki's."

Then the doors opened and a flood of pink came out of the doors. It was class one! Aiura was sure of it. She recognized Teruhashi, Nendou, and Kaidou all spilling out with the crowd. 

There was only one difference. They all had pink hair identical to Saiki, with looks of confusion written all over their faces.

The military and reporters recovered from their shock and braced for the class to reach them. When they did, the military stopped them one after the other and checked them against the photo, eventually frowning and letting them pass into the swarm of reporters.

The commotion was huge, as the reporters shoved cameras into the faces of all of the members of class three. There was an especially large circle around Teruhashi, who was being her normal, perfect self while feining unceartanty about her mysterious schoolmate who had most likely just saved the planet.

During the noise, no one noticed an invisible Saiki create a large dent in the ground where he pushed off, flying off back into the stratosphere with little control.

When he finally stopped, he managed to hover as he moved as slowly as he possibly could back to his house. Of course, he arrived in milliseconds. 

Landing with a large crash, he approached and tried to open the door, taking it off of the hinges. 

Behind it, in the living room, Saiki saw the person he was looking for. His brother was watching live footage of Teruhashi being interviewed, still with seemingly pink hair. 

He turned around and smiled.

"Welcome back, Kusuo. Having fun?"

He never stood a chance.

Chapter Text

For all of Kusuke's life, he had made very few decisions that didn't showcase his intelligence. Even fewer than that were the number of things he had done that were actually unintelligent.

That being said, sitting back and watching TV after exposing his psychic younger brother to the world was definitely the dumbest thing Kusuke had ever done.

To be fair, he decided on this course of inaction because he was going to test out his newest invention, an instant deflector shield that, in theory, should protect him from a direct hit from at least seven tactical-grade missiles.

However, Kusuke's mistake was thinking his brother wouldn't attack him with that amount of force. 

The deflector shield cracked like a pane of glass, and soon there was nothing between Kusuke and Kusuo except for the feeling that soon Kusuo might be an only child.

Kusuke felt a light tap on his shoulder, and then he was flying through the air, unceremoniously being thrown through several walls before being smacked against the back concrete wall that lined the Saiki household.

Ouch.

In that instant, having an IQ several hundred points higher than average just made Kusuke more aware of how humiliating the situation was.

He made a mental note, neatly storing this resentment with all the other times Kusuo had one-upped him. 

Then, Kusuo was right in front of him.

Oops. I don't have good control right now, see? One little move and you go flying.

"Kusuo, good job with that aster-"

A fist punched through the concrete right beside his head.

"Eep!"

Kusuke stopped talking.

Why did you do that?

"W-well, I thought you had already told everyone at your school, so I thought that this might be a fun-"

The entire wall behind him collapsed into dust.

"Okay! Look, Kusuo, The government has been onto you for a while-"

I know that.

"B-but what you don't know is that there's been one big government official guy who's been out to get you for a while, he was just waiting for a chance-"

What does this have to do with you?

"I'm getting to that! When I was making your power canceller, I had to get in contact with the government to get some materials that are highly regulated. A big element of those cancellers was a highly purified, potent form of germanium, which basically nullifies your powers."

Kusuo seemed to have calmed down a bit, and was now lost in thought. 

It's true I have a ring made out of germanium that can cancel my telepathy...

"Exactly! Anyways, soon after I finished this man called me and asked if I would be willing to give them access to a prototype of your cancellers."

So of course you made something up, right?

"I did, but apparently he didn't buy it. I was hoping that I would be the one to finally beat you, and him getting involved..."

I see... this is an issue. 

"My guess is that going after you isn't completely supported in the government. With these last turn of events though, even the officials who want to leave you alone will have to follow suit."

I thought I had made it clear to the government to leave me be. This is really annoying.

"If you want my advice, Kusuo, it's to lay low until you get control of your powers back. You can't stay here, but in three days you can go after that guy and brainwash everyone back to normal."

Saiki stared daggers at Kusuke.

And you're sure thats the only reason you fixed up that photo?

Kusuke put on his best innocent smile. It was true, if he had really tried, he probably could've thought his way out of this predicament, but watching Kusuo under this much pressure was just so fun!

"Of course! Also, be careful. I'm pretty sure that man has the ability to at least dampen your abilities.

With a scowl that could petrify a small bear, Kusuo took off into the atmosphere, purposefully blasting his older brother with a huge gust of air.

Ruffled but excited to see how his younger brother was going to get out of this one, Kuuske walked through the gaping hole in the living room wall. Kusuo didn't have the control to fix it at the moment, so for now they would have to just enjoy their new window.

As he thought, a squadron of heavily armored cars came hurtling down their narrow street from both sides. They ground to a halt in front of the Saiki household, and a short, prim-looking woman got out of the passenger seat of the lead car. 

Her short hair was pulled back into a slick ponytail, and her feet were forced into heels so pointy that she looked like she could pop a soccer ball with a single kick.

She was followed quickly by a huge man with a scruff of a beard getting out of the driver's seat, who, with almost rehearsed movement handed her a megaphone, which she accepted it without even turning her head.

"Saiki Kusuo, please vacate the premises at once."

There was a moment of silence before the door (still off it's hinges) awkwardly swung open and Kuuske walked out.

"Hello there, I'm afraid Kusuo isn't in right now. Can I take a message?"

The woman didn't even bat an eye.

"I see. Are you Saiki Kuuske, then?"

"Yes."

She sighed a bit, setting the megaphone down next to her where it was eagerly scooped up by the burly man.

"I was instructed to thank you for your help with the cancellation prototype. It's thanks to you that we have been able to mount such an offensive."

"You're welcome, but-"

The woman cut in with a stern tone. It was clear she didn't like being interrupted.

"However. My superior is having difficulty recalling asking you to do something like fixing that photo. Although using psychic abilities to stop that asteroid might have been the best option, you by no means were instructed to reveal your brother's identity."

"I thought that this would be a good way to get the rest of the government on your superior's side."

The woman's eyes flashed, and a bit of anger seeped out of her stony exterior.

"Although you weren't aware, we had actually planned on bringing your brother under control with a surprise operation. This complicates matters more than you know."

Kuuske smiled, and let out a small laugh.

"There are very few things that I don't know. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to go."

He started walking back towards the door like nothing was amiss, somehow making the entire squadron of cars look out of place and awkward. Before Kuuske stepped through the doorframe, the woman called out to him.

"Saiki. Can we be sure that your allegiance lies with us?"

He smiled again, and pulled the broken door closed behind him.

The woman sat still for a moment, until a small smile crept over her lips and she whispered under her breath so the men around her couldn't hear.

"I knew it."

Then she straightened her posture even further, and began walking back to the lead car. The entire squadron was gone as quickly as they arrived.

