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*~*princess*aiura*~*: 3:20pm: kusuuuuuuu uwuuuu
ah
while it might seem an innocuous cutesy way to get his attention to anyone else of course he knows she only goes There (and There is not a place he really wants to go back to right now because of course There involves
The Invention Of The Kusu Uwu (which aiura initially came up with to be (sickingly) sweet but after seeing the face he made the first time started using it just to see That Face again)
and
glitter eyeshadow ( you can call it manshadow kusu uwuuu ) ( yeah saiki! were wearing manshadow to hide our true identities just like the nefarious members of the evil- )
and
a pretend date (a touristy cafe in the next town over was having a special event with a discount for couples (saiki is Still To This Day begrudgingly impressed with how the hostess didnt even bat an eye and said yes of course! when aiura put on her sweetest tone and whispered as she asked if the discount could apply to couples of well, more than two )
and
eating the largest order of coffee jelly off of one giant plate in the middle of the table (after the other two got done cackling when they saw his face because of the Completely Unecessary usage of sprinkles and whipped cream and he waited as they picked off the Offending Items)
and
all three of them getting a massive (somewhat less so for himself) headache and getting broadsided with not one but two jumping hugs as they chirped out thankyouuuuu kusu uwuuu for using his body reset to get rid of the sugar rush and saiki ending up with a completely unexpectedly Different Kind Of Rush
and
sitting on perhaps the worlds cringiest bench outside the cafe (it was pink (mostly faded from the sun) and had been covered in large bows and balloons to signal the couples event) with a sign on the back that said (what else) love and aiura deciding saiki and kaidou could sit next to each and she would just lounge on top of both while they texted reita back and forth trying (failing) to help him deal with the fallout of (Actually Accidently) offending this girl he was (shockingly) out on a Real Date ™️ with and giving him three very different forms of advice (reita! just be yourself but like,,,,,,tone it down just a bit! compliment her! point things out about her! tell her about your hobbies just not the weird ones and if you touch her anywhere besides her hand or arm i will see it in my magic ball of knowledge and i will ruin the rest of highschool for you do you hear me!!!!!!)(reita just tell her about your character in Legend of the Magical Escape! she definitely just wants to hear you talk and uhh maybe like cuddle her afterward on a bench or something!)(REITA I SWEAR IF YOU TOUCH HER-)(good grief reita just let her do the talking and nod every once in a while)(saiki!!!!!!!!Effort!!!!!!)
and
finally an extremely long bus ride back to home wherein he (not for the first time) recognized he maybekindofdoesntactually hate whatever is Going On with the three of them so Of Course to say that hes slightly triggered by the kusu uwu is an Understatement but of course
this is just where he life is At This Point.
before he can even text her back yet another menace pops up
xXreitaXx: 3:22pm: ahhhhhhhhhh
saikik: 3:24pm: what
xXreitaXx: 3:24pm: father mad
xXreitaXx: 3:24pm: father mad!
saikik: 3:24pm: did he go on another trip
xXreitaXx: 3:24pm: yeppppp
saikik: 3:25pm: did he yell at you right before he left the house
xXreitaXx: 3:25pm: YEPPPPPPPP
saikik: 3:25pm: did you not do something he told you to
xXreitaXx: 3:25pm: okay so this time its actually not my fault
good grief.
if resetting your entire life so that you actually end up technically (x amount of) years older than your fellow classmates has made saiki kusuo realize anything its that what these kids really need isnt more homework or clothes or parties
its better parenting
reitas father has been going on more and more work trips that are further and further away for longer and longer spans of time and it definitely already had An Effect ™️ on reita but now its just getting ridiculous, reita needs Guidance okay and saiki may be technically older but hes not sure hes exactly Qualified ™️ for this specific form of Nonsense
and yet
here he is
near daily basis
making sure reita brushes his teeth.
good grief.
saikik: 3:26pm: it never is
unfortunately for reita
it actually usually is.
but he also knows hed like to have a Talk with mr. toritsuka Man To Man but of course to mr. toritsuka itd just look like a teenager with pink hair and a really odd headband attempting to teach him a Lesson On Parenting and oh sometimes saiki wishes he also inherited whatever strain of villain ™️ his brother is because the look hed like to see on some of these parents faces-
breathe
breatheeeeeee
breatheeeeeeeeeeeee
good grief.
xXreitaXx: 3:28pm: ☹️☹️😭☹️☹️
saikik: 3:28pm: did you do what he told you
xXreitaXx: 3:28pm: nooo i did not because he told me to stay at the temple again but apparently i cant even breathe right in that place before theyre telling me to go meditate on like, sins or whatever so
saikik: 3:28pm: probably a good idea
xXreitaXx: 3:28pm: to THEM!!!!! and to YOU!! are we not friends!!! does our bond mean nothing~~~~;(((
saikik: 3:30pm: you type like aiura now
xXreitaXx: 3:30pm: and! so what!
xXreitaXx: 3:30pm: >:[ pretty soon u will too!!
saikik: 3:34pm: oh i just looked into the future and future me says hell no
xXreitaXx: 3:34pm: 😂😂🤣🤣 kafhjsjsdjdffjchck
saikik: 3:36pm: goodnight.
xXreitaXx: 3:36pm: waiiiiit saiiiikkiii speaking of aiura r u ever going to set me up with her!!
saikik: 3:39pm: not if you were the last guy on earth.
xXreitaXx: 3:39pm: HEY WATS THAT MEAN
xXreitaXx: 3:39pm: HEY
xXreitaXx: 3:39pm: HEYYYYYYY
saikik: 3:40pm: go do your homework. and brush your teeth.
xXreitaXx: 3:40pm: ill brush them when u get her to text me!!!!!!
saikik: 3:40pm: enjoy dentures.
xXreitaXx: 3:40pm: HEY
xXreitaXx: 3:40pm: NOT FUNNY
xXreitaXx: 3:40pm: WHATS WRONG WITH ME HUH
he doesnt even have time to go through that particular list even if at this point he knows most of its due to loneliness and neglect and not being taught about boundaries and tact and most especially a complete lack of parental guidance and
anyways.
he does his breathing exercises ™️ that a certain overbearing blonde taught him (breatheeeee kusu uwu, whenever someone does something we dont partiiiiicularly like what do we do, do we murder them in cold blood? hmmmmmm? nooooo kuuusuuu we dont, we dont do that, we keep our hands at our side and we walk away and we what? we breatheeeeee, thats it! breatheee, justttttt breatheeeeeee, here like this-)
and of course
it actually kinda works
good grief.
*~*princess*aiura*~*: 3:52pm: heyy!!~~~
*~*princess*aiura*~*: 3:52pm: saikiiiii hey:3
*~*princess*aiura*~*: 3:52pm: heyyy ;]]]]]
*~*princess*aiura*~*: 3:52pm: saikiiiiiiiiii
*~*princess*aiura*~*: 3:52pm: kusuo!!!!!!!!!
*~*princess*aiura*~*: 3:53pm: SAIKI KUSUO !
*~*princess*aiura*~*: 3:53pm: saikiii
*~*princess*aiura*~*: 3:54pm: saiki
*~*princess*aiura*~*: 3:54pm: have you been checking kaidous blog tonight
*~*princess*aiura*~*: 3:54pm: more and more time in between.
