The incident was resolved perfectly, and Spider-Man once again became a hero praised by everyone.
(Good, that's how it should be. Although it's a bit annoying, letting the street flower take all the credit is the right decision.)
The fleeting precognitive image also disappeared. Saiki Kusuo ate breakfast and leisurely headed to school.
Unexpectedly, Peter Parker, who had caught the criminal, arrived at school even earlier than he did. He didn't have yesterday's friendly attitude; instead, he gave Saiki a meaningful look.
(Wait, what's with this sudden sense of dread? What exactly is that guy…)
Peter Parker, whom Saiki Kusuo was wary of, stood up and walked over to him.
"Kusuo, how about coming over to my place after school? I have something to talk to you about."
(Oh no…)
Saiki Kusuo, having clearly heard Peter Parker's inner thoughts, felt that things were going badly.
After thinking of hundreds of ways to put the other party to death, Saiki Kusuo brought Peter Parker home.
After greeting the enthusiastic Saiki Kurumi, Peter Parker entered Saiki Kusuo's room.
"So, what do you want to talk about?"
As Saiki Kusuo asked, his hand already touched his green glasses. His eyes didn't need to make eye contact with others to have a petrifying effect.
If Peter Parker dared to confront him, he would petrify him in an instant and then travel through time to alter Peter Parker's interactions with him.
Although confessing his abilities to the other wouldn't be a big deal, his intuition told him that if Peter Parker found out, he would be burdened with even more trouble.
Saiki Kusuo, who only wanted to live a peaceful, ordinary life, couldn't allow such a thing to happen.
Just as Saiki Kusuo was coldly watching Peter Parker, about to have a showdown, Peter suddenly pointed behind him.
(Hmph, bluffing won't work on me. I know your every move clearly…)
Saiki Kusuo's body stiffened. A furry, fist-sized spider had crawled onto his shoulder.
(This is definitely a disaster!)
The all-powerful psychic experienced such a desperate sense of fear for the first time.
(I should be glad I remembered there was a street flower nearby, or I would have blown up the entire house. Calm down, Kusuo. It's just a spider. I just need to reach out…)
His words were cut short.
Another cockroach crawled onto his other shoulder.
Saiki Kusuo: "…"
(Might as well just destroy the world!)
To hell with the street flower, to hell with hiding his psychic powers. Saiki Kusuo stood up and used teleportation. Seeing the sudden disappearance of the person, Peter Parker was as happy as the Hulk playing on the streets.
"I knew it, Kusuo! I knew you were like me, with special abilities!"
When Saiki Kusuo calmed down and returned home, Peter Parker, who had been waiting, greeted him enthusiastically.
Saiki Kusuo immediately realized he had fallen into a trap, and his expression towards Peter Parker wasn't very pleasant.
"Don't lump me in with you. And you actually tricked me. Are you ready to be sent swimming in the Sanzu River?"
"What's the Sanzu River?"
"Hell, of course. Stand still and don't move. I guarantee you a one-way trip."
"Are you a demon?!"
After some playful banter, the spider that had originally scared Saiki Kusuo crawled onto Peter Parker's hand. Saiki Kusuo instantly stiffened. Noticing his reaction, Peter Parker chuckled.
"Are you that scared of spiders?"
(Yes. Throw it out.)
Saiki Kusuo was afraid of all insects, especially cockroaches, because he couldn't read their minds.
"This is my friend, James. He's very friendly and won't hurt you."
(Get out of here with your James!)
"The reason I discovered your secret about having special abilities is because James told me. This morning, during the incident, he was hunting on your head."
(It seems this office building not only has a worrying lack of safety awareness, but also poor hygiene!)
"I didn't mean to scare you. James really likes you. He was captivated by your selfless and heroic actions and wants to be your friend."
(Sorry, I don't need friends of a different species.)
"James's friend, Lipple, is also very curious about you, so he came to see you too. That was the cockroach just now."
Saiki Kusuo: "…"
Your natural enemy became your friend? Are you kidding me?
Saiki Kusuo didn't even know how to respond anymore.
Seemingly noticing that Saiki Kusuo's expression was becoming increasingly unpleasant, Peter Parker reluctantly placed James by the window.
James waved its furry leg at Saiki Kusuo and reluctantly left.
Without the bugs he hated in the room, Saiki Kusuo sighed and relaxed.
"So, let's talk about your special abilities, Kusuo. Don't worry, I'll keep your secret."
When Saiki Kusuo resigned himself to telling Peter Parker about his psychic powers, the other's face showed an indescribable expression of shock.
"P-Psychic powers! This world actually has psychic powers! Oh, God, this is unbelievable!"
"Stop making that disgusting, inexperienced expression. Aren't you a psychic too?"