Saiki had a dilemma. He had launched himself up into the air and was now hurtling skyward at an amazing pace. He could probably stop, the key word being probably, but the bigger issue was that he needed a place to 'land'.

He didn't know where he should aim for. His house was off limits, now completely swarmed by military if he was hearing correctly, and his school was even worse.

That left only a few places he could think of, and after listening a bit harder with his telepathy to make sure no one was close, he decided.

Several miles from his house, there was a large, empty baseball diamond that would serve his purposes rather nicely, and Saiki changed direction immediately.

At the speed of a bullet train, he flew towards the ground, watching it get closer.

The impact might be harsh, but slowing down wasn't exactly an option. When he finally slammed into the dirt, he made a crater that reached all the way to home base.

He sat for a moment in the center.

Ugh.

Saiki stood up. The impact he could handle, but whenever you dig up enough earth, bugs also become a real threat.

If I see a bug while I have this little control it very well could be catastrophic.

Once again reaching out with telepathy to ensure that no one was in the vicinity, Saiki breathed a sigh of relief. The real danger was gone now, and all that was left was to find somewhere with plenty of treats and wait until his powers came back.

Without any of those guys with me, it should be pretty easy not to cause any trouble.

Concentrating all of his willpower, Saiki carefully maneuvered out of the crater and onto the almost untouched sidewalk beside the diamond.

Hmm, that's odd. This looks familiar for some reason.

He had never been to the diamond before, but he definitely recognized the area...

No way.

"Oh, is that my pal?"

Chapter Text

Teruhashi was doing her very best to get away from the huge crowd of reporters that were gathered outside of her school.

It came with being an extremely-beautiful-and-perfect-in-every-way girl that people were naturally drawn to her, and right now wasn't an exception. The crowd was mostly centered around her, and it was becoming difficult to not let her annoyance show.

Where did Saiki go? He told us to just go outside, but now I don't see him...

She had gathered that for some reason these people thought that she had Saiki's pink hair and hairpins, even though to her, her hair still looked the usual navy blue.

Teruhashi was trying to work out what on earth was happening, but the hubbub of the reporters surrounding her drowned out all reason.

"Excuse me, Miss, could you please tell us what you know about your classmate who is suspected to have destroyed the asteroid?"

"An extremely odd day here at a local high school, where it's been reported that an unidentified student was responsible for destroying an asteroid that was threatening to..."

"Can I please have your number?"

"As of right now military officials aren't releasing the minor's name, but we have confirmed that he indeed is a student of PK Academy."

"Miss, please, could you please shed some light on this situation?"

One especially excited reporter pushed to the front and shoved a microphone in Teruhashi's face.

"Can you please tell us how your classmate was able to accomplish such a feat?"

The crowd seemed to quiet for a moment, everyone straining to hear the answer to what they were all wondering.

"U-uuhh... I- I don't-"

Suddenly, a familiar face shoved through the crowd and positioned himself between Teruhashi and the bright camera lights.

"You should all be ashamed of yourselves as reporters! Can't you see that pressuring a high school girl is extremely cowardly?!"

Hairo, coated in his usual sheen of sweat, stood panting in front of her. 

After hearing Hairo's shouts, the throng of reporters seemed a bit taken aback. Realizing how they looked, a few cameramen took a step back, leaving a narrow tunnel out of the crowd.

"Come on!"

Teruhashi and Hairo hurried away, and quickly turned into a back street where Kaidou, Yumehara, and Kuboyasu were waiting for them. Fortunately, after Hairo's scolding, no press followed.

"There you guys are! Has anyone seen Saiki?"

"Not since we left the classroom..."

"..."

If there was an elephant in the room, no one felt the urge to address it quite yet.

"What about Nendou?"

"He got out before all of us, he parted those reporters like the Red Sea. Like a really ugly Moses."

"Oh well. Maybe we should go to his house and try to find him? I kind of feel like we need to talk."

"Definitely."

With that consensus, the group set off towards Nendou's house. It wasn't a very long walk, just a bit past the neighborhood baseball field.

It was wasn't very long before the group fell into an uneasy silence, almost awkward. 

Yumehara coughed.

"So... that's pretty weird about Saiki, huh?"

She started the conversation off with the understatement of the century.

Hairo nodded his head briskly.

"I always knew there was something behind how completely ordinary he is. Like that time when he threw the Judo teacher in P.E."

"Come to think of it, that was pretty weird. There were also some times I would look for him after school and he would just... disappear. I'm starting to think that's more literal now."

"That time our fort collapsed the second he saw a bug."

"That time at the beach Nendou started walking on water while he was taking us back to shore... come to think of it, Saiki wasn't around then."

Hairo laughed.

"Kaidou, he's not all-powerful. That's just because of the amazing physical prowess of my rival, Nendou."

"I don't think that's how athleticism works... but... I used to have this huge crush on Saiki... and I kept trying to set us up to meet and fall in love, but everything kept going wrong. I mean, at one point I wanted to share an umbrella with him and it suddenly just stopped raining."

Teruhashi felt the heat rise in her cheeks. 

"Saiki rejected Chiyo? What does that mean?"

Kuboyasu was more doubtful

"Are we really sure we can attribute the weather changing to Saiki?"

"You're right, we really don't know what all he is capable of. I wish we could talk to him..."

The group once again lapsed into silence, but this time it lasted until they reached Nendou's house.

The group walked up the front step and knocked on the door. Nendou's mother answered, giving a bit of a shock to everyone, but Teruhashi recovered fast. 

"Hello, Is Nendou home?"

Nendou's mom frowned a bit.

"No, I'm sorry, he just went out because he saw a shiny piece of metal that caught his eye."

She looked around at the gathered teenagers, who were looking a little disappointed. 

"That being said, he should be back soon. Why don't you all come inside?"

"Thank you!"

Just as they were walking through the threshold, they heard the sound of quick footsteps running around the corner. A moment later, Aiura and Toritsuka rounded the corner in a quick run.

"Hang on! Wait for us!"

A second later they were all sitting comfortably in Nendou's room. It wasn't long before Toritsuka spoke with a smug look on his face.

"So, you guys finally figured out about Saiki."

"Hang on, you knew?!"

His grin grew even bigger. 

"Yup. You could say I'm one of Saiki's closest allies."

"Oh give it a rest, Toritsuka. You and I both know he hates you."

"Shut it, Aiura! Weren't you supposed to be his soulmate? How's that going for you?"

"Saiki's already in love with me, he just doesn't know it yet. And at least I'm not the one with the useless power!"

"Cruel! I'll have you know seeing spirits is great for picking up girls!"

"How's that going for you?"

Teruhashi spoke quietly, but when she spoke, everyone paid close attention.

"How did you guys find out? And what's this about a soulmate?"

Her face turned a bit red asking the second part.

"Oh, yeah. This creep over here found out about Saiki by pestering some ghosts, and I found out after he saved Chiyopipi from that death mark."

