Saiki Kusuo.
The new transfer student's name was written neatly on the blackboard.
A smattering of polite applause rose from the students below, followed almost immediately by the apathetic return to their previous activities. They held no curiosity for the sudden appearance of a new student. Already in high school, they were long past the age of being excited by transfers, especially one so…unremarkable.
"Alright, Saiki. Find a seat anywhere, we're starting class."
The teacher's reaction was similarly lukewarm. The transfer student, upon being addressed, gave a small nod and headed down the aisle.
As he passed the students he would be spending the next four-plus years with, the usual, irritating, yet unavoidable, sounds flooded his mind.
[I wish he was a hottie.]
[Don't sit near me, or I swear I'll punch him!]
[Tch, Asians are so short. He looks like a sissy, I'm going to corner him in the bathroom later and get some protection money.]
Thoughts like these, brimming with negativity, couldn't shake Saiki Kusuo's composure. He was long accustomed to this kind of life.
Saiki Kusuo: Male, Japanese, 18 years old. He looked ordinary enough, but his true identity was that of a psychic.
Among his many psychic abilities was telepathy, the power to probe people's inner thoughts and read their minds. However, he couldn't control this ability at will, resulting in the automatic influx of every thought from everyone within a 200-meter radius, every single day.
As he passed a boy who bore a slight resemblance to his high school friend, Kaidou Shun, the boy's unreserved inner commentary entered Saiki's mind.
[Is no one else weirded out by this transfer student's pink hair?]
Saiki's steps faltered.
[Ugh, and he's wearing green glasses. What a bizarre combination.]
Saiki Kusuo: "…"
[And the most important thing, this guy is a man, and he wears hair clips? No, they look like antennas or… tentacles? So gross.]
Saiki turned his head, meeting the boy's gaze. The utter lack of warmth in his eyes sent a shiver down the spine of the spider-sense-possessing teenager.
[Why do I feel like the transfer student knows I'm talking bad about him?]
(That's right, I know everything.)
[Haha, impossible. It's just my imagination, right?]
[Anyway, I don't want anything to do with this weird guy.]
(Too late!)
Saiki sat down next to the boy, whose name was Peter Parker. He narrowed his eyes, studying the increasingly stiff posture of the teenager under his scrutiny.
(You've successfully caught my attention, kid.)
Saiki Kusuo had pink hair and wore green glasses. The glasses were to prevent others from seeing his eyes, as his gaze held the power of petrification. The antenna-like hair clips were limiters, designed to suppress his ever-growing psychic powers.
Even in a place as open-minded and full of eccentric individuals as New York, such an appearance would normally draw attention.
To avoid exposing his powers and the unwanted attention, Saiki used another of his abilities: psychic suggestion.
He altered the thought processes of everyone around him, making anything that would typically seem unnatural appear completely normal.
Therefore, his appearance was entirely ordinary and unremarkable to his classmates and teachers. However, there was now a loose end.
Peter Parker.
Hmph, truly the friendly neighborhood Spider-Man of Queens, New York.
Saiki, having effortlessly seen through Peter Parker's closely guarded secret identity, let out a silent snort in his mind.
After school, Saiki returned to his new home in New York. He was greeted by his gentle and considerate mother, Saiki Kurumi, whose smile was like that of an angel.
"Welcome home, Kusuo! How was your first day at the new school?"
"So-so."
Saiki, having lived in Japan for over a decade, had been reluctant to come to this unfamiliar environment of New York. However, his older brother, Saiki Kusuke, had told him that New York was a city teeming with others who possessed superpowers, like the friendly neighborhood Spider-Man of Queens, who was always worried about his secret identity being exposed; Captain America, frozen for 70 years and still as beautiful as ever; and the Hulk, who looked like a mild-mannered guy but would rip off his clothes and go on a rampage at the drop of a hat.
In short, living here meant he wouldn't have to go to such great lengths to hide his powers. He himself didn't particularly care either way, but his caring mother was deeply moved by Kusuke's suggestion, and thus, Saiki was forced to move to New York.
Saiki Kurumi wasn't satisfied with Saiki Kusuo's perfunctory answer. She pressed on, "Did you make any friends, Kusuo?"
Saiki Kusuo: "…It's only been one day. How could I have made friends already?"
Saiki Kurumi persisted, "Why not? Why don't you try being more proactive, Kusuo?"
Saiki Kusuo: "It's not necessary. Friends? Give me a break…"
His dismissive words were cut short. The psychic who could wipe out all of humanity in three days if he put his full effort into it, fell silent under his mother's increasingly ominous expression.
"Kusuo, you can make a friend within a week, right? You can do it, can't you?" What should have been an angelic Saiki Kurumi now wore a terrifying expression that could make a child cry.
How terrifying! This was the power of a mother? There was no way he could disobey!
The all-powerful psychic nodded in acquiescence. In the next instant, Saiki Kurumi's face shifted back to her angelic smile.
"Then I'm relieved. Oh, by the way, Kusuo, we're out of soy sauce. Could you be a dear and buy some?"
