Chapter Text
Kusuo Saiki was the unluckiest boy in the whole world. He was probably the only one to state such opinion, but that's just because no-one else knew about his daily struggles. Moreover, no-one else could ever understand the reason behind his complaining, cause why would anyone else get it? Why would anybody even consider that the abnormal abilities the teenager was blessed with (though to him it was more of a curse) might bring him discomfort? Sure, he was powerful and all, but dealing with such power daily is just tiring. Saiki was used to the fact that no-one will ever understand him. Well, there was one person that maybe, just maybe could comprehend his struggle one day, but revealing powers to them just to gain some comfort would be plain stupid, wouldn't it?
He was now enjoying his coffee jelly in a local coffeehouse, still waiting for the tragic event of a day. It's not like he actually predicted the future, but at this point Saiki was used to the daily chaos. He was just sure that he wasn't bound to live a single peaceful day. Then again, some time has already passed and it seemed like God has finally released Saiki from the curse of unusual. For a moment the boy believed this was it. This was the perfect, calm day he always dreamed of. No friends bothering him, no trouble with his powers, there wasn't even a need for using them. Saiki sighed with a relief, that's when it all went down.
"Oh wow!" He heard a collective gasp, so loud it was hard to ignore. Watching the street through the window, he noticed a massive crowd rushing to a certain direction. Kusuo didn't even need to check to realize who attracted this much attention. There was only one person who could arouse a crowd like that.
Kokomi Teruhashi. Of course she's here, nothing ever goes my way, Saiki thought.
Kokomi Teruhashi was a real pain for him recently. Not only did he think about her daily (the reason for that was unknown and Kusuo became worried about his wellbeing), he also started to notice how similar they actually were. It's not like he wanted to get closer to her, that was not the case at all. She might be impressively good at pursuing the perfect image of herself, smarter than all the other kids from his class and objectively beautiful but staying close to the perfect Teruhashi would be Saiki's personal hell. He knew that it would, he knew that too well and that's why he tried so hard to stop bothering himself with those thoughts, but he just couldn't. He couldn't ignore the fact that they were in the exact same situation, just handling it differently. The physic powers that Saiki was fed up with could be easily compared to the hold Kokomi had on basically everyone in the area. It was strange, really. How could a non-psychic person be almost just as powerful as him, the undefeated superhero no-one knew about?
It's the fact that he could read her mind that drove him insane the past few days. He wouldn't care for her, if he didn't realise how much she struggles. The flawless image of Teruhashi would be just another annoying aspect of his life, if he didn't know what was going on inside her mind. In a way they were really similar, although Saiki was the only one aware of that. He was the only one to notice how tiring it was to be perceived as perfect on a daily basis. Kusuo could only imagine how hard it was for the girl to keep the illusion of perfection alive, while deep down she tried so hard to make it look like she isn't trying at all.
"I'm sorry, but I have so much work to do. Education is dear to me, you know!" Whatever Teruhashi said caused a collective gasp.
There she is, Saiki thought. He noticed Kokomi through a window and smiled slightly. He was not happy to see her though, that was NOT the case.
There is so many of them today that I might actually get home far too late. If one more man approaches me, I'm seriously going to lose it. Luckily for her, Teruhashi's thoughts were hidden from the crowd, yet so loud and clear for Saiki.
Kokomi both loved and hated the attention. She knew it was well deserved, no matter what was happening in her mind, she was still perfect. The reputation and life she built for herself were unshakable. She was already flawless in everyone's eyes and nothing could change that. It's not like anyone could read her mind, right?
Right. Saiki couldn't help but notice how Teruhashi was slowly getting more and more uncomfortable. He decided to listen to her internal monologue and pay attention to the situation, just in case.
"I seriously need to go now." Teruhashi managed to maintain a friendly smile.
Those plebs start to annoy me.
That's harsh. Saiki was kind of honored to be the only one to hear that.
"I need to rest, you know." She kept on smiling.
You just said you have work to do. Teruhashi is not in the shape today.
"Please, move. I'm trying to leave." There was a hint of annoyance in her voice, Kokomi tried to convince herself that no-one noticed.
My head is spinning, this is no good, I need to get out of here like right now.
"Oh?" Saiki became aware of how serious the situation is. It reminded him of that time when Teruhashi got overwhelmed with pleasing all her fans at school. Could it be that this is happening again?
Whatever, it's not like it's anyone's but her own fault. She could just tell all those creeps off and head home. No-one is forcing her to be kind to them. Saiki knew that too well. He made his choice and hid his powers, she could just do the same. Saiki kind of wished that he could explain it to her, but revealing his powers just to help out a friend would be irrational. He would never do such thing, right? Not for Teruhashi at least.
"I would really appreciate if you'd just let me go now-"
Get your dirty hands off me!
Saiki's eyes suddenly got sharp. It all happened so fast Kusuo himself didn't notice his own action. Without thinking, he teleported straight to Teruhashi, took her hand and brought her to a safe place. They were now hidden behind a corner and before Teruhashi could notice what just happened, Saiki disappeared from her sight, leaving her by herself, finally peaceful.
Kusuo got home as fast as it was possible. He just stood there, leaning on the closed door in his room, with the back of his hand pressed to his mouth. What just happened was impossible to understand, even for him, the psychic. He was fast to calm himself down since it's not that big of a deal. He was too fast for anyone to notice, there was no way his powers got revealed. The only thing he was worried about was why on earth did he even act on instinct back then. Teruhashi was not in a real danger. Sure, some disgusting man touched her arm, but it was definitely not a threat, and if it was, one of her fans would be quick to help her.
"That was an anomaly for sure, she has nothing to do it", Saiki said, not sure who is he trying to convince.
