School festival preparations

Bai Ying stretched as he leaned back in his seat, eyes scanning the classroom lazily. The previous day's events still lingered in his mind—Saiki's reluctant invitation, the unexpectedly comfortable atmosphere at his house, and the small but significant moments in between.

He hadn't expected to enjoy himself so much. More importantly, he hadn't expected Saiki to let him stay for as long as he had.

That had to count for something.

[System Notice: User's Affection Level with Saiki Kusuo has increased by 0.2.]

Bai Ying's lips curled slightly. Progress was progress.

His musings were interrupted when their homeroom teacher clapped his hands, calling for the class's attention.

"Alright, everyone! With the school festival coming up, it's time to decide on our class booth. Any suggestions?"

Excited chatter filled the room immediately.

"A haunted house!"

"A butler café?"

"How about something simple, like a food stall?"

Bai Ying stayed quiet, resting his chin on his palm as he watched the conversation unfold. He wasn't particularly invested in what they picked—until a familiar voice spoke up.

"What about a crossdressing maid café?"

The room fell into stunned silence. All heads turned toward Chiyo Yumehara, who beamed with enthusiasm, completely unaware of the chaos she had just unleashed.

"A maid café?" one of the boys echoed hesitantly. "But… crossdressing?"

"That's—"

"I REFUSE!" Kaidou wailed. "The Dark Reunion will use this opportunity to tarnish my reputation!"

"Actually, I think it's a great idea!" Hairo declared, practically glowing with determination. "It'll challenge our preconceived notions of masculinity and encourage teamwork!"

Bai Ying barely held back his laughter. What a ridiculous turn of events.

He turned his gaze toward Saiki, fully expecting the psychic to be internally screaming. Sure enough, the faintest twitch of Saiki's eyebrow betrayed his deep regret.

The class erupted into chaotic discussion, half of the students protesting while the other half debated the logistics of forcing the guys into frilly dresses.

"I mean, it could be fun," one girl mused.

"I am NOT wearing a maid outfit," a boy groaned.

"Don't be so close-minded! It's about the experience!"

Chiyo, still beaming, clapped her hands together. "It'll be super popular! Everyone loves maid cafés, and if we make it crossdressing, it'll be even more unique! It'll totally boost our class's reputation!"

"Boost our class's reputation or humiliate half of the students?" someone muttered.

Bai Ying listened in amusement, glancing toward Saiki to gauge his reaction.

Predictably, Saiki looked like he was contemplating erasing the entire conversation from existence.

"Alright, alright," the teacher finally interrupted, rubbing his temples. "Since this idea seems to be gaining traction, let's take a vote. Everyone in favor of the crossdressing maid café, raise your hand."

To Bai Ying's absolute delight, more than half the class—including most of the girls—enthusiastically raised their hands.

Saiki, of course, did not.

Nendou, beside him, was grinning. "A maid café, huh? Sounds fun! I'd make a pretty good maid, don'tcha think?"

Bai Ying snorted. "You'd definitely be something."

Nendou grinned wider, taking it as a compliment.

The teacher sighed. "Looks like the crossdressing maid café wins."

Another wave of groans and reluctant acceptance rippled through the room. Kaidou was still mourning his dignity, and Saiki… well, Saiki was still looking at everyone like he wanted to set the classroom on fire with his mind.

Bai Ying leaned toward him, voice low. "You okay there, Saiki? You look like you just experienced ten years' worth of suffering in one minute."

Saiki gave him a deadpan stare. "I don't know what you're talking about."

Bai Ying grinned. "Don't worry. I'm sure you'll make a lovely maid."

Saiki's eyebrow twitched. "I am not wearing a maid outfit."

"Mm." Bai Ying hummed. "We'll see."

The class settled down—mostly. A few students were still grumbling about the maid café, but the decision had been made. Now, it was time to plan logistics.

"So," Hairo said, clapping his hands together with far too much energy. "If we're running a café, that means we need food and drinks! Who here can cook?"

A brief silence filled the room. Then, almost immediately—

"Makoto can!"

Bai Ying blinked, turning to see Teruhashi smiling at him, her expression radiating pure confidence.

Saiki, next to him, exhaled slowly.

A dozen pairs of eyes turned to Bai Ying, some with curiosity, others with interest.

Bai Ying sighed, tilting his head toward Teruhashi. "And what gave you that idea?"

She smiled sweetly. "You made that soufflé for me when we were kids, remember?"

Oh. Right. Makoto Teruhashi, devoted brother, apparently had baking skills.

Bai Ying forced a small, modest chuckle. "Ah, that. It wasn't anything special."

"It was amazing," Teruhashi insisted. "If you cook for the café, it'll be a guaranteed success!"

The class immediately latched onto the idea.

"Ohhh, that's perfect!"

"If Teruhashi's brother made it, it's gotta be good."

"We have our chef, then!"

Bai Ying resisted the urge to sigh. There was no easy way out of this now.

"Well," he said smoothly, smiling, "I suppose I could help out."

The class cheered.

Saiki, however, was staring at him with the kind of blank expression that suggested deep resignation.

Bai Ying raised an eyebrow. "What?"

Saiki's voice was flat. "This is your fault."

