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Mikoto Aiura had always believed in destiny. She had seen it written in the stars, heard it whispered in the movement of tarot cards, and felt it deep in her gut whenever Kusuo Saiki passed by her at PK Academy. No matter how often he brushed her off, avoided her, or offered her that deadpan glare of his, she remained firm in her belief: Kusuo Saiki was her Mr. Right. It had to be true. The universe didn’t lie.
After all, hadn’t her fortune-telling abilities led her to him? Hadn't every sign pointed in his direction?
Still, it was getting harder to ignore the growing discomfort he showed around her- but in her defense, it really only happened when she did something romantic or, to get an even worse reaction, sexual- and he was pretty comfortable around her at other times. She remembered an incident not long ago- the time she had tried to hold his hand without asking, and he pulled away as if she'd burned him. Or, more embarrassingly, the time she had tried to stage what she called a "lucky feel moment", in which she would "accidentally" land her face right in his crotch. Of course, he'd seen it coming and stopped her, catching her red-handed hiding behind a corner- it made her feel stupid, foolish, desperate- and Aiura Mikoto was NOT desperate. She shouldn't have to force a guy just to get some dick, she's gotten plenty of dick. She had told herself it was just because he was shy. Maybe he just needed a push. That’s what she believed.
She had no idea that her "push" could lead to such disaster.
It was a rare quiet day when Kusuo Saiki was walking through the halls of PK Academy "without" his powers. After he had chosen to use Kusuke's power canceler, his mind was as quiet as any normal human's. No telepathy. No psychokinesis. No teleportation. Nothing. He was, for the first time in his life, painfully vulnerable. Human.
As much as he hated to admit it, it was awful.
He hated being jostled by careless students. He hated hearing every loud conversation with no way to mentally mute it. But most of all, he hated how he couldn’t anticipate trouble anymore.
That was why he didn’t notice Aiura closing in on him until it was too late.
"Kusuo~!" Aiura called from behind him, her shoes clicking quickly against the floor.
Saiki didn’t turn around. He had gotten good at ignoring her, but he had always been bad at avoiding her- she had powers too, after all. Without his own powers, though, he couldn’t feel the telltale prickling sensation of her energy as he normally could, making it a million times more difficult. She was closer than he realized.
"Kusuo," Aiura said again, breathlessly now, almost right behind him. "I know you’re pretending not to feel it, bae~. I know you’re scared. But it’s okay! I have a plan~. I’ll show you how good it can be. Then you'll have to admit that you feel it too~!"
Before he could react, she grabbed his shoulder and yanked him around to face her. She pushed him up against a nearby locker, not hard but hard enough that, without his powers, he was caught off guard and stuck.
He opened his mouth to say something- to push her away- but she moved too fast.
Aiura threw her arms around his neck and crushed her mouth against his. It wasn’t a gentle kiss; it was desperate, sloppy, aggressive.
Saiki froze in shock for a split second, his mind screaming at him to *do something*. He raised his hands and shoved at her shoulders, but she clung tighter. He pushed harder, hitting her arms, her chest, trying to create distance, but she only melted further against him.
In his mind, he was panicking. Every touch made his skin crawl, made his head pound.
*This can’t be happening. Move, move, get her off!*
He managed to wrench his face away for a second, gasping. "Let go of me!" he barked weakly, but Aiura laughed breathily, not taking him seriously at all.
"No need to fight it anymore, Kusuo... we're meant to be—"
"Hey! What's going on here?"
A loud, assertive voice cracked through the hallway.
Matsuzaki, the towering PE teacher, turned the corner just in time to see Aiura forcing herself onto Saiki- the usually stoic boy visibly struggling, pushing against her. Matsuzaki's face turned an alarming shade of red. His massive hands clenched into fists.
He stormed toward them.
"Separate, now!"
Aiura startled, finally releasing Saiki, who stumbled backward and wiped his mouth furiously, looking utterly disgusted. He didn't even have time to breathe before Matsuzaki grabbed Aiura by the back of her blazer and pulled her away.
"Saiki! Are you alright?" Matsuzaki asked, crouching slightly to meet Saiki’s eyes, his voice softening now.
Saiki didn’t answer immediately. His body was stiff, tense. He just nodded once, curtly, his expression closed off.
Matsuzaki turned his furious gaze back to Aiura, who was struggling in his grasp, her face burning. "You’re coming with me."
"But- but- but it was mutual!" she shrieked, trying to spin the story before anyone could react. "We’re destined! We’re soulmates!"
"I know what I saw, don't make a scene." Matsuzaki roared.
Other students were starting to poke their heads out of classrooms. Murmurs filled the hallway.
"I-it was just a kiss," Aiura stammered, her usual confidence crumbling. "It’s not a big deal-"
"We need to talk in my office. Now. Not here." Matsuzaki barked. "This is serious. You’re in big trouble, Aiura."
Tears started to well in her eyes. "I-I didn’t mean to hurt him… I just thought...!"
Saiki, watching from a few feet away, clenched his fists awkwardly at his sides, clammy and uncomfortable. He awkwardly stepped away slowly as Matsuzaki dragged Aiura away toward the teachers’ office.
Later that day, word spread quickly that Aiura had been suspended for "sexual misconduct against a fellow student." The administration acted swiftly. PK Academy had a strict policy about such things. Matsuzaki’s eyewitness account was more than enough to seal the case.
Saiki sat alone on the rooftop that afternoon, his powers still absent, feeling more exhausted than ever. He had thought losing his powers would make his life a little easier in some ways. But now he knew better.
Even without powers, he couldn't escape the chaos of people. Not his brother, not Toritsuka, not Aiura, nobody.
He stared up at the bright blue sky, expression unreadable.
"Maybe I should just start wearing a 'Do Not Approach' sign," he muttered under his breath.
And for the first time in a long time, he wished for the cold, comforting silence of other people’s thoughts- just so he could have a warning next time.