Saiki Kusuo no Ψ-nan: Elite

Chapter 12: Sensei, Are You a Stalker?

"Sorry, sorry, I just went on and on! But I was only recommending a few novels! Whether you like them or not is up to you!"

Shiina hurriedly waved her hand at Saiki.

【Oh no, I've just met him and already talked so much! Is that too impolite? I finally met someone with similar interests and even started a conversation; I can't let him dislike me!】

'...'

Meanwhile, Saiki stood somewhat helplessly in front of her.

'Although you genuinely recommended some good novels to me, you spoiled them as soon as you mentioned their titles...'

"It's okay."

That was all Saiki could respond, looking down at the books Shiina had handed him, which he had instinctively accepted.

'Although I don't want to interact too much with others, directly refusing her might not be good. Shiina doesn't seem to have many friends, unlike Kushida, so it probably won't have much impact.'

Saiki thought this to himself.

'Next time I come to the library, I should try to avoid her. A spoiled detective novel is like a chocolate cookie without the chocolate, bland and uninteresting.'

"By the way, Saiki-san... Maybe I'm overthinking, but there's something I feel I should tell you. The 100,000 points distributed by the school each month might have some conditions for use!"

Although it was their first meeting, Shiina considered Saiki a precious friend, so she kindly warned him,

"I don't think the government would distribute such a large sum of money without restrictions for us high school students to manage. I've noticed there are quite a few surveillance cameras in the school. It's possible that the points distributed each month are related to students' performance in school!"

'This girl has impressive observation skills.'

Saiki inwardly expressed his admiration. His classmates hadn't noticed this, but Shiina had. Perhaps due to her love of detective novels, she had exceptional observational skills.

"Indeed."

Although Saiki was more informed about the school's rules than any other first-year student, he pretended as if he had just learned about them.

"Hmm..."

After speaking, Shiina bit her lip, seemingly struggling with something. Her face turned slightly red, and it took her several seconds to speak again.

"Umm... would it be okay to exchange contact information... maybe... we could talk about... novels sometime?"

Asking to exchange contact information was something Shiina had never done before. She had always been poor at interacting with others, preferring solitude and books. Without anyone around who shared her interests, Shiina had few friends. Now, just two days into the new school year, in a new environment with new classmates, making friends was even more challenging for her.

So, seeing Saiki, who shared her interest in novels, she was eager to interact more with him.

Hearing Shiina's request, Saiki initially planned to refuse. He didn't want much interaction with her. He had reluctantly accepted Kushida due to her formidable character and wide social network, which could cause trouble if offended, and she was also his classmate, making it normal to exchange contact information.

However, Shiina wasn't in his class, and Saiki had no plans for deeper interaction.

【I finally said it! I've never asked someone to exchange contact information before... it's so hard... I'm still not good at communicating with others... but this is a rare chance to make a friend at school…】

"Okay."

Saiki nodded, agreeing to her request.

'Communicating through the phone means I don't have to worry about spoilers, and maybe I can ask her for novel recommendations through messages.'

Saiki thought to himself.

...

After a brief exchange, Shiina left the library with a clearly joyful smile on her face.

Saiki, carrying a hefty load of novels, headed back to his dormitory. The books were heavy, but not a burden for him.

【Saiki doesn't seem special. Why did the school authorities arrange for him to join at the last minute?】

At that moment, Saiki's telepathy picked up a familiar voice. It was D class's homeroom teacher, Sae Chabashira, leaning against a wall smoking, seemingly waiting for him.

Since Saiki had been specially admitted to D class, she had taken a keen interest in him and had been investigating him in secret.

【His entrance exam scores were average among all students, and other tests were very ordinary. But his physical test results were strange; some scores were high, others low.】

'After all, controlling physical abilities isn't as easy as using psychic powers. Luckily, there were others present during the entrance exam, or else I wouldn't have been able to keep my scores average. Too high or too low would be problematic.'

【There's also Ayanokoji Kiyotaka, who scored exactly fifty in all subjects. He must have calculated the scores intentionally. I heard from Director Sakayanagi about Ayanokoji, he’s apparently related to some political experiment. No wonder he was specially admitted to D class by the director. But Saiki was also specially admitted by the director, who seems to know little about him. Why?】

'You'll have to ask that man.'

Saiki silently responded in his mind.

Saiki Kusuo entered this school solely because of his brother, Saiki Kuusuke. The latter is a super-genius with an IQ of 218, having created many astonishing inventions, some of which could even change the world's political landscape. Hence, he's highly valued by the nation and holds a significant position, which is likely why the school agreed to admit Saiki Kusuo.