"Death mark?!"

Yumehara's voice was shrill.

"It's this sign of bad luck that basically means it's super likely you're gonna die. Kusuo caught you when you fell off of a roof, and when that truck with that sleeping driver almost hit you."

"Oh yeah I kind of remember that, but I fell off a roof?! I thought that was just a dream?"

"Nope, it was real, and Kusuo teleported from home and managed to catch you in time."

"What?!"

"I'm telling you, that guy is basically a god. He can hear your thoughts, see through just about anything, friggin' fly, teleport, and I don't even know half of what he can do. Frankly, it gives me the chills that he even exists."

"He can hear my thoughts?"

Now it was Teruhashi's turn to squeak.

"Haha, worried about something you were hiding?"

Teruhashi didn't respond and the room fell quiet. It was the wrong choice.

"Whoa, seriously?"

"I was joking, I'm sorry..."

She snapped back into the moment and immediately went into damage control.

"N-No!... Uhm, I just..."

In that moment, it seemed wrong to lie. She sighed and decided to say what was on her mind.

"Honestly, I've had a crush on him since last year... knowing that he's heard all my thoughts..."

No one commented out of politeness, but everyone secretly thought Teruhashi's crush was more intimidating than any psychic power that Saiki had.

"That's cute, but Saiki is my soulmate."

Aiura didn't bother following suit when it came to politeness.

A bit emboldened by her confrontative tone, Teruhashi spoke back in a voice that belied her embarrassment at the situation.

"We don't really know that, and he could be mine, too."

Aiura frowned a bit. It was true, they could also be good together, and her competing against a girl like Teruhashi...

"Anyways, Saiki was acting a bit odd when he teleported into the classroom. Do either of you know why?"

Toritsuka and Aiura shared glances.

"About that, I'm pretty sure he doesn't have a good handle on his powers right now. He got rid of them for a bit there, but it looks like they've completely come back."

"Yeah, you see, those hairpins that he wears are his limiters, and when he takes them out he has a hard time controlling his abilities for a while. We think the same thing's happening right now."

Kaidou spoke up, shocked out of his quiet daze.

"His hairpins? I barely even took notice of those but they were that important..."

Toritsuka laughed.

"There was this one time when we were all in Okinawa that Teruhashi took out one of his hairpins and he accidentally apported the entire hotel out in the middle of the ocean for a bit."

"Seriously?!"

"Teruhashi, is that true?"

Teruhashi was more concerned if what had happened after was true and not a dream after all.

"I guess he would be able to teleport us to that castle, after all... same thing with the bear... but after that, Oh. My. God. I cuddled up next to him! AAAAAAAA-"

"Are you okay? Your face is all red."

Their discussion was interrupted by a knock at the door and the group listened as Nendou's mom answered.

"Oh good, you're back! There's a whole group of your friends waiting upstairs. Oh, and Saiki, too!"

Everyone was silent, listening to two sets of footsteps mount the stairs.

Then, the door to Nendou's room swung open and his large figure filled the doorway.

"Oh, all my buds are here."

Right after him followed Saiki, his pink hair that had been plastered all over the news uncharacteristically messy. His uniform was ripped and filthy, too, like he had just been rolling through dirt. He just stood there for a moment, before calmly sitting down by the door like nothing had changed.

The room was quiet for a long second before erupting in a flurry of questions.

Chapter Text

Saiki had been expecting confusion, but this was a bit much. Everyone in the room seemed to have about a thousand questions that needed to be answered right then. 

He sighed a bit, trying to keep the exasperation from his face. After all, they had a right to ask.

The only three people who were still staying quiet were Toritsuka, who seemed quite smug for some reason, Aiura, who was lost in thought about something about Teruhashi, 

That's not good.

And finally, Nendou was doing his best to look like he understood what was going on.

Teruhashi's voice finally cut above the noise.

"Saiki, why didn't you tell us?"

Suddenly the room's eyes were on her.

"I mean... these powers are a huge deal! Like, you singlehandedly took out an astroid kind of huge deal. It doesn't really seem like something you can just... forget to mention."

I didn't mention it because I like peace and quiet.

The following explosion of noise only proved Saiki's point in his mind.

The next question was from Kaido, who was doing his best not to be grinning like a fool.

"So Saiki!-"

He paused for a moment, clearing his throat and bringing his voice down an octive.

"So, Saiki, have you ever seen anyone else with your powers? Anyone who is using their abilities for evil, something like Dark Re-"

No.

Saiki could've sworn he looked dissapointed.

"But then, who are the people who showed up at school? The government?"

Yeah, from what I can tell.

"Why is the government after you?"

There's something one man in particular wants my powers for. It's also possible that he just considers me a threat.

"The government considers you a threat?"

Kaido looked like his excitement was about to boil over, and his voice had gone back into squeak range.

Hairo looked conflicted.

"Are there more people like you?"

Toritsuka and Aiura, who had been standing a bit too casually off in the corner of the room began to sidle forward, sensing their time to shine had arrived. In that moment, all discourse between the two was called off in order for maximum bragging to occur.

"We're psychics too, you know."

"Yeah! I can see the future and this guy can see ghosts or whatever."

"Oh righ-"

"Or whatever? What's that supposed to mean?"

"It means you have a lame power. Right, Kusuo?"

Don't involve me in this.

Their truce didn't last long at all. Aiura straightened up a bit.

"That being said, Saiki is easily the strongest among us. I think if there was another being at Saiki's level on earth right now they would've... I don't know... destroyed a country or something by now?"

Hey.

Yumihara's face went pale.

"Y-you could destroy a country? Like, actually?"

Saiki's response was staring daggers at Aiura.

"Please, Saiki could destroy the entire world if he wanted to. I mean, he can mess with time and stuff. A country would be a piece of cake, right Sai-"

Saiki's death glare shut up Turitsuka, but the damage was done and the room sunk into a completive silence.

Teruhashi once again spoke up, breaking the stillness.

"What did you mean when you said you couldn't use your powers right now? How long until you're back to normal?"

I can use them, technically, but I wont have control for another three days.

"Three days?! But the government's trying to find you..."

Right. I think I might sit up in the atmosphere for a while until this dies down and I can rewind time enough to get this back in control.

Everyone ran that second sentence through their heads a few times, wondering how things got to this point.

Teruhashi seemed amazingly unfazed thoguh, and her face flushed deeply as she said

"U-umm... I don't know if you'd rather stay in the atmosphere or something, but my house is open... and because of my brother security's really tight. I bet the government wouldn't expect you'd be hiding out in my house..."

The room's silence returned, and Teruhashi's face grew to an even deeper red.

"O-or maybe the atmosphere is more comfortable! I just said that because we kinda bought a bunch of Coffee Jello recently and I know you like tha-"

 Yes please, I would be happy to stay at your house.

