Saiki Kusuo no Ψ-nan - Without Thinking

Chapter 15 - Third Time's The Charm

Teruhashi kicked the swing into motion. She remembered him doing it, all those months ago. It felt like a lifetime ago. She'd felt blessed with his power leaks back then, giving her the opportunity to get to know him better. Now, not so much.

She'd just visited Yumehara and had passed the playground on her way home. She usually ignored it, but today this place had pulled her in. She could use some time to think, anyway. So she had sat down in "his" swing. The one where he had sat that night of the party. When their lives had become truly intertwined.

She had no idea they would become this intertwined. Well, she'd hoped for it, but not with this level of complexity...

They had kissed a few days ago. What had followed had been exactly as she'd expected... and feared. Saiki had pulled her aside after school the next day with his usual excuses. That they couldn't. His powers, couldn't be near her, yada yada. And that he was really sorry. He was starting to sound like a broken record, although every time he would say it with a little less certainty. After that he had reverted to his prime coping strategy again — avoidance. And so the heartache continued. She wanted to bash his brains in. How long until their next kiss, huh? She knew there would be a next time. They were like magnets, the way they pushed and pulled. He would turn his back on her, pushing her away. Until she got him to turn and show his front. Then they would fly right into each other's arms.

And it wasn't just the attraction of polar opposites. It was something deeper. She was sure of it now. She had felt it when they'd made out. It hadn't been just lust. It had been much more than that. She had seen it in his eyes when he had cradled her face. It had been so long since she had seen him smile, but at that moment he had, and that smile had said it all. With his guard down, his ice walls melted, and his fears a distant memory if only for a moment, it had radiated from him, pure and unfiltered.

I think I love you, too.

She let out a deep sigh, swinging back and forth slowly. She couldn't really explain it in any other way. Not for him, and not for herself, either. But he was fighting it. He saw no other way.

There must be another way.

She was coming up empty too, though. She didn't exactly have that much experience with psychic powers. She sighed again, getting up from the swing and walking over to the snail-shaped spring rider. She sat down on it, remembering when his voice had started failing there. She smiled to herself. That had been too cute. A once-in-a-lifetime experience, most likely. Unlike his power leaks.

She shook her head. She needed to focus, not get lost in memories, no matter how sweet they were.

How can we stop his powers?

What was the missing puzzle piece here? He had been fine for months. If the leaks were happening more often now, then surely they weren't random. And if they weren't random, there must be something triggering them. It would really help if they could pinpoint the source of those uncontrollable power spills. Eliminating the cause should keep his powers contained again. It didn't really sound that hard. They just had to find the root of the problem. They could be together, then.

"There is no way."

He probably believed it. There was no other way to explain his actions, as hurtful as they were. It wasn't like him, and it was tearing him apart. How could he be so sure of it, though, when the solution seemed so straightforward? Just find the cause and get rid of it. Teruhashi furrowed her brow, playing with the bouncy eyes of the snail absent-mindedly.

Then it hit her like a bucket of ice cold water.

...is it me?