*~*princess*aiura*~*: 3:55pm: hey
*~*princess*aiura*~*: 3:55pm: HEY
*~*princess*aiura*~*: 3:55pm: saiki were not doing this tonight
*~*princess*aiura*~*: 3:55pm: saiki
*~*princess*aiura*~*: 3:56pm: he stopped reading a few minutes ago
of course he did.
of course he wouldve stopped by now considering the only thing he had been doing with the book for the last five (4 minutes 39 seconds) or so minutes is stare at it, a step past re-reading the same paragraph (and then sentence) before that and of course saiki was counting the exact amount of time (he knows better by now than to turn back by small amounts here and there because of course this is a Problem that goes back way further than that would fix) so of course he was already keeping two full eyes on The Issue At Hand so of course aiuras texts were both unnecessary (hes already Paying Attention) and necessary (he used to do this part alone) at the same time because of course at any point he could teleport right into kaidous room and Stop Him but also he Cant Do That because of course he has Done That before and of course that
didnt work out.
so of course under any other circumstance he might go back to the manga he usually cant put down or the tv show he sets a reminder to watch or teleporting to a new place hes never been but of course On This Night he was going back and forth between kaidous room and staring at his own bedroom wall which he does more and more often these days (redoing high school over and over Is Not Actually Exciting after
well.
he pretends he stopped counting how many its been but of course he knows the exact number and of course time after time after time it just keeps getting more and more complicated because of course every time he goes back and tries to change something a gazillion other things result from that single change so then hes got to go and deal with all that and
good grief.
the first few times were actually the worst but after that it did get Slightly Better because of course he learned what to do and what not to do and what to avoid and specifically who to avoid in order to not have any distractions so he could focus solely on The Cosmic World Ending Event which of course meant not making friends and eventually
after several resets
coming to the realization that it was better to just not talk to anyone at all.
atleast...until he finally started getting it right.
but of course...this time was...well not completely different (the last two resets have been mostly the same. would he go to reitas temple and meditate on why hes trying to get them to be the same no, no he would not . but of course he knows why and it comes down to two blondes and a few specific weeks in november so instead of ignoring regular society saiki kusuo has been Actually Trying ™️ and so he fully picks up his phone to read Current Nuisances ™️ texts but doesnt bother replying because shes told him Several Times Very Effectively he types too damn slow saiki! TOO! DAMN! SLOW! you should be embarassed with all your skills! embarassed! hang your head! and then of course because shes Her ™️ she actuallykindagently pushed his head forward while they were walking in the hallway and of course because she gets a kick out of testing his abilities she suggested he should prove his skill level by navigating the hallway without looking up and of course because they (she. sheeeeee was) were making a Scene ™️ it didnt take long for Other Irritations in the vicinity to make their way to them (she says it must be him but of course he Knows he never attracted this kind of stuff before so it Must actually be her but of course she came back with a but if it hadnt been youuu in the first place then i wouldnt have shown up at all ehhhhh and she did that eyebrow waggly thing she does every so often when shes trying to be both annoying and cute and of course it took saiki more than one reset to figure that out because of course Miss Mikoto Aiura has several different versions of annoying ™️ and they all take time to learn and discern and of course he is Not Admitting It Ever but he really is Better Off knowing those differences and since hes on the topic of not Admitting Things he wont be saying why exac-
*~*princess*aiura*~*: 4:03pm: SAIKI
saikik: 4:03pm: i know
*~*princess*aiura*~*: 4:03pm: well then what the FUCK are you doing about it
*~*princess*aiura*~*: 4:04pm: he was answering me quick like normal but then he stopped so i looked into the ball and he was just sitting there so i figured id give it a few more minutes but then i got a headache saiki bc unlike you!! i have to actual TRY to use my stuff so then i got the stones out and they werent too damn reassuring so WHAT ARE YOU DOING RIGHT NOW
saikik: 4:04pm: im watching his room hes fine
*~*princess*aiura*~*: 4:04pm: fine?? FINE?? did you just say hes fine BITCH HE IS ANYTHING BUT FINE you do realize hes been bringing home made lunches to school lately right and saiki kusuo we both know when he does that it means hes not making the trip to his fav con store and we both know when that happens it means hes not waking up early enough to make it there before school and we both know WHEN THAT HAPPENS IT MEANS HES TOO TIRED TO GET THERE AND WHEN HES TIRED AND HIS SCHEDULE CHANGED SHIT GETS WORSE
*~*princess*aiura*~*: 4:04pm: I WILL USE THIS BALL ON YOU DONT THINK I WONT
saikik: 4:04pm: im watching him
*~*princess*aiura*~*: 4:04pm: is that enough saiki?
saikik: 4:05pm: im watching
*~*princess*aiura*~*: 4:05pm: you can do so much more than that
saikik: 4:05pm: ive tried the overcontrolling route
saikik: 4:06pm: it doesnt work out
*~*princess*aiura*~*: 4:06pm: and how am i supposed to know what """"working out""" means bc u never tell me!! anything!!!!!
saikik: 4:06pm: its better this time
*~*princess*aiura*~*: 4:06pm: compared to what?????
saikik: 4:08pm: before
*~*princess*aiura*~*: 4:08pm: OH VERY HELPFUL AND INFORMATIVE ASSHOLE
saikik: 4:08pm: i can be there if he tries
*~*princess*aiura*~*: 4:08pm: kusuo
*~*princess*aiura*~*: 4:10pm: have you ever considered that you might need to do something before it gets to that point?
of course he has.
and of course thats the very reason why he went back as far as he did this time
(two years five months)
(longest reset to date)
and of course it has actually been Better this time than ever before its just that he cant (wont) go through each and every single choice hes made that makes an apparently infinite amount of changes in not only his life but also the people around him and of course if he did tell her (or anyone) theyd want to know what those differences were and how they changed each time and explaining that
of course
would be exhausting.
so instead saiki kusuo bears the (hopefully) non infinite burden of pushing back through time further and further and further and further and if he himself has learned anything its that an active volcano is easier to handle than the delicate mental health and tempetuous nerves of previously random classmates that somehow someway managed to wear down and worm and straightup connive their way into his (previously) Straightforward Pristine and Absolutely Not At All Dramatic life but of course
it could be worse.
(and it has been)
(only took several resets for him to figure that out)
*~*princess*aiura*~*: 4:16pm: saiki kusuo. there is a button on this screen that has a picture of a phone on it. i will press that button kusuo dont think i wont
good grief.
of course he was going to reply he just got Distracted (more and more and more these days) and of course he can hear her just fine without any buttons being pressed at all because of course shes actually saying all her texts outloud, something she only does when shes irritated because she knows (assumes, actually, assumes ) that hes listening to her which means shes assuming hes focused on her which means shes assuming he actually wants to hear what she has to say at all these are but a few of the many assumptions of Miss Mikoto Aiura and ordinarily hed have nothing more than good grief to say about it but of course Tonight is Not An Ordinary Night so he does the
he sighs
Chivalrous ( you ever heard of chivalry kusuo? c-h-i-v-a-l-r-y, its when a man humours a woman in a way that doesnt humiliate her, and one of the best ways to be chilvarous kusuo is to PAY ATTENTION TO HER WHEN SHES TALKING SAIKI )
thing and texts her back
saikik: 4:17pm: i am. here.
*~*princess*aiura*~*: 4:17pm: about damn time!!!!
saikik: 4:17pm: yes?