"Uhh-! Umm. Hahah. Great, I'll- I'll go call my brother and let him know."

Excusing herself, Teruhashi got out of the small room before anyone mentioned how much she was smiling.

The door swung shut, and with a gentle click everyone was left thinking about the exchange that had just happened.

Nendou began to speak, probably about to say something vastly uncomfortable, but fortunately Aiura's phone dinged and she checked it, interrupting Nendou.

"Hey, guys, turn on the TV and flip it to a news station."

Yumehara grabbed a remote that was near her and turned on the TV, flipping stations until she landed on the local news. Onscreen, a reporter was reading out a pre-written announcement.

"Hi, this is Channel 3 News and if you're just tuning in, there have been some more developments in the situation of a local high-school boy supposedly having superpowers. Right now, we have just received the official announcement from Chief Aizumashi from the prefectoral government. The statement reads;

Today, at 1:42 in the afternoon, an asteroid that was marked as an emergency for Japan was destroyed by an unknown threat. We urge anyone who has information on the whereabouts of one Saiki Kusuo to please call the tipline listed in the bottom of the screen. He should be considered extremely dangerous. Fortunately, we have good information that he is currently in a weakened state and will be for the next few days, additionally, we have materials which are currently effecting the entire city which prevent him of doing any significant changes to the general  population. That being said, please remain vigilant.

The reporter continued,

"Although we don't have specific information on what this substance actually is, sources have reported that the local military base has erected some kind of tower that is projecting what researchers have been describing as sound waves or vibrations. All other information has been kept by military officials, but we will be sure to update you if more information about the mysterious substance is indentified..."

Saiki stopped listening to the broadcast. He had a fairly good idea about what the 'vibrations' they were projecting were, most likely some kind of germanium feedback weaponized by his brother into covering the whole city.

If this made it so the city was immune to large-scale powers, brainwashing was out of the question. But, with them releasing his name, nothing would go back to normal until he brainwashed everyone into forgetting.

He probably could override the germanium if he were to take out his limiters, but that would just add to the length of time he would be unstable, and in order to do a mass brainwashing he already had to take out one... 

It was very possible to override the tower he would have to take out both limiters. 

I don't know what kind of repercussions that could have... It's too risky.

Saiki's thoughts were interrupted by Teruhashi coming back into the room, smiling widely.

"It took some convincing, but he agreed to let you stay with us!"

"All I had to do was give him an old pair of my shoes!"

That's too high a price.

"Anyways, he said it would probably be best if you came back with me now, before they start going door to door."

She resumed smiling, and the rest of the group silently nodded their assent. After hearing the annoucement, a heavy atmosphere had fallen on the once boisterous group.

With that, the meeting ended without much of a conclusion and much more questions than answers, everyone leaving thinking about the final broadcast and what it could mean.

Saiki, on the other hand, was bracing himself to enter into a kind of personal hell as he and Teruhashi pulled up to her front gate.

She was beaming as she pushed the car door open and stepped outside, starting to walk up to the massive house she and her brother shared. Kusuo began to follow her, knowing what was coming next.

The front door swung open, and Teruhashi Makoto was standing just inside the front step, his face twisted in disgust.

Chapter Text

Matobaya Hina tapped her heels on the floor of the car. She'd had a remarkably busy day, what with all of this psychic-highschooler business. Her normally pristine, bright red, extremely pointy heels were scuffed in several places. She made a mental note to clean them when she got home.

Matobaya always had prided herself on leading an organized, controlled life. She was at her happiest when nothing unexpected happened, which is why today she was in an exceptionally bad mood.

First off, she had been called in by the Shingawa Kato.

Second, she had been assigned to work with his personal lapdog, Sato Tetsuya. Even now, the overly-fit, tall man walked next to her, scratching his beard as if he were thinking about something important. Matobaya knew better though. Nothing got through Sato's thick scull other than maybe protein powder.

His presence irked her because she knew what it signified. Shingawa didn't trust her anymore. He had to assign her a watchdog to keep her in check. 

She scoffed aloud, making Sato look over at her, confused, before losing interest and making guns at his reflection in the window.

"If Shingawa thinks that this idiot can stop me from doing what I need to, he's lying to himself."

Matobaya had ambitions of her own. Just because she was being told to do something by someone as powerful as Shingawa didn't mean that she would follow instructions like an obedient pet. 

"If I ever want to move up, I have to make sure I get the credit for this. This case is a career-maker. If I do this right, maybe..."

Her manicured fingernails tapped on the clipboard she was holding. 

Matobaya had wanted to be a politician since she was a little girl, watching people give impassioned speeches on TV, making decisions that changed the course of the entire country.

Of course, back then, she hadn't known just how far she would have to go to get anywhere career-wise. 

"Stop thinking about it, focus on the situation at hand. How can I get something useful out of this lump of meat?"

She put on her best 'im-not-trying-to-pull-anything' smile and sidled up to Sato.

"Hey, Sato-san. Did Shingawa-san say anything to you about why he wanted you to come along with me to the Saiki house?"

A bit direct, yes, but she didn't feel like she needed to manipulate him. It'd be like trying to trick a sea urchin into doing arithmetic. 

Sato gazed into the distance.

"Yeah, uh... he wanted me to... OH! He wanted me to tell you something! He said that if you help him with this, you'll win the prefectoral-representative-election-thingy for your hometown this coming spring."

"What?!"

Matobaya yelped.

"Yep. It sounded important. Sorry I forgot about that."

Sato laughed to himself.

Matobaya stewed in a confused silence. At first she was just frustrated at Sato, but then her frustration gave way to the desperation she had been feeling for the past few months. She needed to win that election. It had been why she set out to become a politician in the first place.

She gritted her teeth.

She had to win. She had to.

Matobaya took a deep breath. She hated being a lapdog, especially to someone like Shingawa. But as much as she dissaproved of his methods, his words carried weight. She knew, if he wanted her to win that election, she would.

She glanced back over at Sato. Now she knew why he hadn't sent his brightest man. Shingawa had had her under his thumb from the beginning. It didn't take a genius to just deliver the message.

But, thinking back to how Shingawa had been acting, a stir of discontent brewed in her gut. He hadn't just been mad, he was furious. Mostly at the older Saiki brother for developing that picture. Saiki had thrown off Shingawa's plan more than he'd ever admit.

"Ha. I even warned him about that guy and he still decided to trust him."

Something told Matobaya that was part of it, too. If she knew anything about Shingawa, he hated being wrong more than anything. She glanced back over at the muscled Sato with a twinge of doubt.

"He's not going to try to... no. Even Shingawa wouldn't stoop that low."

But again, her mind drifted to Shingawa's plan to either get rid of the younger Saiki brother. That kid was only a high-school student and Shingawa hadn't shown even the slightest hesitation.

