Welcome to the Classroom of Espers (Classroom of the Elite x The Disastrous Life of Saiki K.)

Chapter 5: The Library's Troubles

My name is Kusuo Saiki.

How nice it would have been if I were just an ordinary high school student.

When I was a baby, my dad played “up high!” with me and I floated for seven minutes before touching the ceiling. My first conversation with my parents was through telepathy, and my very first errand was completed with teleportation. Quite the dazzling résumé, isn’t it?

Yes, I am anything but ordinary.

I am the poster child for “no way in hell I’m just another face in the crowd”—a psychic.

As my body grew, so too did my powers, reaching their peak around the fifth grade.

That’s when I awakened to mind control, a power where whatever I thought would come true—not “if only,” but actually.

Well, I’d technically used it before.

My hair has always been pink for some reason, and I was often mocked or treated like a freak. I hated that, so I once used mind control to deal with it.

Back then, it was only because I deliberately willed it. But once my psychic powers grew too strong, things escalated: whenever I so much as thought “it’d be nice if things were like this,” mind control would automatically activate and affect the entire world.

On top of that, there was my so-called “sleep powers”—shortened to slee-pow—where even something as simple as rolling over in bed could blow the house apart.

Because of that, I had to wear hairpin-shaped limiters to keep my abilities under control.

And now, I’m in high school, attending the Advanced Nurturing High School.

Built by the government on reclaimed land in Tokyo, the campus spans 600,000 square meters. Not only is there a school, but also a small city, complete with everything you need to live—food, housing, entertainment, the works.

I ended up here because my mom, on a whim, filled out the application saying, “Why not just try it?” I sat for the exam reluctantly, passed, and so here I am.

The reason may have been trivial, but being here isn’t so bad.

Dorm life is no trouble since I can teleport home whenever I want, and compared to the area around my house, there are plenty of grocery stores, entertainment facilities, even delivery services if I ever feel like it.

Two weeks after enrollment, I bought something called a germanium ring. For some reason, when I wear it, telepathy stops working.

Back home, that means my parents can suddenly barge into my room and scare the life out of me. But in the dorms, as long as I haven’t ordered a delivery, nobody ever comes to my room, so I can wear it with peace of mind.

Besides, it’s not just my home, dorm, or bathroom where I can relax.

There’s also the library.

It’s a room made for reading, so the only natural sounds are books being taken out and put back, pages turning, chairs scraping, and footsteps.

On top of that, when people are absorbed in reading, they’re not really thinking, just immersed in the world of the book. That means their inner voices don’t leak out, and the place stays blissfully quiet.

Sometimes students use it to study, but since they’re focused on their work, I rarely hear any careless muttering.

Of course, things will probably change once exams draw closer. But until then, this gentle silence continues.

Still, my peaceful days didn’t last long.

(That man has been standing in front of the mystery section for ages… What exactly is he looking for?)

The Advanced Nurturing High School library, being state-run, is quite large and holds an impressive collection of books.

Although outside information is restricted, new arrivals sometimes bear publication dates as recent as a week ago. It’s clear the administration puts real effort into keeping the shelves stocked.

Few students visit the library regularly, which in turn means there aren’t many avid readers. For me, that also meant fewer spoilers. But today, it seems I’ve caught the attention of a troublesome one.

(If I recall correctly… that was the story where a cult leader confessed to killing with psychic powers, but in reality, it was his wife who used a scientific weapon to commit the murder.)

Exactly.

There’s a girl who must have discovered this library before me, and judging from her constant presence, she’s become something of a bookworm. The problem is, I’m getting nonstop spoilers for whatever book I try to pick up.

I had been relieved that the librarian wasn’t much of a mystery or suspense fan, meaning I didn’t have to suffer the same troubles I did back at the neighborhood video rental store. But the moment I let my guard down, this happens.

(He ended up putting it back again… Hmm, maybe I should just introduce him to a book myself. It might be meddling, but…)

That’s meddling way beyond necessary. And besides, this whole situation is your fault.

Her long hair gives her a quiet, reserved appearance, but her personality is stubborn and strong-willed—in other words, a pain in the neck for me.

Still, if she can spoil the very books I’m reaching for, that means she likes the same mystery novels I do.

If not for telepathy, maybe I could have struck up a conversation with her, bonded over our shared tastes, and had a nice chat. But then again, without telepathy, I wouldn’t even have realized she was into mysteries in the first place. Seems I’ve got a twisted personality of my own.

(Ah…)

Realizing she was about to meddle for real, I quickly stepped away from the mystery section.

It stung to see her looking disappointed, but I’d had enough of new books being spoiled before I could even start them.

(Sigh… I was hoping to finally recommend him something even I hadn’t read yet, and hear what he thought…)

Wait. Something even she hasn’t read?

That means such books exist here? Well, of course they do. The collection in this library is massive—so massive that even if one or two went missing, nobody would notice.

No matter how much of a bookworm she is, it’s impossible for her to have read everything.

(Ah, he came back…)

Alright then, which one is it?

Which book hasn’t she read?

From what I’ve gathered so far, she’s already covered anything popular enough to get adapted into other media.

