August 16th. A day where the world operated as normally as ever.

Hmm. She's late, Saiki thought as he eyed the wall clock in the living room.

She needs to get here soon so we can get on with the day, Saiki thought, his face stuck in a frown as he arrythmically tapped the kitchen table. His parents were out right now at his behest; they would almost certainly cause trouble if they were around. They would be back in the evening for dinner, though.

Right on cue, he heard the melodious humming he had become accustomed to enter his 200 meter range. He breathed a sigh of relief.

About time.

*Ding Dong*

He had already begun walking to the kitchen door before he heard the bell, but kept a safe distance so she wouldn't think he was waiting for her.

"Happy birthday, Saiki-kun!" she said as she handed over a small white cake box. Luckily his x-ray vision had failed again, so he couldn't see inside of it.

Thanks, he said with a small grin. He turned around toward the kitchen, nodding his head toward the table. She complied, leaving her shoes at the door and joining him.

I've been doing some thinking. It's unfair for you to censor your thoughts around me.

Her eyes widened in shock. "I-I've barely arrived. Why bring this up now?"

Just listen. I want to get this out before we start. It's ok for you to think romantic thoughts about me when we're together.

She swallowed thickly. Her face burned a luminous crimson, a tone of red so deep that it changed her aura from a resplendent golden sunlight to a warm, comforting orange sunset. Bolts of electricity coursed through her thoughts until they became so powerful that her brain short circuited.

I heard your thoughts before you discovered my powers for a long time anyway. Why are you getting so worked up about this? he said through what she assumed was an "awkward" scowl.

He glared at her, prompting a giggling fit that ascended in volume the longer it went on. Were it to be put to sheet music, it likely would have sold out arenas and went quadruple platinum. He didn't hate hearing this.

I don't care if you spend all of our time together thinking about it. I forced more perfection on you. You can be perfect or otherwise. I don't care as long as you're true to yourself. He grimaced, but inexplicably felt his shoulders loosen as if he had given himself another telekinetic rock massage.

Her aura brightened intensely, but was dialed back enough to avoid penetrating the walls.

Quick on the uptake, he thought with a smirk.

"Well, I don't really mind, actually." She maintained her warm smile.

Huh? Don't mind what? He recoiled back, shooting her a flabbergasted, open mouthed stare.

"The forced perfection. I think it's part of growing up." Thoughts rushed through her head, but instead of the typhoon that usually accompanied her breakdowns it instead felt more like a white water river out in the untouched beauty of nature. Still too turbulent to be deciphered, but calming to anyone fortunate enough to observe it from the outside. From what Saiki could gather, it seemed like those thoughts were a confluence of memories and musings that she had come to know from the time spent with him.

He furrowed his brow. I don't understand.

She giggled again. "That's okay, we'll work on it."

Normally thoughts like these would have been laced with mischievous subterfuge, but they were anything but this time. Despite his ability to know all of her thoughts, she still managed to find ways to surprise him. His ability to understand them only went as far as he was capable. It had taken him a long time to accept that, despite the fact that it was under his nose the entire time.

If I'm not careful, I might change too.

He couldn't be sure whether he was too careful or not careful enough, but that didn't matter very much right now. It was about time they moved on to the reason she was here in the first place.

He moved toward the cabinet reflexively to get a knife, fork, and spoon in preparation for the dessert he knew Teruhashi had made for him.

"Eh? Haven't you already seen what's in the box?" Teruhashi said, eyes widened in concern. She quickly closed the distance between them and eyed him quizzically, checking his face for any sign of illness. She reflexively moved her hand close to his face, but jolted back as a bolt of electricity arced through her thoughts.

"S-Sorry," she stammered. She grabbed her wrist behind her back, shifting her eyes as her cheeks warmed to a rosy hue.

Don't be, he said stoically, giving her a quick head shake.

She raised her fist to her mouth to cough.

"Ahem. Well I really want you to see- I mean unbox what I got for you." She gestured toward the small white box on the table.

He nodded in response. His eyes widened as he opened the box and his body quivered at the heavenly scent gracing his nose. Inside the box was a glass bowl of coffee jelly, complete with a caramel colored whipped cream with a coffee bean nestled on top. He drank in the sight of the flawless glass surface with flecks of coffee beans and… something else beneath the surface. No, it couldn't be. Those were chocolate shavings. He wheezed, hammering his chest to catch his breath. She immediately reached toward him, but he stayed her with a raised hand.

