Chapter Text
Troublesome things rarely announce themselves... but this one did.
"Listen to me, Saiki, you NEED to do this!" Kaidou gestured frantically, his hands flying so close to his own face he nearly swiped his nose while trying to convince his friend.
'I don't need to,' Saiki thought, keeping his expression completely blank as always. He still held onto the objectively impossible hope that they'd leave him alone.
"Saiki," Aren began, his voice dropping into the solemn tone he reserved for sacred missions of honor. "Teruhashi-san has been pushing herself so hard these past few days, you know..."
'I know.'
In fact, he knew better than anyone. Kokomi Teruhashi had been working harder than anyone else during their final year. Not even Hairo, with his bottomless pit of fiery energy, could lift everyone's spirits the way she did. Senior year usually turned ordinary high schools into grim, hostile environments suffocated by college exam pressures and deadlines.
Yet, PK Academy was coasting through it almost entirely unscathed, all because Teruhashi made her rounds around the school every morning. She went from classroom to classroom, encouraging students and helping the faculty with practically anything they needed.
The result? Grades that had been steadily dropping suddenly shot back up. More than half the boys—the Kokomins especially—had erected studying altars featuring her picture to maintain their focus. 'Creepy.'
And it was precisely because of that monumental effort that he found himself thoroughly cornered.
Two rows over, Yumehara’s mind was practically buzzing as her plan fell into place perfectly. 'Yes! The boys actually agreed! Kokomi has been so swamped and surrounded by crowds all day that it's impossible to even talk to her. Wouldn't it be perfect if she had a bodyguard? Now Saiki will be forced to walk her home to ensure she doesn't overexert herself and faint like last time. He’s already caught her twice, that HAS to mean something! Aren't I just doing them both a massive favor?'
'You're not.'
Saiki closed his book with a heavy mental sigh, surveying the trio of idiots looming over his desk. Aren looked ready to throw hands if he refused to help her—though, to be fair, Aren always looked like a disgruntled delinquent when he got serious. Nendou kept patting his shoulder, while Kaidou was already spinning a wild daydream about the Dark Reunion targeting Teruhashi.
"SAIKI!" Hairo yelled, suddenly bursting into the conversation. "You must never refuse to help a friend in need! Especially one who gives her all for us! I would do it myself if I weren't completely buried under sports clubs and prep school classes..." He slumped, uncharacteristically dejected.
'Good grief,' Saiki began calculating his odds. If he refused, the usual bunch would relentlessly pester him, completely throwing off his routine. Worse, these idiots would inevitably let his refusal slip to their classmates, instantly transforming him into the Kokomins' number-one target. 'My precious baseline of invisibility would be reduced to absolute zero.'
He adjusted his green glasses, still weighing his options. It looked like there was no escaping it. What a pain.
Spending a few hours alone with Teruhashi-san wasn't ideal. She still made him nervous after everything. But it was still a far better alternative than losing his mediocrity forever... right?
. . .
'Fine.' A brief, silent resignation passed through his mind.
Kaidou immediately turned toward Yumehara’s desk—where she was currently pretending to read one of her romance manga—entirely oblivious to the romantic trap he was stepping into.
"Do you know what Teruhashi-san is doing after school today?" he called out, gesturing dramatically.
Yumehara jumped in her seat, nearly dropping the shoujo manga. A brief flash of panic crossed her face before she quickly smoothed her features into a picture of pure innocence.
'OH MY GOD, KAIDOU-KUN IS TALKING TO ME! HE'S LOOKING RIGHT AT ME! AND HE IS SO COOL AND—Focus, Chiyo, focus! This is for Kokomi's future... and maybe mine too?! Hehehe...'
“O-oh, Kaidou-kun!” she squeaked, quickly suppressing her internal meltdown. “Well, she mentioned having to stay late because the faculty asked for some help reorganizing the library records, but...” She trailed off, looking away while letting out that classic, terribly unconvincing whistle she always used whenever she was orchestrating a massive scheme.
