"Sorry, sorry, I just kept talking on my own! But I was only recommending a few novels! Whether you like them or not is up to you!"
Shiina Hiyori quickly waved her hand at Saiki Kusuo.
"Oh no, I've only just met him, and I've already said so much! Is that too rude? I finally found someone with similar interests, and I even started the conversation. I can't let him dislike me!"
'...'
Standing in front of Shiina Hiyori, Saiki Kusuo looked somewhat helpless.
'Even though you genuinely recommended some novels that seem decent, you already spoiled them when you mentioned the titles...'
"It's fine."
Saiki Kusuo could only respond like this, lowering his head to look at the books he had no choice but to accept from Shiina Hiyori.
Though he wanted to refuse, Saiki Kusuo instinctively took the books.
'I don't want to interact with too many people, but refusing outright wouldn't be polite. Shiina doesn't seem to have many friends, and unlike Kushida, she probably won't cause much trouble.'
Saiki Kusuo thought to himself,
'Next time I come to the library, I'll try to avoid her. A spoiled mystery novel is like a chocolate cookie without chocolate—completely bland.'
"Oh, Saiki-kun... I might be overthinking, but there's something I feel I should tell you. The 100,000 points the school gives us each month might come with conditions!"
Though they had just met, Shiina Hiyori considered Saiki Kusuo a valuable friend and decided to warn him kindly.
"I don't think the government would give such a large sum to high school students without restrictions. I've noticed there are too many surveillance cameras in the school. The points we get each month might be tied to our behavior here!"
'This girl has sharp observation skills.'
Saiki Kusuo couldn't help but admire her in his mind. His classmates hadn't noticed this, but Shiina Hiyori had. Perhaps her love for mystery novels had honed her observational abilities.
"I see."
Though Saiki Kusuo already knew the school's rules better than any first-year student, he pretended to have just learned this.
"Hmm..."
After speaking, Shiina Hiyori bit her lip, seeming to struggle with something. Her face turned slightly red, and after several seconds, she spoke again.
"Umm... would it be okay to exchange contact info...? Maybe... we could talk about... novels sometime!"
Shiina Hiyori had never proactively asked to exchange contact info before. She had always struggled with social interactions, preferring to spend time alone reading. With no one around sharing her interests, she had never made many friends. Now, just two days into the new school year, the unfamiliar environment and classmates made socializing even harder.
So, when she met Saiki Kusuo, who shared her love for novels, she eagerly wanted to connect with him.
Hearing her words, Saiki Kusuo initially planned to refuse.
After all, he didn't want to interact much with her. He hadn't refused Kushida Kikyō earlier because of her intimidating personality and wide social circle—upsetting her could lead to trouble. Plus, Kushida was his classmate, so exchanging contact info was normal.
But Shiina Hiyori wasn't in his class, and Saiki Kusuo had no intention of deepening their connection.
'I finally said it! I've never asked anyone for their contact info before... It's so hard... I'm just not good at socializing... But this might be my first chance to make a friend in school...'
"Sure."
Saiki Kusuo nodded, ultimately agreeing to her request.
'If we communicate through our phones, I won't have to worry about spoilers. Maybe I can ask her for novel recommendations later.'
Saiki Kusuo thought to himself.
...
After a brief exchange, Shiina Hiyori left the library with a joyful smile.
Saiki Kusuo, holding the thick novels, headed back to his dorm. The books were heavy, but for him, the weight was negligible.
"Saiki Kusuo doesn't seem particularly special. Why did the school administration place him here at the last minute?"
At that moment, Saiki Kusuo's telepathic abilities picked up a familiar voice. It was Chabashira Sae, the homeroom teacher of Class D, leaning against the wall, smoking a cigarette, seemingly waiting for him.
Since Saiki Kusuo was specially admitted to Class D, Chabashira Sae had been curious about him, investigating him secretly.
"His entrance exam scores were average, and his other tests were unremarkable, but his physical fitness results were odd—some scores were very high, others very low."
'My physical abilities are harder to control than my powers. Luckily, there were others around during the exam, or I wouldn't have been able to keep my scores average. Too high or too low would've been suspicious.'
"Then there's Ayanokōji Kiyotaka, who scored exactly fifty in every subject. He must have calculated that deliberately. I heard from Chairman Sakayanagi about him—something about a political experiment. No wonder the chairman approved his placement in Class D. But Saiki Kusuo was also approved by the chairman, and the chairman doesn't seem to know much about him. Why?"
'You'd have to ask the chairman about that.'
Saiki Kusuo muttered to himself.
He was admitted to this school solely because of his brother, Saiki Kûsuke.
Kûsuke was a supergenius with an IQ of 218, creating numerous groundbreaking inventions, some of which could alter the world order. The government valued him highly, and that was likely why the school allowed Saiki Kusuo to enroll.