*~*princess*aiura*~*: 4:17pm: wat is he doing now
saikik: 4:17pm: sitting there
*~*princess*aiura*~*: 4:17pm: he wont text me back
saikik: 4:17pm: ill try
*~*princess*aiura*~*: 4:18pm: kusuo. he really needs someone right now
of course he does which is why saiki is currently sitting at desk Phone In Hand waiting for a reply to a text he sent a whopping thirty two minutes ago
hes usually the one not responding.
hes beginning to understand the Sheer Rage ™️ aiura dishes out.
saiki kusuo was never impulsive before They creeped their way in
saiki kusuo might not have alot to say about his Previously Wonderfully Uneventful Life but he may in fact have Alot to say about the apparent influences of these two little
he sighs.
saikik: 4:18pm: standby
*~*princess*aiura*~*: 4:18pm: i really dont like you sometimes
saikik: 4:18pm: which means you usually really do?
of course hes alone in his room which means he doesnt have to hide the grin on his face as he listens to her going off and of course usually her ranting and raving is actuallykindof amusing ( funny, kusu uwu, f u n n y, not amusing, when you say something a girl does is amusing it sounds like youre belittling her )
good grief
fine
funny then, the way her voice squeaks and the way her cheeks blush far beyond what even her heavy handedness with makeup usually does (its called gyaru kusuo, and guys really just dont get it do they, makeup isnt always about-) and the way her bracelets jangle as she flings her arms around is, actually, funny, and of course whatever buzz-
buzz?
since when does he get a buzz out of
oh good grief nevermind
-he got out of that just now slides right out of him when he realizes hes actually sitting here having a good moment ™️ on tonight of All Nights and before he can teleport to a deserted island or barren landscape so he can Fully Combust In Peace without flattening his entire neighborhood
kaidou texts him back.
|k|a|i|d|o|u|: 4:19pm: saiki !
he takes his first full breath in howeverlong and
saikik: 4:19pm: kaidou
|k|a|i|d|o|u|: 4:19pm: have you noticed !
how youre literally just going to ignore my question i sent THIRTY TWO
of course he could keep going and type that but of course this is Shun Kaidou and when he Avoids ™️ he really a v o i d s so of course he knows pushing the issue is pointless so instead he just
saikik: 4:19pm: how nendos doing better in math than both of us and how thats actually starting to sting a bit
|k|a|i|d|o|u|: 4:20pm: 🤣🤣🤣 he doesnt even try!!!!! how saiki!!! how !!!!
saikik: 4:20pm: i do not know and i do not think i even want to at this point
|k|a|i|d|o|u|: 4:20pm: kadhdndnsnd we shall investigate soon!
something something about making future plans being a Good Sign ™️ apparently didnt account for Shun Kaidou, Master of Divert and Pretend
|k|a|i|d|o|u|: 4:20pm: but thats not what need investigating on this night !
|k|a|i|d|o|u|: 4:20pm: have you noticed !!!! theres been lights left on the school at night well past normal club hours !
of course he could just tell him that its the activity committee planning the end of the year dance but he actually kind of wants to see the current World Altering Theories ™️ on this one (plus itll keep him talking) so he repeatedly types a random letter to make the ...typing pop up and waits
|k|a|i|d|o|u|: 4:21pm: it is....a plot !
good grief.
he almost smiles at how predictable this guy is but of course doesnt allow it to go to a full smile because of course that would mean kaidou is actually capable of being endearing and that of course would also have to mean kusuo himself is capable of Being Endeared and that
he Does Not Allow that thought to continue and thankfully
|k|a|i|d|o|u|: 4:21pm: a plot i say! a most nefarious plot!! ive several theories of course in the works already but all of them do indeed involve the potential destruction of the city!!!
saikik: 4:21pm: ah. i see. do continue
so of course hed never admit it to anyone who happened to be watching (of course hed know if another psychic were watching him now) but he might have just actually cracked a grin. kaidous been reading a new book series set in Sometime Era england and has adopted the vocabulary. kind of. or atleast hes taken on whatever he thinks is the way people wouldve talked back then (saiki may or may not have sped through the entire series for.......research purposes of course and of course KaidouSpeak ™️ was nowhere close to the source material (of course the books themselves are Slightly Pretentious and saiki notes that regular folk ™️ at the time didnt even talk like that so what kaidous doing is amazingly enough the actual kind of hybridspeak that a person who was magically transported to that time would use if they had to get by and it increasingly amazes saiki how his classmates know far more than they even know they know but of course this kind of Realization didnt even hit saiki until........several resets in
but of course he is definitely Not Thinking About That
not on This Night because of course This Night is not a Good Night its a Maybe Night and he needs to stay focused which of course is something hes usually Very Adept at but kaidou has this way of making saikis thoughts and therefore life take several detours and of course this used to Bother him but after a few resets....
ah
Not Tonight.
he sighs (a Most Unpleasant habit hes picked up from Blonde #1 who of course apparently makes it her life goal to sigh each time anything even so slightly displeases her and of course saiki Does Not find that endearing At All but it still pisses him off that she tries to make him figure out why shes upset instead of just outright telling him but of course he knows the real reason is that she usually does say anything and everything she wants (because of course mikoto aiura is actually a Very Straightforward person and of course hes usually thankful when people are straightforward because of course most Are Not and their thoughts are so farfarfar removed from what they actually say out loud but of course he can never tell them he knows the difference because of course its really none of his business so whenever he comes across someone who is Actually Honest most of the time its usually A Good Thing but of course this is Mikoto Aiura ™️ so generally that straightforwardness comes out more abrubt and even sometimes crass and hed be lying (even to himself) if he said it didnt take him more than a few resets to get used to it but of course
hes got other Things to think about tonight and those Things involve an an apparent plot, a near manic classmate, and
a near manic classmate.
he checks the clock (4:27) his phone (4 new texts) and kaidous room (still on his bed, back and forth between phone and book phone and book phone and book but the phone is getting flung more and more roughly down each time (frustration increasing Not Good) and the book doesnt seem to be Doing It for him any more (small page tears as he goes to the next Very Not Good ( books are precious saiki!!! they hold worlds! lives! we dont have and dont live and and and!! ) checks to see if the rest of the egg sandwich got eaten (it did not) checks to see if hes unblocked the door (chair, pile of clothes, backpack, Very Breakable ceramic figurine of Random Anime Character all piled on top check
check
check
check
check
he forces his mind back from kaidous room to his own and reminds himself how ridiculous it would be for someone who tackled an A ctive Volcano
(several times)
(not thinking about it)
(at all)
to suffocate in his own room simply because he refuses to
breathe
breathe
great.
of course there arent many times when Saiki Kusuo loses his (Actually Impressive) amount of self control (that he slowly developed and continuously gathered and downright clawed to keep throughout his many. Many resets) and of course hes not the least bit concerned about the amount of pride he has in said self control literally because of the sheer amount of time it took for him to get to This Point but of course hes been thinking lately that there seems to still be a few (maybe more than just a few) Things that can still make him
crush his phone with his bare hand
good grief.
now what.
of course its not something Saiki Kusuo likes to think about ofteneveratall but he doesnt think he exactly counts as a teenager ™️ anymore considering hes reset over
and over
and over
and over
and over and each time getting it
wrongwrongwrongwrongwrongwrongwrongwrongwrongwrongwrongwrongwrongwrongwrongwrongwrongwrongwrongwrongwrongwrongwrongwrongwrongwrongwrongwrongwrongwrongwrongwrongwrongwrongwrongwrongwrongwrongwrongwrongwrongwrongwrongwrongwrongwrongwrongwrongwrongwrongwrongwrongwrongwrongwrongwrongwrongwrongwrongwrongwrongwrongwrongwrongwrongwrongwrongwrongwrongwrongwrongwrongwrongwrongwrongwrongwrongwrongwrongwrongwrongwrongwrongwrong
of course....
this time will be different.