'AND NOW I DON'T EVEN KNOW HER EXACT SCHEDULE EITHER! I COMPLETELY FORGOT ABOUT THAT!'
'You're not exactly a master tactician. That whistling is practically an admission of guilt,' Saiki noted silently, watching the performance with total apathy.
A few hours later, reality unfolded almost exactly as he had predicted.
The school had emptied out, leaving the hallways quiet in a way that felt entirely unnatural for PK Academy. Saiki leaned against the wall outside the library, arms crossed. During the last forty minutes, he had spent his time mentally bracing himself for the usual routine—a sudden meteor strike, a localized earthquake, or perhaps Nendou’s father's ghost drifting through a window for no apparent reason.
But so far, nothing had happened. It was just... quieter than usual.
When Teruhashi finally stepped out of the library, the exhaustion in her shoulders was obvious, though she quickly corrected her posture the second she saw him, instinctively placing a hand over her chest.
'Saiki-kun?! Why is he standing outside the library at this hour? Wait... could he possibly be waiting for me? What could this possibly mean...?'
She didn't know a single thing about Chiyo’s little matchmaking operation, which made her genuine surprise all the more obvious. Then, an immediate, blinding flash of her signature aura sparked to life.
'I mean—stay perfect, Kokomi! He must not see how tired you are!'
'Don't push yourself,' Saiki thought.
"S-Saiki-kun?" she asked, a bright smile breaking across her face as she clapped her hands together in excitement—a habit that, unfortunately for his peace of mind, reminded him exactly of his own mother. "What are you doing here?"
'The homeroom teacher asked me to return the faculty keys.'
As they began walking out of the school gates, his face remained a mask of pure indifference, but the direction of their walk took an unexpected turn. It had been a while since the last time he had gone to a café with Teruhashi-san. The moment they had started walking, she had offered to grab a drink.
He had fully intended to refuse, but...
He remembered the exact sequence of her thoughts from just a moment ago:
'I'm going to ask him to go to that new café. He was so sweet to wait for me today, so I can definitely use this chance to turn this into another date~ Oh, God really is on my side. I mean, on Saiki-kun's side, because he's the lucky one here!'
“S-Saiki-kun,” she had said, reaching up to twist a strand of hair around her finger, looking down shyly. “If you want to... well, a new café opened up nearby and I was thinking... I mean... I think we could go there... you know? I heard they have coffee jelly and all kinds of sweets!”
And that was how he ended up here, walking toward the café while listening to Teruhashi-san chat about everything that had happened that week. She talked about Nendou and Hairo making their usual pointless bets—only Hairo actually considered it a competition; Nendou didn't even know there was a rivalry to begin with—and went on about their current classes and an upcoming project they would have to face.
He let her talk, quietly observing their surroundings instead. The street felt unusually crowded. There were men turning their heads so fast they nearly strained their necks, pedestrians stopping dead in their tracks just to stare, and someone across the street deliberately changing their route just to get a closer look. Ahead of them, a group of guys shifted their posture, clearly preparing to intercept her with some terrible pickup line.
'Is this what it's like to grow up looking like that?' Saiki wondered, his eyes darkening slightly behind his green lenses. 'Can't any of you tell she's exhausted?'
One of those guys stepped forward to approach her from behind, but his shoelaces inexplicably tangled themselves together, causing him to stumble harmlessly backward.
Further down the block, a heavy grocery bag slipped from an executive's grip at the exact moment he was about to cross their path, instantly distracting the immediate crowd.
'I'm sorry...Not today'
Teruhashi simply adjusted the strap of her bag, tossing her hair back. The late afternoon sun caught the deep blue hues of her hair as she looked down the remarkably clear sidewalk ahead of them.
A small, genuine smile touched her lips.
"Wow..." she murmured, her voice light and relaxed as she glanced sideways at Saiki, a faint blush creeping onto her cheeks. "It's strangely quiet today."
'It is,' Saiki thought, keeping his eyes fixed straight ahead as they continued walking toward the café. 'Don't get used to it.'