"Saiki!"
A few minutes later, Saiki Kusuo arrived at the café and immediately spotted Shiina Hiyori.
Hiyori's face was lit up with a smile, her soft purple eyes fixed intently on Saiki.
Even before Saiki had reached the café, he could clearly hear Hiyori's thoughts.
"This is the first time I've invited Saiki out... No, not just Saiki—this is the first time I've invited anyone my age out..."
"I never had much in common with others before. They're just not interested in mystery novels."
"Saiki should be here soon..."
Hiyori was completely clueless when it came to social interactions. While others saw her as somewhat "aloof," the truth was, she desperately wanted friends.
In her eyes, Saiki was her only friend—someone who shared her interests. To her, he was more than just a friend; he was a kindred spirit. That's why she always valued their time together.
"Sorry to keep you waiting," Saiki greeted politely.
"No worries! I just got here too!" Hiyori waved her hand, urging him not to mind.
But Saiki, using his telepathy, knew she had actually arrived much earlier and had hesitated for a while before messaging him.
Saiki looked down at the table, where several different styles of coffee pudding were neatly arranged.
"I ordered these for you ahead of time. I hope you like them. If not, I can get something else..."
Before Hiyori could finish, Saiki nodded vigorously.
It was coffee pudding, after all—there was no way he'd refuse.
"They look amazing. Even though they're all coffee pudding, they're made differently from the ones in the cafeteria. The presentation is so elegant; they must taste great."
Saiki leaned forward slightly, his gaze fixed on the pudding in front of him. The translucent dessert looked incredibly tempting.
"That's great!"
Hiyori smiled at Saiki's reaction.
"I've never been to the school cafeteria... It's too crowded. But I've seen Saiki leaving it a few times, always carrying takeout desserts, mostly coffee pudding. He must really like it, so I ordered these."
"Hmm, so she noticed the few times I bought sweets to take back to my dorm? Mainly, I was trying to avoid running into certain troublesome people."
Saiki heard Hiyori's thoughts. Through her observations, she had deduced his love for sweets and ordered desserts she thought he'd enjoy.
She had even calculated the time it would take for him to arrive, ensuring the desserts were served just as he walked in.
Hiyori's observational and deductive skills were impressive, likely honed from reading mystery novels. Saiki didn't mind.
He picked up a spoon, scooped a bit of pudding, and popped it into his mouth.
In that moment, his eyes widened slightly. The pudding tasted different from the cafeteria's, but it was undeniably delicious.
Under its influence, Saiki almost—almost—showed a hint of a "happy" expression.
"Looks like Saiki really loves sweets!"
Hiyori laughed, then quickly pulled a few books from her bag and handed them to him.
"These are some novels I've been reading lately! If you're interested, take a look!"
While Hiyori usually struggled with social interactions, she transformed when the topic turned to mystery novels.
"Thanks," Saiki nodded, accepting the books.
Though Hiyori's thoughts had already spoiled most of their content the moment he took them, he accepted them anyway. After all, she was treating him, and her personality was rare in their school. Their relationship was decent, so he decided to play along.
Seeing him take the novels, Hiyori's smile brightened.
"Oh, and congratulations on moving up to Class C!"
"Thanks, but doesn't that mean you guys dropped to Class D?"
Technically, Saiki's class and Hiyori's were rivals, but he knew her words were sincere.
"There wasn't much we could do. It's still the beginning of the school year, and we're not fully adjusted yet. Plus, no one was prepared for the pop quiz, so we had to accept the results."
Hiyori shook her head slightly.
"But the downgrade changed the class atmosphere a bit. Ryūen used some extreme methods to force the class into unity. I don't agree with his approach, but in the long run, his strength is necessary if we want to move forward."
"After the results came out, Ryūen seems to have set his sights on Saiki's class."
"I don't like how these conflicts create rifts between students and classes, disrupting the harmony... If possible, I wish everyone could just get along peacefully..."
"Ryūen?"
Saiki heard an unfamiliar name—one of Hiyori's classmates, apparently.
But he had no interest in Ryūen or any class disputes.
As long as they didn't affect him, that is.
"Hey, isn't that Hiyori?"
Just then, a strange male voice called out from behind Saiki.
Though he couldn't see the speaker's face, Hiyori's thoughts revealed his identity:
Ryūen Kakeru.