Saiki Kusuo no Ψ-nan: Elite

Chapter 9: His Name is Saiki... What Was It Again?

【Is Kushida eating with someone?】

Saiki knew they had drawn attention.

【That guy... he's from our Class D, isn't he? What's his name, Sai-something?】

Saiki sighed internally. Kushida's presence made them the center of attention, which he didn't enjoy.

【I envy him. It’s a great boon to be able to eat with the class angel!】

‘If only they knew her real thoughts.'

Saiki had had his fill of desserts and didn't seek further interaction.

"Kushida-san! Saiki-san! You're here!"

The energetic voice of Ichinose, Saiki's first acquaintance outside his class, rang out. She was outgoing and considered Saiki and Kushida her friends, despite their brief acquaintance.

Saiki's mind buzzed with the increased attention.

【Another beauty!】

【That's B class's Ichinose, right?】

【Why does he get to be with them?】

Saiki glanced at the source of these thoughts, feeling a bit helpless. 

Ichinose's arrival only increased the scrutiny on him. He hadn't expected such attention from such extroverted characters upon coming to this school.

Sudo Ken, Yamaguchi Haruki, and Ike Kanji – these three were on Saiki's mental list of people to avoid at all costs. He equated them with simian creatures in his mind, determined to steer clear of any involvement.

"You two seem really close! Could it be that you're already—"

Ichinose's face lit up with a meaningful smile, her tone brimming with gossip.

"Already together?"

"No, no, not at all!"

Kushida's face turned red, feigning the typical bashful girl response. But this innocent act was just a façade; she had no intention of including Saiki in her romantic pursuits.

"I asked Saiki-kun to help me communicate with Suzune-chan, hoping to improve our relationship... but things didn't go as planned."

"Oh, is that so?"

Ichinose raised an eyebrow in slight confusion.

"Did you know each other before? Why would Suzune-san act that way towards you?"

Upon hearing "Did you know each other before?", Kushida's expression momentarily shifted. Although it was brief, Saiki caught the change. While Kushida appeared to want to get closer to Suzune Horikita, her actual aim was to use various means to get Suzune expelled.

"I don't know. Maybe Suzune-chan isn't good with interpersonal relations."

Kushida shrugged her shoulders, skillfully dodging Ichinose's initial question, as if her acquaintance with Suzune had only begun after school started.

"I still want to do my best to unify our class."

"If that's the case, maybe I can offer some advice!"

Ichinose eagerly shared her experiences from Class B with Kushida, hoping to provide some helpful insights.

Unlike Kushida's pretense, Ichinose was genuinely warm and sincere. In just a day, she had blended well with her classmates, reflecting a stark contrast to Kushida's duplicity.

However, Saiki didn't care about these things. He just looked helplessly at the two people who were chatting in front of him. It would be impossible to leave the table for a while.

After chatting with Ichinose Honami, Kushida, and the others, it had already been ten minutes later. For Saiki, this was the longest ten minutes of his life. He could have done much more in these ten minutes, but since he had accepted Kushida's treat, it didn't seem right to leave abruptly.

"Saiki-kun, do you want to go back to the dormitory together?" Kushida asked, her gaze fixed on Saiki, who immediately shook his head in refusal.

Kushida and Ichinose Honami could be considered beauties. Whenever they were walking outside, they would always attract the attention of others. If Saiki accompanied them, he would also attract a lot of unwanted attention — perhaps even hostile stares.

Moreover, Saiki had other plans later; he intended to visit other places in the school, like the library. He had heard it had all kinds of books, and reading detective novels was one of his few hobbies.

"Then, Saiki-kun, see you tomorrow!" Kushida smiled and waved at Saiki, then left, looking very close with Ichinose Honami.

Before Saiki could stand up, Ken, Yamauchi, and Ike Kanji immediately surrounded him.

"Hey, are you dating Kikyo?" Ike asked earnestly, his eyes locked on Saiki.

【Could it be that Saiki is really dating Kikyo? Unacceptable!】

'Hey, hey, hey, you don't even know my name and you're trying to talk to me? We've only spoken at the beginning of the school year, and you've known Kushida for less than two days, yet you already call her Kikyo. Terrifying.'

Saiki's gaze held a hint of disdain as he looked at them, but to avoid trouble, he still shaked his head.

"Ha ha, I knew it, how could you two progress so fast!" The trio laughed, clutching their heads.

"Sorry, sorry, we didn't mean anything by it, just curious!"

'Just curious? You were thinking, 'How could Kikyo possibly be with such an ordinary guy, why not me!' weren't you?'

Saiki commented inwardly, expressionless.

Now, he was even more convinced that these three were no different from idiots.