(said before)
(meant then just as much as now)
hes realized of course however that one of the (few) benefits of a (hopefully soon ending) reset is being able to pinpoint when certain things justmight happen again although of course thats always a bit Risky to place too much on exact times and dates because of the insaneimmenseunreliable amount of changes thatve happened when hes even slightly altered anything at all for example tonight he knows is going to be a Not Good Night and its because he specifically chose to allow the past few days to happen (even though they made him feel shitshitshit because he forced himself to stand by and purposefully allow kaidou to get this far (while watchingwatchingwatching) because he realized he needed to wait until it got Bad Enough because of course if nothing else kaidou is stubborn (this is after all the guy who wears (necessary) bandages on his arms but tells everyone its just a natural evolution of the cloth arm warmers and gloves he used to wear in middle school which is of course kindofalmost Not A Lie because he did used to wear arm warmers back in his goth days ™️ (he asked once about why the Abrupt Change and the only answer he got was oh ahah you know saiki its just the way it goes ahahaahah ) and something about picturing him covered in black and studs he superglued on everything (a prequel to his fated friendship with aiura wherein they bedazzle and customize absolutely e v e r y t h i n g) makes saiki do that Thing where all his limbs drop atleast an inch and muscles loosen and his jaw unclenches and saikis usually not one for holding on to lingering anger (with a few Notable Exceptions) but its like its only when he Actually Relaxes that he ever realizes he was Unrelaxed ™️ in the first place and that only happens when he realizes hes actually going to fall asleep that night or when he sees his beloved coffee jelly coming towards his table or when aiura pretends (took him awhile to Get It but) pretends to rearrange his antenna (theyre literally stuck in one place) by gently running her finger tips over the back of his head just near the nape of his neck and theyre always warm and justbarelythere or when kaidou says something he never did in any other life and it unpulls something in him or
ah
the Point is shun kaidou is stubborn and despite (or maybe even directly in spite of) his usual tendency to Overshare Everything he absolutely refuses to tell saiki what he must know saiki knows
(sometimes saiki does not regret telling them)
(and sometimes he does)
so whenever in past times saikis tried to bring it up (hes not really a Talker himself obviously whywhywhy does it have to be him he used to think until one day (That Day) he walked into the bathroom on the top floor where Literally Noone Ever Goes because the only classes up there are higher level calculus and a bunch of overflow rooms for storage and such so no one ever bothers to walk all the way up there but of course he knows this and of course thats what makes it The Perfect Bathroom because its quiet and empty and sometimes hell go through the (not really extra) effort of putting up an additional barrier just to get a whole five minutes of absolute peace ™️ and of course it cannot be underestimated just how much a solid five minutes can do for a guy whos constantly imagining 29473847 different things Going Wrong in his mind at any given time but the Point is five minutes for him can feel like eight hours of sleep so he of course tries to go up there as often as he thinks he can actually get that five minutes and in the Worst Life (not the only time it happened but the first time it happened) he went up there for his beloved Five Minutes Of Peace and was so focused on zoning out in stall number 3 that he didnt even realize something was Off until he was standing on a liquid that in any other place he wouldve begged for to be anything other than pee but this was a boys bathroom so you have to check your expectations (and standards) at the door but once his school shoes started slipping on Not Pee he realized he never couldve imagined hed want to be wade through pee instead
hed do anything for it to be pee hed stand in it hed sit down in it and if offered the choice (he has infinite number of choicepossibilitiesoptions on a daily basis whywhywhy didnt he have even just one here) hed even sever all dignity and lay down and roll around in it hed do anything with The Pee because what he was stepping on instead was not yellow it was red and the red was coming from Too Many Places on the Source and it had mixed in with the Sources white hair and hadnt the Source and aiura been talking about doing different colors for winter break they had they had talked about blue ( the color of winter aiura!!!! ) and green ( ive never done green before i need to Branch Out ) and purple ( wait doesnt reit- )( so thats a hard pass ) and pink ( i think maybe even thats pushing it a little too- )( personally i really like that vein in his left temple we can be MATCHING ) and they went on and on and on through all the colors ( saiki you know theres more than like five colors right saiki like you know about shades right like its actually this whole thing saiki here let me expl ) but they never did Not Once mention red (or black)(neither of them ever had black hair and saiki was actually by then socially adept ™️ enough to know better than to ask why) so when he saw part of the Sources pure white hair dyed with it something in him dropped (They always talk about Stomach Dropping or Heart Stopping or even Head Pounding but saiki kusuo does not think its mentioned enough that the first Thing that drops is your legs because gravity or your arms because muscleburn or your jaw because apparently thats not just for seeing someone wear something nice) but of course regardless of where he Dropped
he dropped
and of course hed never speak it into existence because of course that might make it Permanent but he doesnt really think he ever got back up to wherever he Had Been
he didnt slip or trip on the Not Pee there was no running only slow measured walking and no frantic shaking only a gentle pickup of a tootootoo light hand with bony knuckles he rarely got to see covered in the Not Pee and too much red covering what should have stayed white and it was only the second time on The Record of Saiki Kusuo Officially Not Caring If The Entire World Found Out so he pulled out his antenna and what would have ordinarily been physics altering strength was on That Day just barely enough for him to claw whatever part of the Source he could get onto his lap and dig his nails in and teleport right into the hospital er and in number 824748 of Things Hes Come To Love About Humans he guesses their popping into thin air was never questioned because ERs are Just Like That and of course it had already begun to amaze him just how effective and resourceful and knowledge and competent and incredible human beings are several lifetimes ago (not that he ever thought of them as lesser)(hed give almost anything to be Like Them) but on That Day something New wormed its way into his psyche (something about the way he has pink hair and wears a Very Odd Headband on a daily basis and generally cant be bothered to smile in the expected socially polite way ™️ is not exactly offputting to the general public but it usually seems to (thankfully) keep people at a distance because they Assume Things about him, Things that have to do with why a teenage boy would dye his hair pink or what kind of person cosplays a robot on a daily basic or if its the New Trend they just havent caught on to yet or if the (green) glasses means he thinks hes too cool or if hes going to Cause Problems because he doesnt do the Overt Social Niceities his age group is expected to perform and generally these Assumptions are benefitial to him because it keeps most people at a distance but on That Day a frantic pink haired teenager holding a bleeding white haired teenager straight up materialized into the middle of an ER and instead of the usual adult berating of whoareyou whatdoyouthinkyouredoing he got four extra hands and zero accusing eyes and something about the way none of them had super strength but two nurses still managed to deadlift kaidous body onto a gurney and none of them have xray vision but they still managed to sew thinthinthin veins up by hand and none of them have telepathy but they could still tell it was pointless to ask the kid who came with him to let go of his shirt all gave saiki even more of an appreciation for Normal People doing Extraordinary Things but of course that happened before he had even started trying to talk to kaidou so after that he made the effort which if course inevitably ended up being Way Too Controlling
which of course backfired
so of course after that reset he generally tried to hang back more until kaidou absolutely needed him to intervene, which is why hes just sitting here watching and waiting
because otherwise hed have done this days earlier
which he has actually
and that
of course
didnt work out.
so he fixes his phone and turns back the clock a few minutes (that Distraction ended up longer than he was alotting for)(he of course allots for time to zone ™️ these days because of course if he doesnt he ends up doing it in times and places Hed Really Just Rather Not so he has to specifically set aside time to mindmelt ™️ into the void otherwise of course he might end up
breaking his desk in half in class or
walking through a wall at school or
setting part of the neighbors stove on fire when he was making food on his own or
teleporting to the middle of streets or bodies of water or even other peoples (he refuses to name names) rooms when he has nightmares
or
or
or
it goes on and on and of course so he realized (toolatetoolatetoolatealwaystoolate) that maybe he needs to Adjust better and it was during that reset that he found a decent way to do this was texting at night to (checkup) talk to people and see how
theyre doing.
good grief.