Is this… mocha coffee jelly?

She let out another melodic giggle. "Yes," she said, closing her eyes and flashing him the warm, golden smile only he had seen.

He felt his face relax as he returned her genuine smile. Relief, warmth, joy, so many feelings he didn't entirely understand crashed into the walls inside his head. They groaned ever louder until they finally buckled and toppled, leaving the two of them alone on the floodplains that were formerly a fortress. The gift was so normal, yet so special at the same time.

How long did this take? he said suddenly.

"About five seconds," she said, tilting her head to the side and flashing a polite smile.

Her face became an anatomy textbook page for a split second, but turned back as quickly as it came as he shot his comeback.

Isn't this regifting?

She blushed a deep vermillion, but snapped her head down to the side in a lame attempt to conceal her embarrassment.

"Th-th-th-they were high quality ingredients! How c-c-could I let them go to waste?" she sputtered, her arms flailing so uncontrollably that her body was dragged along by the confused mess of waving. If her face had flushed even a bit more, she likely would have passed out from all the blood drawn away from her brain.

He allowed her to catch her breath, levying her a smug grin until she had stopped her irregular breathing and turned her back on him while folding her arms. A red and white color spread through her fingertips as she tightly gripped her bare arms. Clairvoyance told him that her face bore an extremely angry pout.

Her shoulders quickly rose and fell after she huffed an exasperated aspiration. "You should have seen this coming, why are you teasing me about it now?"

Why do you think?

"I asked the question. I want to hear it from your mouth."

He gave her another head shake and a low chuckle. You finally finished the plotline.

"I know. What of it?" she spat.

Nothing.

Another exasperated huff. "You suck." Without turning around, she struck her arm out toward the regifted coffee jelly, shooing the ungrateful brat toward it.

"Just... go eat it before I change my mind."

As you wish.

An aggressive glint peeked over her shoulder as she turned just in time to notice his patronizing bow. Her grip on her folded arms slowly loosened as she observed him amble back toward the cabinet and retrieve another small bowl and spoon. After he set the second bowl on the table he quickly halved his gift telekinetically, shaped each portion to its bowl, and placed the coffee bean in her bowl after short deliberation.

As he stepped aside to take his seat, he caught her leaning over to figure out what he was doing. The confused murmurs in her thoughts ground to a screeching halt when she saw what he had done. She covered her mouth, but her shaky breaths revealed the quivering of her lips.

Quit gawking. It's weird.

She swallowed and nodded, gingerly stepping toward the table. She reached out her hand to steady herself as she delicately slid into her seat.

"W-w-why did you give me the coffee bean?" she stammered.

I didn't feel like halving it. Besides, you can't eat a coffee bean.

"I-It was an edible chocolate coffee bean."

His eyes went wide, casting a glow on her face so bright he saw the reflection from his irises shine back from hers. Time slowed down to a crawl as he stared at her, the only perceptible sound a shrill ringing noise.

"I-Is something wrong?" she whispered, her head retreating into her shoulders.

He gave his head a quick shake and quickly responded, No. Well, I made the decision, no use going back on it now. Sorry I couldn't enjoy all of it.

"It's fine."

The two sat in silence at the table.

"W-well, try it and l-let me know what you think," she said meekly, her shoulders drawn tightly.

He nodded, carefully picked up his spoon, and stared into the placid abyss of the dessert. The surface was as pure and untouched as a perfect, unblemished powder upon a silent mountaintop, but the gleams reflecting off of the slight disturbance of the chocolate shavings shifted as he drew his spoon closer to the surface. The motes of light scintillated through the window of the cabin he found himself inside of in his mind's eye. He pushed the spoon past his lips, his quivering facial muscles straining against his willpower at the prospect of embarking on a divine gustatory odyssey. His tongue caressed the bottom of the spoon as his jaw slowly closed over it. The world went black.

