The Perfect Day

Characters: Teruhashi

Time: After the end of S2

I check my reflection one last time—quickly swapping out my pink beret for hair clips (don't want to look like I'm trying to hard)—before heading downstairs where breakfast is waiting. "Good morning, Daddy! Mommy!" I kiss my father's cheek, then my mother's, before sliding into my chair.

"No morning greeting for me?" Makoto cries before I could even turn to him.

"Jealousy isn't becoming of you, Mako," Mom says, buttering her toast.

He gasps. "I am not jealous, Mother, and even if I were, isn't it fair to crave my beloved little sister's attention?"

Stifling a sigh, I grin before wrapping my arms around him. "I saved my biggest hug for you!" Oh, brother, do you need the attention.

With Makoto sated, the morning conversation is almost as light as the breakfast served. Makoto only eats his onsen tamago before getting up, kissing each of us on the cheek before grabbing his jacket. "Sorry I can't entertain you all with my winsome personality for longer, but filming's starting soon. It may run late tonight, so don't wait up!"

"Oh, are you filming today?" I ask, shining my smile on him perfectly innocently. "I thought it was happening tomorrow." Of course I knew it was happening today. I have his entire schedule memorized, and even saved the personal phone numbers of all his executives.

His eyes sparkle. "Did you want to be together today? I'll call my producers right now and have everything cancelled!"

Gaaah, what is with you?! You can't cancel something at the very last minute! I can feel my dimples stiffen as I force a laugh, making my voice sugary sweet. "No, that's fine. Think of your fans, Makoto. You can't disappoint them, and they'd hate even the littlest of delays."

"They don't come close to my darling—"

"How about we spend time tomorrow?" I interrupt, cutting him off before he could go on one of his monologues. Then internally wince. A perfect girl should never interrupt!

Thankfully, his eyes twinkle as he grins. "Excellent! I'll take you wherever you want to go, promise!" He winks at me before throwing his jacket over his shoulder. "Don't do anything fun without me, okay?"

What am I, your personal clown? "Have a nice day!" I wave as he strides out the door. I turn back to my breakfast with a smile. The plan's going off without a hitch. He'll be busy all day, and I'll be back before he can mess anything up.

"What are your plans today, Koko?"

I almost jump at my mother's voice. "Oh, nothing," I laugh as I spoon up some eggs. "Just spending some time with one of my friends."

My mother peers at me from over her glass, a slight smile to her lips. "I see."

I give another little laugh before switching focus to my dad. "What're you working on, Daddy?"

He flaps open his newspaper. "Well, right now the company's thinking about investing in coin. It's the way of the future, you see, and—"

I nod politely as my mind drifts elsewhere. I should be excited. Saiki has the honor of going on a date with my beautiful self! I have everything planned out! My willing followers had kept track of all the cafes he frequented in the last six months and twenty-nine days, and I reserved a table and the highest-quality coffee jelly available at the place he went to the most, nearly every weekend. Thankfully, the place isn't a dive, either—Saiki has better taste than Nendou's, at least!—so anyone who spots us won't be surprised seeing my presence grace the establishment.

This is what I've been waiting ever since my sixteenth birthday! We'll talk, just the two of us, and it'll be perfect! He'll finally recognize my beauty for the gem it is and go "oh, wow!"

THEN WHY DO I FEEL SO NERVOUS?!

This isn't like me. I'm never nervous! I'm the perfect girl who's always poised and always know what to say! But Saiki did say this date (okay, he said meal, not date) was to make up for all the time he spent avoiding—

Wait. He was avoiding me. But why, I'm so perfect; what's not to like?

But Saiki admitted that he's a psychic (Ooooh, I get the pun now...) and can hear my thoughts—WAIT. EVEN THE NOT-PERFECT ONES?!

OH.

MY.

GOD.

Like that day...was he actually there? So he was trying to avoid ME!

But then, after that—everything I thought about him—and he...he…!

AHH, MY BEAUTIFUL IMAGE!

He never once thought I was perfect, did he?! All my perfect practice, my skilled precision, and even now I'm not shedding a tear even though I want to cry an ocean. (Oh my god, I'm sounding like Makoto. Stop it, Teruhashi. Think positive, think—

That's it!

