Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Quick Key:

"Hello" -Saiki speaking telepathically

Hello -Saiki thinking

"Hello" -regular people talking out loud

Hello -regular people thinking

            Saiki teleported to the roof to avoid Teruhashi and Nendou. One was troublesome enough. Two was insupportable.

            “Where’s Saiki? Huh? What’s going?” wondered Teruhashi, confused.

            I teleported without thinking. Saiki looked down at the crowd below him. People around me didn’t seem to notice me, but naturally, Teruhashi thinks something is strange. Well, Teruhashi, just think I was an illusion and forget about it.

            “Nendou!” remarked the pretty blue-haired girl upon seeing him.

            “Oh, wow, Teruhashi!” squeaked Nendou, blushing.

            “Have you seen Saiki?” asked Teruhashi.

            “What? My pal? No, I haven’t.” Nendou was too startled to think.

            N-no way…did he disappear? thought Teruhashi, Is it possible that I was the one seeing an illusion? She recalled what she had assumed of Saiki: “You’re so much in love with me that you see illusions of me, huh?” A light blush spread across her face. Don’t tell me I’m…No! I can’t be… She clutched her heart. Oh, no…What’re these feelings? Is it possible…that I fell in love…with Saiki?

            Oh, wow, thought Saiki as he deadpanned. This is not how he wanted things to go.

            He sighed and teleported to a nearby, empty alleyway. Sighing, he decided to go for a coffee jelly. With the new problem he had just acquired, Saiki decided he might as well enjoy a little bit of peace. He walked quickly in the opposite direction of Nendou and Teruhashi, even if it took him on a long route to Café Mami. For once in his life, he was lucky and didn’t bump into anyone on the way there. His luck ran out, however, as soon as he entered.

            “Saiki!” called a teenager with (H/C) hair and (E/C) eyes. They were grinning and waving.

            He couldn’t avoid them now; it would draw attention to him for being rude. He sighed and sat down across from them.

            This is (Y/N) (L/N). They’re another troublesome person who complicates my life. They even call me their friend and insist I use their first name. The worst part is I can’t read their mind. They aren’t dumb like Nendou, though. Do you see those earrings?

            (Y/N) had simple, metallic studs in their ears.

            They’re made of germanium, which apparently keeps me from seeing through them with my X-ray vision or hearing their thoughts with my telepathy.

            He had only realized this after he saw them during school and on the weekends and the only thing that was the same between the outfits was their earrings. Saiki wished he could get his hands on some germanium. Hearing everybody’s thoughts was tiring. That being said, (Y/N) being unreadable was…disconcerting.

            “Nice to see you, Saiki. Are you here for your usual coffee jelly?” asked (Y/N) cheerfully.

            The pink-haired psychic nodded. Yare yare…Why do I hang out with you?

            “Oh!” They brightened. “I guess since you’re kind of like my guest right now, I should treat you!”

            Saiki’s eyes widened in excitement. Ah, I remember now. (Y/N) treated him to, well, treats. That made them more tolerable than other people.

            Seeing his expression, (Y/N) laughed. They knew what he was excited for. “You’re more excited to see the coffee jelly than to see your friend.” They didn’t mind, though. They knew Saiki wasn’t one for being open or friendly, but they’d spent enough time with him to know he’d just leave if he really didn’t like him.

            He wanted to say that they weren’t friends, but even he had to admit, he thought they were pretty tolerable compared to most of the people who crowded around him. Sure, their bright optimism was sometimes exhausting to Saiki, but for the most part, they were pretty low-maintenance and understood he was an extreme introvert and liked time to himself. Plus, although they were energetic at times, but they understood when things were too much for Saiki. And, to be completely honest, he didn’t mind getting to be around someone he couldn’t hear the thoughts of. He could act like a relatively normal person.

            Saiki would never say all that, though. No way. No, the only thing he’d say was, “Coffee jelly is really good.”

            “Can’t argue with that,” admitted (Y/N).

            Their server, who coincidentally was Mera (probably trying to make money as usual), approached their table. She took their orders and headed to the kitchen to alert the chefs.

            “You look more annoyed than usual, what happened?” asked (Y/N).

            Saiki sighed. They unfortunately pay attention to me and can read parts of my emotions. It’s weird. Maybe they’re an empath. “I ran into Teruhashi.”

            (Y/N) laughed. “The only guy immune to her charms.”

            “She brings too much attention.”

            “You’re friends with Nendou and Kaidou. A bit of attention is inevitable,” teased (Y/N), leaning on their hand and grinning.

            “They’re not my friends.”

            “Uhuh, sure, whatever helps you sleep at night,” chirped (Y/N).

            Mera brought their orders. Luckily, she hadn’t stolen a bite from either of the coffee jellies.

            “Mmmm,” hummed (Y/N) and Saiki contentedly at the taste.

            Peaceful relaxation with (Y/N). Just the way I like it. Saiki sighed happily.

Chapter Text

            “How do you get a girl to stop liking you?”

            “I thought Teruhashi was just confused about how you don’t react to her,” said (Y/N). They weren’t offput by the sudden conversation. Saiki wasn’t one to beat around the bush. And, hey, it was nice to have people get straight to the point.

            “It’s someone else.”

            “Well, aren’t you popular!” teased (Y/N).

            Saiki gave them a look. “I don’t want to be.”

            “Alright, I understand,” said (Y/N). “The best way to get a girl to stop liking you is to stop giving her hope, get her a different guy, or get a partner yourself. However, there are some girls who will never lose hope. In that case, it’s pointless to do anything. Only time would solve that one.”

            “So if her attempts to flirt with me or get to know me don’t work, she might lose interest?”

            “Yeah, unless she’s a determined one.” (Y/N) shrugged.

            I already know what Yumehara is planning, but I can’t let (Y/N) know since it wouldn’t be normal. “What might a girl do?” asked Saiki.

            “Hmm, she’ll probably use classic tropes like bumping into you from around a corner. She might ‘drop’ books or papers to make sure you have a reason to stick around,” explained (Y/N), “She might use a slight variation of that by dropping something of hers by you and pretending not to notice.” They smiled. “Those are some of the common ones, at least.”

            “Alright,” said Saiki.

            “Good luck!” said (Y/N).

l

            The day had ended, and (Y/N) stood out in the rain. The students passed by them with umbrellas, but (Y/N) paid them no mind. The downpour was rejuvenating. It made them feel alive. They spun around, feeling the rain on their skin. Was it a little manic-pixie-dream-person? Sure. But it was also “Singing in the Rain,” which is classy and not a terrible cliché.

            Yare yare. They’re going to get sick from that.

            They held their arms out wide, tilting their head to the sky and closing their eyes. At that exact moment, a beam of light struck the sky. A circle of light fell down, hitting (Y/N) at just the right angle. They seemed to glow.

            If someone saw them, maybe they’d say “oh, wow.” If.

            The moment ended as the sky cleared, and Saiki teleported down, walking out to where (Y/N) was waiting.

             “Hey, Saiki, solve your problem?” asked (Y/N), pushing their damp hair back.

            “You look like that and you’re asking about me?” Saiki deadpanned more than usual.

            “What’s life without a bit of romance?”

            “What does dancing in the rain have to do with being in a relationship with someone?” questioned Saiki.

            “Romance is also about the feeling of excitement and separation from the everyday,” said (Y/N), smiling. “I like to enjoy the little things in life. Some people like to be serious—” they grinned at him teasingly “—but I like a little fun. And anyways, you haven’t told me whether or not you solved your problem!”

            Saiki looked back to where Yumehara was standing under an umbrella with a boy and blushing. He could hear her thoughts, and she was already into the new guy (although Saiki was slightly insulted about how easily she got over him). “Yeah, it all worked out in the end.”

            (Y/N) followed the pink-haired boy’s gaze and saw the pair. They found it strange that the pair were under an umbrella since it was sunny outside now, but it was sweet all the same. “Aw, what a nice ending. She has happiness, and you have one less bother.”

            “Finally.”

l

            A couple days later, (Y/N) headed over to Saiki’s. They were bored, planned to go to the beach, and wanted someone to go with. Coincidentally, Nendou had the same idea and was going to Saiki’s house. Together, they knocked on the door.

            Yare yare. I can’t read either of their minds, so I didn’t realize it was them before opening the door. Saiki sighed inwardly.

            “Hey, pal!” said Nendou, “Let’s go to the beach!”

            “It’s so sunny and beautiful! You can waste tomorrow inside,” said (Y/N), knowing exactly what Saiki was up to. They put their hands on their hips and grinned. In their pink swim-shorts and white swim shirt, they weren’t very threatening.

            “A-a-are they Kuu’s friends?” asked Mrs. Saiki in complete shock.

            “He’s not my friend.” Then, realizing what he forgot, Saiki added, “Neither are they.”

            “Wahh! This is the first time any of Kuu’s friends have come to our house to visit.” Mrs. Saiki was nearly in tears. “I’m so happy!”

            “We’re best friends,” declared (Y/N) proudly, and Saiki deadpanned.

            “To think that Kuu has finally gotten a best friend!” Mrs. Saiki dabbed at her eyes.

            “Hey, pal, I didn’t know you had a big sister,” said Nendou.

            “He thought I was his big sister! I’m so happy!” Tears continued streaming down Saiki’s mother’s face.

            “Just how many times are you going to make my mom cry?” asked Saiki.

            “Yeah, I’m starting to feel kinda bad, even if they are happy tears,” admitted (Y/N).

            “What? What? You’re his mom?” Nendou was surprised. “Me and pinky here are off to the beach and came to ask him to join us.”

            “Why am I pinky?” wondered (Y/N).

            “You wear a lot of pink,” said Saiki matter-of-factly.

            “Oh, that sounds nice,” commented Mrs. Saiki happily.

            “Obviously, I’m not going. I’ll spare myself the pain,” said Saiki.

            His mother suddenly had a scary look on her face. “Your friends went to all the trouble to come and get you. You’re going to the beach, Kusuo.”

            “Oh,” said Saiki. He wasn’t going to argue with her. He may be a psychic, but she was still his mom and quite intimidating at times.

l

            They had arrived at the beach finally. Along the way, the group had picked up Kaidou as well, who was now being teased by Nendou since he didn’t want to get in the water (it seemed he couldn’t swim, though he denied this).

            Saiki sat down on his beach towel. (Y/N) spread theirs out beside him. They lay back and closed their eyes, basking in the sun’s warmth. A nice moment of peace was just what they needed before they started swimming.

            “Kaidou’s drowning.”

            “Huh?!” They sat up suddenly, and sure enough, Kaidou was floundering on his back in three inches of water. (Y/N) breathed a sigh of relief. “You almost gave me a heart attack, Saiki!”

            “I’ll save you!” came an energetic cry. A lifeguard dove into the water, sliding on his stomach because it was shallow. Unfortunately, his swimsuit got stuck in the sand, revealing his bare bottom. It was, of course, Hairo.

            “Oh, it’s you, Hairo!” said Nendou.

            “Great job, Hairo!” cheered (Y/N).

            “Why are you congratulating him? Kaidou wasn’t in danger.”

            “Because it’s nice,” answered (Y/N). They were there to encourage their friend.

            “Oh, Nendou, (Y/N)! You, too, Saiki?” commented Hairo.

            Saiki didn’t answer. He was too busy reading.

            “What’re you doing here?” asked Nendou after they were out of the water.

            “I volunteer as a lifeguard,” explained Hairo.

            “Ahhh! I’m drowning!” screamed a swimmer.

            “I’m coming!” yelled Hairo. He dove into the water and swam out to sea.

            “Volunteering when it’s this hot? That’s amazing,” said Nendou. “Hey, pal, pinky, aren’t you guys gonna swim?”

            “Just forget I’m here,” said Saiki, not looking up from his book.

            “I might in a moment,” said (Y/N), smiling.

            The tall boy looked disheartened until spying a group of girls. “Okay, then!” He put on shades. “I’ll go hit on girls.”

            “Do you have any idea what you’re saying?” commented Saiki.

            “He lost interest in swimming pretty quickly,” said (Y/N), amused.

            “Hey, have you ever looked in a mirror?” cried Kaidou from behind Nendou, “Why don’t you try walking on walker?! You have better odds of pulling that off!”

            “Tsk, tsk, tsk. Guys’ looks aren’t important.” Nendou gave a confident thumbs-up. “It’s all about attitude.”

            While Nendou walked off and was (inevitably) rejected by multiple girls, (Y/N) turned to Saiki.

            “Sorry you got dragged here,” said (Y/N).

            “Weren’t you the one who invited me?” questioned Saiki.

            “Well, yeah…” (Y/N) rubbed the back of their head sheepishly. “But I wanted you to come by choice. I didn’t expect your mom to be so scary.” They smiled at the pink-haired boy. “So anyways, feel free to stay here and read. If you need me, I’ll be swimming.” They stood up and headed towards the water.

            “Yare yare. The other idiots are just going to come bother me, so I’ll join you.” He glanced over to where Nendou was chasing after girls. “And I don’t want people to think I’m with him.” He took off his jacket and t-shirt, stole Nendou’s floatie, and began walking to the water.

            “That’s fair,” admitted (Y/N), cringing at poor, clueless Nendou.

            Soon enough, the pair were swimming in the ocean. No words were needed; both enjoyed the soft sounds of the waves (Saiki was plagued by people’s thoughts, however). Saiki decided to give (Y/N) a turn in the floatie so they could relax their muscles from swimming (and so he could swim down to the bottom of the ocean to try to avoid thoughts). (Y/N) was bobbing on the waves watching the shore, not paying attention to Saiki, when something caught their attention. A young girl seemed to be floundering in the waves.

            “Is that girl in trouble?” they wondered, concerned and stressed now. There was no response. “Saiki?” They frowned and turned to where their friend should be, but he was gone. Worried for the girl, (Y/N) left the floatie and began to swim over. They tried to drag the device behind them, but it was cumbersome and slowed them down. They let it go and swam to the girl, who was already sinking. (Y/N) held their breath and dove under. They dragged the girl to the surface, gasping for air. Struggling to support the unconscious woman, (Y/N) started to pull her to the shore.

            Luckily, Nendou, already carrying Kaidou, arrived and helped hold the girl. “All right!” said Nendou. “You doin’ good, pinky?”

            “I’m fine,” panted (Y/N), relieved to have some of the weight lifted from them.

            “Hey! What happened?” asked Hairo, swimming up to them energetically.

            “Oh, Hairo! Great timing,” said (Y/N).

            “Give us a hand!” said Nendou.

            “Sure, I’ll h—Ahh! My leg’s cramped!” Hairo began to fall below the waves.

            Oh, boy. (Y/N) sighed and pulled Hairo up. They and Nendou were now holding up three people between them.

            “You, too?! Geez,” said Nendou.

            “Sorry,” mumbled Hairo.

            “It’s fine, let’s just hurry to shore,” said (Y/N).

            Yare yare. They’re so high maintenance. Saiki swam up from underneath them.

            “This is too much for you guys! Let go of me!” said Hairo.

            “Shut up!” said Nendou, but he was starting to fall underwater.

            (Y/N) wasn’t fairing much better. They had already been swimming for a while before doing this, so they were exhausted. “Crap…!” They fell below the waves with Nendou and the others. Nendou grabbed them, but they continued to sink. Suddenly, they were lifted above the waves. (Y/N) felt something was support them from below.

            “A-Are you standing on water?” gasped Hairo.

            No, I’m holding them up, thought Saiki. He began carrying them to shore but made it appear like Nendou was running across the waves.

            “See? Didn’t I tell you that you could pick up walking on water faster than you could pick up girls?” said Kaidou.

            Just as they were about to the shore, (Y/N) slipped from Nendou’s grasp and fell into the water. Nendou was close enough to walk everybody to the beach, so Saiki let go of him. He dove deeper into the water and grabbed (Y/N)’s wrist, pulling them up with him. Calmly, he carried them out of the water and put them down on the beach gently. (Y/N) coughed up water but seemed unharmed.

            “Are you okay?” asked Saiki.

            “I’ll feel better after some rest,” said (Y/N), smiling. “Thank you for saving me.”

            Saiki sighed. It seemed to be a sound of exasperation, but it was really a sound of relief. He didn’t like his friends (acknowledged or not) being hurt. “It’s getting late. Let’s go.”

            (Y/N) grinned at him. “Good idea.” They decided not to harp on Saiki helping them. They’d not tease him like that.

Saiki and (Y/N) gathered up their stuff and began walking back with Nendou and Kaidou, who had been talking to the girl who was saved.

            “Knowing you, I thought you’d demand something in return for saving you,” said Kaidou to Nendou.

            “Humph, I wouldn’t do something so lame,” said Nendou, “Of course, if she fell in love with me, well, I guess I’d have to live with it, right?”

            (Y/N) sweat-dropped but was amused at their dramatic expressions. They doubted that in particular would happen. After all, just saving someone’s life wouldn’t make them fall in love. That being said, it was a rather nice thing to do.

            And I guess it is a nice fantasy, thought (Y/N). And being saved by Saiki was fun, like a fairytale.

            …Huh? That was a new thought.

            “That won’t happen,” said Kaidou.

            “What’d you say?!” demanded Nendou.

            (Y/N) began laughing at their antics. They could put those thoughts on the backburner.

            “You never got thanked by that girl, aren’t you upset that Nendou gets the recognition?” asked Saiki.

            Huh, I thought he wasn’t around when that happened… thought (Y/N). They shrugged. “She was saved. That’s all that matters, right? I imagine that if you were saving people you wouldn’t care about recognition.”

            Saiki blinked. Am I sure they aren’t a psychic?

Chapter Text

            It was another day at school. (Y/N) and Saiki were sitting next to each other, watching as boys crowded around Teruhashi as usual. Apparently, she had met a boy on August sixth and developed a crush on him. Poor Saiki looked annoyed (more than usual, at least), and (Y/N) was amused since apparently his chance encounter with Teruhashi had garnered a lot of attention.

            That being said, (Y/N)’s stomach clenched strangely at the knowledge that the “perfect pretty girl” liked Saiki. They chose to classify that under “weird” because “my best friend who hates people dating would be weird.” At least Saiki seemed irritated at the attention.

            Other than Teruhashi’s crush, everything was normal at PK Academy (which wasn’t saying much. Nothing could be considered anywhere near normal there). At least, almost completely normal (by their standards).

            “Hey, Saiki, (Y/N), don’t you think Nendou is acting strange today?” asked Kaidou. “Normally, he’d be bugging us to go to a ramen place or something.”

            “True, he is acting a little strange.”

            “He looks sad,” said (Y/N) decidedly.

            “This is fishy. It does make me wonder what the deal is,” said Kaidou, “We should find out what.”

l

            How do I always get dragged into these things?

            Saiki was once again questioning his life choices. He was hiding around the corner from Nendou with Kaidou and (Y/N). They were tailing their friend who was acting odd. All-in-all, it was the usual concoction of terrible life choices leading him to be stuck with “friends.” At least (Y/N) and Saiki were acting relatively normal. Kaidou….was Kaidou. He had put on a coat, hat, and sunglasses to complete the spy look.

            “His house isn’t this way,” said Kaidou, “I bet something’s up.”

            “Why are you so excited about this? And why are you so used to tailing someone?” commented Saiki.

            “It’s a little creepy,…but hey, we’re not gonna hurt him!” said (Y/N), smiling.

            “Hm?” Kaidou noticed Nendou stop. “What’s he looking at?”

            Nendou gave a young girl a strange look.

            Creepy.

            Creepy.

            Creepy.

            All of them had the same thought.

            “Look, he entered a shop this time!” said (Y/N), pointing down the street.

            “Don’t start getting into this, too.” The last thing Saiki needed was (Y/N) going crazy.

            “I might as well have fun,” they remarked.

            “A flower shop? Don’t tell me he has a girlfriend…!” exclaimed Kaidou.

            “No offense to Nendou, but that’s probably not the reason,” said (Y/N), sweat-dropping.

            Nendou emerged with a bouquet of sunflowers.

            “No, that’s definitely not it.”

            “It’s too early to judge. There are many reasons to buy sunflowers,” said Kaidou.

            “He’s entering another shop!” alerted (Y/N).

            “A cake shop? Well, he definitely wouldn’t eat something like that, right?!” cried Kaidou. “Sunflowers, too. He clearly intends to give them to someone. But he doesn’t have a girlfriend to give them to!”

            “Let’s just ask him. This might end up being a little personal. He may prefer to tell us instead of us accidentally finding out,” said (Y/N).

            Saiki glanced at them from behind his glasses. Once again, (Y/N)’s apropos statement made his question whether or not they were a regular person or secretly a psychic. Maye they were just someone with common sense.

            He could directly relate to what they had just said. Saiki had a personal issue: being a psychic, and he didn’t want people to find out if he didn’t want them to (which was all the time).

            Strange…how do they manage to say just the right thing?

            (Y/N) ran up to Nendou. “Hey, Nendou!”

            “Oh, hey, pinky! Wow! Runt and pal are here, too.”

            “Yeah, we’re curious about what you’re up to,” explained (Y/N).

            Only mildly curious. It wouldn’t weigh on my mind.

            “Oh, that’s easy,” said Nendou.

l

            “Visiting a grave?” Kaidou was surprised. The group was now in a graveyard looking at the Nendou Family Grave.

            (Y/N) nodded in understanding. They had guessed that since Nendou definitely probably didn’t have a girlfriend, the flowers were likely for a relative. (Or that’s what they told themself. They actually didn’t really manage to guess anything).

            “Yeah, my dad’s,” explained Nendou, “Today is the anniversary of his death.”

            Kaidou made the connection. “Then the sunflowers and cake are…”

            “They’re offerings, of course.” Nendou smiled. “It’s common sense to bring flowers and snacks when visiting a grave.”

            “Of course,” agreed (Y/N). It was sweet. For all Nendou’s…stupidity, he had a good heart.

            “When did your dad die?” asked Kaidou.

            “Kaidou! That’s a really personal question,” admonished (Y/N), frowning.

            “Don’t worry, girlie. It’s okay. He died before I was born,” said Nendou, “He died trying to save a kid who ran out into the street.”

            “A hero,” said (Y/N) in awe. That explains where Nendou gets his helpful, sometimes impulsive, attitude.

            “B-but if he died before you were born, then he must’ve died really young,” said Kaidou.

            “Yeah. I think eighteen or nineteen. Do you wanna see his picture? I have it in my wallet.” Nendou looked excited.

            “Sure!” said (Y/N), grinning.

            Nendou showed off the picture. The pair were identical. It was kind of creepy.

            “What?! This is your picture, isn’t it?” cried Kaidou in disbelief.

            “I know, he looks like me, right?” Nendou smiled happily. “Mom says that I look more like him every year, too.”

            “It’s beyond that! You’re practically twins!” (Y/N) was surprised they were so similar.

            After looking over the picture, the group stood up and turned from the grave, readying to leave. Saiki, however, was staring slightly above the grave with a strange, slightly creeped out, look on his face.

            “Saiki?” called (Y/N), “Are you alright?”

            That vision of Nendou’s father was probably just my imagination. Saiki turned around with his usual blank face. “I’m fine.”

            “Great! Let’s go get some ramen!” said Nendou.

            As they began to walk, (Y/N) grinned at Saiki. “I’ve never seen you look like that before. It was almost like you saw a ghost.”

            “I don’t believe in ghosts,” said Saiki. No matter how unreal I am. Unfortunately, the world had a way of going against his desires. (He was not a favorite of any gods that existed).

l

            (Y/N) walked through the halls, heading to the library to check out some books. They stopped, however, when they spotted Saiki and the transfer student. They instantly became curious since rumors were circulating that he was a medium. Did they believe in psychics or anything? They weren’t sure. They hadn’t really seen any proof for or against the existence of psychics, so (Y/N) kept an open mind. And there was no harm in checking it out.

            “I don’t understand why you would want to hide it…” complained the purple-haired boy.

            “Hide what?” asked (Y/N), nearing the two.

            The transfer student jumped. “Oh-uh! S-Saiki and I are friends!”

            “We’re not,” denied Saiki.

            “Don’t think anything of it,” said (Y/N) to the purple-haired boy. They smiled and laughed. “Saiki never admits people are his friends.”

            “He’s really not,” emphasized Saiki. He really didn’t want (Y/N) to get the wrong idea.

            “Hush.” (Y/N) smiled to the transfer student. “I’m (Y/N) (L/N).”

            “I’m Toritsuka Reita.” Toritsuka smiled “innocently,” but his inner thoughts were very different. Wow, they’re totally hot! “And I’m a medium who can tell you all about your Guardian Spirit!” People love this stuff!

            Saiki leveled a deadly glare at Toritsuka. He sent a message directly to the pervert’s mind, making sure (Y/N) wouldn’t hear. “Stop.” He might not acknowledge (Y/N) was his friend, but he wouldn’t let Toritsuka try anything pervy with them. He didn’t like that idea. And (Y/N) didn’t deserve that.

            Not that that was the issue. It was just Toritsuka being weird that Saiki wasn’t a fan of. Not (Y/N) being bothered in particular.

            “I guess I am a bit curious,” admitted (Y/N), shrugging casually.

            “Hmm, it seems—Oh, whoa!” Toritsuka’s eyes widened.

            “What?” (Y/N) tilted their head.

            Curious himself, Saiki surreptitiously tapped Toritsuka while using his psychometry. Now, he could see the ghosts the medium did. Sure enough, (Y/N)’s Guardian Spirit garnered the reaction Toritsuka had.

            “They’re a sorcerer or a witch!” said Toritsuka. That's intimidating! Immediately, he took a step back. He wouldn’t try to mess with (Y/N) if that was their guardian spirit. Well, at least for a little.

            That explains why (Y/N) always gets out of messes. Saiki found it interesting that (Y/N) was friends with a psychic and had a witch as a Guardian Spirit. Maybe there was a correlation. If that was so, then there was a correlation between god hating him and his own psychic powers.

            “If what you say is true, then that’s pretty cool.” (Y/N) smiled at the idea of having someone looking out for them. “What’s Saiki’s guardian?”

            “I don’t care about it.”

            They shrugged. “Alright, if you say so.” They were pretty curious, but they wouldn’t push.

            Saiki was tempted to smile for a moment but held back. He liked that they respected him enough not to pry. Most of his friends people who bothered him would push for information, but (Y/N) understood that Saiki preferred to keep to himself. They even helped out people like Toritsuka who were especially bothersome (and definitely didn’t deserve their kindness). As usual, the universe decided to mess with Saiki right as he was feeling pleased since just at that moment Teruhashi walked by. Luckily for Saiki (he didn’t get to say that often) she was only passing by.

            However, it was enough for Toritsuka to fall in love (not that it was unusual for people to fall head-over-heels for Teruhashi at first sight). The blush on his face was evident to any passerby. “Wh-wh-wh-who’s that super pretty girl?!”

            “That’s Teruhashi. She just passed by you for no reason whatsoever. You should thank her.” For the first time, Saiki was glad the school’s idol appeared since it meant Toritsuka would stop flirting (and thinking) so much about (Y/N), especially in such perverse ways.

            That was a new thought.

            Did you see all the nooks and crannies on her body, Saiki?! thought Toritsuka.

            Suddenly, Saiki was glad that Toritsuka said stupid things so he could focus on that instead of whatever those thoughts were. “Don’t make it sound so perverted,” said Saiki.

            “Watch out, here comes a swarm of girls,” warned (Y/N).

            The crowd of girls mobbed Toritsuka with questions about their Guardian Spirit.

            (Y/N) chuckled. “He seems quite content with the attention.” They weren’t an idiot; they saw how Toritsuka looked at them and girls. They were polite, but they were careful.

            “Too much for my taste,” muttered Saiki.

            “He’s very…honest with the boys.” (Y/N) sweat-dropped as Toritsuka bluntly told the boys that their Guardian Spirits were “old hags” and an “old geezer.”

            “He’s very obvious,” said Saiki.

            “At least he seems to be honest,” remarked (Y/N), “since he was impressed by Hairo’s.”

            “You believe in psychics? And mediums and all that?” asked the pink-haired boy, glancing at them.

            (Y/N) shrugged. “I mean sure, why not.” They smiled. “Life is more fun with the fantastical involved, ya know.”

            I find it boring and annoying to have this much power. But I can understand their view. Saiki nodded.

            “Hey, what’s my Guardian Spirit?” Nendou appeared out of nowhere.

            “Now that’s something we can both say is interesting,” commented (Y/N).

            “Yes,” agreed Saiki.

            Toritsuka just ignored him.

            (Y/N) sighed. “Man, I really wanted to find out. If Toritsuka tells you, let me know. I’ll buy you coffee jelly in return.”

            Saiki would tell them if he found out anyways. When Toritsuka didn’t tell him later, the only reason Saiki wasn’t disappointed over losing coffee jelly was that he was too surprised to see Nendou’s father was Toritsuka’s Guardian Spirit. During the night, however, Saiki lamented the loss of coffee jelly.

            I’ll just have to go to Café Mami tomorrow and maybe encounter (Y/N).

l

            It seemed the following day, (Y/N) had the same idea. I wonder if Saiki would like some coffee jelly. What am I thinking? He’s always up for coffee jelly. (Y/N) smiled and went down to Saiki’s house. They rang the doorbell.

            Saiki opened it.

            “Hey, Saiki, I was wondering if you wanted to go to Café Mami with me,” said (Y/N).

            “I have a problem right now.”

            “It must be serious if it keeps you from coffee jelly. What is it?” asked (Y/N).

            “…” Saiki didn’t want to respond since he was slightly embarrassed about his extreme fear of insects.

            “Come on, I won’t tease you,” reassured (Y/N).

            “There’s a roach.”

            “Gross.” (Y/N) shivered at the thought before taking a deep breath and smiling bravely. “I’ll get it. You just hold open the door so I can make a run for it.”

            Saiki nodded and held the door, closing his eyes so he wouldn’t have to see the bug.

            (Y/N) tiptoed into corridor and looked around. Sure enough, there was a roach on the floor. (Y/N) took out their handkerchief and crept closer to the insect. Pouncing, they grabbed it quickly and rushed to the door. “Gross, gross, gross!” They tossed it outside, and then Saiki slammed the door.

            They both breathed a sigh of relief.

            “How about we wait a minute for it to leave the front walk and then go to Café Mami?” murmured (Y/N), their back against the door.

            “Are you an angel?” They perfectly anticipate what I’m thinking and make me feel comfortable. It was a strange thought but a true one. It seemed Saiki couldn’t avoid really being friends with (Y/N) and thinking of them as one.

            (Y/N)’s cheeks turned pink. They hadn’t anticipated that or their own reaction, and they stammered out a “Huh?”

            “Nothing.” Saiki avoided speaking again until they arrived at Café Mami.

Chapter Text

            (Y/N) stretched as they waited for the events to begin. It was PK Academy’s Sports Festival, and Class 3 was ready and eager to compete (except for Saiki). Everyone was way too into the event for his taste, but it wasn’t like he could change that.

            “Never give up, Class 3! Yeah!” shouted Hairo encouragingly.

            “Yeah!” repeated his classmates.

            “Quite saying ‘yeah,’ it’s annoying.”

            “Sports Day, huh? Humph, how stupid,” remarked Kaidou dramatically, “My strength is for use in combat. I shouldn’t waste it on silly games.”

            “You’re just saying that ‘cause you’re terrible at sports,” said Nendou.

            (Y/N) laughed.

            “Hey, Saiki!” called Hairo. “I expect great things from you!”

            Don’t expect anything from me!

            “Saiki!” (Y/N) ran up to him and gave him a large, closed-eye smile. “You’ve got this if you try!”

            “Thanks,” said Saiki (not as begrudgingly as he’d like to think). They seemed earnest, and he respected that (and them in general).

            “Nendou!” Hairo turned his exuberant attention to the tall boy. “You’ve got great athletic skills!”

            “Sure!” Nendou gave Hairo a thumbs-up. “You’re not gonna beat me this time.”

            “Nendou, he’s on our team, too,” reminded (Y/N), poking him.

            “(L/N)!” Hairo looked at them. “Keep bringing your energy!”

            (Y/N) gave him a peace sign and smile. “Sure thing!” They always had energy.

            “Also, Kaidou…!” Hairo attended to the blue-haired boy. “Uhm, well, do what you can.”

            Even Hairo’s optimism has limits.

            “What do you mean by that?!” cried Kaidou.

            (Y/N) patted his back comfortingly. “Give your best. I believe in you.”

            That’s probably less earnest than their other statements.

            “Don’t worry,” said Hairo, “All that matters is that our class wins!”

            “I’d rather just have fun,” commented (Y/N) to Saiki.

            Just like they said that day after the rain, they enjoy the little things. They called it “romance.” Saiki frowned as his heart beat a fraction faster as he thought of the word “romance.” That had never happened before. He wasn’t a fan.

            “The competition this year looks tough,” said Hairo. “First, Class 1. An intellectual group that has many students get top grades on tests! And Class 2. An athletic group that has the most students who belong to athletic clubs!”

            “Why does their class representative not have his shirt on?” mumbled (Y/N). They really didn’t need to see a random guy’s bare chest.

            At least someone here notices how weird this is.

            “Furthermore, Class 4,” continued Hairo, “An intellectual group led by Tanihara, who scored first-place in the midterms! The last one is Class 5. An intellectual group where an astonishing eighty percent of them wear glasses!”

            “You just like saying ‘intellectual,’ don’t you?” remarked Saiki. “And why did you have to give such long exposition?”

            “So we’ve got three intellectual classes, an athletic one, and…us,” said (Y/N). I don’t really know what’s special about us. Maybe we’re the “weird” class. A little mean, but it felt right.

            At least someone here knows how to get to the point.

            Over the loudspeaker came an announcement. “The first event is the boys’ 100-meter dash.”

            Saiki sighed.

            “Good luck, Saiki,” said (Y/N), smiling brightly.

            Saiki nodded at them.

            “Kuu! Go for it!” cheered Mrs. Saiki.

            “I’m recording you on a hard drive called my heart,” called Mr. Saiki.

            (Y/N) tilted their head. “Doesn’t he have a video camera?”

            “Out of battery,” answered Saiki.

            (Y/N) frowned. “How do you know?”

            “He didn’t properly charge it last night.” Saiki easily covered for himself. Before they asked anything else, he walked over to the starting line.

            “Go! Saiki! For our victory!” shouted Hairo.

            Saiki sighed, and as the gun went off, he ran out. He ended up in second place, but that was too conspicuous, so he let everyone catch up and instead finished third—acceptable, but more average. His team didn’t mind and congratulated him.

            “Great job,” said (Y/N) earnestly.

            Saiki nodded to them in acknowledgement.

            “That was incredible!” exclaimed Hairo.

            “Why am I getting so much praise for ranking third?”

            “Because friends congratulate each other,” said (Y/N).

            “You’re not my friends.”

            “Maybe one day you’ll actually convince me,” teased (Y/N). They weren’t put off by Saiki’s words. After all, the heart held the truth more than what he said.

            “Not bad, pal, although I can run faster than that,” said Nendou.

            “Well, right now it’s Kaidou’s turn,” said (Y/N). “Come on, Kaidou!”

            Yare yare, so energetic.

            Kaidou tried his hardest and ended up fifth place. He looked disappointed, so (Y/N) patted him on the back and told him he tried his best. He smiled slightly and stood up straighter.

            “What was that running?!” laughed Nendou.

            Kaidou slumped over again. (Y/N) leveled a steely glare at Nendou. He flinched and shut up. Saiki watched warily and reminded himself not to upset (Y/N). Evidently, they had an intense, protective side.

            “We have to somehow turn things around in the next event,” muttered Hairo determinedly, completely engrossed in the events of the sports festival.

            The loudspeaker turned on again. “The second event is the girl’s 100-meter dash,” announced the voice.

            “Well, I’m up,” chirped (Y/N). They were competing against girls since their team needed strength in that area.

            “Good luck.”

            Surprised, (Y/N) blinked. Their heart thumped for a second, but they recovered and just grinned. “Thanks, Saiki!”

            The gun went off, and (Y/N) ran the best they could, spurred on by the belief their friends had in them (even Saiki. Especially Saiki). They crossed the finish line second, moving the class up the ranking. Seeing the scoreboard change, (Y/N) whooped happily.

            “Great job, (Y/N)!” cheered Hairo, clapping them across the back.

            (Y/N) coughed as the wind was knocked out of them but laughed all the same. “Thanks, Hairo.”

            “The next event is the coed three-legged race,” announced the loudspeaker.

            Teruhashi was competing. Instantly, everybody swarmed around her and began to give her words of encouragement. (Y/N) sweat-dropped. It really was incredible the effect she had on people.

            “Good job,” said Saiki.

            (Y/N) brightened. “Thanks!” For some reason, (Y/N) couldn’t help but straighten happily knowing Saiki had cover over to stand with them instead of hovering around Teruhashi. It was normal for him, but (Y/N) couldn’t help but notice it.

            From behind them, Teruhashi frowned for a moment before lighting up with a bright smile again. Why’s he over there with them?! Why isn’t he over here, telling me I’m going to do a great job?! I am going to win this! After all, I’m the perfect pretty girl, including in sports!

            I might want to blend in, but I still have my pride. I’m not going to fawn over someone… He subconsciously glanced at (Y/N) before forcing himself to focus on Teruhashi and her partner in the race.

            “Let’s do our best, Sawakita,” cooed Teruhashi.

            “O-Okay,” stuttered Sawakita, blushing nervously.

            “Let’s win no matter what!” Teruhashi took Sawakita’s hands into her own gently. I may not look it, but I hate to lose. Which is why I have to get first, to beat (L/N) and to have Saiki congratulate me!

            Yare yare. I don’t want to deal with this.

            “Hey, if we win, let’s celebrate alone, okay?” asked Teruhashi coyly.

            That’s one way to give him a reason to win.

            Sure enough, as soon as the pistol signaled the start of the race, Sawakita picked Teruhashi up and sprinted to the finish line. No one had a problem with it, and they won first place with no issue. As usual, the world smiled upon Teruhashi and let everything work out for her.

            “Aren’t they supposed to run on three legs?” asked (Y/N).

            Saiki nodded. It’s Teruhashi, though, so no one will get in trouble.

            “All right! Let’s keep it up and make a comeback!” said Hairo.

            “Ha! The scavenger hunt race is next!” laughed Nendou. “Who’s gonna do that?!”

            “You will,” said Saiki.

            “Good luck,” said (Y/N), deciding to ignore Nendou forgetting.

            “Oh, yeah. It was me,” realized Nendou as he walked over to the group of participants.

            “Go for it, Nendou!” cheered the redhead.

            “All right!” yelled Nendou as he picked up his list of items. “Oh, this is so easy.”

            “Looks like he knows where to get it,” commented Hairo, relieved.

            Nendou ran up to the class. “Hey, let me borrow that.”

            “You mean this?” Hairo held up his tennis racket.

            “No, that’s not it.” Nendou reached out and grabbed one of Saiki’s receivers.

            Saiki blanked and collapsed in exhaustion.

            “Saiki!” cried (Y/N) in concern, dropping to their knees next to him. They hadn’t anticipated such a reaction, but their worry covered up the strange moment.

            “What’s going on?!” questioned Hairo. “What happened?!”

            “I-I don’t know,” stammered (Y/N), “He just collapsed!” They gazed at him worriedly since he had an odd look on his face. He clearly wasn’t alright. “Nendou! Give me that bobble back,” they ordered. If taking it out hurt him, maybe it needed to be put back in.

            “Huh? Why?” asked Nendou.

            (Y/N) just snatched it from him and put it back in Saiki’s hair. It also went into his head, but they didn’t realize. They held their breath and waited.

            A moment later, Saiki’s eyes opened. He found himself staring up at (Y/N). Surprised and suddenly realizing he was close to their face, he sat up wildly and backed up.

            “Hey, hey, you’re safe,” assured (Y/N), putting a steadying hand on his shoulder for a moment. They removed it immediately after, not wanting to cross any boundaries. “I put that bobble back since you collapsed after Nendou took it,” they explained.

            Saiki breathed a slight sigh of relief. Obviously, his reaction to seeing them had been about the receiver. He thought he’d done something without his powers being dampened. Luckily, he hadn’t.

            “Are you okay?” asked (Y/N), their voice filled with concern.

            They didn’t care about the announcement of Nendou being last place in the scavenger hunt; they were just worried for Saiki. However, he stood up steadily, so (Y/N)’s apprehension abated.

            “I’m alright,” said Saiki. He was…glad they were concerned—somehow, them being worried about him felt nice instead of irritating.

            (Y/N) let out a breath of relief. “I’m glad.” They smiled. “You had me worried there.” They stood up and brushed the dirt off their knees. “Let’s get some lunch, you need to refuel after passing out.” When there was no response, they straightened. No Saiki. They frowned. “Saiki?” He’s wandered off. It’s not safe to do that after just collapsing. I better go find him.

            At the back of the school building, Saiki slid down the wall with his bento box. His hands trembled as he held the chopsticks. His strength was still uncontrollable, so he was avoiding other people because people might find out about his abilities and because he might hurt a friend. When Saiki heard footsteps, he was immediately on edge. It only got worse when (Y/N) walked around the corner. They were probably the person he least wanted to hurt other than his family.

            “Saiki,” they said, crouching down next to him. “You need to stop scaring me,” they joked. Their smile fell as they saw his shaking hands. Their gaze softened in concern. “Hey, you’re still pretty weak…Do you need help?”

            “I’m trying to eat. What is there to help with?”

            “At the rate you’re going, you’re either going to snap the chopsticks or drop your food,” teased (Y/N). Their expression turned serious. “But really, I can help. I know it’s kinda weird, but you need to eat, and I’m not going to just leave you without help.” Was it strange? Yes. But (Y/N) was Saiki’s friend. They would help him in any way possible.

            “Alright,” relented Saiki. He decided consciously that this was a good cover and a way for him to eat while his strength was uncontrollable, but there was also a comfortable feeling that surrounded him when (Y/N) was there to help. He couldn’t help but say yes.

            (Y/N) smiled and gently took the chopsticks into their hand. Bit by bit, they fed him his food. No words were exchanged; a calm silence enveloped them.

            The peace was unfortunately broken when Nendou rounded the corner.

            “Oh, hey, pal, pinky, we were looking for you. You guys missed the magician,” said Nendou. He noticed how (Y/N) was feeding Saiki. “Oooh, are you guys on a date?”

            (Y/N)’s faced warmed, and they laughed nervously. “No, I was just helping him out since he still isn’t feeling well.”

            Saiki nodded. Good thing (Y/N) thinks quickly. Otherwise, Nendou would tell the whole school we were dating.

            Ba-bum.

            Yare yare, there’s that feeling again.

            “Oh, pal, are you still sick? Maybe you should head home,” said Nendou.

            I never thought he’d ever have such a good idea. Saiki nodded.

            The three of them went back in front of the building. Saiki’s friends annoyances were waiting there and bombarded him.

            “What happened?”

            “Where’d you go?”

            “Are you alright?”

            “Are you heading home?”

            “Are you sure you can go home alone?”

            “Don’t push yourself.”

            “Don’t worry about us, we’ll cover for you.”

            Yare yare. These guys…It’s very hard to go home now. Saiki was tempted to smile, but his “annoyance” was too grand.

            “You’re going to stick around, aren’t you?” remarked (Y/N).

            Saiki looked at them. How do they manage to read me?

            (Y/N) continued jokingly, “We’ve melted your icy heart! You cannot help but stay!” They laughed at themself.

            The corners of Saiki’s mouth twitched upwards for a moment, and he immediately decided not to entertain their conversation for fear of more reactions.

            “Alright, Class 3!” declared Hairo. “We’re having team competitions in the afternoon! The next event is the tug of war!”

            “I think he’s super excited because he wasn’t in any of the individual events,” commented (Y/N) to Saiki. “Have fun,” they teased.

            Yare yare.

            Saiki pulled on the rope with the rest of the boys in his class. However, he wasn’t giving much effort since his strength was far beyond the others’. Saiki even accidentally broke the rope. Due to the situation from earlier, he still couldn’t control his abilities and ended up winning the match for Class 3, though no one noticed it was him.

            “Great job, you guys!” congratulated (Y/N). They turned to Saiki. “You must be strong, Saiki! You were barely breaking a sweat!”

            Yare yare. They somehow cover for all my abilities while also noticing them more than anyone else. So strange.

            “Behold the power of Class 3!” declared Hairo.

            “To think that a match against humans got me this fired up,” murmured Kaidou dramatically.

            “Did you guys have lunch?” asked Nendou.

            “The rope is torn at the spot I was holding,” exclaimed Takahashi, “Could I have done this?”

            The four boys then posed with determined faces and crossed arms while the other classes looked on in wonder. However, Class 3 was still in third place overall. Two events remained.

            “Class 3 isn’t doing so hot, huh?!” questioned Toristuka challengingly, “Looks like Class 2 might win, huh?!”

            “So? I couldn’t care less,” said Saiki.

            (Y/N) nodded. “Having fun with friends is more important.”

            Toristuka hurriedly continued his condescension. “Ah! See? We’re number one right now! Bam!” He smiled. “Well, I was last in the three-legged race, though.”

            Recalling how creepy he’d been, (Y/N) shivered.

            “I can’t believe you look so proud of it,” said Saiki.

            “Please don’t hold a grudge against me if my class wins,” said Toritsuka, still acting superior.

            “Seriously, I couldn’t care less about who wins, or about you for that matter,” said Saiki while (Y/N) nodded in agreement.

