...
Saiki had zero interest in the group's conversation topic. He noticed Izumi quietly slipping over to stand in front of a poster, staring at it with a dazed, almost obsessed look. Out of curiosity, Saiki walked closer and saw the advertisement: a blonde woman with wavy hair wearing a sexy black swimsuit, posing on a beach.
Saiki's very first reaction upon seeing the image was,
(Izumi's changed!)
But when he shifted his gaze to Izumi's face, he found the other boy's expression surprisingly pure and clear.
Izumi [Those abs are so ripped! So cool!]
(=°Д°=)
(Wait, you're looking at the abs? Sorry, my bad—I totally misunderstood. I deserve to die for that.)
Saiki felt a pang of guilt. He had judged someone based purely on appearances and jumped to the wrong conclusion.
Still, who would've thought someone could look at a poster of a gorgeous woman in a sexy swimsuit on a beach and completely ignore the sea, the beach, the beauty, and the swimsuit itself... just to fixate on the abs?
Staring at the familiar ocean in the poster, Saiki recalled the first time he ever went swimming in the sea.
Back when his mind had only recently started developing—probably around two or three years old—he used to dive deep into the ocean. He often went to "play" with megalodons and giant octopuses two or three stories tall. Eventually he got bored of it and stopped going as often.
...
Nekozaki Kyo: "Miyako, let's go pick out swimsuits together!"
Shikimori smiled and declined. "I'm good, I won't buy one."
Since Saiki wasn't going to swim either, what was the point of her buying one just to wear it alone? Forget it. Swimming in a river couldn't compare to the fun of the ocean anyway.
Nekozaki Kyo didn't press the issue. She simply took the enthusiastic Hachimitsu Yui and headed off to the swimsuit store.
"Alright then, what should we do next!"
Shikimori turned around and noticed Saiki still blankly staring at the poster. She walked over to look and immediately saw what was on it.
Hearing Shikimori's voice, Saiki snapped out of his memories. He turned and saw her standing right beside him, her eyes darting back and forth between him and the poster in clear panic.
(This girl isn't misunderstanding something, is she?!)
Shikimori [Does Saiki-kun like this kind of figure? Or maybe this kind of sexy swimsuit?!]
(Yeah, she definitely misunderstood.)
Shikimori stumbled backward a few steps, then with a determined look, she turned and ran off in the direction Nekozaki Kyo and Hachimitsu Yui had gone.
"I... I'm going to the bathroom!"
Saiki watched the direction Shikimori fled in. All he caught was her voice echoing back and a flash of pink disappearing at high speed.
[The bathroom is in the opposite direction...]
Izumi: "What's up with Shikimori-san? She looked kinda weird."
[Uh, probably just really had to go.]
"So Saiki-kun, where should we head next?"
(Now that there are fewer people around, better to split up.)
[I'm heading home.]
"So soon?"
[Mm. There's nothing else to do anyway.]
"Wait, wait—let's all go to the food court and grab something to eat first!"
Inuzuka Shu suddenly remembered something. "Well, if you really want to head home, Saiki, then Izumi and I can just go together!"
"Izumi, come with me. I heard the desserts at this mall's food court are really good—special flavors and everything."
Izumi nodded. "Sure, that works..."
Saiki, who had already started walking away, slowly stopped.
"Saiki, what's wrong? Weren't you leaving?"
[Yare yare... fine, guess I'll stick around a bit longer.]
...
After tasting a few desserts, Saiki made an excuse and slipped away from Izumi and the others.
He finished the last cookie, left the food court, and deliberately avoided the area where Shikimori and the girls had gone to look at women's swimsuits. Instead, he wandered into the clothing section of the mall.
The place was even more crowded than before. Saiki walked slowly forward with both hands in his pockets.
(Yare yare, I managed to avoid them completely. From here on out I shouldn't run into anyone I know. Now I can actually look at clothes in peace. There's no way I'd bump into another acquaintance here of all places!)
"This mall is way too big... so many stores!"
"Which shop should I check out first..."
Hearing the familiar voice, Saiki's body stiffened. He heard it again and started walking faster, but then—
"Store-wide 50% off big discount!"
The moment that announcement rang out, the crowd surged forward like dogs spotting food, sweeping Saiki up and shoving him backward in the chaos.
[Hey, wait... you guys—]
Watching the scene unfold, Saiki couldn't help but think of those old internet stories about 9.99 yen items with free shipping that sold out in minutes.
When the crowd finally dispersed, Saiki found himself sprawled on the floor. Looking at the people still rushing backward, he couldn't hold back a complaint.
[Damn it! Was that really necessary? It's like they haven't seen clothes in ten years.]
Don't ask why Saiki—a superpowered being—ended up on the floor. Getting shoved and trampled by dozens of people is perfectly normal. And no, don't think being a psychic makes him immune. Did you really expect him to use his overwhelming physical strength to block dozens of people at once?
That's not normal. After years of constantly suppressing and controlling his power, it's become second nature.
Or maybe teleporting away would've been overkill. It felt like using a sledgehammer on a fly, and in the heat of the moment he didn't think of it. Even if he had, some invisible force stopped him from doing so.
Author: Yep, that was me. Blame it all on my head.
...
"Saiki-shishou?"
Hearing that voice, Saiki became even more certain of his earlier suspicion. He slowly turned his head.
(Yare yare, Japan really is just one big village.)
The voice belonged to Tsuchiya Kouta—no, wait—actually it was Doma Umaru in casual clothes, standing there with Motoba Kirie and Ebina Nana beside her.
Picture of the three girls →
"Saiki-shishou, why are you sitting on the floor? It's cold!"
(It wasn't my choice.)
Saiki stood up, brushed off his backside (his own backside—don't get the wrong idea).
Readers: You didn't have to clarify. Geez, your mind is so filthy ( ∩՞ټ՞∩) meow~~.
"Hi, Saiki-kun!"
Motoba Kirie stepped forward and greeted him. "H... hello."
Saiki nodded in response.
For someone as socially anxious as Motoba Kirie to take the initiative and greet him was already impressive. In her eyes, Saiki was the one who had actively helped her build a connection with Umaru. Plus, whenever Saiki visited Umaru's house to play games with her, he had run into Motoba Kirie multiple times and always received this same attitude. Saiki found it completely normal.
"Saiki-shishou, what are you doing here?"
[Just got bored and came out for a walk to stretch my legs.]
"Ohhh... I see..."
[Why are you making that face?]
At that moment, Umaru gave Saiki a mysterious smile, clearly plotting something. When Saiki saw it and turned to leave, Umaru immediately grabbed the back of his shirt.
"Wait, wait—Saiki-shishou! Since you're already here, don't leave so fast!"
(See? This is what happens when you miss your chance to escape the first time!)
Saiki looked at Umaru, who was smiling brightly right in front of him.
Saiki lowered his gaze slightly and asked quietly,
[What do you want?]
...