Saiki K PeePee

Ch. 4: Nuisance #4

Teruhashi slept more deeply than she had in a very long time. When she woke up the next morning, she was covered in dirt, as were her bedsheets. She got out of bed and got undressed.

I should definitely wash my clothes and the sheets before my brother gets to them.

While the shock from yesterday had worn off, the lingering thoughts and emotions certainly hadn't. Yesterday was not a dream. She always knew that there was something different about Saiki, but definitely had not expected something so world-shattering. No wonder he stayed so aloof all this time; he worked just as hard to put on a mask as herself. However, for the first time hers had actually been peeled off. He knew her true personality the entire time with his telepathy. The revelation hit her like a truck. She wondered why she hadn't woken up in a fantasy world this morning. For the very first time her confidence had been shaken, no, rang like a bell.

What does this truly mean?

She didn't know how to come to terms with the fact that she had come face to face with someone with actual power. Did she still like him? Of course she did. She felt insecure that it could be at least partially because of the powers given her history, but she still felt just as happy as she always did when she thought about being around him. Why did she still like him? Simple. Instead of being flashy about it, he kept his power hidden and watched over them. He never expected a reward for anything he did. He showed incredible strength being able to bear the burden of overwhelming power since he was born. She by comparison had used her power to gain fame and fortune, evaluating people based on their relative use to her, and tearing people down without a second thought. She had become better now, but some attitudes are not so easily undone. It was hard not to feel a bit self conscious even for her.

She felt a little better in the fact that she finally wasn't alone in her efforts to preserve her image; being alone at the top had been quite alienating. This guy had broken her down so far that her cheat ability to repel uncleanliness was stymied. Speaking of uncleanliness, she needed to shower, brush her teeth and her hair, and put some clothes on. Thanks to her cheat ability, she had never really needed makeup though she had practiced how to do it just in case. She decided to shower first for obvious reasons. It was odd washing dirt off of herself, feeling the grainy texture slide out of her hair and off of her body.

So this is what it's like to actually clean yourself.

Normally she showered for sanitation purposes so this was all new to her. She brushed her teeth in the shower to ensure there was no mess. Once she got out, she toweled off her hair and let it air dry. She put on a t-shirt and gym shorts. She wore a bra out of habit because for some reason her brother became a lot more... attached to her when she didn't. Thankfully he was out shooting another movie today so she had the house to herself.

Whenever she was alone, which was frequent, she took the opportunity to do chores so that she would always look her best whenever she went out in public. She once again realized how tired of it she was. She put so much effort into this persona that it controlled her even in her time alone. What did she really gain from it anyway? She couldn't deny she liked the attention and the feeling of control, the opportunity to make herself feel like she mattered, to let the world know that she existed. However, compared to him she was inconsequential. His mere existence rendered hers completely obsolete while she went on blissfully unaware that anyone could even come close to matching her. It made her self-important attitude feel... funny. The revelation that she was not the most powerful person in the world was a hard enough pill to swallow, but someone who could see right through her and force her to break character was too much.

It was even funnier as well, because she wanted to be in a relationship with this guy but never even considered how heavily the power dynamic would skew toward her. If it had gone by her original design, their relationship would be inherently unequal. Furthermore, if given enough time and exposure with her, could she have dealt with the consequences of him becoming just another sycophant? Would she have cast him aside as she did everyone else? Could she ever forgive herself for turning someone she cared about so much into her puppet? Would she have been alone forever, doomed never to get close to anyone for fear of doing what she did to him, let alone all the other friends she made? She had made bold claims about her beauty being able to cause wars in the past, but being forced to confront what that actually meant began to crush her.

There she went again with the power dynamics. Was that all she could ever think about? She pursued him in the first place because she couldn't stand someone resisting her. Did it develop into genuine feelings because, for once in her life, she wanted to feel something resembling a normal relationship? It didn't bother her at all to abuse her power with people she deemed as beneath her, and by pure happenstance she was thrown a lifeline that completely invalidated a problem she hadn't even considered. Her luck truly knew no limits, but ultimately she was just as much bound by fate as anyone else. Major pillars on which she based her perception of the world around her started to crack, even without a psychic's direct involvement.

How easily my resolve crumbles into dust under the right circumstances.

She had never felt a bout of self-awareness so acute. The reaction was so visceral that she broke into a laugh the likes of which she had never experienced before. It was a loud, ugly laugh, one that would have immediately destroyed any notion of her perfect pretty girl persona had anyone been around to witness it. She couldn't believe how... free she felt. What would she do with her newfound freedom? Screaming out into the void would yield no answers, so she would opt for a more manageable approach. Her persona and myopic focus on being in a relationship with Saiki would not be so easily undone, so she would have to cut out the bad and accentuate the good of both of those aspects of her.

Baby steps, Kokomi.

She bundled up her sheets and made her way to the washing machine, electing to wash her clothes with the rest of her laundry. She loaded her sheets into the washer, set it properly, and pushed start.

With her confidence essentially shattered, it was hard to believe that she could look him in the eye again. Inexplicably, however, she found herself drawn even closer to him. Maybe she could start out by just trying to be friends with him. They hadn't really talked much and he already had 3 other people that knew about his powers, so what made her any different? She had cut him off yesterday before he could even finish listing his powers so she didn't even know the full extent of them. For all she knew he could end the world whenever he felt like it. She laughed ruefully.

Where is god now? Maybe I should start worshiping Saiki. The only thing stopping him from ending the world is my cheat ability; so get bent, Saiki-kun. He's probably listening to me brag right now. Which god should I be asking for forgiveness?

It felt good to laugh like that. Normally she would have to force a cute giggle at some unfunny joke. She headed to the kitchen to make herself some breakfast. She decided on fried eggs, rice, and tea. It was less healthy than what she would normally eat but she didn't care very much right now. The whole "only the finest food will grace my palate" schtick was the mask when it applied to her optics as a perfect pretty girl It made her feel powerful.

She put the rice on and waited in silence until about 10 minutes before the rice would be done. She then greased the pan, turned on the stove, and started to boil the tea water. She cracked open an egg into the pan, and out came a double yolk. "Still got it," she grinned. As she fried the eggs she thought she saw her and Saiki's faces on opposite yolks. She immediately pushed the thoughts out of her mind.

That's too lucky, even for me.

She ate breakfast in silence. After she was finished, she cleaned up and did the dishes immediately. She normally worked out now, but today she wasn't in the mood. She still had a bit of time before the sheets were done. She decided to sweep up the dirt from the floor and mop it down. She herself had never made a mess before, but she got used to cleaning up after others in the classroom and around the house. After she was done cleaning, the washer beeped. She transferred the sheets and loaded her clothes. She then approached her vanity to brush her hair and thought about what to do for the rest of the day.

I have to talk to him.

She finished brushing her hair and donned a white dress with black bow strings. She hadn't realized it at first but it was what she wore when she met Saiki. She chuckled at the observation and transferred the laundry again. She neatly folded the sheets, put them in her closet, and put a fresh pair on her bed. Her brother wouldn't be back until late so she felt comfortable not folding clothes just yet. She drummed up her confidence, turned up her aura, and pinned on the last piece of her outfit, a smile.

Showtime.