a/n
Okay I'm shocked that people are still reading this! And totally honored and humbled and just generally feeling great.
I feel really guilty because I don't think the ending is going to live up to anyone's expectations...
disclaimer: I don't own Saiki K (if I did, my OCs would be canon hahaha)
Also, apparently today is Saiki's birthday! (the fact that I decided to post this chap today feels a bit like destiny now)
So, happy birthday to my fav psychic!
It was two days before Kokomi came home with the news I had been waiting for.
"Nomi," she knocks on my bedroom door. I'm sitting in the corner of my room, leaning against a throne of pillows and absentmindedly munching on a piece of chocolate. "My friend Mikoto is here, you remember her? She said she has a gift for you."
That's enough information to get me to barrel past her and down the stairs, heart thrumming with anticipation. A gift for me? That must mean she found something to get rid of this dumb power!
I check the kitchen, but since no one is there, I assume that Mikoto is still outside. I rush to the front door, and my stomach flip-flops when I see her standing casually in the doorway. I halt right in front of her.
"Kokomo's little sister!" Mikoto greets, having clearly forgotten my name again. Gosh, but I couldn't care less.
"Kokomi said that you had something for me?" I try not to sound too eager, but it all comes out a little rushed.
"Oh! Right, yea, I went to S—uhm, my friend who knows stuff about psychic powers, and he–*ahem*–they said to give you this."
She holds out a small, tacky ring in front of my averted eyes. Disbelieving, I look at it for a moment before reaching my hand to grab it. I study the boring piece of metal attached as the main piece.
"This is going to get rid of my powers?" I ask.
"Yeah, something like that. I don't recall the details."
"This is going to—" I try to ask again, but she cuts me off.
"Yes, yes! I don't get it either, but it's the only thing I got for you."
Frowning, I slide it onto each finger until I manage to find one that the ring fits. Then I stare at it.
I'm not sure what I'm waiting for, a zap of lightning? A disembodied voice? But nothing happens at all. In fact, I don't feel the slightest bit different.
"Does it work?" Mikoto asks. I bite the inside of my cheek, willing my eyes to look at her face. Testing it out is the only way to know.
I tentatively glance at her face, working my way to complete eye contact. The pink moon and star underneath her left eye distracted me for a moment, but soon I was staring at her dark eyes. And I felt nothing. No pinch in my brain or pounding on my forehead. No overlapping memories of secrets. Nothing.
"It works," I breathe, staring at the ring again, this time with awe. It actually works!
"Oh, yay!" Mikoto cheered. "I was worried, y'know? It just looks so boring. You should def bedazzle it. But hey, if you wait a couple years, your powers should mature enough that they, like, won't hurt you or anything. Then you won't have to wear it at all!"
I shake my head, thrilled by the fact that I could look at her as I replied. "No, I'm never taking this ring off. I'm halting my powers before they ever get any stronger than they already have."
She frowns at my statement.
"I don't get either of you guys. Why do you want to get rid of something that makes you special?"
" 'You guys'?" I question, tilting my head at her odd wording.
She covers her mouth a bit, looking alarmed. "I m-m-mean, you, you...I meant...did I say 'you guys'?"
I nod. She forcefully laughs.
"Oh, silly me. I meant...your eyes. I don't understand your eyes. It's a fortune-teller thing, don't even worry about it."
"Uh, okay?"
"But more importantly! You never answered my question. Why don't you want your powers?"
I shrug, but glance back into the house where I know my sister is. "I've never really minded being part of the crowd. Everyone's trying to be unique, but I think it's nice to just sit back and watch the people who naturally shine."
Mikoto scoffs a little. "That's a terrible moral! Shouldn't be more uplifting? 'Everyone is special' or something like that?"
I look her in the eyes.
Nothing hurt.
No onslaught of secret memories that aren't meant for me to know.
Just her dark brown eyes.
They're beautiful.
"Sometimes being special just isn't worth it," I say.
"Mikoto, you don't have to stay outside," Kokomi peeks her head down the steps, obviously curious as to what her little sister and classmate are talking about, but unwilling to intrude. Intruding would be rude, after all, and no perfect girl is rude.
The blonde fortune teller waves her off. "Don't worry about it, we just finished up. Let me know if you need anything else, 'kay?" She sent me a wink and flounced away, bedazzled bag hitting her hip with every step. Her bleached hair reminds me of...Yuria...which reminds me of Gina...