Saiki doesn't realize how perfect I am because he's been hearing my uncensored thoughts, but if I censor them...I will be so perfect inside and out even my thoughts will radiate purity!

I grin into my hot chocolate. A perfect girl like me should handle this easily.

S|S|S|S|S

I look down at the ring on Saiki's finger.

"So, you can't hear my thoughts?"

He nods, and I die a little inside. He said he wanted to wear it today out of respect for me...while I had spent the entire car ride listening to speeches by Mother Theresa and Empress Masako to purify my thoughts. Well...I guess not having to censor myself makes this easier in the long-run. So much for all that preparation, though…

"Well...thanks for letting me know." I give a little laugh, trying not to visibly wither on the outside. "Let's go in. A table's waiting for us."

We enter the cafe, and immediately the owner and all the employees greet us, showing us the best seat in the house: a booth in our own quiet little corner. As we slide in, I notice that something isn't right…

Saiki's eyebrows are drawn just a little too far down—they're usually only at mild 14 degree angle normally, and at 21 degrees when he's extra irritated—but this was different. I glance around me. Ah.

Of course; the patrons of the diner are staring at us.

I clear my throat delicately, before saying in a slightly raised voice, "My brother told me about this restaurant that serves drinks in lightbulb glasses, but I've been looking all day, and haven't found it. Sigh."

"I can find it!" "Yeah, we can look!" "Count on me, pretty lady!" All in a rush, the customers are fighting for the exit.

"Don't forget to pay and tip!" I say cheerfully at them, and in their dazzled rush, the poor lambs pour out what looks like more than 20% tips onto the table. At least the employees will be happy. "Sorry about that," I say, turning back to Saiki. People worshipping me happens so frequently I forget that it can unnerve others who aren't used to being so loved, and Saiki of all people doesn't like attention drawn to himself. He's too much of a recluse like that.

He quirks an eyebrow at me.

What, you are.

Then I blink. Then shriek. "I thought you can't read my mind!"

I'm not, but I'm so used to your thoughts I just know what you're thinking.

"That's somehow worse!" I whimper, burying my face in my fuzzy pink sweater that didn't feel nearly fuzzy enough to absorb my embarrassment. This is harder than I thought.

I manage a glance up—and catch the smallest smile from Saiki, before his face turned to deadpan again. I blink—it was so fast, I could've thought I missed it. But I hope I didn't.

Well...maybe this wasn't so bad after all.

Now just to find something to talk about… Sports? ...He hates sports. School? He always seems bored by it. ...Cats?

Wait, what does Saiki like again?! Does he actually like talking? I know he likes coffee jelly, sweets, and—and—and he hangs out with all those guys, but what do they actually have in common besides being weird?!

But that must mean there's some funny stories he can tell me, right? ...BUT HE HATES TALKING!

You don't have to try so hard to find something to say, you know.

Oh, no, was I staring somewhere for too long? But when I glance up at him, his eyebrow isn't near 20 degrees, but is instead arched up slightly. Curious.

For whatever reason, I feel guarded. "It's impolite to make assumptions about what someone's thinking, you know."

He makes an almost-choking sound.

Is he LAUGHING at me? No one laughs at me like that! But I quickly disguise my anger with a hand to my mouth, covering up a smile. "Oh, did I say something funny?" I say sweetly.

You always assume what people are thinking about you. ...Although you're usually right.

Well, of course I'm always right. I have a lot of practice. ...Not that I say that. Several other perfect thoughts are prepped on my tongue, and I start to say one of them...but stop. It doesn't feel right.

He quirks an eyebrow. Something's on your mind. Spit it out.

Maybe it's his bluntness, or the disrespectful tone of his voice that no one dares use on me, but I spit out, "If you've known everything I've been thinking, then why did you—" I bite my lip. But I've come this far. I quickly glance around to make sure no one's watching, before leaning in, hissing, my cheeks burning, "Why did you never tell anyone? You've known for years."

Why would I? It's not my place to ruin your reputation when you worked so hard for it. You put in so much effort you might as well be the perfect girl.

