𝒘𝒉𝒊𝒔𝒑𝒆𝒓𝒔 𝒐𝒇 𝒆𝒏𝒄𝒉𝒂𝒏𝒕𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕 | saiki kusuo

friendship is magic

the hum of the afternoon classes at pk academy felt like a lullaby to mikazuki. she wasn't sleepy, exactly, but she'd definitely drifted into that lazy, glassy-eyed state that crept in whenever she tried too hard to look normal. her mind was still trained on the group she'd somehow ended up with at lunch. kaidou's dramatic explanations about his powers, teruhashi's dazzling aura, nendou's sheer volume... and, of course, saiki's unreadable wall of apathy. they were an unusual bunch, to say the least.

as the teacher's voice echoed dully from the front of the room, she shot a subtle glance at saiki, who sat a few desks away, his head propped in his hand as he stared blankly at his book. he looked peaceful, detached, as though nothing happening in the room could possibly concern him. but mikazuki knew better. she could feel his awareness like a taut wire stretching through the room, his senses probing his surroundings. she was certain he knew she was watching him, even if he didn't show it.

she shifted her gaze back to her notebook, pretending to be deep in thought. she was no fool—she knew the importance of keeping her psychic abilities under wraps. it was easy enough to shield herself from his probing, but the smallest slip could draw his attention. he may not know yet, she thought, twirling her pen, but if anyone here could figure it out, it'd be him.

besides, saiki seemed to be the only one in this class with any genuine clue about what it felt like to hide who you were. she got the feeling he, too, kept his powers buried beneath a blank facade, unwilling to let anyone too close.

just then, her notebook fluttered slightly, one of its pages folding of its own accord.

she froze, her grip tightening on the pen. the air felt charged for a split second, but no one seemed to notice, except—

saiki's eyes snapped up, zeroing in on her, an eyebrow barely raised in what she could only describe as... mild curiosity? it was such a small motion, but to saiki, it was practically a scream of intrigue.

careful, she told herself, breathing in slowly. she couldn't afford any more slip-ups. she focused on smoothing her energy, closing off the tiniest leak in her shield. slowly, she let her attention drift back to the teacher's monotonous voice, hoping saiki would dismiss the flicker as a stray breeze or his own imagination.

but his gaze lingered just a fraction of a second longer than usual, his expression unreadable. then he went back to his book, the faintest crease in his brow that told her he wasn't quite as oblivious as he wanted everyone to believe.

well, that was close, she thought, pretending to scribble down notes as her mind raced. she'd been lucky; saiki was sharp, far too sharp to overlook even the smallest change in energy. she'd have to be extra careful if she wanted to keep her abilities under wraps.

finally, as the afternoon wore on, the day inched toward its close. she let herself settle back into the rhythm of the class, keeping her mind trained on the subtle, everyday sounds that grounded her: the distant hum of the air conditioner, the scratch of chalk on the board, the quiet murmur of kaidou mumbling under his breath about his "powers."

then, just as the teacher began wrapping up the lesson, nendou let out a loud, enthusiastic, "hey, guys! who's up for hanging out after school?"

mikazuki blinked, feeling a slight jolt of surprise at how quickly her name got swept into his suggestion. she wasn't exactly a "group plans" kind of person, but she supposed it was inevitable with a bunch this... energetic.

"yeah! we could show miyahara the town!" nendou continued, waving a massive hand toward her. "we can go eat somewhere, or hit up the arcade. right, saiki?"

saiki's expression didn't change, but his aura grew just a bit darker, as if he'd rather do anything in the world except go on a group outing with nendou and kaidou.

"i don't know, maybe i should—" mikazuki began, instinctively trying to find a polite way to decline. she was already exhausted from keeping her shield up all day; the idea of more time around people, even these bizarrely interesting ones, wasn't exactly appealing.

"oh, come on, it'll be fun!" teruhashi chimed in, sidling up with her trademark smile that practically sparkled. "we're all friends, right? it'd be great to have some bonding time."

she felt a wave of faint, dazzled sighs from nearby students, all drawn into teruhashi's orbit of perfection. mikazuki, though, wasn't quite as affected, but she could still feel the social pressure bearing down on her. she glanced over at saiki, who looked as if he were contemplating the deepest mysteries of the universe to avoid making eye contact.

"plus, it's always better to explore in a group," kaidou added in a conspiratorial whisper. "you never know what lurks out there... dark reunion agents, for instance. safety in numbers, right?"

mikazuki couldn't help but stifle a laugh. somehow, this strange group—half of whom believed in imaginary organizations and the other half simply tolerated them—had started to grow on her. she could feel saiki's resistance from across the room, his mind practically broadcasting an unwillingness to join in, and yet...

there was something else. the tiniest spark of curiosity, buried so deeply she almost missed it. it was faint, but it was there.

"okay, i'll go," she said finally, her voice more confident than she felt. she saw saiki's shoulders tense ever so slightly, as if he'd been hoping her decision would allow him to bow out quietly.

"oh, yes!" kaidou pumped a fist. "the more, the merrier! the jet-black wings will protect you all!"

"great!" nendou added, clearly delighted. "saiki, you're in too, right?"

saiki, at this point, looked ready to vanish into thin air. his face was perfectly blank, and she could practically feel his mental scrambling, the way he was plotting an escape. but there was no avoiding it; he'd been cornered. with a small, reluctant nod, he finally agreed, his gaze darting away as though he could pretend he hadn't.

mikazuki bit her lip to hide a smile. even with all his mental fortitude, saiki was no match for nendou's enthusiastic persistence.

"let's meet out front after class!" teruhashi said brightly, clasping her hands together. "it'll be a blast!"

the bell finally rang, and as the students began to shuffle out, mikazuki collected her things, her mind already buzzing with a mix of apprehension and curiosity. a part of her was relieved to have a distraction from her powers and her shields, even if it was with this unpredictable, lively group. and maybe... maybe she'd get another chance to see if saiki truly suspected anything about her.