Saiki Kusuo was looking forward to life – for the very first time in what felt like an eternity of existence, Kusuo was starting to look forward to life and what it was to bring. He had purpose in life: to make Nadeshiko fall in love with him so much so that she will agree to remain a part of his life forever. So that she would accept her position as the love of his life and one day, marry him just as he had envisioned the very day that they had first met each other.
However, this was not something that Kusuo could force onto Nadeshiko. His precious person was someone who struggled with making friends and appeared to have her insecurities. She had accepted him as her friend, and that had been the first step in the right direction. Now, the rest was upon him to make sure that she would not regret this, and he would make her feel as wonderful as she made him fell.
I must make her fall in love with me.
And that was what Kusuo was working upon as the weekend approached. His parents were about to head out for a wedding in the afternoon and were set to return after the sundown. It was the perfect opportunity for him to invite Nadeshiko over for lunch and build more association with her.
Kuniharu and Kurumi had the boy come down to lock the front door, which Kusuo felt was a wise decision before they also thought that they needed to give him instructions, which he felt was not necessary coming from them.
"Watch the house while we're out, okay, Ku-Chan?" Kurumi said as she turned to look at her pink-haired son. "We'll be home around dusk,"
"I wish Kirishima wouldn't have his wedding at the height of summer," commented Kuniharu. "Man, I mean, this heat is unbearable. Right, honey?"
"It'll be hotter outside," Kurumi replied.
"It's hot because you guys are clinging to each other," Kusuo responded, looking at the rather unsightly sight of his parents bound tightly to each other.
That was something that he disliked about couples – the need to either fight till death or cling onto each other once they were dolled for a public appearance. Kusuo tried not to think about the way his heart slid on the thought of making an appearance somewhere with Nadeshiko as a 'couple'.
Would Kusuo also find himself unable to
keep his hands to himself in that situation?
It wouldn't be the same situation as his parents, of course, Kusuo tried to reason, or like other such couples. His Nadeshiko was understanding and sweet, and she was so lovely that he wouldn't be able to keep himself away from in any situation, much less just when she was dressed up.
"Anyway, Kusuo, are you sure you don't wanna come?" asked Kuniharu, still clinging onto his wife. "You've met Kirishima before, right?"
There was no way that Kusuo was going to this wedding – at first glance, weddings appeared to be an occasion full of joy but being able to hear the thoughts of others, including twisted emotions like pity and jealousy, he'd rather not celebrate the unhappiness of others.
Weddings were always described as a happy occasion, but it was only happy for those who could not see those emotions. Kusuo suddenly felt a sense of dread – would the situation be the same in his case? Maybe Nadeshiko would consider a tiny wedding...
"I'll pass," Kusuo answered, snapping out of his thoughts and trying to contain the shiver that almost went down his spine. "I'll stay back,"
"I see," Kuniharu said. "That's too bad. Your psychic powers would've really livened up the party,"
"My psychic powers aren't for entertainment," responded Kusuo.
Once his parents had finally left the house, Kusuo locked the front door and turned to go down the list of things that he needed to do before he invited Nadeshiko over. The most important venture was to get some tasty lunch – Nadeshiko liked a fusion of traditional Japanese food and Kusuo was going to serve it to her today.
But the thoughts of food were squashed when Kusuo noticed the condition of his home. It was absolutely disgusted with how messy it was – dusty surfaces, rubbish bins overflowing, unwashed dishes and clothes strewn everywhere. Kusuo could never let Nadeshiko's pretty eyes be assaulted by this sight.
I will be kicked out of her favour if she was to see this.
Putting the thoughts of food aside for now, Kusuo decided that he was quickly clean up the house first. He used his abilities to clear out the clothes, sending them off to the laundry room before emptying the rubbish bins into two bags – recyclable and non-recyclable.
While that was going on, the idea of browsing through his new social media did not appear to be rather bad. Kusuo pulled out his phone to have a look if Nadeshiko had made any new post, curated with her favourite pictures from the summery august. There was one – posted mere minutes ago – and Kusuo quickly took a look at it.