I lean back, shocked. That isn't an "oh, wow"! but he just...he just it.

I AM the perfect girl! That coming from him is even better than making him go "oh, wow!"

I can't help but frown.

"But you still avoided me."

His lips turn down. He has the decency to shift in his seat as if he is nervous, but his gaze is still level on me.

It's nothing against you, personally. It's just that my life's goal is to remain unseen, and…

I smile coyly. "I'm always in the spotlight."

He nods.

I can't help but stifle a laugh. Now I understand. "Oh, that must've been terrible for you! No wonder you'd vanish whenever I tried to find you. I'm sorry about that."

So long as we have an understanding now, we're good.

I nod, but hold my reply, instead reaching out in front of me to straighten the knife on the table so it's in perfect alignment with the other utensils.

You're doing it again.

I tilt my head at just the right angle to look abashed, smiling shyly. "I'm sorry. I was just about all of our classmates."

Uh huh.

I glare at him before I can stop it. To my surprise, his lip tilts up, just for a second, before falling into neutral again. This'd be a lot easier if you stop censoring yourself.

I start to think it's a good thing he avoided me if he keeps calling me out like this. I resist a sigh, and just say, "I'm curious. You said I'm the perfect girl, but...not for you?" I know when people are in love with me, and...Saiki is not. Even when he couldn't read my mind and we were having an actual conversation with just the two of us, he still isn't falling head over heels for me like anyone else.

"If it's my—" followers "—acquaintances, I can have them give us space, you know. I don't have to be the center of attention all the time."

The corner of his lip quirks up. You're Teruhashi Kokomi. Everyone and god loves to revolve around you.

There's the slightest teasing to his voice, but there's seriousness in it, too. I lean back. To be honest, while it's a lot of work, I do like who I am. Call me vain, but I like people giving me attention and making my life easier. In exchange, I make their days a little bit brighter by being a role model and perfect friend that anyone could ever ask for.

"You're sweet," I settle on. Then look down, allowing myself a small, private smile. "This must be why you like Aiura. She's so completely and unforgivingly herself."

I do like Aiura, yes. But I don't see myself being with anyone like the way you're thinking.

"I...don't understand. Why's that?"

He tilts his head, considering. You sure you want to know? My mind isn't exactly a pretty place.

"Well, now I'm just curious," I say teasingly, leaning forward to rest my chin on my palm.

You asked for it. To me, you look like a skeleton.

My fork clatters. "WHAT?!"

The employees instantly rush over, but I quickly recover, profusely thanking for their concern while I wave them away. But when I look back at Saiki, I want to run away. I carefully measure my weight everyday to reach the ideal balance of well-nourishment and beauty for the perfect figure! But to him I'm a skeleton? I cringe, imagining Chiyo on one of her food binges, and wonder if that's more Saiki's type.

Not like that. Let me explain before you have a heart-attack. For one, I know you're beautiful because everyone else around you reacts that way, but my x-ray vision means that a second of staring and all I see is your muscular structure. Another second and you're a skeleton."

"Is my skeleton at least pretty?

...Seriously?

"Sorry," I wince. "But you can still hear people's thoughts. Doesn't learning about someone make up for their appearance?" It's the thought that counts, right? And my thoughts may not be perfect, but they must be more perfect than anyone else's!

Yes. ALL of them.

I cringe harder, thinking back about all the times I must've annoyed him.

"But you have that ring. Can't you just wear that permanently?"

I have been practicing with it, but I'm not at the stage yet where I'm comfortable wearing it permanently. I'm so used to hearing the cacophony of thoughts around me that the silence is nerve-wracking. ...And my social skills need work.

I chuckle slightly. "Sounds like you need a Communications 101 class. At least that's something I can help you with."

His lips turn up. Thanks, Terhuashi. I'd like that.

The server comes by and sets down the glass of coffee jelly for him and cake and tea for me. His eyes glow and his lips curl up into an actual smile when he takes that first spoonful, and I giggle. Well, at least he looks lovingly at something, I think, biting into a forkful of my tiramisu.

