Chapter 9 - Revelations
18, huh.
It did feel a little weird. Saiki'd had his 17th birthday so many times now. Turning 18 had become something always just out of reach.
Was he supposed to be an adult now? Because right now he felt like anything but one. Saiki checked the alarm clock. Nearly 1 PM. He should probably get up. He was exhausted though. Spent the night tossing and turning again. It was becoming really tiresome.
He'd already decided he would go downstairs and say hi to his parents quickly, before heading off to the video rental store so he could lock himself in his room with some godawful B-movies all day. That should hopefully keep him from going absolutely insane.
He should be good as long as he didn't think. Not thinking meant not feeling. And not feeling meant not having to think about what he was feeling.
Because what he was feeling made no sense.
Stop thinking.
It did make sense that he felt filthy after that sleepless night though. Saiki went for a quick shower first before throwing on some light clothes as it was going to be another hot day.
He went downstairs and was about to open the door to the living room. He knew how this would go. First his mother would shriek something along the lines of "Happy birthday, Ku-chan~!" followed by his father's more easy-going "Ah, Kusuo. Happy birthday." Then they'd want to do gifts and cake. It'd have to wait though. Well, the cake might be okay.
He entered the living room.
"Happy birthday, Ku-chan~!"
"Ah, Kusuo. Happy birthday."
"If it isn't my boring, ordinary brother! Happy birthday, Kusuo!"
Wait. What?!
He spotted the unwelcome blonde sitting on the sofa, legs folded and holding a cup of coffee.
"What's he doing here?" Saiki snapped at his father, his punching bag of choice.
"What do you mean? We told you." His father held up his hands in feigned innocence. "You may have been doing stuff on your phone at the time, though."
"Ku-chan can't hear a thing when he's on his phone~" his mother giggled as she handed Saiki a cup of coffee.
Nonsense.
"You have a phone now, Kusuo?" Kusuke let out a deep sigh. "How the mighty have fallen… so normal~"
Saiki ignored him and sat down at the table, opposite his dad. He would just finish his coffee and then head off to the shop to get those DVDs. All the more reason to seek shelter in his room, with his pain-in-the-neck brother here. Saiki wasn't completely convinced yet that Kusuke was done challenging him now that his powers were gone.
"So how's a commoner's life been treating you then?" Kusuke asked him with a sly grin.
Saiki didn't respond, so his father spoke up. "It's actually been pretty good. I do have to lick more shoes now that I get in late to work more," Kuniharu shot him a quick glare, "but Kusuo's really changed for the better! He's got this really cute new gir—"
"It's been fine," Saiki interrupted. He looked up at his brother. "Where have you been anyway? I thought you graduated."
Kusuke shrugged, palms of his hands up in a meh gesture. "Oh, here and there… Space, mostly."
Somehow that didn't surprise him.
"Earth has just been so boring with your powers gone, Kusuoooo~" the mad scientist whined. "My only worthy opponent… so selfish~"
Those are not real tears.
Saiki took a big sip of his coffee. He wanted to get going.
"Oh, speaking of which," Kusuke continued bright-eyed in sudden excitement, "I did gather some really interesting data in outer space that you might want to hea—" At that point he was interrupted by the doorbell.
His mother clapped her hands excitedly. "Oh, that'll be Kokomi-chan!"
Saiki spat his coffee all over the table.
"Ahh! KUSUO!"
Wha- W-why is she here?!
Saiki didn't invite her. She shouldn't even know it was his birthday.
"Oh Ku-chan! Papa thought it would be a fun idea to invite your friends over," his mother explained, quickly wiping the spilled coffee off the table so she could go and answer the door. "…come to think of it, he only mentioned Kokomi-chan, and I totally forgot about your other friends…" she trailed off, a finger pressed against her lip in thought.
His sorry excuse for a father gave him a sheepish grin, despite being covered in coffee as well as his son's spit. Saiki made a mental note to give him a pummelling later for lusting after his friend. But not now. His mother was on her way to the hall to open the door. He charged past her, making it to the hallway first. Saiki jumped into his shoes as he threw the front door wide open, finding a startled Teruhashi on the other side of it.
"Woah— uh, hi?" she yelped.
"We're going out," he barked, stepping out and grabbing her hand, slamming the door behind him.
"Eh?" She was spun around by him perhaps a bit too abruptly as he hastily made his way towards the street. "What the hell, Saiki? Stop dragging me."
He let go of her hand and glanced at their living room window as he stomped past, Teruhashi trying to catch up behind him. His family had gathered there and was watching them leave. His father looked disappointed. His mother looked overjoyed. And his brother looked absolutely mad with that wicked grin on his face.
What's he plotting this time?
There was no way he could have let his brother and Teruhashi meet again. It had ended in disaster last time. This time would have been tenfold worse. At the very least. Especially with him as a powerless pawn in the middle of it all.