Matobaya suddenly felt cold as a chill ran up her body.

"Just put up with it for now. It'll all work out in the end."

She took a deep breath, and tried to calm down. Making up conspiracy theories wouldn't get her anywhere.

Finally, the armored car came to a stop in front of a huge tower, which had been built in secret over the past two weeks. At the top, a dangerous-looking black box was pulsating with some kind of energy.

Matobaya made sure her face looked as composed as ever before stepping one pointy red shoe out onto the gravel. A man in a white labcoat that identified him as a scientist rushed up to her.

"Let me help you out ma'am."

She put back on her 'im-not-trying-to-pull-anything' smile and took his hand as he helped her down.

"I hate having to be nice all the time."

Still smiling, she looked up before asking,

"Can you tell me your team's plan to contain the threat, sir?"

For once in his life, Saiki debated weather or not the coffee jello was worth the trouble. 

It seemed like a fan had caught wind of a rumor that the elder Teruhashi liked coffee jello, so they decided to send about 30 cups of the stuff to him

Unfortunately for them, but fortunately for Saiki, the rumor had been false.

As Saiki sat, already on his second cup in five minutes, he tried to ignore the murderous stare he was getting from Teruhashi Makoto.

Almost as soon as they had walked in the door, Makoto had asked his younger sister to do him a favor and grab him something from upstairs.

Suspicious, but not really able to say no, Kokomi had hurried up the large staircase in the main room and disappeared into the upper story.

That left Saiki and Makoto alone in silence, only disrupted by Saiki inhaling coffee jelly.

Makoto spoke first, of course.

"I've seen the news."

"..."

"Of course I don't believe it. No sane person would, especially if they knew you. Ha ha ha."

His laugh seemed a little forced and not as assured as his words.

Another bout of silence. When Makoto spoke again, his voice had dropped into a threatening growl.

"You're the first boy she's brought over, sure, but don't let that get to your head! I know you've been after my sister for a while, you freak, but just don't think for a second this means she actually likes you."

There was another brief pause.

"ok."

Makoto's face flushed with red, and it looked like he was going to launch into another rant.

"I'm back! Here you go!"

Kokomi handed Makoto a pair of tennis shoes that looked a little small and banged up.

"I'm glad I still have these! Why did you want them again?"

Makoto was too distracted to answer. He pouted a bit.

"I thought you said you would give me sandals?"

Kokomi apparently decided she was done with this line of conversation, because she beckoned Saiki to follow her.

"I'll give you the tour!"

You're just going to ignore that sandals comment?

"Can I come too? Pleaase?"

He sounded like a whiny kid, but Kokomi's face didn't change.

"I guess. Let's go!"

She lead the two back upstairs, showing them around as they went. It was mostly uneventful, except for when she was about to open the door to her room, and her brother jumped in front of the doorframe.

"Hey! Kokomi! Why don't we-... let's move on!"

His voice was squeaky.

"I mean, you don't want to show your room to another boy, right? Just me, right? Ha! Hahah."

Gross.

They moved on.

They reached the end of the upstairs hallway and Kokomi swung the door open.

"Here's the guest bedroom, you can stay here for the next three days."

"Thanks."

Makoto laughed arrogantly.

"You're welcome. Just be grateful my sister is the perfect angel she is."

Saiki was grateful.

If he really had to, he could've gone and sat up in the atmosphere, but to be honest this was all new territory to him, and he wasn't sure exactly how the Germanium would affect him with exiting and re-entry. Plus it was really boring.

Teruhashi letting him stay, coffee jello or no, was probably the best solution he could've hoped for.

Well, it would've been without Makoto.

"My beloved sister might believe your lies, but I know you don't have anything like psychic powers. Don't even think about trying anything with her."

"Makoto!"

Kokomi's face had gone a bright pink. She quickly ushered him out of the room, saying that Saiki needed to rest.

Still standing in the doorway, she turned back to look at him, her face still flushed.

She opened her mouth to say something, but then, noticing her brother hovering a ways down the hallway, eavesdropping, she closed it again.

"I'll... come get you for dinner at 6:00, okay?"

Saiki nodded, and Teruhashi turned and walked out of the room, closing the door behind her.

Saiki went over what she had been thinking as she had stood in the doorway.

Tonight was going to be a pain.

Dinner was great, of course, with Makoto's personal chef cooking.

It was just as delicious as it was awkward.

Makoto and Saiki didn't say a word, other than Makoto's bright responses to Kokomi desperately trying to make converstation.

Most of it revolved around the day's events, although when Kokomi described Saiki's powers Makoto looked like he was trying to figure out where the smoke and mirrors were.

He turned a scathing eye back to Saiki.

"So. If you really can do magic, do something right now."

"No thanks."

Kokomi looked angry.

"Mokoto! He's not in control right now, I told you!"

"Right, right. Last time he tried to prove his abilities an entire classroom of desks became stalactites. I remember."

Makoto rolled his eyes. He looked conflicted. He trusted Kokomi implicitly, but he hated Saiki with a passion. And the things she was saying didn't seem possible.

"So you can't even do something small? Like, make that salt shaker fly?"

"Not unless you want a new skylight."

"Then I'm sorry Kokomi, but I just can't believe that story. Theres absolutely no way this guy has anything unique about him."

Kokomi looked frustrated, but Saiki really didn't care what Makoto thought.

"ok."

Dinner ended without much talking from that, other than Kokomi looking angrily at Makoto from time to time, much to his dismay.

Afterwards, Saiki took a bath and changed into some pajamas that Teruhashi had stolen from her brother in a strange reversal of roles.

The evening crept into night, and eventually all the lights in the house were off except for Saiki's. He sat waiting in a chair beside the bed.

Eventually, soft footsteps padded up to the door and it swung open slowly.

Teruhashi peeked in, her blue hair brushed back behind her shoulders.

Her face was bright red, and she startled when she noticed Saiki looking at her.

"Hey, Saiki. Sorry for showing up like this. It's just... my brother..."

Saiki nodded.

"I remembered afterwards that you probably heard my thoughts that I was planning to come talk to you. I'm glad at least I didn't wake you up or anything."

She fidgeted in the doorway, clearly unsure what do to next.

She hesitantly crossed the room and sat down in the chair next to him, her hands clenched nervously in her lap.

"Uh... um... I realize that you probably already- no, you definitely already know."

Saiki sat patiently. He had knew what was coming.

"I know it seems silly, but I want to say it. Aloud, I mean. Not... in my head."

She took a deep breath in.

"I-I like you!"

Her words tumbled out, and she looked away as soon as she had said it.

"You don't have to say anything. I think... I think I already know you don't feel the same way.

I mean, I realize you've known this whole time, but I had to say it."

She smiled, a vision that would've captured the heart of any man who saw it.

"Thanks for listening to me. And- just know, no matter how you feel about me, you're still welcome. I'm still really glad I could help you in whatever way... so... don't be a stranger!"