too much time again (too much or not enough)
he turns back a few more minutes to leave just one after kaidous last text and re reads what he had been going on about (kaidouspeak had officially infiltrated saikispeak about a week ago)
(he minds)
(kindof)
he checks to see what it was (something about a Plot) and
|k|a|i|d|o|u|: 4:21pm: saiki! we must do something!! dark enigma is surely behind this most wretched plot!!!
good grief.
he could let this go on of course but its actually after four now and he of course Knows where Tonight is headed so he
saiki: 4:21pm: its the dance commitee staying late
|k|a|i|d|o|u|: 4:21pm: 😦
|k|a|i|d|o|u|: 4:21pm: oh
|k|a|i|d|o|u|: 4:21pm: well anyways see you on the morrow!
saiki: 4:21pm: most looking forward to it my dear friend
good grief.
saiki pauses mid phone set down and physically blanches
his eyes narrow atleast a centimeter
he knows of course hes been trying to bring up the fact that they are Friends ™️ because of course kaidou (and the other one)(although she rarely admits it) is Very Sensitive about Labels and Dynamics and Connections and it only took a grand total of one (one) reset before saiki figured out theyre both the type to need him to State Out Loud that theyre all friends and besides the fact that hed previously rather pull out his own antennas and destroy the entire spacetime continuum than admit that people at school actually Mean Something to him he of course realized sometimes its better to give in and sometimes
when its right
it doesnt feel like giving in at all.
regardless not only are They rubbing off on him far too much but now hes even picking up on their habits (current one of course being kaidous historically inaccurate vocabulary choices) so now hes definitely going to have to come up with his own plot ™️ against kaidou and he thinks maybe hell start making the lights in his room flash on and off in morse code or something.
he sighs. that would keep him occupied of course but this is kaidou and hed definitely take it too seriously and somethingsomething the way kaidous eyebrows pull in when hes figuring out a puzzle or fixated on one of his magic card games brings up That Feeling again and of course there may have been Times in the past when kusuo felt more than just a slight pull somewhere underneath his bellybutton that really only started in the last few resets and of course hes been keeping track of when it happens which so far has been
(unhelpful)
(not really)
because that track leads right to aiura using her glitter pens to draw on his arms (not hands because she Knows he Does Not Like That so its either the animal of the day ™️ in the art style of the week ™️ and somethingsomething the way the pen glides is probably just the typical massage-you-can-get-at-any-local-nail-salon but it sometimes comes with a lingering swirl on the back of his head and then of course sometimes its when kaidou is walking next to him on the way home and hes going on and on and on and on about whatever hyperfixations hes has this week which is sometimes a manga ( the art kusuo! the art!!!! maybe aiura can do something on my wall or maybe i ) and sometimes its a thing from school ( the sit ups kusuo! the pullups!!! the way they make us do them right before lunch so that if our stomachs hurt after we just think its because were on our way to getting abs and not because the food is almost poison dont laugh kusuo this is a conspiracy!!! kusu- ) and sometimes its just any random thing they see on the way home ( puppy!!!! saiki do you see!!!! go get one wish i could!! you can no i dare not!!! dark enigma may one day decide to use my love against me and kidnap it! thats not going to happen but for any other reason i just might not be around why would that be oh saiki look! hes jumping after that flying bug come take a picture with me ) and the way he just goes on and on and on about things saiki previously never bothered to pay attention to and sometimes all it takes is the way aiuras voice is deeper in the morning when shes tired and hasnt yet finished her double fudge frappuccino or rainbow sprinkle cupcake latte or whatever cosmic horror her favorite cafes come up with that week and how when she drags out his name it sounds more like a purr than the pterodactyl screech she uses when shes irritated with him but more and more lately he gets hit with it when he watches aiura use her fingers to comb through kaidous hair instead of her green bedazzled mini hairbrush and the look kaidou gives her when theyre around a large group of people and he wants to leave and she just grabs him and walks away with a wave of her hand and the way he makes her forget to cover her mouth when hes detailing the latest chapter of his perpetually Almost Finished book which has evolved into a comedy rather than the epic fantasy he had been going for and saiki thinks he can almost feel her laughter in the back of his skull and of course hes Pretty Sure hes got all his psychic powers figured out by now but the way he feels like he can feel whatever theyre feeling and the way it makes his stomach and jaw untense and the skin on his shoulders feel like hes been out in the sun long enough for a light bake but not enough to burn makes him feel like the next time the volcano goes off he wont even have to lift a finger to stop it because itll be easy because they make things seem easy because being around them is easy because
he cancels that thought and gets up from his desk and wonders for the infinite time why he bothers sitting there at all but of course he doesnt really need to wonder because of course its always been to give himself atleast the Illusion of doing homework like a normal
(regular...hes gotten better at referring to things as regular instead of normal and of course now hes itching for a caffeine break even more because the only reason he made that vocab switch at all is because of a certain blonde menace who Some How Some Way has even more of an addiction than him speaking of whom
"Saiki"
ah
that was out loud.
hes had a tendency lately to zone out but of course thats just because
"Kusuo NOW"
"aiura"
"HE HASNT BEEN ANSWERING ME AND YOU WERENT ANSWERING ME AND YOU BOTH KNOW HOW I GET WHEN PEOPLE DONT ANSWER ME!"
oh he knows.
he thinks all of japan must know by now.
"he texted me back"
"WHAT
WHY IS HE TEXTING YOU AND NOT ME"
"probably because i didnt ask him how hes feeling"
"WHAT DID YOU TALK ABOUT"
"apparently theres a plot happening at school and "
"SAIKI KUSUO DONT EVEN FUCK WITH ME RIGHT NOW"
"hes fine aiura. right now hes fine"
"how is he fineeeee when ive been trying and trying to call him and he just wont answer its been"
she pauses while scrolling through her phone and while hes not watching her, he is listening and thats an important distinction to make because saiki kusuo you Will Not watch me without my permission do you understand
he understood of course, more than she knows because after (he blurs the number in his mind) resets he knows who in his life allows what and who doesnt and who likes what and who doesnt and who is okay with him talking in their head and who prefers out loud and whos okay with him showing up in their room and who needs him to Only Ever knock on their front door so he definitely already knew where those boundaries are but even if he hadnt she let him know actually you know kusu uwu i definitely prefer the Voice In My Room Thing rather than the Voice In My Head Thing so can you just be the Disembodied Voice out loud? i really want to keep my head uhhhh not invaded by anyone and the look she gave him let him know the comparison she was almostkindoftrying to make and if that wasnt enough the specific word choice of invaded wouldve been more than enough to tell him what it felt like to her so of course he offered an apology and hed be lying if he said he wasnt irked at the way she looked mildly taken aback (later on shed tell him its not you saiki, well i mean it is but its not, or its not just you or well it could be but its not or actually right now its not and i dont want it to ever not be not but i just ) before accepting with a wave of her sparkly hand ( glitter lotion kusuo, its gliiiitterrrrr that they put into lotion because it makes girls shine on the outside just like theyre already shining on the inside!) and it mightve taken him awhile but eventually he caught on to the teasing undertone of these girltalks kusu uwu, were having giirrrrrllltalkkssssss because of course theres a whole list of things mikoto aiura seems to get a kick out of but one of The Biggest Ones is explaining so called Girl Stuff to him as if they were scientific concepts he had yet to be exposed to so of course he does actually Get It and so he stays quiet and picks off pieces of faux leather on the arm of his chair while he waits for her to continue.