Teruhashi caught up to him. "Um, I have like, so many questions right now." She almost sounded sorry. Saiki adjusted his pace and took a deep breath. This wasn't her fault.
"Okay. I'm not losing my voice again because of your curiosity though," he remarked. That night in the park seemed like a lifetime ago.
She laughed heartily. "Not that many questions. Unfortunately. That was hilarious." She spoke the last words in a hoarse whisper. Saiki just rolled his eyes. "So um, first of all, what's that?" She was pointing at his shirt. He looked down and groaned.
"Ugh. Coffee."
She chuckled. "Okay. Nice. Second, since when do you have two birthdays? Don't tell me it's a super power."
He smirked. "It's not. And I don't."
"So when is your birthday?"
"Today. August 16th."
"Then what the hell did we celebrate in May?"
"It's a long story." Maybe he would tell her in exchange for coffee jelly some day.
Teruhashi tutted. "Well, then you've had your gift three months early. Your mom called so late I had no time to prepare anything."
"Don't worry about it." Really, he didn't care.
"Anyway, um… happy birthday," she said kindly.
Saiki had been trying to keep his focus ahead of himself, but her change of tone caught his attention. He made the mistake of looking at her. He shouldn't have. Because she looked back, and their eyes met, and now he felt weird again.
It was that tickle in his stomach that was giving him those sleepless nights.
"…thanks," he managed in the end.
"So um…" she smiled hesitantly. "Third question?"
Oh, right.
He nodded, focusing his gaze on the uncomplicated nothingness in front of him again.
"So… where are we going?"
Oh. Right.
Saiki shrugged. "I have no idea."
"How about this one?" Teruhashi pulled a light green T-shirt with three horizontal white stripes out of the clothes rack. "Green is kind of your color, after all." She held the shirt up in front of him. That should work.
Saiki shrugged. "Sure, I guess." He took the hanger from her and headed towards the changing rooms. They were shopping for a replacement for his coffee-stained shirt. After that they would go see a movie and grab a bite afterwards.
Who would have thought we'd end up here again?
They were in the neighboring town. Yes, that town where they had gone on a date while her brother was shooting that film. Well, a "gesture of apology for Makoto bugging him" was what she'd called it officially, not a date.
Similarly, this was absolutely not a date. Saiki had been crystal clear about it. For some reason. Probably to make sure that she wouldn't get the wrong idea.
"I need to get away from my family today. It's not a date," he had insisted.
"Yes, Saiki, I get it. Not a date. God forbid," she had huffed in response. She did regret doing that. She still got to spend the day with him, so she shouldn't complain. It'd just been a bit odd how persistent he'd been about it. Hanging out together had never had the connotation of a date before. Why was it suddenly different now? They both knew the double date thing had just been a sham. Except for that little hiccup at the end, maybe. Perhaps that was the reason.
Teruhashi sat down in one of the waiting chairs in the store. How long did it take to change a shirt? Her hand went up to her neck, but she remembered she had left his necklace at home. She didn't want to seem too desperate by wearing it all the time. It'd quickly become a habit to play with the pendant, though.
Maybe I shouldn't have hugged him.
She had acted on impulse, touched to the core by his gift. It'd been such a nice gesture, and he'd been so sweet, and the bike ride had been just magical. She had been overflowing. Besides, friends can hug, right? It'd been short and appropriate. Or so she'd thought.
But it had made him uneasy. He'd tried to hide it, but she'd noticed. He'd been different since then. It was hard to put her finger on it though. He was still his sarcastic, smug self most of the time. Cracking dry jokes, apparently at ease. Then something would trigger him — God knows what — and he'd retract into his shell. It almost reminded her of the days before he'd told her about his powers. It was like he'd put all his walls back in place, and he'd become aloof and unapproachable. And then once or twice she'd caught a glimpse of something else entirely — almost as if peeping through a crack in those very walls. She wasn't really sure what she'd seen yet, though. Something raw. Something he definitely didn't want her to see.
Yeah, she probably shouldn't have hugged him. No need to complicate this friendship any further. Even though it'd been amazing. She'd do it again in a heartbeat.
…but she wouldn't.
She sighed, playing with the cords of her top instead. Saiki Kusuo would forever remain an enigma to her, probably.
She'd given up on her own plan to keep some distance. He was like a drug to her. She was resilient enough to withstand the lows. Might as well enjoy the highs.
Besides, she could quit at any time she wanted, right.
Right.
"I still can't believe you're afraid of bugs!"
She should probably stop teasing him about it now. She just couldn't wrap her head around it though. The once most powerful man in the world was an insectophobic.
I guess everyone has an Achilles heel. Mine has pink hair.
"Shut up," Saiki grumbled, picking at his food. He'd spilled their popcorn on the way to their seats back at the cinema because he'd spotted a bug. Well, he'd thought he had. It was really just a big chocolate-coated hazelnut that someone had dropped on the floor. Good thing she'd been holding their drinks at least. She'd gotten them some new popcorn though. And carried it. Just to be safe. He'd been so annoyed. Heh heh.
