Saiki had enjoyed his restful Saturday at home. He had engaged in all of his standard activities: sleeping in, video games, and reading. For some reason, though, he felt compelled not to eat the special coffee jelly even though the time was otherwise perfect to enjoy it. He woke up late and even then spent what felt like hours staring at the ceiling. He took his sweet time getting ready, not even opting to use his telekinesis to help him out. His parents had left earlier that morning to go on an "extended" shopping trip in their words. His mother had left out breakfast though.

He heated it up and ate in silence, chewing slowly to ruminate over his non-existent thoughts. Boredom overtook him. This feeling was one that rarely occurred while he was at home. Wait, was that…

He perked when he heard a melodic humming tune outside approaching him. That voice could belong to only one person, one that he had become very accustomed to recently. Why was she coming over now? The tune got closer until he heard it knock on the door and respectfully waited for him to greet it. He let out a breath of faux-exertion when he got up from his chair, but couldn't stifle the small grin that came as he approached the door. Of course, he made sure to erase it before he opened it. On the other side was, of course, Kokomi Teruhashi, beaming a sly smile at him.

Why are you here? Saiki asked incredulously. He raised an eyebrow at the invader which prompted her to attempt to board his crew of one.

"Do I need a reason to come see you?" she asked as she amplified her natural glow, which caused her blue eyes to shimmer as if her aura was reflecting off of wavetops. Saiki grunted, wordlessly turned around, and made way for her. He pondered upon the fact that Akechi had done this same thing a while ago but for some reason it didn't feel nearly as troublesome this time.

"So what do you want to do?" she said, washing his thoughts away.

You're the one that came over unannounced.

"Are you upset?" she said, exaggerating a coquettish grin and cute wink. Saiki grunted again and rolled his eyes.

About last time we saw each other, I think I owe you again.

"Are we doing this again?" she teased, rolling her eyes.

Saiki shot her a very unamused glare. Take it or leave it.

"Fine, I'll take it," she huffed. "My question still stands, though. What do you want to do?"

He plodded into the kitchen and retrieved the neatly wrapped package of coffee jelly that Nendou had given him as reparation, two spoons, and two bowl.

"Why didn't he use telekinesis?" she wondered.

I have my reasons, he snipped.

She coughed and cleared her throat after that rebuff, then pivoted to quizzically eyeing the package that Saiki was bringing over to the table. She was awestruck when he removed the coffee jelly from its packaging, revealing two cups of a dessert that could not have been made by anything other than the highest class of confectioner. Saiki breathed a heavy sigh and stripped the last barrier between him and his hallowed treasure.

He was instantly hit by one of the most decadent, yet complex odors he had ever experienced. It pulled him into its bosom like a warm embrace. It smelled of the finest aged coffee; something that could only be made by a prodigious bloodline of confectioners using a recipe passed down since time immemorial. His spoon-equipped hand moved on its own toward the glass surface of the dessert. He plunged his spoon into the piece of heaven that had come to grace his flowed through the jelly as easily as it would have through water, leaving behind a perfectly smooth divot that preserved the glass texture. He shuddered as the scent intensified, and his heart may have stopped for a second when the spoon touched his lips. He slowly eased the spoon into his mouth and closed it over his spoon.

And you're so supreme.

He was hit by cascading waves of pleasure as his mouth slammed shut like a bear trap and started to suck the spoon. He couldn't stop himself from convulsing. His mouth refused to let the spoon go until every atom of the jelly was gone at which time his hand took over and brought the next spoonful back to the quivering mess. He lost himself in ecstasy until he finally came back to reality, absolutely engorged with satisfaction when compared to the convenience store variety.

When he looked up he noticed that Teruhashi's face burned a furious crimson, and a husky pant came from her lips. They both sat in silence while their breathing returned to normal levels. Teruhashi, however, was unwilling to wait until they had evened out.

"What in the world was that?" she said, her breaths out of sync with her words.

Agh, that was some coffee jelly that Nendou found. I have no idea where though, he said breathlessly. She stared at him with one of the most confounded looks he had ever seen on her.

There could not be a worse time for exposition.

Nendou is the only person on earth whose thoughts I cannot read, so I couldn't figure out where it came from.