            “Sorry, but it’s Class 3 that’s going to win!” declared Hairo. “If we lose, I’ll get a buzzcut!”

            “We’re way behind them, are you sure we should be making bets?” questioned (Y/N), tilting their head blankly. They were all for some fun, but they weren’t sure this was their class’s best idea ever.

            “Are you serious?” asked Toritsuka, looking at Hairo.

            “That just shows you how determined I am!” said Hairo.

            “Hey, hey, if Hairo’s going to do it…We’ll get a buzzcut, too!” promised the other boys of Class 3.

            “Wait, wait,” said Saiki. He didn’t want to get roped in.

            “Count me in, too,” said Kaidou confidently, “Of course, there’s no chance of me losing.”

            “Kaidou, confidence is good, but sometimes realism is important,” remarked (Y/N).

            “Where is he getting that confidence from?” asked Saiki.

            “I’ll get a buzzcut, too,” proclaimed Nendou.

            “In your case, it won’t be a penalty,” observed Saiki.

            (Y/N) nodded. “A proper cut that’s even all the way around may actually look better.”

            “That’s right! Our hearts are one!” declared Hairo. “If we lose, every guy in Class 3 will get a buzzcut!”

            “I’m glad it’s just the boys doing this,” commented (Y/N). They beamed. “I don’t have anything to worry about.”

            Saiki gave them a deadpan glare.

            “Aw, come on, you know I’ll still try to help you,” said (Y/N), waving a hand. They frowned. “All the same, I don’t think there are a lot of events left.”

            I’ll be making sure I don’t have to get a buzzcut with my powers, anyways.

            The loudspeaker turned on and announced, “The next even is the interclass beanbag toss.”

            Sure enough, as his classmates ran around and threw beanbags towards their basket, Saiki ensured that a good amount landed inside. Psychic powers came in handy occasionally.

            Hey, don’t say this is foul play. Nothing in the rulebook forbids supernatural powers.

            Once the time ran out, the beanbags were counted up, and the announcement was made.       “Class 1: thirty-three beanbags, Class 2: twenty-eight beanbags, Class 3: eighty-three beanbags,” reported the PA system.

            “Hey, we did pretty well!” chirped (Y/N). They smiled brightly, and flowers seemed to dance around them.

            “We got more than double the others!” shouted Class 3.

            “Er…” the announced paused awkwardly, “Class 4: one hundred beanbags.”

            (Y/N)’s eyes widened comically. “How did they manage that?!”

            Especially without psychic powers…

            “We used our heads. Look,” said Class 4’s representative pompously.

            His class had piled all the beanbags into one giant plastic bag and put that into their basket.

            (Y/N) sweat-dropped. “I feel like there should be a rule about that.”

            I might have powers, but this definitely feels like foul play.

            “Don’t call this foul play,” said Tanihara, “The rulebook doesn’t say that the use of a big bag is forbidden.”

            “They should’ve written a rule for that.”

            (Y/N) nodded fervently. “It’s out-of-the-box thinking, but it just feels unsportsmanlike.”

            “But there’s still the last event, the interclass relay!” declared an optimistic, determined Hairo. “The class in first place will get five hundred points. It means that if we’re in first place and Class 4 is in last, we can win! Saiki! I want you to be another leg!”

            “It seems refusing would just make things difficult,” the psychic observed.

            “I’ll try to get the baton to you quickly,” said (Y/N) brightly, trying to help as best they could.

            The classes organized themselves. When the pistol signaled the start, Kaidou began running as fast as he could (not very fast) while his classmates cheered him on. When he passed the baton to Tadashi, they were unfortunately in last place. This was repeated when Tadashi passed the baton to Nendou. Luckily, even though he ran very strangely, he was fast and got to first place. Teruhashi was next and could run quickly as well (another perk of being the perfect pretty girl). She passed the baton to Yumehara who managed to maintain a fast pace. Hairo was next to receive the baton. He handed it to (Y/N) while still in the lead. (Y/N) prepared to run quickly but tripped suddenly. They were in last place as they got back up and started sprinting.

            Saiki readied himself for the baton. I’m going to cross the finish line in the same place I started. In other words, we will finish in last place.

            Tripping someone isn’t foul play, either…As long as no one notices, that is… thought Tanihara.

            Now that changes everything. Can’t let him get away with cheating and sabotaging (Y/N) my class.

            “Saiki! Hurry!” called (Y/N) as they held out the baton.

            It flew from their hand to Saiki’s, causing them to blink.

            “I will,” said Saiki. It’s payback time for (Y/N).

            Class 3, indeed, all of the students, gazed in amazement as Saiki sped to the front of the group. He was almost at the finish line.

            “Yeah! Great job, Saiki!” cheered (Y/N).

            Saiki collapsed. (Y/N) sweat-dropped. His class gaped.

            Oh, that’s right. I can’t control my body well right now.

            (Y/N) walked over and knelt by him. Smiling kindly, they said, “It’s alright. You did your best.”

            Yare yare. I was trying to avoid a buzzcut.

l

            “Good morning, guys!” greeted Hairo. “Where are your buzzcuts?”

            He was sporting one himself. Behind him stood Nendou, Kaidou, and Saiki. Nendou sported the same cut, but he somehow ended up with more hair than he began with. Kaidou was completely bald, and Saiki had a buzzcut.

            (Y/N) bit their lip to stop from laughing. “You boys only had to do that if we lost to Class 2, remember? We beat them.”

            Yare yare. Saiki had a feeling that (Y/N) wasn’t going to let this one go for a while.

Chapter Text

            “Listen up, everyone! There’ll be an evacuation drill today!” announced Hairo.

            “Evacuation drill, huh?”

            “Ha! I’ll be fine. I don’t need to rehearse,” said Nendou.

            “Yes, he does,” whispered (Y/N), leaning over to Saiki. “Yesterday, he walked into the first-year hall and thought it was ours.” They grinned cheekily.

            Saiki sighed. “Of course, he did.”

            “Nendou, you shouldn’t take the drill so lightly,” warned Hairo. “Take a fire, for example! You’re surrounded by hot flames. The smoke makes it hard to see. You have trouble breathing! Now, what’re you gonna do in such a hot and hostile environment?! Can you make a level-headed decision in that situation when you didn’t even bother to participate in the drill?! Preparedness always pays off!”

            “You’re as hot and suffocating as a fire,” said Saiki.

            “Fires are great for making s’mores on a summer night,” said (Y/N), thinking aloud.

            They wouldn’t survive a fire, either, would they? The psychic sighed. For all (Y/N)’s good sense, they lacked it at some critical moments. Yare yare. They’re all so troublesome.

            “Anyway, when the fire alarm goes off, follow the instructions and evacuate to the schoolyard,” said Hairo. He was acting much calmer than he had been a few seconds ago. “This is a mnemonic created by using the initials for the important considerations during an evacuation. ‘SOS.’ ”

            If I remember correctly, it stands for “Slow, Orderly, and Silent.”

            (Y/N) brightened. “I was right earlier! ‘S’mores On Summer nights.’ ”

            Saiki deadpanned even more than usual. That’s not even close.

            “Oh, I get it!” piped up Nendou. “ ‘Save Our Selves!’ ”

            “That can’t be right!” protested (Y/N).

            Do they remember what it actually means?

            “We should Save Others before Snacks!”

            Well, at least they have good intentions…

            “Well, I suppose, but…” said Hairo.

            “Then, it must be ‘Someone! Over here! Save me!’ ” said Nendou.

            “Do it yourself,” said Saiki.

            Kaidou laughed derisively (acting dramatic as usual). “You’re stupid as ever.”

            “What?! Do you know what it means?” questioned Nendou.

            “Hmph, of course, I do,” declared Kaidou confidently.

            “What? Is it ‘Save Others with Superpowers?’ ” laughed (Y/N), obviously joking.

            Nendou laughed. “Good one, pinky.”

            “No! It’s ‘Scorching Oblivion Smackdown!’ ” said Kaidou.

            Everyone was silent.

            “I was just kidding,” said Kaidou, backpedaling quickly. “It stands for ‘Slow, Orderly, and Silent.’ ”

            “Yes, that’s right,” said Hairo. “So everyone, please remember SOS when you are participating in the drill.”

            The PA system turned on. “A fire broke out in the science room on the first floor. Please evacuate.” The fire alarm began to ring.

            “The sound of fire alarms makes me panic,” said Teruhashi.

            “This is important. We should pay attention,” said Saiki.

            “Fire, you need to Stay calm. Open your bag and take out your safety hood, then Stand in line in order of your student number,” explained Hairo.

            (Y/N) walked over and picked their hood up. Since the buttons were directly under their chin, they fumbled with them. Sighing, Saiki walked over and buttoned it correctly. (Well, really he held his hands up and the buttons did themselves, but it was still Saiki making them do so. It counted).

            “Thanks, Saiki!” chirped (Y/N). Their heart fluttered at his help, and they smiled widely.

            “Yare yare. It’s just for helping at the sports festival,” said Saiki, looking away. He didn’t like being in debt to anyone, so helping with buttons would even out the food thing. That was all.

            “Oh, no,” said Teruhashi, frowning down at her hood. “I can’t figure out my buttons.” Saiki will see me in trouble and help! Then I’ll thank him, and he’ll say “Oh, wow!”

            Not happening.

            A swarm of boys jumped to Teruhashi’s side. “We’ll help you, Teruhashi!”

            “We shouldn’t wait around here! The fire could spread,” warned Hairo.

            “If you spend too much time helping me, you guys will…” Teruhashi gasped dramatically and softened her eyes thankfully.

            “She’s right! What is your guys’ plan?” asked Hairo.

            “Sacrifice Ourselves to Save her,” declared the boys.

            “I-I see,” said Hairo.

            Saying nary a word they’d Offer me their help. They’re my love Slaves. Teehee, thought Teruhashi.

            Class 3 lined up by the door and began exiting.

            “Okay! Let’s start evacuating,” ordered Hairo.

            “Oh, shoot, I left my phone in class,” said Tadashi. He began to turn around, but Hairo interceded.

            “Stop, Tadashi! You’re Out of line, Stay in place,” commanded the class rep.

            “He’s trying too hard.”

            “Mhm,” hummed (Y/N), chewing on a snack.

            Saiki almost deadpanned more than usual. They had marshmallows with them. No wonder they kept thinking about s’mores. “I feel like I’m hearing SOS in almost everything now.”

            “That’s a Strange Occurrence, Saiki,” said (Y/N).

            “See? What did I tell you?”

            (Y/N) blinked before smiling. “Whoa, you’re So Observant, Saiki.”

            “Stop it, guys. Obviously a fire drill doesn’t have time for Stupid quarrels,” said Kaidou to Hairo and Tadashi.

            “Right! Great call, Kaidou!” said Hairo. “Let’s continue down the stairs! We’re almost there!” He stopped at the first floor. “What?!” The way was blocked. “Stop! The path leading Outside has been Shuttered?!”

            “Seriously? Come On. We’d be Screwed if this wasn’t a drill,” muttered the discontent students.

            “I wonder if the shutter was closed by mistake,” said Teruhashi.

            “I think it’s because this goes by the science room,” pointed out (Y/N), still munching marshmallows.

            Saiki nodded. How do they manage to be so observant and clueless at the same time?

            “Stay calm. Obviously, there’s gotta be a Solution,” said Hairo. “A solution?” He became serious and introspective. “I see…I now understand the point of this shutter!”

            “I think he finally figured it out, too,” said Saiki.

            “We’re being tested! This is an obstacle!” declared the redhead. “During a fire, Sometimes Obstacles Stance in our way! In other words, to move forward, we must break through this shutter!”

            “Isn’t it made to be tough to break?” asked (Y/N), tilting their head.

            Excepting Saiki, the boys weren’t listening. “Alright then! Let’s break that shuttle!” The grabbed a fire extinguisher and a desk to throw at the barrier.

            “In a real fire, they’d be the first to go,” said Saiki. He glanced over at (Y/N) and their marshmallows. “You might be next.”

            They were blissfully unaware of his comment and just held out a sweet treat to him. “Want one?”

            “…Yes.” Coffee jelly may be his favorite snack, but he liked other sweets, too. Alright, so maybe I’d save you since you bring me dessert.

            Finally, Hairo, Nendou, and Kaidou managed to open a corner of the shutter and let the students pass through. Mr. Matsuzaki was waiting on the other side.

            “So…You wrenched open the shutter and escaped through the front entrance,” observed the gym teacher. “I see…Who would break a shutter?! We just installed it! Are you Simpletons Out of your minds? Do you know what it costs to repair a Shutter?!”

            “We’re sorry!” apologized the boys.

            Geez…This is why I told them…Ah, I guess I didn’t tell them directly. Well, this school doesn’t need an evacuation drill to start with, though. Because…So long as I’m around, Ordeals such as fire Simply will not happen.

            Yare yare. Now I’m doing it.

l

            Throughout the town, the news of the House of Fortune Telling was spreading like wildfire. Apparently, a skilled clairvoyant worked there. People were loving what she said. Whether or not she was correct in her predictions was still unknown, but people kept on going to her, especially curious teenagers.

            “Hmph. How stupid. Fortune-telling is just an illusion created by a bunch of people who pretend to be prophets,” said Kaidou.

            “Wow, it’s pretty rare that you and I agree on something,” said Saiki.

            (Y/N) nodded. “I find it hard to believe someone who can actually see the future isn’t being sought out by governments.” They grinned. “But I’m going this afternoon, anyways. I’m curious about what she’ll say, even if it is totally made up. It’ll be fun.”

            “Well, forget that,” said Kaidou, “I have something more important to discuss with you two. Come with me after school today. Have you noticed? I sense a strange aura being given off in this town. I think Dark Reunion is behind it.”

            “Whatever floats your boat,” said (Y/N), “And I already have plans.”

            “That’s just an illusion you created,” said Saiki to Kaidou.

            Saddened, Kaidou walked away. Nendou popped up beside Saiki and (Y/N).

            “Pal, pinky! Have you heard? There’s a fortune-telling shop nearby,” said Nendou.

            “It’s ‘House of Fortune Telling.’ I’m tired of hearing about it already.”

            “Yeah, I know!” chirped (Y/N). “I’m going to check it out later today, ya know, for curiosity’s sake!”

            Looks like I’ll be making sure my friends bothers don’t make bad decisions today.

            If Saiki was being at all observant of his own actions, he’d notice that as soon as (Y/N) was involved, he was way more willing to wade into irritating situations to keep track of his friends. Acquaintances. (Friends).

l

            Saiki, invisible to all, sighed and followed (Y/N) inside the House of Fortune Telling. Kaidou was with them because they had spotted him “in disguise” in line. The inside was made to look like a stereotypical psychic’s shop with a crystal ball, shimmery drapes, lows lights, the whole nine yards.

            “Welcome to the House of Fortune. Please have a seat,” said the fortune teller.

            “O-Okay,” said Kaidou.

            “Alright,” said (Y/N).

            They both sat down.

            “I’m Mikiko Clairvoyance. Nice to meet you,” said the lady.

            (Y/N) tilted their head in confusion at her name. That feels way too on the nose. Like a stage name.

            “On what matter would you like advice today?” asked Mikiko.

            “Umm,” said Kaidou.

            I see. They seem half in doubt, too.

            “Oh, my…I sense a very unusual aura from you, young man!” said Mikiko.

            “What?!” gasped Kaidou.

            “You’re no ordinary person, are you,” asked Mikiko slyly. “Do you have special gifts?”

            (Y/N) watched the proceedings in amusement.

            “And you!” Mikiko turned to the teenager.

            “Me?” (Y/N) pointed to themself.

            “Yes! You’re quite important to someone with gifts, aren’t you?!” questioned the clairvoyant dramatically.

            (Y/N) shrugged and laughed. “Sorry, ma’am, you got the wrong person.” They brushed her off without a second thought. There weren’t many people they wanted to be important to, and having gifts didn’t go into it. Plus, the list wasn’t that long. Their friends, family, Saiki.

            But Saiki’s a friend, so there we go, thought (Y/N) decidedly, brushing the way their mind separated him from everyone else away.

            Wait…important to someone with gifts?! thought Kaidou. Does that mean…me?! A sudden blush overtook his cheeks as he looked at (Y/N).

            Oh, wow. Saiki frowned slightly. He was more annoyed than usual as he saw Kaidou, even though he was just confused, get all flustered because of (Y/N). It just felt so…troublesome

            “Ah…well, perhaps you’re just not aware of it!” covered Mikiko expertly. Not a good target. I should focus on the boy. She turned quickly to Kaidou. “You’re troubled by something! Am I wrong?!”

            “How did you know that?!” gasped Kaidou.

            People without troubles wouldn’t come to a place like this.

            “Let me tell you what it is…” Mikiko carefully gaged what her predictions should be by watching Kaidou’s reactions. “A problem with romance…is not what it is, so an issue with your future and schoolwork…isn’t what’s troubling you, either. So it’s something to do with your friends and relationships!” She nailed it on the third try. “Yes! Your source of trouble is one friends and relationships!”

            “H-How do you know that?!” stammered Kaidou.

            You make it too easy.

            “Most teenagers have that problem,” whispered (Y/N) to Kaidou, but he paid them no mind.

            “Yeah, you’re right. That is the source of my troubles,” said the blue-haired boy. “I’m an assassin known as the Jet-Black Wings who came from a parallel world.”

            (Y/N) sweat-dropped.

            What is he talking about? thought Mikiko.

            I ask myself that question every day.

            “But after I learned the truth about the organization…” rambled Kaidou.

            Mikiko nodded. “I understand.”

            “I’m used to fighting.” Kaidou clenched his fist. “But sometimes I think about my life…I live in solitude…I don’t have anything I can call frie—I mean, comrade.”

            “Aww, I’ll be your friend!” chirped (Y/N), leaning affectionately towards him.

            “A-Ah!” Kaidou squeaked and blushed.

            Saiki’s eyebrow twitched. (Y/N) was too nice for their own good, and Saiki didn’t need Kaidou having any misguided feelings for them. That would be complicated. That was the trouble. Obviously.

            In an attempt to keep his attention, Mikiko said, “But he needs someone to completely understand him! You need a new approach. You should try to understand others.”

            Oh, so she says some decent things, too. Maybe I misjudged her.

            “Also, this will help.” She opened a box which held necklace. “You’ll be fine if you wear this necklace.

            “What’s that?” asked (Y/N).

            “If you wear this, you’ll be able to make friends with one hundred people and with Kento Yamazaki!” explained Mikiko. “If you buy now, I’m willing to offer you the low price of thirty-thousand yen.”

            (Y/N)’s eyes widened, and their jaw dropped open.

            “Thirty-thousand yen?!” cried Kaidou. “I-I’ll buy it! But I want to know one thing first. Will this make me friends with Saiki?!”

            A soft smile spread across (Y/N)’s face. “Aww, Kaidou…”

            “If you wear it, that Saiki guy will follow you around saying, ‘Hey, pal,’ ” said Mikiko.

            (Y/N) blanked. “Huh?” There was no way that was happening. Plus, that was Nendou’s line.

            “I-I’ll buy it!” declared Kaidou. He paid without hesitation.

            “Well, well, good luck, now I must see other customers!” Mikiko rushed them out the door to the street. “Next person! Please come in.”

            Kaidou regarded the necklace happily as he walked down the street with (Y/N).

            “If nothing else, it’s…pretty,” said (Y/N). They weren’t sure it would work.

            “Kaidou!”

            Both teens turned around. Kaidou was excited to have his first friend while (Y/N) was just surprised that the necklace might actually do something. They were both let down because it was just Mikiko.

            “I’m giving this back! I had no idea what you were saying was true!” she cried. She shoved Kaidou’s money back into his hands.

            “What? Then what about the necklace?” asked Kaidou.

            “You can have it! I bought it at a street stall for five-hundred yen!” she shouted as she ran.

            “What?!” cried Kaidou, realizing the necklace wasn’t magical.

            (Y/N) patted his back. “Sorry. At least you got your money back. And don’t worry, you’ve already got one friend. Me!” They beamed radiantly.

            “Oh!”

            The pair turned after hearing Nendou’s voice. He had just run into Saiki.

            “Oh, hey, pal! Oh, and you, too, runt, pinky?” asked Nendou.

            Kaidou’s eyes widened. Three of the people he was closest to were suddenly all around him. He gazed in wonder at the trinket in his hands. “So this necklace really is…”

            Saiki sighed.

            (Y/N) grinned. “No, no, Kaidou. Can’t you see? We’re already your friends!”

            Kaidou blushed. “A-Ah! R-Right!”

            Saiki was torn between being annoyed at Kaidou’s flustered state and enjoying how kind (Y/N) was. Those two annoy me, but you—he looked at (Y/N)—I can tolerate you.

Chapter Text

            “We still aren’t there yet?” asked Kaidou.

            He, Nendou, (Y/N), and Saiki were heading to a ramen shop that Nendou had heard about. Saiki had gotten roped in as usual. He wanted to get coffee jelly with (Y/N), but he instead was stuck with Nendou and Kaidou, too. He thought it couldn’t get worse than being with two of his bothers and missing out on coffee jelly, but he was proved wrong. (The world hated him and wanted to prove everything could always be worse).

            “Oh, Saiki? What’re you doing here?”

            There stood Teruhashi, glowing and sparkling as usual.

            “Oh!” squeaked Kaidou.

            “T-Teruhashi!” stammered Nendou.

            The boys blushed profusely as they looked at the perfect pretty girl.

            (Y/N) gave a friendly wave.

            “What’re you guys doing out together?” asked Teruhashi.

            “Well, Nendou said he knows a good ramen shop, so he’s taking us there,” said Kaidou, rushing through the sentences nervously.

            “That’s right! We’re headed there to pig ou—I mean, eat!” said Nendou.

            “It’s our first time checking it out,” added (Y/N).

            “Oh, ramen, huh?” remarked Teruhashi. She glanced over at Saiki. “If you don’t mind, can I come with you? Am I being a bit pushy?” She winked cutely.

            “W-Well, I don’t mind!” squeaked Kaidou.

            “It’d be great if you came!” said Nendou.

            “The more the merrier!” chirped (Y/N).

            Seriously? You, too? Saiki sighed.

            This is the perfect chance to get Saiki to say “Oh, wow” and stop paying so much attention to (L/N)! Sure, they’re not ugly, but I’m the person he should be paying attention to! I’m the perfect pretty girl! thought Teruhashi as they walked through the streets, gaining attention from passersby.

            “Is the shop this way?” she asked angelically, completely at odds with her aggressively competitive thoughts.

            “Ah, yes,” said Nendou rather formally.

            (Y/N) was laughing at their friends’ sudden transformations (excepting Saiki, of course).

            At least they’re enjoying themself. Saiki supposed one person enjoying themself was better than none, and although he’d rather be the one enjoying himself, he preferred when (Y/N) was happy. It was what they always should be.

            “Why, I didn’t expect you to eat ramen, Teruhashi,” said Nendou, a strangely gentlemanlike face on his face.

            Saiki was glad Nendou’s strange face could distract him from his own new thoughts.

            Teruhashi giggled. “Say, Kaidou.” She turned to the suddenly shy boy.

            “Y-Yes?!” he squeaked nervously.

            “Why do you always have bandages on your hands?” asked Teruhashi.

            “Oh, I do it so my powers won’t go out of control!” stammered Kaidou.

            “Powers…?” questioned Teruhashi. “Sorry, I can’t quite understand what you’re saying.”

            “Well, it just got like this! I don’t even know why!” Kaidou began unwinding his bandages while blushing heavily. “I’ll take them off!”

            (Y/N) caught the gauze, rolled it up, and put it in their pocket. “He’s probably gonna regret that once she’s gone,” they whispered to Saiki.

            So they notice that people act odd around Teruhashi. That means they probably are being genuinely nice to Teruhashi, not just being affected like everyone else. (Y/N)’s just a nice person. Saiki wasn’t surprised by that thought. (Y/N) was a genuinely good person. It was a reason he liked to be around them. Tolerated them. Put up with them. It all meant the same thing. (it did not).

            They’re so excited! But that’s just natural since they can have a meal with me, the prettiest girl in the world! thought Teruhashi. So why are they acting so calm?! Kunio Kunio! Why aren’t you saying “Oh, wow”? That should always be your reaction when you see me! And (L/N) (Wrong Name)! You don’t act differently at all! And Saiki always pays attention to you, even when I’m the perfect pretty girl! What could you possibly have that you don’t?!

            Yare yare. (Y/N) doesn’t bring attention to me or try to make me act differently. Saiki could just be himself.

            What makes so that a cool, mysterious guy like him that has a gaze who could look right through you… Teruhashi became lost in her fantasy.

            Saiki made a face.

            (Y/N) laughed. “That’s the most you’ve ever changed your expression!”

            Saiki schooled his expression. They were unfortunately quite observant, still.

            Oh, no! I take it all back! Even in her own mind, Teruhashi couldn’t allow herself to obsess over a boy. It all had to be about making him obsess over her. At any rate, I’ll use my charm to make him look at me instead of them and say “Oh, wow” today for sure!

            I’m attracting her attention. Saiki hadn’t gotten away from her at all.

            “Ah, we have arrived,” said Nendou. He pointed at a small restaurant. “This is the ramen shop.”

            “Wow, I’m hungry,” chirped Teruhashi. “Oh, wow.” She turned blank uncomfortably.

            “Whoa…” muttered (Y/N), making a face as they looked at the rundown shop.

            “I heard their ramen is crazy good,” said Nendou. “A relative of one of my friends’ dog walkers said so. It’ll be fine.”

            “So it’s a rumor…” said (Y/N). That’s never good.

            “Hey, don’t be stupid!” cried Kaidou. “There’s no way Teruhashi woulg go in a place like that! You don’t want to eat in a nasty restaurant like this, right, Teruhashi?!”

            “W-Well, I’m okay with it,” said Teruhashi blankly and begrudgingly.

            “A-Are you sure you’re okay with it?!” asked Kaidou.

            “Yeah, I’m fine with it,” lied Teruhashi.

            (Y/N) leaned over to Saiki and whispered, “Do you want to pretend we’re not hungry and go to Café Mami after this?”

            “Yes, but let’s go along with this for now,” said Saiki, but he was happy to acquiesce to (Y/N)’s idea. Sweet treats with someone he…fine, someone he enjoyed being around, sounded nice. Hopefully, this will dampen Teruhashi’s interest in me if she gets disgusted by where she thinks I hang out.

            (Y/N) grinned (slightly devilishly). “You’re enjoying this.”

            Saiki just looked at them. Yare yare. Too observant.

            “Well, a little bad luck builds character in people,” chirped (Y/N). “Besides…I trust you, Saiki. You’re not exactly going to revel in somebody being miserable. Anyways.” They waved their hand. “Teruhashi will probably head home afterwards and get offered some fancy food to make up for this. The others will be fine.” They turned away.

            Saiki blinked. Huh.

            The group walked into the shop. It was even grosser inside and completely empty.

            “What is this place?! This is beyond terrible!” said Kaidou. He looked at Teruhashi. “Hey, seriously, you don’t have to push yourself.”

            “I’ll be fine,” lied Teruhashi expertly, “What’s important is the taste.” She smiled angelically.

            They all sat down at a table.

            “Manager!” called Nendou. “Five ramens, please!”

            “Oh, no, thank you,” said (Y/N).

            “Oh, you’re not going to eat here?” asked Teruhashi.

            “I had a snack earlier today!” lied (Y/N), smiling brightly. “Plus, I forgot to bring money with me, and I don’t want to bother anyone today!”

            If they can lie this well, maybe I should worry about not being able to read their thoughts. Immediately after, Saiki dismissed that worry. (Y/N) had a good heart and was earnest as far as he knew. He could trust them.

            Not that that mattered in any way. It was just a thought.

            “Oh, alright, pinky, next time, then!” said Nendou.

            That’s how easy it is?! Maybe I should lie about having to leave… considered Teruhashi.

            Yes, please.

            No! I am the perfect pretty girl, not an average girl! I will persevere!

            The manager walked out. “Alright, four ramens coming up then.” He was extremely sweaty, balding, and unhealthily overweight. After fixing their dishes, he walked back over. “Here ya go.” He set the bowls down.

            The ramen smelled terrible and was spilling from cracks in the bowls. All in all, it looked uneatable. (Y/N) became even more glad that they made up an excuse. Their companions, who had not done anything to avoid this, all had rather nauseated faces.

            Teruhashi began to eat the ramen robotically. Clearly, she was forcing herself through this. Kaidou and Nendou watched in shock (neither saw that she was making herself do it).

            “I-I don’t think you should eat it,” stuttered Kaidou warningly.

            Teruhashi blinked.

            (Y/N) nodded. “That might be unsafe.” Sure, they were fine with some things not going Teruhashi’s way; it was something people had to learn to deal with in life (even perfect pretty girls). However, (Y/N) wasn’t mean. They wouldn’t willingly endanger someone’s health.

            “Hey, pops! Even pigs wouldn’t eat this stuff!” yelled Nendou.

            “Shut up! Then beat it!” shouted the manager.

            Quickly, the teenagers cleared out of the disgusting restaurant. As they walked away, poor Teruhashi clutched her stomach. Nendou and Kaidou tended to her sympathetically.

            The perfect girl, huh? Hmm…If she can go that far in order to play the perfect girl, maybe she already is perfect. Saiki’s eyes trailed over to (Y/N). Well, perfect for eight billion people. Other people are better for me.

            To spend time with, anyway.

            (Y/N) looked at Saiki. “Still want to go get coffee jelly?”

            “Yes.” Saiki didn’t even need to think about that answer.

            “Then what are we waiting for? Let’s go!” Grinning, (Y/N) grabbed his wrist and pulled him behind them as they ran into an alley that led to another street. They left Nendou, Kaidou, and Teruhashi far behind.

            The perfect person. To hang out with. To just be with.

            Saiki was glad to smell Café Mami’s sweet treats baking as his thoughts spiraled.

            Finally, the pair stopped outside Café Mami. (Y/N) was panting but laughing. Saiki just watched them, slightly amused in his own way.

            “Let’s go in! I’m starving,” said (Y/N).

            In response, Saiki nodded. They grabbed a table in a corner so that anyone passing by wouldn’t notice them. (Y/N) knew he’d prefer the privacy. They ordered and quickly received coffee jelly. They both sighed contentedly as they took their first bite.

            After a time, (Y/N) looked up at Saiki. “So, what was that whole thing with Teruhashi earlier?” When they got no response, they sighed. “Come on, I know something was going on. You clearly didn’t like the look of that restaurant, and you admitted to testing her in a way. So, what was it all about?”

            “She brings attention to me when she hangs around. I think she wants me to say ‘Oh, wow’ since I don’t.” Saiki ensured his explanation was phrased as a theory. Otherwise, he risked outing himself as a psychic. (Y/N) was pretty happy-go-lucky but could make a connection from observations pretty easily. Saiki had to be careful. They showed common sense at all the wrong times.

            “So it’s the Teruhashi version of interest in a guy?” (Y/N) laughed. “I guess people always want what they can’t have.” Somehow, that statement made their heart clench, and they almost frowned but focused on Saiki again.

            Once again, their insight is correct. I want normalcy, something I can’t have. And I want… Saiki watched as (Y/N) happily continued to eat their coffee jelly. He felt comfortable and normal with them. He felt like he could be himself without fear of judgement (minus psychic abilities). You’re the only one I can admit is my friend, (Y/N).

Chapter Text

            Saiki walked towards his house. His parents were excited as usual for holidays, so the entire house was decked in lights and wreaths for Christmas, even if it was a rather western holiday. As soon as he placed a hand upon the doorhandle, he had a bad feeling. Sure enough, his mother and Nendou were inside the doorway when he opened the door.

            “Oh, welcome back, Kuu!” greeted Mrs. Saiki.

            “Hey, you’re late, pal!” said Nendou, giving him a thumbs-up.

            “Hey, Saiki!” (Y/N) walked in from the living room and waved.

            Saiki sighed and walked in. “How did they end up here?” he asked his mother.

            “I ran into Nendou at the grocery store and asked him to join us! And (L/N)’s parents are going on a trip, and since they were so sweet last time we met, I offered for them to join us for Christmas,” explained Mrs. Saiki. She left to go greet her husband, who had just arrived home.

            “I’m gonna grab a cookie!” said Nendou, heading to the kitchen.

            “A trip?” And they didn’t invite their kid?

            “They had business,” said (Y/N). They smiled, but Saiki noticed it wasn’t as big as their usual one. “They’re sort of workaholics,” they joked. “They’ll be back tomorrow.”

            “So you’re staying here.”

            “Yeah!” A real smile spread across (Y/N)’s face. “I’m excited! I’ll try not to bother you, though.”

            Considerate of my feelings. “It’s fine.” He ignored how often he observed (Y/N)’s good qualities these days.

            (Y/N) looked at him in surprise. They were about to respond, but Mr. Saiki, Mrs. Saiki, and Nendou returned.

            “Merry Christmas! Santa’s here!” called Mr. Saiki, dressed up like St. Nick. He blanked when he saw (Y/N) and Nendou. “I wish you had told me that we were going to have guests. I look like a fool!” he whispered to his wife.

            “That’s because you are one.”

            (Y/N) covered their mouth to avoid laughing.

            “So who’re they?” asked Mr. Saiki.

            “They’re Kuu’s friends, Nendou and (L/N). Remember? The (L/N)’s were dropping their child of today for dinner,” said Mrs. Saiki.

            “Kusuo’s friends?!” exclaimed Mr. Saiki. He began crying in happiness.

            Saiki sighed in exasperation while (Y/N) laughed.

            “Hello, Nendou, (L/N)!” said Mr. Saiki. “I’m Kuniharu, Saiki’s father! Nice to meet you!”

            “Oh, you’re my pal’s dad? Nice to meet you,” said Nendou, but because he was so tall compared to Mr. Saiki, he ended up looking intimidating.

            He seems like a total thug, thought Mr. Saiki.

            “Nice to meet you!” chirped (Y/N). Flowers twirled around them.

            They seem too nice to hang out with Kusuo, thought Mr. Saiki.

            Hey—

            “These are well-made,” said Nendou, holding Mr. Saiki’s discarded Santa hat and beard. “I really thought it was Santa.”

            “What? R-Really?” Mr. Saiki blushed.

            So you’re happy now?

            And so, Mr. Saiki accepted Nendou as a not-thug friend and (Y/N) as the too-nice-for-Saiki friend (Saiki was not pleased with the second one). Together, they all sat down for dinner.

            “Merry Christmas!”

            “Merry Christmas!”

            They all clinked glasses.

            “(Y/N), how did someone so nice because friends with my closed-off Kusuo?” asked Mr. Saiki.

            Is this what TV shows mean about awkward family dinners with guests?

            “Saiki’s actually pretty accepting! He’s just quiet, but that’s completely fine,” said (Y/N). They spoke casually, but their heart thumped as they complimented Saiki. They almost glanced at him as if hoping for a reaction. For some reason or other. Nothing they knew.

            Mr. and Mrs. Saiki awed.

            How do they say those affectionate things so easily? Saiki would be lying if he said he wasn’t a bit embarrassed and flustered, but the world would start loving him before he showed it.

            “And Nendou! You’re quite sensible! I was happy to hear you thought I was the real Santa,” said Mr. Saiki. “When Kusuo was less than a year old, he already looked at me as if I had come from his diaper.”

            (Y/N) nodded. “The Saiki Death Stare.”

            Saiki gave them that exact look. They shivered.

            “You really are a good, well-mannered kid, Nendou,” continued Mr. Saiki, still doting on the tall boy.

            “Oh? I’m not really a good kid,” said Nendou.

            “Sure, you are,” assured (Y/N).

            “What?” asked Mr. Saiki.

            “Santa never came to my place,” said Nendou.

            “Oh, well, that doesn’t mean you’re a bad kid. Santa didn’t come to my place, either,” said (Y/N).

            “What?! Why your fathers deprive you of Santa?!” cried Mr. Saiki.

            “I don’t have a dad. He died before I was born,” explained Nendou.

            “My parents said it didn’t matter where presents came from,” said (Y/N).

            How on earth did you end up so optimistic with such realists for parents? Saiki was almost disappointed to know their home-life wasn’t as bright as they themself were.

            “What?!” cried Mrs. Saiki.

            “I-I didn’t know that…” said Mr. Saiki.

            “I’m sorry…” said Mrs. Saiki.

            (Y/N) shrugged and smiled. “It’s fine.”

            Clearly not. I wish I could read your mind. Then I’d know how to help. Saiki saw (Y/N) as a real friend (translation: he was willing to admit (Y/N) was his friend, but he had others). He was more willing than usual to get involved in their problems.

            “Hm? Why? That doesn’t bother me. I’ve got my mom, so…” Nendou gave a big smile and a thumbs-up. “Santa doesn’t come, but that doesn’t make me feel sad or anything!”

            “I see…” murmured Mr. Saiki uncomfortably. “Ah, excuse us for a bit.”

            “You three go on eating,” said Mrs. Saiki.

            The husband and wife left the room.

            “Your parents are pretty cool, and your dad is fun. I mean, he came home in a Santa costume,” said (Y/N), smiling.

            “This is just the beginning. It only gets more ‘fun’ from here,” said Saiki, the sarcasm clear without any tone.

            “Sorry for stepping out!” chirped Mrs. Saiki, returning with a bright smile.

            “Where’d Mr. Saiki go?” asked (Y/N).

            “Ah, he went out. He said something like having to go lick his clients’ shoes,” said Mrs. Saiki. She gestured to the food. “Let’s go ahead and enjoy.”

            Suddenly, Mr. Saiki, dressed completely like Santa, began trying to open the backdoor.

            “Ahhh! What’s going on?” questioned Nendou. “Some guy that looks like Santa is trying to open the door!”

            Mrs. Saiki opened the door and let “Santa” in.

            “Ahem.” Mr. Saiki cleared his throat. “Hello, Nendou, (L/N). I’m Santa. Nice to meet you.”

            “See? My father really is one-of-a-kind, isn’t he?” remarked Saiki, sending the message just to (Y/N)’s mind.

            (Y/N) smiled and whispered back. “I think it’s nice.”

            “The real Santa is here!” gasped Nendou. “Is it really you, Santa?! Amazing!”

            “Wow! Incredible!” (Y/N) played along (mostly for Nendou’s sake).

            “Please shake my hand, Mr. Santa!” said Nendou.

            “Ho ho ho! Sure!” Mr. Saiki shook Nendou’s hand.

            Mrs. Saiki and (Y/N) laughed.

            “Oh! That’s right!” exclaimed Nendou. “Santa travels with reindeer, right? I want to see reindeer even more than Santa!”

            “Okay! They’re outside. Why don’t you go look?” said Mr. Saiki.

            (Y/N) tilted their head. “Can your dad keep this up?

            “Probably not.” Not without my help. Both of my parents keep begging for my help in their minds. He teleported a reindeer to his backyard effortlessly.

            “Whoa! A reindeer! Amazing!” cried Nendou.

            “Wait, really?! Cool!” (Y/N) hurried to the window. “Whoa!”

            “Here, you two. These are presents for you,” said Mr. Saiki after they returned indoors. He handed them each a gift.

            “I-Is it really okay?” asked Nendou.

            “R-Really? For me?” Strangely, it meant even more to (Y/N) to receive the gift knowing it wasn’t Santa. They glanced over at Saiki, knowing it was probably his.

            My parents are giving away my gifts, and yet… Saiki gave them a thumbs-up. I don’t mind.

            (Y/N) grinned, and their heart warmed happily. “Thank you.”

            “All right! I get two presents this year!” cheered Nendou.

            “What? Two?” asked Mr. Saiki. “I thought you’ve never gotten a present.”

            “Yeah, nothing from Santa,” said Nendou. “But I get one from my mom. Every year, while I’m asleep at night, she puts a present next to the pillow. She could just give it to me directly. I wonder why she does it…”

            Everybody deadpanned.

            “He has a nice mom.”

            (Y/N) nodded. “Definitely.” A lightbulb went off in their head. “Oh, did you also think I never got a present? If you did, you can have your gift back, after all, it might be something you wanted, and I—.”

            “Keep it.” Saiki looked at her. His eyes displayed his honesty.

            “Are you sure?”

            Saiki nodded.

            “Thank you.” They reached behind her their and picked up a small, wrapped gift. “Here! It’s your present!”

            He took it from them.

            “Go on, open it,” they encouraged.

            With his x-ray vision, he already saw what was inside, but Saiki was excited and opened it. It was a package of coffee jelly and a keychain shaped like coffee jelly. “Thank you.”

            “Of course! Anything for you!” (Y/N) grinned with closed-eyes at him.

            A tiny smile appeared on his face. Behind them, the sounds of holiday cheer echoed from his parents and Nendou. The tree was glowing, the food wafted delicious smells into the air, and presents were piled under the tree.

            “Merry Christmas, (Y/N).”

             “Merry Christmas, Saiki.”

Chapter Text

            Let (Y/N) continue to be my friend, prayed Saiki.

            “Hey, Saiki!”

            I should have prayed for a quiet New Year’s Day.

            “Hi, Saiki!”

            You’re fine.

            “Hello! I’m Kusuo’s dad!” Mr. Saiki leaned in to Kaidou, who he hadn’t met yet.

            Mrs. Saiki hadn’t either. “I’m his mom! Wow, you’re such a cute boy! Thank you for being friends with Kuu!”

            “What? Uhm…Well…Er!” He stuttered and leaned back nervously. “N-Nice to meet you! I’m the Jet Bla—I mean, I’m Kaidou! I really appreciate your son’s camrader—err, help.”

            (Y/N) pretended to cough as they chuckled at Kaidou’s near-slipups.

            “Well, I didn’t realize Kusuo had friends other than (L/N) and Nendou,” said Mr. Saiki.

            “Nendou’s not my friend,” huffed Saiki. Then, he added, “Neither is (Y/N).”

            “Do you think if you tell yourself that enough you’ll actually believe it?” asked (Y/N) playfully.

            Saiki declined to answer since he actually did consider (Y/N) a friend.

            “To think someone like Kusuo actually made three friends,” said Mr. Saiki.

            “I prayed that Kuu would have lots of friends!” said Mrs. Saiki. “And it came true.”

            So it’s her fault.

            “You haven’t gone to pray yet, have you two? You should go!” chirped Mrs. Saiki.

            (Y/N) nodded. “Yep!”

            “Ah, yes! I should! Indubitably,” said Kaidou nervously. He walked up and rang the bell. I hope I’ll have lots of friends.

            (Y/N) rang the bell and clapped their hands. I wish for the people I care about to have a wonderful year! Especially Saiki…

            The pair returned to the Saiki family.

            “I never expected to engage in a battle with God,” said Kaidou, back to his usual self.

            “What did you pray for, Kaidou?” asked (Y/N) curiously.

            “Ah, well, it’s a secret!” squeaked Kaidou, blushing out of nerves.

            Yare yare. At least he’s getting over what that fake clairvoyant said.

            “What about you, Saiki?” (Y/N) looked at him.

            He shrugged in answer. (Y/N) nodded in understanding.

            “And you, (L/N)?” asked Mrs. Saiki.

            “I want my friends to be happy!” answered (Y/N).

            Saiki blinked. I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised anymore at their good heart.

            “Oh, hey Kaidou, (L/N),” said a new voice. Hairo had arrived. “You’re here, too, Saiki? What a coincidence. Happy New Year!”

            “Y-Yeah,” said Kaidou.

            “Are you all visiting the shrine to pray? To tell you the truth, I—Hm?” Hairo noticed the adults behind Saiki who looked ecstatic. “Saiki, who are you with?”

            “My parents.” Unfortunately. I don’t want you all to meet.

            “Oh, so you’re Saiki’s parents!” exclaimed Hairo. “Nice to meet you! My name is Kineshi Hairo! I’m Saiki’s Class Rep! Saiki is always helping me out!”

            Mr. and Mrs. Saiki were crying in happiness about how good a kid Hairo was as the boy walked up to the shrine.

            “To think you have this many friends!” sobbed Mrs. Saiki. “I’m so happy I’m about to cry!”

            “Since when do you have such good communication skills?” cried Mr. Saiki.

            “They all just follow me around on their own.”

            “You know you like us!” teased (Y/N). Hopefully at least me. It’d be weird if you didn’t like me as a friend. Their heart clenched at the “like me as a friend.”

            You, maybe.

            I pray for a good rival that I can passionately challenge with all I’ve got, thought Hairo as he bowed at the temple. A formidable rival is also like a good friend. I hope I’ll find someone like that.

            “What did you pray for, Hairo?” asked Mrs. Saiki as the redhead returned.

            “Well, it’s a secret,” said Hairo.

            What’s the deal with everyone wanting friends? Saiki’s eyes wandered to (Y/N). Not everyone is like them.

            “Oh? Hey, guys!” greeted Nendou, walking up to the group. “What’re you guys doing here?”

            “Hiya, Nendou!” (Y/N) waved.

            “Oh, hey, look! My pal’s mom and dad are here!” observed Nendou.

            As Saiki heard Hairo’s astounded “realization” that Nendou might be his rival and Kaidou’s excitement at having friends, he couldn’t help but think about how people’s prayers were coming true. Even his own. (Y/N) seemed pretty happy as usual. Though their parents were probably on another business trip, they were still cheery. Saiki was glad about that.

            “By the way, Nendou, have you gone to pray yet?” asked Hairo.

            “Oh, you mean ringing the bell and stuff? Okay then, I’ll go do it,” said Nendou. He rang the bell hard. “All right! Let’s go get some ramen.”

