Saiki returned to the screening room, but he was completely unable to focus on the movie anymore.
'Once you know the ending, this kind of movie becomes utterly boring.'
Saiki sighed inwardly. The time in the theater had become even more torturous, and he couldn't bring himself to watch the remaining half-hour.
He also couldn't be bothered to put his ring back on, as it no longer served any purpose. The thoughts of everyone around him flooded his mind.
[What should I do after the movie ends~]
[Hurry up and finish already, hurry up!]
[What should we eat tonight?]
The screening room wasn't large, but because it was packed with couples, the thoughts Saiki could hear became increasingly noisy. Most people weren't even thinking about the movie.
For example, the four girls to Saiki's left—especially Sato Maya and Karuizawa Kei.
[Damn it, I couldn't sit next to Saiki. Karuizawa beat me to it!]
[If only this were a horror movie. I could've pretended to be scared and gotten closer to Kusuo!]
Saiki sighed. Aside from himself, the only person in the theater who actually wanted to watch the movie was probably Ibuki Mio—
[I can't focus at all… sitting next to this guy… I have no idea what he's thinking… it's so annoying…]
'Yare yare, and you're blaming me for this?'
Saiki sighed.
...
About half an hour later, the movie finally ended. For Saiki, it felt like one of the longest half-hours of his life.
Finally, as the credits rolled on the screen, Saiki and the others were able to leave the theater.
'Yare yare, it's finally over. This movie could've scored higher in my book, but… oh well. Let's just get out of here as soon as possible.'
Saiki thought to himself, then led the group out of the screening room and into the lobby.
'We've already watched a movie. After grabbing a meal, today's outing should be pretty much over.'
Just as Saiki was thinking this, Ibuki Mio hurriedly caught up to him:
"Wait, Saiki!"
"What is it?"
Saiki sighed inwardly. He knew nothing good would come from her approaching him.
"Saiki, there's something I need to talk to you about. Can you spare a moment?"
Ibuki Mio looked at Saiki with a serious expression.
[I can't let it go… what happened on the rooftop… I can't just let it slide… and then what just happened… I need to settle this with Saiki once and for all.]
'Wait, wait, what just happened… what did I even do just now?'
Saiki's eyes were filled with confusion.
Karuizawa Kei furrowed her brows, feeling wary of Ibuki Mio, who was from Class D.
Although Karuizawa Kei knew during the Special Exam that Ibuki Mio and Manabe Shiho weren't on the same side, Ibuki was still part of Ryuen Kakeru's group.
Meanwhile, Sato Maya had a different interpretation of Ibuki Mio's approach.
[What?! What does she want with Saiki-kun?]
'She probably wants to challenge me to a fight.'
Saiki thought to himself.
[Earlier, I noticed the way she looked at Saiki was off. During the movie, she kept glancing in his direction…]
'So, you weren't even watching the movie either, huh?'
[Karuizawa also seems a bit strange, like she's hostile toward Ibuki. Does she know something? Could it be…]
'Yare yare, has Sato figured something out?'
Saiki felt a bit nervous. Although Ibuki Mio probably wouldn't reveal the truth, if Sato Maya or the others picked up on any clues from her reaction, it could spell trouble.
Saiki focused his attention on Sato Maya, wanting to know how much she had guessed.
[Could it be… that she likes Saiki and wants to confess to him?]
'…'
Saiki quickly realized he was overthinking things.
Sato Maya wasn't capable of thinking that deeply.
"If you have something to say, say it here!"
Sato Maya immediately spoke up, her expression serious.
[With so many people around, is she trying to take advantage of Christmas?]
[I don't think Saiki would agree to her confession… but… you never know! For guys, the first confession on Christmas must be really special! I didn't even get the chance to make my move. How can I let someone else take it!]
[No, no matter what, I can't let her succeed!]
"This is something between Saiki and me. It's very important."
Ibuki Mio glared at Sato Maya. She didn't know who she was.
[Given Saiki's personality, he probably hasn't told anyone about what happened before, right?]
[Out of everyone here, only Karuizawa should know what happened that day.]
[Saiki probably doesn't want this to blow up, but no matter what, I need to regain some dignity… this guy is so annoying. It's like I'm just some insignificant lackey to him. During the movie, I could clearly feel that he didn't even see me as a threat.]
'Yare yare, even though I did make you suffer a bit before, that was kind of your own fault. And I didn't do anything just now, did I?'
Saiki felt helpless, but with so many unrelated people around, he didn't want to reveal too much.
'Although Ibuki probably won't expose too much here, it's better to resolve this as soon as possible to avoid any future trouble.'
Saiki sighed, then spoke up.
"You guys go ahead to the nearby restaurant and wait for me. I'll catch up later."
As he spoke, Saiki activated his telepathy.
'Help me out here. Get them to leave first.'
He directly transmitted his thoughts to Aiura Mikoto, as she was the only one among them who knew Saiki's true nature.
[You owe me another favor, then.]