"Ahem."

She cleared her throat and patted her dress down. "Well, that was… something."

Saiki merely nodded in response. After a few moments, he offered a suggestion. Do you want to… play video games now?

She nodded. The two went upstairs and turned on his console, which had not been touched since their last rendezvous. Teruhashi stared daggers at the title screen that had been the prelude to her disgrace. Saiki regarded her with great amusement.

Relax, it's just a video game. Why are you getting so worked up about it?

"You're the psychic, you tell me," she scoffed. Her words weighed with a gravity so heavy that had she said it outside the receiver of that tone would have been at best exiled and at worst banished from this plane of existence.

Scathing.

"Look, just get on with it. I'll watch first," she said, still extremely vexed by the notion that someone enjoyed her torment. The only ladylike thing about her was the dress that clung snugly to her form. It was probably from the fact that it caught under her legs as she moved it aside to avoid mussing it when she kneeled on her mat, he observed.

As you wish, princess.

He honored her request, picking up exactly where he left off. His questing progressed as smoothly as an omnipotent psychic's video gaming endeavors could. Well, almost. He noticed himself taking a few more hits than he should have and missed button presses that caused him to perform suboptimal actions despite the fact that he could perceive time at any pace he desired.

This all came to a head when he squared off against an anjanath, a monster that very much resembled a t-rex. It had a few notable differences, however. It had a pink, fleshy underbelly that wrapped all the way around its head contrasted by dark purple fur that covered its back, tail, and legs; and terminated at its lower abdomen and neck. Cartilaginous plates protruded above its snout and it sometimes employed winglike appendages that normally stayed flush to its back when using certain attacks.

The difficulty spike at this part was massive, and despite his best efforts his character groaned and fell to the ground for the very first time when he was hit by a fireball. It was terrible game design to give a t-rex firebreathing powers if you asked him. He let out an exasperated sigh and glared at the girl next to him when he heard a mischievous giggle. Once again, he saw her anatomically perfect face linger.

"I guess even gods can bleed," she taunted.

He grunted and ignored her slight, but in doing so her muscles became visible again as he faced his head toward the screen. Her sense of smug satisfaction pressed against him as he finished the quest with no more major mistakes.

"Hey, quit hogging the game. I didn't come over here to watch you lose," she teased him, winking with one eye and twinkling with the other. How she could project cuteness while saying something a petulant younger brother would say was beyond him. He maintained his glare as he handed the controller to her; she used this opportunity to proceed back to the training room and learn from her previous mistakes. Despite her obvious lack of skill Saiki marveled at her determination and focus, granting him another session of Teruhashi face-time.

She dropped back in to face her odious opponent, the humble kestodon. This time she would not be spurned. Her movements were much crisper and more intentional, but it still did not stop her from losing two of her three lives. He noticed her heart start to beat faster as she made her approach to her final mark. They traded blows until the final kestodon expelled its last breath and tumbled onto its side.

She breathed a heavy sigh of relief and allowed herself to be filled with pride. Saiki strangely felt something similar to her, likely due to being able to hear her thoughts. He crossed his arms, bowed his head, and gave her an approving grin, evoking the spirit of a teacher congratulating a student on overcoming a tough test. Despite the fact that he still faced the screen, Teruhashi noticed his changed expression and reacted with thoughts of elation.

He heard a singsong tune in those thoughts and when he turned toward her he not only saw her true face but her radiant glow which grew until it suffused the room until the room was enveloped with a warmth that more than made up for the lack of personal decorations she had noted. Just a few weeks ago, he was terri… nervous about her presence. It seemed like ages ago; the only explanation could be that one of her powers allowed her to slow down time when she was happy. He mentally noted this troublesome development.

A synced rumble in both of their stomachs interrupted his analysis.

"Oh, right. We've been playing for a bit. I guess it's time for lunch," she said sheepishly, pushing her hair behind her ear. Her lack of body function suppression did not go unnoticed.

Since when did Teruhashi-sama have any non-perfect body functions? he teased playfully.

She wrapped her arms around her stomach. She was obviously embarrassed and flustered; her furious blush more than confirmed that. "I wasn't lying about the least perfect thing," she said mousily as she cast her eyes down with a quivering smile.