She laughed a little awkwardly.

"I'm pretty sure everyone else feels that way too, you know? We all would do anything to help, so please, let us, okay?"

Saiki didn't respond, but he didn't need to. Teruhashi stood up, any signs of embarrassment gone. She tiptoed up to the door and peeked into the hallway.

"Goodnight!"

She flashed him one more dazzling smile before he heard her retreat back down the hall to her room.

Saiki sat there a moment longer.

He had been expecting her arrival, he'd even knew what she was going to say.

She hadn't surprised him or anything... so why?

His heart was beating quicker than usual.

He quickly scanned the room for bugs. Nothing. 

Why did his face feel hot? That was strange.

Maybe my pyrokenisis is acting up. I'll have to be careful if I need to use it.

Saiki, stood up, still a bit confused.

Deciding he'd figure it out later, Saiki climbed into bed and fell into a deep sleep.

Chapter Text

Saiki looked at the clock again. It was his the evening of his second day in the Teruhashi household, and it had been surprisingly quiet after the night Kokomi visited him.

Since then, Kusuo had just been reading in his room.

He had torn about two dozen books in half already.

I don't feel like my control is getting better.

He thought back to that morning, when Makoto had tried to prove that Saiki had somehow tricked his classmates.

In a highly scientific test, Makoto pointed in the opposite direction and then threw a fork at Saiki's head, which he caught and accidentally melted.

It was a worrying sign, but the look on Makoto's face had made up for it.

Then he heard a group approaching the Teruhashi's gate.

Saiki closed his book with a huff, and stood up.

And I was just settling in. 

He was a bit confused.

Why are they here? I thought I cleared things up yesterday.

He left his room and walked down the large staircase in the center of the house, opening the large door.

Kaidou looked surprised, with his arm outstretched like he was about to knock. Behind him were Nendou, Yumehara, Hairo, Toritsuka, and Aiura. 

"H-hi Saiki, we were just uhh- let in at the gate, how did you-?"

Aiura rolled her eyes.

"He can hear your thoughts, dude. I bet he knew we were coming before we did."

Kaidou coughed awkwardly.

"Right. Haha, I forgot about the ummm... ahh..."

In that moment, Teruhashi rounded the corner. A few 'offu's resulted from the group behind Saiki.

"Hey guys! Thanks for coming."

She noticed Saiki already standing at the door.

"S-Saiki! I hope you don't mind, they kept texting... I figured it would be best to just invite them over for lunch."

Hairo grinned widely.

"That's right, Saiki! We were in a bit of a rush earlier, but we all talked and we all have a few more questions to ask if that's okay."

Saiki didn't say no.

The whole group, especially Teruhashi, looked relieved.

"Saiki... I don't know if you can hear me- no, I know you can. I'm sorry for springing this on you, but it was pretty last minute and I was a bit... umm... anyways, we all want to sit down and talk now that we've had a second to think."

The whole group assembled around the long dining table and sat down. Thankfully, Teruhashi's older brother was out, so they could talk in peace.

Yumehara spoke first.

"Hey, umm, what's your plan now?"

I plan on destroying the germanium towers before brainwashing everyone into ignoring that report. I'll probably erase most people's memories too.

Teruhashi blinked.

"You can erase memories?!"

When I do large-scale brainwashing I can.

"Sure, sure, but bigger question..."

Teruhashi squinted her eyes.

"Have you ever erased my memory?"

...no.

"Why did you hesitate?!"

No reason.

Nendou chimed in.

"Don't worry Teruhashi! I'll tell you anything you forgot."

"He probably erased yours too, Nendou."

"Hahaha no he didn't- I would remember that."

Kaidou jumped.

"Then, did you ever erase mine?!"

...no.

"So you did?!"

Saiki sighed.

Hairo, Teruhashi, Kaidou and Nendou. Do you remember spending that New Years at my house? My mom said something strange, didn't she?

"Yes! That was when she revealed to us that you were actually a the captain of a tennis team that got so invested in winning that eventually your competitive spirit began drivi-"

Something like that.

The four confirmed with their own version of that day, and quickly realized the discrepancy.

"So... what did your mom really say?"

She told you I was a psychic.

Teruhashi looked a bit lost.

"And we believed her?"

Well, not really but...

"Ha ha! I understand your burden, Saiki. Keeping secrets is a sacrifice I also make in the struggle against Dark Reunion."

He was promptly ignored. 

Teruhashi fumed a bit.

"I can't believe you erased my memory! You owe me for that, Kusuo!"

Did she just- 

"Anyways, we've gotten off track, guys. Are your powers back under control, Saiki?"

Kaidou looked a bit excited, and decided to change the topic.

About that... I probably should do some actual tests.

His eyes lit up.

"Can I see!?-"

Kaidou coughed once, catching himself.

"Of course, only because I think a visual aid would be good for all of us."

Saiki sighed a bit, standing up. 

Oh well.

It was a surprisingly nice morning in the desert.

"WHAT JUST HAPPENED?!"

"EEE!"

I probably should've warned them. 

The group had just teleported from the Teruhashi household to the desert where Saiki went whenever he needed to test out his powers.

"Haha you scream like a girl. Oh, I'm in the desert now. Why is my pal walking towards that rock?"

Saiki found the biggest rock nearby and made it float in the air. 

"Uhh... Saiki...?"

Saiki then proceeded to go about his regular training routine.

Once he was finished, he looked back at the group. 

Ah. I was wondering why they were so quiet.

Once again, it seemed like the group was too stunned to think. Even Aiura and Toritsuka looked slightly out of it.

Looks like I still don't have control. Normally, I try not to vaporize the boulder completely.

Nendou looked serious. He raised his hand with a question.

You don't have to do that.

"Wheres the hat that you pull the rabbit out of?"

Psychic, not magician. 

Kuboyasu nodded solemnly.

"That's right, Nendou. He probably left his hat back home with his magic wand."

I think you guys are confused.

Breaking out of his stupor, Kaidou shook his head.

"So you're basically omnipotent."

That's going a bit far.

Everyone raised their eyebrows a bit at that.

Yumehara stifled a laugh.

"Sorry, the thought of Saiki being some all-powerful being is kinda funny. I mean, aren't you terrified of bugs?"

Kuboyasu laughed too.

"That's true. I don't know why the government bothered with germanium, all they really needed was some cockroaches."

Saiki paled a bit at the thought. That could really be dangerous.

Aiura looked a bit concerned.

"You said your control isn't coming back, what does that mean? Hasn't it already been almost two days?"

I should have more control by now. The only reason I can think of is those germanium disrupters. 

Hairo raised his hand.

I said you don't have to do that.

"Why don't you just destroy them now then?"

I don't know what will happen if I do.

