Chapter Text
Running through a checkered hall. Panic. Liminal, uncomprehendable imagery spiraling in the sky, the ground. Destruction all around, disturbing creatures cascading. Floating ground and shattered rubble.
At the center of it all, a towering figure that instills dread, chills blood, shortens breath. Dark, terrifying, a massive cog it uses as a platform. It will kill, a knowledge that is instilled immediately. It will destroy, make nothing of all.
I have to save her.
—☕️—
What the hell was that.
Not a vision—it can’t be. I’ve seen some crazy shit in my life, but no way is that a premonition for something to come. Maybe I have a psychic ‘fever?’ I pat my head. Both antennae are still in place.
Just a weird dream, I guess.
My name is Kusuo Saiki. Starting today, an eleventh-grade student at PK academy. I’m probably the most average kid here.
I mean, if it weren’t for the hundred psychic abilities I possess. You’ve heard it all before, no need for another introduction.
I quickly change into my school uniform, expertly avoid my dad—late to work again—and walk to school in the pouring rain. A great omen for the upcoming year. It doesn’t inconvenience me all that much—I use an umbrella to look normal, and keep my shoes dry with telekinesis. Easy. When I get there, I can barely step over the property line before being hassled by the entourage.
“Saiki!! Man, it feels like forever since I’ve seen you!” Kaido, hurrying toward me from the other side of the field, yelling for everyone to hear. Out of the corner of my eye, I can see Nendo approaching. I can tell that Teruhashi isn’t here yet, since the ninth-graders that are here haven’t started gasping about the angel blessing their eyes or whatever.
I expect this year will bring more opportunities for these people to irritate me, more things I’m roped into or forced to avoid. I just hope the new year of students are normal—no need for another Imu Rifuta. I spot Toritsuka and his ugly purple hair from a mile away, and make sure to stay out of that area.
God, he’s going to ask some poor kid “Where my hug at?”
Kaido comes to walk beside me, Nendo at his side. “I hope we get a good homeroom,” the blue-haired boy yaps. “I need to be careful—with all these new students, who knows what the Dark Reunion could be plotting! Some of these kids could be secret spies, Saiki you’ll watch out for me right…” I tune out his usual rambling, making my way to class 3C.
Let’s get some exposition out of the way. In my homeroom are Kaido, Teruhashi, Saiko, Kuboyasu, Aiura, Hairo, and all the other kids. Not in my homeroom are Nendo, Toritsuka, Yumehara, Mera, & Akechi. I doubt we’ll be doing much in class, considering it’s only the first day. That’s nice, right?
Wrong. Less work we do, more time these idiots have to approach me. Good grief, the worst one of all is on her way over now.
“Hiiii, Saiki!” Teruhashi’s voice is as bright as the shining aura around her. The other boys pretend not to notice, but I can hear their sour thoughts.
Who even is this kid?
Why is she talking to him?
I swear I’ll beat him up if he does something…
He doesn’t deserve Kokomi’s presence!
…God, they’re annoying.
She talks to me about her summer, and I offer a “Cool” or “Yep” where necessary. Hairo is greeting the new kids out in the hallway, trying to “hype them up” for the year. Kuboyasu leans on Kaido’s desk and talks about some… motorcycle thing.
Well, whatever. There’s still a while until class starts, so I’ll just head to the bathroom. I stand up, and she immediately looks worried. “Saiki? Where are you going?”
Oh no, she thinks, is he leaving? Is he tired of listening to me talk??
”Bathroom,” I say, gesturing out of the class with my thumb. She looks relieved.
Oh, right. Ooh, he’s probably all flustered from my attention! I see a flash in her mind of that image she has of me, staring at myself in the mirror while I blush. Eugh, it’s time to get out.
On my way there, I pass by quite a few kids, but pay no mind until these two girls. Both ninth-graders, one with pink hair in pigtails leading a taller, black-haired girl. The girl tailing behind has a stone-cold expression—strange, considering the general talkative and energetic air of the other kids. The one in front of her has a pleasant, bright-eyed expression.
As they pass me by, I catch the raven-haired girl fix a wary glare on me, head barely turning to catch a last glimpse. What’s her deal? It’s not like she looked at the other kids; no, her eyes had been determinedly pointed at the student in front of her and nothing else. Why did she turn to look at me???
I can just read her mind, and—
Nothing.
