Chapter 83: Saiki-kun, I’ve Liked You for a Long Time!

After less than a second of thought, Saiki had made up his mind.

He really wanted to tell Ayanokoji Kiyotaka the truth—that Chabashira Sae's claims were all lies. If he did, Ayanokoji would likely give up on trying to move up to Class A, and the trouble he caused might decrease a bit.

However, although Ayanokoji had shown some of his abilities, he hadn't revealed everything about himself. So, Saiki could only give a vague answer.

"Chabashira-sensei is someone who likes to bluff. On the surface, she seems indifferent to Class A, but in reality, she probably has a strong desire to reach that goal. She's the type who would do anything to achieve it, even fabricate a series of lies."

"Bluffing, huh?"

Ayanokoji Kiyotaka narrowed his eyes slightly.

[Saiki is good at analyzing others' psychological behavior. Chabashira-sensei really is like that. For now, the information she provided me might just be lies to gain my cooperation.]

'Exactly, that's it.'

Saiki responded internally.

[But it's just a possibility. I'm not sure of the truth. If I act rashly, I might expose myself. I'll just observe for a while longer.]

'Then what's the point of asking me?'

"I see."

Ayanokoji Kiyotaka nodded.

"So, Saiki, how are you planning to handle this exam?"

"Let things take their course."

Saiki said slowly.

...

After a brief exchange, Saiki returned to his room to rest. Too much had happened today.

"Really, what kind of weirdos are in this school..."

Saiki sighed helplessly, but as soon as he lay down, his phone buzzed.

Karuizawa Kei: Are you free?

Short and direct, with no additional words.

Saiki, of course, planned to decline. He didn't want to get involved in more trouble.

But just as he finished typing "I'm busy," a new message popped up.

Karuizawa Kei: I'll treat you to dessert.

Saiki: Sure, now?

Saiki immediately got out of bed and headed to the agreed-upon location.

...

Dessert area.

Karuizawa Kei was sitting at a booth, waving at Saiki with a smile.

"Saiki-kun!"

'Yare yare, this can't be good.'

Seeing Karuizawa Kei, a girl who was usually hard to get along with, suddenly being so enthusiastic, Saiki immediately had a bad feeling.

'I just wanted to make up for accidentally mentioning your name earlier and prevent any unexpected incidents. It's definitely not because you offered to treat me to dessert.'

[Saiki... he's in the same group as me now. Besides Hirata, he's the only normal person in the class.]

'Although it feels a bit off, your judgment isn't wrong.'

[Right now, there's no one else I can rely on. Saiki is the most suitable "host."]

'Can I refuse?'

[I'll just go for it... My looks and figure should be decent... A guy like Saiki shouldn't have any reason to reject me... But then Sakura-san might get upset...]

'Why is Sakura suddenly involved?'

Saiki sat down across from Karuizawa Kei.

'Yare yare, let's just finish the food quickly. Then, no matter what she says, I'll just refuse.'

"Saiki-kun, thank you for earlier!"

Karuizawa Kei's face was bright with a smile, her amber eyes sparkling.

"Order whatever you want. It's on me."

"Oh? Then I won't hold back."

Saiki casually ordered a large amount of dessert, which added up to a significant price.

[Saiki... is really obsessed with desserts... And he's not holding back at all...]

Karuizawa Kei had previously spent a lot of points on clothes, and although she still had some left, it wasn't much. Her already limited points were now even more strained.

'Yare yare, this should make her dislike me. Hopefully, she'll give up on whatever she's planning.'

Saiki thought to himself.

[But since I've already invested so much... I can't give up now! I have to succeed in winning Saiki over!]

'This backfired, didn't it? Well, I'll deal with it later.'

Soon, the waiter brought over plate after plate of desserts. Saiki didn't hold back, picking up a spoon and enjoying the treats in front of him.

Karuizawa Kei's eyes widened slightly. It was the first time she had seen someone look so entranced while eating dessert.

[Most boys, when alone with me, would focus their attention on me... But Saiki's attention is entirely on the food...]

Karuizawa Kei knew her looks were an advantage, but she hadn't expected them to have no effect on Saiki.

"Saiki-kun..."

"Yeah."

"Um... thank you so much for earlier. If it weren't for you, Manabe and the others would have kept harassing me."

"Yeah."

[Why is he still just saying "yeah"... Can't he say something more?]

Karuizawa Kei was growing anxious inside. She had never met a guy like Saiki before.

[Damn it... I guess I'll have to use my ultimate move! I'll just confess! Saiki shouldn't be able to refuse, right?]

'Yare yare, I really don't want to deal with such an awkward situation.'

Saiki thought to himself while trying to come up with a plan and putting it into action.

"Saiki-kun... actually, I've been paying attention to you since the start of the school year..."

Karuizawa Kei lowered her head, pretending to be shy.

'Yare yare, you didn't even know my name for the first few months of school.'

"Saiki-kun, I actually like..."

