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An entire meteor hadn’t been enough to make Shima-sensei forget about the project (or extend the deadline by anything more than three days), meaning he and Teruhashi still had a decent amount of work to do. Saiki had accepted his fate. After all, he’d accepted that he had friends (even if they were still annoying), that he liked troublesome things, that maybe an average, boring life wasn’t exactly what he really wanted, and, of course, the number one law of the universe.
Apparently though, there were other things he still needed to accept. Such as the sudden weakened state of some of his powers, specifically some of the more physical ones, and how this threw him off balance, so to speak. Kusuke had said it was only natural after using so much energy. He’d also said it could potentially be permanent, and Saiki didn’t know how he felt about that, after realizing how difficult it was to be a normal person.
All of that to say, currently he was not at his physical best.
And when Teruhashi had gone to get another book, a few moments later he did the same.
He’d fallen flat on his ass after just three steps. Saiki decided the best course of action was to just go limp, so he lay there, staring up at the ceiling and hoping in vain that if anyone had seen that, they’d think he’d done it on purpose.
‘Is Saiki alright?’
Against his will, his face became uncomfortably hot. Good grief, what was it with him and embarrassing himself in the library?
Her face loomed over him, and her halo filled the rest of his vision. She offered him a hand, arm extended from on high like some kind of goddess reaching down to a mere—
Of all things, that he was not.
But he took Teruhashi’s hand before he could realize what he’d done. Saiki went limp once again, and for a second he worried that she would fall on top of him.
Instead he felt himself pulled upwards.
Am I really that light? Or is she just strong?
‘Oh wow, he took my hand!’
Her grip is brutal.
‘I bet he’s thinking about how soft and elegant my hands are!’
I’m thinking you’re going to break my fingers.
‘Though…now that I think about it…his hands are really, really soft. Delicate, even, like he’s never physically worked hard a day in his life.’
Hey.
‘He’s still holding my hand!’
You’re still holding my hand.
(But he became aware that his fingers were still curled around hers, just as much as hers were around his.)
Teruhashi was now staring intensely at their joined hands, fighting the urge to let go and fix the situation, the urge to do what a perfect girl would do. At least she’d loosened her grip.
‘I’m not letting go if he’s not letting go.’
That’s not fair. Why leave it to me?
She was bound to give in eventually. Her face was bright pink already. Besides, no one else’s thoughts were near them, meaning he was safe from her crazy fans.
Not that holding Teruhashi’s hand was something he particularly wanted to do. It was just a matter of principle. He would not accept defeat.
Does she have calluses? That doesn’t really fit with the perfect pretty girl act.
His stomach fluttered with disgust. (Butterflies disgusted him as much as any other bug.)
Nothing in her thoughts indicate what they’re from. She didn’t actually take Hairo up on the gym thing, did she?
‘Why is he still holding my hand?! Why hasn’t he let go yet?!’
Why don’t you just let go then?
‘Could it be that he likes this?’
No, it couldn’t.
‘This is getting kind of awkward.’
Then let go.
‘But it’s such a nice feeling…’
Her hands were kind of warm, he noticed. And he had to admit, it wasn’t the most uncomfortable sensation. Their hands were more or less the same size, so they fit together.
Purely objective observations. Unlike Teruhashi’s.
The pink in her face was fading. ‘I can’t remember the last time I held someone’s hand like this, without them being weird about it. I guess it must have been Chiyo.’
(He couldn’t really remember the last time either. Properly, not just because he needed to teleport with someone or something like that. Maybe his mother, several years ago.)
For once, Teruhashi was not outraged that he wasn’t reacting to her. She was glad.
Huh. Maybe—
“Hey, pal! Hey, Teruhashi-san!”
Saiki stared at Nendou.
Teruhashi stared at Nendou.
Nendou stared at Saiki and Teruhashi.
(Saiki let go of her hand, and accepted defeat.)