She chuckled. "Sorry. Full disclosure — I'm no fan of mice, myself." He glanced up at her and gave her a knowing little smile.
"How'd you find the movie?" she asked him before taking a bite. They'd just sat down for a meal, and she was starving.
"Alright," he replied. "The storyline was average, but it was a relief not having it spoiled beforehand by telepathy anymore. It's been on my to-do list to visit the cinema ever since I lost my powers."
Teruhashi smiled warmly at him. "I can't imagine how nice that must be now. Not to hear all these thoughts anymore." She expected him to agree, but his eyes just kind of… glazed over.
"…yes. It is," he responded after a pause, not looking up from his plate.
I'd kill to read his mind right now.
She took a bite and watched him. He was building a wall again.
Why though?
"Hey, do you remember the last time we were here?" He looked up at her and nodded hesitantly. Of course he did. "Good, because something's been bugging me all this time — no pun intended, sorry," she grinned apologetically. "Anyways. Um… Why were you such an asshole? It's not like you."
He cracked a smile. Good. If he was going to bring up his walls, then she'd take them down again. Challenge accepted.
"Because I am an asshole," he said, not without satisfaction in his voice.
"That may be true," she laughed, "but not like that. Tell me."
Saiki observed her for a moment, chewing on the end of one of the wooden chopsticks.
"I needed you to lose interest in me," he spoke eventually.
Teruhashi dropped the meatball she was about to eat. "Eh?" That was not the answer she was expecting.
"It's the crowds you attract. I mean, look around." She glanced around. Every male in the restaurant — including the waiter — was glaring at Saiki with contempt. "The risk of exposure was too great for me."
Now it was her turn to pick at her food. She'd never even considered that she would have that effect on him. She was dumbstruck. It made so much sense.
Saiki shrugged. "But hey, you did in the end, right? Just a few years late," he smirked as he returned to his meal.
…what?
What was he talking about? She went over his words another time in her mind. It felt like she was struck by lightning once she realized it.
…does he think I've lost interest in him?
They were at the station, waiting for the train to take them home. Teruhashi had taken a seat on one of the benches, but Saiki had opted to stand next to her instead. She'd been absorbed in some messages on her phone. He thought she might be chatting with Yumehara, as she was typing furiously. It gave him some time to think.
He did not want time to think.
How did his B-movie day turn into this? The whole point of DVD marathoning had been so that he wouldn't have to deal with her.
It didn't make it any easier that it'd been so damn nice to spend the day with her. As you'd expect from a friend.
A friend.
Saiki eyed the girl next to him. She tucked a strand of hair back behind her ear. It was stubborn – third time she'd done it now. She glanced up at him and gave him a warm smile before returning to her phone. His insides felt fizzy at the moment of contact.
What the hell is going on?
He couldn't make any sense of it. Or maybe he could, but did not want to. He frowned, looking away from her.
It's not possible.
Finally the train arrived. It was already getting late, so there were only a handful of people on it. The two youths sat down next to each other. Saiki put the bag with his coffee-stained shirt down on the floor. He saw Teruhashi yawn from the corner of his eye.
"I'm shattered," she said. "Mind if I shut my eyes for a bit?"
Saiki nodded. "Sure." He was pretty tired himself, but their destination wasn't far, so he'd better keep an eye out.
A moment later he felt some pressure against his shoulder, so he looked to his side. Teruhashi was resting her head against his shoulder, eyes closed. He gulped.
W-what is she doing?
His mind was racing. She was so close.
What, what's with all the physical contact lately? Is this normal? Is this what friends do?
He wanted to run. And he wanted to stay. Was he going mad? Should he tell her to move? Did he want her to?
What the hell is happening?
Every fibre in his body had tensed up. He couldn't move. His throat felt so tight he couldn't breathe.
It was in that moment of panic that he heard her.
"Why would he think I don't like him anymore though…"
He jumped. Or scrambled backwards, maybe. His sudden movement had jolted her out of her short-lived snooze too. Teruhashi was staring at him, quickly becoming flustered and stammering apologies. He was too dazed to put her at ease. He must have looked like a fool, just staring back at her. He had startled for a different reason than she was thinking, but there was no way he could tell her that.
Teruhashi eventually just sat back in her seat when no response came from him. She looked devastated. Saiki sat straight as well, glancing away from her. The rest of the ride home happened in complete silence. They muttered awkward goodbyes when it was time to split up.
Saiki shuffled home. He felt awful.
Her words had rung in his head so clearly. He wasn't sure what scared him more about that.
The fact that he had heard her thoughts.
Or the actual content of those thoughts.
Author's Note: Just a shout out to everyone who's been kind enough to leave such praise. I did not expect such a response. Thanks!
Please continue to let me know what you think. Love hearing from you guys!
Stuff's getting really exciting now~!