He awoke when a small, soft warmth pressed against his forehead, followed by the rushing of concerned thoughts and emotions. He should have been shocked, but instead he felt only comfort. He found himself sitting on the couch of the same cabin from moments ago with a cup of hot chocolate in hand and a blanket over his lap. He glanced up to see Kokomi Teruhashi with a tense, concerned look in her eye. However, her thoughts spoke a very different truth. A spectacularly magnified version of that comforting feeling he couldn't place from Aiura's final request enveloped his mind so completely that it defied any relational explanation he could have come up with. Teruhashi breathed a sigh of relief and smiled a golden smile unlike any had ever witnessed. Instead of the unmarred, continuous perfection typical of her aura, it beat like a heart, gently leading his tempo to meet hers.

She became aware of her surroundings, marveling at the unparalleled coziness of the space. Once she realized that her vision was no dream, she reflexively withdrew her hand, instantly severing their telepathic bond and bringing him back to his table. The sensation caused a pain he once again had never experienced, a pain that felt both emotional and physical. Or was it so emotional that it became physical? He couldn't quite tell. All he knew was that it left him equal parts perplexed and terrified.

He shook his head to fully break himself from his reverie, now facing a furiously blushing Teruhashi with a sunset colored aura. She stood next to him rubbing her wrist with her lips pressed in a tight line and her eyes downcast.

"I, uh, as-s-sume you saw the same thing I did?"

Saiki nodded.

She cleared her throat.

"Well, that was... intense."

Saiki nodded.

"What happened?"

Making skin to skin contact causes my telepathy to extend to all of someone's senses, so I can see the world exactly as they can. It has never created a shared vision before, though.

He glanced at the bowl of coffee jelly on the table, finding it empty. His reflexive reaction was annoyance, but he felt an undertone of relief. Experiences like these were not good for his heart.

"Are you ok? You..."

Passed out, yes.

"Quite a few have fainted to my angelic cooking skills, but this one was a little extreme," she said, struggling to breathe in between words due to the fit of giggles that she had been struck by.

Since when are angels good at cooking?

Yes, it was very good.

"Great! Best birthday present ever?"

He rolled his eyes. Only because everyone else is awful at giving me gifts.

"Would it kill you to at least be a bit grateful?" she said with a grin warring between smug and annoyed.

Shut up.

She quickly snapped her fingers and swung her arm across her chest. "Drat! I guess I'll just have to get theme park tickets next..."

You will do no such thing. Didn't I already tell you it was good?

"If everyone else is so awful at getting gifts then I need to keep trying to help you discover what you might like!"

You already know I hated our last theme park adventure.

"As long as you don't try to avoid me, I'm sure it will be a lot better this time! I can't imagine you'd dislike all the free sweets I'd get for you."

I would, assuming no one tries to lynch me for being seen with you.

"Please, everyone thinks you're too plain to date me."

His eyebrow twitched. What does dating have to do with this?

"Whenever I'm in public, all people can ever think about is dating me. Why would I not be concerned about it? It was you that said you didn't like attention."

He glared angrily at her while he tried to come up with a response, but found none. This isn't over.

"I hope not! Most friends aren't afraid of going to theme parks with their friends!"

Saiki grunted. Arguing with her would get him nowhere. He found himself outmatched once again.

After being afforded a bit of silent contemplation, Teruhashi's thoughts drifted in a direction he didn't particularly enjoy.

She cast her eyes down and frowned. "I know that we tease each other a lot, but I think the 'regifting' joke was a bit too far."

Noted. I'm... sorry.

"Apology accepted!" she said, perking up. Her hair bobbed as she quickly recovered her position, somehow managing to flow elegantly behind her motion. He was pretty sure hair was not supposed to move like that. Leave it to Teruhashi to casually defy the laws of physics for a single opportunity to look pretty.

She clapped her hands. "So, with that out of the way, how about we continue the festivities? Did you get a cake?"

No I didn't, he said taking a dramatic pause. Teruhashi took the bait.

A vein started to bulge out of her forehead. "Why did I have to..."

Because I got a dessert buffet.

"...huh?"

Do you need me to repeat myself?

"N-no. I just hope it wasn't too much trouble."

He levied a small grin. It wasn't. His parents had given him money to get whatever cake he wanted "as long as he shared with Kokomi-chan." The implication annoyed him, but for his trouble was able to try plenty of desserts to get the spread ready.