"and i just checked and its actually been eight times in the past twenty minutes and..."
she trails off and of course he knows that tone, knows that whenever mikoto aiuras voice actually lowers to what anyone else would consider a Normal Volume ™️ it actually means something is either Off or Wrong and of course it took him several lifetimes for that to sink in before he finally got curious enough to ask about her loudness and of course the tragic backstory ™️ was worse than even he was expecting (hearing peoples thoughts means hes all but spoiled for the vast variety of ways human beings can suffer) but before he gets lost in the first time she confided in him or any time after that when he chose to bring it up first (after several resets trying out both ways he realized he did actually want to know so of course each time became about rebuilding that trust ( sorry saiki it just...took me a while you know? ) (he knows. he knows he knows he knows he knows he knows) so of course knowing that...any time her voice gets Like This a not insignificant alarm goes off in his mind, maybe not the kind for an imminent volcano erruption but atleast the kind that goes off for severe weather alerts or whatever the point is...theres a reason saiki doesnt mind her screeching 24/7.
beats the alternative.
"kusou you have been keeping track right? i texted you IVE BEEN TEXTING YOU do i need to develope my own teleportation skills because ill do it! i will manifest that shit RIGHT NOW SAIKI"
of course hes been keeping track and of course that means he knows kaidous been canceling her calls (not ignoring, canceling, which means hes There and Awake and Physically Moving to press the end call button) so at the very least hes still checking his phone but of course it also means he doesnt want to talk and of course the thing about kaidou is that he, like aiura, is Overtly Talkative and Extremely Sociable which of course means that when ever if ever he doesnt actually want to talk...
he sighs.
problem.
Actual Problem.
Actual Problem that hes been monitoring for a few days at least because of course kaidou doesnt just get This Way instantaneously its generally a process that takes at most about six days and at the least was about two and of course that was a Very Different situation than any of the other ones and of course saiki doesnt stay on that one single memory too long because Of Course he would have to have a photographic memory so of course the image of red mixed in with white on a dirty bathroom floor is nevernevernever going to leave his head and of course while he doesnt blame kaidou....
couldnt
not now not ever
....he just wishes he wouldnt go off his Regularly Scheduled Breakdown Process because despite the attention hes currently giving him, out of all his menaces ™️ the white haired one seems to always need moremoremore and generally speaking of course saiki would rather be doing Literally Anything Else other than wellness checks on kids his own age but thats only because at some point it went from just not wanting to deal with it because he has Bigger And More Important Things To Focus On to not wanting there to be a reason they would need him in the first place and of course theyre not really his own age anymore because of course saikis done this all beforebeforebefore and of course he was already up but now he needs to leave the room because of course the memory of sitting at his desk going from wondering if he wants to get ramen with nendo after school or head straight home to cold coffee jelly and a warm bath to the sound of his own pulse in his ears being louder than the principles voice while he relays the news about a students death is not one he plans on ever reliving so ever since That Life hes made it a Point to ensure that every single day he actually Tries so that
he looks up from where he had been continuously walking which shouldntve even been able to be possible because his bedroom is only so big and he doesnt remember opening his door which means he walked right through his wall and teleported to...
where exactly is he?
he checks the nearest sign, which, of course, is written in Not Japanese.
good grief.
he looks around quickly (wherever he is its already night, not much to see), takes a few steps and walks through what he imagines is several layers of Physical Reality back to his house, kitchen this time, and begins making a Very Strong coffee to make his bloodcells happy but before he can finish filling up the filter
"its bad again"
"i know"
he knows.
"then what are we going to do about it this time kusuo?"
he has a million answers and none at all
"saiki are you going to make me physically hoof it across town at this time of night or are you going to do the right thing and transport us both"
and oh that hits because lately another thing (there are so many Things ™️ with mikoto aiura) is that shes been phrasing what she wants to do (or wants done for her) as the objective right thing to do and it Pinpricks saiki in a Very Specific Way hes never felt before because of course unfortunately sometimes shes Actually Right and that irks him to no end but also because even when shes actually in fact objectively Not Correct and just so happens to want something she generally outright refuses to admit it which
"dont make me put on my walking shoes"
ah.
"what else would like me to do right now? im watching im waiting what else can i "
"MORE KUSUO MORE"
"what is more to you?"
"YOU CAN ACTUALLY GO THERE"
"wouldnt that be an invasion of privacy"
"werent you reading his posts? clearly he doesnt want privacy right now!"
"we just need to wait for him to decide what he needs"
"WHAT HE NEEDS IS FOR SOMEONE TO SHOW THE FUCK UP AND HELP HIM"
and that might sting a bit more than just a bit because hes been spending several (no numbers no numbers no numbers) years showing the fuck up for kaidou and hes gotten absolutely zero credit in the past and only gets some now here and there
not that he craves recognition or anything
(previous life goal ™️ was to be as normalbasicboring as possible and just keep trudging along until The Crisis Was Finally Averted)
its just that he never tried before and hes Trying now and maybe if she could see that hed feel less like shit everyday but of course this isnt really about him and he needs to remember that so he grinds his teeth together as he picks up the finished coffee and realizes he never used to plan for anything past the volcano and wonders if thats how kaidou feels every day
the mug leaves his hand and of course the sound it makes as it hits the fridge isnt nearly satisfying enough because hes gotten into the habit of throwing more and more things that are heavier and heavier and every time he needs it to be bigger and louder and he thinks he learned about increasing stimulation or something in psych class but it wasnt about loud noises it
"are you going to clean that up"
so he never exactly told her she couldnt watch him (ugh i cant watch people nonstop like you can, i see limited movements, objects, spaces, whatever. if your sight is a livestream mine is a gif) but he gathered from whenever shes talked about it that she has a Moral Clause against intruding on people so she really only ever uses the ball to find objects, locations, and people that are missing, or whenever shes asked to see something by someone shes trying to help and determines that its not Wrong so it actually jars him out of the train of thought that hed been narrowing in on about how nice the fridge would sound if he threw that across the room because since when did she spy on him?
"since when do you spy"
"ouch saiki ouch"
"well?"
"wasnt spying i was looking for Bad Happenings in the area around your mine and kaidous homes and i just happened to see a flash of pink hair and a broken mug thats all"
of course if it had been anyone else they wouldve instantly believed her because mikoto aiura is a Proficient and Skilled Liar and she takes pride in this which saiki isnt put off by at all its just that because he knows this hes taken to trying to figure out if he can tell when she is lying without using his abilities at all and Thus Far the only thing he manages to catch is that her voice gets a bit too level and steady and certain and for anyone else this would make for a Very Good Lie but for someone whose voice is usually a rollercoaster of inflection and varying volumes.....its noticeable.
"never said you couldnt also keep an eye out for me"
he knows
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
his sigh turns into a groan and his usually Very Level Very Restrained Voice dips into what anyone whos heard his usual tone might consider a straightup growl
" good grief sweetheart youre going to wake up your parents "
he knows that really hit the second he hears what could only be her crystal ball shatter on the floor.
"you do realize that is the first time youve called me that"
he may
have made a mistake.
she starts clapping and raises her volume even more
"SAIKI KUSUO EVERYONE!
SAIKIIIIII KUSUOOOOO
NOW YOU MIGHT KNOW HIM AS THE UPTIGHT PERPETUALLY CONSTIPATED REPRESSED SHYBOY THAT YOU CANT MISS AT SCHOOL
OHHH THAT PINK HAIR!