On the very first slide was a sunny picture of a large sunflower, followed by a dazzling blue sky, the picture of the beach they had visited together, the bowl of ramen they had together, the cosy shot of the café where they revealed their secrets, the blueberry cookies that he had bought her, and the Takoyaki that he had shared with her – and his hands were in the picture.
Somehow, Kusuo had become a part of Nadeshiko's life even in her online world. He felt over the world, and he felt as if he could float like the trash around him. He contained himself, however, and took a look at the two pictures that Nadeshiko had of herself in this curation.
Both of them were taken in what appeared to be her bedroom – in one picture, Nadeshiko had taken a mirror picture in the outfit that she wore to the beach, and the other one was in her summer school uniform, smiling softly in both.
Kusuo stared at those pictures for a very long time before he snapped back into attention that he needed to get going with the work in hand if he wanted to see the beauty in the pictures in real life.
Dust covered not only the surfaces but also beneath the furniture. Kusuo remembered Nadeshiko once mentioning that she had dust allergies during the autumn and so, he levitated all the furniture so that he could clean beneath them. Nadeshiko should feel welcome in this house.
How could anyone allow the room to get this dirty?
Seriously, what if bugs –
Those words were cut off mid-thought as Kusuo's eyes fell onto a cockroach that had climbed its way up the side of the wall, its antenna moving in an inquisitive rhythm. Kusuo's jaw dropped, and he vanished from his spot before even he himself realised it, trying to get to his safe spot when –
This isn't my bedroom.
Rather than getting into a safe spot or going far away from the tiny beast of a critter, Kusuo had arrived in a new place – a place that was faintly recognisable. He fell from the air and was caught by a startled pair of arms. Kusuo turned his head to find his eyes meeting with another pair.
... pair of eyes so beautiful that they could only belong to one person.
Nadeshiko was staring at Kusuo in surprise, holding him up in her arms bridal style with surprising strength and it appeared that they currently in her bedroom. The eye contact was longer than necessary and Kusuo felt himself turning hot beneath his skin.
"Kusuo-Kun?" Nadeshiko asked, and Kusuo felt like he could burst into flames right in her arms. "Are you doing okay...? You came out of nowhere... are your powers malfunctioning?"
"I slipped," Kusuo replied, lying quickly and helping himself down from her arms no matter how much he wanted to stay there. "And I teleported accidently,"
"Ah, I see," Nadeshiko said, and she gave him a smile. "Just be careful, hm? You must not get hurt,"
"I'll be careful," Kusuo assured her. "Sorry about breaking into your house so unexpectedly. I'm not disturbing you, am I? I'll just leave right now,"
Before Nadeshiko could offer anything to the boy, he bid his goodbye and quickly teleported back to his home, returning to his bedroom. He grabbed his head, feeling the embarrassment bursting to get out of his body over what he had just done, especially toward Nadeshiko.
What was I thinking?
Never in a million years did Kusuo ever imagine that he would have to admit to Nadeshiko that he feared bugs. Scared was a bit much – Kusuo just found them intensely gross, and he hated them as he couldn't predict their actions.
When it came to communication, Kusuo could communicate not only with humans, but with most animals as well. But bugs were so small that Kusuo couldn't read their thoughts. Kusuo utterly despised those creatures because he couldn't tell what they'll do.
Of course, if Kusuo was to use psychokinesis, he could capture them in an instant. But he did not even want his psychokinesis to touch them.
It was frustrating for Kusuo because the only thing that he wanted to do was invite Nadeshiko over to his home so that they could have lunch together. Yet the entire plan was foiled just by the presence of the cockroach.
Had his mother been home, she would've dealt with it in a second – Kurumi was the one who dealt with bugs. She would catch them as spectacularly as a veteran infielder and release them outside.
Just as Kusuo was starting to weigh the idea of teleporting Kurumi back home for a moment, the doorbell rang. It took Kusuo a moment to recall that his mother had told him about a deliver coming through with some Yukimi Garlic Chives Daifuku.
It really was the deliveryman standing outside his front door, Kusuo could see, and there was nothing he could do about it. He had no desire to go downstairs where the cockroach was.
