"...When it comes to interpersonal relationships, I admit I'm not as good as you. And your actions have proven that my previous approach was wrong....."
Saiki said to Saiki Kusuke.
After more than a year, Saiki had more or less realized his own problems.
Previously, in order to hide his identity as a psychic, he had avoided interacting with others. Even when others were in trouble, Saiki might not have helped.
But during this time, various troubles had come one after another, and even Saiki couldn't avoid them.
The more he avoided, the more trouble came knocking.
It was precisely because of this that Saiki realized why Saiki Kusuke had sent him to this school—perhaps it was to make him aware of his own issues.
He smiled at Saiki Kusuke, thinking that this seemingly perverted weirdo actually had a human side to him.
It seemed he needed to reevaluate Saiki Kusuke.
Saiki Kusuke was wearing a device that blocked telepathy, so Saiki couldn't read his thoughts.
At this moment, however, Saiki Kusuke had a completely dumbfounded expression on his face.
"Huh?"
"What?"
Saiki also showed a puzzled expression.
"I just wanted to challenge you for fun."
"Huh?"
"After all, in this world, only you can defeat me~ Kusuo!"
As he spoke, Saiki Kusuke showed a somewhat perverted smile and said,
"Everyone else is just ants, cockroaches, and pests! They're not even worthy of being compared to you!"
Saiki was momentarily speechless.
He had completely misunderstood Saiki Kusuke's intentions.
Saiki had initially thought this was all part of Saiki Kusuke's carefully planned scheme, but he hadn't expected that it was simply because Saiki Kusuke was bored and wanted to challenge him.
Saiki Kusuke always lost to Saiki—
And he even enjoyed the feeling of being defeated by Saiki.
In Saiki Kusuke's eyes, no other student was worthy of being compared to his younger brother.
"Never mind."
Saiki sighed, then used teleportation to leave Saiki Kusuke's laboratory.
Meanwhile, Saiki Kusuke's face still wore that perverted smile.
Saiki returned to his room and lay down on his bed, reflecting on his experiences over the past year.
Originally, he had just wanted to live a quiet high school life, but he hadn't expected things to turn out like this.
At first, Saiki had even felt some resistance toward this school.
But over time, Saiki had started to accept this kind of life.
In a way, it wasn't so bad.
After all, at this school, he could enjoy high-end desserts that others couldn't.
'Yare yare.'
Saiki closed his eyes. It was already late, and he needed to get some rest.
"Wait, I just remembered there's something I need to do. I almost forgot."
The next morning, the cultural festival was about to begin.
According to the school's schedule, the cultural festival would officially start at 9 a.m.
However, the school building had already opened at 6 a.m., allowing students to arrive early and prepare their equipment and setups.
So, Saiki and the others arrived at the special building early in the morning to make final preparations.
Horikita Suzune had asked a classmate who was good at drawing to create a huge signboard, which was placed right at the entrance. Anyone entering the building would definitely see it first.
Since they had rented two classrooms, the maid café was divided into two areas, allowing them to accommodate twice as many customers as originally planned.
Not only that, but Saiki had set up a separate room in the classroom as his kitchen, giving him more freedom to move around.
After all, if no one was in the kitchen, he could freely use his psychic abilities to work, achieving the efficiency of an entire kitchen team.
After Horikita Suzune checked that the classroom setup was in order, Aiura Mikoto arrived in front of the special building in a truck.
"This is....."
Seeing Aiura Mikoto drive up in a truck, Horikita Suzune was completely stunned. Aiura Mikoto, however, waved with a smile and said:
"I've brought all the necessary ingredients—tea, coffee, and all kinds of meal kits!"
Aiura Mikoto had gone to great lengths to get these supplies, even asking the school store owner for help.
"I know.... but this is a bit too much."
Even Horikita Suzune couldn't help but exclaim. The amount of supplies Aiura Mikoto had prepared was several times more than what Horikita had imagined.
It was far more than what could be bought with the school's allocated points.
"Anyway, since we have so many materials, if we don't sell them all, it'll be a huge waste! Let's do our best!"
Horikita Suzune cheered everyone on, and the other boys in the class came to help move the supplies and make final preparations.
Some students were also responsible for the barbecue and children's quiz sections, meaning almost everyone was involved—even Koenji Rokusuke.
After all, Koenji Rokusuke was the heir to a wealthy family, and to some extent, he could attract a lot of female customers.
At 9 a.m., as the school-wide broadcast announced the start of the festival, everyone in the special building's maid café prepared to welcome the guests.
Through the screens, they could see countless guests pouring in through the school gates.
'Yare yare, although Tsukishiro came to the school with ulterior motives, in a way, he's made the school feel more like a school.'
Saiki thought to himself.
[I'm so nervous..... It's been a long time since I've interacted with people outside of school...]
[There must be some social elites among these people...]
[I'm so nervous.....]
At this moment, Sato Maya, dressed in a maid outfit, nervously clasped her hands together but then slapped her cheeks to boost her confidence:
"I can do this!"