WHY WOULD SOMEONE WHO PROCLAIMS TO WANT TO THE MOST BASIC OF BITCHES HAVE PINK HAIR
GREEN GLASSES
AND WEAR WHAT COULD ONLY BE A ROBOT HEADBAND FAN ITEM FROM SOME RETRO SHOW
GIVE IT UP FOR MISTER I DONT WANNA BE NOTICED AT ALL EVER WHICH IS WHY I MAKE IT A POINT TO STAND OUT IN ABOUT THE ONLY WAY A BOY CAN AT A SCHOOL THAT HAS DAILY UNIFORMS
SAIKIIIII KUSUO EVERYONE MISTER HEY DONT NOTICE ME AND MY EXTRAVAGANTLY COLORED APPEARANCE
MISTER HEY DONT BOTHER ME DONT SAY HI TO ME DONT EVEN LOOK MY WAY OR ELSE ILL BURN YOU WITH MY LASER GLARE
MISTER
"see thats the thing saiki you know they arent here
now ask me why my parents arent home on a week day"
he doesnt want to do this tonight maybe another night but not this night
"why arent your parents home on a weekday"
"you know i dont even have parents"
he sits down for the first time in over an hour.
of course he knows she doesnt have parents of course he knows she was screaming in her room alone with zero risk of anyone hearing her not even the neighbors because theyre all out and of course he checked because of course he didnt want one of them calling the cops on her and her having to answer the door while shes alone because of course theyd ask to talk to her parents and of course that would Actually Freak Her Out because despite her competance and usual nonchalance at Big Ordeals shes still just a teenager and of course he would then have to intervene and either make the cops leave or show up and pretend to be her parent or take her and get them both out of there and of course none of that sounded like anything he wanted to be bothered with tonight so of course he checked the surrounding area and of course its a Problem that she knows he could do any of that because once she found out that what he can do far surpasses what she can she not only wants but straightup expects him to use it to its full potential and of course that is the exact opposite of his Life Motto ™️ so of course he outright refuses to live up to whatever it is she wants him to be or do or
he sighs then sits down on the living room couch
he never sits on this couch
this is his Parents Couch ™️
he knows his life has made a turn for the worse when he voluntarily sits his Parents Couch ™️ because of course hes never wanted to be exposed to parent germs or his fathers general lack of cleanliness or the potential for him to be hit with any Thoughts on what they may or may not have
he does more than hault that thought train in his mind he straightup drives it into the side of a mountain.
great.
now he feels like he needs a shower or a new pair of eyes or the answer to why suffering exists but mostly he wants to remember what exactly was going through his mind when first told aiura about this because of course its his own fault that she ever found out and of course if he really wanted to he could either make her forget or go back and change her finding out or just stop talking to her at all of course he could do any if that if he wanted to but he doesnt
oh
huh.
so was that the point she was trying to make
hes Figuring Out Alot tonight and now he thinks probably the only thing that can help this situation is talking to her in person so
"can i come over"
it takes a minute
(or two)
(maybe more)
"are you serious IVE BEEN "
she isnt able to finish that before he appears and he thinks maybe what really needs investigating is the way all the irritation sloughs out of him the second he sees her sitting on the rug in the middle of the room.
shes hardcore glaring at him and her crystal ball and phone are both broken next to the wall and of course he knows he had every right to go off just like she had every right to go off but now theyre both in her room staring at eachother but shes still mad and hes
not
huh.
"so now you show up"
despite the glare still on her face theres only a minimal amount of heat behind her statement and he for some reason can barely contain a grin
"good grief im here now"
she seems to catch the lilt in his voice because hers softens by alot, pleading instead of accusatory and of course hes going to make sure he brings that up later because wh-
"yes now kusuo.....now youre here what anout five minutes ago before i got all....THIS
what about twenty minutes ago when kaidou started crying and posting about it PUBLICLY!!!
PUBLICLY KUSUO HES ACTUALLY A VERY PRIVATE PERSON DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA OF HOW BAD IT MUST BE FOR HIM TO WRITE THAT ONLINE! and what about before he was cryig and was still posting about shit what about then! were you planning on showing up at all or could i have junmped down your throat sooner and prevented this!?"
he sighs.
"i dont have the time to explain why i do or do not intervene"
"but thats just it saiki you do have the time you do! you have the time and you could be going there right now to "
"to what?"
"to what? to what!? TO TALK TO HIM TO ASK HIM WHATS WRONG TO COMFORT HIM TO GIVE HIM A HUG TO GET HIM A DRINK OR AN EXTRA BLANKET OR SIT WITH HIM AND TALK ABOUT THE WEATHER OR WHAT YOU LEARNED THIS WEEK IN HISTORY CLASS OR THE ANCIENT SECRETS OF THE UNIVERSE!
of course hes usually fairly (intentionally) obtuse about his public perception and appearance and behavior but right now hes standing in aiuras bedroom at night door closed no parents home not even shoes on its hitting him how many situations on a daily basis are actually not awkward because this is Awkward and shes still just sitting on the floor in shorts and a tanktop, broken glass and whatever kind of liquid was in the ball around her and not for the first time tonight he wishes he were in single combat with a volcano instead of this.
"why would i know any ancient secrets of the universe and why would anything in history class help him right now and what would talking about the weather do for him and "
"DO NOT BE OBTUSE WITH ME SAIKI KUSUO YOU KNOW DAMN WELL ITS NOT REALLY ABOUT WHAT YOURE TALKING ABOUT ITS ABOUT BEING THERE SHOWING UP JUST TRYING WHY WHY WONT YOU "
"you already know why"
"no im going to pretend i dont if youre gonna pretend im gonna pretend"
this time there is no sigh because of course he knew eventually itd come to this eventually even with all of her skills and natural talent.....he has certain...things beyond her and of course he knows this both pisses her off and impresses her but of course mostly it seems to make her resentful because she expects and expects and expects Things from him of him and of course he knows why but of course she doesnt know why because of course he hasnt told her because of course it takes a certain length if time to explain why he is the way he is and why he doesnt get more involved and of course now he has to tell her because mikoto aiura has this way of worming herself into his life
at first it was to get him to save someones life which of course he didnt mind at all and then it was about things related to being psychic and he expected that and gave mostly half assed answers whenever he felt like it wouldnt cause too many more problems except of course it did because the more he would tell her the more shed just keep asking and the more she kept asking the bigger his headache would get so of course he tried to avoid that and of course she started picking up on his avoidance and of course she had the audacity to ask why hed be ignoring her at all and hey! wouldnt you want to tell me so that i could help too or hey! wouldnt you want to finally have someone to talk about this with and hey! wouldnt i be the best candidate because im also psychic and hey! since im not as psychic as you wouldnt you want some help on those epic psychic adventures you must be going on daily to do epic psychic things and hey! doesnt this new lipgloss really sparkle its because they added more glitter to the new formula and hey! arent my new shoes better than the old ones these are atleast half an inch taller and hey! i was almost as tall as you before but now were literally the same height and hey! if you have superpowers why havent you used them to make yourself taller or are you actually good with your height thats so admirable kusuo you should use your powers to like astral beam it into everyones mind to be happy with their height and hey! you can astral beam thoughts cant you cant you saiki hey! kusuo im talking to you and hey kusuo you know i was just wondering if im so annoying and i think i do annoy you because whenever i talk you get this extra line on your face between your eyes that your glasses only kind of hide so i know youre annoyed but if youre that annoyed then why dont you just walk away or like psychically beam yourself off this plane of existence and hey! kusuo is this the only plane of existence and if not have you been to the others and hey! hey! HEY!
good grief its just a not stop barage of hey saiki this and hey kusuo that and whywhywhy and whatwhatwhat and how howhowhow and if its not one thing its another and this is why he doesnt tell anyone anything ever and he doesnt know at what point he started telling her things but he knows its well past the point of interfering in his no inteference clause.
