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He thought.
Saiki did that a lot. Thinking was all he did, actually. Even when he talked, it was just a thought everyone could hear. However, most of the time, it was all in his head, especially on the rare occasion when he was alone—without any of the nuisances that like to follow him around.
Those guys... were everywhere. They interrupted him when he thought. He likes to think. It was quiet but also not so quiet that he feels dead. He treasured all of the time he could think. About random things, like all thought was, including said nuisances. Nendo, Hairo, Teruhashi, Kuboyasu... and Kaidou.
Nendo is stupid, Hairo is... eccentric, Teruhashi is persistent, Kuboyasu is rough, and Kaidou is just... Kaidou.
Kaidou is delusional, for one. His fantasies are wild and imaginative, always depicting him as some hero, which he tries to bring into reality. In reality, he's weak, emotional, gullible, overconfident, weird, and immature.
But he's also courageous, endearing, clumsy, determined, optimistic (until he's not,) and... cute.
It was an observation. Kaidou's light blue, fluffy hair and his deep red eyes, fair skin, and small stature make him seem like a little kid. He is one of the shortest boys in class, even smaller than most of the girls. He gets good grades and goes to cram school 3 days a week. He tries to be tough but almost always ends up the opposite. His spirit guardian is a chihuahua, for god's sake. He isn't athletic in the slightest, tiring after just a little bit into any physical activity. Yet he still tries to stand up for others, attempting to protect them even though everyone (including him) knows he can't.
Kaidou is always in Saiki's thoughts.
Saiki could be at the store, looking for the best quality coffee jelly, and suddenly he would be thinking about whether or not Kaidou would also like coffee jelly.
Saiki could be fighting his worst enemy, the cockroach, for one second, and then thinking about what Kaidou's reaction would be to the little monster the next.
Saiki could be eating at the table with his family and he would start thinking about what it would be like if Kaidou was there with him.
Of course, he could easily make any of those scenarios happen with a simple snap of his fingers, but that didn't mean he would. Kaidou shouldn't need to be dragged along by him just because he couldn't get him out of his mind, though Kaidou would probably follow along anyway.
Of course, Saiki knows Kaidou thinks about him as well. He could overhear the boy's thoughts about him all of the time, ranging from "I wonder what Saiki's doing...?" to "What would it feel like to kiss Saiki—?"
Kaidou also had fantasies and made-up scenarios in his mind where they were a crime-fighting duo, praised by all. Others were about them on another planet, protecting the galaxy from evil alien-type things, (strangely like another popular movie franchise.)
All in all, Saiki thought about Kaidou, and Kaidou thought about Saiki.
Which wouldn't be an issue if it weren't for Teruhashi doing the same for him. Teruhashi thought about Saiki frequently, and has been for a long time—Aiura's been chasing him since the 'soulmates discovery--Chiyo thought about him once as well. Now her thoughts are centered around Kaidou instead. (Not like that's any better.) Somehow, Saiki had captured the romantic attention of "the prettiest girl in the world" despite his best efforts to remain unnoticed. And Saiki... well...
He doesn't like people.
Just because Saiki can tolerate Kaidou more than the others, keeps an even closer eye on Kaidou than the others, and naturally gravitates towards Kaidou more than the others doesn't mean anything.
Just because Saiki feels bad when Kaidou is disappointed in his test scores, feels a bit of pride when Kaidou doesn't get dead last on a physical or sport and feels just a teeny-tiny bit happy when Kaidou interrupts his thoughts with his stories about Dark Reunion.
Overall, Kaidou is an obstacle to his normal, average life. He's a child-like, weak little boy who is anything but normal.
Despite that, though, he can't help but imagine them together, doing random, mundane things together.
What if Kaidou was sitting next to him, leaning on his shoulder, yawning and clinging to his arm while Saiki sat silently, gently smiling as Kaidou began to drift off as the wind died down?
What if, in the low possibility of them getting into a relationship, Kaidou knew about his powers and always loved to tease him through his telepathy—like thinking he is so pretty or if only I could kiss him in the middle of class?
What if Kaidou and he were older, living together with jobs and everything a normal old couple would do, coming home from work to greet each other with a small kiss on the cheek and a hug?