My steps falter, and I look back in their direction. Still down the hall, slowly getting further. Way in my range. I focus hard… still, silence. —From the other girl, too!?
I sigh, step into the bathroom and claim a stall, putting my head down to think.
That’s strange. Especially because—I pause to check—yep, I can still hear everyone else’s thoughts. Particularly the guy in the stall beside mine, but you readers don’t need to hear that. Anyways, the only people whose minds I can’t read are Nendo’s and my dumbass brother—and he was using a telepathy blocker, it was big and ugly.
You have to be shitting me. Do I really have to deal with some shit like this on the first day of grade eleven?
The answer is no. I’ll wash my hands, head back to class, and never think about them again. Easy enough, I have enough irritations crowding my mind every minute. No problem.
•—☆—•
Yes problem.
I’m standing behind the school, after hours, alone save for the dark-haired girl. She stares daggers into my eyes.
Leading up to this, the day was normal. Got bothered by Akechi telling me all about the weather forecast for this year (???) and how people online predict that something is shifting because of the stars—I don’t know and I don’t care. Then I was hassled by Toritsuka, asking to make him look appealing to the grade-nines, so I threatened to turn his hair a nasty green. He backed off after that. Aiura kept trying to catch my eye, thinking loudly in my direction.
SAIKI. Kusuo, I know you can hear me. I have something REALLY IMPORTANT!!! I’m serious! Something’s up with my predictions!
I’m sure whatever it is can wait until the end of class.
To be honest, I forgot about it—well, I can remember anything, I more-so cast it out of my mind. So, when it was time to be dismissed, I tried to leave the usual way, going for ramen with Nendo and Kaido, but I felt someone grab my arm, demand that I follow, and drag me all the way across and out the school.
So. Here I am.
Angry Girl seems to be searching my face. I wish I could read her mind right now—out of all the people at this stupid school. Why can I hear the thoughts of every ninth-grade idiot that all focused on the glimpse of Teruhashi they got all day, or the teachers who lament the end of their summer break, or the girls who search desperately for something to gossip about even when there’s nothing? Why not the one person that I’d actually want to???
After a few seconds, I get tired of it. The quicker this interrogation is over, the quicker I can get to watching TV.
“What do you want?”
She looks puzzled for a second at the sound of my voice, narrows her eyes before responding.
“I know something’s up with you. You’re subtle enough for the others, I guess, but I can tell.”
I wait for the punchline. Always, in situations like this, it makes me worried for a second that they know I’m psychic. Then they say some dumb shit like “You wear socks to bed, don’t you?” and it’s all a big laugh, hahaha. But this girl just waits for a response.
I put on my best confused, judgmental face. Usually this intimidates younger people. “Are you okay? What are you even talking about?”
She doesn’t falter, though—in fact, her gaze steels. “Your mouth doesn’t move when you talk.” What the hell? Nobody notices that. Is the mind-control— “I’m not stupid. Is this—some kind of…” she becomes defensive, shifting her stance like she’s ready for a fight. “Are you a Kyubey..?”
What is she talking about. She seems to know more than she appears, but I have no clue the terms she’s using. “What the fuck is a kyu-bay??”
She’s agitated, but her purple eyes are still that same dull hollow. “I don’t have time for this.” She closes her eyes, shifting her feet and muttering to herself. Most of it is just un-formed words, gibberish, but my super-hearing can detect a few words.
”…Timeloop……PK…..ool……ontract……”
I feel more perplexed than when we ended up on that fuckass island. I can do nothing but stare—this girl must need a mental hospital. She regains her bearings.
”You have to be a magical girl. Right?”
”…Like…from children’s shows?”
A hiss. “Just—fucking tell me,” she practically growls. I raise my eyebrows, this is some odd behaviour from an unknown fourteen-year-old. I watch skeptically as she shoves her hand in her pocket and pulls out three… what are those? Three black marble-like objects, except larger. They have a metal decoration on the outside, with a pointed needle on the bottom.
She holds them out to me. “They’re yours, okay? Just be honest.”
Um. “…And why would I want this..?”
She takes a step back, withdrawing her marbles and shoving them back in her pocket. “You… huh.”
I am thoroughly confused. I don’t care enough for this, I’m not trying to get roped into some supernatural after-school club. Angry Girl contemplates, and right as I’m about to turn and leave, an annoying, gyaru accent fills my brain.
Kusuo!! I know you’re here somewhere. Can you hear me???? I have to be in range—god I hate running—oh!
