Chapter Text
Kokomi Teruhashi didn't often find herself floating in sprawling black voids, but somehow, when she opened her eyes, she wasn't all that surprised. Perhaps, even, she was mildly relieved for a minute. It's more difficult than you might think, waking up every morning with perfect hair, skin, and an angelic smile already glued to her face.
No -- but -- wait, really, where was she? As Teruhashi shook off that brief moment of reflection, she realized that the darkness stretched into the distance as far as she could see. Though, it was hard to gauge depth when the only color she could see was black. She shifted her weight and realized that she was laying down. Stretching her hands in front of her face she came to terms with her situation.
It probably wasn't a lucid dream, she figured. Sure, she did have one before, but lucid dreams are supposed to reveal your inner desires, or something, right? Teruhashi had never made a it a point to hang out with those spiritual types, like Aiura Mikoto, after all.
Finally, Teruhashi made it to her feet. It didn't feel like she was standing on anything, but she wasn't falling either.
Craning her neck to look around, she saw a single white pink speck in the distance. Somehow, she knew who it was instantly, as if both she had been waiting for him to appear. She ran towards Saiki, as much as one can in an infinite void, and soon his figure became larger in her vision.
[Hello, reader.]
[Don't worry, I'll get to the part that you're waiting for soon enough, but first I have to introduce myself, otherwise it wouldn't feel right.]
[My name is Saiki Kusuo, and I am an esper. Currently I am floating in a formless void with two occupants; myself, and The Teruhashi Kokomi. Let me explain what happened]
[Teruhashi and I happened to be walking home together at night after a particularly late karaoke party that I was somehow roped into attending. I was so distracted by the filthy streets, home to who know how many wriggly vermin, when a motorcyclist lost control of their vehicle and careened straight into me. God must favor Teruhashi's screen time more than logical story progression. I assume that that broke my psychic limiters, causing my powers to go out of control, and landing us here. The alternative is that we died and this is the afterlife. I'm pretty sure that's the less likely option though, since nothing short of a natural disaster can even damage me.]
"Saiki!" Teruhashi cried as soon as she was close enough to him that it wouldn't be awkward. "Are you okay? I don't remember how we got here."
[As if my safety is actually something that she needs to concern herself with. But it is the polite thing to say, I will admit, and she is nothing if not that.]
"I'm fine." Saiki replied. His terse response did not go unnoticed by the beautiful, blue-haired girl.
"Geez, you've got the most beautiful, blue-haired girl in the world worried about you, and you can't even thank me properly?" , she huffed mentally.
After a brief, and slightly awkward pause in conversation, it was Teruhashi who took initiative.
"Umm, do you know what's going on?" she said, hoping the worry in her voice didn't come through. "I, uhh, haven't been to a place like this before!"
If Saiki noticed her anxiety, or her poor attempt to hide it with humor, she didn't have time to realize. Suddenly, the void began to change form somehow, and before she knew it, she could no longer see him in front of her.
For the second time in recent memory, Teruhashi Kokomi awoke, completely disoriented in her surroundings. This time, though, she quickly realized she was in a bedroom, covered in blankets, and resting on a tastefully firm pillow. Light poured into the room from the window on her right, illuminating the furniture in a perfectly quaint manner, akin to some type of still life oil painting. Kusuo's room was surprisingly nice for a teenaged boy.
She bolted upright. Why, was she in Saiki's bed.
Why was SHE in SAIKI'S bed.
Passing out and being carried to Saiki's home would be a dream for her, if not for the fact that if that happened, the rumors would spread like wildfire. She was the most beautiful, most perfect girl in the school - no, nation - after all. She imagined all the awful articles that were probably being printed at this exact moment; those journalists were always like vultures, preying on her downfall so they could swoop in and drag her name through the mud. It was always something that she hated, but she had come to accept it as part of her everyday life. Teruhashi Kokomi never messes up because she's the most beautiful, most perfect girl. If she isn't that, then she wouldn't be Teruhashi Kokomi. Her mind raced at a million miles per hour: How could she fix this?
"What if it's on national television already? What if war breaks out because of this? People are probably already giving up on life because of me. I'm sorry everyone! I need to be strong for all the men and women who look up to me. How can I call myself Teruhashi Kokomi if I fail so easily? I'm sorry Saiki. The journalists will probably come after you now, and they don't leave people alone easily. Maybe if I use my angel's tears on them they'll listen? Who am I kidding, they're probably at the door alrea-"
[Ding dong.]
That noise snapped Teruhashi out of her brief fit as she looked around suddenly.
"Are they here for Saiki?" she thought out loud. "Come to think of it, where is he?"
She hoisted herself out of bed, (folded the blankets back up), and had began to walk towards the door when she stopped in her tracks right in front of Saiki's floor-length mirror.
Saiki Kusuo, for the most recent of, unfortunately, quite a few times in recent memory, woke up completely disoriented and with a mild sense of dread. He recognized his surroundings as Teruhashi's bedroom. He had been there quite a few times before, though she had never invited him over.
[You make me sound like Toritsuka or something,] Saiki commented wryly. [What kind of shitty narrator are you, hiding key details from the audience?]
Kokomi's scent lingered on her pillow, and everything in her room was obviously carefully picked to make for a pleasing environment. Even the stationary on her desk was sensibly ordered and in perfect condition. Besides the standard items- books, stationary, makeup, clothes, and accessories - Teruhashi's room was devoid of personal belongings. Her walls were decorated with string lights, sure, but they lacked posters or any other personal item that might betray a hint to her true interests.
[Never mind. Who cares about her walls? This is why I do the narration myself, good grief. I noticed it 0.0029 seconds after I woke up. I was not only in Teruhashi's room, but also her body.]
[I've turned myself into a girl before, so it's not a particularly strange feeling. Don't get me wrong, this isn't some sort of pervy thing. If I had a list of people that I would never want to be, Teruhashi would be number.]
[If I'm in Teruhashi's body, she's probably in my body. I'll just-- hm.]
The overconfident psychic suddenly realized that he was unable to clairvoyance, nor any of his other powers.
[That's not true. Unfortunately, it seems I can still use telepathy. I would rather I couldn't, though, because hearing Teruhashi Makoto's filthy thoughts this early in the morning is enough to make anybody sick.]
...
[Ah. Wait. If that's the case, then...]
Saiki, who had realized something he apparently didn't need to tell the audience, abruptly ran off towards his own house.