speaking of his no interference clause
"i have a no interference clause and you know that"
"oh really"
"yes really"
"so what part of the clause was it when you literally saved the entire world by stopping that volcano"
"it wasnt the entire world and it was in my best self interest"
"and what part if the clause was it when you saved chiyo"
"that was a spur of the moment heroic act i didnt have time to think it over"
"and what part if the clause was it when you started telling me which guys were having increasinly troubling thoughts about any girls at school"
"i tune everyone out so if i was hearing them they had to have been pretty damn determined and they might have done something that wouldve caused even more trouble in the future so it was better to stave them off to prevent "
she cuts him off
"and what part of the clause was it when you stopped ignoring teruhashi and started talking to her more to help her see you two wouldnt work so that she could move on from her crush"
"i wasnt helping her i was helping myself"
she stands up from the rug and adjusts her hair clips one by one, taking a few steps closer to him
"and what part of the clause was it when you did start to notice kaidou was going downhill again and that despite his claims of fashion he actually wears them for real reasons and you noticed and you would check underneath his jacket every day and i saw you and i know you saw me seeing you and that i would know you knew i knew and so why "
at this point shes about half a foot in front of him and something nudges him in the back of his mind something about why this is so awkward something about why his official no interference clause also contains a secret no dating rule and of course he never really had to worry about it before (teruhashi was easy enough to avoid) but now hes feeling like a mouse in the corner of her room and shes a cat but instead of harmless and fluffy the look shes giving him makes him feel like he had better get out of this corner before she pounces so he does the Objectively Wrong Thing and
"well a dead classmate would probably be an even bigger headache than having to listen to you talk every day"
he may have to start writing a diary or journal or at this point memoir because he doesnt think hes ever been caught off guard like this when he feels her slap before he even sees her hand move
except he doesnt feel a sting on his face
why doesnt he feel a sting on his face
ah
he looks down at his phone, screen shattered and and it takes an embarassingly long time to realize she slapped his hand instead of his face
or specifically, she slapped his phone out of his hand
"now were even"
saiki thinks maybe girls bedrooms exist in alternate universes because besides the fact that her entire room smells like passionfruit (n ew hair curling cream kusu uwu, do you like it?????), cupcakes (candles make everything better. light one candle, extinguish one problem! ah is that how it works yes kusuo this its science ah), and popcorn (mostly still full bag sitting on her desk), the only light is coming from not one not two not three but four lava lamps, and instead of carpeting theres a smattering of different color rugs which gives an entirely different room vibe ™️ than hes used to and its apparently throwing off all six of his senses.
"is that all him dying would be. just a headache for you"
he stares he stares at her feet which are covered in bejewelled purple socks and anyone else might assume that would mean that those are just her house socks but hes seen them before she wears them with her pink jelly sandals but never the blue or green ones /because theres not enough contrast for them to really pop saiki, do you get it saiki, do you understand the concept of colors popping you know theres actualy this thing called color theory oh theres kaidou lets grab lunch at shop anyways the theory is that theres colors right so/ and he stares at his own feet /you know saiki you wear the sane shoes every day and not to be completely rude but i really do feel like its limiting your potential/ and he stares at her bookshelf /oh lately ive been reading this one- i cant read anymore- kaidou whines well thats because you have adhd kaidou, you know that right kaidou, you have adhd, you come talk to me about it sometime or come over and ill read to you oh! you know what why dont we go to the park on weekends and ill read anyways lately ive been reading this book about this woman in ancient times they said she was a psychic they called her a witch she was actually just really freakin smart/ and he stares at her desk covered in scattered jewels and a sewing machine and knows that she makes most of her clothes and assumes its because she enjoys it or maybe its because she likes the metaphorical power that comes with controlling the entire object or maybe its because she doesnt have that much money or he stares at her bed and sees the large pile of stuffed animals on it and /why yes that actually each have their own name and backstories from their lives before we met/ and he knows this because she posts their photos along with said names and backstories on her blog which he does not in fact check ever but will inevitably end up learning the contents of anyways because>>>> ofc shell tell him before school or at lunch or in the hallways or walking home after and he stares at her walls with photos of models and anime characters and ripped out manga pages that only hurts his soul just a bit and magazine cutouts and posters and photos of places she wants to go and places shes already been and photos of friends and theres a story and readon for each of them and some of them afe photos of friends and his eyes go towards one in particular right above her desk with her and reita snd him outside an froyo shop she dragged them to and nione of their smiles are real not even hers bc ofc that was the day after reita got out of the hospital a few months ago and she dragged them there to 'lift his spirit saiki why do you even ask dont you Know saiki and yes he knows but it both bothers him and reassures him that she knows he knows and he didnt understand why that was until he finally stares right at her and shes lookig at him like shes finnaly decided to beieve he really doesnt care and the scuddy/ squirm right udnerneah his belly button//// botjers him more than the headache he gets when she pushes him to explain so he takes a step forward and holds out his hand and ofc by now hes not lookih at her anymore bc he was never able to do that for very long and soemtimes he pretends its bc he doesnt want to see what theyre thinking but siemtimes he knows its bc if he stared too long he might begin to want to know and he just doesnt have time for all those headaches//and not evne his reset power would probly be able to get rid of that kind of headache so ue stares instead at the bracelet on her left arm that 'oh i made this after my aunt and i moved here from city/ you see bc the color// ar eon the citys flag and this is the first stone that popped ito my mind when i walked ito this aparmtnet and' as he reaches his left arm out palm up and waits
she takes his hand
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
go to reitas room
stay with him all night
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
skip shool go back to froyo shop take new picture
time skip
wejeends at park
mondays go to froyo shop bc ofc its.
flashback to monedya which is officaly the worst day if the week yknow i ysed tot hunk it was either wednesday or thurdsay bc ofc eenesdays mdidle od thr week only half way there hut then ofc theusdsyas is like ur almost ther enut sike u still have a bit more to go and then ofc cant forget the insidiousness of tuesday its liek u just got thru konday but now jokes u you youve got to do it all over again but ur not even halfway there yet theres hsut no reward for tuesdays however i was talking to saiki aiki ate listenind gSAIKI anyways i hav my own opinions on the matter ofc but they do seem to change often so i he snorts u alright ther ekusu, ANYWAYS lig sotry short i just went ahead and asked reita what his worst day of the week was and aiki, saiki kusuo, he said friday
he stipped. this was atually not a covnersation he had been listneing in on and he had been foing that alot more lately he needed to //// but he didnt actually already know what day reita picked or why on earth itd be friday , objectivly the best day of the week for everyone so why
do you wanna know why saiki?
he stares at the barrette in the middle part of ehr hair and everytime she finds a new way to acesorixs it only takes about three days on average for most of the girls to follow suit/// and this ones a new one its a fake diamond in the shape of a star surrounde dby smaller fake star daimonds //whih means theyll be all over this// and it reminds him of a few weeks ago when offhandlledky// mentioned she used to like sparkly thigs bc it got peoples attention and since she disnt have parents or sibligns shw needed that attentions saiki, bc everyone needs attention saiki dont you know this saiki, its okay to want attnetion saiki its okay to ask for things from others saiki kusuo you know this right sai-' and he thinks maybe she gets all the attention she need snow but she still /leaves her grooup/ of adoring girls friends// to drag him over wherever reita and kaido are and he thinks maybe he used to read into things too much and ofc thats why he stopped altogether [[or amybe he maybe he misses reading into thigs but ofc maybe aiura does it enough for the both of them but ofc that doesnt mean he cant play along every bow and then and ofc that doesnt encesaarily have to cut into his alone time and ofc he can still atleast keep the appearance of his usual unitetested nonchalance and ofc [[maybe this is why he agres to start going to froyo on fridays ans iced coffee jelly on mondays and now ofc hes up to four days a week being reserved for the two of them and ]]]]]]]]]]
why did you ask me