Ah, I really need to apologize. I miss my only friend.
"Nomi, what did you two talk about?" Kokomi asks me as I walk past her. I look at her angelic face for the first time in a long time, and I have to blink a few times to adjust my eyes to her bright glow. But I'm doing it. I'm looking at her! I can't help but break out into a smile.
"Absolutely nothing," I lie, because that conversation was absolutely everything. I turn to go to my room. "I'll be going to school tomorrow."
"H-huh? Are you finally feeling better?"
Images of seeing my classmate's faces, looking my family in their eyes, laughing with Gina, fill my head. They were just old dreams an hour ago, but now I can claim them.
"Much. I feel much better."
***SK****
It's 20 minutes before the first bell rings. More than half the class isn't even here yet. I don't know why Gina is. I wish she hadn't been. I came here this early so I could be waiting when she walked in. But she's here, bent over a notebook. I hold back a sigh because I'm afraid my racing heart might come out with it.
I step towards her desk, but she doesn't notice me, not even when I'm right in front of her. Or...is she ignoring me?
My heart, somehow, thumps more wildly.
"Gina, I'm sorry," I manage to blurt. Oh thank god for my habit of blurting things, otherwise I don't think I could have said it.
She startles, then stares at me for a moment. I don't think she's going to say anything, but then she jumps up so quickly her chair falls backward.
"Nomi! Oh my gosh, you're alive! You haven't been to school since last week!"
She was paying attention?
"O-oh, yeah, I'm fine. I want to apologize," I try to get back on track.
"For what?" Gina's eyes glitter innocently.
"My words...last time. I didn't mean to make you upset or anything."
"Ah," Gina looks down for a moment, thinking. Then she looked back into my eyes. "That's okay, you were upset about something. I just wish you had talked to me about it." She must have seen me look slightly uncomfortable because she immediately backtracks. "Oh! I don't mean you need to tell me right now. Whenever you're ready, or want to, or not at all is fine too. As long as you're better."
Is Kokomi really the angel in this universe? Because Gina must be a close second.
Relief flows through me, relaxing all of my tense muscles. "Thank you," I whisper.
Gina gives me one of her stunning smiles. "No problem."
It's later in the day, and we're changing for gym class. Nobody has welcomed me back all day. In fact, I'm pretty sure no one even knew I was gone.
But Gina knew. And despite my comfort in staying below everyone's radar, the fact that she has her eyes on me makes me...happy.
"So I did Yuria's project," Gina begins, and guilt hits me like a truck.
"I am so sorry," I say, fixing her with my most sincere facial expression. She laughs.
"Don't worry about it, it wasn't that difficult, and you weren't even at school, so you were dealing with something, right?"
But the guilt doesn't leave. "But you're busy with...with whatever thing that Yuria was talking about last time…"
Gina looks confused. "What thing?"
"Uhh, I don't actually know…"
Gina looks thoughtful, pulling her shoelaces tighter. "Oh!" Her face lights up. "That's right, I was talking to Yuria about this project I'm doing at home. I call it the supernatural project, but Yuria said that everyone would think I'm crazy, so I shouldn't talk about it at school."
"Uh," I look around. We are definitely at school. "Then you don't have to talk about it." Still, I'm relieved that I wasn't the project, or something else like that. I hadn't even realized it was still bothering me.
"No biggie!" Gina grins brightly. "Everyone's wrapped up in their own conversations." She lowers her voice to a conspiratory whisper. "I'm trying to contact aliens."
I blink. I was...not expecting that. "What?"
"Aliens!" She points to the ceiling. "Extraterrestrial beings! I know they're out there, but how can I contact them? Normal radios just don't seem to work—no matter how much I tweak the pieces, the contact range doesn't go further than Mars. One time I accidentally interrupted the signals to one of the rovers on there...I felt really bad about that."
I couldn't believe my ears.
"So I've been trying to build a communicating device from scratch, but it's hard. I just don't have the right materials, and I think I could get some good stuff from the correct research facilities, but—"
"Gina."
"Hm? Yeah?"
"You know you sound insane right now, right?"
She laughed, her bright, bright smile almost blinding me. Yes, this is the kind of person I like to sit back and watch.
I laugh too.
"You're insane," I repeat, "But I believe you."
It was another good week or so after I made up with Gina when I was walking home after school. Gina had rushed off, claiming some urgent homework assignment she had forgotten to do, so I am walking home alone. I stop by the convenience store next to the park, knowing that I need to refill my chocolate stashes.