We enjoy the rest of our sweets. By the time we finish, I had stopped filtering what I said. Saiki raised an eyebrow once or twice, but didn't look surprised. And it was...nice. To actually talk to him rather than see everything secondhand, like I was a side character and not part of the main cast. When the server comes by with the check, he reaches out to grab it, but I snipe it first. "Nuh-uh," I wink. "This is on me. Consider it my way of apology for all the times I must've bothered you."

He smiles. Not going to argue with the goddess herself.

S|S|S|S|S

I'm feeling light and peppy when I leave the cafe, but during the ride home, I fall quiet. I say my pleasantries to the chauffeur, but I can feel the quiet resting deep inside my chest, too, and it feels too fragile and meaningful to be broken by words. The chauffeur pulls into our driveway. He gets out first, going around to my door.

I take his hand and thank him. "Is Makoto home yet?"

"No, Miss Teruhashi. The filming's been extended. He won't ring for me until late tonight." Good. I don't have the energy for his dramatics right now.

"Thank you, Mr. Yun." I give him a generous tip. When I open the front door, the aroma of dinner immediately greets me. Chef Yamamoto must've been ambitious tonight.

I greet Mom and Daddy as I take my seat. Without Makoto around, I can recount my day without any interruptions. Daddy hums as I talk about the diner and Saiki's friends. My parents smile and listen until I run out of things to say, and then I cheerfully ask about their days. The whole time I can't help but discreetly keep track of the ticking clock hands.

Finally, I'm back in my room, with the only thoughts I have to worry about being mine.

S|S|S|S|S

The days at school pass by like usual. My followers fawn over me, and Saiki and his group of friends' peculiar knack for shenanigans continues. I do see Saiki more often now that he's not actively avoiding me, but we still don't talk to each other much in public. I know he wants his privacy, and I like my social standing around school.

But we're both creative people with superior intellects. To evade the public's eye, I visit his house on the weekends (where I'm always reminded how normal Saiki's parents are compared to him), and give him a few tips on social cues, like reading people's expressions and body posture. Being the perfect teacher I am, I break it down for him, and being the smart student he is, he eventually gets it...with some caveats. (He can only read people's expressions from their muscular structure, not their actual faces…). Every so often we go to the cafe and chat there.

I make sure no one's around us when we're out (I've compiled exactly twenty-eight perfectly polite excuses to ward off my followers), and we talk...normally. The first few times I tried to censor my not-very-but-nearly-always perfect thoughts...but he wasn't afraid to call me out on it. After awhile, I didn't bother. He'd just guess what I'm thinking anyways, with or without his ring.

After a day at the mall, where he even picked me out an outfit (after quite a lot of encouragement; apparently he'd kept his fashion tastes hidden, too), I come back to my place. I say hi to my mom as I head to my room. I'm in the middle of sketching Chichibu, who's stretched out on her kitty-tower, when there's a knock on my door.

"Yes?"

The door opens to reveal Mom in her nightgown, a glass of red wine posed delicately between her fingers. "May I come in?"

"Of course," I say, sitting up as Mom comes to perch on the side of my bed beside me. Instantly, Chichibu leaps down and trots over to her, jumping up to curl on her lap. The only person my cat likes more than me is my mother.

"So, how was your friend?" she asks, and I could swear she put extra emphasis on the last word. "You've been spending a lot of time with that boy."

But I only grin as she strokes the traitor cat. "Oh, Saiki's doing great. He's the perfect gentleman and he always tells me these hilarious stories about his friends. One time, they—"

"Kokomi."

My mother gives me a look over the rim of her glass. My expression falls.

"Do you still love him?"

"A little," I admit, smiling softly. "But I think that will fade, too."

"Are you okay with that?"

"I think so. It hurts a little, but I think we understand each other for the first time now."

Mom swishes her wine, digesting my words. Then she smiles at me, and I can tell it's the one with no hidden intention or secret thoughts behind it. "It's nice to see you growing up, Koko."

"Thanks, Mom."

I lie down with my head on her lap, sighing as she strokes my hair. A perfect girl would've handled this situation better, I know, but sometimes...it's nice to not be so perfect.

S|S|S|S|S