Saiki Kusuo no Ψ-nan: Elite

Chapter 10: An Encounter in the Library, The Appearance of Hiyori Shiina

After the trio of fools left, Saiki headed straight for the school library.

'Ah, since yesterday was the first day of school, I needed to buy some daily necessities and figure out how to use the jelly machine, so I didn't have time to check out the library.'

'I heard it has a rich collection of novels. Maybe I can find some obscure masterpieces.'

'Although most of the people in this school seem abnormal, the resources are indeed abundant. Coming here was indeed a good choice.'

Thinking this, Saiki's lips curled into a slight smile. For him, a person with psychic abilities, reading detective novels was one of the few things he could enjoy.

The most important element was suspense.

Due to his telepathic abilities, everyday life held no surprises for Saiki. Watching movies, for instance, became predictable since the thoughts of those around him would spoil the plot if it wasn't a premiere. Moreover, in a closed space like a cinema, the voices in people's heads were especially loud and disruptive, making it impossible for him to enjoy the film.

Therefore, Saiki preferred solitary entertainment activities, and reading novels was one of them.

Saiki briskly entered the library. Although he had briefly scanned the library before the school year started, his invisibility could only last up to ten minutes. Thus, he had only observed the library's layout without really looking at the books. However, the library's vast size, capable of accommodating the entire school, suggested a rich variety of books.

This anticipation excited Saiki even more.

Looking around, he noticed that the library wasn't very crowded, with only a few senior students scattered around. After all, for most young people, there were more thrilling and enjoyable forms of entertainment than reading books in a library.

'There are not many people here, that's good.'

For Saiki, this was undoubtedly a positive aspect. He quickened his pace, eagerly using his x-ray vision to locate the detective novels section.

However, he faintly heard a strange thought.

【I can't reach it…】

'Is she also in the detective novels section?'

Saiki approached the detective novels shelf and saw a girl with long silver hair. She was not very tall, with a delicate face and light purple eyes, and her slender legs were covered in black over-knee socks.

The girl was standing on tiptoe, trying to reach a book on a higher shelf. Due to her short stature, she couldn't touch it. Her skirt swayed as she stretched, her fingertips barely grazing the side of the book, but she couldn't pull it down.

'Even if you can't reach it because of your height, I’m sorry, it's none of my business. I'm not the kind to be overly helpful.'

That's what Saiki thought.

【The man next to me might be able to reach it... but I'm too shy to ask…】

【I don't know how to interact with others... It's been two days since school started, but I still don't know many people in my class…】

【What should I do... Should I talk to him? He came to this section, so does he also like detective novels?】

While the girl was thinking this, she glanced at Saiki out of the corner of her eye, her face full of hesitation and a bit of fear of being noticed.

Just as the girl was indecisive, the book she had been trying to reach seemed to shake a little, then lost balance and fell.

"Eh?"

The girl caught the book with a bit of surprise, as if her previous efforts had finally paid off and the book had fallen down by itself.

Of course, this was not 'luck' but Saiki, who had used his psychokinesis to slightly move the book outwards, allowing the girl to barely touch it.

Just now, Saiki had heard the girl's thoughts, learning that she wanted this particular book and also her name.

Hiyori Shiina, apparently a student in class C.

'Ah, well, I'll help you out a little, to save us both some trouble.'

Saiki mused to himself, then shifted his gaze to the books in front of him, beginning to choose a novel that suited his taste.

If it was just about borrowing books, as long as he returned them within the stipulated time, the point consumption was negligible.

Saiki's eyes scanned the rows of books. He had read many detective novels before but preferred those that were not very famous. Fame meant many readers, and telepathy would inevitably spoil the plot for him, so he leaned towards obscure novels.

Although obscure novels often lacked quality and some had far-fetched plots, they were better choices for Saiki. Finding a high-quality one was like discovering a treasure.

His eyes landed on a book he hadn't heard of before and reached out to take it.

【It's Simmons' 'Kill Yourself'. He's actually choosing this one! It starts with the gimmick of killing oneself, but later…】

Just as Saiki's fingers touched the novel, Hiyori Shiina's mind involuntarily went through the entire plot.

'...'

At this moment, Saiki's face was lined with frustration.

He had intentionally chosen a seemingly obscure novel, not expecting that the quiet-looking girl beside him had read it.

'Maybe this book isn't that obscure after all, let's try another one.'

Saiki then moved his fingers to another book.

【He's choosing this one? The plot of this book is very interesting; he'll never guess the protagonist is actually the murderer—】

【He changed to another book? That doctor actually forged an alibi—】

【This book's overall quality is average, but the suspense is well done—】