The deliveryman continued to press the doorbell and Kusuo had no choice but to teleport right next to the front door, reaching to open it. His eyes fell onto Nadeshiko outside, having dealt with the deliveryman and holding onto the box. Kusuo quickly moved outside, closing the door behind him.
"... Kusuo-Kun," Nadeshiko spoke, looking curiously at him. "Are you doing alright? I was just coming to your home when I saw the deliveryman... he said no one was answering so I..."
"Thank you," Kusuo replied as he received the box from the girl. "I was just in the bathroom,"
With a single look at Nadeshiko, it was clear that she was not buying what he was trying to sell. Her big, bright violet eyes were looking at him with concern and her lips were pulled into a worried frown.
The sight of such an expression on the face of her face, the love of his life, was too much for Kusuo to bear. He felt himself slowly breaking down. He had wanted to spend this day with her, feed her some delicious lunch and here he was, caring more about whether he looked uncool than doing that.
Marriage is about compromise, right?
Even if the compromise is for being uncool.
"Are you really alright, Kusuo-Kun?" Nadeshiko asked, peering at him with such soft care that Kusuo felt the ground beneath his feet leave. "I have never seen you like this before... you panicked and teleported... and then you left so quickly... the deliveryman... your expression has been strange..."
There was now an inkling in Kusuo that Nadeshiko may have felt not only great worry but also a little bit hurt due to his reckless behaviour. He could not afford to hurt her anymore with this behaviour.
"... there is a cockroach in my house," confessed Kusuo the painful truth. "And I can't find the nerve to do anything about it. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to worry or hurt you,"
"Cockroach?" Nadeshiko asked, and her expression lightened to a considerable degree. She tilted her head. "Not even with your abilities?"
"I don't want to touch them even with my psychokinesis," Kusuo replied, shuddering slightly. "And I can't predict their actions because of their tiny brains,"
Now Nadeshiko was starting to appear amused and Kusuo wondered if she would laugh at him. But she did not, instead giving him a gentle smile, "That is it? Allow me to deal with it, I will get rid of it,"
"You will?" Kusuo asked, rather surprised as he looked back at her. "Get rid of the cockroach?"
"Yes," Nadeshiko confirmed. "I will get rid of the cockroach for you," Her smile widened. "Now, if you ever feel stuck with a bug, you can always count on me to help you out,"
Kusuo stepped aside to let Nadeshiko come in before following her, looking around the place for any indication of where the bug had gone off to. But then, Nadeshiko gave him another assuring look, "Do not worry, I can locate living things from our surroundings due to a power I copied,"
Just as she had said, Nadeshiko managed to locate the cockroach hiding not far from the cabinet near the window. Kusuo followed after her, trying not to creep himself out.
"Although they are so tiny, they have a soul, do they not?" Nadeshiko spoke with a smile. "So tiny that we cannot hear or read their thoughts... yet their souls are so vividly vibrant... it stands out,"
It was clearly small talk being used to comfort him by the black-haired beauty and Kusuo found himself feeling much better – until he saw Nadeshiko reaching to grab the cockroach to throw it outside. He suddenly felt himself act up, unable to see this scene unfold –
Moments before Nadeshiko could do so, Kusuo caught her other hand and pulled her away from the cockroach, shivering as he hugged her and teleported them away from his home and to Mount Ngerchelchuus, Island of Babeldaob, Republic of Palau.
"Kusuo-Kun?" Nadeshiko asked, turning her head to look at him in surprise as the sound of rapid waterfalls entered her ears. "You teleported again in your panic...?"
"I can't have you touching that gross creature," Kusuo said and Nadeshiko stared at him. "I can't... who knows where it has been? They come out of sewers, too,"
"Ah," Nadeshiko said. "In that case, we can use psychokinesis to get the cockroach out of the house," She noticed his expression. "I will do it, trust me,"
Although rather reluctantly, Kusuo took Nadeshiko back to his home and he continued to hide behind her as they relocated where the cockroach had gone. Kusuo had no idea how she was going to do it until Nadeshiko suddenly held her hand out to him.