"If you do what you just did to that rock I don't think they'll be much of a problem." Toritsuka said with a confused expression.

Apparently they've been planning this for a while. There's no way they haven't planned for me trying to destroy them. I need more information before I do anything.

Teruhashi smiled brightly.

"If we need information I think I have an idea."

The Saiko house looked like it always did, a victorian mansion so big it was surprising it could hold its own weight.

Kuboyasu looked a little frustrated.

"Are you sure about this, Teruhashi? We can do this without him."

Teruhashi smiled, and Kuboyasu forgot his argument.

"It sounds like Saiki's main enemy is someone in the government, Saiko would know more about him."

"That's true, I guess... but Saiki, have you talked to him since two days ago?"

Not really.

Everyone looked a little bit more anxious except for Nendou, who was pushing the button on the intercom.

"Oi, Saiko! We're here! Let us in haha."

The intercom beeped and after a moment of silence the gate opened.

A group of three servants rushed up and looked around furtively before guiding the group into the mansion and up the main steps, only giving Saiki a few extra looks.

Once they were at the top of the stairs they came to the large door of Saiko's room and were let inside.

The room was massive, of course, and sitting on an expensive looking desk chair in the corner was Saiko.

"Hello plebs and fugitive. Welcome to the Saiko residence."

"Hey Saiko, we wanted to ask you a favor."

"Before that I would like to ask the fugitive something."

Is that supposed to be me?

"It has come to my attention that you might have some kind of psychic ability."

What gave it away.

Saiko's face looked like he was trying to hide his excitement, but his voice got a bit higher.

"I was flown to the Saiko underground bunker as soon as the news of the meteor hit, but I saw the interviews on TV. I would like a demonstration."

The group other than Saiki quickly began violently shaking their heads, remembering what they had just seen in the desert.

"Saiko you really don't."

"This mansion will be destroyed."

Saiko scoffed.

"Oi pesants, I didn't ask for your input. There is no way you could comprehend what I am thinking so sit there quietly and wait. Now then, fugitive?"

They're right.

Did I just answer to 'fugitive'?

"You came here asking for a favor, correct? Don't tell me you rabble thought to come here to ask for something from someone as powerful as me without payment?"

Ok then.

The desk chair Saiko was sitting on slid backwards at the speed of a bullet, crashing through the wall and into the distance. Saiko was left in the same spot, sitting down heavily on the floor.

He suddenly was much more cooperative.

"If it's the person who set up the germanium boundaries you're talking about, I know him. He's a politician named Shingawa Kato and he's a member at my father's club."

A stir of excitement ran through the group.

"Then you know what we can do to stop him?"

Saiko laughed sharply, but his voice was still trembling.

"The Saiko household has promised not to move against Shingawa, but fortunately for you I trust my own judgement. Be grateful."

"Yes, we're very grateful. Can you tell us already?"

Kobayasu looked annoyed, but Teruhashi smiled happily. 

"Thank you, Saiko."

"I can't move openly, but I can set up a meeting between you and one of his aides. Her name is Matobaya Hina."

"What will a meeting get us? It's not like they'll just stop hunting Saiki if we ask nicely." Kaidou asked.

"Fool. Matobaya is only working for Shingawa temporarily. She might be willing to tell you what he's planning."

Everyone's face clouded a bit.

"That's... it?"

Saiko's face flushed.

"Be grateful I helped you even this much! If my father found out about our meeting I would lose my yacht privileges for at least two weeks."

He didn't get much sympathy.

After another half hour of conversation they agreed to let Saiko set up a meeting with Matobaya for the next morning under the guise of meeting with one of the Saiko household's representatives.

They said their goodbyes and were quickly shepherded out of the mansion by the three servants who had brought them in.

Yumehara sighed once they were out of the gates.

"I guess that went well."

Hairo responded enthusiastically.

"Yes! We can talk to this lady and find a way to work out our differences!"

I think I should start moving on my own from now on.

The group started and looked at Saiki, who was frowning slightly.

"There's no way we would agree to that."

We're lucky that the government hasn't started looking for you guys at this point. If you show up at the meeting with Matobaya you'll be my accomplices.

Teruhashi cocked her head. 

"Aren't we already?"

It will be official.

"You're going to brainwash everyone once we destroy the germanium towers, right?"

Yeah.

"That's that then. Everything will go back to normal once we're done."

Aiura chimed in.

"Yeah, what's the alternative? They're planning for you to attack, who knows what they have set up already?"

I can still get out of the boundaries.

Teruhashi laughed a bit.

"What, and go where?"

Somewhere else.

Everyone was quiet for a moment.

"If my pal goes somewhere else it would be hard to get ramen together."

Nendou's face was screwed up in concentration like trying to figure out the logistics of getting ramen was a puzzle he was trying to solve. 

Teruhashi laughed.

"Plus Makoto is expecting both of us for breakfast."

"Not to mention now that I know you've been hiding your true strength we have to fight against Dark Reunion even harder from now on."

Kaidou's voice got higher as he spoke and Toritsuka laughed.

The gloomy mood that had been following the group broke.

"Kaidou, Saiki is Dark Reunion."

Kaidou's eyes bulged. 

"What?"

Stop that.

Toritsuka chuckled a bit.

"I heard it from a ghost in our school, do you remember a guy who said he was also fighting against Dark Reunion? Saiki was actually on the ceili-"

Toritsuka suddenly disappeared.

The group stopped and stared at where he had been standing, then looked at Saiki. He was doing his best to look shocked.

... It can't be... Dark Reunion?!

7,000 miles away Toritsuka appeared in Brazil.

Kaidou was suddenly a lot afraid of Dark Reunion than before.

They walked for a bit longer before parting ways.

Saiki and Teruhashi began heading back towards her house. They were quiet for a while before Teruhashi began to speak.

"I've been thinking from a while ago... you never actually said if you were planning on including us in the brainwashing or not."

Saiki straightened a bit. It was something he had been thinking about himself.

Teruhashi shifted uncomfortably.

"I know you weren't planning on telling us about you being a psychic, but I like knowing."

She flushed a bit.

"And it's not just because you've heard every embarrassing thought I've had or anything! I swear! I just, like being in your c-confidence."

Saiki could tell her cheeks were red despite the dark.

I haven't decided yet.

Teruhashi deflated a little bit and walked for a bit farther in silence.

She sighed as they reached the gate and she stopped in front of it, turning to face Saiki and making him wait as well. 

"I meant it when I said you didn't have to say anything two nights ago, but..."

Her face looked a bit sad in the streetlight.

"I hope you decide soon."

Her expression changed suddenly and she stood on her tip toes and kissed him lightly on the cheek before heading into the house.

Saiki stood at the gate. He was having trouble moving.

She had made her mind up so quickly he hadn't even seen it coming. 

Would I have dodged her if I could?

He decided not to think about it and headed into the house for the night.