"Maya, you'll be fine. Let's all do our best together!"
Karuizawa Kei, standing nearby, cheered her on.
Although, in a way, the two were rivals, in this situation, they were naturally on the same team.
Meanwhile, Sakura Airi maintained a smile, though she was internally so nervous that she was trembling. Still, she gritted her teeth and tried to embody the cheerful persona of her online idol, Shizuku.
Horikita Suzune, on the other hand, remained expressionless, her face serious as she looked toward the entrance.
Soon, the first guest arrived at the café.
"Welcome!"
Sato Maya's energetic voice rang out in the maid café.
The first guest was a man who looked to be in his forties.
The nearly ten maids in the café, fully prepared, greeted the guest as they had practiced.
"Let me show you to your seat!"
Although Sato Maya's voice was energetic, her nervousness was evident in her stiff movements.
[I'm so nervous..... This is my first time being a maid...]
Despite this, perhaps thanks to yesterday's rehearsal, she didn't make any major mistakes. After seating the guest, she quickly placed the menu and a glass of ice water on the table.
"Master, what would you like to order?"
"I'll have a cappuccino."
Soon, more guests began to arrive.
They came in all ages, from the elderly to children, quickly filling the café.
Since Saiki's class had secured the classroom closest to the entrance, everyone would see the huge signboard first—
And the second thing they'd notice was the row of beautiful maids.
The maids went forward to serve their respective guests, including Horikita Suzune.
Although Horikita Suzune remained expressionless, some guests seemed to like her style and struck up conversations with her.
Sakura Airi, who had been extremely nervous at first, quickly switched into her cheerful Shizuku persona when the guests arrived.
"Master, what would you like to drink?"
"Wait, you're Shizuku, right?"
"You must be Shizuku!"
"Please take a photo with me!"
Sakura Airi was a popular online idol, so many people recognized her immediately and wanted to take photos with her.
At that moment, Ayanokoji Kiyotaka suddenly appeared.
"Photos require an additional fee."
Although Saiki had initially disagreed, Ayanokoji's suggestion was eventually adopted. Saiki didn't mind too much, as it wasn't a big deal.
Meanwhile, Aiura Mikoto effortlessly played the role of a maid, and the others gradually got into the swing of things. The café was soon running smoothly.
After taking orders, the maids would bring the menus to the kitchen entrance, where Saiki would prepare the dishes.
However, Saiki had already finished most of the orders before the menus even arrived.
Using his telepathy and other abilities, Saiki could predict what the customers would order.
With a wave of his hand, rows of glass cups appeared in front of him, perfectly aligned.
In the next moment, different types of coffee grounds and tea leaves floated in the air, precisely landing in the cups.
Saiki snapped his fingers, and a burst of flame heated the water, which then poured itself into the cups as if alive.
"Done."
In just a moment, Saiki had completed over ten orders.
"Wow, that's amazing!"
Sato Maya couldn't help but exclaim as she quickly delivered the dishes to the respective tables.
[Saiki must have predicted the orders through subtle hints and the menu. As expected of Saiki.]
Horikita Suzune thought to herself, which also meant Saiki didn't have to worry about his psychic abilities being discovered.
And so, the café operated smoothly throughout the morning. Even with the large space of two classrooms, the café was soon packed with guests.
However, Saiki was slightly concerned about a group of customers at one table.
"As the Dark Wing, I feel a power calling to me. The power sleeping in my right arm is awakening."
Saiki noticed a thin boy with bandages wrapped around his arm.
At first, Saiki was surprised, almost thinking there was another psychic among the guests.
But Saiki quickly realized through telepathy that this guy was just a chuunibyou.
"Isn't this a ramen shop? I want ramen."
Next to him was a tall boy with a prominent chin.
When this guy entered, Saiki became wary of him—
Because his telepathy didn't work on him.
For a moment, Saiki thought he might be a psychic.
But soon, Saiki concluded that this guy was just a complete idiot when he tried to shove a glass into his mouth.
Saiki couldn't read the thoughts of insects or single-celled organisms.
This guy was most likely a single-celled organism.
"This school is so different from ours. The stories here must be so exciting!"
"You commoners, watch your manners. If it weren't for me, you wouldn't even be able to attend this cultural festival. Everyone here is a social elite, got it?"
"I'm so hungry, so hungry, so hungry."
"Ah, Chiyumi hasn't arrived yet. Did she get lost?"
The group at the table was chatting animatedly. They seemed to be students from another school who had come here for some special reason.
"Saiki, take a break. I'll handle the kitchen for now!"
At that moment, Aiura Mikoto came over and said to Saiki.
Although Saiki hadn't exerted much effort all morning, easily handling everything with his psychic abilities, every student was required to take at least an hour off. Saiki decided to use this opportunity to have lunch and look around.
As Saiki left the café, he brushed past a girl.
Saiki didn't pay much attention, but the girl turned around in surprise and looked at his back.
"That boy..... he didn't say 'oh' when he saw me?"