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Lurking had always been one of Saiki’s specialties, so it was no surprise that he was hiding around a corner, eavesdropping on some of his classmates between periods. As much as he liked to pretend he didn’t care about these people, he couldn’t help his nosiness and frequent involvement in their issues. But in this case, he wasn’t looking to meddle in their problems. He wanted to be an active participant in a happy occasion. Socialization? Engagement? Being a friend? What had happened to Saiki?
Well, his “younger sister” Kuriko happened to him. Ever since Kuriko started getting invitations to girls’ events outside of school, Saiki realized that hanging out with ladies his own age was actually kind of… nice. As long as he was disguised as a girl himself.
So when he heard a tidbit of a conversation between Teruhashi and Yumehara about going out to the spa for facials, Saiki’s curiosity was piqued. Would Kuriko make the invite list? Would they have snacks at the spa? When was the trip going to take place?
While he had his ear bent toward the planning, Aiura managed to sneak up on him. “If you want to go get a facial, you can just go get a facial,” she said suddenly, jarring him from his spying. She was apparently privy to these plans too.
Saiki didn’t understand what she was saying, though. “No, I can’t.”
“Like, why?” Aiura asked. Then her eyebrow shot up with realization. “Are you forreals? Like, honestly, Kusuo, I didn’t think you were so… sexist.” She wrinkled her nose in distaste.
Saiki felt a bit of shame wash over him before he began to justify himself. It’s not that he didn’t think that guys could go to the spa and get a facial, it’s that doing so would unfortunately draw attention to him. It wasn’t a hangup on Saiki’s part, it was a hangup on society’s part. “I don’t want people to stare at me.”
Aiura was still unimpressed, scoffing. Ugh. He shouldn’t care so much what people think. “Well, whatever. Kuri-chan ain’t getting an invite to that outing.” Aiura jutted her thumb in Teruhashi and Chiyo’s direction. “Terukoko and Chiyopipi are just going the two of them. The spa is hella busy and they didn’t have room for a big party. Totes disappointing.”
Saiki’s face fell visibly. He felt his expression change, using facial muscles that he previously thought had atrophied.
A smirk tugged at the corner of Aiura’s lip. “You really wanted to go, didn’t you? Or, should I say Kuri-chan really wanted to?”
Averting his eyes, Saiki neglected to answer her tease.
Poor guy. He just needs some pampering.
She was right, of course, but he wouldn’t admit it. It was embarrassing to want to be indulged, to be catered to, to be treated like a princess. Especially since he was, technically, a guy. And really, he preferred being a guy. It was more natural to be in his male form, more comfortable. Being a girl sometimes had its perks, like not having to witness Teruhashi’s blatant and unsuccessful attempts to flirt with him or being able to get ladies’ night discounts at cafes. But overall, he wanted to be a boy, not a girl.
Aiura was still studying him as he stood there, staring at the wall with irritation. “You know I was serious, right Kusuo? You totes don’t have to be a girl to do ‘girly’ stuff. You can just be yourself.”
Looking back at Aiura, Saiki’s face softened back to a less annoyed expression. The thought truly hadn’t occurred to him. But how?
“If you don’t want to go out as a guy and get a facial in public, or whatevs, I can do one for you. Of course, I’m not a pro or anything, but, like, we can still relax and have snacks and all that kinda stuff. I won’t tell anyone.” Aiura crossed her finger over her heart.
With a curt nod, Saiki agreed to these terms.
That weekend, the same day that Teruhashi and Yumehara went to the spa for their exclusive appointment, Saiki ventured to Aiura’s tacky pink and purple, leopard-print apartment for their in-home spa night.
She opened the door before Saiki even had the chance to knock. Being a psychic herself, she must have had a premonition about his arrival. “Come in,” she beckoned.
She had candles and incense burning in the room and a babbling brook soundtrack was playing through a wireless speaker.
“I kinda went all out,” she admitted, rubbing the back of her neck.
There was a paraffin wax warmer for their hands and feet, robes for them to change into (pink for Aiura and white for Saiki), snacks, sparkling water with fruit, and of course face masks complete with the stupid little cucumbers to put over their eyes.
Two hours later, Saiki was totally rejuvenated, which he was surprised by considering that he had just spent an evening with Aiura who was usually a lot to handle, especially one-on-one. But she seemed just as into their little DIY spa day as he was, content to relax, meditate, and pamper herself.
Though it had been a good time, there was a tiny part of Saiki that wondered if Imu or Mera might have enjoyed it too. Maybe if Yumehara and Teruhashi knew how relaxing a spa day at home could be, they would have wanted to join in (and save the money). If they were involved, he would have had to been Kuriko, though, right? It was okay to be like this in front of Aiura, since she knew that Kuriko and Kusuo were really one in the same, but would the other girls have accepted if boy Saiki had been the one to show up instead of his girl form?
Two weeks later, Yumehara was looming over Saiki’s desk at school, her fingernail polish chipping from her previous trip with Teruhashi to the spa. “So, could you ask your little sister if she wants to come on a picnic with us this weekend? We’re all bringing snacks and we’re going to do a book swap. She seems like she’d be into reading, right?” She waited with an eager expression for Saiki to give his answer.
Across the room, Teruhashi was crossing her fingers that Kuriko would be available. It’s been a while since we’ve hung out with her. And I totally want to give her my favorite romance novel. Maybe she’ll recommend it to Saiki and then he’ll get inspired by the story!
Teruhashi’s wish was unlikely to come true, but it sounded like a nice time anyway. Saiki couldn’t stop thinking about what Aiura had told him a few weeks ago. You don’t have to be a girl to do “girly” stuff.
He swallowed thickly, prepared to give an answer. “Kuriko has gone back to studying abroad,” he lied. He glanced across the room at Aiura who was also thinking about their conversation from two weeks ago. Just be yourself. She gave him a thumbs up under her desk. “Would it be okay if I came instead?”
Yumehara looked stunned, then turned to Teruhashi who’d been listening in. Her face turned bright red for a fraction of a second before returning to its usual tone. She nodded at Yumehara, who turned back to Saiki again. “Um, yeah. You’ll be the only guy, though. Is that okay with you?”
Saiki nodded, hoping he wouldn’t regret this.