He found himself speechless as well, but he was only just able to break up the tension with his sole intelligible thought.

We should probably fix that then. Wouldn't want you to ruin your image, he replied. He managed to keep his needling tone, but he could not control an uncomfortable twinge of some feeling he could only describe as uncertainty. No, it wasn't quite that but something similar. He couldn't put his finger on it and gave up trying.

She chuckled nervously, but kept her wits about her enough to follow him as he headed downstairs. She started to think about what she could make for lunch until Saiki stopped her.

I owe you for the dessert cafe. You're not going to stop me this time.

She nodded as he moved to the kitchen to prepare their food. He had never cooked for anyone besides his family before, so he didn't really know what to make. His mother had cooked chicken katsudon the other night so he figured making that would be safe. She had thought about how she wanted to enjoy her food more at the yakiniku restaurant, so he thought comfort food might be a good choice.

His hands danced as a conductor's would as he prepared lunch quicker than any normal person could. He grabbed flour, egg, and chicken all at the same time; breaded the cutlets in record time; and nearly simultaneously grabbed a pan and vegetable oil, quickly coating the bottom and starting the burner. Teruhashi's embarrassment slowly changed to shock followed by comfort. He pretended to be too busy to notice. It was partially true, he mused as he prepared the sauce pan and the rice while the oil came to temperature. He needed to make sure it was done according to his mother's recipe.

Unfortunately, his pyrokinesis could not help him here as trying to heat or chill ingredients too quickly would not only be against the recipe, but also damage the delicate balance of flavors. Changing specific heats, boiling points, and protein structures were not on his list of powers. He didn't notice any scheming in her thoughts, only comfort and happiness. He allowed himself a small grin.

After the food was prepared, plated, and set, they rendered the proper ritual and started on the food. Teruhashi's aura gradually became so bright he had to keep his head down. It had never hurt his eyes before, but it was starting to get ridiculous now. He compared it to a certain orange-clad protagonist whose power soared ever higher as his story went on. Her aura did not take multiple episodes and a lot of screaming to increase, thankfully.

Her annoying thoughts followed closely behind her sunsetting aura. "Finally, I get treated like the princess I am. Who needs an offu when the world's most powerful psychic is waiting on you," she said slyly as she leaned forward and side-eyed him.

It's only a favor. You're a guest at my house and I don't intend on being disrespectful. My mother would never let me hear the end of this if she found out anyway, he said through gritted thought-teeth and with a dangerous edge.

"Three excuses in one response. I think that's a new record for you," she noted. She hadn't seen him this flustered since she discovered his powers.

Go get your head checked. Delusions are a serious mental health symptom, he said, glaring at her.

"Whatever you say," she said with a bright smile and a giggle. "According to you I've been having delusions the entire time I've known you so I don't see what makes this one any different." His glare softened to a garden variety scowl, conceding yet another defeat. They weren't excuses, but he saw no point in arguing further. Once she set her mind on something, there was no way to convince her to abandon it.

They ate in silence until Teruhashi decided to break it.

"So we need to talk about that Canada project that we were supposed to be doing before we all almost died," she said matter-of-factly.

Right. The teachers had forgotten about it, but comically remembered as if pushed by some unseen force last week.

Did you come over to talk about a school project? he said, raising his eyebrow at her.

"Of course not. I assume the fact that we spent the rest of the time doing other things more than indicated that, but apparently your tendency to jump to conclusions is making you very trigger-happy," she said with feigned boredom. Her secretary impression had come back to roost.

That's my line, he said through a testy scowl.

"I'm making an observation. That's all," she said with a shrug.

Anyway, it's not a problem. I can do it in an hour. You can handle the presentation," he said flatly.

"So your average grades were part of the act," she mused.

Correct. I can do everything with thoughtography. I cheated to get average scores. In actuality I have a photographic memory and can see anyone's answers at will.

"I'd think you sound like Kaidou if you couldn't back it up," she teased coyly.

Rich coming from someone who probably could have charmed the teachers into giving her a perfect score on every test.

She twinged; he had caught her there.

"So what exactly is thoughtography?" she inquired to change the subject.