"Saiki-kun? You're already here?"

Just then, a familiar voice sounded nearby.

Shiina Hiyori.

'Who... is this?'

Karuizawa Kei looked at Shiina Hiyori's face, confused. There was no doubt that Shiina Hiyori was also a top-tier beauty, quiet and reserved, completely different from the persona Karuizawa Kei was trying to maintain.

With Shiina Hiyori's sudden appearance, Karuizawa Kei's "confession" was interrupted, and she had to swallow her words.

All of this was Saiki's doing.

While eating dessert, Saiki had used his telepathy to sense that Shiina Hiyori was nearby in the library. He then secretly used his psychic powers to send a message from his phone to Shiina Hiyori, asking her to bring some novels to the café.

"Here are the novels you wanted!"

Shiina Hiyori smiled at Saiki and handed him the books.

"Thank you very much."

Saiki took the books and nodded at Shiina Hiyori.

[Saiki-kun is alone with another girl... Not the same girl as last time...]

[This girl... I think I've seen her before... Wait, isn't she Karuizawa Kei?]

[I've heard rumors about Karuizawa. She doesn't have the best temper, but she seems quite familiar with Saiki-kun... Saiki doesn't usually message me, but this time he asked me to bring books, and specifically to the dessert area... I see... He must have called me over to avoid an awkward situation.]

'As expected of you, Shiina!'

Saiki praised Shiina Hiyori internally. She had immediately guessed his intentions.

[In that case, I'll help Saiki-kun out a bit.]

Shiina Hiyori sat down and said:

"Saiki, are you interested in other novels of this type?"

"Yeah."

Saiki nodded immediately.

Shiina Hiyori then began introducing various novels, partly to help Saiki out of the situation and partly because she had been wanting to recommend these books to him. Once she started talking about the topic, she couldn't stop.

[What? She just sat down like that?]

[What are they even talking about?]

[What's this about techniques and locked rooms? Are they even speaking the same language?]

Karuizawa Kei couldn't join their conversation at all. She didn't even know when to say "yeah." She felt incredibly awkward and even a bit drowsy.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, Shiina Hiyori finished listing all the books she wanted to recommend. The desserts on the table were also mostly finished.

"Well then, I should get going! I ended up talking way too much!"

Shiina Hiyori stood up, smiling at Saiki.

"It's fine. I wanted to hear about these books too."

Saiki replied.

Although he hadn't expected Shiina Hiyori to talk for so long, at least it had prevented Karuizawa Kei from saying something awkward.

Shiina Hiyori left, and Saiki also stood up:

"Thank you, Karuizawa-san. We've finished the food, so I'll be going now."

"Oh, okay!"

Karuizawa Kei felt a sense of relief and also prepared to leave.

[Wait! I forgot my original goal!]

[I need to find a host!]

[I've already spent the points. I can't let them go to waste!]

"Saiki-kun!"

Karuizawa Kei quickly called out to Saiki, surprised to find that he had already moved five meters away in less than a second.

'Yare yare, I couldn't escape after all?'

Saiki felt a bit helpless, but since she had called his name, he had no choice but to stop and return to her.

'Who should I call next? Yamauchi's nearby, but I really don't want to involve him... But if...'

"Saiki-kun, there's something I need to tell you..."

At this moment, Karuizawa Kei's expression grew serious.

"Yeah."

Saiki didn't use his psychic powers. He just calmly looked at her and followed her to a secluded hallway.

"I'm sorry. I was originally planning to deceive you, but now I have no choice but to tell you the truth."

Karuizawa Kei's voice grew urgent. Although Saiki could tell she was trying hard to hold back, there was a hint of tears in her voice.

"I'm sorry for pretending to be strong at school... The truth is, I've suffered severe bullying... My desk was vandalized, my clothes were written on, and I was beaten..."

[I'm at my wit's end. I have no other choice... I have to tell him everything... Saiki is my only protector now...]

As she spoke, Karuizawa Kei's eyes began to well up with tears. For her, these were painful memories.

To avoid being hurt again, she had to tear open wounds that hadn't yet healed.

Saiki knew very well that everything Karuizawa Kei said was true. She had indeed suffered inhuman treatment.

"...Saiki-kun, you have a good reputation in class now... So... could I ask you to pretend to be my boyfriend... just for a while..."

"I'm sorry, but I can't agree to that."

Without any hesitation, Saiki gave a firm refusal.

From any angle, Saiki couldn't agree to Karuizawa Kei's request. Not only would it make him more noticeable, but it would also be irresponsible to others.

Saiki would normally avoid such situations, but since Karuizawa Kei had shared her most painful memories, he decided to give her his honest thoughts.

"I see... I understand..."

At this moment, Karuizawa Kei was plunged into absolute despair.

"However, I can promise you one thing. No one in this school will bully you from now on. I can guarantee that."

Just then, Saiki spoke slowly.

'Yare yare, consider this compensation for the desserts you treated me to.'