            “What type of ritual is that?”

            “The Nendou ritual,” answered (Y/N), amused.

            Mr. Saiki laughed. “You only rang the bell. Here, I’ll show you how to do it.” He and Nendou walked back up to the shrine. “Now, you first throw money in here, and then you ring the bell. After ringing the bell, you bow twice. And then you clap your hands twice and say a prayer.” I hope Kusuo finds a nice significant other! “After that, you bow one more time to finish.”

            Nendou repeated the ritual before they returned to the group.

            Yare yare. What a wish my dad had… Saiki glanced at (Y/N) unconsciously.

            “Oh? Could it be?” said a sweet voice. “Ah! Saiki, what a coincidence!” Teruhashi had appeared in her glowing glory. I ran into him here! How lucky! I mean, lucky Saiki!

            Mr. Saiki noticed her, and his mouth dropped open in shock (a normal reaction for those meeting Teruhashi). Could it be that my wish from earlier has already—?

            No!

            But it ticks me off that it would be someone this cute! thought Mr. Saiki.

            There’s only one person here I actually like to be around, and that’s (Y/N). Not Teruhashi.

            “Oh! T-Teruhashi!” stammered Nendou.

            “Hiya, Teruhashi!” (Y/N) waved.

            “Wow!” Mrs. Saiki clapped happily. “Who is it this time?”

            “Hi, Teruhashi,” greeted Hairo.

            “What’re you doing here?” asked Nendou.

            “I’m Kusuo’s father! Nice to meet you!” said Mr. Saiki.

            “I’m Kuu’s mom,” introduced Mrs. Saiki.

            As everyone crowded around her, Saiki and (Y/N) stood off to the side. Saiki was annoyed that so many people were interrupting his chance at a peaceful day. (Y/N) was standing there like a personified ray of sunshine. They were rocking back and forth happily, humming lightly to herself.

            “Let’s leave before they notice we’re not with them.”

            (Y/N) grinned. “I’m a terrible influence on you! Let’s do it!”

            They turned and took a few steps before Mr. Saiki noticed.

            “Oh? Are you going home, Kusuo?” asked his father. He turned suddenly to the other teenagers. “Oh, that’s right! If you like, you’re welcome to come by our place! We have customary New Year’s dishes, too.”

            “Yeah, come join us,” invited Mrs. Saiki.

            “Yeah, let’s go!” cheered Nendou as the others agreed.

            Poor Saiki had become black and white and blank.

            “Saiki? Saiki?” (Y/N) waved a hand in front of his eyes. Oh, man. This really did a number on you!

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            “Whoa! These mashed chestnuts totally rock!” said Nendou as he ate.

            “Go ahead and have as much as you like!” said Mrs. Saiki.

            Saiki sat in a corner, trying to avoid the festivities. (Y/N) was sitting in the sun next to him. Like a cat, they were almost napping in the warm light.

            “It’s very delicious! Please teach me how to make it sometime,” complimented Teruhashi.

            “Of course! It would be my pleasure!” said Mrs. Saiki.

            “You’ll make a good wife, Teruhashi,” commented Mr. Saiki.

            “I’m flattered!” gushed Teruhashi.

            That is not the option I want anyone to consider.

            …Not that there is any option.

            “Everyone, thank you for being good friends with Kuu,” said Mrs. Saiki honestly.

            “No need for thanks!” Hairo grinned.

            “We’re his friends because we want to be,” said (Y/N), stretching and smiling.

            Saiki liked that idea, strangely. He could make people do whatever he wanted, but to know some people just wanted to be around him was nice.

            “Yeah, you’re right, sorry,” said Mrs. Saiki emotionally. “I’m just so happy. He’s always had very few friends because he’s a psychic.”

            Everyone froze after that statement. Silence fell over the room.

            Yare yare.

            Saiki’s eyes immediately darted over to gage (Y/N)’s reaction. They tilted their head in confusion and glanced between him and his mom questioningly. However, there didn’t seem to be any hostility or fright on their face. Saiki was thankful for that.

            “Honey, you probably shouldn’t have said that,” said Mr. Saiki.

            “What?” Mrs. Saiki clearly hadn’t planned to say that.

            “He’s a…psychic?” asked (Y/N). “What do you mean by that?”

            Mrs. Saiki paled as she realized what she had revealed.

            “Honey, you should say something,” said Mr. Saiki.

            “O-Oh,” stammered Mrs. Saiki.

            Calm down. This is nothing to panic over. Nobody is taking this seriously. Well… Saiki glanced over at (Y/N) who was looking intently at him as if realizing something. Most of them aren’t. They may be a problem. As usual, (Y/N) was observant at all the wrong moments.

            Mr. Saiki coughed awkwardly. “Well…” He attempted to change the subject. “Do you guys know the logo of Shonen Jump?” he asked nervously. “You know, the pirate symbol?”

            “Yes, I do know it,” said Hairo, slightly confused.

            “If you turn it ninety degrees, it looks like the profile of a girl,” said Mr. Saiki. “Well…I just thought I’d point that out.”

            The teenagers still looked awkwardly at him and his family. Finally, Nendou looks at a manga.

            “Oh! Whoa! Cool! It really does!” exclaimed Nendou. “Here, look at this!”

            “You’re right! It does!” realized Hairo.

            “It looks like she’s wearing a skull hairclip,” remarked Kaidou.

            “I guess it does look like a girl,” said (Y/N). They remained distracted, however, and kept glancing back at Saiki questioningly. They weren’t as mollified as the rest of the group.

            Yare yare. I have no choice. I need another distraction. Using his powers, he knocked over a water glass and made it seem like Hairo had done it.

            “Oh, no! I’m sorry,” apologized Hairo as the water soaked the tablecloth.

            “Oh, no! I’ll bring a dishcloth!” cried Mrs. Saiki.

            The night ended with the incident, finishing any talk of Saiki’s psychic abilities. After dinner, the teenagers said their thanks and began to walk back to their houses together.

            “I didn’t expect Saiki’s parents to be so cheerful,” said Kaidou.

            “Yeah,” agreed Nendou.

            “At any rate, have you no manners?! You sure made yourself at home,” said Kaidou.

            “What?! Hey, you were the one talking all funny! What was that about?!” cried Nendou.

            “Now, now. It’s New Year’s. Let’s not ruin it by fighting,” admonished Teruhashi angelically.

            “More importantly…” (Y/N) suddenly spoke up after thinking hard. “I wonder what Saiki’s mom meant about him being a psychic.”

            “Oh, that…I wonder what that was about,” said Hairo. “That made things kinda awkward, didn’t it?”

            Saiki teleported behind a telephone pole. Yare yare. They couldn’t undo the damage after all.

            “She was probably just joking,” said Kaidou.

            “But they did suddenly change the subject…” pointed out (Y/N).

            “Yeah, it definitely was a little strange,” said Hairo.

            “But Saiki’s mom is a little unusual, so…” said Nendou cheerfully.

            Don’t say that about my mom.

            “But they really dodged the subject,” remembered (Y/N).

            You really become observant at the most inopportune times.

            “I thought it might be true for a second,” admitted Hairo.

            “That’s silly,” scoffed Kaidou, acting tough.

            “I was just kidding,” said Hairo.

            At the next crossroads, they all split up to head to their respective houses. Each teenager was now alone.

            As (Y/N) walked, they continued to ponder on what had happened at dinner. Especially the incident with the water spill. (Y/N) knew it had seemed that Hairo knocked the glass over, but…his elbow never touched it. Could it be possible? It seemed outlandish, and yet…(Y/N) couldn’t help but think it made sense. Could Saiki really be a—

            Thwack.

            Sorry, (Y/N). I can’t have anyone know. Saiki sighed as he watched (Y/N) walk away. He could only hope that their germanium earrings wouldn’t negate his Nanana stick and memory altering.

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            Saiki was half-pleased. His memory altering had been successful on Nendou, Teruhashi, Kaidou, and Hairo, but now they all had annoying misconceptions of what Mrs. Saiki said. The only person he was unsure about was (Y/N). He couldn’t read their thoughts, so he had no idea what she thought. As (Y/N) waved to him as he sat down for school, however, they clearly “remembered” what Mrs. Saiki said.

            Saiki’s never had many friends because few people understand him.

            (Y/N) smiled to themself. Saiki…You’re an enigma incarnate, but…I want to be your friend. Through thick and thin, I want to be by your side. I want to try to understand you, if you let me. I hope you’ll let me…because I really care.

            Those sentiments had been hidden quite deeply before, but as (Y/N) thought them, they took root, and something new bloomed in their heart.

            Oh dear, thought (Y/N) as that something new grew unbidden. Their eyes widened, and they touched their heart. I have a crush on Saiki.

Chapter Text

            Saiki arrived at school with zero interest in the chocolate that Toritsuka was so excited over receiving for Valentine’s Day. Sure, he liked sweets and knew people could give them as thanks and platonically, but he didn’t want the hassle of having anyone mean it romantically.

            “Good morning, Saiki!” greeted (Y/N) cheerfully. They were slightly nervous thar morning. It was clear why. Inside their bag, which Saiki could see through easily, were wrapped sweets. Valentine’s Day gifts.

            Saiki nodded to them in greeting. All his previous distaste for the holiday flew out the window at seeing them. Those feelings were slightly different when it came to (Y/N). Saiki wouldn’t mind (in fact, he wanted) chocolate from them since sweets they gave/bought him were always nice (and, obviously, it was just friendship, so he had no worries, nothing had at all, everything was normal).

            His mood was dampened somewhat when he spied the gifts on their own desk, but he simply sat down next to them. Hopefully, their chocolate was for him (he just wanted sweet treats, and they were always best when they came from (Y/N)), and they’d have a chance to give it to him. However…

            “Have you heard? Teruhashi brought chocolates for someone!” announced a boy.

            Saiki nearly groaned. Once again, Teruhashi’s strange interest in him was causing problems. She was planning to give him her chocolates, and that would cause him to be the target of the other boys’ wrath. He would have to avoid her outside of classes today. And that meant…he wouldn’t be around (Y/N). He wouldn’t get any sweet treats from them.

            There is no God…

            Saiki was forced to sit through class after class while listening to Teruhashi and all the boys’ thoughts. All the while, (Y/N) hadn’t made a move to give anyone their chocolates. That, at least, gave Saiki some relief. Obviously, he wanted the sweets, and it would be a disappointment if the chocolate went to someone else since he wouldn’t have anything nice to eat. That would be the disappointment.

            After school ends, I’ll give these to Saiki! He’ll be so stunned by the perfect pretty girl thanking him—

            Saiki’s thoughts were interrupted by Teruhashi’s plotting.

            Thanking me for what?

            —And he’ll say “Oh, wow!”

            Yare yare.

            The teacher dismissed the students. Quickly, Saiki speed-walked out of the building and around the corner before anyone could catch him. He could hear Teruhashi’s thoughts from above him as her fans tried to get in her good graces. They wanted to receive her chocolates, and she had hidden in the bathroom.

            These are my only courtesy chocolates… If those guys outside find out that I gave them to Saiki…he’ll definitely be…! Teruhashi pictured Saiki beaten up by thugs. No, not only that. A World War will break out! O-Oh, no! To think that my chocolates are the most dangerous weapon known to man! I can’t give this to him at all! She opened the bathroom window and tossed the chocolates out. I’m sorry, Saiki!

            The gift dropped next to Saiki in the grass.

            Yare yare. That’s a tad overdramatic. He reached out and placed his hand on the chocolates. Easily, he teleported it to Hairo’s bags of sweets. It would blend in there and not go to waste. Saiki couldn’t eat them. Even his sweet tooth was subject to his emotions. He wanted only (Y/N)’s chocolate on Valentine’s Day because…Well, because they were the only person he could truly admit he had a connection—friendship—with. Saiki stood up and walked towards the school entrance. Now that the situation was fixed, he could leave without being chased by Teruhashi. He rounded the corner and paused in surprise.

            (Y/N) was sitting on the curb at the gates, swinging their legs idly. The sun shone down on them, giving them a glow akin to Teruhashi.

            Oh, wow.

            A small voice in Saiki’s mind whispered the two forbidden words, and he cleared them away immediately as (Y/N) turned and saw him walking towards them.

            “Saiki!” They beamed. “I’ve been waiting!”

            “You waited for me?” It was…sweet. He liked the warm feeling it brough to his chest.

            “Of course!” (Y/N) answered as if it was obvious. “I’ve got something for you!”

            So it was for me. Saiki was glad.

            They brought out their chocolates from their bag. “Here you go! For being such a wonderful friend!” And the one I like. But I can’t tell you that.

            Ever since their realization, they’d battled their feelings and come to the conclusion that they’d just be a good friend to Saiki at most. They wouldn’t cross his boundaries since he didn’t seem to like anyone having a crush on him. (Y/N) would just be his friend. It…hurt a little, but they wouldn’t give up a good friendship for a ruined attempt at romance. (Y/N) valued Saiki as a friend as much as anything else.

            Saiki blinked and took the gift. “Thank you very much.” He was constantly blunt, but somehow, those words felt more truthful to his heart than any others he had spoken in his life.

l

            (Y/N) skipped towards the move theater happily. They were excited to see the Specializer: Live Action movie. They were more delighted when they spied Saiki entering the cinema.

            “Saiki!” They waved to him. “I didn’t expect to see you here.”

            “I’m a teenager at the movie theater.” Saiki was being sarcastic as usual, but (Y/N) was right, he didn’t go to the cinema anymore. His telepathy caused too much trouble. Now, however…he had his very own germanium ring. Saiki didn’t have to hear people’s thoughts anymore. He wouldn’t have anything get spoiled.

            (Y/N) shrugged. “Fair point. Are you here to see Specializer?”

            “Yes.”

            “I am, too!” They grinned. “Let’s go get tickets!”

            For all my bad luck, it looks like God is actually helping me out today.

            “That’s a nice ring!” commented (Y/N) as they walked in. “They look like the same metal as my earrings.”

            Saiki shrugged in answer.

            “Two tickets to Specializer,” said (Y/N) to the saleswoman.

            “Oh, how nice, a date to the movies!” remarked the lady.

            (Y/N)’s cheeks warmed. “Oh, uh, it’s—”

            “Yes, it’s nice,” said Saiki shortly, paying for the tickets and walking away. “No point in arguing with her. It’ll just waste time.”

            (Y/N) jogged to keep up with him. “If you say so.” They pushed away their stomach doing flips. “Let me pay for snacks at least. Now I have more money to spare on it.”

            Saiki nodded and let them buy the popcorn and sodas. While they walked to the theater, he easily avoided all the people who might have spoiled movies in the past. He and (Y/N) got nice seats in the theater, too. Things were actually going well for Saiki. He couldn’t help but smile.

            A germanium ring and (Y/N). It seems today is working out surprisingly in my favor.

            “Saiki, (L/N)?”

            I spoke too soon.

            (Y/N) nearly groaned. They almost got over an hour of time alone with Saiki (extremely difficult to obtain and rare), but, of course, a wild Teruhashi had to appear and ruin it. (Y/N) had nothing against Teruhashi, but…she attracted attention, especially from boys, and it made (Y/N) a bit insecure. Plus, it annoyed Saiki, and (Y/N) didn’t want him to have a bad day.

            Next to her, Saiki was also nearly groaning at how much the world hated him. He was also realizing that he could have avoided Teruhashi if he heard her thoughts early and cursing germanium again.

            “Hi, Teruhashi,” said (Y/N). They managed their usual cheerfulness and smiled.

            “Wow! What a coincidence! Are you two on a date?” Teruhashi’s eyes darted between the two.

            “Um, no, we aren’t,” said (Y/N) while Saiki shook his head.

            “Oh!” Teruhashi’s cheeks turned pink. She was happy to know that, although she couldn’t admit it to herself. “W-Well, I guess we’re all watching the movie together.”

            “Yeah…” answered (Y/N).

            I can’t hear her thoughts…That’s a problem. But I’ve been wanting to see this movie for a while, and I’m having a decent time.

            “D-Don’t this is an excuse,” said Teruhashi, “But I don’t want you to get the wrong idea.” She looked at Saiki, obviously speaking more to him than (Y/N). “You see, I’m here with someone, and…”

            “Oh?” Even Saiki was surprised on that one.

            “Kokomi! I bought some popcorn!” said a male voice. It was a boy with blue hair and sunglasses on.

            I swear I know him from somewhere, thought (Y/N). Probably someone famous since Teruhashi thinks he’s worthy of her.

            “Hey! Hey, you!” The boy took his sunglasses off and glared at Saiki. “What’s your relationship with my Kokomi?” He caught sight of (Y/N). “And what’re you doing with this poor teenager!”

            (Y/N) tilted their head in confusion at the statement.

            Yare yare. I never thought that (Y/N) would bring me unwanted attention.

            “Ah! Hey! Don’t take off your sunglasses!” exclaimed Teruhashi.

            Suddenly, all the patrons of the theater recognized the boy. It was Toru Megumi, the star of the film. They immediately crowded around him, obscuring any sound or view of the screen. Saiki decided to leave. The commotion would cause the showing to be canceled anyways. When he looked around, however, he could barely see (Y/N). Only their hand was visible. Using a bit of his super strength, he pushed through and grasped their wrist. Saiki pulled them out of the crowd and the theater.

            (Y/N) took a few deep breaths. Being nearly trampled was not a pleasant experience. “Thanks, you really saved me back there,” said (Y/N), chuckling through the adrenaline.

            Saiki simply nodded at them. Of course he had. They were his friend.

            “I’m sorry you didn’t get to see the movie. Do you want to go watch one at one of our houses?” asked (Y/N).

            “My mom has been asking to see you,” mentioned Saiki. It was a good excuse to invite (Y/N) over without admitting he tolerated them.

            “She’s sweet!”

l

            Saiki and (Y/N) had long since finished the move that had been playing on TV, but Mrs. Saiki invited (Y/N) to stay over. Now, the two teenagers were sitting on the couch reading comfortably as Mrs. Saiki turned on the television. Saiki was holding the book while (Y/N) looked over his shoulder from where they lay on the couch (He had taken off the ring by now). So far, it was a relatively quiet, domestic night. In fact, Saiki was quite enjoying having (Y/N) over. And his parents liked them, so slowly but surely, (Y/N) was somehow becoming part of the Saiki household. Their parents were often away, so (Y/N) spent time in the Saiki home. Saiki didn’t mind them being a permanent part of his life. It was nice to have them around. Saiki supposed having it as a constant would be even better.

            But what that meant evaded him in a strange manner. He had the disconcerting feeling he was missing something.

            “Ah! Toru is on TV!” gushed Mrs. Saiki.

            “Who?” asked Mr. Saiki.

            “Oh, you don’t know him? It’s Toru Mugami,” said Mrs. Saiki. “He’s the most popular young actor today! I’ve become a huge fan of his! He’s known for his good looks, charm, and talent! Many people admire him. What do you think of him, (Y/N)?” Mrs. Saiki had taken to calling (Y/N) by their first name since she viewed the teen as a kid (and hopefully an in-law, if she had her way).

            (Y/N) shrugged. “I like his movies, but he’s not my type.” They glanced at Saiki for a moment before looking carefully away.

            Not their type? Maybe Kuu is! They’d be so cute together! thought Mrs. Saiki.

            Saiki’s eyes widened minutely. He hadn’t expected that.

            “Honey…who do you like more? Me or that Toru guy?” asked Mr. Saiki.

            “That’s a no brainer! Of course, it’s you, honey! Compared to you, he’s a fly on dog droppings!”

            “Isn’t that a little harsh?”

            “Your parents really love each other,” observed (Y/N), smiling softly.

            “Yeah.”

            “I hope to have a love like theirs. Not as energetic, but…true, enduring love,” said (Y/N). They laughed sheepishly. “I guess it’s a little silly, isn’t it?”

            “No, it isn’t.”

            Saiki knew what they meant. He saw people at school get in and out of relationships frequently, but although his parents were annoyingly in love, he preferred their constant affection compared to rocky relationships. He’d rather find one person he’d want to be around forever than be “passionately” into different people every-so-often. Besides, only one really fit his temperament.

            Suddenly, the doorbell rang, and the moment was broken.

            “Oh, a visitor!” remarked Mrs. Saiki, still hugging her husband while they used their strange fly on dog poop metaphor.

            “Geez, can’t they see we’re having a moment?” said Mr. Saiki.

            “Coming! Who is it?” Mrs. Saiki opened the door and gasped.

            “What’s wrong, honey?!” cried Mr. Saiki.

            “It’s the fly…I mean…!”

            “Sorry to bother you this evening,” said Toru Mugami. “Is this where Kusuo Saiki lives?”

            Mr. Saiki looked from him to the TV. “It’s the guy from TV!”

            “Why is Toru at our place?!” cried Mrs. Saiki.

            “Quiet. You’ll upset the neighbors.”

            Finally, Mr. and Mrs. Saiki managed to compose themselves and set out a drink for Toru in the dining room.

            “Thank you very much!” said Toru. He looked at the two teenagers. “Kusuo, (Y/N), do you remember that we met at the movie theater? I thought you might’ve gotten the wrong idea, so…To tell you the truth, Kokomi and I are siblings.”

            “You do look quite similar,” remarked (Y/N).

            “People often mistake us for a couple,” continued Toru.

            (Y/N) made a weirded-out face. Ew.

            “Wait…your Kokomi’s…?” Saiki’s parents were surprised.

            “Toru Mugami is my stage name,” explained the idol, “My real name is Makoto Teruhashi. Kokomi is worried that Kusuo and (Y/N) got the wrong idea, so I came to explain it to them. I’m lucky (Y/N) was here and not at their home.”

            “I wonder why she’s worried, right?” Mr. Saiki still believed Teruhashi was his New Year’s wish for Saiki come true.

            There are much better options for me, Dad. Saiki wasn’t really sure what those options he kept thinking of were, but the word kept coming.

            Mrs. Saiki noticed the time. “Ah! I have to make dinner.” She and Mr. Saiki walked out of the room.

            “Your parents sure are cheerful,” chuckled Makoto as they left. “Oh, that’s right. I have one more message for you.” He faced Saiki. “This one is from me. Could you hear me out?”

            (Y/N) looked between them and sipped their water to avoid feeling too awkward.

            “Stay away from my sister, you stupid piece of trash.”

            (Y/N) spit out the water in surprise.

            “And stop drawing other innocent people into your schemes!”

            Confused, (Y/N) tilted their head.

            “I don’t know if you’re my beloved Kokomi’s classmate or what, but don’t push your luck, you little snot,” said Makoto. “She’s out of your league, you worthless four-eyes.” He looked at (Y/N). “And you!”

            They pointed at themself awkwardly. “Um, yeah?”

            “Don’t get trapped by this perv who clearly wants a harem!” declared Makoto.

            (Y/N) nearly died on the spot.

            “I don’t want that at all.”

            “Then, you at least want my Kokomi! And I won’t allow it! You’re a fly on dog droppings!” sneered Makoto.

            “I never knew that was such a popular analogy…” mumbled (Y/N).

            “Don’t start using it.”

            “Do you think you have a chance?” questioned Makoto scornfully.

            “Nope, not thinking that,” answered Saiki frankly.

            “Since you see her every day and can even say hi to her, you probably think that you’ll get married after a long courtship, right?” rambled Makoto.

            “Not thinking that, either.”

            “This is really detailed…” commented (Y/N). “It’s pretty concerning.”

            “Stop dreaming, you scum,” said Makoto.

            “I said I’m not, didn’t I?”

            “She’s such a pretty girl. It’s just natural that you’re drawn to her just like hyenas to dead flesh,” said Makoto.

            “In that analogy, Teruhashi is dead flesh.”

            (Y/N) stifled a laugh.

            “Kokomi isn’t just a pretty girl!” declared Makoto. “She’s a masterpiece created by God!”

            “I think that’s a bit of an exaggeration.”

            “So the only one who’s suitable for Kokomi is me!” Makoto pointed to himself.

            Saiki, and even ever-bubbly (Y/N), turned blank.

            “What the heck is he talking about?”

            “That’s just wrong,” said (Y/N), staring at Makoto. They were deeply disturbed

            Even (Y/N) doesn’t like him. That meant Makoto was truly terrible.

            “Your just her classmate,” continued the weird boy, “I’ve been by her side since she was born!”

            “Yeah…because you’re siblings,” pointed out Saiki.

            (Y/N) nodded, their face showing their growing concern (and disgust) for the state of Makoto’s mind.

            “The one who’ll marry my sister is me!” cried Makoto.

            “I see. So he’s a perv.”

            (Y/N) shuddered. “Gross, gross, gross.” They edged behind Saiki slightly.

            “I’ll never have some filthy nobody have my Kokomi!” Makoto had crazed eyes. “The only one who can lay their hands on her is me, her brother!”

            How did his parents let him get this bad?

            “Ahhh, Kokomi! I love you more than anyone else in the world does!” declared Makoto.

            “Obsession doesn’t begin to cover this…” muttered (Y/N) uncomfortably.

            “Don’t you ever get near my Kokomi,” sneered Makoto to Saiki, “Don’t try to make a harem with her and this teenager. Don’t even look her. In fact, don’t even breathe the same air she does.”

            “Yare yare.”

            Suddenly, they all heard a knock at the Saiki household’s front door. It gave (Y/N) and Saiki the perfect opportunity to escape the stifling room. They stood, but before they reached the door, Teruhashi herself opened the door.

            “Kokomi?” exclaimed Makoto.

            “What’re you doing here?” asked a frenzied Teruhashi.

            “Wow, she easily figured out where he was,” remarked (Y/N).

            Actually, I called her here.

            “Hey, what’re you doing here?” repeated Teruhashi.

            “Well, you were worried that Saiki and (L/N) got the wrong idea, right?” said Makoto, smiling innocently.

            “What…? I didn’t tell you that…How did you…,” stammered Teruhashi.

            “I always know what you’re thinking,” said Makoto. “You no longer have to worry about it. I explained anything.”

            “I-I see. I’m gla— What?” she cried. Does that mean Saiki knows I was worried he got the wrong idea?!

            She really isn’t concerned about (Y/N).

            Makoto continued, “I’m always—.”

            “Why…” said Teruhashi lowly. “Why did you have to stick your nose into this?! I hate you, big brother!”

            Makoto’s world collapsed around him.

            “Will he leave now?” said (Y/N), peering down at Makoto and poking him with their shoe in distaste.

            “I hope so.”

            (Y/N) breathed a sigh of relief.

Chapter Text

            “Soon, the world will turn into a sea of blood,” said Kaidou cryptically as he walked down the street with his friends.

            “At least red’s a pretty color,” said (Y/N), always seeing the positive side of things.

            “The time of awakening is fast approaching, Saiki,” said Kaidou.

            “Why don’t you wake up?”

            “Well, then, Saiki, (L/N). See you tomorrow,” said Kaidou. “That is…assuming there is a tomorrow.”

            “Oh, hi, Shuniekins! Are you going home now?” asked a grey-haired woman in front of Saiki’s house.

            “W-Welcome home, mama!” stuttered Kaidou.

            “Is that your mom?” asked (Y/N) excitedly.

            “I am, Shun, are these friends of yours?” questioned Mrs. Kaidou.

            “Well, never mind them! Let’s go home!” squeaked Kaidou nervously.

            “What’s the matter? Our house is close by. Why don’t you invite them over for tea?” asked Mrs. Kaidou.

            “What?! W-Well, they’re busy. Right? Isn’t that right?” Kaidou was practically begging his friends to say they were.

            “Yeah, I do have some stuff I was gonna do today…” said Nendou.

            “Come on, get the picture.”

            “Actually, it was nothing important,” finished Nendou.

            “I would love some tea!” chirped (Y/N).

            “And you?” Mrs. Kaidou addressed Saiki. “Are you busy?”

            I think I’ll pass.

            “I got some coffee jelly from the neighborhood association earlier.” Mrs. Kaidou smiled.

            “I’m sure he’s free,” said (Y/N) teasingly before Saiki even responded.

            “Please take us to your home.”

            “Please, come in.” Mrs. Kaidou opened the door of a huge house. She led them to a bedroom. “This is Shuniekin’s room.”

            “What a big room!” exclaimed Nendou.

            “Wow!” (Y/N) grinned as they looked around.

            “You can do somersaults on the floors!” Nendou began to roll around.

            “Yeah, but there’s no good reason to.”

            “He’s lively, isn’t he?” remarked Mrs. Kaidou, smiling. “No matter, I’ll go prepare tea.”

            “Th-Thanks!” Kaidou called after her.

            “Hey, runt! You call your mom ‘Mama,’ huh?” teased Nendou.

            “You had to bring that up, didn’t you?”

            “Are you a goody-goody at home?” joked Nendou.

            “I know the nickname attack very well.”

            Kaidou switched to his eighth-grade syndrome persona. “She’s an ordinary citizen. I’m trying not to drag her into this since my identity in this world is Shun Kaidou, not the Jet Black Wings! As for ‘Mama,’ in this case, it’s the characters for ‘true’ and ‘demon’ combined. In the world I come from, that’s how we address our mothers.”

            “Calm down, Shuniekins,” teased Nendou.

            “You’re a big mama’s boy,” cooed (Y/N).

            Nendou began looking under Kaidou’s bed.

            “Ah! Hey! What’re you doing, you jerk?!” cried Kaidou.

            “Looking for dirty magazines, what else?” replied Nendou.

            “Blech,” said (Y/N), sticking out their tongue at the idea.

            “Huh? I don’t have stuff like that!” said Kaidou.

            Nendou found a box and dumped out some journals. “Oh? This looks suspicious. What’s this?” He picked up a paper labeled “contract.”

            “Don’t touch that notebook!” squeaked Kaidou. “I’ll never forgive you if you open it.”

            “Put that down, Nendou. That’s not a game to him.” Saiki was serious.

            (Y/N) nodded fervently. “Leave it alone.” They snatched it from Nendou and gave it back to Kaidou.

            “What’s the big deal?” asked Nendou.

            “Those with eighth-grader syndrome have notebooks that they never want others to see.”

            “You’re no fun. I’ll check out these other shelves,” said Nendou.

            “How dare you mess up my sanctuary, you jerk!” said Kaidou.

            His mother entered the room with a tray of tea and sweets. “Thank you for waiting.”

            Kaidou immediately became quiet and polite again as everybody began to eat and drink.

            “I know it can be tough since he’s so shy, but please continue to be his friends,” said Mrs. Kaidou.

            “S-Stop it Ma—I mean Mom!” cried Kaidou.

            “She’s quite different from my mom.”

            “And mine!”

            “So, you three, what college would you just kill to get into?” asked Mrs. Kaidou.

            “Ma—Mom, it’s too soon for that sort of talk!” exclaimed Kaidou.

            “What are you saying? It’s important to start thinking about that now,” his mother said, frowning. “You three are second years. You must be studying for your college exams, right? So which school?”

            “What’s this ‘killer college business?” asked Nendou.

            “I really haven’t thought about it all that much. Besides…right now this is all I can think about.” Saiki began to eat his coffee jelly.

            “I haven’t narrowed it down quite yet,” said (Y/N) brightly, sipping their tea.

            Those were all the wrong answers.

            “Just how lightly do you three take your future?” demanded Mrs. Kaidou. “College prep begins the moment you enter high school! Shuniekins goes to cram school three times a week and studies at least three hours a day at home! You three at least prep before all your regular and after school classes, right?!”

            “I’m not disregarding my future, but…” (Y/N) trailed off. They felt like it was a bad idea to continue.

            Nendou and Saiki were silent (mostly because the sweets were too distracting).

            “Shun, come with me!” commanded Mrs. Kaidou. She dropped a ton of workbooks on the table. “You three work on workbooks! You can have snacks when you’re done!”

            (Y/N) sighed and slumped in disappointment. “Aw, man…” They sighed and picked up a thin worksheet. “Maybe if I get a little done, she’ll let me have something…”

            Saiki nodded and, when they weren’t looking, made the rest of the work finish itself with his abilities. “Finished,” he said. Please let this be one of the times you’re not observant.

            “Let’s eat then!” cheered (Y/N), not questioning anything.

            Good.

            Mrs. Kaidou opened the door and saw the pair eating while Nendou played videogames. “What are you three doing?! I told you to study!” She began to flip through a workbook. “I don’t want you to hang out with my Shuniekins any—What? Can’t be…They’re finished?! It hasn’t even been ten minutes!” She was astounded. Could these three really be…geniuses?!

            “Hold on a sec, Mama! I know what you said earlier, but I really—What?” Kaidou frowned in confusion as he entered.

            Mrs. Kaidou was happily giving out more tea and sweets to (Y/N), Nendou, and Saiki. “Please continue to be friends with Shun! Oh, Shuniekins, what good friends you’ve got!”

            (Y/N) leaned over and whispered to Saiki. “I’m really glad she didn’t press the whole college thing. I don’t think she’d really take to the idea of going to culinary school instead of a college for academics.”

            “You want to be a cook?”

            “Confectioner, actually,” said (Y/N). They grinned teasingly. “Yes, that means I could make coffee jelly.”

            “Are you an angel?” blurted Saiki.

            (Y/N) just laughed.

            Saiki found that he liked that sound.

l

            (Y/N) was heading to Café Mami, simply thinking about the snacks they wanted. They were broken from their thoughts when she bumped into Teruhashi and Yumehara.

            “Teruhashi? Yumehara?”

            “(L/N)?”

            “(Y/N)?”

            They ended up sitting together inside Café Mami.

            “I think this is the first time we’ve seen each other outside of school,” said Yumehara.

            “Now that you mention it, you’re right,” said Teruhashi.

            “I didn’t know you two came here,” said Yumehara.

            “It makes the best tea and sweets,” said (Y/N), smiling.

            “I come to study and read,” said Teruhashi.

            “I see…” Yumehara trailed off.

            All three took a sip of their drinks.

            This is awkward. We don’t talk much at school, thought Teruhashi.

            I called them by their first names. Do we know each other well enough to do that? wondered Yumehara.

            This tea is really nice, thought (Y/N).

            “Ah, come to think of it, our school trip is coming up soon, right?” remarked Yumehara, making conversation.

            “Okinawa, isn’t it? I can’t wait,” said Teruhashi.

            “Yeah, I’m really looking forward to it.” Yumehara began to fantasize about Saiki complimenting her (extremely unrealistically).

            “Yeah…” Teruhashi began to daydream Saiki saying “oh, wow” (also extremely unrealistically).

            “I’m excited!” chirped (Y/N). They imagined Saiki as well, but their mind pictured just traveling Okinawa with him (though they also wished for a moment with him. They did like him, after all).

            “I can dream, right…” breathed Teruhashi.

            “Huh? Were you thinking something just now?” asked Yumehara.

            “What? No, nothing!” said Teruhashi hurriedly. “What about you two?”

            “I-I wasn’t thinking about anything,” stammered Yumehara.

            “I was thinking about what I want to do on the trip,” said (Y/N) honestly.

            “Um, do you have someone you like, Kokomi?” asked Yumehara, trying to create conversation again.

            Teruhashi spit out the tea she was drinking.

            “What?! You do?” asked Yumehara excitedly.

            Oh, yeah, Teruhashi likes Saiki, remembered (Y/N).

            “N-No, I don’t,” denied Teruhashi, “You suddenly asked the question, so I was surprised.”

            “Sure…” said (Y/N). No point in exposing her to someone else who likes Saiki. Especially since it would cause him trouble.

            “Well, I guess you wouldn’t right? It seems love worries are foreign to you,” said Yumehara. “What about you, (Y/N)?”

            “Nope,” chirped (Y/N), lying easily.

            The other girls nodded uncertainly. They didn’t believe them (mostly because they assumed that (Y/N) liked Saiki as they did since they spent so much time with him).

            “What about you, Yumehara? Do you like someone?” asked the blue-haired girl.

            “Y-yeah,” said Yumehara, blushing.

            “Wow! Who is it?” questioned Teruhashi.

            Saiki again, thought (Y/N).

            “Well…don’t tell anyone, okay?” asked Yumehara.

            “Of course not,” said (Y/N).

            “Someone in our class?” asked Teruhashi.

            “Yeah,” admitted Yumehara.

            “Ahh, now I’m curious!” Teruhashi smiled brightly.

            “My psych—,” began Yumehara.

            Oh, wow, is she really going to be truthful? (Y/N)’s eyes widened.

            Teruhashi spit out her tea. “What’d you just say?!”

            “What? Oh, I said my psycho ex-boyfriend is finally out of the picture, so…” said Yumehara.

            Oh, oops, thought (Y/N).

            “Oh, psychO…psychO, right…” mumbled Teruhashi, relieved.

            “It’s someone I liked before I went out with my boyfriend,” said Yumehara.

            “Uhm…to tell you the truth, there is someone I’m sort of interested in,” said Teruhashi.

            Is Teruhashi going to admit it???? thought (Y/N). “Wow, really?”

            “What? No way?! Who’s that?!” questioned Yumehara excitedly. “In our school?! A French guy?!”

            “H-Hey, you’re too loud,” said Teruhashi.

            “She’s very curious,” laughed (Y/N).

            “Well, since so many guys hang out with you, I can’t figure it out,” said Yumehara, shrugging.

            “No, that’s not true. The last time I hung out with guy friends was when I went to Saiki’s house with (L/N) and the other guys on New Year’s Day,” said Teruhashi, smiling.

            Yumehara spit out her tea. “O-Oh, I see.”

            Uh, oh. They’re realizing that they both like Saiki… thought (Y/N).

            They were completely unaware of the two girls who were also thinking about how (Y/N) might like Saiki. Luckily, they were all distracted as a straw wrapper popped over the booth divider.

            “Oh, sorry. It went to your side,” said Nendou, appearing over the divider. “O-Oh, Teruhashi!”

            The trio looked over at the other booth.

            “Hi, guys!” (Y/N) waved and grinned.

            The other two began to blush as they realized Saiki could have heard them talking. Seeing the other blush, their suspicions were confirmed. Strangely, though, Kaidou bumped into Yumehara, who turned completely red. Nendou then accidentally jostled Teruhashi, who also blushed. (Y/N) could tell that from Teruhashi and Yumehara’s wide eyes that they probably thought the other liked Kaidou and Nendou, respectively.

            (Y/N) grinned and whispered to Saiki, “Lucky break for you. Now they won’t be fighting over you.”

            “Yeah. Just lucky.”

            Unfortunately, (Y/N) wasn’t as lucky, and as they spoke to Saiki, they remained right in the line of fire of Teruhashi and Yumehara’s suspicions.

            Yare yare.

            Saiki decided to ignore them and order another coffee jelly. With (Y/N).

Chapter Text

            PK Academy was buzzing with excitement for the Okinawa trip. Yumehara and Teruhashi were especially excited because they wanted to spend time with Saiki. That meant they had to join his group. Of course, the obvious answer was to first ask (Y/N) to ask the boys (since they had already roped them into their group), but they were over with Saiki, and neither wanted to embarrass themselves in front of their crush. They tried to ask the other guys, but Teruhashi’s fan club became too exuberant in trying to get her to join them. So, now the girls (plus (Y/N)) were joining boy groups by a lottery system. Teruhashi, of course, was first up. She walked up to the box and rummaged around in it for a second.

            Yare yare. I feel bad that (Y/N) won’t be in my group, but I can’t have them and Yumehara there, too.

            “I choose this one!” declared Teruhashi.

            “Teruhashi’s group will join Takahashi’s group,” announced Hairo.

            “From here on, if you wanna talk to Teruhashi, talk to me first,” said Takahashi proudly as the other boys yelled in outrage.

            (Y/N) sighed. I wanted to be in Saiki’s group…

            Teruhashi and Yumehara felt the same way. They were very disappointed.

            “So Teruhashi’s group will join Takahashi’s, but what about the rest?” asked Hairo. “Shall we decide the rest via raffle as well?”

            The boys just mumbled about not caring. (Y/N) sweat-dropped. A girl from another group finally walked up and picked out another group.

            “Ugh, we got Nendou? Being in Nendou’s group is like, totes the worst!” she spat while her group nodded. “Like, can we pick again? This, like, totes kills the trip for us.”

            “Then our group will switch with theirs!” volunteered Teruhashi angelically.

            “T-Teruhashi?!” stammered Takahashi’s group.

            (Y/N) brightened. They knew Saiki wouldn’t enjoy having Teruhashi and Yumehara with him, but they really wanted to be in his group. They were friends with him and the others in the group, after all.

            “That is, if Nendou and the other two are okay with it,” continued Teruhashi.

            Everyone was amazed at the perfect pretty girl wanting to be in Nendou’s group. However, it didn’t last long as they all thought about how kind and selfless she was for doing it. It made her more perfect to them. The class began to cheer for their goddess.

            Yare yare. The only good thing about this is (Y/N) being in my group. Other than that…I’m just stuck with two more bothers.

            The class seemed to be satisfied with the rest of the results. Then, Hairo got called over by the teacher. When he returned to the room, his face was slightly crestfallen (as much as Hairo could be).

            “Which of you are in Mera’s group?” asked Hairo.

            “Oh, we are,” said (Y/N), raising their hand.

            “It looks like she can no longer go on the trip with us,” said Hairo.

            “Aw, why?” asked (Y/N).

            “Apparently, they couldn’t catch as many bluefin tuna as they wanted,” explained the class rep. “It’s unfortunate, but we can’t do anything about it. So it’s been decided that we’ll do groups of eight instead of groups of seven. Two of the members of Teruhashi’s group have to join another.”

            Instantly, Teruhashi and Yumehara glanced at (Y/N), who was humming pleasantly. They were better friends with the boys, so they were the obvious choice to stay in the group. Other people were also pulling them away.

            Looks like God is on my side.

l

            Saiki sighed in annoyance as he listened to Makoto prattle on and on about the “perverted” things Saiki was “thinking” and how he would be there to stop Saiki from doing anything. It was really quite disturbing how detailed Makoto was getting. Saiki was prepared to just not go, but…he could hear Mera and (Y/N) passing by. Mera was sad about not being able to go, and (Y/N) was disappointed their friend couldn’t come.

            That did it.

            Alright, Teruhashi. You win.

l

            “What shall we do, teacher?” asked Hairo.

            (Y/N) had been bouncing up and down in excitement at the trip, but they were starting to get nervous since it might be canceled now.

            “This isn’t good…” said the teacher.

            Suddenly, the PA system announced, “Due to a typhoon, the flight to Okinawa scheduled for ten o’clock has been temporarily suspended at this time.”

            (Y/N) sighed and slumped in their seat. “What bad luck…”

            “When I was finally able to go,” mourned Mera.

            Saiki sighed as the depressed thoughts of his friends bothers flooded him.

            “Excuse me, if the flight gets canceled, will the school trip be postponed?” asked a student.

            “No, it’ll be canceled,” said Matsusaki.

            “What?!” cried everyone.

            “I want you to go…but it’s out of my hands,” said Matsusaki sadly.

            “Teacher!” cried the students.

            “Don’t give up, guys!” shouted Hairo, clearly trying to delude himself. “It’s not like the flight has been canceled! One, two, sun! Don’t give up! Come on, guys! Cheer with me!”

            (Y/N) just sighed gloomily.

            Yare yare, even their endless sunniness is dampened. I can’t keep watching this. He couldn’t have (Y/N) upset. He liked them happy. Saiki teleported away for a moment before returning, soaking wet.

            “Hey! The flights back on!” chirped (Y/N) happily. “The news says the typhoon suddenly disappeared!” They grinned and then cocked their head. “Saiki? Why are you wet?”

            “Never mind it.” He smiled a tiny bit. “Now, let’s take that school trip.”

            “Yeah!” cheered (Y/N).

            Finally, PK Academy boarded the plane and was off to Okinawa. (Y/N) took out headphones and leaned back in their seat. While Yumehara, Teruhashi, and Mera were talking, they decided to take a nice long nap. They wanted as much energy as possible when they arrived in Okinawa.

l

            “The ocean looks so beautiful!” said (Y/N), looking out the bus window.

            “It’s so green!” said Nendou. “I wonder if someone’s dumpin’ some paint out there. Right, pal, pinky?”

            (Y/N) just grinned and shook their head.

            “Hey, (Y/N)!” called Yumehara. “Look!” She opened her shirt, revealing a bikini top.

            (Y/N)’s cheeks warmed, and they looked away. “Yumehara!”

            “Don’t take your clothes of here!” Teruhashi blushed.

            “It’s just a bathing suit,” explained Yumehara.

            “That makes more sense,” said (Y/N). “Stripping on the bus doesn’t seem your thing. I’m guessing you’re excited about the beach?”

            “Totally!” said Yumehara.

            “Me, too,” said Teruhashi.

            (Y/N) smiled. “I can’t wait to go. I bought a new swimsuit for the occasion.”

            “Oh, are you not wearing a guy’s swimsuit this time?” asked Yumehara.

            “No, I went for a two-piece,” said (Y/N). “I thought I’d have fun.”

            “I got a bikini, too,” remarked Teruhashi.

            “We’ll be like a fashion show!” commented (Y/N), beaming as the bus stopped.

            “Ooh, finally, we’re getting food!” Mera was drooling at the thought.

            She quickly pulled everyone into the building the teachers were escorting them into. They were all sat down in groups around tables and given food.

            “So, this is Okinawa soba, huh? It doesn’t look like soba at all,” said Nendou.

            “Well, one difference is that they don’t use buckwheat flour, so—,” said Yumehara.

            “Whatever it is, it looks good! Let’s chow down!” Nendou began eating.