He retrieved the desserts from his refrigerator and set the table as Teruhashi went to grab the rest of the kitchenware. One by one, they dressed the table for a feast fit for royalty. Boxes of pastries, puddings, and miniature cakes were laid out on the table. There were too many to describe individually. Saiki may have gone a bit overboard.

Teruhashi marveled at the perfectly placed desserts. It was inevitable, he supposed. He took plenty of notes from all the dessert shows he watched and learned how to coordinate them better than clothes, unlocking the profane art of dessert feng shui. It directed all the energies exactly the way he wanted, which was...

He quickly swiped a pudding cup right under her nose.

"Eh? Why did you do that?"

It looked good. That's all.

"Uh huh." She eyed him quizzically.

Don't read too much into it.

"You know that's going to have the opposite effect..."

Don't.

"Alright, alright. I won't ask anymore." A nervous sweat bead appeared next to her forehead as she held up her hands defensively.

A wave of bliss washed over him as he quickly downed a spoonful of pudding. It was a delicate, multi-layered confection for a more refined palate. The off-white base was a cremè brûlée pudding with a thin layer of chocolate on the top decorated with, of course, strawberries. That had been a bit of a running theme. He allowed himself to be carried away by the current.

"Eh? Kuriko-chan?"

Huh?

"Your sister, Kuriko-chan? I met her at an all you can eat dessert café and sort of-" her voice's melodic timbre lowered-"confessed to her." She pressed her pointers together, but her fidgeting did nothing to quell her furious blush.

Oh, that. Saiki let out a deep laugh.

"Don't make fun of me!" she whined.

I'm not. That was actually another one of my powers.

"That wasn't hypnosis?"

For some reason I can't use it on myself, so I had to transform. You may have noticed the missing antennae in that form.

"You can change genders at will?"

I can change into animals or my body's scale as well.

"So, what did you think during the confession, then?" She hid her head and resumed pressing her pointers together. She had every right to be nervous. In that context, he had come off as anything but pleased, even going so far as standing up to stop her from confessing.

I was... nervous.

"... is that it?" She had done her best not to appear too expectant; but she wasn't fooling anyone, especially not a telepath.

Tell me, what do you value in a relationship?

She gasped. "Uh, I don't..."

What makes a relationship special to you? What makes you want to take the leap of faith?

"Uhm, I don't know, really. I guess it was the prospect of… feeling normal? I became friends with Chiyo because we were both chasing boys and then I slowly became more comfortable with everyone. It just happened. Maybe it is just selfishness because the main reason I wanted to be in that relationship then was out of convenience."

Maybe it was, but meeting someone is just as circumstantial as needing something from them. What other reason would people have to approach each other? I can't blame somebody else for doing something normal.

"You really have a way with words. Relationships are like door to door sales for you?"

You were the one who said you were selfish for pursuing a friendship with Chiyo.

She puffed a stray lock out of her face, grabbed a pastry from one of the plates, and started to gnaw on it.

"Then what are we?" she mumbled behind a bite.

We're… friends at least?

He heard a twinge of hurt in her thoughts.

"Is our relationship normal?"

A twinge of hurt beat through his thoughts.

…I guess not.

"So where does that leave us?"

He took a long pause to consider. Would you consider our relationship special?

She gave him a determined nod. "Definitely."

Is that wrong?

She shook her head. "I don't think so."

Why not?

"All of my relationships with our group are different. True normality doesn't exist, or at least not that I know of."

What were you looking for out of me in a romantic relationship?

"I thought my destiny was to be a wife and mother, but I've worked too hard to be able to see myself doing that anymore; I'm not a trophy to be won. Maybe in some ways I did want it but the line between what I wanted and what I thought I wanted blurred a long time ago. I want to forge my own path ahead, so I think what I want is a normal love, something where I can come back and rest my head with someone who understands me, something uncomplicated, something easy. The last thing I want is for you to want me out of pity. I know you well enough to know that you care and will sacrifice yourself because you think that's what people want but you need to make that decision for yourself."

He laughed a deep belly laugh. You really are something.

She brushed her hair behind her ear and blushed furiously. "Really? I don't think I did anything too special."

She really was. Despite the suffocating suit of armor that she surrounded herself with and all the trouble that he caused her, she still persisted. Despite how much he forced her to change, she still stayed true to herself. She was someone who he could truly call his equal, and his better in most of the ways that mattered.