What if—
He didn't want to think about it anymore.
Not about how he thought about Kaidou, or how he felt about Kaidou.
It was just absurd to pretend that Saiki could like someone, especially someone as idiotic as Kaidou Shun, the residential Chuunibyou, the boy everybody knows but no one knows. If—
If Saiki were to like Kaidou and maybe even get into a relationship with him, he'd be viewed as weird, nerdy, and lame. His average on the "likability meter" would probably drop to below 30–and who would want that?
(Not to mention, Kaidou's average is already around 30 in the first place—it would go even lower. He would never wish that on anyone.)
So... what if Saiki thought about Kaidou? Everyone thinks of someone, like how parents think of their kids or how best friends think of each other, so how was this any different? It's not like it's 'strange' or 'weird.'
Kaidou was a child at heart--and still is, even if it's died down a bit--and he's just easy to look out for. He gets embarrassed even just imagining holding hands with someone and faints at the sight of blood despite his Jet-Black Wings persona supposedly being surrounded by death at every turn. And people just love to take advantage of that.
He constantly gets roped into doing an upperclassman's homework because he is just too trusting of everyone, and when someone finally acknowledges his delusions, he feels like maybe, just maybe, someone might finally be there to listen to him--which is how Saiki first got involved with him.
Who knows, maybe Saiki just feels a sort of comfort around Kaidou that he ant with his other "friends." Kaidou is naturally timid and quiet, and when he isn't trying to impress anyone, his voice can be considered soothing and his calmness allows him a sort of reprieve from everything going in. Kaidou would sacrifice himself for him, and while that admittedly wouldn't do much, it's endearing (and worrying) to imagine.
It's so endearing to imagine the small little boy who was easily influenced by older kids while maintaining his above-average grades and 'nerd' status standing up for him or taking the blame for him when trouble comes, buts its extremely difficult to think about Kaidou trying to protect him from something that could be easily avoided with his esp and hurt himself in the process.
This is why Saiki always keeps an eye on him--so he doesn't do something stupid trying to be heroic like the characters in his manga--just like Saiki.
Oh, and Saiki can be anything Kaidou wants him to be; he can be the character in Kaidous dreams; the monster-fighting, people-saving, harem-creating superheroes in the comics he loves so dearly; the evil villain super mind--even if it was Dark Reunion-- that he wants to defeat and save everyone from; anything-- and the thing is, he pretty much already does that a lot.
Whether it's imitating Dark Reunion to try and scare off the bullies trying to take advantage of his gullible friend, or following along when Kaidou pretends to save the world, it's pretty much second nature to him. It wouldn't be a stretch to think that Saiki has a soft spot for Kaidou.
So, when Saiki sees the admiration Kaidou holds for Teruhashi and Kuboyasu, he can feel something, very small, stirring in his gut, ready to boil, and when Saiki sees Yumehara fawn over Kaidou, it feels like it's gonna boil over.
(It isn't jealousy, he says.)
But when Saiki listens to Kaidou's rambles and stories, he can feel it starting to slowly simmer in the warmth, and he can let his guard down--at least for a moment.
Well, Saiki can't remember when he started letting his guard down so much that he would be willing to risk the discovery of his powers for him.
Maybe it was when he and Kaidou were in trouble with some delinquents and Saiki almost helped him out—until Kuboyasu showed up instead.
Maybe it was when Nendou dropped the camera from the school roof, almost hitting Kaidou directly—thank the Gods (himself) it was April Fool's day.
Maybe it was when—
It doesn't matter when. All that matter is that he is willing to risk almost everything Saiki is for Kaidou. Which he should not. It goes against everything he had stood for with his powers since the day he got his limiters.
And, well, maybe that isn't such a bad thing. To let someone in for a change. To let someone learn about his secret. To finally let himself li— that's a topic he isn’t ready to get into yet.
All in all, maybe, just maybe, he might be changing, and whether that is for the better or worse, he won't know until he tries.
It's decided then, he thought once more. I'll try to get closer to my 'friends' (Kaidou) more.
(He went to school the next day and he did not, indeed, make any progress. He isn't used to things not going his way immediately.)