That last exclamation comes right as she rounds the corner, encountering me and Angry Girl.
“Fuck—Kusuo, why’d you disappear on me!? I had to chase you down with my ball—oh shit, who’s that??” Aiura stares at Angry Girl, who seems barely caught off guard. Who is that, she thinks, and what is Saiki doing back here with— Aiura gasps, starting to advance towards the other.
“Listen, I don’t know why you tried this,” she starts irritably, “but Kusuo will not go out with you. He’s not into your little ass, straight out of middle school, so just—“
”Aiura, shut up. She’s talking about something, but not that. Calm down.”
She deflates, visibly embarrassed. Angry Girl looks more weary and exhausted than I’ve ever seen of someone her age—she looks like a struggling single mom working two jobs that hasn’t slept in over two days.
I expect Aiura to try and start over with her bubbly personality like usual, win over the girl, but she seems to realize something. Her eyes get huge.
KUSUO!! she thinks urgently, this girl has a crazy huge aura! Like--almost like yours. I think I saw it in my crystal ball!!!
So she's not just the girl version of Kaido? I seriously expected her to start ranting about the Dark Reunion. Is she being serious about the whole... magical girl crap? It's true that Toritsuka and Aiura have capabilities even I don't, maybe she knows something. Her eyes dart between the two of us, calculating. I sigh--I guess I might need answers, if only for Aiura's sake.
"Sorry. What... is the whole magical girl thing you're talking about?" I look at her, trying to appear earnest. "I don't know of anything like that, or what those marbles are. I could--" I could probably find out using my psychometry, but she's backing away. Aiura gives me a look when I mention magical girls.
Magical girls? Like in anime?
Yeah, that's what I said. Now focus.
Aiura holds up her hands in a soothing gesture. "Um, hey, sorry about that! My name's Mikoto Aiura, I'm friends with Saiki over here," she gestures to me. "I have, like, visions and stuff, and he--"
"Aiura."
AHHH, SORRY SORRY-- "--Shit, Kusuo, uh... helps with that, yeah? So..."
Leave it to her to almost expose me to this random girl we just encountered.
Nice excuse.
Leave me alone!!
Angry Girl's eyes widen slightly at the mention of premonitions. It reminds me--oh god. That dream I had better not be an actual vision... I doubt it though.
Right?
She hesitates, clenches her hands, unclenches, then gives us both one last look and flees.
Aiura and I watch open-mouthed as she turns the corner and vanishes. "Okay, what??" exclaims Aiura. "I have to know what happened, that was the weirdest thing ever. Wait, wait, what were her thoughts?"
I shrug, putting my hands up to fend off her energetic fumbling. "I don't know. I couldn't hear them. Her and that pink-haired girl, silent."
"OH!! The pink--with pigtails, right!? I saw her my orb, I'm pretty sure that girl was behind her. Her aura is--it might be just as big as yours!" If true, that's worrying. I could destroy the earth in a flick of the wrist if I wanted to, and if someone else can do similar things... "That makes sense if their minds are blocked from you, I'd bet the idiot's (Toritsuka's) life they have crazy powers."
"That means nothing coming from you. But still, I agree."
"We should keep an eye on them, what I saw... I'm not sure exactly what happens, it was very vague, but it could change our whole city."
"Cool. You do that, then." I turn and make my way around the school, starting my walk home.
"Wh--hey!" She chases after me, keeping pace while she complains. "Come on, aren't you a little curious? I need your help, you're basically a god. This is actually important," she huffs. I walk faster to try and shake her, but she just matches my speed.
"Well, if you need someone else that bad, just ask Toritsuka. I'm sure he'd be ecstatic to stalk some young girls."
"I'm serious, dude. Like, I'm actually scared." I look over and see genuine worry in her face. Her thoughts reflect it; she's not just lying for my sympathy. "I--damn it, Saiki."
She heaves a deep sigh. "I'll buy you coffee jelly for every day you help."
"...Two coffee jellies."
"Kusuo, I'll go broke."
"Fine. Deal."
We shake hands. She offers me a satisfied smile. If she gives me one dessert-less excuse, though, I'm quitting.
"You do know this is the opposite way from where you live, right?" We're on my street, my house in view. She blinks. Crap, she thinks, I just followed him to get an answer.
"...You know, it would be easy if I just stayed over, right--?"
"--Walk home, Ms. Clingy."