I can't promise I'd be a good partner.

"I can't promise that either. I'm selfish, conceited, jealous…"

That may be true, but most people are in their own way. Myself included.

"Mm."

Silence. Wait, wasn't this a part where he should be able to hear her thoughts? In fact, he had hardly heard them the entire time they were together. Nor could he hear anybody else's. He couldn't bog himself down with the why; they couldn't sit here forever.

Let's just try to eat then.

She nodded.

Saiki noticed a ring in his ears as he quietly brought a bite of cake to his mouth. Was this what people called deafening silence? Wasn't that caused by the tympanic membrane? How could he possibly be feeling this if he only communicated with his thoughts? He attempted to squash the interrogation, but even with the aid of sweets he couldn't get it out of his head.

The loud screech of the wooden chair sliding across the lacquered floor interrupted his aggressive introspection. Teruhashi slowly moved toward the sink, empty plates and utensils in hand.

You know I won't let you do that on your own.

"Come help then!" she said, turning back toward him with a bright smile.

He flashed her a small grin and moved next to her in the kitchen. They weaved through each other in a graceful dance, finishing the dishes and stowing the extra dessert in record time, and expertly avoiding accidental bumping. For some reason though, Saiki felt a tingling sensation whenever they almost brushed. Must be the breeze from the air conditioner.

"So what do you want to do now?"

No more trashy romcoms. I'm going to pick the movie this time.

"I don't think your taste in movies is any better than mine."

Are we competing for worse or better here? We both like bad movies so we might as well compete for the worst taste.

"Unfair. I didn't know about the game until now."

We can just play it in the future.

She coughed. "Excuse me?"

Stop acting like this is anything new.

"You just… never really invited me over before."

If I didn't want you here I would have just told you to leave.

She broke into a giggling fit and sighed as she caught her breath. "You're so funny, Saiki-kun."

Stop laughing at me. Despite his indignance, he couldn't help but feel relaxed by the pleasant calm that the sound brought.

She resumed giggling, apparently unable to stop herself. Saiki huffed and dragged himself toward the cabinet with his extensive collection of terrible media and picked out a detective flick that he had bought fairly recently. He hadn't seen it yet, so it was only fair to Teruhashi. He was confident he was going to win, though; his taste was specifically crafted to be as bad as possible and honed through years of experience.

He went over to his TV console to put the movie in. He couldn't help but feel a bit impatient as he watched the tray slowly slide out and back in. After he finished setting everything up, he turned around to see a smiling Teruhashi patting the blanket covered cushion next to her. He slid under the blanket, but not before giving a half-hearted eye-roll in protest.

The detective movie he picked apparently also came with a haphazard focus on psychoanalysis. It couldn't decide on whether or not to stick with the murder mystery or the psychology of the characters and as a result, failed at both. He felt his eyelids slowly drift down until boredom overtook him.

He awoke when he felt a pleasant stroking sensation on his head, slowly opening his eyes to see Teruhashi's resplendent smile beaming down onto him. The only thing separating this from a quiet weekend morning was the sound of chirping birds.

"Good morning, sunshine!"

Speak for yourself.

Her hand stopped stroking his head as she gawked at him, bringing with it yet another "annoying" blush.

You know what your aura looks like. Telling her not to overthink every interaction was worthless at this point, but he still felt the need to clarify.

"Whatever you say." She rolled her eyes, grinning coyly. "By the way, how are you enjoying the lap pillow? I think you should start thanking god for the good fortune of getting one from Kokomi Teruhashi."

He sat up immediately, the painful sensation from the broken telepathic linkage following close behind. She crossed her arms and puffed out her cheeks.

Pouting is not going to help you.

She pouted harder. Her cheeks swelled to little bags that pushed against her face like little balloons, her eyes squeezing shut to make room for her inflated cheeks. He could have sworn she almost looked…

Her face appeared in front of his, causing him to jump away from her. She doubled over laughing.

"I almost touched your face before you moved! I thought you were better than that at dodging me!" she managed to wheeze out.

Why weren't any excuses coming to him? Because anything he said would make it worse, obviously.

He quickly glanced at the blank screened TV. Was the movie over? Just how long had he been sleeping?

New plan of attack: argue with her to distract her from her banal, hollow victory.