"Ah, sorry." Peter Parker rubbed his head sheepishly. "Unlike your innate psychic powers, mine were acquired unintentionally, and I haven't had them for long. I haven't fully grasped them yet. But compared to mine, Kusuo's psychic powers are much more powerful."
"I'm not happy about that kind of praise at all."
"Anyway, I understand your desire to hide your psychic powers, but being alone all the time is lonely. Sometimes, when you can't take it anymore, you can try confiding in me, someone who also has psychic powers."
It was a very touching speech, if only Saiki Kusuo didn't have telepathy.
"Stop your inner thoughts. I won't cooperate with you." Saiki Kusuo pointed it out bluntly.
Peter Parker was surprised, his cover blown. "Huh? You know what I'm thinking? Is that a psychic power too?"
"It's telepathy. I know all your thoughts, so don't drag me into your hero plans."
"That ability is so disgusting, it's like being stripped naked and thrown in front of you. But, wait, if you know my intentions, why did you refuse me?"
This was why Saiki Kusuo didn't want Peter Parker to know about his psychic powers. Peter Parker, who adhered to his uncle's dying words, "With great power comes great responsibility," used his powers every day to protect Queens and even all of New York. He couldn't understand Saiki Kusuo, who possessed powers but didn't act.
In short, their values didn't align.
Saiki Kusuo didn't want to live every day in turmoil, so if Peter Parker insisted on dragging him into his hero plans, he wouldn't hesitate to brainwash him.
However, to his surprise, the rejected Peter Parker just looked at him deeply and stopped persuading him.
(I thought it would take some effort. Peter is unexpectedly understanding.)
Suddenly switching to calling the other by his first name, Saiki Kusuo stubbornly refused to admit that he had accepted and acknowledged this friend. In his view, calling him Peter was just to avoid being criticized by readers for padding the word count.
[It's okay. I'll have other opportunities to convince Kusuo in the future.]
(No, there won't be any opportunities.)
[I don't believe Kusuo is a coward who would stand by and watch people die.]
(Are you trying to provoke me with reverse psychology? It won't work!)
[Perhaps his psychic powers, like mine, are still immature. To avoid harming others, he can only silently hide them. Maybe even his closest family members don't know. How pitiful, Kusuo.]
(Who are you talking about? Don't randomly add strange settings to me.)
Their conversation ended when Saiki Kurumi knocked on the door to tell them dinner was ready. Peter, taking advantage of the situation, shamelessly accepted Saiki Kurumi's invitation to come back and play tomorrow afternoon.
The next day, as soon as school ended, Peter came to Saiki Kusuo's room, excited.
"Hey, buddy, did you know? Tomorrow our class is going to visit Tony Stark's factory."
"Tony Stank? Who's that?" Saiki Kusuo looked uninterested.
"The chairman of Stark Industries. Not only that, he's also a genius inventor, a prominent figure in the U.S. Do you know how many graduates are desperate to get into his company every year? I heard he'll be there tomorrow too. We have to make a good impression. If we can leave a good impression on him, we won't have to worry about finding a job after graduation."
"Oh, well, good luck. If there's nothing else, hurry home. Dad will be back late today, so you won't be able to mooch a meal."
"You've been in New York for a while now, haven't you heard of Mr. Stark? Aren't you excited to meet a billionaire?"
(Not at all. I generally avoid geniuses.)
Saiki Kusuo thought of another genius who gave him a lot of headaches, Saiki Kusuke.
His reaction made Peter a little discouraged, but he wouldn't give up easily. So Peter approached Saiki Kusuo and continued to explain his idol's glorious history.
"Kusuo, you're really ignorant. Listen, Mr. Stark, he… Huh? Your glasses are a bit special, and they seem to be non-prescription."
Peter Parker, his attention drawn to Saiki Kusuo's green glasses, reached out his hand.
"That's strange. You don't have nearsightedness, so why do you wear glasses? You…"
"Wait, don't take my glasses…"
Before Saiki Kusuo could stop him, he heard a clatter as the glasses fell to the ground. Peter Parker instantly became a statue.
Saiki Kusuo: "…"
As mentioned before, his eyes had the ability to petrify living beings even without direct eye contact. The petrification lasted for 24 hours.
(Oh no. Time will stop for the petrified person, but real-world time won't stop. We have an activity tomorrow. If Peter doesn't show up, it might raise suspicions among the other students. Right, and his family. It's already very late. He still has not returned home. His aunt, not seeing him return, will worry. She might even call the police. And the police investigation, may even point to our family, not only will I be in trouble, but my whole family.)
Saiki Kusuo's brain worked rapidly, thinking of countless solutions in seconds.
"I'm home, Mom."
Saiki Kuniharu's voice came from outside the room. Hearing this voice, Saiki Kusuo's eyes suddenly lit up.