Saiki Kurumi handed Saiki Kusuo some money. He nodded, intending to use teleportation to bring the soy sauce back instantly.
Speaking of which, they were in New York now, so why did everything still feel like a light novel set in Japan? Shouldn't they adapt to the local customs?
Saiki shuddered at the thought of his overly affectionate parents suddenly switching to a dramatic, operatic style, exclaiming "Ah, darling!" and "Oh, my dear!" at every turn.
While their previous style was already pretty nauseating, the alternative seemed even worse. It was best to maintain the status quo.
"Ahhh! Thief! Someone stop that thief!"
A woman's scream came from outside. The soundproofing in this house didn't seem to be very good. Saiki Kurumi looked out the window.
"Hmm? What's going on?"
"It's nothing, Mom."
Saiki, having read the minds of those outside and not wanting to worry his mother, reached out and pushed Saiki Kurumi back into the kitchen.
"Dad should be home soon, so please start making dinner."
As he spoke, he used teleportation to hand her the soy sauce.
"But…"
"It's okay. I'll go take a look and bring Dad back. Please don't worry and just focus on making dinner. I'm hungry too."
Having dealt with Saiki Kurumi, Saiki Kusuo decided to go outside and investigate. That idiot father of his would be home soon, and if he ran into the thief, it would break his mother's heart if something happened.
There were so many onlookers outside, and the noise made it difficult for Saiki to locate the thief quickly. He decided to go out and find the woman who had been robbed. Using his psychic power of clairvoyance might help him catch the thief.
However, just as he stepped outside, whoosh, a strange creature in a red bodysuit, with his underwear worn on the outside, flew over his head.
"Hey, you bastard, stop right there! You dare commit a crime on this street? Don't you know this street is under my protection?"
"Hmm?"
Saiki tilted his head, observing the strange creature tumbling through the air. After only a second's hesitation, he turned and went back inside.
Hearing the sound of the door closing, Saiki Kurumi poked her head out of the kitchen. "Kusuo? Did you find your father?"
"Not yet, Mom," Saiki replied honestly. "I'll tell Dad to take a detour home."
Unfortunately, his wish was doomed to fail. Saiki Kusuo connected with his father. Saiki Kuniharu, who had unexpectedly licked the shoes of over a dozen customers today, was humming an old-fashioned tune, in high spirits as he hurried back to his new home.
He was so excited that he accidentally bumped into someone, falling to the ground.
"Oof."
The person he collided with wasn't faring much better, sprawled awkwardly on the ground with an expensive-looking bag beside him.
"Hey, Dad, can you hear me? Where are you?"
"Ah, Kusuo," Saiki Kuniharu replied, unfazed by his son's psychic abilities.
He got up from the ground, testing his limbs, which ached from the collision. However, before he could answer Saiki Kusuo's question, the culprit who had knocked him down quickly scrambled to his feet. Seeing Spider-Man approaching, he gritted his teeth, pulled a small knife from his pocket, and advanced towards Saiki Kuniharu.
Seeing this, even the usually oblivious Saiki Kuniharu sensed danger. He took a few steps back, his voice strained as he responded to Saiki Kusuo, who was waiting for his answer in his mind.
"Um… Master Kusuo?"
The sudden change in address made Saiki Kusuo sense a hint of danger.
He heard his unreliable father continue, "It seems I'm about to be taken hostage. Master Kusuo, please save me!!!"
Saiki Kusuo: "…" This idiot!
The three-minute cooldown on his teleportation had ended. Saiki Kusuo immediately teleported to Saiki Kuniharu's side, shoving him aside.
A knife was instantly pressed against his neck.
"Don't move, Spider-Man! If you dare come any closer, I'll slit this kid's throat!"
The thief, holding Saiki Kusuo, yelled arrogantly. Seeing Spider-Man hesitate, he became even bolder.
"Ahhh! Don't do it! Let's talk this out. Please don't hurt my son!"
Saiki Kuniharu pleaded, speaking in heavily accented Japanese-English.
Saiki Kusuo thought his father's acting was absolutely terrible.
[How dare he threaten Kusuo! This idiot is asking for death!]
(The corners of your mouth are practically turning up, Dad.)
[Well! Isn't it to hide your superpower?!]
(It's terrible. Who would believe that?)
The well-behaved, good boy Spider-Man reassured him, "Please don't worry, sir. I swear on the name of Spider-Man that I will rescue your child safe and sound!"
Saiki Kusuo: "…"
Saiki Kuniharu: "…"
[He believed my acting!]
[Come to think of it, this guy looks a little familiar. Huh, he's!!]
Saiki Kuniharu pointed at Spider-Man, realizing something. "Hey, isn't this the street flower Kusuke was talking about?"
Spider-Man: "???"
______
Note: "Street flower" is a Chinese idiom used to describe something showy and publicly displayed, but ultimately common and unremarkable, like decorative flowers planted in a public space. Kusuke is implying Spider-Man is more spectacle than substance in New York.