For the first several hours the next morning Teruhashi would turn bright red whenever she made eye contact with Saiki, her boldness from the night before gone.

Makoto noticed quickly.

"Kokomi, are you hot?"

He turned towards a servant who was working behind him.

"YOU! TURN ON THE AIR CONDITIONING RIGHT NOW! CAN'T YOU SEE KOKOM-"

Teruhashi became even more embarrassed. 

"Stop it! I'm fine! Saiki and I are leaving."

Makoto stopped and narrowed his eyes.

"Together?"

"Yes! Now will you move?"

"Kokomi you know I don't trust that jerk. Wouldn't you prefer to stay safe in the panic room until I come home?"

"Why would I do that?"

"You know I worry about you going outside! There are so many people!"

"Saiki and I are leaving now."

"Wait, Kokomi!"

Teruhashi closed the door behind them as they set out towards the spot they had all agreed to meet at before heading to the meeting with Matobaya. 

When Saiki and Teruhashi arrived, everyone was already there and looking tired. Even Nendou looked like he hadn't slept well the night before.

Listening to everyones thoughts, Saiki understood the reason why.

"I was too nervous to sleep, I hope today goes well."

"I only did 5,000 situps. I wonder why I'm so tired?"

"My pet rock died last night."

Nendou had slightly different reasons from everyone else. 

"GLITTER, GLITTER GLUE... GLITTER PENCIL!"

Did Aiura go insane from sleep deprivation?

The plan was for Saiki and Kuboyasu to meet with Matobaya while the others held back a ways where Saiki could send them the conversation telepathically and call if they needed help.

Not that anyone knew what they could do if Saiki needed help.

Kuboyasu would look intimidating and ask about the devices while Saiki would see what answers he could get through reading Matobaya's mind.

Saiki sat back quietly while the group discussed, only talking when he was asked direct questions.

No one felt particularly confident, but they knew it was their best chance at getting information.

The news report from the night before had said military presence within the city had increased. It would be hard for Saiki to go back to Teruhashi's for much longer before they were found. 

Sooner or later, Saiki would have to escape or be caught. 

The time for the meeting drew near and the group began their walk towards the parking lot that Saiko had pointed them towards.

Kaidou was clearly nervous.

"You don't think they know it's us right?"

Teruhashi considered.

"Not unless Saiko told her. I don't think he would, though."

Toritsuka, who was wearing a new shirt that said 'I love Rio de Janeiro', asked Aiura if she had tried to scry it.

Aiura jumped a bit. 

"Y-Yep, and nothing. I think the germanium is messing with my scrying, too."

"GLITTER BOMB. GLITTER DUST. SPARKLE GUN."

Aiura's thoughts were occupied with different glitter products.

That really is weird.

Kaidou looked somehow even more nervous.

"Then we don't even know what's going to happen?"

"Isn't that how it usually is?" Kuboyasu pointed out.

Kaidou didn't look convinced.

Nendou grinned and kicked Kaidou in the shin.

"Haha! You didn't know that was going to happen either."

Kaidou crumpled, bending down to rub his sore leg.

"Hey!"

Nendou kept laughing as he walked a ways away and stooped over, looking at something.

"Saiki, couldn't you have warned me he was going to do that?"

I can't read Nendou's thoughts.

"What? Why?"

Look at him.

The seven all looked at Nendou and found him staring at his reflection in a puddle on the ground.

"Oi pals this guy in the ground kind of looks like me."

"..."

"Oh."

"Yeah."

"I think I get it."

The group turned at an intersection and stopped when they saw the parking lot they had been heading for.

They were about 15 minutes early and Matobaya hadn't arrived yet.

Everyone except for Kuboyasu, Nendou and Saiki stopped, holding back a ways out of sight. 

Oi, what are you doing.

Nendou stared at Saiki, uncomprehending.

Weren't you listening earlier when they were setting up the plan? You should be back there.

"I want to hang out with my pal. Can we get ramen after this?"

Saiki felt the guilt he'd been feeling from a while ago get a bit heavier. 

Sure, after this.

A few minutes later a black Mercedes Benz rounded the corner. Matobaya was early, too.

Saiki recognized her sitting in the passenger seat from a photo Saiko had shown them the night before.

The group tensed as they watched the car approach, and they flinched when Saiki's voice suddenly rang in their head.

Thank you for your help, everyone. I really am grateful.

And with that, both the car and Saiki disappeared.

Teruhashi jumped up and yelped.

"Saiki!"

Everyone was shocked.

"Oh, where did my pal go?"

"What does he think he's doing going off alone with them?"

"I mean, he is a psychic."

"Still! We know they have technology that works against him!"

Aiura breathed out sigh.

"Ok! Everybody shut up! I can't believe that worked."

The group looked towards her. 

"I was lying earlier when I said my scrying didn't work. I saw that Saiki was planning on going all rambo on us but we couldn't stop him."

"What?"

"You knew and didn't say anything?"

"We could've tried talking to him about it."

Aiura rolled her eyes.

"It wouldn't have worked. He's surprisingly sentimental, that guy. He doesn't want us coming with him to take down the germanium towers."

Toritsuka nodded.

"Yeah that sounds about right. Honestly, I was surprised he let us come this far."

Teruhashi spoke quickly, clearly frustrated.

"Doesn't he understand they're planning for him to try something?"

Kuboyasu's face was complicated as he answered.

"But honestly, what can we do that he can't?"

Aiura shook her head.

"That's true normally, but I don't think that's it. They're expecting him, they're not expecting us. He could definitely use the manpower in any plan to destroy the germanium quietly."

Teruhashi looked lost.

"Then why?"

"Like I said, sentimentality. He doesn't want to get us involved."

"But we want to help."

Aiura rolled her eyes again.

"Obviously. Now look, we need to make a plan. I have something to tell you guys. If you still want to help after we got ditched by mr. psychic wonder kid, listen to me."

The group gathered around Aiura.

"In my vision I didn't see how the meeting with that lady went, but I did see that Saiki is going to try an attack this evening."

"Like today this evening?!"

"Be quiet, Kaidou. I also saw that it's not going to work. He'll need our help and I know when and where, I just don't know how we get there. I didn't want to mention it directly to Saiki because he might just give up and escape or teleport us somewhere before going alone anyways."

"How did you manage to keep it from him?" Kuboyasu looked impresed.

Aiura looked proud of herself.

"I just kept yelling random stuff in my head to distract myself!"

The group paused.

"I suddenly feel bad for Saiki."

Aiura looked angry.

"You don't know how hard it was! Gosh, these kids are so ungrateful. I think he knew I was hiding something, though."

"We all knew you were hiding something, idiot." Toritsuka said, which earned him a sharp kick.

"Anyways! Are you guys in?"

Teruhashi nodded instantly, and the rest followed.

"Let's get going then."