Bai Ying blinked, genuinely confused. "How? I didn't do anything."

Saiki narrowed his eyes slightly, as if trying to determine whether Bai Ying was lying or just naturally chaotic and who knows—maybe Makoto had somehow found a way to hide his thoughts - with how chaotic he was, Saiki wouldn't even be surprised, he thought grimly.

Meanwhile, the planning continued around them—students eagerly dividing tasks, debating over decorations, and spiraling into minor arguments over maid outfit designs. Bai Ying leaned back, watching the chaos unfold with amusement. He had to admit, as absurd as it all was, it was kind of fun.

And then, someone asked, "What kind of desserts are we serving?"

Another round of debate started—cakes, cookies, pastries. Bai Ying, half-listening, tapped his fingers against the desk.

He could already feel Saiki's attention shifting toward him.

A slow smile formed on Bai Ying's lips.

"I'll make coffee jelly," he said casually.

Saiki's entire body went still.

There was a beat of silence before one of the girls perked up. "Oh! That's a great idea! We need more variety, and coffee jelly would be unique!"

"Right? It's simple, but it'll definitely sell."

Bai Ying could feel Saiki's gaze burning into the side of his head. He turned, making sure to meet Saiki's eyes, his smirk widening.

Saiki did not look amused.

Bai Ying, on the other hand, maintained his smug expression. He wasn't sure what was more entertaining—the fact that Saiki was clearly resisting the urge to react or the fact that Bai Ying had so easily found a way to get under his skin.

He hummed, tilting his head slightly. "Something wrong, Saiki?"

Saiki's voice was flat. "No."

The class was still busy discussing menu ideas, completely oblivious to the silent exchange happening between them.

Bai Ying leaned in ever so slightly. "You're looking at me like you have something to say."

Saiki didn't respond. He just kept staring.

Bai Ying's smirk grew. "Well, if you're excited for the coffee jelly, just say so."

Saiki picked up his pen and wrote on his notebook:

Shut up.

Bai Ying chuckled under his breath. How cute.

The conversation eventually shifted toward ingredients and preparations. Hairo was taking notes like his life depended on it, and Kaidou—after dramatically claiming that the Dark Reunion might sabotage their food—somehow got assigned to inventory checks.

Bai Ying, meanwhile, was now the unofficial head of the kitchen, much to his mild amusement.

He leaned back in his chair, arms crossed. "So, when's the first cooking trial?"

Hairo perked up. "That's a great idea! We should do a test run after school sometime this week."

Teruhashi beamed. "We can do it at my house if needed!"

"Great! We'll finalize the details tomorrow!" Hairo exclaim enthusiasticly.

Teruhashi, smiling brightly, clasped her hands together. "Then it's settled! We'll do a test run at my house after school"

The class spent the rest of the period finalizing the logistics. Once the plan was set, the school bell rang, signaling the end of the day.

As they packed up, Chiyo sighed dreamily. "A cooking test run at Makoto-kun's house… it almost sounds like a date."

Teruhashi's brow twitched. "It's a group test run."

"But still," Chiyo insisted, glancing between Bai Ying and Saiki. "You two have been spending a lot of time together lately."

Bai Ying smiled. "Jealous?"

Chiyo turned red. "N-No! I was just making an observation!"

Saiki, completely ignoring the conversation, picked up his bag and started toward the door. Bai Ying, of course, followed.

Bai Ying found himself walking alongside Saiki as they left the building. The class had settled on meeting at his place for the dessert-making trial run, and Bai Ying was already considering what ingredients he needed to prepare.

He glanced at Saiki, who had been uncharacteristically quiet. "So," Bai Ying started, "do you actually know how to make coffee jelly, or am I about to teach you the ways of dessert mastery?"

Saiki didn't respond immediately. His gaze stayed ahead, his face blank as ever. Then, after a moment, he muttered, "I don't cook."

Bai Ying blinked, taken aback. "Seriously?"

Saiki gave him a pointed look.

A slow smirk crept onto Bai Ying's face. "Oh, this is interesting."

"It's not," Saiki deadpanned.

Bai Ying chuckled. "I just assumed you could make it, considering how much you love the stuff."

"I can buy it," Saiki replied.

"Cheater."

Saiki ignored that. "You're sure about hosting this?"

Bai Ying shrugged. "Why not? Besides, it's just a few people. What's the worst that could happen?"

Saiki shot him a look.

Bai Ying grinned. "Alright, fair, but I doubt it'll be that bad."

Saiki remained skeptical. He had seen firsthand how easily Bai Ying attracted chaos, and throwing a bunch of classmates into the mix seemed like a disaster waiting to happen.

Still, there was nothing he could do to change it now. He sighed. "Just don't burn down the kitchen."

"No promises," Bai Ying said cheerfully.

As they walked, Saiki found himself glancing at Bai Ying from the corner of his eye. The way he easily embraced the ridiculousness of this world was… frustratingly effortless. He was supposed to be an anomaly, yet he fit into the chaos as if he belonged to it.

And, despite everything, Saiki couldn't ignore the way his presence had begun to feel less like an intrusion and more like something… expected.

Something routine.

He pushed that thought aside.

For now.