"Please give me your hand," Nadeshiko said. "I cannot use your psychokinesis very well, especially on living things. Souls are heavy to carry. But I can do it if I can hold your hand and copy it directly,"
It took Kusuo a moment to realise what Nadeshiko was saying with how taken he was by the thought of holding her hand. He reached out to grab it, the softness of her skin flooding his insides with warmth. Nadeshiko turned to look for the cockroach.
With that, the entire episode of the cockroach came to a close as Nadeshiko finally sent the cockroach flying out of the window. They were still holding hands when she looked at Kusuo.
"Right," Kusuo said as he let go of her hand. "Well... that was something, wasn't it?"
"It certainly was," agreed Nadeshiko. "What were you doing?" She glanced around. "Cleaning up?"
"Yeah, my parents have gone out to a wedding," Kusuo replied. "I was ... thinking I could return the favour and have you come over for lunch and some television,"
"That sounds like a wonderful idea," Nadeshiko said, and she appeared to have cheered up at the thought. "I would love to have lunch with you and watch our favourite show,"
"I never got around to cooking anything, though," Kusuo admitted, rubbing the back of his head.
"No need to worry about it," Nadeshiko assured him. "I made quite an assortment of lunch today – Katsu-sando, Octopus Karaage and homemade Dango,"
The thought of eating Nadeshiko's food made Kusuo soar, and he eagerly agreed – the two of them brought the food from her home and setting into his living room, turning the television on so that they could enjoy the late afternoon telecast of their favourite show.
It was now that Kusuo noticed that Nadeshiko was dressed in a lovely lilac over-sized hoodie, jean shorts and black tights over which she wore similarly coloured leg warmers. Just as always, she knew how to dress well and Kusuo felt like he could only find her more and more beautiful every time.
"You mentioned that you can copy powers, right?" Kusuo said once the advertisement break came through. "You must have a lot of powers, too, then, if you can do that,"
"Quite a lot of them, yes," Nadeshiko replied. "I would love to tell you all about them sometime... and you can do the same. Or we can learn them slowly, one by one,"
"Let's do that," Kusuo agreed, simply so because the lattermost meant getting to spend a lot more time with his future wife. "You mentioned living form location today – where did you get that?"
"From an old classmate of mine," Nadeshiko answered. "We were in the same middle school, he..." Kusuo's ears twitched at the pronoun. "... was my friend but he never found out my power..."
Kusuo was broiling in envy that there had been a boy before him who had become part of Nadeshiko's existence, even if through his power being copied. He had never met this boy before, but Kusuo was no longer a fan of him.
"Here, try this Octopus Karaage," Nadeshiko said, carefully holding out one from her chopstick to him, her free hand safety-netting it from below.
Nadeshiko watched him fondly as he took the bite, and Kusuo felt the delicious flavour flood his mouth, "What do you think about it, Kusuo-Kun?"
Even if that boy was first, it was going to be Kusuo who would remain for the rest of her life. Nadeshiko was a lovely girl, anyone would be lucky to be loved by her, but it was unfortunate for others because Kusuo had decided that it would be him.
"It's delicious," Kusuo assured her truthfully. "You made all of this, right? Do you enjoy cooking?" He found that to be a very warming though. "You do it well,"
"Yes, thank you, I enjoy cooking a lot," Nadeshiko said with a soft laugh. But her smile was a bit sad afterwards. "I was supposed to have lunch with my parents but..."
"Is everything alright?" asked Kusuo, and he watched as Nadeshiko renewed her smile at him.
"Yes," Nadeshiko replied. "They had to head out for an emergency business meeting in Kyoto. They said that they will be back by Monday morning,"
"Will you be alright?" Kusuo questioned at once. He didn't like the thought of the girl being by herself. "Staying at your home alone, by yourself?"
"I will be perfectly fine," Nadeshiko confirmed, and she had a very vibrant smile on her lips as she turned her head to meet her eyes with him through the curtain of her dark hair. "Because I have you so near, Kusuo-Kun,"
There were a lot of things that Nadeshiko had discovered about him today, and Kusuo wondered if it was for the good or for the bad. He had been genuinely panicked and almost forgotten to be himself – or it had been a true side of his after all. And Nadeshiko had revealed some feelings out as well.
However, whatever it was...
I'm happy about where my life is heading.
💜