Saiki Kusuo never wanted to be noticed. For him, staying on the sidelines of society was a necessity, not a choice. But you… you messed everything up.

He didn’t know exactly when it started. Maybe it was the way you quietly laughed at Nendou’s nonsense or how you always seemed to know when he needed silence without him saying a word. Maybe it was simply the fact that, somehow, you had slipped into his routine without him realizing it.

And now, here he was, walking with the usual group to the restaurant they often visited after school. Ana was by his side, arms intertwined with his as if it were the most natural thing in the world. And to anyone looking from the outside, it probably seemed that way.

But Saiki knew the truth.

Ana was the only girl he allowed to touch him like this—or at least, that’s what he forced himself to believe. So why did it feel different when his eyes met yours?

You were a few steps behind, walking alongside Teruhashi, laughing at something Yumehara had said. Your smile was… annoyingly captivating. He hated how easily you could divert his attention, like a gravitational pull drawing him in effortlessly.

“This is a problem.”

He pretended not to care. Kept his expression neutral, gaze fixed straight ahead, ignoring the unsettling feeling growing in his chest. But he knew—knew that his mind would keep drifting back to you, that his powers would activate unconsciously just to make sure you were okay.

Maybe, just maybe, he was waiting for you to look at him too. To notice something. To do something.

Because if there was one thing Saiki Kusuo hated more than admitting his feelings… it was having to confess them.