            “Kuwachii sabira,” said Kaidou in the Okinawan dialect.

            Everyone stared blankly at him.

            “Yep! Maasan! This is ippee maasan,” said Kaidou as he ate.

            “Sure! Maasan!” chirped (Y/N).

            “Don’t start,” said Saiki, giving them a look.

            They laughed sheepishly while Kaidou continued attempting the Okinawan dialect.

            “He’s trying too hard.”

            “Th-Th-That’s amazing, Kaidou,” said Teruhashi, struggling to get the lie out.

            “I can’t remember them at all,” said Yumehara.

            “That’s fine!” said Kaidou. “Even if you don’t get ushinaa guchi, nankura naisa!”

            “He was excited for that phrase,” observed (Y/N).

            Finally, after an excruciatingly incomprehensible narration of the meal by Kaidou, the group finished eating and left the restaurant.

            “We still have some time left. Do you wanna stop by the souvenir shop?” asked Mera.

            “Sure!” (Y/N) nodded. With that, the girls enjoyed the time until dinner with some light shopping.

l

            “Now this is what a school trip’s all about!” cheered three boys at the hot springs. “Peeping!”

            Yare yare. Hearing their thoughts makes me feel gross.

            “Actually, I came once before to check things out,” said one boy.

            “To Okinawa?!” cried Takahashi. “That’s commitment, Murata!”

            “The hotel switches the men’s and women’s baths each day. I have a good grasp of the other side, too,” said Murata.

            “Wow…I can’t even find words…” said the third boy, impressed.

            “But it’ll all be worth it…to get a peek at her!” declared Murata, clearly thinking of Teruhashi. “The best place to peek is under that light.”

            I’ll block their line of sight.

            “What is she’s already gotten out?” asked Takahashi.

            “They might not compare to Teruhashi, but Mera and (L/N) are pretty hot as well,” said the third.

            Saiki stopped his movements. Yare yare. I guess I’ll have to handle this differently.

            As the three used periscopes to try to look over the fence, Saiki twisted the tops around. The boys were met with the horrifying picture of a naked Nendou.

            I don’t understand what the big deal about naked bodies is— Saiki accidentally looked through the fence with his x-ray vision. He could see (Y/N) in the water with their back turned. It was more of them than he had ever seen. Oh, wow. He immediately looked away. He had not expected that reaction to them. Shaking his head, he dispelled the thoughts, but they continued to bob in his head. Yare yare. I’m going down to the beach to get away from all of this.

            If Saiki had known the situation would just get worse, perhaps he wouldn’t have lay down on that beach chair that night.

Chapter Text

            (Y/N) walked through the grounds of the hotel. After all day of being with people, they had wanted a moment to themself, and on the beach, they could see the stars, so they walked down to the end of the beach before returning to the hotel. ((Y/N) knew it was the curfew, and they were late, but oops).

            They arrived at the beach chairs of the hotel and saw Saiki and Toritsuka. (Y/N) brightened upon seeing them (mostly Saiki).

            (Y/N) opened their mouth to call out when they saw Saiki lift a hand and a giant shipwreck floated out of the hole where their hotel should be.

            …

            In the moment (Y/N) took to (unsuccessfully) process that, the shipwreck disappeared and was replaced by their hotel.

            “What the hell?!” they cried.

            Toritsuka and Saiki froze. Slowly—nearly creaking—they turned to face (Y/N). Toritsuka and Saiki turned blank, and (Y/N) stared just as blankly back.

            “Saiki, they saw!” cried Toritsuka. “Do something!”

            “If I try to do anything, I’ll lose control,” said Saiki. Without his receiver, his powers were way too powerful.

            “Saiki, did you do that?” said (Y/N), eyes wide.

            Saiki was silent, and Toritsuka looked at him nervously.

            “I did.” Saiki risked it all and spoke the truth. “I’m a psychic.”

            “As in telepathy, psychokinesis, teleporting, and all that stuff?” said (Y/N) slowly.

            “Yes.”

            Silence followed. Toritsuka looked between (Y/N) and Saiki nervously. Saiki was sincerely wishing he could read (Y/N)’s thoughts.

            “Okay,” said (Y/N).

            Toritsuka’s jaw fell open. “That’s all?!”

            “It’s Saiki,” said (Y/N), smiling and shrugging. “I know he’s a good person, and I’m his friend. This is just another part of who he is. It doesn’t change what I think of him.” They laughed nervously. “Even if knowing he can hear my thoughts is awkward.” After all, I have a crush on him, and he hates that stuff…

            “I can’t hear yours,” said Saiki.

            “You can’t?” said (Y/N). Then that meant…

            “Your earrings mean I can’t,” said Saiki.

            I’m never taking these off, thought (Y/N). “Alright.”

            “You’re really just okay with this?!” shouted Toritsuka. “Even I thought it was crazy and am scared of him!”

            “You’re scared of Saiki?” said (Y/N), cocking their head in surprise. “Why?”

            “Because I know what he thinks,” said Saiki.

            “Oh, ew, that sounds worse for you,” said (Y/N), looking at Toritsuka distastefully.

            Toritsuka laughed nervously as he realized he was drawing attention from (Y/N) and Saiki for all the wrong reasons. “Aha, shouldn’t we focus on the hotel?”

            “It’s back,” said (Y/N), shrugging.

            Toritsuka deadpanned. He thought they were way too okay with everything already.

            “We need my receiver,” said Saiki, pointing to his head where he was missing one. “Or else I might have another accident.” He turned towards Toritsuka. “So what did you do with it?”

            “What?” said Toritsuka. “I didn’t take it! I swear.”

            Saiki frowned slightly. Toritsuka wasn’t lying. “Then who…” He straightened as he overheard Mera and Yumehara talking in their room. Teruhashi was missing. “It was Teruhashi. She disappeared somewhere with my control device. I’ll find her with my clairvoyance.” Saiki crossed his eyes. “Oh, she’s okay.”

            “That’s good,” said (Y/N), breathing a sigh of relief.

            Saiki saw a bear in his vision. “Oh, no, she’s not okay!” He looked at (Y/N). “Keep track of Toritsuka while he looks like Teruhashi.” Without any explanation of what that meant, Saiki teleported away.

            (Y/N) blinked and turned towards Toritsuka. “What did he…” they trailed off as all they saw was Teruhashi in front of them. “Oh.”

            Toritsuka beamed “Do I look like her?! Oh, man, perfect! I can get into the girl’s dorms—”

            “Don’t even think about it!” chirped (Y/N) cheerfully.

l

            (Y/N) was relieved when the real Teruhashi returned to the dorm, safe and sound. No one else noticed the change, but (Y/N) had been up all night watching for her, and when a body appeared in her bed after everyone was asleep, they could breath a sigh of relief knowing everything had gone alright. (Y/N) hesitated a moment before taking out their earrings.

            Good job, Saiki.

            (Y/N) put their earrings back in, satisfied with the message they’d sent, and promptly lay down to sleep. They were exhausted. Way too much had happened today, and, hey, no matter how well they took it, learning that their (best) friend (and crush) had psychic powers changed your perspective on the world. (Y/N) deserved a good sleep to digest that.

l

            Saiki stood on the beach, ready to teleport back to his own house for a proper sleep.

            Good job, Saiki.

            He paused. Those were (Y/N)’s thoughts. He’d never heard them before. He had to admit, their voice sounded better in his head than others.

            Saiki allowed himself a smile. And then he promptly schooled his expression. Something was going on with him, and it was just his own exhaustion keeping him from figuring it out. Saiki would have to confront it soon, though. He had no choice.

l

            The following morning, everyone gathered for breakfast, and no one seemed to have noticed anything amiss from the previous night.

            “When’d you come back yesterday, Saiki?” asked Kaidou. “You weren’t in the room at lights-out, were you? Where’d you go?”

            Well, people had noticed a bit, but not enough to really worry.

            “He went to find me,” said (Y/N), smiling. “I went on a walk down the and forgot about the time.”

            “Oh, okay,” said Kaidou.

            Saiki glanced at (Y/N). They seemed so…fine, even though he’d probably destabilized their entire view of the world with the reveal of his powers. How were they alright? How was (Y/N) so accepting?

            Something in his heart beat a moment quicker. Saiki couldn’t understand (Y/N)’s calm, easy acceptance of him, but he was…glad of it. Just glad.

l

            The pineapple farm visit had gone about as Saiki expected. Mera had eaten a ton of samples and had to be pulled away by Yumehara. Teruhashi was gifted whole pineapples to take back home with her. Toritsuka made inappropriate jokes about fruits (as compared to women’s you-know-whats) and grossed out everyone.

            The aquarium also let everyone mess around and just be themselves.

            “Whoa! It’s huge!” Nendou stared at the whale shark with wide eyes. “Isn’t that Capture Level for that thing at least twenty?!” (He thought Pokémon and real animals were the same thing, unsurprisingly).

            “Hmph. So your world is shrouded in darkness, too, huh?” said Kaidou, smirking as he looked at the “Ecology of Deep Sea Fish” display.

            “Wow, the fish are gathering around Teruhashi,” said Hairo, surprised.

            An entire school of fish had swum up to the window to just stare at Teruhashi as she smiled and was fawned over as usual.

            “They’ve mistaken her for a mermaid!” exclaimed another classmate.

            That accounted for all of Saiki’s friends bothers except one. Saiki looked around and spotted (Y/N) looking at a tank of betta fish. They caught his eyes, smiled, and waved him over.

            Saiki decided that it wouldn’t be terrible to stand with them (translation: he’d enjoy himself). He walked over and looked at the display they were enjoying.

            It was a tank of betta fish swimming around, and they were all beautiful and multicolored.

            “Look, that one’s pink, just like your hair,” said (Y/N), gesturing to one and smiling. “It’s a Saiki fish.”

            Saiki had to begrudgingly agree that if he transformed into a betta fish he might actually be that color. “It is.”

            (Y/N) chuckled to themself and read the display on the fish themselves. Saiki watched them and furrowed his brow. They were acting so normal, and he still couldn’t reconcile what he thought their reaction would be (should be?) and what it was.

            “Are you sure you’re okay?” He couldn’t help but ask. (Y/N) was…Well, they meant something to him. He couldn’t help but check in on them.

            “Huh?” (Y/N) frowned. “What do you mean? I’m fine.”

            “With what I told you last night,” said Saiki.

            (Y/N) burst out laughing. “Oh, Saiki, of course I am.”

            Saiki gave them a deadpan look of disbelief, and (Y/N) shook their head in amusement and waved a hand.

            “Seriously, Saiki. I don’t care. I mean, sure, it was a lot to learn about, but I don’t care. The…power thing I can deal with,” said (Y/N), shrugging. “Even if it takes a moment.” They smiled warmly. “But I don’t need to deal with what I think about you. That doesn’t change. I told you that last night, and I was serious.”

            “I think you have a screw loose,” said Saiki bluntly.

            (Y/N) rolled their eyes. “Saiki, you’re my friend. There’s not much you could say to make that change. And having, you know, unusual abilities isn’t one of those things.”

            “You really don’t care.” Saiki stared at them, trying to understand their mind.

            “Why would I?” said (Y/N) as if it was the easiest statement in the world. They smiled, and Saiki thought the entire air warmed around them with their kindness. “I care about who you are, not what you can do. And to me, you’re just Saiki. Now you’re Saiki who can do cool stuff. It’s just a new part of you I’m honored to learn about.”

            Without another word, (Y/N) happily turned away and walked down to another tank of the aquarium. Apparently, their words felt so truthful and obvious that moving on was no problem.

            Behind them, Saiki was left with many more thoughts than (Y/N) had.

            They really don’t care. They don’t think any differently of me. I’m still just Saiki. Their  friend.

            Saiki’s heart thrummed at the word, and he watched them go. He was…glad—no, happy—that (Y/N) accepted him. They meant so much to him, and to know that they still saw him in the same way and didn’t care about his powers meant just as much. It solidified what Saiki had been trying to avoid thinking of for quite a while: what (Y/N) really meant to him.

            Friend had been the right word for only a brief moment as Saiki came to accept what he thought. But now, with this reveal on his part and their complete acceptance and continued respect of him as a person, Saiki was forced to reconcile with the beating of his heart, normally so still.

            Saiki had feelings for (Y/N). He had a crush on (Y/N).

            It was an entirely new feeling, but he knew it was true. He wanted to be around them. He liked their presence, looked for them in crowds, anticipated seeing them. And now, Saiki knew that they understood every part of him and still cared about him—as a friend, he had to remind himself. And that meant the world. (Y/N) was his friend, yes, and he appreciated them as that. But underneath, in his own heart, he cared about them as more.

            “(Y/N).”

            They glanced back in confusion as Saiki walked up to them again. It was rare he used their name, even though (Y/N) had asked him long ago to call them by their first name.

            “Yeah, Saiki?” said (Y/N).

            “…Call me Kusuo.” He didn’t try to explain why.

            He could lie and say it was just easier, or tell a part of the truth that he had been more honest with (Y/N) than he had been with anyone else in his life. That they were the first person he’d chosen on his own to tell about his powers and he was honored that they respected him still and wanted to acknowledge (Y/N) was his friend.

            But Saiki didn’t say anything.

            That didn’t matter. He had a feeling that (Y/N) understood as they gazed at him warmly.

            “Alright, Kusuo.”

            Oh, wow.

Chapter Text

            “I’m super nervous to go out…” said Yumehara, pulling her towel tighter around herself.

            “Don’t worry, Yumehara, you should just have fun!” said (Y/N), patting her shoulder.

            “That’s fine for you to say, you look amazing!” cried Yumehara.

            “And you look lovely,” said (Y/N). “Right, Teruhashi?”

            “Of course,” said Teruhashi, smiling brightly. “Don’t worry, Yumehara. You look great.”

            Yumehara sighed and buried herself deeper in her towel. “Just go on without me.”

            “Are you sure?” said (Y/N), concerned for their friend. They sat down on the bench beside Yumehara while Teruhashi started walking outside. “I can wait for you and go out with you if you’d feel better.

            “Well…” Yumehara trailed off as applause started outside the changing room.

            Teruhashi had exited in her pale blue bikini and swim-skirt. “Thanks for waiting!” she said.

            The people watching her nearly exploded at her appearance and continued to cheer and clap for quite some time all along the beach.

            “Sorry, I had a hard time finding a locker and got caught up talking to Yumehara and (L/N),” said Teruhashi, walking up to Saiki, Kaidou, and Nendou.

            “No worries! We didn’t wait at all,” exclaimed Nendou nervously as he blushed.

            “That’s right! No worries!” squeaked Kaidou, struggling to get out words.

            Saiki said nothing.

            Teruhashi’s eyebrow twitched. Tsk. So this level of skin exposure won’t get Saiki to say “oh, wow!” huh?! “Well, then, shall we go? Everyone’s waiting, right?”

            “Well, (L/N), Yumehara, and Mera aren’t here yet,” said Kaidou, and Saiki nodded.

            “Oh, right, Yumehara is having some trouble…but (L/N) was with her, so they should be out soon,” said Teruhashi.

            Inside the changing room, Yumehara was still cowering. “I can’t go out there after Kokomi…” she said.

            “Come on, Mera and I will go out with you,” said (Y/N). They smiled. “I promise, it will all be alright.”

            “Right!” said Yumehara, summoning her courage. “I look great, and my swimsuit is perfect!”

            “That’s the spirit,” said (Y/N) encouragingly. “Come on, Mera.”

            “Coming!” said Mera.

            All three walked towards the entrance of the changing room and entered the sunlight.

            “Thanks for waiting!” said Yumehara, smiling cutely. “I had some trouble finding my towel.”

            No reaction from anyone, it was just a regular day despite her yellow swimsuit.

            What?! They made it an ordinary scene? Come on, couldn’t you do anything special since it isn’t the anime! Yumehara huffed. At least Chisato and (Y/N)—

            “Sorry about that! I’m here,” said Mera. She fiddled with the straps of her school-issued swim uniform. “My swimsuit is a bit small, so I had trouble putting it on.” She smiled, and the boys watching widened their eyes as the usually quiet and unassuming girl was transformed (for them, Mera was always cute) into someone special.

            Mera gets a whole sentence about her?! I got two words, “yellow swimsuit!” thought Yumehara. She sighed. At least (Y/N)’s been nice about this whole thing—

            “Wow, (L/N), you look great!” said Kaidou, smiling.

            “Hey, pinky, you’re wearing pink!” said Nendou.

            “Thanks, guys,” said (Y/N), smiling. “I thought it would be fun to wear a feminine swim costume on the trip instead of my usual shorts and t-shirt.”

            Indeed, while in the last beach scene they’d worn a men’s swim shirt and swim trunks, this time (Y/N) wore a pink two-piece, with a sporty, pale pink top and bottoms. The straps were red, and strawberries were printed over the fabric. It was a very sweet outfit and very (Y/N)-esque.

            Yumehara’s jaw dropped open. Not only did (Y/N) get a whole paragraph to their outfit, the sun was also falling on them in the perfect way to highlight their figure and make them glow with warmth and sweetness.

            That’s fine! As long as I can see Saiki’s reaction, I’ll be okay! Yumehara turned towards Saiki.

            He was looking directly at (Y/N).

            “Strawberries. Nice.” That was all Saiki could manage.

            After the realization he’d had at the aquarium, Saiki had shut down for the entire bus ride to the beach. It had taken a very, very long time to process that. Apparently, having feelings were a worse blow to him than discovering he had Saiki powers had been to (Y/N).

            And now Saiki had to see them in a cute outfit? Yes, Saiki wasn’t one to care about appearances—and even if he did, he thought (Y/N) looked nice all the time—but after his realization, he was noticing way too much about them. And, unfortunately for him and his sanity, he was noticing that he associated (Y/N) with sweetness and strawberries were sweet and that was cute and—

            “Thanks!” said (Y/N), smiling warmly.

            Yare yare.

            Next Saiki was stuck thinking about their smile, but we won’t write a paragraph on that to spare him and give him some of his dignity.

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            While her friends hung out in the water, Yumehara curled up in her towel, confidence unfortunately destroyed again.

            Okay, fine, it’s over. My school trip is over, okay? she thought despondently.

            “Oh? Aren’t you gonna swim?” asked Kaidou.

            “No, I don’t feel good, so…” Yumehara trailed off.

            (Y/N) frowned from where they were standing in the water. “I wish I could help her confidence…”

            “She’s recovered before,” said Saiki.

            “In other words, you can’t swim, right?” teased Yumehara, having started talking to Kaidou (he had gone into a tirade about being cursed by Dark Reunion).

            Kaidou, poor thing, turned bright red. “Th-Th-That’s not true!”

            Did he blush when he saw my swimsuit?! He did, didn’t he?! Yumehara brightened triumphantly. He’s even looking away! So cute!

            “Wow, she’s already recovered,” said (Y/N), smiling.

            “She thinks he thought she was cute,” said Saiki.

            “Whatever works,” chirped (Y/N). “As long as she cheers up, that’s good.”

            “Kaidou!” called Teruhashi, running up. “Did you see a ball come this way?”

            “N-N-No, I didn’t!” squeaked Kaidou, overwhelmed. He rolled backwards in panic.

            He rolled backwards three times?! Poor Yumehara’s confidence took another blow. I can’t believe how much of a difference there was in his reaction…

            Saiki furrowed his brow in irritation. (Y/N) noticed and cocked their head.

            “You alright?” they asked.

            “This is as much of a pain as I anticipated,” said Saiki. Hearing everyone’s current dilemmas was going to give him a headache.

            Someone, please say I’m cute… thought Yumehara.

            “Hey, she’s cute!” said a new voice.

            She whirled around eagerly, but the fantasy was broken as two older boys walked past her towards Teruhashi. (Y/N) frowned as they noticed them. The way they leered felt wrong.

            “Hey, you there,” said the first man.

            “Whoa, check you out!” said the second. “How about the three of us go get some shaved ice?”

            What? This is a joke, right? Are they really hitting on me…? thought Teruhashi.

            “Hey, what’s the problem? Let’s go,” said the first.

            Just how dense do they have to be to think they’re in my league? thought Teruhashi. I know I’m really cute, but this is beyond reckless! It’s not that they have guts, they’re just plain dumb.

            “Are you nervous?” said the second.

            “I don’t like the look of those two,” said (Y/N), frowning in concern.

            Saiki looked over. That got his attention since (Y/N) never disliked people. The only person they had was Makoto (for obvious reason) and now these two.

            “Okay, let’s go, it’s decided!” said the first man, reaching for Teruhashi’s wrist.

            “That’s it, I’m going to help her,” said (Y/N), walking out of the water.

            “Be careful—” Saiki didn’t want those men to hurt them. If they tried anything, Saiki was stepping in.

            “Hey, you two!” said (Y/N). “Get away—”

            “Get off her!” said an unexpected voice. Kaidou moved between the men and Teruhashi and threw out his hands. “She doesn’t wanna go! So beat it!”

            “Huh?!” said the men angrily.

            “Oh?” said Saiki in surprise.

            “Who the hell are you?” said the first man angrily.

            Kaidou wilted but tried to keep his courage up. “W-Well…She doesn’t want to go, right? So…”

            “This is none of your business, got that?!” snapped the second man.

            “Uhm, I’m her classmate, so…” Kaidou trailed off nervously, but his heart was still there. “If you don’t cut it out, I’m gonna get, um, serious…”

            “Huh, what’re you mumbling about?” sneered the first.

            “Leave them both alone,” said (Y/N), walking towards them.

            Saiki took a step towards the group. If anything were to happen, he’d step in. Just for (Y/N), the others could mostly figure it out for themselves.

            “Yeah!” said Yumehara, stepping up with (Y/N). Two versus two. “We’re on a school trip, and if you keep causing trouble, we’ll get the teachers.”

            “Huh?! Don’t get cocky with us!” said the first man again, leering over Yumehara and (Y/N).

            “Get lost, you dumb broads!” said the second.

            Poor Yumehara wilted at the criticism, her self-esteem damaged once more. (Y/N) just glared, knowing those two were just idiotic men (the two words went hand in hand often).

            “So just get out of the way,” said the first, moving to shove (Y/N) out of the way.

            “Yeah,” sneered the second, moving to push Yumehara away.

            Wham!

            Whiff!

            “Don’t ever try to hurt people,” said (Y/N), glaring at the man they had punched to the ground.

            Saiki, who had raised his hand to do something to protect (Y/N), blinked in surprise. He hadn’t expected that. Still…at least they were alright. That’s what mattered to him.

            “You bastards! Apologize to Yumehara and (L/N)!” said Kaidou, glaring at the man he’d bunched. “What do you think you’re doing?! Just apologize to them!”

            The man he had punched frowned and touched his cheek. “That didn’t hurt at all!”

            Unsurprising, thought Saiki.

            “It looks like you got a bug bite,” said the other man, frowning. “Why’d you get hit by the weakling?!” He hadn’t gotten as lucky.

            “I’ll show him weak!” said the man hit by Kaidou, lifting his arm again.

            (Y/N) curled their hand into a fist, preparing to hit the other guy, too.

            Saiki reached out and squeezed his pointed finger and thumb together.

            “Ow!” cried the second man, holding his cheek as the pain began.

            “It hurts now?” said the first man, frowning. “Ow!” His cheek began to thrum with even more discomfort than before.

            (Y/N) tilted their head in confusion as the two men ran away in fear of the pain before looking back towards Saiki. Upon seeing his raised hands, they smiled and nodded to him.

            Saiki had to admit, he didn’t like his attention for his abilities, but seeing (Y/N)’s approval…well, he wouldn’t say no to it.

            Beside (Y/N), Kaidou turned to Yumehara. “A-Are you okay? They were really rude.”

            Yumehara just blushed and imagined something very different as he spoke to her. (Along the lines of: you’re so cute, Chiyo).

            Kaidou! He’s so amazing! thought Yumehara.

            In no sooner than a moment after being “rescued” by Kaidou, Yumehara had developed a massive crush on him.

            Good job, Kaidou.

            Saiki wasn’t sure feelings were supposed to come about so quickly, but he knew he wasn’t the norm. And, hey, Kaidou had done the right thing.

            “Thanks for that,” said (Y/N), smiling at Saiki. “We needed the help.”

            “I don’t think you did.” (Y/N)’s right swing was surprisingly formidable.

            “Maybe, but it was still nice of you to step in,” said (Y/N). “Thanks, Kusuo.” They grinned. “I’ll buy you a sweet for your troubles.”

            (Y/N)’s praise and sweets? Saiki thought that was a perfect exchange.

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            “Come on, Mera, Teruhashi, Yumehara,” said (Y/N), trying to get their friends’ attention. “We have to meet up with the boys at that café.” They wanted to make sure they didn’t fall behind. (Mostly because they had seen Saiki eying a dessert on the plane ride, so (Y/N) thought treating him to that would be a good “thank you” for the previous day).

            “I can stay back with Mera if you two would prefer,” said Teruhashi graciously. “I know you’re friends with them, (L/N), and Kaidou hasn’t gone far, yet, Yumehara.”

            Said girl went bright red. “What?! Wha…What? Why?! Kaidou?!”

            “Oh, I’m sorry, I thought you might have a crush on him,” said Teruhashi.

            She definitely does, thought (Y/N).

            They looked back at the boys and frowned. Saiki was nowhere to be seen. Evidently, he’d decided to leave behind his usual bothers to try to get to the sweets. (Y/N) chuckled fondly and shook their head in amusement. Saiki had his mind on treats and only on treats.

            Ah, well. I’ll just make sure we get there and pay before he does, thought (Y/N).

            “Am I making it that obvious?” said Yumehara, nearly melting from how red she was.

            “Ah, I’m sorry! I won’t tell anyone,” said Teruhashi. She glanced nervously at (Y/N). “And I’m sure (L/N) won’t.”

            “You can count on us, Yumehara,” said (Y/N) brightly.

            “Good, because I also know who you like, Teruhashi!” said Yumehara. She glanced at (Y/N). They might like Saiki, but I have no idea…

            Teruhashi turned red and waved her hands in front of herself. “Ah!K-Keep it to yourself, okay? We’ll all keep each other’s secrets!” She glanced at (Y/N). Especially since they might like Saiki, too.

            (Y/N) remained blissfully unaware of the two girls analyzing (Y/N)’s feelings. “Sounds good to me.” They grinned. “We’re friends.”

            “Right,” said Yumehara, smiling. “But, anyways, I don’t think we should split up.”

            (Y/N) nodded in agreement. “After yesterday, I think we should stick together.” They laughed. “And Mera can grab more free samples from other shops as we go.” They sweat-dropped as they saw the current staff-owner trying to pull Mera away from the samples.

            “Oh, also, isn’t it about time for you two to start calling me by my first name?” said Yumehara. “After all, we’re friends, and last names feel so formal! So you both can call me Chiyo, alright? We’re good friends now, Kokomi, (Y/N)!”

            “O-Okay, Chiyo,” said Teruhashi.

            “Right, Chiyo!” said (Y/N). “And you both can call me by first name.”

            “You can do the same for me!” said Teruhashi, deciding to take a chance and get closer to her two friends.

            “How sweet,” said Mera, but she was only talking about the samples she was devouring.

            (Y/N) shook their head in amusement and grabbed her wrist. “Come on, Mera, we’re going to a café, so you can get more there.”

            “Oh, great!” said Mera brightly, letting her friends steer her out.

            “Hey, where’d Saiki go?” said Kaidou, looking around in confusion as he and Nendou finally noticed Saiki’s absence.

            “Buddy?! Where are you?” called Nendou.

            “Follow me,” said (Y/N), gesturing to everyone.

            “You know where Saiki is?” asked Teruhashi, surprised.

            (Y/N) laughed. “Kusuo’s pretty obvious.”

            Everyone else sweat-dropped. Saiki was not.

            …

            Wait, Kusuo?! thought everyone (minus Nendou).

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            “I would’ve thought Kusuo would be here by now,” said (Y/N) as they sat down with their friends. They had all ordered the same dish and were just waiting for Saiki.

            The bell on the door rung as Saiki walked in.

            “Hey, pal!” said Nendou excitedly.

            “We’re sitting here!” said Yumehara.

            “Hi, Kusuo,” said (Y/N).

            “Where have you been?” asked Teruhashi.

            “I’m surprised that you found us,” said Kaidou.

            “Now everyone in our group is here,” said Mera cheerfully.

            I knew it before I opened the door, thought Saiki.

            “Welcome!” said the waiter. Saiki pointed to what he wanted on the menu. “Oh, the Red Bean Coffee Anmitsu? I’m sorry, but we sold them all to those customers over there.”

            On cue, the group’s orders were brought out.

            Saiki stared. Wait, they only serve six a day, so…Yare, yare, so this is the ending, huh?

            “Kusuo,” called (Y/N). “Come sit with us. You can have mine. Remember? I owe you.”

            Saiki stared and felt his admiration for (Y/N) grow hundredfold.

            “We can all share,” said Nendou.

            “Good idea!” (Y/N) smiled at the waiter. “We’d like another bowl and spoon, please.”

            Saiki sat down and stared in amazement as his friends gave him large amounts of their sweets until he had the biggest portion out of all.

            “Looks like you got even more than you would’ve before,” said (Y/N).

            “Let’s chow down!” said Nendou. “This’ll be the last memory we make on our school trip.”

            “Right!” said everyone, digging in.

            Saiki lifted his spoon and smiled as he looked out at everyone. This isn’t so bad.

Chapter Text

            “We’ve got another transfer student,” said (Y/N), leaning on their desk.

            “It’s all people have been talking about,” said Saiki. “And thinking about.”

            “As long as they’re not another Toritsuka, they can’t be that bad, right?” said (Y/N).

            “Don’t tempt fate. God hates me enough,” said Saiki.

            “Okay, everyone, please be seated,” said their teacher, walking in. “I’ll introduce you to the transfer student.”

            Everyone sat still, expectant.

            “Okay, come in,” said their teacher.

            A boy with purple hair and rectangular glasses stepped inside.

            Immediately, all boys lost interest, and, apparently, he wasn’t good enough for the girls either.

            “I’m not sure,” whispered the boys.

            “He seems gloomy,” murmured the girls.

            “Well, then, please introduce yourself,” said the teacher.

            The boy turned around and began writing on the board. However, for some reason, he wrote “Aren Kuboyasu wuz here!!” instead of just his name.

            “I’m Aren Kuboyasu. I moved here from Ibaraki Prefecture,” said Kuboyasu.

            So polite and yet… thought (Y/N), sweat-dropping as they looked at the message on the board.

            “ ‘Wuz here?’ ” read the students.

            Kuboyasu freaked out and erased the last two words. “Ah! Sorry, old habit! Wait, no! Just forget I did that!”

            And it seemed that everyone did since the students all smiled widely. “Nice to meet you, Kuboyasu!”

            “What’s that?” Kuboyasu looked at them awkwardly. “Ah… ‘Sup homies!”

            “ ‘Sup homies?’ ” Several people laughed, thinking he was people silly. “You’re funny.”

            “He seems pretty interesting,” said Kaidou.

            (Y/N) looked at Saiki and whispered before class began. “What do you think, Kusuo?”

            “I need to keep an eye on him in case he proves troublesome,” said Saiki.

            (Y/N) nodded. “I’ll help out.”

            Saiki glanced at them. “It’ll be a bother.”

            “Yeah, but just because you’re the one who can…do everything doesn’t mean you should do it alone,” said (Y/N), smiling.

            Saiki liked the idea of working with them way too much.

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            “So?” said (Y/N) during the lunch break. “What is up with Kuboyasu?”

            “He was a punk, and he says he’s trying to go ‘straight,’ ” said Saiki.

            “And you aren’t sure he really will?” said (Y/N).

            “He decided to ‘beat up anyone who tries to stop him,’ ” said Saiki.

            “Well, hopefully he’s just…weird.” (Y/N) laughed. “Like us and our friends.”

            Saiki wasn’t quite sure he liked that idea.

            “So, are we following him?” said (Y/N).

            “We need to see how he handles ‘going straight,’ ” said Saiki, peaking around the corner.

            “Got it,” said (Y/N).

            Oh, that’s the transfer student! thought a boy, walking past Kuboyasu.

            “What? What’re you staring at?!” said Kuboyasu, glaring at the boy. A moment later, he realized he was in the wrong and backed off. “Ah! I’m sorry. My eyesight is bad, so I just…” he trailed off awkwardly.

            “Looks like it’s going to be tough for him to be a regular person,” said Saiki.

            “Yeah, but he did realize he was in the wrong,” said (Y/N), shrugging.

            In Kuboyasu’s next test, Takahashi bumped into him accidentally.

            “Oh, sorry,” said Takahashi.

            Behind him, Kuboyasu grabbed a fire extinguisher and lifted it angrily. The moment before he swung at Takahashi, Kuboyasu’s eyes widened. He realized he was making a mistake. Quickly, he set the extinguisher down and walked on.

            “Not even delinquents usually hit people from behind with fire extinguishers,” said Saiki.

            “Maybe not, but he didn’t actually do it,” pointed out (Y/N).

            Kuboyasu’s next challenge was meeting Nendou, who looked like a punk himself.

            Who-Who the hell is he?! thought Kuboyasu. He’s a punk! On top of that, he’s pretty fired up!

            “Why is Nendou acting like he wants to fight?” said (Y/N).

            “Script convenience,” said Saiki.

            Kuboyasu opened his jacket and took off his glasses. He was ready to go up against Nendou.

            Then, again, he thought better of it, zipped his jacket up, and put on his glasses.

            “No, I ain’t gonna fight!” he declared, walking away quickly.

            “Oh, you’re not gonna take that off?” Nendou just looked like an idiot again. “Don’t tell me your scared!”

            “Wow, he is really getting tested,” said (Y/N).

            “Very convenient,” said Saiki.

            “What?!” said Kuboyasu angrily.

            “I guess that’s natural, huh? I may not look it, but I’m a punk, so…” Nendou looked proud of himself.

            “If you looked like that and weren’t a punk, you’d be an idiot,” murmured Kuboyasu under his breath.

            “That’s what Nendou is,” said (Y/N), frowning. Saiki nodded in agreement.

            It wasn’t even a mean statement. It was just a fact.

            “I’ve mellowed out now, but I used to do some pretty crazy stuff,” said Nendou conversationally to Kuboyasu.

            War stories, huh? Lay ‘em on me, thought Kuboyasu. “Oh, like what?”

            “The meanest thing I did was chase mosquitos around with a mosquito coil,” said Nendou. “I also ate a whole watermelon by myself. I was seriously crazy.”

            Kuboyasu had a blank, almost shocked look.

            “I think he understands Nendou now,” said (Y/N).

            “Nendou can’t make it any more obvious that he’s an idiot,” agreed Saiki.

            “I feel like we should feel bad for saying that, but it just feels like a statement…” said (Y/N).

            Nendou patted Kuboyasu’s shoulder. “Hang in there, kid.”

            Kuboyasu managed to just walk off, but his anger had peaked. Still, he had gone through another convenient test without acting out.

            “So, what do you think?” said (Y/N), crossing their arms and considering Kuboyasu. “I think he seems weird but nice in the end.”

            No sooner did they speak did Kuboyasu round a corner, spot a boy bullying a younger classmate, and grab a locker.

            “Don’t act like trash in front of me, you scum!”

            He threw the locker on the bully.

            “I spoke too soon,” said (Y/N).

            “I think we can overlook this incident,” said Saiki.

            “So, we approve of our new transfer student?” said (Y/N).

            “We’ll tolerate him,” said Saiki.

            (Y/N) laughed. “Just wait. He’s going to end up our friend.”

            Saiki wanted to say they were wrong, but they probably weren’t. And who was he to take their laugh away?

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            In the following week, Kuboyasu had, unfortunately, not made any friends. He wasn’t experienced in approaching people in a “goody-goody” way. In normal terms, that just meant he couldn’t fight people to bond. For Kuboyasu, that left him with no idea of what to do.

            So, in a daring move, Kuboyasu decided to try going up to someone. First, he had to decide.

            He looked at Nendou. He couldn’t go around with him since he was a punk himself. Takahashi was also off the list since his face was too punchable to Kuboyasu.

            His eyes landed on the pink-haired boy in front of him. He decided to try with him.

            Wrong choice, try someone else.

            Oh, that person seems nice, too. And kind of pretty. That could help me seem more goody-goody, thought Kuboyasu, almost changing direction towards (Y/N).

            Worse choice, leave them alone. Saiki didn’t need someone thinking (Y/N) was pretty like that, even if it was true.

            No, they’re already talking to people. I should just try one person for now, decided Kuboyasu.

            Saiki had to remind himself that he’d prefer to deal with Kuboyasu while he was still learning to be a “goody-goody” instead of (Y/N) as the boy came over.

            “Hey, I’m Kuboyasu.” He smiled in a friendly manner. Great, now I just start bonding.

            Notice my boredom and walk away, thought Saiki furiously.

            Instead, Kuboyasu launched into a series of stories from movies he’d seen. He didn’t notice Saiki’s noninterest at all and just kept going, no matter how nonsensical and incomprehensible his summary was.

            “So this guy shot this other guy, breaking the pledge of brotherhood between them,” said Kuboyasu.

            Good grief…Even though I’ve been ignoring him, he just goes on and on about some yakuza movie I don’t care about, thought Saiki. And the way he tells a story is beyond terrible. Just how many guys are there? He sighed inwardly. This is too much. I really didn’t want to use this technique, but this calls for…my annoyed face. Saiki turned his infamous “annoyed face” on Kuboyasu.

            He flinched back and stared, wide-eyed.

            See? You don’t need psychic powers to drive people away.

            “W-Well, then, later,” said Kuboyasu, turning away hastily. I can’t believe that goody-goody gave me such an annoyed face! At least I learned one thing: I have nothing in common with them.

            “Hey, newbie.” Kaidou walked up confidently. “My name is the Jet Black Wings.”

            Kuboyasu stared at him in surprise.

            “This is a boring world. It’s a cage for sheep just awaiting death’s embrace,” monologued Kaidou.

            This is hopeless! Kuboyasu’s mind spun from Kaidou’s rambling. I can’t understand what regular people say at all!

            Be careful. That guy isn’t a regular person.

            “The awakening of Dark Reunion draws near,” continued Kaidou. “We have to complete the ‘Grand Cross’ soon and house the engraved seal of Cross!”

            “Grand Cross?” Kuboyasu perked up. I’ve heard of that! “That’s right, they’re legends!” Legendary biker gang!

            “What?! You know about it?!” Kaidou grew excited. No one ever got into his stories with him.

            They’re not the same thing.

            However, since Saiki had no interest in correcting their misunderstanding because he was using his telepathy, didn’t want his powers revealed, and, quite frankly, didn’t care, the pair continued to jump back-and-forth with identical (misunderstood) ideas.

            “Yeah! They annihilated ‘Samantha’ and ‘Paramount!’ ” exclaimed Kuboyasu.

            “Whoa, to think you even know about ‘Samantha’ and ‘Paramount,’ ” said Kaidou happily.

            Saiki ignored the rest of their conversation to preserve his own sanity.

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            On the next lunch break, Kuboyasu went for a walk in the halls to stretch his legs. Almost immediately, he bumped into someone.

            “Oh, sorry about that!” said (Y/N).

            Remembering his previous experiences, Kuboyasu nodded and attempted to react correctly. “It’s…no problem.”

            “I should’ve been looking where I was going,” said (Y/N). They chuckled. “I have my head in the clouds.” They brightened. “Oh, sorry, I should introduce myself. I’m (Y/N) (L/N). You’re Kuboyasu, right? The transfer student. I hope you’re liking PK Academy.”

            Kuboyasu stared at them as they rambled. “I, uh, yeah.”

            “I know it can take a while to settle in,” said (Y/N). “If you need anything, just let me know.”

            “But we don’t know each other,” said Kuboyasu. We’re not even friends… He didn’t dislike being approached, but he was confused.

            “Yeah, but no one knows each other when they first meet. And that doesn’t change that I’m always up to help someone,” said (Y/N) cheerfully. They knew he was struggling but doing his best, so they were going to give him the benefit of the doubt and try to help his transfer be as smooth as possible. “Seriously.” Without another word, they brushed by him. “Bye, Kuboyasu!”

            He stared at them. Is everyone in this school weird?

            As he learned in the next five minutes, they were. Toritsuka was girl-crazy, and Hairo was exercise-crazy. Kuboyasu didn’t understand Toristuka’s taste, and he couldn’t figure out why Hairo was so popular. He also met Teruhashi, but no one thought she was weird, just a perfect pretty girl.

            Still, he returned to class with his head spinning with all the vibrant (colorful, strange, and odd were also appropriate adjectives) personalities at PK Academy.

            And then, Kuboyasu was faced with something strange. Everyone he’d met, whether he’d liked them (Teruhashi, Kaidou, (Y/N), Hairo) or thought they were weird (Nendou, Toritsuka), was gathered around a single desk.

            “Hey, pal!” Nendou called out.

            Pal? In other words, a man who’s at the same level as a guy that Hairo admits that he can’t defeat?! thought Kuboyasu, alarmed. He looked over, and his eyes widened.

            Saiki sat silently at his desk.

            Him?! I went full circle and back to him! Kuboyasu was shocked. Well, even if we shouldn’t judge people by their appearances, this can’t be right!

            “How is Plan Alpha coming along, Saiki?” asked Kaidou.

            “Hello, Saiki!” said Toritsuka.

            “How’re you doing, Saiki?” said Teruhashi sweetly.

            “Hi, Saiki!” said Hairo.

            “Hey, Kusuo,” said (Y/N), beaming.

            What’s going on?! Everyone’s gathering around that goody, thought Kuboyasu, thoroughly confused. Could it be that…he’s the one pulling the strings?!

            Yare yare. I’m never using my annoyed face again.

Chapter Text

            “The PK Festival is in a month!” said Hairo excitedly. “Let’s decide what we’re gonna do for it!” Everyone began to excitedly whisper since this was always a fun time of year.

            The PK Festival is our school festival, held every fall. As you can tell by the look on my face, I’m anxiously looking forward to it.

            “Should we just sell yakisoba? It’s a safe pick,” suggested a boy.

            “Yakisoba, huh?” said Hairo.

            “Ah, hold on a sec,” said a girl. “My club is going to do something, too, so…”

            “My pop music club will be doing something, too,” added another boy.

            “Oh, I see,” said Hairo. “Then what should we do?”

            “Why don’t we do a display for something?” said (Y/N). “Then we’ll be free during the actual festival.”

            “That might be good!” said Hairo. “Let’s stay after school every day to put something together!”

            “Sorry, but I have a club after school, so that won’t work for me,” said another classmate.

            “Um, I can’t do it either since I have work after school!” said Mera.

            “Hm, what’s that in your hand?” said one boy to his friend.

            “What? Oh, this? It’s a rock I found in the schoolyard,” said his friend. “It looked interesting, so I picked it up.”

            “I see…Hey!” The first boy perked up. “Why don’t we display that rock?”

            “Nice idea!”

            “That’s a good idea!”

            “We’ll bring interesting-looking rocks and display them!”

            “Whoa! That way we can be free after school and the day of the festival!”

            “Yeah!”

            “Okay, Hairo, let’s do it!”

            The class seemed to enjoy it, no matter how weird the idea was.

            “So our class will display ‘Interesting Rocks Found in the Schoolyard.’ Agree?” said Hairo.

            “Agreed!”

            “Not!” shouted Hairo. “We experience the school festival only three times during high school! Do you really think such a half-hearted effort will live up to the occasion?! Show some passion, guys!”

            “Geez…he’s gone and got me fired up,” said one classmate, smiling.

            “Well, guess we’re gonna be busy, huh?” said another.

            “Couldn’t hurt to try, right?”

            “Yeah!”

            What’s with this farce?

            “Alright! Let’s give it everything we’ve got!”

            “Yare yare. The rock idea was fine,” said Saiki.

            “Unusual, sure, but it could’ve been original,” said (Y/N), shrugging.

            “I have a suggestion, too!” said Hairo.

            “Sure, what’s that?” asked his classmates, eager now.

            “How about we make a thousand paper cranes…per person?!” he said excitedly.

            Everyone’s faces froze in an awkward smile.

            Hairo continued, undeterred. “Having thirty-six thousand paper cranes will be grand, right? Actually, let’s round it up to a nice, even fifty thousand! 1,389 cranes per person!” Everyone’s faces fell. “One month should be enough!”

            “Seems even Hairo can’t get them fired up about that,” said Saiki.

            “I don’t think anyone can,” said (Y/N), sweat-dropping.

            “Yeah, that’s not a bad idea, but…” classmates trailed off, unsure how to deter Hairo.

            “Ah, I wanna do a restaurant!” suggested another quickly.

            “Yeah, I do, too, because it’ll be more memorable than an exhibition,” agreed another student.

            “I see. I thought my idea was pretty good, though,” said Hairo.

            Everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

            “In any case, I’ll write it down for now,” said Hairo, adding it to the board. “Do you have any other suggestions?”

            “I do, I do!” said Takahashi, eager to get away from the paper crane idea.

            “Oh, Takahashi, what is it?” asked Hairo.

            “I’m hesitant to say this…but what about a maid café?” said Takahashi.

            That’s a cliché.

            “Ooh, I could bake,” said (Y/N).

            This is a great idea.

            “Hm…it’s not a bad idea, but…” Hairo was unconvinced.

            “Ah, then, how about this?” said Yumehara. “A cross-dressing maid café. The guys will dress up in maid costumes!”

            “Ah!”

            “Sounds fun!” said several other girls.