'Fine, fine. Hurry up.'
"Let's go ahead, then!"
Before Sato Maya could say anything, Aiura Mikoto pulled the others along, trying to get them to leave. Saiki also gave Karuizawa Kei a look, and she followed without saying much.
"Do any of them know your true nature?"
Ibuki Mio asked, watching the others leave.
"One of them does."
Saiki replied.
[Is it Karuizawa? That means the others don't know about Saiki's true abilities. Why is he hiding his strength?]
'If you knew I had superpowers, it'd be chaos.'
Saiki responded inwardly, then asked,
"What did you want to talk about?"
But before he could finish, Ibuki Mio suddenly raised her leg and aimed a kick at Saiki's head—
However, Saiki had already read her thoughts and knew she was testing him. He simply lowered his head and dodged the attack.
"You dodged that? Are you some kind of superhuman?"
Ibuki Mio said, clearly annoyed.
But she had no idea that her offhand comment made Saiki's heart skip a beat.
"Your attack… was too telegraphed. It was easy to react to."
Saiki casually made up an excuse.
"Ever since our fight, Ryuen has changed completely. He's lost all his former drive. I hate Ryuen, but even someone like you, who's not even his classmate, has had such a huge impact on him. That's what I find unbearable."
Ibuki Mio frowned as she spoke.
'Yare yare, did I overdo it with the fear factor? Anyone would break down if they imagined their head being kicked around by some creepy middle-aged man.'
Saiki thought to himself, trying to steer the conversation elsewhere.
"But don't you hate Ryuen?"
"I do hate him, but I think he's genuinely strong… Class D needs his strength to move forward. I can't let him fall like this."
Ibuki Mio's expression grew even more serious.
"Fight me."
"What?"
Saiki's eyebrow twitched.
'Is her thought process a bit too jumpy?'
"I'm saying, let's settle this once and for all. Let me fight you seriously with everything I've got!"
'You weren't serious last time?'
Saiki sighed.
"And last time, I was just defending myself, right? If I hadn't fought back, wouldn't I have been the one getting beaten up?"
"…"
Ibuki Mio seemed to want to argue, but after thinking for a moment, she couldn't refute Saiki's words.
"That's beside the point. If I don't settle the score from the rooftop, I won't feel satisfied!"
As she spoke, Ibuki Mio assumed a fighting stance right at the entrance of the theater, drawing the attention of many passersby.
'This girl has completely thrown logic out the window. There are so many people around. Does she not care about anyone in this school?'
Saiki inwardly complained, hearing the murmurs and pointing from the surrounding crowd.
At this point, Saiki had only one thought: to end this farce as quickly as possible.
"Does it have to be today?"
"Yes. If you refuse, I'll keep bothering you after the new semester starts."
"Does it have to be here?"
"If you think it's inconvenient, we can go somewhere else."
"Sigh."
Saiki sighed. Ibuki Mio wasn't a threat to him, but if she kept pestering him in the future, it would definitely be annoying.
And with her making such a scene in public, it would only attract more unwanted attention.
He had to put a stop to this.
For now, he'd just have to go along with it.
"Fine, I'll agree, but on one condition."
After thinking for a moment, Saiki finally spoke.
"What is it?"
Ibuki Mio nodded.
"Once we settle this today, you're never allowed to bother me again."
Saiki said.
"Deal."
Ibuki Mio agreed almost without hesitation.
Saiki looked at her and, using his telepathy, confirmed that she was serious. He then nodded.
"Let's find a different place first."
Saiki led Ibuki Mio away from the area. Using his clairvoyance, he quickly found a suitable location—a storage room in the mall's pharmacy.
The staff hadn't arrived yet, so Saiki needed to resolve this quickly.
Saiki glanced around. The room was filled with empty boxes, and the space was relatively open. It was the perfect place to settle their dispute.
"You can decide the rules. Do we fight until someone surrenders? Or until someone loses consciousness?"
Ibuki Mio asked.
Hearing this, an idea immediately popped into Saiki's mind.
"The one who surrenders loses."
'I'll just surrender right away.'
A slight smile appeared on Saiki's lips.
"…Wait, I'll decide the rules."
Just then, Ibuki Mio seemed to realize something.
[He's probably planning to surrender immediately!]
'She figured it out? Damn it.'
"If we go by those rules, wouldn't you just surrender before the fight even starts?"
"Why would I do that?"
"So, I'll keep the fight going until I'm sure there's a clear winner."
Ibuki Mio said with utmost seriousness.
"Sigh, fine."
Saiki had no choice but to nod.
'I can't drag this out too long, or the others will definitely get suspicious.'
"Then let's begin!"
Ibuki Mio shouted, then focused her gaze on Saiki—
In the next instant, she charged forward, spinning in mid-air and aiming a kick at Saiki.
'Yare yare, even though there aren't any products around, causing too much damage could still be troublesome.'
Saiki casually waved his hand, swatting Ibuki Mio away like a fly.