Meanwhile, Teruhashi was still standing behind that corner, still stunned, still not knowing what to do. The only thing she caught during the action was a glimpse of pink hair that disappeared as fast as she noticed it. It wasn't the first time an unusual strength freed her from oppression. Most of the time she just told herself it's God's doing, since she was believed to be his favorite, but recently the girl got more suspicious of what was actually happening.
"Saiki?..", she said to herself. That was the one and only thing that came to her mind. Though it seemed silly, she often thought of the boy in moments like this. She remembered the time when she was sick and somthing Saiki-shaped appeared before her eyes. Kokomi thought that was a hallucination, but somehow couldn't stop wondering if that was really the truth.
There is no way that was Saiki, I mean, how did that even came to my mind? Obviously it was some random, self-proclaimed hero. He was just too stunned by my beauty to stay longer! Or, it was nobody! Just a miracle, since I'm so blessed. Whatever, assuming Saiki was even here would be irrational and I'm not THAT obsessed. That couldn't be him, I'm just hallucinating as always... That's worrying.
It is, so stop thinking about it and move on. Saiki was watching Teruhashi through clairvoyance.
"I should go home. It's just my imagination anyway", Teruhashi said to herself with a sigh.
She did get there eventually, which didn't mean she was able to calm herself down at the slightest. On the contrary, Kokomi's hell of a brother was already there, waiting for her like a creep.
"Oh, Kokomi!", Makoto welcomed her with his usual voice most people found unsettling. Did she feel like talking to anyone right now? No. Did she feel like talking to her brother? Definitely not. Nevertheless, she couldn't just ignore him. She had to pursue the perfection, even in the eyes of the person that was ruining her life every single day. She didn't know what was wrong with him, really. She always felt like something wasn't fully fine with their relationship, although Kokomi didn't want to suspect her own brother of any immoral intentions towards her. She couldn't read his mind, so she could never be sure.
"I can and I am sure. He's a pervert", Kusuo said to himself, still keeping an eye on Teruhashi.
The girl tried to explain her brother's weird behavior. Maybe he just didn't understand her that well, maybe they just didn't get along and he wanted to fix that by getting closer to his sister. There was no point in guessing, Teruhashi had only one option left - staying as nice as possible, even if she was tired.
"Hello, Makoto. Would you mind if I just went to my room for now?"
"What?! Did something happen to my perfect, flawless, ideal, impeccable..."
Those are all synonyms
"Sister?", Makoto finished the sentence and noticed Kokomi's unimpressed expression. "Was it the four-eyes again?", Kokomi blushed.
Why am I a part of this now?
"It was!", Makoto exclaimed. "I'll go talk to him right now! There is no way such loser will keep bothering my Kokomi! My sister! My future bride! My-"
Your what now?
"Your what now?" Kokomi got REALLY worried about how her brother views their relationship. She tried to stay calm, though. She put all the effort to look as stoic as ever during the confrontation.
"Shit! I never meant for it to slip. Sorry, Kokomi", Makoto said with an apologetic smile. "You will marry me, though. I cannot imagine you with any other man."
Oh wow...
"You're kidding, right?" Kokomi found it hard to speak.
"What do you mean?... I am the one who has been taking care of you your entire life! I've been with you since the day you were born!"
That's cause you're her brother.
"That's cause you're my brother!" That left Makoto in consternation. It's like he couldn't imagine Kokomi saying no to him. Suddenly, he ran to her, prattling something about anyone else touching her body, how it's completely unacceptable, some commoners, losers that don't even deserve to look at Kokomi. He even said that the only man suitable for her is her own brother, which disturbed Teruhashi deeply.
What a pain. Fine, I'll do it just this once.
What the hell is he talking about? I had too much of this nonsense today. I'm all dizzy and he's STILL babbling! And right then, it all got quiet. Kokomi looked up and caught another glimpse of pink, clearer this time. Before she was able to speak, not only did the hallucination disappear, she also noticed her brother laying unconscious in front of her.
"There is no way." Teruhashi needed a moment to fully comprehend her situation. As she said, there was no way Makoto randomly passed out. There was no way she had another hallucination. Sure, she did have a crush on Saiki, but she didn't like him THAT much. She stepped back just to keep her feet away from her brother's unconscious body and began her contemplation. To be fair, the only thing she was able to conclude was that it was absolutely impossible that she just imagined the whole thing. It was NOT all in her mind and she knew that. It was a matter of time, sooner or later Teruhashi will connect all the dots and realize it wasn't a hallucination, it wasn't a dream. You could say it was God's doing, but definitely not the one's she thought of.
"There is no way Saiki had nothing to do with that. It's either this or me being insane."
"Can't it be both?", Saiki said to himself and stopped spying on the girl he definitely did not care about.
He did stay calm for a moment, a short one. Then, he remembered the fact that his secret might actually be revealed in the future and that's something he should be worried about. He should. Seriously, he should be just terrified. Teruhashi was on the right path to figure it all out. Then why wasn't he worried? Why didn't the though of sharing all his struggles to a friend, a girl he trusts cause any anxiety in him? On the contrary, I was actually kind of calming.
"No, it wasn't." Right, Saiki was not the type of person to willingly reveal his secrets to a classmate, that would be disastrous. It was just a moment of hesitation. He wasn't actually considering it. Teruhashi being able to relate to his problems was just a theory. Probable, but still a theory. He didn't even like her that much. They were not even that similar. Still, the thought of being understood just couldn't leave his mind. It wasn't a real danger, he just needed to prohibit himself from believing his delusion. It was a nice assumption, but it didn't matter. It was still all in his mind.