            “And I can still bake.” (Y/N) was excited for that.

            I could put up with it for sweets from (Y/N), decided Saiki.

            “What? I have to shave my legs? No way!” exclaimed Takahashi, though he didn’t actually look upset at the idea. “I don’t know how to put a bra on, either.”

            “He’s definitely done drag,” said (Y/N), and Saiki nodded in confirmation. “Good for him.”

            “Any other suggestions?” asked Hairo.

            “You’re not writing it down?!” exclaimed the girls.

            “Well, um, what about a planetarium?” suggested Teruhashi. “They have those machines you can use at home these days.”

            “That’s our Teruhashi!” gushed the boys. “That’s a wonderful idea!”

            “But isn’t the machine doing all the work?” said Hairo. “Hey! Can you give it everything you’ve—”

            “Shut up. We’ve decided on a planetarium,” said the boys, loyal to Teruhashi above all else.

            “Looks like Teruhashi’s charisma beat Hairo’s.”

            “He never stood a chance,” said (Y/N), laughing in amusement.

            “I disagree!” declared Mera.

            “Oh, Mera! Any suggestions?” asked Hairo.

            “I suggest we do barbecue because that’s my favorite food!” said Mera.

            “At least she’s honest,” said (Y/N).

            “You can’t eat it, you know, Mera?” said Yumehara.

            “Barbecue costs quite a bit, too,” said Hairo.

            “Then how about we combine the planetarium and barbecue?” said someone. “It’ll be like having a barbecue under the starry sky.”

            “I see! Okay! Any other suggestions?” said Hairo.

            “Write it down! If it’s okay, write it down!” urged his classmates since his paper crane idea was the only one on the board.

            “Kuboyasu, any suggestions?” said Hairo.

            “Say what? Err, you mean me?” said Kuboyasu. After considering for a moment, he spoke. “How about a haunted house? We can put zombie makeup on and stuff?”

            “Whoa, that’s stupid,” said a boy. “You—” Kuboyasu glared, and the boy yelped in fear.

            “Hmph, you don’t seem to know how scary zombies are,” said Kaidou.

            “Zombies aren’t scary, are they? They’re slow, too,” said a girl.

            “That’s true, but there’s an army of them. Running away would be pointless,” said Kaidou. “Slowly but surely they work to corner you, and then they stop slacking and start attacking!”

            The girl cried out in fear, but the boys frowned.

            “Isn’t that just a bad pun?” said one.

            “Whoa! That’s so stupid!” said another.

            Poor Kaidou deflated. “What?! I-It’s not like that! That wasn’t a joke!”

            “This is going on forever,” sighed (Y/N).

            “The show I want to watch is starting soon,” said Saiki. “I’ll hurry this up.”

            “What do you mean—?”

            Wham!

            (Y/N)’s question was cut off as a small meteor crashed through the open window and landed in the middle of the classroom.

            “Wh-Wh-What happened?!” cried Kaidou. “Th-This is—”

            “A meteor!”

            “Whoa, seriously?”

            “That was good, Kusuo,” said (Y/N).

            Saiki nodded. “This should settle it.”

            “Why don’t we display this as our attraction?!” said another boy.

            “Whoa, that’s super good!”

            “But having a single meteor is kind of boring, isn’t it?” said Hairo.

            “Meteors are boring?” said (Y/N), frowning.

            Hairo noticed the poop-shaped rock from earlier. “Hm…? That’s it! Class 3 will do a ‘Meteor and Interesting Rocks Found in the Schoolyard’ exhibition.”

            “Yeah!” cheered everyone.

            “Good, then I’m leaving,” said Saiki.

            “What show are you watching?” asked (Y/N).

            “The Disastrous Life of Saiko K,” said Saiki.

            “Oh, I love that show!” said (Y/N).

            “…You can join me,” said Saiki.

            “Really?” said (Y/N), smiling and feeling their cheeks warm.

            “I can’t hear your thoughts to spoil me, and it’s a new episode,” said Saiki.

            “Alright then.” (Y/N) picked up their backpack. “Let’s go, Kusuo.”

l

            Finally, the day of the festival arrived. The whole school was excited, and Class 3 was eager to show off their strange rocks to their classmates alongside the meteor they’d found.

            “Okay, guys, have you finished placing your rocks?” asked Hairo.

            “My rock is no ordinary rock. It’s a rock with magical powers that seals in evil,” said Kaidou proudly. He held a spiky rock and put it on the table.

            “Mine is better.” Nendou had set up a whole Buddha statue.

            “You shouldn’t have stolen that,” said Saiki.

            “Hopefully he’ll return it,” said (Y/N), amused.

            “What did you find?” asked Saiki.

            “Nothing much,” said (Y/N), holding up a coffee-jelly shaped rock.

            “That’s nothing much?”

            “Look, mine is heart-shaped! Isn’t it cute?” said Yumehara, smiling.

            “Wow, it is!” said Teruhashi.

            A broken heart, unfortunately, thought (Y/N).

            “Yours is pretty, too, Kokomi,” said Yumehara.

            “Thanks!” Teruhashi’s was a rose. She turned to talk to other classmates, and her face fell. “Uh, Kuboyasu…” She tried to put on a smile. “What’s that one?”

            Kuboyasu held up his rock, stained with something that might be blood. “Well, I found this behind the school. It looked like someone hid it there.”

            “That stinks of a crime,” said Saiki.

            “Yeah…” said (Y/N), sweat-dropping.

            “Great!” Hairo was pumped up anyways. “This turned out pretty good! It’s all thanks to your hard work searching for rocks!” His rock was tennis-racket-shaped, somehow. “I heard that the class with the best attraction will receive a reward. Let’s try out best to win that award!” He pulled the class into a huddle. “We’ll make the PK festival a success!”

            “Yeah!” cheered the class (minus Saiki).

            “Well, then, dismissed!” said Hairo.

            “What was that huddle for?” said Saiki.

            “Good spirit,” said (Y/N)) encouragingly.

            “Well, then,” said Kaidou. “Let’s enjoy this brief respite while we can.”

            “Oh, Teruhashi, would you like to go check things out with us?” said Nendou.

            Teruhashi turned a bit red. What? With Saiki? I want to go, but… “Sorry, there’s someplace I have to go this morning.”

            “Huh? Where?” asked Nendou.

l

            “Contestant 5. I’m Moriko Utsukushino from Year 1 Class 1,” said a girl, smiling brightly. “I like to visit art museums and…”

            As she spoke, Saiki, (Y/N), Nendou, Kuboyasu, and Kaidou watched.

            “I didn’t know we had a Miss PK contest,” said Kaidou.

            “Of course Teruhashi will be the winner! Don’t you agree?” said Nendou.

            “What? Yeah, I guess,” said Kuboyasu.

            Why are you here, too? thought Saiki.

            “But that was the last contestant, so Kokomi isn’t part of it,” observed (Y/N) as the contestants lined up.

            “That concludes the contestants introductions,” said an announcer.

            “Hey, you’re right,” said Kaidou.

            “So, Principal, what do you think?” said another announcer.

            “Regardless of their appearance, they’re all wonderful students,” said the principal.

            “Well, then, let’s ask her, too,” said the announcer, turning to the throne next to him. “Teruhashi, Miss PK, what do you think?”

            “Ah, so that’s why she’s not competing. She won last year,” said (Y/N).

            “They’re all pretty. It’s hard to decide who’s the prettiest,” said Teruhashi, smiling.

            “Aw, man, it’s not worth it if Teruhashi’s not competing,” said Nendou, disappointed. He turned and walked away.

            “Let’s go and check out the other classes,” said (Y/N). “Come on.” They led them back into the school. It was time to really experience the PK Festival.

Chapter Text

            “A haunted house, a café, bean bag toss, a haunted house, a café, a haunted house, a café—” Nendou listed off the different class events as he, Kaidou, Saiki, (Y/N), and Kuboyasu walked by them “—Whoa, there are all sorts of things!”

            “All sorts of haunted houses and cafes, you mean,” said Saiki.

            “At least everyone is having fun,” said (Y/N) positively.

            “Should we just pick one and enter?” suggested Kaidou.

            “Yare yare.” Haunted houses are a joke to me.

            “We could eat something,” said (Y/N), knowing Saiki would prefer that.

            “Restaurants with food made by high school students?” said Saiki dubiously.

            (Y/N) nodded to one sign and grinned. “That one has coffee jelly.”

            “Well, then, let’s go to the café,” said Saiki, instantly on board.

            “Oh, yeah, that haunted house café!” said Nendou excitedly, pointing at the wrong café.

            “No,” said Saiki.

            “They shouldn’t combine the two!” exclaimed Kaidou. “I don’t want to look at ghosts while drinking my coffee.”

            “That wasn’t scary at all,” scoffed a boy from a different school, standing next to his friend outside of one haunted house. “They said, ‘I’m gonna get you.’ How stupid.”

            “PK’s stuff is crap,” agreed his friend.

            “Who’re those guys?” wondered Nendou.

            “They’re from another school,” said (Y/N), frowning and watching them go into another haunted house.

            “I’m gonna check that one out,” said Kuboyasu. He smiled at the group, but it was tight-lipped and slightly menacing. “I get a kick out of scary stuff. I think this one’s gonna be scarier.”

            “For them,” murmured (Y/N).

            “They brought it onto themselves,” said Saiki. Karma wasn’t his problem.

            Sure enough, a few moments after Kuboyasu walked in, two screams went up from within the haunted house.

            “Whoa! They’re really screaming,” exclaimed Nendou. “Just how scary is that place?”

            “Well, then, shall we go in here, too?” suggested Kaidou, pulling aside the curtain.

            “I want coffee jelly,” said Saiki.

            “We’ll get it after,” said (Y/N) encouragingly, and Saiki couldn’t exactly say no to that, so he followed them into the haunted house.

            “It’s so dark that I can’t see anything,” exclaimed Kaidou, shaking slightly as they walked farther in.

            I can see everything clearly, even the guy waiting to ambush us.

            “Hey, get going,” said Kaidou, pushing Nendou forward nervously.

            “Hm? You’re the one who wanted to walk in first,” said Nendou.

            “I’ll lead,” said (Y/N), squaring their shoulders and walking forward.

            Instantly, someone grabbed their ankle, and (Y/N) jumped, yelping in surprise. (Now that was just an unfair tactic, who wouldn’t be shocked at that?) Poor Kaidou screamed at their reaction, got breathed on strangely, and saw the exit sign—all of which terrified him until eh was basically clinging to Nendou as they walked onward.

            “Come on, we’re going ahead,” said Nendou, unaffected.

            “I think I’ll enjoy this from back here with you, Kusuo,” said (Y/N), sighing.

            “You found this scary?” said Saiki.

            “If someone grabs your ankle in the dark, you jump,” said (Y/N) sagely.

            “Boo!” A boy jumped out at them, right in front of Nendou.

            “Hey,” said Nendou.

            The boy collapsed, unconscious due to the frightful sight of Nendou’s face.

            “Whoa, that was realistic,” said Nendou.

            “Because it was real,” said Saiki.

            “Even I’d faint if I suddenly saw that face of yours up close in the dark,” said Kaidou.

            “Uh-oh,” said (Y/N), kneeling and feeling the boy’s pulse. They gave a thumbs-up. “He’s alright.”

            “What are you going to do?!” cried Kaidou, staring at Nendou. “It’ll be ruined for the next customer—”

            “Ah, scary! It’s so dark!” said someone from behind them. Too late, the customers were coming.

            “Shoot! Let’s hide this guy first,” said Kaidou, trying to drag the boy’s body to the side.

            “I’ve never hidden a body before,” said (Y/N).

            “We are not doing that,” said Saiki.

            “Hey, look at these things.” Nendou laughed as he put on fake glasses that made it seem like his eyes were falling out.

            “Perfect! Put them on!” said Kaidou, grabbing bandages for himself and throwing fake blood over Saiki. (Y/N) grabbed a zombie mask. “Here they come,” said Kaidou. He crouched and leapt out. “Boo!”

            A face exactly like Nendou’s stared at him, and Kaidou collapsed in shock.

            “Oh, Mom,” said Nendou, greeting her while his friend lay unconscious on the ground.

            What a family resemblance, thought (Y/N).

l

            “One Nendou…Two Nendous…” murmured Kaidou deliriously on a bench.

            The group stood outside of the cafes and haunted house to talk properly instead of being in the dark (though the students had yet to take off their costumes). It turned out Nendou’s mother was there touring the PK Festival with Saiki’s parents, so they were there, too.

            “You should’ve told me if you were gonna come,” said Nendou.

            “I’m just stopping by because I’m on break,” said Mrs. Nendou.

            “We happened to run into Nendou’s mother and became friends!” said Mrs. Saiki cheerily.

            This is one friendship I wish you wouldn’t make.

            “Well, now that I’ve seen your class’s attraction, I’m going home,” said Mrs. Nendou matter-of-factly. “Good luck with your haunted house.”

            “Hm? We’re not doing a haunted house,” said Nendou.

            “Oh, yeah, we’re borrowing these,” said (Y/N), taking off their zombie mask and setting it to the side.

            “What, you aren’t?” said Mrs. Nendou.

            “Our class is displaying rocks we found in the schoolyard,” said Nendou.

            Saiki sighed. “I’ll go wash my face.” He didn’t need to walk around looking like an idiot.

            He headed into the bathroom and set his glasses to the side while he washed the fake blood from his face.

            Yare yare. This is why school events are such a pain. Lots of minor characters keep showing up and causing trouble for me. And I didn’t manage to go and get coffee jelly with (Y/N) yet, either. This all happened for nothing.

            He finished splashing his face with water and straightened, picking up his glasses. Except when he put them on, he found fake eyeballs instead of green-tinted glass.

            What the heck is this?

            “What do you think, pal? They look good on me, don’t they?” said Nendou, resting Saiki’s glasses in front of his own face.

            “Give those back to me, you idiot,” said Saiki, reaching out. His eyes widened, and he tried to cover his eyes. “Shoot!” He couldn’t help but exclaim out loud with his telepathy.

Too late. As Saiki looked up again, Nendou was already a stone statue, transformed by Saiki’s unfiltered gaze. The stone glasses fell and shattered on the floor. Saiki just stared. Not good.

            “Kusuo?” Outside of the restroom, (Y/N) called out in concern. “I heard you cry out, is everything alright?”

            They always become observant at the wrong moment.

            “Kusuo, I’m coming in!”

            Yare yare, not my dad, too.

            Sure enough, Mr. Saiki nearly kicked down the door, and (Y/N) slid in with them, unable to stay out since they were worried (and there was no one else around, so…).

            “Ah!” cried Mr. Saiki as he saw Nendou.

            Saiki had turned around to avoid eye-contact with anyone. The last thing he needed was more people getting turned to stone.

            “Hey, this is—” Mr. Saiki cut himself off and looked at (Y/N) worriedly.

            “Did you accidentally turn Nendou to stone?” said (Y/N), staring.

            “He took my glasses and looked me in my eyes. That’s his fault,” said Saiki.

            “Kusuo, you can’t just say that!” said Mr. Saiki.

            “They know.”

            “I know,” said (Y/N).

            “About his powers?” said Mr. Saiki, blinking in surprise. (Y/N) nodded. “Oh…alright then.”

            “Can we focus?” said Saiki, irritated. “Just give me your glasses.” Mr. Saiki’s glasses floated through the air and landed on Saiki’s face. Now he could look at people without turning people to stone. “Okay, that power is blocked.”

            “I like your eyes,” blurted out (Y/N) instinctively as they saw Saiki’s purple eyes properly. They had always been obscured by a green tint, but they could see the violet clearly now.

            Saiki short-circuited and froze at the compliment while Mr. Saiki babbled about not being able to see without his glasses.

            Turning pink, (Y/N) coughed. “So, uh, how do we turn him back?”

            Saiki tried to focus. “The effects last twenty-four hours.”

            “Uh-oh, his mom is waiting for him outside,” said (Y/N), frowning.

            “Oh, no, what are you going to do, Kusuo?” said Mr. Saiki, blindly patting Nendou’s shoulder.

            “You’re talking to Nendou. Don’t ever make that mistake again. It ticks me off,” said Saiki.

            “Can you teleport him back to your house?” suggested (Y/N). “Then we can at least make an excuse that Nendou left instead of anyone seeing them.”

            Saiki was reminded of one of the reasons he liked (Y/N): they were actually helpful.

            “Are you listening, Kusuo?” said Mr. Saiki, still patting Nendou’s shoulder.

            Crack

            (Y/N) and Saiki froze before turning. Nendou lay in stone pieces on the ground. (Y/N) covered their mouth in shock, and Mr. Saiki was stricken.

            “Kusuo…Look after your mother, okay?” He raised his phone. “Hello? Is this the police? I’ve killed someone.”

            Saiki grabbed his dad’s shoulder before his sobbing could actually be listened to. “Calm down.” (Y/N) took the phone and ended the call. “You don’t have to go the police. It’s fine.”

            “What?! Really?!” cried Mr. Saiki.

            Saiki picked up Nendou’s head.

            “That’s just a disturbing sight,” said (Y/N).

            “I can turn back time and restore it to how it was,” said Saiki, doing so and letting the statue of Nendou come together once more. (Y/N) breathed a sigh of relief.

            “Whoa!” exclaimed Mr. Saiki.

            “What was that noise?!” Mrs. Nendou banged on the door from outside.

            “Shoot, Nendou’s mother is gonna come in,” said Saiki. “Dad, go hold the door.”

            “Okay!” Mr. Saiki grabbed the door handle and gave a thumbs-up.

            Wham!

            “Ooooh.” (Y/N) winced as Mr. Saiki was thrown into the wall as Mrs. Nendou broke down the door.

            “What happened, you guys?!” cried Mrs. Nendou. She saw the statue. “Huh? What? What?! Riki?!”

            (Y/N) and Saiki exchanged a glance as she walked closer. Then, she patted Nendou’s shoulders.

            “This is amazing! So this is the rock display you guys were talking about!” she exclaimed. “This looks exactly like my son.”

            “Well, I guess this is natural,” said Saiki.

            “They’re definitely related,” said (Y/N).

            “Riki? Huh, where did Riki go?” wondered Mrs. Nendou.

            “Well…probably the restroom,” said Mr. Saiki.

            “We’re in the restroom,” said Saiki, amazed by his father’s terrible attempt at lying.

            “He headed out to check on some other classes. He volunteered to help them earlier in the week since some people are sick,” said (Y/N), smiling.

            “Oh, really? That’s so nice of him,” said Mrs. Nendou.

            Thank you, (Y/N), thought Saiki, thankful as always to have them around.

            “Well, I should help out, too, and give you all a hand,” said Mrs. Nendou.

            “What?”

            “Huh?”

            “You’re taking this to your classroom, right?” said Mrs. Nendou, gesturing to the statue of Nendou. “Now, let’s go!”

            No one could argue with her, and within a few minutes, Nendou was situated in Class 3’s display. People instantly crowded around it, amazed and surprised at the exact likeness.

            “H-Holy crap,” said one student.

            “Why Nendou?” exclaimed another.

            “How did they carve something like this?”

            “Things have gotten worse,” said Saiki as he, Mr. Saiki, and (Y/N) stood to the side. “It’s so obvious that high school students couldn’t make something like that.”

            “Maybe they won’t notice?” (Y/N) offered as much support as they could.

            “Oh, what is this?” The principal walked in. “Oh, my!” He stared at the statue, and (Y/N) and Saiki’s hearts dropped. This situation was quickly growing out of control. “This is an incredibly elaborate stone statue! Is it a gorilla?”

            “Very close, but not quite,” said Saiki.

            Poor Nendou, thought (Y/N).

            “I’m so moved…” The headmaster smiled. “The Best Class Attraction Award goes to Class 3!” he declared.

            (Y/N) and Saiki stared in dismayed shock as even more people crowded into the room to get a look at the winning class’s display and the Nendou statue. They really had lost any semblance of control of the situation.

            “It’s become the showpiece,” said Saiki, crossing his arms.

            “This isn’t good, Kusuo!” cried Mr. Saiki. “Can’t you teleport it out and steal it?!”

            “There’re too many people,” said (Y/N), frowning.

            “Or better yet, should we break it? You can restore it just like you did earlier!” said Mr. Saiki.

            “My power to turn back time can only be used once per day per target,” said Saiki.

            “What?” said Mr. Saiki, panicking. “But that means—”

            “Let’s make sure it doesn’t break again, then,” said (Y/N), concerned about Nendou getting hurt.

            “Whoa, I wonder how tough the stone is,” said one boy, pretending to hit the statue.

            “It’s really hard,” said another, pulling on Nendou’s ear.

            “Don’t touch!” cried Mr. Saiki, running up and pulling them off.

            “Huh? Whoa, what’s with this guy?!” cried the first boy.

            “A scary middle-aged man is shouting,” whispered a girl worriedly.

            “He’s suspicious!”

            “Someone, go get a teacher!”

            Saiki facepalmed, and (Y/N)’s eyes widened, but neither could exactly stop the teachers from dragging Mr. Saiki out. After all, they couldn’t just explain “oh, yeah, that is actually Nendou, Saiki turned him to stone, so please don’t hurt him.”

            “I guess I have no choice. I’ll make Nendou’s safety my top priority,” said Saiki.

            “He is your friend,” added (Y/N).

            “Don’t say that, I don’t have friends. Other than you,” said Saiki.

            (Y/N) just grinned. “Uh-huh.”

            “Take this, Baron Cola!” A young boy had climbed onto Nendou’s shoulders and was pretending to shoot him with a toy gun.

            “Get down, Yuuta,” said Saiki, stepping forward.

            Yuuta brightened upon seeing his neighbor (and, in his mind, favorite superhero). “Cyborg Cider-man No. 2! Look, look! I capture Baron Cola.”

            “No, that’s a gorilla, so get off,” said Saiki.

            (Y/N) didn’t ask what that all meant, but they reached up as Yuuta began to rock Nendou back and forth.

            “You can’t climb on exhibits,” said (Y/N) calmly, setting him down.

            “But it’s Baron Cola!” exclaimed Yuuta.

            “It’s not the real Baron Cola,” said (Y/N). They put their hands on their hips. “Do you understand?”

            Yuuta stared up at them, and Saiki nearly groaned as the image of a superhero in pink superimposed on (Y/N).

            Yare yare, not them too.

            “I understand, Cherry Blossom Lemonade!” cheered Yuuta.

            (Y/N) cocked their head and blinked at Saiki. “Who?”

            “A superhero from a show he likes,” said Saiki.

            “Are you two undercover, Cherry Blossom Lemonade, Cyborg Cider-man No. 2?! Is that why you’re being nice to Baron Cola? Are you on a date?” babbled Yuuta.

            Saiki froze, and (Y/N)’s cheeks warmed.

            “Yuuta, there you are,” said his mother, walking in. “I’ve been looking everywhere for you. It’s time to go.”

            “Aww, but I just managed to find the bad guy,” said Yuuta.

            His mother chuckled. “I’m sure you did.” She took him by the hand and led him out.

            “You called her, didn’t you?” said (Y/N), looking at Saiki.

            “Yes,” said Saiki. He had called Yuuta’s mom with his telepathy, but although it had mostly been to keep Yuuta from hurting Nendou, it was also to avoid more of Yuuta’s questions. Him and (Y/N), on a date? Saiki had barely gotten over figuring out he had a crush on them. That was too much for him with so much else going on.

            “Well, the festival is almost over,” said (Y/N), glancing at the clock and trying to push aside Yuuta’s assumptions (and their blush). “I don’t think we’ll be able to taste our classmates’ coffee jelly, but I think we’ve earned a trip to Café Mami after this.”

            Okay, so maybe a date—which this wasn’t—with (Y/N) was something Saiki would get excited for.

l

            (Y/N) and Saiki both let out a content hum as they took a bite of their coffee jellies. They had successfully kept Nendou in one piece and teleported him to his bathroom at home so, come tomorrow, he’d transform back like nothing had happened.

            “I’m glad Nendou will be alright,” said (Y/N).

            “I’m glad we avoided more trouble,” said Saiki.

            (Y/N) nodded. “What about your glasses? Are you going to keep borrowing your dads’ or can you get yours fixed?”

            “I can get mine fixed,” said Saiki, but, unfortunately, that would mean dealing with a certain someone.

            “Are you going to go back to the green tint?” said (Y/N).

            Saiki nodded.

            “Too bad,” said (Y/N), smiling. “I like your eyes.”

            Saiki felt his heart stutter, and (Y/N) looked firmly down at their coffee jelly in order to not over-analyze his reaction in case they had just made a fool of themself. Still, they couldn’t help it. They did like his eyes. They liked everything about Saiki.

            For his part, Saiki found he liked the compliment. Appearances weren’t something he cared about or judged since, for the most part, he just saw people as bones or muscle, but hearing that (Y/N) liked something about him was nice. He wanted them to like him, too.

            But for now, (Y/N) and Saiki were content to sit across from each other in content silence with coffee jelly. Still, though, thoughts of how much nicer it would be if this was a date flitted through their mind.

Chapter Text

            Saiki crossed his arms and contemplated throwing Makoto out the window for the hundredth time since he met him. Saiki had been looking forward to this event all week. (Y/N) had finally come over and was going to show him how to properly make coffee jelly at home, but as soon as they’d gotten set up, Makoto Teruhashi had barged his way in crying about how Teruhashi was angry at him (rightfully so, he was being perverted as usual). He had ruined the entire night, and Saiki’s sanity wasn’t certain it could take much more of Makoto’s rambling.

            A single glance at (Y/N)’s weirded-out face confirmed they felt the same way and wanted him gone as soon as possible.

            “So, that’s what happened, and Kokomi hasn’t said a word to me since then,” said Makoto, finally finishing.

            “Go home, you perv,” said Saiki.

            “Please, please, do.” (Y/N) nodded aggressively.

            Unfortunately, Makoto ignored them to wallow in his own sadness and decided to talk some more. “To think we’re having a lover’s quarrel—”

            “You’re really not,” said (Y/N).

            “—I’m in such a pickle,” said Makoto. “Oh, by the way, when I say ‘lovers’ quarrel,’ I mean between Kokomi and me.”

            “We wish you didn’t,” sighed (Y/N).

            “I’m the only one who can have a lovers’ quarrel with Kokomi,” said Makoto.

            “Get to the point so you can get out,” said Saiki.

            Makoto leaned forward. (Y/N) leaned back. “Tomorrow my drama will be filming in my neighborhood. A lot of industry people will be there, too. Once they notice Kokomi’s beauty, that’s it. What do you think will happen if they scout her?!”

            “Don’t care,” said Saiki.

            “She’d be very successful,” said (Y/N), knowing Teruhashi would do very well due to her beauty and people’s love of her.

            “Yes! Right after her debut, she’ll be cast as the heroine in a TV drama,” said Makoto. “She’ll be the heroine in plays and movies. She’ll be in many commercials! She’ll even be stealing work from other popular actresses.” He scoffed. “I won’t allow it! Kokomi has no interest in showbiz. So, I’ll give you permission to tell her to avoid the filming location at all costs. But don’t say anything else, four eyes. Don’t even make eye-contact. You can’t even get within ten meters of her!” Makoto glared at Saiki.

            “That’s unreasonable for anyone,” said Saiki.

            “Well, I’d prefer to tell her myself, but we’re having a lovers’ quarrel, so don’t screw this up.” Makoto rose and left the room.

            “I don’t usually dislike people, but he really creeps me out,” said (Y/N), shivering.

            “And now he’s gotten me involved,” said Saiki.

            “Hey, don’t worry, I’ll tell Kokomi so you don’t have to be more involved,” said (Y/N) brightly.

            “Thank you.” Saiki was so grateful to have (Y/N) in his life. They really were incredible.

l

            “My brother came to see you?” said Teruhashi. “Oh, I’m sorry he caused you trouble.”

            “That’s putting it lightly,” said Saiki.

            “It’s nothing,” lied (Y/N).

            “But, uhm, why is Saiki standing all the way over there?” said Teruhashi.

            (Y/N) looked behind them where, ten meters away, Saiki stood. “Your brother.”

            “What?” said Teruhashi. “Oh, my, I’m so sorry about him.” She smiled sweetly. Stupid big brother! He’s giving Saiki trouble! I have to offer a token of apology. Hmm Ah! She looked up to see (Y/N) and Saiki walking away since they’d given the message. “W-Wait, Saiki, are you free after school today?” That’s right, apology. Saiki, how luck you are to get this opportunity. I have to apologize, so my hands are tied.

            Why aren’t you considering (Y/N)? thought Saiki.

            “Would you like to…go out for some tea on our way home?” said Teruhashi, looking eagerly at Saiki. “Or go to a neighboring town since they’re filming here?”

            (Y/N) felt their heart drop since this was so much like a date, and no other guy in school would even think about saying no. They hoped Saiki would, though. It would hurt if Saiki wanted to date Teruhashi and not them. It really would.

            I’ll treat you for a date! Now feel honored! Even though this is only as a token of apology. Teruhashi glanced at (Y/N). And (Y/N), although I like you, you get a lot of attention from Saiki, and it’s my turn as the perfect pretty girl. Now, come on, and say “oh, wow.”

            Saiki, about to say no, paused and decided to say something else that would create problems for him, but it would make a point to Teruhashi about her thoughts about (Y/N)—that was one thing he didn’t let slide.

            “(Y/N) and I are free this afternoon. We’ll accept your apology.” Saiki turned and walked away.

            Teruhashi’s jaw nearly dropped open as Saiki, seemingly (and actually) unperturbed, invited someone else out with him and her when she had given him the chance to be alone with her.

            (Y/N) found themself grinning. “See you later, Kokomi!”

            “Right, yeah.” Teruhashi raised a hand, still in shock. But he should’ve said, “oh wow…”

            “Didn’t want to be alone with her?” asked (Y/N) teasingly.

            “If I said no, her followers would’ve hated me. I don’t want that attention,” said Saiki. And, in a more truthful sense, the rudeness would hopefully make Teruhashi stop liking him as much (which, apparently, he’d have to try some more). Also, Saiki got more time with (Y/N). He didn’t mind that.

l

            After school, Teruhashi, Saiki, and (Y/N) ended up at the next town over. Unfortunately for Saiki, attention was coming to their group as everyone watched the perfect pretty girl grace their streets with her mere presence. Additionally, Saiki was dealing with Teruhashi’s fantasies of him saying “Oh, wow” and how she believed he was totally in love with her and freaking out about the chance to be close to her.

            Luckily, Saiki had (Y/N) walking alongside him, and Saiki could put up with a lot to spend time with them.

            “What’s that guy near her doing?” whispered one guy.

            “I bet he’s her funding source,” sneered another.

            “I wanna punch him from behind,” said a third.

            I don’t want to deal with that, though, thought Saiki.

            “Kusuo, Kokomi, do you like sweets?” said (Y/N), saving the day (in Saiki’s mind) yet again. “I saw an ad for a café nearby that looks super good.”

            I’ll have some cake with (Y/N) before leaving.

l

            Closed. The café’s sign was turned around to say it was closed.

            (Y/N) sighed, disappointed. “I really thought it would be open. Sorry, Kusuo, Kokomi.” They really were sorry. They wanted to have a nice time with Saiki (and Teruhashi), but it hadn’t worked out.

            “Well, we can always go over to the shopping district,” suggested Teruhashi, eager to try to get some of her own ideas in to impress Saiki. “We came all this way. Let’s find some good new places. Let’s go!”

            Unfortunately for Teruhashi, an hour of walking at her direction passed, but they found zero restaurants. Teruhashi’s glowing smile had fallen into a sickly attempt at one due to exhaustion. (Y/N) was feeling peckish, and Saiki was also losing interest in continuing to follow Teruhashi. That being said, it was fairly fascinating to see everything not work out for Teruhashi.

            “E-Excuse me.” A boy nervously stepped forward and blushed. “May I help you with something?”

            “We’re looking for a place to get some tea,” said Teruhashi sweetly, her glow returning.

            “O-Oh, yeah, sure!” said the boy excitedly.

            “Hey, I saw her first!” shouted another.

            “I’ll show you the way,” offered another from the crowd.

            Never mind. Everything worked out for her.

            “The sun is harsh today. Please borrow this parasol,” offered a man.

            “Here’s a coupon to the café,” said the first boy again. “I’ll go ahead and reserve a table for you.”

            “Wow, thank you,” said Teruhashi, smiling.

            “Oh, wow!” said the entire crowd.

            “It’s amazing how everything works out for her,” said (Y/N). They laughed. “I need some of that charisma.”

            “I think you’re fine the way you are,” said Saiki. Besides, he’d watch out for them. As long as he was around, they’d be alright.

l

            At the café, Teruhashi continued to be surrounded by other men while (Y/N) and Saiki sat across from her eating cake and drinking tea. She was satisfied, though, for now, since she had a whole group of people going “oh, wow!”

            Saiki made me totally forget it, but now I remember. I’m a perfect pretty girl! Having recharged her confidence, she turned back towards (Y/N) and Saiki, eager for more “oh, wows.”

            Yare yare. Teruhashi really is tough. I’ll just get through this and hurry home with (Y/N). I wonder if they’re done filming.

            (Y/N) sighed happily as they finished their tea. This is nice. I’ll have to come back here at some point when there aren’t as many people crowded around. And I should bring Kusuo.

            Saiki straightened as he heard Makoto and his director thinking about how they were changing location. They’re coming this way?! He took another bite of his cupcake. I should really do something soon. He took his time savoring the sweets.

            “These were delicious, weren’t they, Saiki, (Y/N),” said Teruhashi.

            “Yeah, they were super good,” said (Y/N), smiling.

            We took our time, but this town is big. Hopefully we won’t run into him.

            Nothing worked out for Saiki, though, and due to the ground, Makoto and his assistant decided to stop at that café.

            Saiki stood. We better leave quickly.

            “Are you ready to go, Kusuo?” said (Y/N).

            Saiki stared at them and then out the window. (Y/N) observational skills paid off, and they saw the blue hair of Makoto Teruhashi in the van outside.

            “You’re right, it’s time to go,” said (Y/N), standing. “We finished everything, after all.”

            “Can we wait a bit?” said Teruhashi. “They want me to shake hands with them, so…” She smiled and let the line form, focusing on being the perfect pretty girl.

            “Kusuo, what do we do?” whispered (Y/N).

            “I’ll flip the sign.” His psychokinesis flipped the open sign to closed.

            They tensed, but the two men walked back to their van instead of walking in.

            “We did it,” said (Y/N).

            “We should still probably leave in case they return,” said Saiki.

            (Y/N) nodded vigorously. “Good idea.”

            “6,850 yen, please,” said a waiter.

            “Oh, I’m paying!” said Teruhashi, smiling and walking over. “How much is it?”

            “Oh, you are? Two hundred yen, I guess,” said the waiter, blushing.

            “Oh, that cheap? And I have coupons,” said Teruhashi happily.

            “Then it’s twenty yen,” said the waiter.

            “I hope I get reborn as a pretty girl in my next life,” said Saiki.

            “I think you’re fine the way you are,” teased (Y/N), smiling at Saiki.

l

            “I wonder if they’re done filming,” wondered Teruhashi. “But Saiki, (Y/N), what do you think?”

            “We’ll go straight home,” said Saiki.

            To support him—since (Y/N) knew at this point Saiki wanted to really go home, so they wouldn’t push his boundaries—(Y/N) nodded. “I should probably get my homework done sooner rather than later.”

            Saiki paused, his clairvoyance showing him that the film crew was at the train station. He nearly sighed. It appeared they’d be stuck here a while longer.

            Teruhashi perked up, deciding that Saiki must be fighting with his own insecurity about hanging out with her.

            (Y/N) tilted their head, understanding they were facing another obstacle.

            “Hey, if you’re not in a rush, you and I could hang out some more, Saiki,” said Teruhashi. She smiled. “Even if (Y/N) heads home, you don’t have to go.”

            “Well, Kusuo and I were going to do homework together, so I guess I have to wait,” said (Y/N).

            Teruhashi deflated slightly. I thought I’d get some alone time with Saiki. It’s almost as if (Y/N) knows to stick around.

            They are good at covering for me. Saiki liked that—yet another characteristic in a long list that he liked about them.

            “Oh, look, I haven’t been to a place like that for a long time!” said Teruhashi as she led them to an entertainment arcade. “There are so many choices!”

            This might actually be a fortunate turn of events in terms of making Teruhashi hate me, thought Saiki.

            “A karaoke place, so cool!” said Teruhashi, trying to hint to Saiki. I don’t feel like bowling. I wanna go karaoke.

            With that, it was decided.

l

            “Another split? I have no luck today,” laughed (Y/N) as they, once again, had a terrible turn in bowling.

            Since Teruhashi didn’t want to, Saiki had absolutely wanted to. This would help get her to lose interest in him.

            “Strike!” announced the computer screen after Saiki went.

            Teruhashi deflated.

            The entire game, Saiki made sure to humiliate (Y/N) and Teruhashi with his “skill” (psychic power). That way, Teruhashi would really lose her feelings for him. It was a little mean, but Saiki was eager to have her stop chasing him around. It caused him trouble. At least (Y/N) wasn’t embarrassed and just laughed at their own lack of bowling ability.

            Still, Teruhashi wasn’t done yet, but Saiki was up to every challenge.

            When she saw a claw machine with a gorillabbit, he instead won the strawberry stuffed animal and handed it to (Y/N). They turned red and fought to thank him normally, trying to rationalize that Saiki was just trying to frustrate Teruhashi. (Obviously he did it just to annoy Teruhashi, not because he saw them looking at it earlier and thought they’d like it). Teruhashi deflated once more.

            When she challenged Saiki to table tennis, he beat her terribly. History repeated itself in darts and video games. Soon, Teruhashi was just sitting on a bench with a blank look on her face, disinterested and disappointed in everything.

            Maybe we went a little far. “Is she going to be okay?” said (Y/N), looking at her faraway stare.

            “She’ll rebound once someone says ‘oh, wow’ to her,” said Saiki.

            “Let’s head home,” sighed Teruhashi.

            “Good idea,” said Saiki.

            “It is getting late,” said (Y/N).

            “I’m exhausted,” sighed a voice behind them on the bench facing the other direction.

            (Y/N) and Saiki’s eyes widened, and they whirled.

            It was Makoto and part of his team. Because of all the people, Saiki hadn’t differentiated Makoto’s thoughts from anyone else’s, and now they were right there near them and Teruhashi.

            “Four eyes?” said Makoto, blinking. “Other one?”

            I don’t even get a name?

            “Kokomi?!” cried Makoto, seeing his sister walking away. His surprised gaze turned to anger as he assumed Saiki was on a date with Teruhashi (which was bizarre since (Y/N) was also there, but Makoto doesn’t have a good head on his shoulders).

            “What’s wrong?” asked his assistant, walking over.

            “We have to go,” said Saiki, standing and grabbing (Y/N)’s hand. He pulled them behind him, and they followed quickly.

            “Hey, Kokomi, come on!” said (Y/N) brightly, and when she looked confused, Saiki made a drastic move and dragged her along by the hand.

            “They held her hand! Get those two!” shouted Makoto, and his people looked around wildly to try to spot them.

            I thought he didn’t want her to get attention! thought (Y/N) as Saiki pushed Teruhashi into a photo booth.

            “Hey, what—” The flash went off, and Teruhashi blinked before looking back at Saiki. In the haze of light, she drew her hand back. Oh, my! How dare he take my hand and push me into a photo booth. He wants photos of me that badly?! So selfish. And yet…why am I this excited? To know he was willing to be so confident, so forward…wow.

            Saiki nearly stared in astonishment as Teruhashi went back to liking him even more, but he just retreated to another photo booth to avoid the search party Makoto had instigated. He and (Y/N) stood silently as the men ran past and the photos flashed in the other booth to keep Teruhashi distracted (and, now, invested in her fantasy that Saiki wanted something to remember her by).

            Saiki sighed. “Yare yare. She likes me even more now.”

            “I’m sorry, Saiki,” said (Y/N), giving him a half-hearted smile. “But she does seem to really like you.” And although I think I like you for other reasons and am more aware of it, I can understand.

            “I should have let you take her hand,” said Saiki.

            (Y/N) shrugged. “Everyone makes a mistake.” They smiled and lifted their hands, still holding each other. “And my hand was already taken.” They spoke teasingly, but there was a warmth that, if Saiki knew their thoughts, he’d see as affection above that of friendship.

            Saiki looked down at their hands and contemplated it for a moment. Although he was not one for physical touch, he’d initiated this, and now that he was holding (Y/N)’s hand, he found he didn’t want to let go. They were warm, and it was comfortable. Just like talking with them or spending time with them, it felt natural to be this close to (Y/N).

            “Do you want to take a photo?” said Saiki.

            (Y/N) brightened and looked at him. “How did you know I wanted to?” They knew he couldn’t read their mind with their germandium earrings on (which they would never take off).

            He didn’t. He just knew that he suddenly wanted to capture this moment, to remember how nice it was to be with (Y/N), the person he had a crush on. “You mentioned you like having photographs to remember moments to Yumehara while we were Okinawa on the beach.” And I hope you had fun with me, even if I was focused on getting Teruhashi to stop liking me.

            (Y/N) smiled. “I’d love to, Kusuo.”

            Saiki really liked hearing the word love and his name in the same sentence when it came from (Y/N).

l

            Saiki looked at the photobooth pictures in his hand in his room. Carefully, he placed it on his desk, leaning against his plant, so he could see it clearly. He sat quietly and looked at it with a now-familiar warmth glowing in his chest.

            Three photos stared back at him.

            One had Saiki looking emotionless as usual while (Y/N) beamed and raised their hands—still entwined—like a superhero in the air.

            The second had (Y/N) making half a heart with their pointer and middle finger while Saiki looked at it.

            The third has Saiki completing the heart, still no expression, but his gaze was firmly on (Y/N)’s joyful face.

            As he looked at the pictures, Saiki smiled.

Chapter Text

            After school, which had been normal for (Y/N) but filled with Kaidou’s thoughts of how scared he was of Kuboyasu since he had discovered he used to be a delinquent for Saiki, the three headed back to their homes, walking down the same paths and roads.

            “Saiki, (L/N), want to grab some food?” asked Kaidou as they rounded a corner.

            “Hey,” said a boy in a group of four, much taller and muscular than Kaidou. The group grinned menacingly.

            “I know this is sudden, but could you lend us some cash?” said another in the group.

            Kaidou tried to back away, but one boy dragged him back. Two got on either side of Saiki.

            “You can’t escape either,” said one.

            (Y/N) took a step back, but the last one stepped towards them. “Not you, either!”

            Saiki, Kaidou, and (Y/N) stood in the center of the group of delinquents, cornered.

            “Give us your money!” One grabbed Kaidou by the collar, and Kaidou deflated in fear. “Don’t ignore me!”

            “Leave him alone,” snapped (Y/N), stepping forward.

            Don’t get involved! Saiki didn’t want them getting hurt.

            “Do you want some of what he’s having?” sneered the leader, shoving Kaidou back into a wall.

            (Y/N) narrowed their eyes. They had a pretty good punch, but they saw the metal baton in one of their hands, and they knew they couldn’t do much about that.

            “(Y/N), don’t,” said Saiki, sending the words directly into their mind. He would step in if they got put in danger, but he’d prefer for them to avoid it altogether.

            “H-Hey, ignore them,” said Kaidou bravely (still shaking, though). He lifted up his wallet. “Here’s my wallet.”

            Saiki had to admit, he was proud of Kaidou for drawing the attention intentionally back to himself so that (Y/N) wouldn’t get hurt.

            “Wow, look at all this cash!” said the delinquents gleefully.

            “Now you two,” said another, stepping again towards Saiki and (Y/N).

            Saiki moved slightly in front of (Y/N).

            The delinquent reached out towards Saiki. Kaidou jumped in between and pushed the delinquent back.

            “Run, Saiki, (L/N)!” cried Kaidou, and the three took off away from the delinquents.

            “Wait! Stop right there, bastards!” cursed the boys, running after them.

            Saiki and (Y/N) kept their speed up, staying away from the delinquents, but Kaidou, thanks to his lack of physical ability, started falling back, and the boys grabbed him.

            “Kaidou!” said (Y/N) in alarm, preparing to stop and help him.

            They’re way too nice, sighed Saiki, slowing to a stop. If it was Kaidou, maybe he’d turn back since he helped him escape, but since it was (Y/N), he’d definitely stop.

            “Hey, Saiki, (L/N), what’s up?” Kuboyasu rounded the corner that Saiki had reached intentionally in his run. He paused as he saw Kaidou being held by the delinquents. “What is this?”

            “Kuboyasu, run away!” said Kaidou urgently. He knew Kuboyasu was strong, he’d seen it himself, but his instinct was to sacrifice himself for his friends (rather honorable). “Take Saiki and (L/N) with you and run.”

            “Hey, do you have cash, too?” said one delinquent, walking up to Kuboyasu as the other three kept an eye on Kaidou, Saiki, and (Y/N). “Did you think we would let you just go?”

            Kuboyasu back-fisted the delinquent. “I used to be a delinquent,” he said, letting the boy fall. “So after I transferred, I tried to be a law-abiding citizen.” He walked towards the next delinquent that went running towards him.

            “You’re dead!” he cried.

            Kuboyasu punched him, and he fell to the side. “But this path is tougher than the path of a delinquent,” said Kuboyasu. “I can’t stop myself if others are looking for a fight.” He punched and kicked the next boy. He approached the final delinquent who still held Kaidou tightly. “This is me.”

