Although Saiki Kusuo hadn't directly looked at the person approaching him, he already knew who it was before the light, feminine voice reached his ears.
Kushida Kikyo. Saiki Kusuo vaguely remembered this name from the self-introductions during the first day of class. She had left some impression on him.
With short brown hair and a doll-like face, her voice was as light as a feather. She seemed like the type who could easily get along with everyone—
However, Saiki Kusuo had already used his telepathy to learn what kind of person Kushida Kikyo truly was.
[I want to be friends with everyone so I can maintain this image of being well-liked. That way, everyone's attention will be on me. Plus, I can use this network to gather more information!]
[I didn't get a chance to talk to Saiki Kusuo earlier. He seems like the cold, distant type.]
[Let's see if I can use this opportunity to get closer to him.]
Saiki Kusuo could hear Kushida Kikyo's thoughts. Her inner thoughts were completely different from the image she projected. Probably only a handful of people could see her true nature.
Her "chance" encounter with him in the cafeteria wasn't a coincidence—Kushida Kikyo had deliberately followed him.
'Yare yare, I've been targeted by a troublesome person.'
'Kushida and I are complete opposites. She thrives on social interactions and loves being the center of attention. I don't like that kind of thing.'
'But for now, if I don't engage with her, it might cause more trouble. I'll just find a way to deal with her and send her on her way.'
Having made this judgment, Saiki Kusuo gave Kushida Kikyo a slight nod and activated one of his abilities.
The Affection Meter—a derivative of his telepathy. It allowed him to measure someone's level of affection toward him or others and quantify it. Compared to regular telepathy, this ability was more controllable.
'Too high of an affection level would draw unwanted attention, and too low might make me a target for bullying. Keeping it around 50 is ideal.'
With this in mind, Saiki Kusuo spoke slowly.
"What a coincidence, Kushida-san."
Although Saiki Kusuo could directly transmit his thoughts into someone's mind using telepathy, he naturally wouldn't use it on ordinary people who didn't know about his psychic abilities. However, he was usually quiet and rarely spoke unless necessary.
[Affection Level: 42]
'Slightly below average, but still within an acceptable range.'
Saiki Kusuo turned his gaze away from Kushida Kikyo.
He possessed the ability of X-ray Vision. The longer he focused on a target, the deeper he could see through them. In just a few minutes, Kushida Kikyo's appearance in his eyes had already shifted toward something resembling an anatomy diagram from a biology textbook.
"I didn't expect Saiki-kun to be such a fan of sweets! I like them too!"
Kushida Kikyo smiled as she spoke, sitting down beside Saiki Kusuo as if they were close friends.
[Saiki Kusuo seems like the hard-to-approach type. I'll use sweets as a topic to get closer to him.]
'I have to admit, she's impressive. Even with an affection level below 50, she can act like we're best friends.'
Saiki Kusuo's expression remained unchanged as he adjusted the Affection Meter's range to check Kushida Kikyo's affection levels toward others.
Without exception, her affection levels for everyone around her hovered around 40.
'This class has quite a few oddballs.'
"Let's get along from now on! Let's exchange contact information!"
"Sure."
For Saiki Kusuo, who had telepathy, using a terminal to communicate was meaningless. However, outright rejecting someone's request in this situation would be impolite and likely lower her affection level significantly.
"Kushida-san!"
At that moment, another person approached.
It was a girl with long peach-colored hair that reached her waist.
Her slightly chubby face was adorned with delicate features, especially her gem-like eyes, which made her look incredibly cute. Her slender legs were clad in black knee-high socks, and her fair thighs were clearly visible beneath her skirt.
Ichinose Honami, a member of Class B. Saiki Kusuo had already learned her identity through telepathy.
"Ichinose-san!"
Kushida Kikyo greeted Ichinose Honami with a smile. She had already made contact with Ichinose during the opening ceremony and had become "friends" with her.
"This is Saiki-kun, my classmate."
"Nice to meet you, Saiki-kun! I'm Ichinose Honami. Please take care of me!"
Ichinose Honami greeted Saiki Kusuo enthusiastically.
"Mind if I sit here?"
Although she asked, Ichinose had already pulled out a chair and sat down across from Saiki Kusuo.
'If I reject her now, it'll be awkward. But this is my precious dessert time. I'll have to find a way to leave soon.'
Saiki Kusuo thought to himself.
"Ichinose-san, how are things with your classmates?"
"It's going pretty well..."
Kushida Kikyo deliberately put on a troubled expression.
"It's just... there's one person who doesn't seem willing to talk to me."
"Who?"
"Horikita-san. Have you heard of her, Ichinose?"
Kushida Kikyo began venting to Ichinose Honami about this issue. Although it sounded like casual conversation, Saiki Kusuo could clearly hear Kushida's true thoughts.
[Horikita Suzune and I went to the same middle school. She might know everything about my past—I can't let someone who knows my true self stay at this school! If there's a way, I'll make sure she gets expelled.]
'Yare yare, the people at this school are even stranger than I thought.'
Meanwhile, Saiki Kusuo pretended not to hear anything and quickly finished his desserts, thinking that once he was done, he could leave the table without issue.