And not just those—she’s also gone through other works by the same authors.

That narrows it down to writers who haven’t yet had an adaptation, and who don’t have many works published.

So which one is it…?

I like mysteries, sure, but I don’t buy novels often. Whenever I go to a bookstore, customers or even the staff have a bad habit of spoiling things for me.

So honestly, I have no clue which titles have been adapted, or who counts as a “big-name” author.

Well, the only rule of thumb I know is that popular writers tend to be prolific—like Osamu Tezuka, though he’s not a novelist.

I could just straightforwardly ask her. But if someone who’s never even spoken to her suddenly said, “Hey, could you point me toward a mystery novel you haven’t read yet?” she’d probably be bewildered.

I had no choice—I’d have to figure it out on my own, fumbling through and watching her reactions.

(Ah, that’s the one where the company’s accountant was thought to have embezzled funds, but in the end, it turns out the president framed her…)

Not that one.

(That’s the story where a young man bumped into a salaryman, lost his temper and pushed him down the stairs, killing him. Then, to make it look like self-defense, he had a friend rough him up before turning himself in, but the plan backfired and he got caught.)

…Is there any book you don’t know?

(He ended up putting them all back. They’re all good books, too.)

This is your fault.

Sigh… oh well. I’ll call it bad luck today and come back another time.

“U-Um.”

From a few meters behind me, the girl who had been quietly watching finally gathered her courage and spoke to me.

“You’re looking for a mystery novel, right?”

Well, after wandering around the mystery section this much, that much was obvious.

“If you’d like, I know a good one I could recommend.”

She told me to follow her, then walked away from the mystery shelves, heading toward a different area.

It was the new arrivals section—the place where freshly stocked books were displayed.

“Here it is.”

She picked out a single volume and handed it to me.

“This was published just a week before we enrolled here. I wanted to read it before coming, but I didn’t have the time… Still, the librarian told me it would be arriving today, so I’ve been looking forward to it.”

—In that case, shouldn’t you be the one to read it first?

“I’d love to, but I’m in the middle of another book right now. Besides, it looked like you were searching for a mystery you hadn’t read yet.”

(So that’s what it was. When he put the books back, he wasn’t rejecting them—he was checking his memory to see if he’d already read them. That makes sense now. I can’t believe I’ve met someone at this school who loves mysteries as much as I do.)

I knew about the ones that had been adapted into other media, sure, but I can’t exactly admit that the only reason I put books back was because she spoiled them for me. So I accepted the book she offered.

“Go ahead, you can read it first. Ah, but please don’t spoil it for me, okay? I’m looking forward to this one.”

Good grief. After spoiling countless books for me, she has the nerve to say that?

Well, I guess the one at fault is me, for having telepathy in the first place.

(Oh, that’s right—)

Just as I was about to head to the checkout desk with the book in hand, she seemed to remember something.

“Sorry, I never asked your name. I’m Hiyori Shiina, Class 1-C.”

I told her I was Kusuo Saiki, Class 1-B. She gave me a gentle smile.

“All right then, Saiki-kun. When you finish it, please let me know. And once I’ve read it too, I’d love to trade impressions with you… if that’s okay?”

…Well, since she went out of her way to let me read the book she’d been wanting to start, I suppose I owe her at least that much courtesy.

“Great. Then, see you here again.”

With that, Shiina-san returned to the seat she’d been at before, the one where she’d been quietly watching me.

Honestly, it seems I won’t find much peace and quiet in this library either… But if it means having someone to share thoughts on things I like, maybe it’s not such a bad deal.

Thinking that, I headed over to the counter to check out the book.

“Yes, checking this out? Please show me your student ID.”

(Oh, this one? I actually read it on a whim once. Turns out the culprit was the doctor’s son. That was a surprise—who’d expect the son of a doctor to become a burglar? Life really is full of twists, isn’t it?)

—You’ve gotta be kidding me. Even here I get spoiled?

Well. Life really is full of surprises.

<+>

Author’s Notes

All of the mystery stories that came up this time do have original sources. If you managed to recognize them all, that’s pretty impressive.

I was thinking, if I’m going to introduce Shiina-san, I might as well tie her in with Ayanokoji. Then I checked when those two actually met, and it turns out it was during the Paper Shuffle exam arc (Volume 6, I think).

Wait—really? I could’ve sworn it was earlier. But then I realized that in a lot of fanfics Shiina-san tends to show up earlier, so that must have thrown me off.

So yeah—she’s showing up earlier here, too. At supersonic speed!

Also, I’m a little worried whether my emulation of Shiina-san here, and Amikura-san in the previous chapter, is working. If anything feels off, please do let me know.

I don’t plan on breaking any potential Ayanokoji flags, but from Saiki’s perspective, someone like Shiina-san—straightforward, genuine, without hidden sides—would be a person he’d find likable. 

On the other hand, Saiki doesn’t handle two-faced types like Teruhashi very well. Still, he can respect the effort she puts into being acknowledged by those around her, so depending on how they interacted, he might actually have a good impression of Kushida too.

Anyway, see you next time.