            “What?” said the delinquent fearfully.

            “Don’t touch my friends!” shouted Kuboyasu, punching him in the face.

            Kaidou stared at Kuboyasu, sparkles and tears in his eyes. “Kuboyasu…” he spoke in awe and thanks.

            “Come on. I’ll make sure you guys get home alright,” said Kuboyasu, turning away.

            “Thanks, Kuboyasu,” said (Y/N), smiling.

            Saiki just nodded. (Y/N) had ended up alright, so that was enough.

            “Yeah, thanks,” said Kaidou. “I thought you’d be scary as a delinquent, but it turns out you’re still really cool.”

            Kuboyasu glanced at him in surprise. “You knew?”

            “Of course,” said Kaidou, puffing out his chest and returning to his usual self. “Did you think you could deceive my demonic eye?”

            “Really? I thought I blended in perfectly,” said Kuboyasu.

            “We don’t care about your past,” said (Y/N), shrugging.

            “Right!” said Kaidou. “What matters is who you are now and who you’ll be in the future.” He reached out, and Kuboyasu shook his hand.

            “What a nice moment,” said (Y/N), smiling.

            Kaidou winced as Kuboyasu’s strong grip hurt his hand.

            “He’s weak,” said Saiki.

            (Y/N) chuckled. “Still a nice moment.

l

            “Kusuo, why are we at your neighbor’s house?” said (Y/N). They had come over to work on homework with Saiki, but they had made a sudden exit from his house to the neighbor’s.

            “Yuuta needs babysitting,” said Saiki.

            “You don’t like babysitting, so why are we really here?” said (Y/N), grinning as they read him perfectly.

            “Teruhashi asked my mom to teach her to make cookies, so she’s coming over. I decided to watch Yuuta over at his house to avoid her,” said Saiki.

            “Got it,” said (Y/N), laughing since Saiki went to such trouble to avoid Teruhashi.

            “Hey, hey, come on, I want to watch TV!” said Yuuta. “Cyborg Cider-man No. 2, Cherry Blossom Lemonade, come on!”

            “Coming.” That show is just an ad.

            Ding-dong!

            The doorbell rang.

            Yuuta ran up the mic to answer it. “Yes?” he said nervously. Clearly, he didn’t like strangers (but not enough to not mistake them for superheroes).

            “Sorry, I made a mistake.”

            (Y/N)’s eyes widened. It was Teruhashi’s voice on the other side. She had managed to get the house wrong but found the one where Saiki actually was. The universe really does look out for her.

            Yuuta opened the front door and peeked out. “Who are you?”

            Teruhashi panicked. “Sorry, I pressed the button by mistake.”

            Yuuta disappeared and pulled (Y/N) and Saiki to the door for “protection” from the strange lady. (Children were immune to Teruhashi’s charms, which got her frustrated).

            “Come on, Cyborg Cider-man No. 2, Cherry Blossom Lemonade! I need you two to make sure everything’s okay!” said Yuuta. “Someone suspicious is here.” He dragged them into the doorway.

            “Yare yare.”

            “Hi, Kokomi,” said (Y/N), waving. They were as friendly as ever, even if Saiki was disappointed.

            “Saiki? (Y/N)?” Teruhashi blinked in surprise.

            “We have no choice but to return to my house,” said Saiki to (Y/N).

            “I’ll stick with you, and you’ll survive,” said (Y/N) encouragingly.

            That made Saiki felt better.

l

            “Welcome, Kokomi!” said Mrs. Saiki, smiling at Teruhashi as she entered the kitchen. “And (Y/N), welcome back in. I was hoping you’d stick around, too. Would you like to join us cooking?”

            (Y/N) brightened. “I love baking.”

            That was true. (Y/N) wanted to be a confectioner, and Saiki had the honor to try some of their creations (absolutely delicious and made him fall for them more. The way to someone’s heart, especially Saiki’s, was indeed through their stomach).

            Darn it, I thought I’d get private time with Mrs. Saiki. If she likes me, then Saiki will like me more, thought Teruhashi. Not that it matters, but, after all, boys like a girl more if their parents like her, and I’m the perfect pretty girl, so of course Mrs. Saiki would want me in her family, and then she’ll say that to Saiki, and he’ll say “oh, wow!”

            Yare yare.

            “It has been a long time,” said Teruhashi, smiling at Mrs. Saiki.

            “It has,” said Mrs. Saiki. She smiled. “Oh, and hello to you, too, Yuuta.” She laughed as she looked at (Y/N) and Saiki standing with Yuuta held by Saiki. “From this angle, you two look a married couple.”

            Teruhashi stared at (Y/N) and Saiki, and he nearly sighed as her thoughts spiraled, but his own embarrassment at his mom’s words kept him quiet. He didn’t mind the idea. Marriage was just existing with a person you care about and getting to spend time with them (and hug and kiss them), so that didn’t sound bad at all for Saiki. Not if it was with (Y/N).

            (Y/N)’s cheeks warmed, and they chuckled. “I guess so,” said (Y/N), but they avoided Saiki’s gaze in case that made him uncomfortable. Still, the thought was a nice one. They really liked Saiki. They could spend forever with him.

            “I’ll get the ingredients ready if you two just wait here,” said Mrs. Saiki, completely oblivious to the reactions her words had elicited.

            “Of course, we’ll wait right here,” said Teruhashi, smiling as Mrs. Saiki walked away. She glanced at Saiki and found that Yuuta was staring at her strangely. What’s he looking at? Perhaps he’s experiencing his first love. Smiling, she said, “Hello, Yuuta!” He hid his face in Saiki’s chest, and (Y/N) had to smother a laugh at the intense reaction. This brat, thought Teruhashi. Fine, I’ll try something else. She straightened and picked up the box she’d put on the Saikis’ table. “I brought some cake! Do you want some?”

            “Cake?!” said Yuuta eagerly.

            “Oh, that does sound good,” said (Y/N), and Saiki nodded. Their massive sweet-tooths were always up for some confections.

            They sat down, and Mrs. Saiki rejoined them to open the box. Teruhashi had gotten pieces for herself, Saiki, Mrs. Saiki, and Mr. Saiki, but since Mr. Saiki wasn’t there and she had gotten an extra (due to being a pretty girl), she had enough for everyone.

            “I have an extra piece, so if you would like to, you can have some,” said Teruhashi, smiling.

            “Oh, they look delicious!” said Mrs. Saiki. There was a lemon cake slice, a yellow cake with strawberries on top, a cupcake, a chocolate cake slice, and a heart-shaped cake with “love” written on it.

            Teruhashi’s eyes widened in panic as she saw the last one. That was the free one she’d gotten, but she hadn’t seen it until then. What type of impression would that send to Saiki?!

            “Oh, who is this one for?” said Mrs. Saiki, holding up the heart-shaped cake.

            “Oh, I don’t know!” said Teruhashi quickly. “The chef picked them all out! It was a surprise! I guess he thought it would taste good! It doesn’t mean anything!” Her cheeks were bright pink as she panicked. “Everyone can take whichever one they want.”

            “Alright!” said Yuuta excitedly.

            “Thank you so much, Kokomi,” said (Y/N), smiling.

            “Thank you.” Saiki would never refuse a sweet.

            Why did he give me that cake? Teruhashi sat down. Still…I would like Saiki to eat that one.

            Her hopes were crushed as Yuuta eagerly bit into the heart-shaped cake.

            After they finished their treats, Mrs. Saiki smiled and said, “Well, thank you so much, Kokomi.” She looked at Yuuta. “Make sure you thank Kokomi. It’s polite.”

            “Thanks, ma’am!” said Yuuta.

            An arrow pierced Teruhashi at the old-woman (in her mind) term.

            Mrs. Saiki didn’t notice and continued, “Would you and (Y/N) like to get started on the cookies, now?” The phone rang before the two could answer, and Mrs. Saiki rose to answer it.

            Teruhashi glowered at Yuuta, imagining all the ways she could get her revenge in the future for him slighting her so terribly.

            Saiki decided to use this to his advantage.

            (Y/N) recycled the cake box and placed the dishes on the counter to be washed later.

            “Oh, I’m sorry, Kokomi, (Y/N),” said Mrs. Saiki, putting down the phone and looking at the two. “I forgot that I had a town council meeting!”

            “Oh, then I’ll come again,” said Teruhashi, bowing.

            “It’s no problem, we’ll do it another time,” said (Y/N), smiling.

            “Oh, no, no, you can wait here if you want to,” said Mrs. Saiki. “It should end in thirty minutes. Ku, keep (Y/N) and Kokomi company.”

            “I was the one who invited (Y/N) over,” said Saiki.

            I’ll be alone with Saiki! realized Teruhashi.

            (Y/N) and Yuuta are here, thought Saiki.

            “Bye, I’ll be back soon,” said Mrs. Saiki, grabbing her purse and heading out.

            Instantly, Yuuta turned towards Saiki and (Y/N). “Can I watch TV?”

            Don’t you have your own TV? griped Teruhashi inwardly, but out loud, she just said, “Let’s watch TV!” She turned on the TV for him. I cannot get angry at this child. If I can distract him and (Y/N), then Saiki and I can have a moment alone.

            “We’re going to watch TV to avoid Teruhashi, aren’t we?” whispered (Y/N).

            How do they know what I’m thinking? Saiki nodded, and the pair sat down on the couch.

            Teruhashi stared. They’re watching TV, too?! She deflated. I guess we can’t be alone.

            The only one I wanted to be alone with today with was (Y/N), and you interrupted that, thought Saiki.

            “What is this show about? It seems cool,” said Teruhashi, attempting to get Yuuta to like her again.

            “I’m watching this. Be quiet,” said Yuuta.

            Teruhashi was stricken as he rudeness towards her continued. She couldn’t take any more. Swaying on her feet, she turned towards the door. “I just remembered something. I need to go home. Tell your mother I’m sorry.”

            Saiki looked down at Yuuta and smiled proudly. The kid had done what he couldn’t and scared Teruhashi off. Now after Yuuta’s mom got back, he and (Y/N) could spend some time alone. (And maybe (Y/N) would bake for him…that sounded like the perfect day).

            Yuuta just stared intently at the screen as Cyborg Cider-man No. 2 and Cherry Blossom Lemonade fought Baron Cola. Then, a third superhero entered the scene, a woman with blue hair and a sweet smile.

            “I am Peach T Girl!” she declared. “And I am here to help defeat Baron Cola.”

            Oh no. Saiki watched as, in Yuuta’s thoughts, Peach T Girl appeared as Teruhashi—the two looking strangely similar. Not again. No.

            Yuuta leapt up with a grin. He could have all three superheroes here if he got Peach T Girl back. He ran towards the door. “Wait! Peach T Girl!”

            “The world loves her too much,” said Saiki.

            (Y/N) chuckled. “More like Yuuta loves that show too much.” They stood. “Come on, if we move out of the living room, Yuuta will make her sit down and talk to him about being a superhero and distract her from you.”

            You’re an angel. Saiki stood and followed (Y/N). Maybe he would get some quality time with them without too many idiots around.

Chapter Text

            Saiki sighed in frustration as his apportment continued to cause problems. It was slow going getting to the money he needed to pay for the coffee jelly he’d had after forgetting his wallet, and due to his zebra-print, everyone had noticed him, so he couldn’t teleport away for the money, either. He was pretty stuck, unfortunately, and if he kept going, he’d cause more problems for people with his apportment.

            “Kusuo?”

            Saiki looked up and decided that maybe the world was smiling down on him today (for once in his life). It was (Y/N), wearing a white shirt with strawberries and pink shorts. When did Saiki start noticing fashion outside of himself? When it was (Y/N) looking like a sweet, which Saiki liked just as much as he liked (Y/N).

            “Hi, (Y/N).”

            “You look a little frustrated,” said (Y/N). They sat down opposite him, and unlike if anyone else was presumptuous enough to sit down without asking, Saiki was glad to have them. “Do you need help something?”

            “I forgot my wallet,” admitted Saiki.

            (Y/N) smile and pulled out their, of course, pink wallet. “Well, I was planning on getting myself a sweet, so I have mine. What if I cover for you?”

            “You will?” said Saiki.

            “Yeah.” (Y/N) shrugged as if it was no matter. “I know you’ll pay me back when you can, so it’s no big deal.”

            “Thank you,” said Saiki honestly.

            “Of course,” said (Y/N), calling over a waiter. “But do you mind if I have my snack, first?”

            “…Can I have another coffee jelly? I’ll pay you back for both,” said Saiki. If he was going to be here for a while longer, he might as well have another treat.

            (Y/N) laughed. “Totally.”

They made their order, and Saiki made his before. Once they got their treats, they dug in happily.

            “So, Kusuo, how do you feel about the class trip to the OK Karaoke place that opened up?” asked (Y/N) in an attempt to make conversation.

            “I’m going for the grand chocolate parfait they have,” said Saiki.

            “Not one for singing?” teased (Y/N), knowing he wouldn’t like the attention.

            “Absolutely not,” said Saiki gravely.

            “They’re going to make you,” said (Y/N). “What’s your plan?”

            “Get my parfait and then leave,” said Saiki.

            “Good luck,” said (Y/N). They knew things had a tendency to fall through and force Saiki to recalculate at the last moment.

            “Are you planning on singing?” said Saiki.

            (Y/N) nodded. “Chiyo, Mera, Kokomi, and I promised each other to all sing so none of us felt embarrassed about being the only one of our friend group.” They laughed. “I’m hoping Kokomi isn’t the first one of us since she’ll be a tough act to follow. She can really sing.”

            “Can you?” asked Saiki.

            “I sing in the shower, so that’s as far as my skills go,” said (Y/N) jovially.

            Saiki took a risk. “I’m sure you’ll sound nice.” He wasn’t very open with compliments, but with (Y/N), he never saw the harm. He wanted them to be confident and happy with themself.

            (Y/N) beamed, and their heart thrummed at the compliment from Saiki. “You think so?”

            “Yes,” said Saiki honestly.

            (Y/N) ducked their gaze but smiled softly. “Thanks, Saiki.” They risked a look into his yes. “And, hey, if you really do get forced to sing, I’ll do a duet with you, how about that? Then I can make a fool of myself so you don’t have too much attention.” They could help him out and get a moment with him. A win for (Y/N).

            Saiki’s gaze softened as he looked back at them. They were always so willing to help him. He really needed to pay them back. They were just too good.

            “That would be nice.”

            Saiki hoped to avoid singing, but at least now he’d be with (Y/N) if he had to. That wasn’t too bad. Honestly, he found that maybe he wouldn’t mind if he ended up participating.

l

            “Hey, who stopped my song?” said Takahashi as the karaoke machine glitched during his terrible singing (thankfully).

            “Saiki, what will you sing?” said Kaidou.

            “I came to eat,” said Saiki. He had made his order for the grand chocolate parfait instantly, and now he just had to wait and hope it came before he had to sing at all.

            “Saiki, we are here to make memories as a class today,” said Hairo, walking up to their table. “Every person much sing at least once.”

            (Y/N) took the song requester from Hairo.

            “Haven’t you already signed up?” asked Hairo.

            “Oh, yeah, but Kusuo and I were thinking of doing a duet. Getting up on your own is a lot with all these people,” said (Y/N), smiling brightly.

            “Of course! What a good idea, (Y/N)! It builds camaraderie!” said Hairo.

            (Y/N) grinned and winked at Saiki playfully since their plan had worked. Saiki felt his heart warm at their helpfulness and the wink.

            “It’s finally happening!” cried several voices, and everyone looked up at the stage area. It was Teruhashi’s turn. “Teruhashi! The class idol is going to sing!”

            Teruhashi winked. “I feel sort of shy!”

            “I never imagined I would get to hear Teruhashi sing,” said a boy.

            “Her voice is beautiful,” said another, brough to tears.

            “They do realize she hasn’t started singing yet, haven’t they?” said (Y/N), blinking in confusion.

            “They’re being stupid,” said Saiki.

            Saiki is here, too! Welcome to my concert! said Teruhashi.

            This isn’t your concert.

            Teruhashi lifted the microphone and began to sing, perfectly in tone and as beautiful as ever. She sang the perfect song for the perfect pretty girl. Everyone was crying at her amazing performance, both boys and girls, and Teruhashi was living for it.

(Teruhashi) “You know I’m awesome at everything,
Don’t bother trying to resist me,
I’m such a cute and kind and pretty girl,
That soon enough,
You’re gonna say ‘Oh, wow’ to me,
Oh, you’ll say it to me.”

            Singing aside, those lyrics were the worst, thought Saiki.

            “I’m up next!” said Kaidou excitedly, heading up to the stage. He began to sing, and for anyone listening, it actually was pretty good, but everyone was too busy fawning over Teruhashi to pay attention to him.

            “You can be a professional singer,” praised one boy.

            “I was so moved,” said another.

            “You should be a singer!” said a girl.

            “Me? No way,” laughed Teruhashi.

            “Sing another song!” said another classmate.

            Poor Kaidou’s performance remained ignored the entire time until he slouched back to his table. Saiki clapped since it had been a good song. (Y/N) patted Kaidou’s back.

            “Nice singing,” said Saiki.

            “Yeah, you sounded really good, Kaidou. We were listening,” encouraged (Y/N).

            “(L/N), it’s your turn,” said Hairo, gesturing to the screen.

            “Wish me luck,” said (Y/N), standing up and taking the microphone.

            Taking a deep breath, they began to sing as the song played. Was it perfect? No, absolutely not. But they liked the song (“LOCO” by Itzy, the Japanese version), and they put energy into it, so even when they messed up the lyrics of tune, they could just grin at their friends and continue. Who cared about messing up if their friends were having a good time?

            When the song finished, (Y/N) bowed to applause and sat back down.

            “That was really good, (L/N),” said Kaidou.

            “Thanks. I’m glad people liked it even though I totally messed up,” laughed (Y/N).

            “You sounded nice,” said Saiki. He had enjoyed watching them enjoy themself, and they were as cute as the song they’d sung, so he’d liked it.

            “Really? Thanks, Kusuo,” said (Y/N), cheeks warm as they smiled.

            “Sorry for the wait,” said a waiter, walking into the room. “Grand chocolate parfait—”

            “It’s here.” Saiki raised his hand.

            “That’s mine!” said a boy at another table.

            What? Did someone order one before me? thought Saiki in alarm.

            “It came as soon as I ordered it,” said the boy. “It took less than a minute.”

            Saiki glowered. “That’s my parfait.” How dare he? I’ve been waiting fifteen minutes!

            “You can always go and ask for it,” suggested (Y/N).

            “That would be rude, so I can’t,” said Saiki. “Besides, he’s already eating it.” So I will make sure the microphone gets feedback when you sing.

            “Well, another fifteen minutes and his will come out for you,” said (Y/N). “So you just need to wait until then.”

            “And nine songs until ours, so I’m safe,” said Saiki.

            “Who’s next?” asked Kaidou.

            “It’s me!” said Nendou, standing up.

            “Yare yare.” Time to shut down my hearing. He looked at (Y/N). He didn’t need the to get brain damage from Nendou’s singing, so he reached out.

            Before he could, Nendou held out another microphone. “Hey, buddy, want to do a duet with me, too?”

            Everyone’s eyes were on Saiki and Nendou. Saiki had no choice. He turned off the lights in the room, making a blackout.

            “What? A blackout?” cried a few students.

            “Everyone calm down!” said Hairo. The lights flashed back on. “There they are.”

            “Okay, let’s sing, pal.” Nendou blinked. Saiki (and (Y/N)) were gone. “Pal? Pinky?”

            In the hall outside of the room, Saiki let out a sigh of relief. Now they couldn’t hear Nendou and he didn’t have to sing.

            “You really don’t want to sing,” chuckled (Y/N).

            Not with Nendou. The only one I’m willing to do it with is you, thought Saiki. “No.” That was all he said aloud though.

            “Why’d you bring me out?” asked (Y/N).

            “Nendou can’t sing. It’s not going to end well,” said Saiki.

            “Poor Nendou,” said (Y/N).

            Of course they’re worried about him, too. Saiki thought (Y/N) was too nice for their own good sometimes.

            “We should head back in soon, though, so you can keep an eye out for your parfait,” said (Y/N).

            “It has gotten quiet,” said Saiki, and the pair walked back into the room.

            It looked like the world had ended. Everyone was slumped nearly unconscious over their seats and tables.

            “Kaidou? What happened?” asked Saiki, putting his hand on his shoulder.

            Kaidou looked up. “Saiki?”

            “Oh, he’s still alive.”

            “What happened here?” asked (Y/N). “You look terrible.”

            “Nendou sang on his own. After that, hell opened up,” groaned Kaidou. “It felt like an orchestra made up of everything with a horrible sound. Before I lost consciousness, I remember thinking that the god of death must sing like him.”

            “I’m actually curious now,” admitted Saiki.

            “I’m sorry you went through that,” said (Y/N), patting Kaidou’s shoulder. “But you’re alive, so you’ll recover!”

            “What’s wrong?” asked Nendou, looking out over the slowly-recovering crowd. “Did my singing voice lull you to sleep? I’ll sing something more exciting, then.”\

            “How bad was it?” wondered Saiki.

            “Oh, Kusuo, look,” said (Y/N), gesturing to their table where a grand chocolate parfait now stood. “It came early!”

            “Time to eat,” said Saiki, sitting down.

            “Saiki, you and (L/N) are up next!” said Hairo.

            “What are you saying, we’re eighth in line,” said Saiki.

            “The order got deleted after the blackout, so I entered what I could remember,” said Hairo.

            “Oh, no.”

            “Come on, come on, Saiki, (L/N), everyone’s waiting for you,” said Hairo. “I’ll watch your food until you get back.”

            “I guess we’re doing this,” said (Y/N) sheepishly as they stood up.

            “Oh, no.” was all Saiki could muster.

            “You can do this,” said (Y/N), smiling at him.

            Saiki looked up at them. With their warm smile and loyal heart, Saiki couldn’t say no. Yare yare. He stood up. “We’re doing it.”

            (Y/N) beamed excitedly, and that made it all worth it. Even as people’s eyes went onto him and “Like OOH-AHH by Twice, the Japanese version” played, Saiki found it wasn’t so bad. Did he put much effort in? No. He was too busy letting (Y/N) be silly and enjoying their eternal joy. It was sweeter than any confectionary treat.

            As the song ended, (Y/N) bowed, and Saiki nodded. Their classmates cheered and clapped, and their friends whooped. (Y/N) boldly took Saiki’s hand, raised it above their head, and bowed once more.

            Saiki smiled as he bowed. No one would see it since he wiped it away as soon as he stood up, but he couldn’t contain it. Surprisingly, he had fun, but he suspected that was due to having (Y/N) by his side. That made everything better.

            “Now you can have your parfait,” said (Y/N), grinning at him. “And you didn’t embarrass yourself at all.”

            Saiki nodded. “Thank you for doing it with me.”

            “Of course,” said (Y/N). They smiled with closed-eyes. “I’d do it again in a heartbeat.” Being close to you is nice. Of course I’d give anything to spend time with you. Squeezing his hand boldly, they let go and sat down across from him.

            Saiki sat and took a bite of his parfait, but the warmth in his chest and the content look on his face was more from (Y/N)’s sweetness than the parfait’s.

Chapter Text

            “You should tell him how you feel, Miko,” said a girl to her friend as they walked back.

            “No way!”

            “You should make a move.”

            “He’s popular, you know.”

            “Oh, there he is! Good luck.”

            (Y/N) turned around to watch. “I wonder who the popular guy is—Oh.”

            Hearing their surprise, Saiki turned around. Oh indeed. It was Toritsuka.

            “Toritsuka, would you want to go to a movie with me?” said the girl nervously.

            “Wow, is he actually getting a girl to go out with him?” said (Y/N). It was a strange development. Usually, girls avoided him after the novelty of meeting a medium wore off.

            “Sure, let’s go,” said Toritsuka.

            “You said you were going with me, too!” said another girl.

            “I’m going with Reita, too!” said a third.

            (Y/N) and Saiki exchanged glances. Now this was suspicious.

l

            “Man, this is tough,” laughed Toritsuka. (Y/N) and Saiki had come up to him for an explanation after classes in the courtyard. The ghosts had told Toristuka (Y/N) knew about the whole “psychic powers” thing, so he talked openly in front of them (which was unfortunate, since he could be a real perv). “Being popular is harder than it looks.”

            “It doesn’t look like it bothers you too much,” said Saiki.

            “Well, in a sense, it is thanks to you, Saiki,” said Toritsuka.

            “It is?” said (Y/N), tilting their head.

            “Absolutely not.” Saiki didn’t want (Y/N) thinking he was involved with any of Toritsuka’s terrible ideas.

            “Remember how I performed at the school festival? It was a huge success,” said Toritsuka.

            “What?” said Saiki incredulously.

            “I was really bad at first,” admitted Toritsuka. “I even heard a weird sound and had no idea how I made it. But just when I was going to give up, he showed up.”

            “Who?” asked (Y/N).

            “He was a ghost with a mop-top haircut and glasses,” said Toritsuka. “He was a world-famous legendary musician who died at the young age of forty.”

            “You couldn’t possibly mean—”

            “That’s right. It was John. It was John Komatsu!” said Toritsuka.

            “That’s not who I thought it was,” said (Y/N).

            “I let him possess my body, and he overtook the souls of the audience in an instant!” said Toritsuka. “Spirit-summoning is a wonderful ability.”

            “Oh, so you’re abusing other people’s talents to try to get with girls,” said (Y/N), unimpressed.

            Saiki nodded. “Well-said.”

            “No, I’m using my spirit-summoning talent to try to get with girls,” said Toritsuka.

            “That’s not better,” said (Y/N).

            “Why are you checking another guy out?!” A shout went up through the courtyard as a boy grabbed a girl by the wrist.

            “It hurts, let go!” cried the girl.

            Toritsuka ran over and separated them. “Don’t lay your hands on a girl!”

            “This has nothing to do with you!” growled the original boy.

            “How pathetic are you, being so jealous?” said Toritsuka.

            “I’m going to kill you!” said the boy, aiming a bunch.

            “Uh-oh!” said (Y/N) standing.

            Saiki reached out and touched their wrist to stop them. “A ghost is possessing him. He’s fine.”

            Toritsuka blocked the attack easily and grinned back at Saiki and (Y/N). “Did you see whose move that was? An action star who passed away at the age of thirty-two.”

            “You don’t mean—”

            “Yes! It’s Bru Scorpion Jr’s move,” said Toritsuka. “I summoned the legendary kung-fu master.”

            “Who are these people?” said (Y/N), and Saiki shrugged.

            “Saiki! This ability will make me the most popular man in the world,” declared Toritsuka.

            “But it’s not your own personality,” said (Y/N). “Isn’t that a problem?”

            “He doesn’t realize that this isn’t going to end well,” said Saiki.

l

            Toristuka happily led thirteen girls towards the movie theater after school, eager to have a successful group date. All of his dreams were coming true. The only thing he needed was for the spirits to stay in line and not keep bothering him to borrow his body.

            Behind the group, Saiki and (Y/N) watched them go.

            “Is anything going wrong?” asked (Y/N).

            “He’s being weird,” said Saiki. “But that’s standard Toritsuka.” He stepped up. “I’m going to make sure he doesn’t try anything.”

            (Y/N) smiled. He was going to keep Toritsuka in line, even if he insisted these things had nothing to do with him. “You’re going to stand out in the group of girls.”

            Saiki poofed into smoke, and when (Y/N) could see him again, a girl with light pink hair and clear glasses stood in front of them.

            “Kusuo?” said (Y/N).

            “I go by Kuriko in this form,” said Saiki.

            (Y/N) beamed. “Wow, I didn’t know you could do that.”

            Saiki nodded. “I prefer being a boy.”

            “Well, you look nice as a girl, if that helps,” said (Y/N), rambling with a smile. It was a risk to say something like that with their feelings being what they were and Saiki not seeming to like such emotions, but they’d say it because it was true.

            Saiki nodded curtly, a warmth in her chest. “Thank you.”

            “I guess we can blend in now,” said (Y/N), taking a step forward. They were ambiguous enough.

            Saiki nodded, and they stepped up to the back of the group to keep an eye on Toritsuka.

            “Toritsuka, tell us something funny!” said one girl.

            “Yes, I’d love to hear a joke,” said a second.

            “Something funny?” Toritsuka considered. “Then, I’ll tell you about the erotic movie—” He cut himself off. He couldn’t say something like that. Instead, he let a charismatic CEO and speaker—Montecarlo Sudo—take over his body and begin speaking about different types of phones and ipods he has.

            The girls looked unimpressed and bored. Clearly, Sudo hadn’t been the right choice.

            “Yare yare. I came out of worry, but I see that wasn’t needed,” said Saiki.

            “Looks like he’s just out of his depth. The girls should be fine,” said (Y/N), satisfied.

            Saiki paused as she turned away, though, since she could hear Toritsuka’s worried thoughts as he failed to switch back into his own body.

            Abruptly, Toritsuka’s body began to sing as Komatsu switched in.

            “Uh, Kuriko?” asked (Y/N), confused.

            “He can’t get control of his body back,” said Saiki. “He’s super confused.”

            “Can you help him out? I know he was being a creep, but he can get his karma in his own body,” said (Y/N).

            Saiki nodded and projected her words into (Y/N) and Toritsuka’s minds. “You can’t switch back because that’s not your body anymore.”

            Toritsuka’s ghost looked over in alarm at (Y/N) and the girl who must be Saiki in confusion.

            “It seems like they have been using your body more than you lately,” said Saiki. “It’s like when your dog gets attached to the person watching them when you travel.”

            Toritsuka, of course, freaked out.

            “He’s panicking, isn’t he?” said (Y/N).

            Saiki nodded.

            “Can’t say he doesn’t deserve it,” said (Y/N), shrugging.

            Even (Y/N)’s kindness has a limit. “He’s begging me to help him,” said Saiki.

            Toritsuka’s body stopped singing and began practicing kung-fu, punching and kicking the air while the girls looked on in shock and disgust. As soon as the body approached them, they made a hasty exit, over the whole thing and any crushes they had on Toritsuka.

            “Maybe we shouldn’t let him run around like that,” said (Y/N).

            “Yare yare. I guess we should help,” said Saiki, stepping up to Toritsuka’s body.

            “How are you going to—”

            Saiki kicked Toritsuka’s stomach, and the ghosts were forcibly expelled from his body (and Toritsuka went flying).

            “Wow,” said (Y/N). They grinned. “That was a super cool kick!”

            Toritsuka trembled as he stood in his own body. He groaned and held his stomach. “Saiki, thank you so much. I learned a lesson, too. I’ll try to do things on my own without depending so much on ghosts.” He paused and looked at Saiki. He coughed. “Hey, uh, Saiki. Are those boobs real?”

            “You should go to Heaven, too,” said Saiki, putting her hands on her hips.

            “Ew,” said (Y/N), making a face.

            Toritsuka pouted as everyone looked at him with grossed-out expressions.

l

            “Are you joining any clubs, Kusuo?” asked (Y/N) as they headed into the lunchroom. The new term had begun, so clubs were advertising for new members once more.

            Saiki shook his head. “What about you?”

            “I’m a part of the Cooking and Baking Club,” said (Y/N). “But I’ve been doing that for a while.” They smiled. “I’m hoping to be president by senior year.”

            “I’m sure you’ll get there,” said Saiki. He had the honor of being (Y/N)’s test subject for new recipes, and they were always delicious.

            “Thanks,” said (Y/N), smiling.

            “Saiki! (L/N)!” Toritsuka ran up behind them, and Saiki shut the door in his face.

            Toritsuka pouted, opened the door, and followed them to their table. “I wanted to talk to you two about something.”

            “We’re not joining your club,” said Saiki. He refused to get involved with Toritsuka, and he didn’t want (Y/N) being near his plots for girls either.

            “Saiki, do you want to start a club with me?” said Toritsuka, ignoring Saiki.

            “Still no,” said Saiki.

            “What is it?” asked (Y/N) curiously.

            “An excuse to get close to girls,” said Saiki.

            “Toristuka…” sighed (Y/N), disappointed. “I thought you just learned a lesson about how wrong that goes for you.”

            “You know, I’m not sure what club it’s going to be, yet,” said Toritsuka, ignoring their comments and addressing his club again.

            “How about a club of shame?” suggested Saiki.

            “Well, I tried to get into other clubs—” all to get closer to girls, of course “—but I was rejected from all of them, so I have no choice but to make my own,” said Toritsuka. He brightened. “I need to build my own harem!”

            “You mean club?” said Saiki, nearly rolling his eyes.

            “…Toritsuka, just…no,” said (Y/N), shaking their head.

            Toristuka stood. “I just got an idea of what club to start!”

            “I don’t care,” said Saiki.

            “The Occult Club,” said Toritsuka.

l

            Sure enough, by the next day in school, a giant sign for the Occult Club (reading “primarily girls wanted”) was plastered up on the walls, and people were gathered around it curiously).

            “They’re taking the bait!” said Toritsuka excitedly.

            “Will that poster really work?” said Saiki.

            “I mean, a few people like the occult,” said (Y/N), considering.

            “Have you heard of misattribution of arousal?” said Toritsuka.

            (Y/N) blanched. “What does that have to do with anything?”

            “It’s a theory stating that people can mistake fear for attraction,” said Toritsuka.

            “He never studies, yet he knows stuff like this.”

            “The Occult Club is the perfect way to put this to use!” said Toristuka, proud of himself.

            “You put a lot of effort into really strange things,” said (Y/N) brightly.

            Toritsuka walked into his clubroom—a regular room darkened with blackout curtains and a lack of turned-on lights. “There may already be new applicants!” He didn’t see anyone and walked farther in. “I guess we need more time.”

            “Can Kusuo and I not be a part of this?” said (Y/N).

            “There is someone here,” said Saiki.

            “I would like to be a part of the Occult Club,” said a girl from the darkness.

            Toritsuka looked over eagerly but jumped as she loomed out of the darkness.

            “Nice to meet you,” said the girl, hair draped over her face.

            Toritsuka screamed. “Saiki, it’s a ghost!”

            (Y/N) turned on the lights to reveal a perfectly normal girl who just had a strange hairstyle.

            “Calm down, aren’t you used to seeing ghosts?” said Saiki.

            “I’m Arisu Makino,” said the girl. “In middle school, I read about three thousand books on black magic and spiritualism. Because the devil summoning requires six people as sacrifices, I have come to join.”

            “I’m not going to be a sacrifice, actually,” said (Y/N) jovially. “I’m not a part of this club.”

            “You should be a little more concerned about the idea of sacrifices,” said Saiki.

            “The people from the Occult Club went that way,” said Toritsuka, pointing out the door and totally lying.

            “Oh, really?” said Makino.

            “Hey, you’re the club president,” said Saiki, not letting him get away with anything.

            The door of the clubroom opened, and Toritsuka grinned at it. “Welcome to the Occult Club.”

            “What? Is this it or not?” asked Makino in confusion.

            “It is,” said (Y/N), nodding to her.

            “The Occult Club?” Kaidou looked in. “My name is Jet Black Wings, an exorcist who just happened to be passing by.”

            “Hey, Kaidou!” said (Y/N), waving.

            “Oh, Saiki, (L/N), hi,” said Kaidou, noticing them nervously.

            “Do you know him?” asked Toritsuka, looking at the two. “Hold on.” He chuckled. “You’re the chihuahua!” He laughed as he remembered Kaidou’s spirit guide.

            “Don’t call me that!” cried Kaidou, embarrassed.

            “Anyways, guys are not allowed to join the club,” said Toritsuka.

            “What?” said Kaidou, confused and disappointed.

            The door opened again, and Yumehara stepped in.

            “Excuse me, I would like to join the Occult Club,” she said. She pretended to innocently look around before “noticing” Kaidou. “Oh, my! Kaidou, what a coincidence! You surprised me.”

            “Aw, that’s kind of cute,” said (Y/N). “She’s trying to understand what he’s interested in.”

            Is that what I should be doing more? thought Saiki. He considered for a moment, but all he could think was that he and (Y/N) already did plenty together and hung out regularly. Still, he’d try to pay some more attention to them. Would that show he cared? Saiki didn’t want (Y/N) to think he didn’t value them.

            “I didn’t know you’d be here,” said Yumehara, smiling at Kaidou.

            A cute girl is here! thought Toristuka triumphantly. “Welcome,” he said, winking. “Are you ready to have a dangerous time?”

            “Uh…” Yumehara looked unimpressed.

            “Hey! So guys can’t join this club?” said Kaidou accusatorily.

            “That’s right!” Toritsuka tried to hug Makino and Yumehara, but (Y/N) moved in between him and them. “This is my harem, the Occult Club.”

            “It isn’t,” said Saiki.

            “Girls have stronger spiritual powers than guys, so you can’t join,” decided Toritsuka.

            “What? Kaidou can’t join the club?” said Yumehara. Her gaze darkened. “Sorry. I quit.” She walked up to Kaidou. “Kaidou, why don’t we make our own club?”

            “What? Oh, uh, sure, okay,” said Kaidou, nervous about Yumehara walking up to him.

            “I want to join, too,” said Makino.

            “Wait!” cried Toritsuka as he lost everyone. He bowed to Kaidou. “I’ll allow you to join the club.” But he wasn’t happy having a “rival.”

            Kaidou brightened, and Yumehara grinned and blushed excitedly.

            “Let’s have fun together, Kaidou!” said Yumehara.

            “Toritsuka’s not happy about Kaidou getting the attention,” said (Y/N). They chuckled quietly. “He kind of deserves it.”

            Saiki nodded. “He doesn’t stand a chance.” But “misattribution of arousal?” Curious, he decided to try something out. That is interesting.

            His psychokinesis hit the lights.

            “What happened?!” said Kaidou, looking around.

            “A blackout? I’m scared,” cried Yumehara.

            (Y/N) jumped at the sudden darkness and reached out to grab Saiki’s sleeve. It was instinctual; they felt safer knowing he was there.

            Static blared from the (digital) TVs, and Yumehara jumped towards Kaidou.

            “The door won’t open!” cried Toritsuka, trying to pull it open.

            “Calm down,” said Makino. “Let’s remain calm and chant a spell.” She put her hands together and began chanting.

            “Kusuo, is this just you?” whispered (Y/N).

            “Yes,” said Saiki, and he watched as (Y/N) relaxed.

            “Oh, good,” they said. They smiled sheepishly and let go of his sleeve. “I guess that was pretty silly of me to get scared while in school.”

            “Don’t feel bad. They’re still scared,” said Saiki, watching the group. “I guess that’s enough.” He let the TVs switch off and the lights come on. He looked at the results of his experiment. “Yumehara has a high likability for Kaidou.”

            “Were you seriously testing Toritsuka’s ‘misattribution of arousal’ thing?” said (Y/N) incredulously.

            Saiki shrugged. “I was curious.”

            “…Was he right or being stupid?” said (Y/N), a little bit curious now that the experiment had been conducted.

            “He’s always stupid, but…” He looked over at Toritsuka, who was staring at Makino.

            My heart is pounding… Toritsuka gazed at Makino, eyes wide and cheeks red. There is no doubt about it! I’m in love with Arisu Makino!

            “He fell victim to his own ploy,” said Saiki. “His likability towards Makino rose a lot.”

            (Y/N) shook their head and chuckled. “Toritsuka always gets himself into trouble with his own ideas.”

            “He does,” agreed Saiki. He glanced at them. I wonder what your likability of me is. For a moment, Saiki legitimately considered checking. And then…he decided not to. If they didn’t like him any more than a friend and the score was low, Saiki would be disappointed. Plus…even a high likability could just be really liking someone as a friend. It wouldn’t clear anything out.

            And Saiki didn’t want his heart to be hurt.

            Little did he know, (Y/N) harbored the same feelings for him as he did for them. No misattribution of feelings there.

Chapter Text

            “Are you ready to make crepes, Kusuo?” asked (Y/N), tying their cherry and strawberry themes bandana and apron on.

            “In today’s training, we will be making crepes,” said Coach Niwayama. “I don’t know how to cook, but I have the recipe!”

            “I like his apron,” said (Y/N), chuckling at the teddy bears on his.

            “Better than Kaidou’s,” said Saiki, looking dubiously at the skulls across Kaidou’s grey apron.

            “So, what are we looking to put together today?” said (Y/N).

            “Crepes are good on their own, but they go well with whipped cream, chocolate, and fruit. Can we add those to it?” said Saiki, much more energetic than he ever was in school (which meant that he was willing to be involved in activities. His face didn’t show anything).

            “Alright!” Nawayama passed out the recipe cards. “Let’s get cooking!”

            Saiki looked at Kaidou and Hairo arguing across from him. He was grateful to have (Y/N) in his group because they understood sweets better than anyone else he knew, so hopefully that would balance out whatever Kaidou and Hairo inevitably messed up.

            “Let’s do our best together,” said Hairo excitedly.

            “Right,” said Kaidou.

            “First we need to break two eggs,” said (Y/N). “Make sure to keep the shell from falling in.”

            “Got it,” said Saiki, lifting up two eggs.

            “Wait, Saiki, let me crack them!” said Kaidou. He took the eggs eagerly. “I can crack them with one hand.”

            “Kaidou, don’t—”

            Egg shell fell into the bowl, and (Y/N) slapped a hand over their face.

            “Shoot! The shell fell in!” cried Kaidou.

            “You should have used two hands!” said Hairo, pulling another egg apart. Yolk and shell fell out.

            (Y/N) sighed. Apparently, Hairo and Kaidou weren’t good at cooking. Saiki almost glowered at them as they began to ruin his chance to eat crepes (especially since Kuboyasu and Nendou were doing so well).

            While Kaidou and Hairo began to look in confusion at the next instruction (and poor Saiki watched), (Y/N) picked out a bowl and cracked two eggs perfectly.

            “Next, pour in some flower. How much is ‘some?’ ” asked Kaidou.

            “I don’t know,” said Hairo.

            “For now, let’s add three pinches,” said Kaidou.

            “Flour’s not seasoning,” said Saiki, trying to stop them.

            (Y/N) shook their head in amusement and poured flour into their own bowl.

            “Let’s see…What’s next,” said Kaidou.

            “Kaidou is being too cautious,” said Saiki, pouring more flour into their bowl.

            “Add some sugar,” murmured Hairo. “What’s ‘some?’ ”

            “These aren’t very clear instructions,” said (Y/N). “Desserts need exact measurements.” They measured the amount they needed and poured it into their bowl.

            “What are you doing?” said Saiki, glancing at them.

            “Don’t you worry, Kusuo. Just keep an eye on them so they don’t poison themselves,” chirped (Y/N).

            Indeed, there was a worry of that as Hairo and Kaidou poured an extravagant amount of sugar into the bowl. Who knew what else they’d add too much or too little of next.

            “This is bad,” said Saiki, trying to fish out some of the sugar. Unfortunately a whole stick of butter was thrown in, next, ruining his attempt to fix things.

            “Since it says ‘some,’ that should be enough, right?” said Kaidou.

            Oh, dear, this really could’ve been avoided with measurements, thought (Y/N), cutting and setting the butter to melt.

            “Oh, no, we didn’t melt it!” said Hairo.

            “Can we just microwave it?” said Kaidou, already setting the metal bowl into the microwave.

            “Good idea!” said Hairo.

            “I’m not going to bother to try to stop this.”

            There was a flash, and the microwave sparked itself to death. As Nawayama began to yell at Kaidou and Hairo, Saiki tried to remake the crepes they were currently failing at ((Y/N) continued with their work so that they’d have something to fall back on).

            “I didn’t know that we couldn’t put metal in the microwave,” said Kaidou as he slouched back to the table.

            “What should we do?” said Hairo, looking at their disgusting bowl of…something.

            (Y/N) looked in. “Maybe exorcise it?”

            “It looks like a breakfast from Hell,” agreed Saiki.

            “I hate to waste it, but we should probably throw it away,” said Hairo.

            “I guess we have to,” said Kaidou, sadly gazing at his monstrous creation.

            “Give it to me.” Mera held out a hand towards the food (if it could still be called that). “If you’re going to throw it away, give it to me.”

            “Mera, if you get possessed, it’s on you,” said (Y/N), looking concernedly at the contents of the bowl.

            “Okay!” Mera was fine with that if she could get food, and she grabbed the bowl and ran away.

            “Okay, let’s pull ourselves together and start over,” said Hairo.

            “It will go perfectly this time!” said Kaidou.

            Just as long as they don’t try to grab my bowl, thought (Y/N), happily mixing. They were fine with getting involved with their friends’ mishaps in any other situation, but cooking was the one thing (Y/N) really loved, so if someone messed up their work, they would be very disappointed.

            “Here.” Saiki had already remixed the ingredients, knowing Hairo and Kaidou were so behind in their group.

            “Wow!” said Hairo.

            “Did you make this, Saiki? Not bad,” said Kaidou.

            “ ‘Not bad?’ ” Saiki had done way more than “not bad.”

            “Not bad at all,” agreed Nendou, looking over.

            “Of course it is, we’re the ones who made it,” said Kaidou.

            “It was me who made it,” corrected Saiki.

            “We put our blood, sweat, and tears into it!” cried Hairo.

            “That wouldn’t taste good,” chirped (Y/N).

            “You haven’t even gotten to the hard part yet,” said Nendou.

            “What? One of the microwaves has already been destroyed,” said Kaidou incredulously.

            “If it becomes harder, the whole classroom will explode,” said Hairo.

            “Watch and learn,” said Nendou. He held up a pan. “First, lightly coat the pan with oil.”