Loosely it's the ability to determine the nature of the object I touch and alter it at will. For example, if I touch a piece of paper I can see anything from the last person who touched it to when it was made in the factory. I can also write anything I want on it without using a pen.

"Well I can't stand being dead weight in a group project, so we're going to do it normally anyway," she commanded. He didn't like where this was going.

It would take me less than a minute. Plus you'd be handling the presentation anyway so you wouldn't be dead weight, he said in an attempt to stave off her sudden ambush on his personal space.

"Then you'd be dead weight on the presentation and you'd owe me yet again," she pursued.

That's not how this works, he said, cornered. He couldn't think of a way to worm himself out of this one.

"I insist," she said. If she wasn't the perfect embodiment of a cute schoolgirl, her tone would indicate she was making him an offer he couldn't refuse.

Once again she wouldn't take no for an answer. He gave her an aggravated sigh, resigning himself to the fact that he would be dragged into one of her schemes yet again.

Why are you so annoying? he groused.

"You said that you 'wouldn't mind seeing me again', so I hope it's not too much trouble," she said, flashing him a mischievous smile.

It's going to be if you keep being so pushy.

Her face fell. She knew he was joking, but she got so caught up in the moment that she forgot to curb her aggression. He flinched when he saw her expression change.

Teruhashi, I didn't mean it like that…

"No, you're right. I have been more than a bit willful recently. I do have a life to keep up after all. I know you didn't mean to cause trouble, but I couldn't help but think about it," she said softly. Her glow dimmed.

Social ineptitude aside, I gave my word and I will stick to it, he said as soothingly as he could muster.

"I know you will, I just have some things to think about is all. Well, I have cram school so I should probably think about leaving soon," she continued as softly as before. He cursed his terrible word choice and timing.

She wasn't lying. She hadn't been thinking about it during the rest of their time together, but her reviewing her schedule in her thoughts before she made her last comment verified it. For some reason he felt compelled to make sure she didn't leave on a bad note. He'd probably get lynched by her fan club if they saw her leaving his house like this.

If you want to make yourself useful, help me clean the dishes, he said firmly. She smiled brightly and picked up their bowls and utensils to hand to him. The two silently walked into the kitchen to tidy up. Saiki put away all the ingredients as she washed until they eventually got to the point where the only tasks left were in front of the sink. Their racing thoughts clouded their situational awareness enough to allow a slight brush between their hips during a synchronized scrubbing session. Teruhashi jolted, and a squeak escaped her. She looked around, confused at who could have touched her.

It's just an incidental touch. Don't be so dramatic about it, he said without looking up from his task, deadpan as ever. She burned a fiery red.

"R-r-right. Ahem," she said, patting her dress down again. He guessed that was one of her new nervous habits. They finished up in the kitchen, but not before accidentally bumping into each other a few more times for good measure, each occurrence sending a sharp jolt through Teruhashi's thoughts.

"A-a-anyway, I think I should probably head out now. It was uh, very fun, Saiki-kun," she stammered, fidgeting with her hair nervously. The coffee jelly incident and now this had her just about ready to burst. It was probably best that she vent the steam emerging from her face very soon.

Yeah. I'm sure I'll see you again soon, he said neutrally. He felt a quiver in his mind that he didn't know if he liked.

She put her shoes on and opened the door, but twirled around and laced her fingers together.

"See you soon, friend," she said with a coquettish grin, bowing slightly forward to emphasize a cute wink.

Saiki rolled his eyes and grunted. Don't you have somewhere else to be?

"Not where I want to be," she said jubilantly, turning to leave and waving goodbye. He shut the door behind her and shook his head, unable to suppress a hearty chuckle.

Teruhashi had left a bit ago to go to cram school, so Saiki decided it was time to go to his own. He needed to test his powers again to see if anything had changed. He teleported out to his training ground.

He performed the same tests that he had before. He couldn't believe his eyes when the rock-boulder penetration test ended with the rock embedded inside of the boulder when using a similar telekinetic strength. He tested a few more times. Though some rocks went through, a substantial number produced the same result as the first.

When he performed his rock punching test, he found the boulders took a more consistent level of damage all around and with a potentially lower than average coefficient of destruction.

He was stunned into silence.