Nodding hello to the cashier as I enter, I beeline to the candy aisle. I'm almost disappointed when I get there, though, because there's only one brand of chocolate bars left, and it's certainly not my favorite.
Well, just because they aren't my favorite doesn't mean they aren't good, I remember, as I grab the whole box from the shelf. My allowance should probably cover this.
"Saiki?" There's a head of pink hair through the now empty space on the shelf, allowing me to see to the next aisle. The head stiffens, and I know I'm right. This is the guy who I made a fool of myself in front of, though I doubt he remembers.
"I'm Teruhashi Kokomi's little sister," I explain through the opening on the shelf. "You probably don't remember me, but I was there when everyone busted Randy Upwald together."
He still hadn't turned to face me. I forgot that he was like this. "Stay there for a sec!"
I rush to turn into the next aisle. I'm not sure why I want to talk to him, or what I want to talk to him about, but I feel like it's important.
But when I turn the aisle, he's gone. Weird. I go to stand where he had been standing, and look where he was looking. Coffee jelly? I make a grossed-out face. No sane person would actually enjoy eating something like that when some good chunks of chocolate are just in the next aisle.
I head home, but seeing Saiki reminded me of his secret, that he's a psychic. Which reminded me of how I was chasing him around to figure out more about one of the first secrets I became aware of—my sister's crush.
I never did figure out who it was.
I walk through the front door, calling out a "I'm home," even though neither of my sibling's shoes are in the front hallway. Kokomi must be taking her time getting home today.
I drop my chocolate and school bag in my room before making my way to the kitchen. No one's home, I reconfirm. I sit down and stare at the ring on my middle finger. It really is a boring ring. I can't imagine how it actually stops my powers from taking effect. Placebo effect, maybe? Or some secret metal obtained in the black market?
The front door creaks open and my sister's perfect "I'm home" rings out. I consider the ring on my hand. My powers grew stronger since I first saw my sister's secret, so I should be able to see who she has a crush on now, right?
If I just take off the ring…
But it would hurt. Remember the throbbing? The stabbing? The stomach-twisting, head-bashing pain?
Kokomi's footsteps near the kitchen. I slip off the ring, placing it carefully on the table. But I don't turn to face my sister. Because it's not too late to pick up the ring and slide it right back on.
Kokomi walks into the kitchen. "Hi, Nomi."
Curiosity wins.
Who is so spectacular that he won the heart of my angel sister?
I look my sister dead in the eye.
My head cracks.
"You're "I'm perfect"perfect" "You're the most beautiful "Where's Mom?" girl in the "Did I just" world" hallucinate Saiki-kun?" "Am I in love "She needs "with Saiki-kun?"to know her place" "I'm the queen of this "I'm so much better than her" "school" "They're all plebs" "If Saiki isn't going, then "Getting the things I want" I'm not going to "for free is""bother going either" "as easy as asking"
I gasp, fumbling for the ring and pushing it on as fast as I can. Kokomi looks at me, startled and concerned, but I just wave her away.
My sister's crush is on Saiki?
Seriously?!
A/N
THE END! Sorry for the BORING ending right there, it's just how it was written in my outline, and I couldn't think of anything better...haha I'll probably regret it later. All well! I'm just relieved to be done - I don't think I've ever actually FINISHED a long-ish story like this, I usually give up halfway through, but the fact that this story had followers definitely pushed me to completion, no matter how sloppy the story got (again, I'm REALLY SORRY for how sloppy the story got. Like, I reread the first chapter the other day and I was so embarrassed by how different the writing style was compared to this final chapter)
I know that this story did NOT turn out like you guys were expecting...ya'll were probably thinking it'd be more fun or at least have a lot more Saiki involvement, so I apologize for that (please forgive me I feel terrible). Idk what I was thinking when I made this story up. Mostly OC stuff I guess haha.
Anyway, I sincerely thank anyone and everyone who took the time to read my story. It's the first time I put something out there for the public to read and criticize, and it was a lot harder than I thought, but at the same time, kinda awesome.
I wish you all health and happiness.
Love, microsleep
OH!
OH!
WAIT!
I'm going to write an epilogue that would be the story from Saiki's POV because I feel REALLY BAD that he was so uninvolved in this story, and people kept asking about his screentime...I can't promise its quality, but I'll do my best! Soooo...if you want to read that, it's coming...sooner or later