            “When do you pour the batter in?” asked Kaidou.

            “Pour it in the center, like this,” said Nendou, showing them.

            “Won’t it be too thick?” asked Kaidou.

            “That’s why you spread it evenly,” said Nendou, demonstrating.

            “Wow, Nendou really does know how to make crepes,” said (Y/N), a bit surprised but pleased. Their own crepes were going well, too.

            “The one time I avoided having him in my group was the time I needed him,” said Saiki.

            (Y/N) laughed, and Saiki’s annoyance subsided a bit as their joy. That made the situation better, even if it was still exhausting to see Kaidou and Hairo so obviously clueless as they kept asking Nendou for clarification.

            “Amazing!” cried Kaidou as Nendou flipped the crepes effortlessly.

            “Well, good luck, guys!” said Nendou, returning to his group.

            “Shut up, we don’t need your help,” lied Kaidou even after he asked so many questions.

            “The flipping part seems hard,” observed Hairo.

            “Use a spatula to flip them,” said (Y/N). They smiled. “Flipping in the air is more advanced.”

            “Let’s be safe and do that,” said Hairo.

            “If we do that, Nendou wins,” said Kaidou. He spread the batter, waited a moment, and threw it in the air.

            “No, Kaidou!” cried Hairo dramatically.

            It flopped onto Nawayama’s head, and Kaido fell to his knees as the teacher began chewing him out. Kaidou slouched back with his head hung low while Hairo organized another crepe.

            “I’ll try it with the chopsticks,” said Hairo.

            “That will go better,” said (Y/N), fiddling in the stores of the room to try to find some fruit.

            Hairo and Kaidou looked at the browning crepe.

            “Isn’t that enough?” asked Kaidou.

            “No,” said Hairo.

            “Are you sure?” said Kaidou as it turned dark brown.

            “Not yet,” said Hairo.

            “It’s burning.” Saiki had lost another chance at crepes.

            “It needs to get hotter!” cried Hairo.

            Finally, he flipped it. Again, it looked like a monster with a skull face burned in. Hairo hung his head, and while he looked down sadly, Mera sidled up and stole the pan. (Y/N) let her go since she had handled the last batch well enough.

            “We have no choice but to leave it to Saiki and (L/N),” said Kaidou.

            “No, Mera!” cried Hairo, running towards their remaining batter as Mera downed it in a moment.

            Saiki went blank with Kaidou. Their batter was all gone because they’d been too lenient with letting Mera enjoy what they made before they had a chance.

            “You’re out of batter?” said Nendou, turning around. “Well, I guess I can share some of my crepes.”

            Saiki turned around with a true smile. “Nendou, I knew you could do it when all else fails.”

            “Did you?” laughed (Y/N) as they finished cutting strawberries.

            “Take a look at the Nendous’ special tuna salad crepes!” said Nendou.

            Saiki, Kaidou, and Hairo made disgusted faces. That…did not sound like a good combination with the sweetness of crepes.

            “No need, Nendou,” said (Y/N), smiling. “You can enjoy yours.” They held out the plate they had finished putting together. “We’ve got our own.”

            Hairo, Kaidou, and even Saiki’s eyes sparkled as they gazed at the crepes with chocolate and strawberries.

            “You made these for us?” said Kaidou, eyes wide.

            “Even as we messed up…” Tears came to Hairo’s eyes.

            (Y/N) smiled and waved a hand. “Of course. You guys worked hard. Enjoy.”

            Kaidou and Hairo excitedly took a crepe each and began to eat. Saiki stepped up and took his own.

            “You saved the day,” said Saiki.

            (Y/N)’s cheeks warmed. “I like crepes, too, so it was a little self-serving.”

            “Maybe, but you’re always too selfless anyways,” said Saiki.

            “You think so?” said (Y/N).

            “You watch out for everyone else,” said Saiki. They looked out for him most of all, always ready to help. “You should take care of yourself.”

            “I’ll try,” said (Y/N). They gazed at him warmly. “But who else is going to look after the people I care about if not me?”

            Saiki’s heart stuttered. He was someone they cared about. He found himself smiling as he took a bite of his crepe.

            “Still. Let us look out for you.”

            “Don’t worry, Kusuo. I know you have my back.” (Y/N) spoke with complete confidence even though Saiki regularly disliked having to help his friends (acquaintances and nuisances, he would argue).

            But they were right. Saiki would always look out for (Y/N). Always.

l

            Saiki looked at his hand, pleased with himself for having gotten so far with controlling his abilities. Now he had more control and returning a baseball to someone wouldn’t present a problem (and he wouldn’t accidentally take anyone’s head off). Still, he couldn’t remove either of his receivers, otherwise he would lose control again. The dampeners made sure his powers were manageable.

            Wham!

            A baseball slammed into the side of his head.

            Seriously. Again?

            He picked it up and threw it down. Instead, the baseball went flying into the stratosphere. Saiki stared at his hand in alarm.

            What just happened? I used the same amount of strength as before!

            He reached up and felt one of his receivers. The ball on top was gone. He looked down and saw it at his feet.

            I need to repair this.

            He took a step forward, but the force of it sent him flying forward, and he accidentally kicked the pink ball. It disappeared into the horizon.

            This is bad. This is really bad.

            Anything he did would result in destruction and danger. He was stuck.

            It’s too dangerous for me to return home like this. Saiki took of the remaining bit of the receiver. I will use my ability to reset objects to repair it. He focused and let the ability work. Turn back time! This should solve the issue.

            …

            It didn’t. Saiki stared at the pieces of the receiver, restored to when they hadn’t been put together as a machine. He had reverted time too much because of his abilities being out of control.

            I can’t use this! I will have to use my telepathy to tell my parents to pick me up.

            Unfortunately for Saiki, his telepathic ability was also off the charts. He couldn’t distinguish anyone’s voice from the other. Foreign languages had joined the mess of thoughts in Saiki’s head.

            He groaned, holding his head, and leaned against a wall. It crumbled, and he fell through. Lying on the ground, he stared up at the sky. He needed to get somewhere safe. But where? He didn’t know if his parents were home, and he had nowhere else to go.

            Saiki sighed. If only (Y/N) was here, they’d have a solution—

            His teleportation reacted instantly to the thought, and he disappeared from the lawn.

            Saiki groaned as he collapsed in a new room. Looking around, he found himself in a kitchen he’d been in a few times but remembered by heart.

            “Kusuo?!” cried a worried voice, and (Y/N)’s face came into his sight as they crouched beside him.

            His teleportation had brought him right to them. Oh, dear, even his abilities were influenced by his crush on them.

            “What happened to you?” asked (Y/N), looking at him with pure concern.

            If Saiki wasn’t in distress, he’d be flattered and a bit flustered by the way they were gazing at him, but as it was, he really needed help.

            “My receiver broke,” said Saiki.

            “Your—oh, your bobble?” said (Y/N), noticing the pieces in his hand.

            “Yes. I can’t control my powers.”

            (Y/N)’s forehead creased in worry. “How can I help?”

            “I need my parents,” said Saiki.

            “Alright. Don’t worry, Kusuo. I’ll get them,” said (Y/N), smiling at them.

            Saiki had no doubt; (Y/N) was the kindest and most loyal person he knew.

            He watched from the ground as (Y/N) headed to the phone and checked the phonebook for his house number.

            “Hello?” said (Y/N). “Mrs. Saiki? Hi, yes, it’s (Y/N). Kusuo’s here. His, uh, receiver, I think, the thing on his head, it broke.”

            Saiki faintly heard his mom yelling in panic.

            “He’s alright.” (Y/N) glanced at Saiki. “He’s just lying on my floor. Yeah, my address is…”

            Saiki closed his eyes as (Y/N) told his parents. They were coming. They’d have a solution to this.

            I just hope it doesn’t involve him.

l

            After school the next day, (Y/N) sighed and set their bag down on a chair before going to get a snack. They didn’t bother saying they were home—their parents were still out on another business trip—so they quietly went about their business. They wished Saiki was feeling better so they could’ve grabbed a snack with him, but he had been out sick from school that day, so his receiver obviously wasn’t fixed yet.

            Maybe I should go over to his house and check on him, thought (Y/N).

            Ring!

            The phone rang, and (Y/N) walked over to answer it. They furrowed their brow as they saw a foreign number. That was unusual. Still, (Y/N) didn’t hesitate to answer it (look, it’s the Saiki K universe. What harm could come to them?)

            “Hello?” said (Y/N).

            “Hello, is this (Y/N) (L/N)?” said an unfamiliar voice.

            “Uh-huh, who is this?” said (Y/N).

            “This is Kusuke Saiki,” said the voice. “I’m Saiki’s brother.”

            “…Kusuo has a brother?” (Y/N) blinked. They had no idea he had a brother; he’d never mentioned it. Not that he would. This is Kusuo.

            Little did they know, Kusuke was carefully storing the fact that they used Saiki’s first name away.

            “Yes, he does. Of course he doesn’t talk about me. I’m nothing special. But if you don’t believe me, you can look me up,” said Kusuke.

            “No, I believe you.” Really, (Y/N) did. “Is Kusuo alright? Is his receiver fixed?”

            Kusuke stored their knowledge of his powers away. “Almost! He’s coming to London to visit me. I was thinking of surprising him with some of his friends. Would you be to coming?”

            “Coming to London?” said (Y/N) incredulously.

            “It’s the weekend,” said Kusuke.

            “…I don’t know you,” pointed out (Y/N).

            “Nendou and Kaidou agreed to go,” said Kusuke.

            Well, someone should look out for them. “…Alright.” Hey, as long as this wasn’t a giant scam, (Y/N) would get to check on Saiki and make sure he was doing well.

            “Perfect,” said Kusuke. All the pieces of his plan had fallen into place

Chapter Text

            “Kusuo, come to my research lab,” said Kusuke, smiling at Saiki. “I want to show you something.”

            After being dragged around London and losing the pieces of his receiver (because of his father, unsurprisingly), Saiki finally had his dampener fixed and could control himself and his abilities once more. Unfortunately, Kusuke’s mind still couldn’t be read due to the new device he’d created (which was frustrating for Saiki since his brother was always cooking up some new scheme).

            “Why can’t we go with you?” asked Mr. Saiki.

            “I want to see where you spend your days,” said Mrs. Saiki.

            “You can enjoy London by yourselves now,” said Kusuke. “I got you a reservation at a restaurant with great roast beef.”

            Mr. Saiki looked away nervously and addressed his wife. “Do you want to go on a date? I wouldn’t mind.”

            “Me? I wouldn’t mind, either,” said Mrs. Saiki shyly.

            “This isn’t your first date.”

            Still, Kusuke’s suggestion won, and Mr. and Mrs. Saiki disappeared for a nice date in London. That left Saiki and Kusuke together.

            “Those two never change,” said Kusuke as he started leading Saiki into the city.

            “What is your intention?” questioned Saiki instantly. “I have no interest in your lab.”

            “Let’s play rock-paper-scissors,” said Kusuke instead.

            “Don’t ignore me,” said Saiki.

            “Rock, paper, scissors, shoot!” said Kusuke. He played scissors, which lost against Saiki’s rock. “I lost,” said Kusuke, an awkward smile on his face.

            “Are you happy now? I’m going,” said Kusuo, turning to head away.

            “My record against you is zero wins and 725 losses now,” said Kusuke. “Your winning percentage is the lowest when you play rock. Well, I guess that’s because I chose to play scissors only 104 times. I have lost the word games thirty-1 times. I have also lost shogi fifty-nine times, chess ten times, and video games 189 times. I have also lost mah-jongg four times and the memory game seven times.”

            If (Y/N) was here, they’d comment on his obsession. That thought lightened Saiki’s mood.

            “There are others, too. Altogether, how many times have I lose against you?” continued Kusuke. “My total record against you is zero wins and 4,254 losses.”

            (Y/N) would call this creepy, decided Saiki fondly. Still, what is he scheming this time?

            “Hey, Kusuo, will you teleport us to this address and room?” asked Kusuke, holding out a paper.

            Saiki narrowed his eyes. “No.”

            “I’ll tell Mom and Dad if you don’t,” said Kusuke, smiling. “Don’t you want them to have a good time and know we’re having a good time?’

            Weaponizing Mom being upset at us. What a dirty trick, thought Saiki. “Whatever.” He took the paper, Kusuke put his hand on Saiki’s shoulder, and the pair disappeared and reappeared.

            “Wow, teleportation really is amazing,” said Kusuke.

            “Where are we? A hotel room? Are we in London—” His eyes widened in alarm as his heightened senses heard voices in the next room over—all very familiar. “That can’t be. I must have misheard.” A sweat drop appeared behind his head.

            “Did you figure it out already? Correct!” said Kusuke. He grinned creepily. “They are in the next room.”

            In the next room over, Nendou leaned out the window. “Wow, runt, pinky, look at this! The buildings look like drawings!”

            “Why did we have to come here for a surprise?” wondered Kaidou.

            “It’s for Kusuo,” said (Y/N). “But I’m just hoping he feels well. He wasn’t in school because he was sick…” They knew the real reason, but their concern was immense either way.

            In the other room, Saiki glared at Kusuke. “Why are they here!?”

            He was torn between annoyance and suspicion. Not only were Nendou and Kaidou troublesome at the best of times (though he was friends with them even if he would never admit it), but Saiki hadn’t expected Kusuke to involve (Y/N), and yet there they were, still worried about him. Saiki didn’t want Kusuke to pull (Y/N) into any of his schemes, and that irritated him immensely. (Still, the inkling of relief to have a person he cared about so deeply there with him still made an appearance).

            “I summoned them,” said Kusuke, smiling innocently. “I called them a day before your arrival. I asked them to come to London to surprise you. I sent them plane tickets.”

            “You’re kidding, they wouldn’t have—” Saiki interrupted himself. “Well, they—” Nendou and Kaidou, dumb as they were at times “—would. But (Y/N) should’ve known better.”

            “Really? They were the most worried about you.” Kusuke grinned. “ ‘Is Kusuo alright?’ They really seem to care.”

            Saiki glared at Kusuke. The last thing he needed was his brother figuring out anything about his feelings and interfering in his (nonexistent) love life.

            “Why did you bring them here?” demanded Saiki.

            “Let’s play a game, Kusuo,” said Kusuke.

            “A game?” Saiki curled one hand into a fist and punched it into the other.

            Not intimidated, Kusuke continued, “Let’s play tag in London.”

            “…What?” Saiki deadpanned even more than normal.

            “I lost rock-paper-scissors. I will be it,” said Kusuke. “The time limit is three hours. As long as you don’t leave London, you can take buses, taxis, or subways. Well, sounds like fun, right?”

            “What is the point? London is larger than the twenty-three wards of Tokyo,” said Saiki.

            “You will play with Kaidou and Nendou as well as (L/N) so that you can’t use your powers,” said Kusuke.

            “I don’t want to play,” said Saiki.

            “You don’t care what happens to those three? With one signal, I can make those two explore London and return to Japan,” said Kusuke.

            “(Y/N) would want to see me,” said Saiki. “They wouldn’t go along with it.”

            “If you win, I’ll treat you to afternoon tea in this hotel,” said Kusuke, knowing Saiki’s sweet tooth was his biggest weakness. Or, almost.

            “…What happens if you win?” said Saiki. He really wanted afternoon tea and the confections that came with it, but first he needed to understand Kusuke’s angle on top of just getting a win on the board.

            Kusuke smiled brightly. “If I win, I’ll tell (L/N) you have a crush on them.”

            Saiki’s jaw dropped open. What a brutal blow from Kusuke.

            “Did you think it was hidden? It’s obvious,” said Kusuke, waving a hand. “As soon as they said your first name and mentioned your receiver, I knew you were open with them. The pieces were simple to put together.” He grinned. “So, what do you say?”

            “We’re playing tag.” Saiki could not let Kusuke win—not if he wanted sweets and for his feelings to remain hidden. He wasn’t ready to admit anything, and he wouldn’t let Kusuke of all people do it for him.

l

            Saiki and Kusuke opened the door to the room (Y/N), Kaidou, and Nendou had been stuck in.

            “Hey, pal!” cried Nendou excitedly.

            “Did we surprise you?” said Kaidou, grinning. “We’re in London.”

            “How are you feeling, Saiki?” asked (Y/N), frowning.

            “I’m fine,” said Saiki, nodding and pointing to the repaired receiver.

            (Y/N) visibly relaxed and smiled. “I’m glad.”

            “Now come on, we have to get going,” said Saiki.

            “Huh?” said (Y/N), tilting their head.

            “We’re playing tag,” said Kusuke with a wide grin.

            “Tag?” asked (Y/N), Kaidou, and Nendou.

            “I will be it, and Kusuo will hide. You three need to help him,” said Kusuke.

            “What about the surprise?” asked Kaidou in confusion.

            “He was surprised! We did it!” said Kusuke.

            “That was it?” said Kaidou.

            Knowing Saiki wouldn’t get involved with this of his own volition, (Y/N) looked at him. “You got bribed with sweets, didn’t you, Kusuo?”

            “Afternoon tea,” admitted Saiki.

            (Y/N) chuckled but smiled. “Alright, I’ll help. What are the rules?”

            “The time limit is three hours,” said Kusuke. “You can go anywhere within the borders of London. You can take buses, taxis, and subways. Get ready, start!” He pressed the start of a timer. “I will begin searching in thirty minutes. Run!”

            “Let’s go,” said Saiki, immediately grabbing (Y/N)’s wrist and hurrying to the street below.

            “What is this, Saiki? I don’t understand,” said Kaidou.

            Saiki took a map from a stand and glanced over it. “I’m sorry to involve you, but just shut up and follow me. This is a serious game.” Too much was on the line to mess around (sweets and his feelings).

            “Don’t worry, Kusuo, we have your back,” said (Y/N) brightly.

            “Isn’t this too easy? London is larger than Tokyo’s twenty-third ward,” said Kaidou.

            “There are cameras in the subway like on the street,” mused Saiki, focused on the game. “Well, we could put some distance between us.” He led them down towards the underground.

            “Your brother probably has a trick up his sleeve, doesn’t he?” said (Y/N).

            Saiki nodded (he actually responded to them).

            Sure enough, as they reached the bottom of the stairs, the shutter was down. The sign read “Tube Strike” in English.

            “Yare yare. There it is,” said Saiki.

            “He knew that the subways would be closed, which would make the lines for buses long,” said (Y/N). “Wow. He’s a genius.”

            “Don’t praise him, he’s as weird as everyone else in my family,” said Saiki.

            “We need to move fast!” said Kaidou, panicking. “He’ll be coming soon.”

            If he’s watching us, I’ll watch him. Saiki crossed his eyes. Clairvoyance. He saw his brother on a hang glider. He’s coming this way. He’s close. He can reach this place in five minutes.

            “What should we do?” said Nendou.

            “There!” said (Y/N), pointing. “Bikes for rent.”

            “Good idea.” Another reason Saiki liked (Y/N): they were actually helpful in these situations.

            “But there are only three, and there are four of us,” said Kaidou worriedly.

            “I can stand on the spokes on the back of one. I’ve done it a ton with Mera,” said (Y/N).

            Saiki pulled out a bike. “Get on.”

            “Are you su—”

            “We don’t have time.”

            Saiki didn’t want to admit this was nerve-wracking since he wasn’t a fan of touch usually, but he was choosing this. And it was (Y/N). He was comfortable with them. Of course, he also just didn’t want them to be so close to someone else, and with the other idiots with them, Saiki only trusted himself to keep them safe from Kusuke (not that there was really any danger, but Saiki had to justify this to himself without just getting to the point that he had a crush on (Y/N) and wanted to be close).

            “Alright,” said (Y/N), getting onto the back and holding onto Saiki’s shoulders as he began pedaling.

            Their cheeks warmed as they held onto him, and they fought to remain composed and focused. Their feelings were strong, but that didn’t mean they could lose focus and mess this up for Saiki. That would ruin any of (Y/N)’s chances to be close with Saiki.

            On his part, Saiki kept a straight face as usual, but he kept his eyes carefully ahead instead of glancing at (Y/N)’s hands on him. They were warm even through his clothes, and his heartbeat quickened as their proximity.

            Still, they all managed to remain focused on the task at hand and turned through a few streets and alleys to escape Kusuke. The bicycles were working. Unfortunately, not everyone riding them was working. Kaidou’s terrible stamina caught up, and he collapsed to the side.

            “Let’s take a break,” he gasped.

            “We’ve been biking for fifteen minutes,” said Saiki. “But we did try to avoid cameras. We should be alright. If we move around too much, he’ll detect our location. Perhaps we should’ve move location.”

            “That’s what you think!”

            From above, Kusuke dropped in with a motorcycle. Saiki and (Y/N) threw themselves out of the way.

            “Seriously?! Why is he here?!” cried Kaidou.

            “Are you alright?” asked Saiki, helping (Y/N) stand, and they nodded.

            “So cool!” said Nendou.

            “This isn’t the time for that!” cried Kaidou.

            (Y/N) and Saiki jumped back onto their bicycle, and all four sped out of the alley with Kusuke on their heels.

            “How did he find us?!” said (Y/N) over the rush of wind. “We avoided cameras!”

            “Maybe he has psychic powers,” joked Nendou.

            “It would run in the family,” said (Y/N) quietly, chuckling.

            “If he did, that would be terrible,” said Saiki. Luckily, his brother was just a genius, not a psychic.

            “Does he have a tracking device?” said Kaidou, giving a much more plausible idea.

            Saiki’s eyes widened. “My control device.”

            “He put a tracking device in it,” groaned (Y/N).

            “That jerk.” Saiki looked back, his eyes glowed, and a piece of Kusuke’s motorcycle broke to stop him in his tracks. He biked on, leaving his brother behind.

            They only stopped once they reached a giant department store, and Saiki led them in to try to lose Kusuke in the crowds.

            “As long as he knows our location, this is better than walking around,” said Saiki. “We need to avoid standing out.”

            (Y/N) coughed to avoid laughing. “Good luck with that.”

            Nendou was already driving a tiny kid toy car around the store, and Kaidou was examining all of the gaming equipment.

            “We have an announcement,” said the PA system, except it spoke with Kusuke’s voice. He was up to something again.

            “That voice?”

            “Uh-oh, he’s trying another tactic,” said (Y/N).

            “Please look for three young Japanese teenagers,” said Kusuke. “One has pink hair and has climbed Big Ben. Another has (H/C) hair and dressed up as a Grenadier Guard. A third is a bad child with shifty eyes who calls football ‘soccer.’ Another is a serial killer gorilla.”

            “Is the gorilla Nendou?” said (Y/N), not really fazed by the strangeness of Kusuke’s strategy. They had heard stranger things.

            “Definitely,” said Saiki.

            “It’s them!” cried an English man, pointing at the group. “Get them!”

            Instantly, a crowd converged on them, and they took off running. Saiki led them into a bathroom and a stall. People began to bang on the door, and (Y/N)’s eyes widened. They were pinned, and with the tracking device and the crowd, Kusuke would find them in an instant.

            “Okay, everyone, don’t worry,” said Kusuke’s voice in the bathroom.

            “He’s almost here!” whispered (Y/N) urgently.

            “That was a false announcement,” said Kusuke.

            “Oh, really?” murmured the crowd, slowly dispersing.

            “Up,” whispered (Y/N) to Saiki.

            He looked at them, and (Y/N) pointed up.

            “Up,” they repeated.

            Saiki’s eyes widened as he got the message, and he mentally thanked the world for giving him a friend like (Y/N). For all the trouble they got into and their air-headedness, they came through at all the rights moments.

            Saiki teleported them all a floor up. There was no change in the layout of the bathroom, so Kaidou and Nendou didn’t notice. Best of all, though? Kusuke’s tracker wouldn’t see the change in elevation. He would open the door of the stall below and find nothing.

            “Time’s up,” said Saiki.

            Kusuke had lost once more.

            “We won!” cheered Nendou.

            “Now do we get to really explore London?” said Kaidou excitedly.

            “Do whatever you want,” said Saiki. He opened the stall door and walked out. He had a prize to collect. “(Y/N), do you want to come to tea with me?” Kaidou and Nendou might tail after him, but what mattered was if (Y/N) came or not. They made any additional company so much more bearable.

            (Y/N) grinned. “Of course!”

            Saiki’s hearts warmed at their brightness.

l

            “So are Kusuo and Saiki always like that?” asked (Y/N), taking a sip of their tea and looking at Mr. and Mrs. Saiki.

            Saiki himself was glad that (Y/N) used his first name now since if they called him and Kusuke the same thing, he’d just get frustrated to be lumped in with him.

            Mrs. Saiki laughed. “Oh, yes, since they were small. They’re always competing. It’s so cute.”

            “Troublesome is more like it,” said Saiki. “He never stops challenging me.”

            “They’re brothers. Brothers are like that,” said Mr. Saiki.

            “No, he’s just a nuisance.”

            (Y/N) chuckled. “Well, it was kind of fun. I mean, I don’t have siblings of my own to compete with, so running around with Kaidou and Nendou and Kusuo was a real adventure.”

            Saiki looked at them and their shy smile. Okay, fine. So maybe the entire situation hadn’t been that bad since he got to spend time with them and it made them happy. Saiki would never admit it out loud, but he was thankful that Kusuke’s endless competitiveness led to more bonding with (Y/N) and their joy.

l

            “Morning, Kusuo! Where are your parents?” asked (Y/N).

            “On another date,” said Saiki. It was the following day, and there was still time until they were scheduled to return to Japan, so his parents were taking advantage of the time.

            “That’s cute,” said (Y/N), smiling. They liked how in-love Saiki’s parents were. It was how married couples should be.

            “Where are Nendou and Kaidou?” asked Saiki.

            “They went back to the department store to buy souvenirs,” said (Y/N).

            “Of course they did,” said Saiki.

            “Do you have anything you want to do?” asked (Y/N).

            “Not particularly,” said Saiki.

            “Well, I was thinking of going for a walk to find a bookstore and then head to a café to read,” said (Y/N). They shifted nervously. “Do you want to go together?”

            “Yes.” The answer was instant, unusual for Saiki.

            (Y/N) brightened. “Really?”

            Saiki nodded.

            “Awesome,” said (Y/N), grinning ear-to-ear.

l

            Soon enough, Saiki and (Y/N) ended up in a bookstore off the trodden main roads of London. It was quaint and lovely, quiet and private.

            “They have so many books,” said (Y/N), looking at each excitedly.

            “Can you read English?” asked Saiki.

            “Not perfectly, but I’m trying to improve,” said (Y/N), laughing sheepishly. “That’s why I’m trying to find a book that interests me. Then I can improve my vocabulary outside of just what school assigns.”

            Saiki nodded, understanding. “How about this one?” He handed over a book.

            “Pride…and…Prej-Prejudiice,” said (Y/N), trying to sound out the words. They brightened. “Oh, I’ve seen the movie for this. I love it!”

            “What type of story is it?” asked Saiki.

            “A romance between a headstrong woman and a man who doesn’t know how to show his feelings,” said (Y/N). “It’s so cute.”

            “Would you watch the movie again with me? Maybe over break?” said Saiki, daring to ask (Y/N) for a private moment with them that wasn’t their usual homework or cooking. This was something more akin to what many considered a date. It was a risk to ask, but Saiki wanted to be closer to (Y/N). He wanted to show that he cared.

            (Y/N)’s cheeks warmed, and their smile softened. “I’d love to, Kusuo, but are you sure you want to interrupt your time alone?”

            “I don’t mind spending time with someone when it’s you,” said Saiki. “You’re my…you’re my best friend.” He avoided eye-contact, unused to his own honesty.

            (Y/N)’s heart nearly burst, and, overwhelmed with their own emotions, they dared to reach out and touch Saiki’s hand. “I’m glad you like spending time with me, Kuso. I really like i. You’re my…well, you’re my best friend, too.”

            Saiki looked down at the hand touching his own, and he let himself take their hand and give it a gentle squeeze. Neither had spoken the complete truth of their feelings, but it was enough. They both cared about the other. That was all their hearts needed to know for now.

Chapter Text

            (Y/N) sighed and put their head down on their desk. “Finally. Exams are over, and it’s summer break.”

            “But they won’t let us out of school early,” said Saiki.

            “Any plans outside of relaxing?” said (Y/N).

            “We agreed to watch Pride and Prejudice,” said Saiki.

            Feeling their cheeks warm, (Y/N) smiled. “You were really being serious?”

            “I don’t joke,” said Saiki.

            “Awesome! Then how about we do it—”

            “Hey, Saiki, (L/N)!” Kaidou and Kuboyasu appeared behind them. “Do you have a minute?”

            Saiki nearly scowled as his time to make plans with (Y/N) was interrupted, but he prevented himself from doing so. The sooner we hear them out, the sooner they’ll leave us alone.

            “Do you want to get a motorcycle license with us over the summer break?” asked Kaidou.

            “Let’s get one together,” said Kuboyasu.

            Well, I’m done listening. I have no interest in a vehicle that can only go as fast as my brisk walking speed, thought Saiki. “I don’t have the money for one, so no.”

            Kuboyasu nodded in understanding. “It does cost a lot.”

            “When is the course?” asked (Y/N).

            Kaidou showed them to days, and (Y/N) shook their head.

            “I’m doing a course in confection arts those days, so I’m not free,” said (Y/N).

            “That’s too bad,” said Kaidou.

            He and Kuboysasu walked away.

            “I protected my vacation,” said Saiki.

            “Are you seriously not going to do anything with anyone other than watch a movie with me?” aid (Y/N), chuckling.

            “You’re the only one I want to hang out with,” said Saiki matter-of-factly.

            (Y/N) fought back the blush and tried to remain their usual, jovial self in the face of such a statement from Saiki. “That’s sweet, Kusuo.”

            “Ignore it,” said Saiki. (Y/N) just laughed.

            Mera was the next person to walk up and speak to them. “Do you have a minute?” she asked the pair. “Do you want to work with me over the summer? It’s a bit far, but…”

            “No thanks,” said Saiki.

            “It depends, what type of job is it?” asked (Y/N).

            Curse (Y/N)’s kindness, thought Saiki.

            “All you have to do is take suspicious pills given by suspicious researchers at a suspicious laboratory and sleep!” said Mera brightly.

            “Oh, sorry, Mera, but I can’t risk messing up my taste buds since I work so often with food, and medicines have a tendency to skew taste if you get sick,” said (Y/N), smiling.

            “That was your problem with that idea?”

            “Aw, okay, (L/N). What about you, Saiki?” asked Mera.

            “It’s too far away.”

            Gloomy, Mera left them and went to ask more people. Saiki and (Y/N) decided to get up and head into the halls to wait for the bell to go off to let them leave since exams had finished.

            “Oh, Saiki, (L/N), I was just looking for you!” said Hairo, smiling. “Do you want to join our club’s summer training camp?”

            “Hairo, we’re not in your club,” pointed out (Y/N).

            “Two members canceled, but we don’t want to waste trip money,” explained Hairo. “What do you think?”

            “We’re part of the Occult Club, and it’s doing something,” said Saiki, completely lying.

            “Oh, that’s too bad. Have fun,” said Hairo, walking away.

            “I didn’t know we had something with the Occult Club,” said (Y/N), tilting their head.

            “We don’t, and we didn’t even want to be a part of it, so we’re not going if Toritsuka does plan something,” said Saiki.

            “Normally, I’d say we should give it a try, but it will be one of Toritsuka’s ideas…” said (Y/N), trailing off.

            “Exactly,” said Saiki.

            “Saiki! (L/N)!”

            “Speak of the devil,” remarked (Y/N).

            “We don’t need to listen to him,” said Saiki, taking (Y/N)’s wrist and pulling them away from Toritsuka.

            “Hey! Let’s have an Occult Club training camp!” said Toritsuka, trying to catch them.

            “Toritsuka, what would the point of a training camp for the Occult Club be?” said (Y/N).

            “I need help getting with Arisu!” said Toritsuka.

            “You’re already using her first name?” said (Y/N). “That’s familiar.”

            “He’s just being weird,” said Saiki.

            “Pleeeease?” said Toritsuka. “It’s called Operation Spirits: Love-Struck Arisu and Popular Reita.”

            “That’s a terrible name,” said Saiki.

            “But you did tell Hairo we were doing something with Toritsuka,” whispered (Y/N).

            Unfortunately, (Y/N) was right. Still… “I still won’t go.” Saiki walked off.

            “If you’re not going, I’m not,” said (Y/N) brightly, following him.

            “Hey!” exclaimed Toritsuka, offended at Saiki and (Y/N)’s lack of enthusiasm to help him.

            “You still have a free break!” said (Y/N), grinning.

            “Don’t jinx it,” said Saiki.

            “Oh, Saiki!” said Teruhashi, running up towards him. “I was hoping to see you before break. Saiki…do you have any plans for summer break?”

            I can’t say no to her if she wants to go out, everyone would get angry. Saiki hated social norms.

            “I happen to have tickets to the amusement park opening up,” said Teruhashi. “Would you…would you want to go with me?” She glowed and smiled.

            Saiki froze, trying to find a way out of it. (Y/N) glanced at the tickets and smiled apologetically at Teruhashi.

            “Oh, I’m sorry, Kokomi, but Kusuo and I made plans for that day,” said (Y/N).

            “O-Oh? You did? The two of you?” Teruhashi glanced between the two, and Saiki was alarmed by the thoughts going through her head.

            “Yep! We’re having a movie night. I’m sorry,” said (Y/N).

            “That’s alright. I understand. I, um, yeah.” Teruhashi couldn’t get the courage to ask for Saiki to go with her another day. If she did, it would mean she was interested in spending time with Saiki and not just “happening” to ask him. “Have fun!” She hurried away.

            (Y/N) sighed and frowned. “I hope she gets over her crush soon. It would be healthy for her to like someone who could like her back. I hope they aren’t obsessed with her, though. She deserves someone who likes her for her, not her beauty.”

            Saiki was amazed that in one swift move (Y/N) had saved him from going on a date and getting attention because it was wish Teruhashi and simultaneously wished for Teruhashi to have a wonderful love-life. They really were too nice.

            “Saiki! (L/N)! There you are,” said Toritsuka, catching up to them. “Come on, let’s do a training camp!”

            “Enough with the club,” said Saiki.

            “Wait, you decided not to go?” said Hairo, appearing out of nowhere.

            “Uh-oh,” said (Y/N).

            Saiki patted Toritsuka shoulder and gave Hairo a peace-sign.

            “Oh, you’re coming? Great!” said Toritsuka excitedly. “It’ll be the first and second of August!”

            “I suppose we are,” said (Y/N), shrugging.

            “That’s awesome, since our training camp is the third to the ninth,” said Hairo instantly.

            “I can’t, sorry,” said (Y/N). “I need time to do my summer homework.”

            “Too bad, but I guess you have to be a good student. Saiki, I’ll put you down for going, okay? It’s in Tooi-cho!”

            “Wait—”

            Hairo ran off.

            “Hey, the job I told you about is in Tooi-cho, too!” said Mera, appearing out of nowhere and looking at Saiki happily. “And it starts on the tenth and lasts a week!”

            Poor Saiki’s free time was quickly filling up.

            “You’re getting a job, Saiki? Then you’ll have money for the course and a motorcycle!” said Kaidou.

            “You can get a license with us,” said Kuboyasu, smiling.

            Every single day of Saiki’s break was filled up with activities with people. He nearly deflated, and (Y/N) patted his back in consolation.

            “If you need the time off, we can move our movie night to a different time,” said (Y/N), not wanting to intrude on Saiki’s need for time alone. They knew that recharging from social interactions was imperative to maintaining mental health.

            “No, I want to have the movie night,” said Saiki stubbornly. It was the only thing he’d want to in the first place. He refused to give up that.

            (Y/N) smiled. “Then I’ll make sure it’s a relaxing night. No need to stress yourself out. I’ll make some snacks, you just have to show up, okay?”

            Saiki really did think (Y/N) was an angel, and he needed to find a way to thank them for their endless generosity and patience.

l

            Summer arrived, and the first day of Saiki’s long, people-filled break began with Toritsuka’s Occult Club shenanigans.

            “Welcome to the temple!” said Toritsuka, showing the Occult Club around the temple he lived in. “This isn’t my house, but my dad knows people here, so they are letting me stay.”

            “Wow, so cool!” exclaimed Makino and Yumehara.

            “I bet his dad kicked him out,” muttered Saiki.

            “If not, it’s hard to believe someone so perverted was raised in a temple,” remarked (Y/N).

            “This way is my room,” said Toritsuka, leading them into a hall and opening a sliding door. “Come on in.” He grinned, hoping to get a good reaction from the attractive people in the room (mostly Makino, though).

            Saiki tuned out of his thoughts, exhausted with the romantic ideas floating within them. Unfortunately, he landed on Yumehara’s thoughts about having a chance to get with Kaidou tonight. Sighing, Saiki tried to block out everyone’s thoughts. Everyone’s romances were so dramatic. He’d prefer something simple, natural, domestic. He hoped that was something (Y/N) would prefer, too, instead of any drama. Maybe the movie night could become something more…

            Yare yare, now I’m doing it.

l

            Night arrived, and Toritsuka led the group to the woods, letting the moon rise high over them as midnight arrived.

            “Many people go missing in this forest,” he said mysteriously. “In the dead of night, the members of a murder-suicide family appear and drag—ack!”

            Saiki had flared the flame of a candle to stop Toritsuka from telling a fake story to scare everyone. The candle sputtered out.

            “This is not the place for games,” said Makino, trembling. “I can feel many dreadful spirits.”

            “Hey, don’t worry. I was born in a temple,” said Toritsuka, winking. “Now, let’s begin the test of courage!” He gestured to the dark path behind them. “We will take this path in pairs.” He grinned and patted Makino’s shoulder. “Lets just go with the flow and make our own pairs.”

            “Sounds good!” said Yumehara, grinning and grabbing Kaidou’s shoulders. “It would be a waste of our time not to!”

            “It’s almost like they planned it with one another,” whispered (Y/N).

            “They might have,” said Saiki in agreement.

            “Hold on, I want to be with Saiki or (L/N),” said Makino.

            “I want to be with them, too,” said Kaidou.

            “What? Why Saiki and (L/N)?” cried Toritsuka.

            “Kaidou is kind of helpless, and you’re a little weird,” said Makino. “So it was a process of elimination.”

            I was hoping to go with Kusuo, thought (Y/N), a little disappointed. Was it the exact same tactic as Toritsuka and Yumehara to get closer to their crush? Absolutely. Did they still like the idea? Of course.

            “(Y/N) and I are going together,” said Saiki firmly, and (Y/N) perked up.

            “If we can’t decide, let’s draw lots,” said Toritsuka, breaking a few sticks and putting them in his hand. “Those who get the sticks of the same length will pair up. Saiki, you can go first.”

            Saiki and (Y/N) exchanged a look. Saiki would definitely be using his powers to make sure they were a pair together (because they were friends. Best friends. Not because he had a crush and wanted to be closer. That would mean lowering himself to Toritsuka’s standards).

            “Saiki got a short one. Arisu, you’re next,” said Toritsuka. Makino pulled out a stick. “You got a medium-length one. Next is (L/N).”

            (Y/N) pulled out the other short one and smiled. “It’s you and me, Kusuo.”

            “Next is Chiyo,” said Toritsuka. He looked urgently at the middle one, and Chiyo pulled it out.

            “I got a long one,” said Yumehara, smiling.

            “My turn,” said Toritsuka. He knew which one to choose to get to walk with Makino and eagerly pulled it out. His eyes widened. It was another long one. “Wha—” Toritsuka looked at Saiki.

            “You were getting on my nerves, so I switched them,” said Saiki directly to Toritsuka’s mind.

            “That was you, wasn’t it?” said (Y/N).

            “I think he deserved it,” said Saiki.

            (Y/N) chuckled, and Saiki found any flitting bit of remorse or pity he had go out the window at the lovely sound of their laugh.

            “Alright, Chiyo and I will go in first…” said Toritsuka, depressed.

            “Yeah…” Chiyo was equally gloomy.

            Makino began to chant for their safety while they walked into the woods, and Kaidou cowered near a tree nervously. (Y/N) and Saiki just watched.

            “So, what’s going on?” asked (Y/N).

            “They’ve abandoned their crushes and decided to like one another,” said Saiki.

            “That’s sudden,” said (Y/N), blinking.

            “Is it so easy for people’s feelings to change?” Saiki didn’t think so since his own were so steadily pointed towards (Y/N), never straying. But he was different, and although he didn’t care about what Toritsuka and Yumehara did, he wanted to understand if (Y/N) was also changeable (even if he didn’t know what their feelings towards him were).

            “When it’s not a really strong attachment and surface-level, yeah,” said (Y/N). They smiled at him. “But if it’s a deep affection, then no. Real love is constant.”

            Love. (Y/N) and Saiki both fell silent as soon as that word settled in the air.

            (Y/N) had never said that word or even thought it, but now that it was there, it felt true. It felt right. Their feelings for Saiki were constant and deep. They never faltered, and even through his flaws, they still cared. They accepted Saiki for who he was completely, and they never had their feelings waver. (Y/N) loved Saiki.

            Saiki blinked as he thought over the word. He knew what love felt like. He felt it for his mom and dad, for his grandma and grandma, and even, occasionally, for his brother. But that was familial. What (Y/N) spoke of was romantic. And he had to admit, it made sense. It felt…correct. He wanted to be around (Y/N). Their company was calming, never a hassle or a hindrance. He sought them out. He loved every quality they displayed, never ceasing to be amazed by their kindness whether it was aimed at him or others. He was thankful for their patience and understanding when he was rough and cold to others and hid his powers. He never wanted to lose what he had with them. But he also felt that his own feelings wouldn’t be lost. Saiki loved (Y/N).

l

            Pausing outside of (Y/N)’s house, Saiki took a deep breath. He wasn’t sure why, this was just hanging out with (Y/N), he did it all the time. However, this felt…different. He supposed it had to do with his realization—he loved (Y/N). Still, Saiki refused to let the intimidating grandness of that word scare him away from being friends with (Y/N). Besides, he had suffered his entire summer with idiots, he wanted to enjoy himself with (Y/N).

            He rang the doorbell, and a few moments later, (Y/N) opened the door. They wore a pink apron—dusted with flour and sugar from years of baking—and a wide smile.

            “Hi, Kusuo! Welcome!” said (Y/N), letting him in. “I’m almost finishing preparing everything, but the movie’s set up if you want to wait on the couch.”

            Saiki nodded and held up the cardboard in his hand. “I brought chocolate-covered strawberries.”

            (Y/N)’s face lit up. “I love strawberries! Thanks, Kusuo.” They laughed and closed the door as they walked farther in. “But I am surprised you didn’t buy coffee jelly.”

            “I know you like strawberries,” said Saiki. He’d chosen it for them.

            “It’s sweet of you to think of me,” said (Y/N), ducking their head and turning away so Saiki wouldn’t see their blush. “And if you had gotten coffee jelly—” they turned back around with a tray in their hands “—we would’ve had too much.”

            Saiki stared with joy in his eyes at the tray of coffee jelly, and (Y/N) laughed at his excitement. “We both thought of each other,” they said, putting the tray down on the coffee table in front of the couch.

            “We did,” said Saiki, simultaneously honored by the care with which (Y/N) had put together the coffee jelly and ashamed he hadn’t put more work into his gift for (Y/N).

            But then they sat down, apron off, eagerly opened the box of strawberries, and bit into one. Humming in delight, (Y/N) smiled with sparkles around them. All of Saiki’s doubts went out the window. He had made them happy. That was what mattered. (But he wanted to do better, make them happier, acknowledge he cared for them).

            “Delicious,” said (Y/N), grinning.

            Saiki could only stare at their smile before nodding and taking a bite of their coffee jelly. His slight smile as he ate it was all the compliment to their talents (Y/N) needed.

            “Do you want to start the movie?” asked (Y/N).

            Saiki nodded.

            “Get ready, this is important education for you,” said (Y/N), settling back in their seat beside Saiki and pressing play on Pride and Prejudice. “And if you like this, we’re watching the BBC series.” They smiled at him. “Don’t worry, I’ll bribe you with more sweets.” (Y/N) just wanted to spend time with Saiki, peaceful and quiet. Domestic. Loving.

            Saiki didn’t say it out loud, but he had to admit that he didn’t need sweets to keep him around (Y/N). His love was that deep.

l

            “I love that movie,” sighed (Y/N) as the film ended. They popped the last strawberry into their mouth. “What did you think?”

            “It was nice,” said Saiki. Since he couldn’t read (Y/N)’s mind, he hadn’t gotten spoiled. “I liked Lizzie and Mr. Darcy. They made a good couple.” Much less silly than my parents for sure.

            (Y/N) grinned. “That’s what I think! What was your favorite part?’

            Saiki paused and considered. “I liked when Lizzie spoke to Wickham after finding out the truth. She was clever and made her point.”

            “I thought you’d like her wit since you’re so sarcastic,” chuckled (Y/N).

            “What did you like?” asked Saiki.

            “I like the whole thing, but my favorite part is that they change for the better.” They beamed. “Lizzie and Darcy acknowledge their faults and become better people. I think that’s great and super healthy. I try to do that as much as possible, too.”

            “You are a good person,” said Saiki, completely honest. “You’re nicer than me and everyone else.”

            “That’s sweet, Kusuo, but that doesn’t mean I can’t improve. Everyone has flaws, but that’s okay. We’re supposed to grow,” said (Y/N), smiling.

            “…What a nice notion,” said Saiki, mulling the idea over. Changing for the better, growing as a person… “How do you do that?”

            (Y/N) patted his shoulder. “You don’t need to worry. For all your grumpiness, you’re a really good person. You help out your friends, keep them in line when they’re about to do something stupid, and are always looking out for others even when you claim they’re just annoyances.”

            “They are,” said Saiki.

            “Sure, but you could be way meaner. But you choose not to be,” said (Y/N). “Because you’re a good person.” They laughed. “And I know that for a fact because I wouldn’t hang out with anyone who was mean to others.”

            Saiki’s gaze softened as he looked at them. They thought so highly of him…His heart warmed at the care and affection in their voice. Saiki reached up and touched the hand on his shoulder.

            (Y/N) looked at him and blinked. Their laughter died away as they saw the look in his eyes they couldn’t quite read. “Kusuo?”

            “You’re too kind to me. I don’t tell you that I’m glad to have you as my friend, I barely do anything for you, but you’re still kind. To me. To everyone. I think that makes you the best person I know,” said Saiki.

            Shocked and flustered by the speech, (Y/N) turned pink. “I—uh—wow.” They looked at him a little shyly. “Thank you. But really, Kusuo, you don’t need to say all that. I know you’re my friend, and I know you like being my friend, too. I don’t doubt that. You don’t need to force yourself to be so vocal if that’s not your way of showing your friendship.” They leaned into his touch slightly, their fingers twining with his.

            “I’m speaking because it’s true,” said Saiki. “I wouldn’t say it if it wasn’t.” His hand settled around theirs and lifted it. He held it, not letting go, and looked at them. “You’re…You’re someone I care about. Someone that makes my days better. I don’t show it as much as you deserve, but—"

            Beep! Beep!

            The alarm of the oven went off, and (Y/N) and Saiki jolted apart in shock. Their hands fell apart.

            “Oh, crap, the cookies I put in!” cried (Y/N), jumping up and running over before smoke tried to escape and set off the fire alarm.

            Saiki stared at the hand that had been holding theirs and then looked back up at them. Something had almost happened. Something was about to be said. They had gotten so close to something changing between them.

            And sweets, of all things, had betrayed Saiki.

Chapter Text

            “We’re getting a new transfer student,” said (Y/N), sitting down next to Saiki. “But I’m guessing you already know that.”

            Saiki nodded. He’d heard it in everyone’s thoughts and conversations all morning.

            “What do you know about him?” asked (Y/N).

            Despite everything that had gone through their mind (and all the pacing and journaling and screaming into a pillow) after the strange exchange with Saiki the previous night, (Y/N) was determined to act natural. After all, they had no idea what he was going to say or what they were going to say or even what had been happening. It had just been a movie night. That was all. (Y/N) needed to ignore how quickly their heart beat sitting next to him.

            “He’s the son of the Saiko Group,” said Saiki.

            He, too, was trying to act normal. This was achievable since he was non-expressive, but he, too, was confused about last night. Saiki wasn’t entirely sure what he was going to say when he was looking at (Y/N) and holding their hand. But something important had been in the air. If they had been left to continue…Saiki wasn’t sure what was going to happen. However, Saiki refused to let that hold him back from being around (Y/N). Even if the pressure in his chest—like words unspoken—still rested there, Saiki would act normal. That meant being their friend. And Saiki wouldn’t give that up for anything.

            “Is that why everyone’s excited? He’s rich?” said (Y/N).

            “Yes,” said Saiki.

            “I wonder why he’s coming here,” said (Y/N).

            “Everyone, sit down,” said their teacher, walking in. “I will introduce the transfer student. This is Metori Saiko.

            Behind her, a man walked up and rolled out a red carpet. A boy with silver hair, green eyes, and a gold earring walked in. In one hand, he held a wad of cash.

            “I am Metori Saiko,” he announced. He stood at the front of the class. “Let me warn you. I have no intention of mingling with you peons. Do not speak to me.”

            Instantly, everyone’s excitement to meet him went out the window.

            “Take a seat there,” said the teacher, gesturing to an open seat.

            “No,” said Saiko. “You, peon with the weird lips—” he pointed at Takahashi. “—sit somewhere else.”

            Poor Takahashi, thought (Y/N). They frowned. And what a demanding guy.

            “ ‘Peon with weird lips?’ ” Takahashi glared. “Do you think you’re better than me because you’re rich?!”

            “I don’t think I’m better. I’m actually better,” said Saiko matter-of-factly.

            “Yikes,” said (Y/N), making a face. “He has terrible people-skills.”

            Saiki nodded in agreement, and that was saying something since he actively tried to avoid people.

            “Quit mocking me!” said Takahashi, rushing up.

            Saiko tucked a wad of cash into Takahashi’s pocket.

            “Teacher, I’ll switch seats!” said Takahashi happily.

            “He got bought off,” said (Y/N), shaking their head in disappointment. “I have a feeling he’s going to be trouble.”

            “As long as he leaves me alone, I don’t care,” said Saiki.

            “That’s a lie,” said (Y/N). “And besides, if he causes trouble for the class, he’ll cause problems for you.”

            “Out of the way, peon with a middle part,” said Saiko, kicking Kuboyasu’s backpack out of the way of his walk.

            Kuboyasu glared at Saiko. “Why did you transfer to our school?!”

            “I usually wouldn’t step foot in a filthy school like this one without any good reason,” said Saiko. He turned to face another student. “You are the reason, Kokomi Teruhashi.” He took her hands. “I saw you on the street before and did some research. I like you. Be my girl.”

            “What?!” cried Teruhashi.

            “What?!” a general cry went up through the class.

            “Please don’t grab someone you stalked,” said (Y/N), smiling and pulling Teruhashi away from Saiko.

            The rich boy narrowed his eyes as (Y/N) separated them and Teruhashi looked at them in relief. Teruhashi was (Y/N)’s friend, and they refused to leave her to fend for herself against a random guy.

            “Thank you,” said Teruhashi.

            “Of course, Kokomi.” (Y/N) squeezed her shoulder. “If you need any help with, just let me know.” They smiled brightly. “I have a mean right hook.”

            Kaidou shivered as he remembered seeing in, and Saiki nodded.

            “I didn’t know you were a delinquent, (L/N),” said Kuboyasu. I thought they were the ultimate goody-goody.

            “They’re not,” assured Saiki.

l

            “There’re already rumors,” huffed Kuboyasu as he sat down for lunch with Kaidou, Saiki, and (Y/N).

            “They think Teruhashi’s really going to say yes,” said (Y/N). “The girls do. The boys are scared of her answer.” They frowned. “I hope she’s okay.”

            “I can’t stand guys like him,” said Kuboyasu. “Pushing people around and thinking they can get whatever they want just because they have some power.”

            (Y/N) nodded firmly. They hated injustice.

            “Calm down, Aren,” said Kaidou worriedly. “He lives in a different world from us. He even has a butler and bodyguards with a full buffet. Just leave him alone.”

            “He may live in a different world, but he’s here now. I’ll beat him up,” said Kuboyasu.

            “But he has bodyguards,” said Kaidou.

            “I’ll beat up the bodyguards, too,” said Kuboyasu.

            “But what if his parents appear?”

            “I’ll have to beat them up, too.”

            “That’s too much beating people up.”

            “What are you peons talking about?” Saiko appeared next to them.

            “Saiko,” exclaimed Kuboyasu, Kaidou, and (Y/N).

            “I have no interest in your poor stories,” said Saiko. He looked at (Y/N). “You. Have you seen Kokomi?”

            “Nope, and I’m not facilitating your stalking,” said (Y/N) brightly. “I’m sure if you stop being a creep and work on yourself, though, she’d be your friend.”

            “Why are you calling her ‘Kokomi?’ ” snapped Kuboyasu. “Let me tell you something, Teruhashi has a huge fan base. They will kill you.”

            “Excuse me, Mr. Saiko,” said the leader of the “Kokomins” (a terrible name for a weird club). “We could not find Teruhashi. She may be hiding in the girl’s room.”

            “Is everyone going along with this?” exclaimed (Y/N).

            “What’s wrong with you!? Did everyone sell their souls?” said Kuboyasu, grabbing one boy’s collar.

            “Yes,” said Saiko. “I easily bought them off. I can control anyone in this world using my money. Soon enough, Kokomi will fall for me and be mine.”

            “How dare you!” Kuboyasu stood up and curled his hand into a fist. The former delinquent had had enough.

            (Y/N) stood up from the table before the argument escalated and slipped away. Saiki watched them go, nearly frowning. They were obviously going to check on Teruhashi, their friend. Saiki sighed. He hoped this craziness didn’t spiral out of control (which it already was by most people’s standards).

            “Kokomi?” said (Y/N), walking into the restroom.

            “Oh, (Y/N),” said Teruhashi, sighing as she put away her phone. “Is he still looking for me?”

            “Yes,” said (Y/N). “And I think he knows that you’re in here.”

            Teruhashi groaned. “I just want time to think.”

            “Are you considering his offer?” asked (Y/N), blinking in surprise. They hadn’t expected that.

            “Well, I mean, he’s rich, and I want to be with someone successful,” said Teruhashi. “But I’m not really…interested in him.”

            Right, you like Kusuo like I do, thought (Y/N). However, they weren’t going to hold that against Teruhashi. Saiki was a likable boy. “Then say no. You shouldn’t feel any pressure to be with anyone you don’t want to be with.”

            “…Is it really so simple?” said Teruhashi. “I don’t want to upset people. After all, I’m Kokomi Teruhashi.” I’m the prefect pretty girl.

            (Y/N) shrugged. “You are, but you’re a person. You should treat yourself with the same respect you give others.”

            Teruhashi stared at (Y/N). “I can just say no? Even if it makes him upset?”

            “Uh, yeah, you don’t need to be nice to him after he’s been this annoying,” said (Y/N). They chuckled. “He kinda forfeit civility if you don’t want to give it, but you can act as you want. If you want to give him a chance to back out respectfully, then you can. Or you can be blunt. It’s up to you, Kokomi.” They smiled.

            The pure encouragement and honesty from Teruhashi made her straighten. She was always the perfect pretty girl, she knew that, but to hear that she could also take care of herself as such was a nice reminder. (Y/N)’s a good friend. “Then I think I’ll—”

            “There you are.” Saiko stepped into the bathroom.

            “Okay, okay, woah, this is the girl’s restroom, you shouldn’t be in here,” said (Y/N), waving their hands.

            “I’ll just make it the boy’s restroom,” said Saiko. He snapped his fingers, and construction workers came in. “Get to work.”

            “Yes, sir,” said the workers, beginning to put up symbols for the men’s room and changing the toilets.

            This feels like a bit much, thought (Y/N).

            “So, what were you going to say, Kokomi?” said Saiko. “You’ve always wanted this to happen, right? I will save you from your life of poverty. There is no proper man or woman at this school. Come to me. Become the wife of Metori Saiko—”

            We’re already at marriage?! thought (Y/N), eyes widening.

            “—the heir to the Saiko Group,” finished Saiko.

            Teruhashi shook her head. “I refuse.”

            “What?” Saiko was legitimately confused. “Why?”

            Up until recently, I would’ve taken the offer without hesitation. But now I cannot forgive anyone who mocks my friends, thought Teruhashi. And (Y/N) is right. I don’t like him in that way. And I should.

            “Because I’m not in love with you,” said Teruhashi. “I’m already in love with someone else.” She couldn’t speak the name, not in front of Saiko and (Y/N), but she could say that much. She knew it was true.

            (Y/N) was proud of Teruhashi for speaking plainly, even if it was admitting that she loved Saiki like (Y/N) did.

            “What? With who?” demanded Saiko. “Surely no one in this school is worthy of you.”

            “I, uh, it’s, uh,” Teruhashi panicked.

            “It doesn’t matter who it is,” said (Y/N). “It’s not you, so she doesn’t want to be with you.” They stepped up next to Teruhashi, giving her their full support and encouragement.

            Teruhashi nodded, keeping her strong façade up. “That’s right. I can’t date you. I’m sorry, but I just don’t feel the same.”

            “I see.” Saiko spoke coldly. “So you’re choosing your peon friends over me?” He pointed accusatorily at (Y/N), who crossed their arms.

            “Yes. Friendship matters to me,” said Teruhashi, smiling at (Y/N).

            “So your brain is still that of a farm girl,” said Saiko. He turned away. “Whatever. There are plenty of other women.” Still, he wore an angry expression as he walked out.

            Teruhashi breathed a sigh of relief. “At least he took it well enough.”

            (Y/N) nodded, but they weren’t as convinced. They had a feeling a lot of money was about to be thrown around and cause trouble for them and their friends.

l

            Sure enough, when the next day arrived at school, the group of students that consisted of Saiki and (Y/N) and the rest of his bothers was left in a cloud of worry and stress.

            “Kuboyasu got arrested?” said Yumehara, frowning in concern.

            “Yeah, he was charged with assaulting Saiko’s bodyguard,” said Kaidou, nodding. He put his hands on his hips. “Even if the bodyguard threw the first punch.”

            “That’s awful,” said Teruhashi.

            “Saiko is putting the pressure on us, too,” said Kaidou. “My father was suddenly transferred. I may need to move to Siberia.”

            “We might end up in the same class again,” said Saiki sarcastically since his own father had received a similar notice.

            Mera sighed. “Yesterday, the electricity and water in my house were suddenly shut off.”

            “In the Shonen Jump I bought yesterday, there was snot on three pages,” said Nendou.

            “That has nothing to do with this,” said Saiki. He glanced at (Y/N), who had been unnaturally quiet. “(Y/N), what about you?”

            “My parents might be transferred,” they said quietly. “But they’re going to Madagascar and Siberia. I don’t know what I’m supposed to do if that happens.”

            Their eyes remained trained on the floor, and Saiki’s heart constricted at the sad expression he didn’t ever want to see on their face.

            “I heard that the peon with the middle part was arrested.” A red carpet rolled out, and Saiko stepped into the classroom. He smirked smugly.

            “Saiko!” exclaimed Kaidou.

            “I heard Sullen Peon and Little Peon and Interfering Peon—”

            Saiki assumed the last one was (Y/N).

            “—have parents moving to Siberia,” said Saiko.

            “Saiki, (L/N), you’re going to Siberia High, too?!” said Kaidou.

            “My parents are arguing over which country I should go to,” said (Y/N), shrugging tiredly.

            “…” Saiki shifted at the unnaturally sad expression on their face. It didn’t belong on the face of someone who deserved to smile.

            “You, peon with the funny chin, did you enjoy your comic yesterday?” said Saiko, smirking at Nendou. “Super poor girl, did you enjoy the laxative bread left in front of your house?” He grinned at the group. “You are no match for me.” He looked directly at Teruhashi. “If you continue to rebel, the people around you will continue to suffer. You’d better think twice.” He turned and left the room, satisfied at the intimidating presence he’d established.

            “Don’t worry, Teruhashi,” said Kaidou, his bravery coming out naturally in the right moment. For all his cowardice, he cared about his friends and wouldn’t let them be pushed around. “We can take it.”

            “Right! We can live with a little snot and or moving to Siberia,” said Nendou.

            “I agree,” said Kaidou.

            “We’re with you, Kokomi,” said Yumehara.

            “Right!” said Mera.

            “Don’t let him push you around,” said (Y/N), putting on a smile.

            “Thank you, guys,” said Teruhashi, smiling. “If there’s anything I can do to help you all, tell me. You’re going through so much trouble for me.”

            The others clamored to assure her it was alright, but (Y/N) just nodded, and Saiki looked at them.

            “(Y/N), are you alright?” said Saiki.

            “I’m fine.” (Y/N) looked at the floor. “I just don’t want to leave you all and be lonely in a new country.” They looked up at Saiki. “I like it here. I’d miss you.”

            Tears collected in their eyes, but (Y/N) hastily wiped them away.

            The sight of the tears snapped something in Saiki. He narrowed his eyes. Saiko had crossed the line.

            It’s time to show him who he is no match for.

            Saiki refused to let someone make (Y/N) cry.

l

            Saiko lounged on a throne of cash, smirking. Everything was unfolding as he planned it. “Kokomi has been backed into a corner.”

            “Master, you have guests,” said his butler, opening the door to his room.

            “Are the peons here to apologize?” said Saiko.

            “Not exactly,” said the butler. He gestured to the window, and Saiko looked out.

            Below, a crowd of Kokomins stood with wooden swords at the ready. For all the money they’d been given, seeing Teruhashi upset had broken the spell over them. They were ready to punish Saiko for hurting Teruhashi, so they were there to break down the gates.

            “What is this?” cried Saiko. He turned to his bodyguards. “Drive them away!”

            “Yes, sir,” said his men, running out to take on the students of PK Academy.

            “How dare they,” said Saiko, reaching for his room’s phone. “I’ll care for backup.”

            A hand closed the communication. It was a boy in a blue cloak, similar to that of the Kokomins but not declaring his love of Teruhashi, and wearing a helmet like that of Cyborg Cider-man No. 2. Pink hair peaked out beneath it.

            “What?! Who are you?!” cried Saiko in fear as the stranger appeared in his room and approached.

            “You caused me a lot of trouble,” said Saiki, approaching and swinging his arm around. “And you made someone I care about cry. I will make you pay for it.”

            “Wait! Calm down!” said Saiko. He gestured to the throne of cash. “I will give you that money. You can even give each one of the people below one million yen!”

            “Money?” Saiki picked up a stack.

            “Yes!” said Saiko, nodding.

            Saiko replied by opening the windows and letting a gust of wind (psychically created) blow the bills out the window. They rained down over the boys below as they fought the guards.

            “Whoops. My hand slipped,” said Saiki, monotone.

            “What are you doing?!” cried Saiko.

            “If you can control them with money as you insisted, this will stop them,” said Saiki.

            “What?” Saiko peered down.

            “Don’t get distracted!” cried the Kokomins, still battling. The enticement of money was nothing compared to their anger at seeing Teruhashi hurt.

            “W-What is going on?” said Saiko, taking a step back in shock as money failed him for the first time in his life.

            The Kokomin’s anger was nothing to Saiki’s fury at seeing (Y/N)’s tears. “There are some things money cannot buy.” Saiki let cash knock Saiko to the ground. He turned and faced Saiko with a smirk. “Not even a mountain of coffee jelly could have bought me off.” Nothing would stop me from making (Y/N) smile again. He walked away, leaving Saiko buried under his cash.

l

            The next day, the students of PK Academy were much happier. Teruhashi was smiling once more, and all of her friends were staying in Japan and not getting unnecessary trouble. Peace had been restored.

            Saiki sighed and sat back in his chair. Yare yare. As usual, he’d had to get involved. At least everything was cleared up now.

            “Kusuo.” (Y/N) leaned in, and he turned to them. They smiled. “Thank you for fixing things.” Everyone at school thought the Kokomins had saved the day, but (Y/N) knew who had really interceded to help them.

            Saiki smiled ever-so-slightly. “You’re welcome.” All the trouble was worth it for that smile to come out again. Saiki would do anything for (Y/N)’s smile.

Chapter Text

            (Y/N) walked through the shopping center, humming along to the song playing in their earbuds. They had gotten all the ingredients and supplies to try making macarons, so now all that was left was to go home and make them.

            Should I bring them to school and hand them out to people? thought (Y/N). In that case, I should get some bags to put them in.

            They paused as they passed a sad-looking man sitting dejectedly on a bench. “Excuse me, sir, are you lost?” they asked, stepping forward.

            “Huh?” The grey-haired man looked up. “What do you want?” he said grumpily.

            “I was wondering if I could help you at all,” said (Y/N), still friendly. They were used to people being rougher around the edges—Saiki was like that.

            “I don’t need any help. Leave me alone,” huffed the man.

            In a store nearby, Saiki was struck by a sudden feeling—something was going on with his grandfather. While his mother watched his grandmother try on teenager’s clothing, Saiki slipped out to check on his grandfather. He rounded a corner to look at where Grandpa Saiki had been left to fend for himself. Saiki nearly groaned. (Y/N) was speaking to him. Somehow, his family—weird as they were—kept meeting (Y/N). (Yes, his parents both liked (Y/N), but this was his tsundere grandfather. He couldn’t let (Y/N) get scared off by Grandpa Saiki’s outward rudeness). Saiki needed to intervene before Grandpa Saiki hurt (Y/N)’s feelings.

            “Well, sir, you look lost, and I don’t want to leave you to fend for yourself. Are you positive you’re alright?” asked (Y/N), smiling. “I know Shibuya can be a bit confusing sometimes. I got lost the first few times I visited.”

            Grandpa Saiki stared at (Y/N), still so friendly despite him being rude. “…I’m just waiting for my family. They went in without me.”

            “That’s too bad,” said (Y/N).

            “I fought with my grandson,” admitted Grandpa Saiki.

            Saiki stared in shock. (Y/N) had easily gotten along with Grandpa Saiki. It seemed everyone they met liked (Y/N) (or almost all). Not that Saiki could blame anyone. He liked them for a reason (innumerable reasons, actually).

            “That’s too bad,” said (Y/N), sitting down next to Grandpa Saiki.

            “He’s seventeen years old, and he’s my adorable grandson,” said Grandpa Saiki sadly.

            “You seem to care about him a lot,” said (Y/N).

            “But we fought, and now he doesn’t like me,” said Grandpa Saiki.

            “I’m sure he still cares about you,” said (Y/N) encouragingly. “Families have little quarrels all the time. You just have to make it up to him so that he knows you’re sorry about it all.”

            “But how?” said Grandpa Saiki.

            “A gift is always appreciated,” said (Y/N). “And if you want, I could help you pick something out. Your grandson and I are the same age, so maybe we have similar interests.”

            Saiki watched all of this unfold, dumbfounded. Grandpa Saiki was never so reasonable, and somehow, (Y/N) was handling him like any other person—easily, kindly. Curious, Saiki followed (Y/N) and Grandpa Saiki as they walked into a store.

            “What does your grandson like?” asked (Y/N). “Clothes, accessories, games, sweets?”

            “I’m not sure,” said Grandpa Saiki. “I know that he wears barrettes and glasses with all of his outfits and that he likes when my wife bakes.”

            (Y/N) chuckled. “He sounds like my friend. He really likes sweets and has glasses.”

            You’re so observant and yet so oblivious, thought Saiki fondly.

            (Y/N) led Grandpa Saiki to the grocery aisle of the store to show him the options for sweets. “There are brownies, cupcakes, coffee jellies, candy, all sorts of things. What do you think?”

            “Hm…I’m not sure,” said Grandpa Saiki. “What does your friend like?”

            (Y/N) laughed. “Well, my friend is really unique and has an obsession with coffee jelly. But I don’t know if every teenager has the same tastes as Kusuo.”

            Grandpa Saiki perked up. “Kusuo? As in Kusuo Saiki?”

            “Yeah,” said (Y/N), nodding.

            “That’s my grandson,” said Grandpa Saiki. I met one of my beloved grandson’s friends!

            “Really?” (Y/N) laughed. “What a coincidence! I’m his friend, (Y/N) (L/N).”

            “It’s nice to meet any of my grandson’s friends,” said Grandpa Saiki.

            You’re only saying that because you met (Y/N). They’re the best of my friends, thought Saiki. They’re the one he loved.

            “It’s a pleasure to meet his family,” said (Y/N), bowing politely. They grinned. “And now you know exactly what to get him!” They nodded to the coffee jelly. “Get him some coffee jelly and he’ll forgive you for anything.”

            “Thank you,” said Grandpa Saiki, picking up a package. “You’ve been a great help,” he said as they headed towards the counter to pay.

            “Of course,” said (Y/N). “Tell Kusuo I say, ‘hi!’ ” They bowed. “And, again, it was nice meeting you.” With a final wave, they headed off.

            Saiki watched his grandfather pay for the package and walked out. Somehow, this situation had turned in Saiki’s favor.

            When (Y/N) is involved, everything gets better.

            That night, as he ate his grandfather’s apology, he smiled and thought of (Y/N)’s kindness.

l

            Saiki sighed as he got up to leave class. Everyone had been bothering him today. Even minor characters like Amp and Kusuke had made an appearance. The cameos were off the charts, and Saiki knew that meant trouble, so he wanted to escape.

            Additionally, though, people had been acting strangely around him. His friends (bothers) weren’t hanging around quite as closely as normal and avoiding being around him. Ordinarily, that would be a good thing, but…

            “Hey, pal, let’s go home together. The runt says we should talk about tomorrow,” said Nendou.

            “Wha—?!” Kuboyasu stared at Nendou in alarm.

            “You idiot!” said Kaidou. “What are you doing?! That’s not what we planned.”

            “Huh? But it’s my pal’s—”

            “Shut up! Let’s go,” said Kaidou, dragging Nendou towards the door.

            “Come on, you guys,” said (Y/N), ushering them away. “Bye, Kusuo! See you tomorrow!”

            Saiki sighed. With his telepathy, he knew exactly what was going on, and despite his current respite from their bothersome schemes, it was just going to come around and become an even bigger problem for him in the long run.

Yare yare .

l

            “Nendou made me nervous,” said Kaidou as he looked out the window with the group by his side.

            “He almost ruined our plan,” said Hairo, shaking his head.

            “You almost ruined it, too, Chiyo,” warned Teruhashi.

            “I let my guard down. I’ll be more careful,” said Yumehara.

            “So where’s Nendou?” asked Kuboyasu.

            “I sent him home. With his brain, he can’t keep up with this plan,” said Kaidou.

            “That’s for the best,” said Hairo.

            “We’ve been preparing this for a week,” said Kaidou gravely. “We can’t afford to fail.” He unraveled the plans. The top read “Operation: Surprise Birthday Party for Kusuo Saiki.” “We can’t afford to fail. Now, let’s start the strategy meeting…for Operation Surprise Saiki, which is taking place tomorrow!”

            (Y/N) shook their head and chuckled. They had tried to intercede, but at this point, they were going to let the plan go through. They’re all put too much work into it.

            “Tomorrow, after school, Aren and I will lure Saiki to the location of the party, which is my house,” said Kaidou. “We won’t talk about his birthday at all. When we get to my house, I’ll go get something to drink, Aren will take him to the room. When the time seems right, Aren will set off a cracker. That’ll be the signal to say, ‘Happy Birthday!’ Then, I’ll bring out the birthday cake, and the surprise will be a big success. I wonder what the look on his face will be…”

            Poor Kusuo. (Y/N) smiled to themself. Hopefully he’ll remember they all have good intentions. I mean, even if his birthday is actually in August…

            Outside the door, Saiki sighed as everyone went on and on about their excitement and the gifts they prepared. At this point, he couldn’t tell them they had the wrong day. Not when Kaidou read aloud his proclamation of friendship. Not when (Y/N) was involved and so happy (even if he did wonder why they hadn’t corrected everyone about his birthday).

            A little smile appeared on Saiki’s face. Yare yare. So troublesome, and yet he was willing to put up with them. For some reason, anyway.

l

            “Saiki went home?!” cried Kaidou.

            “Yeah,” said Kuboyasu grimly.

            “I warned you, he likes to leave school as soon as possible,” chuckled (Y/N).

            “What do we need to do now?” said Kaidou.

            “Do we put a stop to it?” wondered Kuboyasu.

            “Not after all this time. Time for plan beta!” said Kaidou.

            “We have a plan beta?” wondered (Y/N).

            Sure enough, the entire group—Yumehara, Mera, Kaidou, Kuboyasu, (Y/N), Hairo, and Teruhashi—was soon crouching around the corner from Saiki’s house.

            “I’ll explain again,” said Kaidou. “First, we ring Saiki’s doorbell. When he comes out, we all pull the crackers. The Emotional Saiki Plan.”

            “What if someone else answers?” asked Kuboyasu.

            “We will explain it and make them let us in,” said Kaidou. “Let’s go!”

            The group headed towards the door and rang the doorbell. (Y/N) smiled and shook their head. Whoever opened the door, they knew Saiki had a trick up his sleeve. Going along with something so steeped in emotions was not Saiki’s way.

            The door swung open, and Saiki stood there.

            “Surprise!” called everyone, cracking the crackers.

            Saiki’s eyes widened in surprise, and he smiled. “What? What is this?”

            “Today’s your birthday, right?” said Teruhashi brightly.

            “Yes, but…”

            Aha. (Y/N) giggled behind their hand. That wasn’t Saiki. It was Mr. Saiki since today was his birthday.

            “We came to celebrate your birthday!” said Hairo.

            “Wow, really?!” said Mr. Saiki, beaming from Saiki’s face. It was odd to see it, but (Y/N) at least could see through it. “You know my birthday?”

            “Of course, Saiki,” said Kaidou.

            “ ‘Saiki?’ ” repeated Mr. Saiki, still happy.

            “Hey, pal!” Nendou walked up. “I heard it’s your birthday!” He held up a watermelon.

            “Nendou, you came, too?” said Mr. Saiki.

            “He managed it,” said Kaidou, nodding.

            “Come on in, all of you,” said Mr. Saiki.

            “Thanks, Saiki!” said Yumehara, heading it.

            Wow, no one has noticed how differently “Kusuo” is acting, thought (Y/N).

            “You seem to be enjoying yourself, (Y/N),” said Teruhashi curiously. “You keep smiling and laughing.”

            “I’m just having a really good time,” chuckled (Y/N).

            It’s still going? thought Saiki. He had thought this would end quickly.

            “Thank you all so much,” said Mr. Saiki. “I would never have expected Kusuo’s friends to celebrate my birthday. I’m deeply moved.”

            (Y/N) coughed at the mention of “Kusuo’s friends,” but luckily, no one seemed to notice.

            “You’re our friend,” said Mera.

            “Happy birthday,” said Hairo.

            “Yes, Saiki!” said Kaidou. “By the way, Saiki, are your parents here?”

            “My parents don’t live with us,” said Mr. Saiki.

            “Whoa, really?” said Hairo.

            “My mother lives in the family home, and my father is no longer with us,” said Mr. Saiki.

            He’s walking right into trouble with that one, thought (Y/N). They decided to step in. “Oh, yeah, he’s traveling for work right now.”

            I’m glad someone has worked it out and is helping.

            “What? No, he’s—”

            “Come upstairs,” said Saiki directly to his father’s mind.

            “Huh? Is that Kusuo?” wondered Mr. Saiki.

            “Kusuo?” repeated Kuboyasu.

            “I need to head upstairs for a moment,” said Mr. Saiki awkwardly, leaving the room.

            Alright, I’ll hold down the fort. I wonder what Saiki’ll do now. Have his dad continue the party or end it or…actually come down himself? (Y/N) hoped he would. Even if it wasn’t his birthday, they wanted to spend some time with him and give him the present. All of his friends did.

            Upstairs, Saiki explained the situation to his father, who nodded.

            “Oh, I see. That’s what I thought. I thought it was strange,” said Mr. Saiki.

            “You were totally into it,” said Saiki.

            “The surprise is over, so you want to switch places?” said Mr. Saiki.

            “No. Keep going,” said Saiki, giving a thumbs up.

            “You want me to keep going?!” exclaimed Mr. Saiki.

            “It’s not my birthday. I can’t pretend it is,” said Saiki, pushing his father back down the stairs.

            “I’m not you, Kusuo. I can’t pretend that I am. I think (L/N) already figured it out,” said Mr. Saiki.

            “They did. They’re observant. But they won’t say anything,” said Saiki. “I’m counting on you.” I can’t respond to their kindness.

            Pretend to be Kusuo, thought Mr. Saiki, standing before the door. He opened it. “Yare yare. Sorry for the wait. Yare yare.”

            I don’t say yare yare that much.

            “We’re sorry for interrupting your birthday while your father is away,” said Kaidou.

            “Oh, it’s fine. He’s coming back today,” said Mr. Saiki quickly.

            He’s really not like Kusuo at all, thought (Y/N).

            “And why’d you used the term ‘not with us?’ ” said Kuboyasu. “That sounds like he’s dead.”

            “You shouldn’t talk about your dad that way,” said Hairo, shaking his head.

            “M-My apologies,” said Mr. Saiki.

            “Well, anyway,” said Teruhashi, trying to break in.

            “Look, we finished the cake!” said Yumehara brightly, holding up the box.

            “It turned out great,” said Teruhashi.

            “Especially the face,” agreed Yumehara.

            They took the cake out and put it on the table. It was all smooshed and melted.

            “Oh, no,” the girls said, deflating.

            Oh dear, thought (Y/N) sympathetically. It’s so hard to shape cakes and keep them looking good.

            They should have gotten (Y/N) to help them.

            “It got smashed in the transit,” said Teruhashi in disappointment.

            “But you made it with lots of love, so that’s what matters,” said (Y/N).

            “What?! Love?! No, no! It’s just friendship! A friendship birthday cake! Besides, Chiyo made it with me! We put a ton of work in together!” rambled Teruhashi in a panic.

            “We’ll make another,” said Yumehara, looking at Mr. Saiki. “I swear, it looked perfect!”

            There’s no choice.

            “Wow, look! The cake is reforming!” said Hairo, staring at the cake.

            “The sponge cake is rebounding,” said Kuboyasu.

            Thank you, Kusuo, thought (Y/N). They knew he’d save his friends’ feelings after they worked so hard for him even if misguided).

            “Wow, this is amazing,” said Mr. Saiki, looking at the Saiki-shaped cake. “It looks delicious.”

            That is something Kusuo would say, thought (Y/N), grinning.

            “Just wait, you’ll really be moved!” said Mera.

            “We have a surprise for you,” said Kuboyasu. “A video letter—”

            Mera held up the camera, and Nendou’s face hit it. It fell to the ground, broken.

            “Oh,” said (Y/N), disappointed since Mera and Kuboyasu had worked hard on it.

            “Oh, no, that’s no good,” said Mr. Saiki.

            “Sorry, Saiki.” Kuboyasu took off his glasses. “Go on. Hit me. Everyone, hit me.”

            “Kuboyasu, there’s really no need for that,” said (Y/N) quickly. “It was an accident.”

            Yare yare.

            “Hey, look! It’s working,” said Kaidou, staring at the TV screen as it displayed the video letter.

            “It’s fixed,” said Hairo in happy amazement.

            “Alright!” said Kaidou. “Raise a glass and let’s start the feast.”

            “Cheers!” Everyone lifted their glasses.

            The party was in full swing. (Y/N) hung back since they felt awkward interacting with their crush’s father in such a context (also, they were disappointed Saiki himself wasn’t there), but everyone was having a great time. Some people armed wrestled, they joked, they laughed, and they bonded with one another—already a tight-knit friend group getting closer.

            Upstairs, Saiki sat and psychically monitored the party so that his dad didn’t screw anything up for his reputation or give away his psychic abilities.

            “Oh, there you are,” said Mr. Saiki, popping his face upstairs. “Your dad’s a star!”

            “Good for you.”

            “Well, you want to switch soon?” said Mr. Saiki.

            “No thanks. Hurry back now,” said Saiki. “I would only be a buzzkill.”

            “So what?”

            Saiki looked up at his dad in slight surprise.

            “Go on, Kusuo,” said Mr. Saiki. “You must feel some gratitude toward them. You didn’t want to hurt their feelings, so you asked me to cover for you. But that’s not right. They all came here for you, Kusuo. Even if you do hurt their feelings, you should go to them.” He turned and walked away.

            Saiki paused and watched him go. “Who are you to lecture me?” He stood.

            “I’m your father!” exclaimed Mr. Saiki.

            Saiki glanced at the stairs and walked down. He paused outside of the living room. Now, how do I get rid of them?

            “That was a huge success,” said Kaidou.

            “Saiki seemed really happy about everything,” agreed Teruhashi.

            “(Y/N), you didn’t give him his present,” said Yumehara.

            “I’ll give it to him later,” said (Y/N), smiling.

            “He seemed very energetic. He must have really liked all of this,” said Hairo.

            “Yes, but something didn’t seem quite right,” said Nendou.

            “That’s true. It’s like the walls around him are stronger than ever,” said Kaidou.

            “Maybe he was trying to hard to go along with us,” said Kuboyasu.

            “Oh, no, that’s terrible,” said Yumehara.

            “He should just be himself,” said Hairo.

            (Y/N) nodded. “We accept him how he is.” For who he really is.

            Yare yare. You’re the ones who are acting strange. Saiki opened the door.

            “Hey, pal, what took you so long?” Nendou grinned at him.

            “Saiki!” The group beamed at him.

            “Yare yare.” Saiki shook his head and sat down.

            He watched as everyone eagerly chatted and joked, leaving him a little more alone—not wanting him to “put up his walls again.”

            “Do you want a piece of cake?” said (Y/N), sitting down beside him and lifting a plate.

            “Yes,” said Saiki, instantly taking it and taking a bite.

            (Y/N) leaned in, smiled, and whispered, “Welcome to the party, Kusuo.”

            Saiki looked at them and nodded. Ah, well. He could avoid them all tomorrow. He supposed this wasn’t terrible.

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            “Why didn’t you tell them it wasn’t my birthday?” asked Saiki. He floated the plates he was cleaning to (Y/N), who set them in the drying rack. “You know when my birthday is.” It wasn’t accusatory, just a plain question.

            “They made the whole plan before they even told me,” said (Y/N), shrugging. “At that point they’d put so much work into it that I couldn’t help but let it keep going.” They chuckled and nudged him. “Besides, that’s the exact same reason you let it go on.”

            “No, I just couldn’t convince them not to,” said Saiki.

            “Uh-huh,” said (Y/N), rolling their eyes with a laugh. “You know I see through you by now.”

            “See through me?”

            “Yep,” chirped (Y/N), grinning.

            Saiki looked at them, nearly asked them a question, and then stopped.

            “Oh, Kusuo, before I forget, I got you a gift,” said (Y/N), heading back into the living room.

            Saiki followed. “But it isn’t my birthday.”

            “I decided I might as well get into the spirit of things,” said (Y/N) brightly. They held up the present. “Tada! Open it up.”

            Saiki curiously opened the box and found a book(?) inside. He glanced up. This wasn’t a sweet or something themed on a sweet like (Y/N)’s usual gifts.

            “Look inside,” said (Y/N), grinning.

            Saiki lifted the album out and opened it. He stared. It was a photo. Of Café Mami. He turned the page. Now there was a photo of the sports festival, him running his race. Christmas with his friends. The beach. Okinawa. Karoake. London. Him having…fun. His friends with him. People celebrating, smiling.

            “I know you’re not big on being with people, but I know I really loved—liked having these moments with you,” said (Y/N). They smiled sheepishly. “So I guess this was partly a gift for me, but I, uh, I hope you can see these moments as fondly as I do.”

            Saiki looked between the photos and (Y/N). No. He wasn’t an extrovert. He didn’t seek others out. He found most incidents bothers. But…

            But.

            But in every one of these memories, there was something Saiki did like. Yes, he was…fond of his friends. This was the only moment he’d admit that. However, more importantly to Saiki, (Y/N) was in every one of those memories. They didn’t feature in any of the photos, but he knew they were behind the camera with a smile on their face. That was the reason Saiki instantly loved the photos. They held (Y/N)’s joy.

            And that was the reason Saiki loved them.

            “I love it, (Y/N),” said Saiki.

            (Y/N) beamed. “I’m glad.”

            “…I love it because you made it,” said Saiki. “You always put so much heart into what you make.”

            (Y/N) blushed. “Thanks, Kusuo.”

            “Even when I’m ungrateful, you’re still so kind,” said Saiki, stepping forward.

            (Y/N) looked at Saiki. “We’ve talked about this before, Kusuo, I don’t care that you’re not into words of affection. That doesn’t matter to me.”

            “It does. It does to me. Because you deserve to know that you’re a good friend and that I…I value you.” Saiki swallowed. This was it. “I like you, (Y/N).”

            (Y/N) started as they heard Saiki speak without telepathy. “You—You what?”

            “I like you,” repeated Saiki. “As…as more than a friend.”

            “You do?” A smile spread across (Y/N)’s face. “Really?”

            Saiki nodded jerkily.

            “Oh, Kusuo. I like you, too,” said (Y/N). They let out a joyful laugh. “I really, really like you, Kusuo. I have feelings for you.”

            “I do, too,” said Saiki. “I didn’t phrase it right.”

            “You phrased it just right,” said (Y/N), stepping up and taking Saiki’s hand daringly. They cleared their throat. “Can I-Can I kiss you, Kusuo?”

            Saiki looked at them, and he found that the idea of affection with them was as appealing as ever. He nodded and held their hand tighter.

            Saiki and (Y/N) leaned, hesitant, unsure of themselves, but perfectly comfortable with one another. They were willing to try something new with the person they loved.

            Their lips touched, and Saiki and (Y/N) pulled back for a moment. But the separation lasted for but a second as they leaned back in, kissing once more, more confidently, more eagerly.

            When they finally separated, (Y/N) and Saiki were both pink, and (Y/N) let out a little laugh at the rush of joy. Saiki felt their hand in his and gazed at the beautiful smile he had fallen for. There was only one thing he could say.

            “Oh, wow.”

Chapter Text

            “Saiki, (L/N), come and help us put up decorations!” said Hairo, pushing boxes into their hands.

            Saiki looked down at his box and found it filled with tiny LGBTQ+ flags representing different identities, all hanging from the same string. (Y/N)’s box contained flyers for a “PK Academy Pride Celebration.”

            “I didn’t know we had one of these,” said (Y/N), smiling.

            “We started it this year,” said Hairo. “Teruhashi was talking about how she wished more people were accepted for their different identities, and so, the school decided to put on a party.”

            “The city is having a parade, too,” said Saiki.

            (Y/N) laughed. “Leave it to Kokomi’s influence to rid our society of homophobia and transphobia.”

            Saiki had to admit, it was probably the best aspect of her influence she had ever considered using. “Her fan club will put these up.” He put his box down.

            “You don’t want to help?” said (Y/N).

            Saiki looked at (Y/N). They were always so helpful and kind. It was one of the many reasons he liked them. However, Saiki was selfish. “We planned to go to Café Mami.”

            (Y/N) snapped their fingers. “Right!” They looked at Hairo. “Sorry, Hairo, we’ll come to the event, but we can’t help you set up.” They bowed. “Sorry!”

            Hairo smiled. “Hey, it’s no problem! You already made plans, and you help out in class enough. Have fun.” He easily picked up all the boxes again and ran off to find other people to help him.

            “We’re actually going?” said Saiki.

            “I know you don’t like crowds, but this is to support us and our friends,” said (Y/N).

            “I am comfortable in my identity, and anyone who tries to say anything about mine or anyone else’s will face the consequences,” said Saiki.

            (Y/N) pouted and looked at him. “Please, Kusuo?”

            Saiki avoided their gaze, and (Y/N) moved in front of him with the brightest puppy-dog eyes they could muster.

            “Please?”

            Saiki was pretty sure (Y/N) might have powers of persuasion.

            “I’ll make cupcakes for the party.”

            “…Alright. I’ll go for you.”

            (Y/N) grinned. “Thank you, Kusuo.” They leaned up and kissed his cheek.

            Saiki averted his gaze as he blushed.

l

            Saiki and (Y/N) walked up to the schoolyard of PK Academy that had been decorated with the flags from earlier and had a large “Happy Pride” banner hanging from the building’s second floor windows. Music played, and food had been set up. (Y/N) and Saiki themselves held containers of cupcakes (one or two or three or four had already been eaten by a certain pink-haired sweets lover).

            “Let’s put these down and say hi to everyone,” said (Y/N). Saiki’s expression didn’t change, but (Y/N) had been around him long enough to chuckle. “Don’t give me that look, the aster we say hi to people, the faster we could leave.”

            “Can I have another cupcake?” said Saiki.

            “Of course,” said (Y/N), smiling.

            Saiki picked up another cupcake with rainbow icing and followed (Y/N) to say hi to his bothers (their friends).

            “(L/N), Saiki, you made it,” said Hairo. “Good!” He wore a rainbow pin on his shirt. “I like your pins.”

            “Thanks,” said (Y/N). They had on an ace spectrum and pansexuality pin.

            “You, too, Saiki,” said Hairo.

            Saiki had on an asexuality pin ((Y/N)’s puppy-dog eyes and sweets were very persuasive, scarily so). He nodded in response.

            “Hey, buddy, happy pride!” Nendou grinned at Saiki. “You, too, pinky! Don’t forget to be proud of your favorite colors.”

            “Uh, Nendou, that’s not what this all means,” said Kaidou, groaning.

            “It isn’t?” said Nendou, confused.

            (Y/N) laughed. “It’s about people of different identities and sexualities.”

            “Ohhhhh. Do people normally get weirded out over that?” said Nendou.

            Apparently, his stupidity meant he was the least bigoted person in the world.

            (Y/N) shook their head with a smile, and Saiki looked at them. He may be stuck at a party, but at least (Y/N) was there. He’d always support them, just as much as they supported him. They deserved it.

l

            “Don’t try to tell me you were miserable the whole time,” said (Y/N). “I saw you at the snack table making a pile of cookies on your plate.”

            “People were loud and annoying. But the food was good,” said Saiki.

            “Uhuh, keep saying that was all,” said (Y/N). They linked their pinky finger around his. “But, seriously, I’m glad you came. I know it’s not your thing, but I’m happy you went with me.”

            “I went for you,” said Saiki. “You’re my partner. I support you.”

            (Y/N) beamed, and their cheeks warmed. “Thank you, Kusuo.” As they walked, (Y/N) leaned their head on his shoulder. “And you know I support you. In every aspect of who you are.”

            Saiki smiled softly and held their hand securely. “I know.”

Chapter Text

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