Kokomi slammed the bedroom door open without warning. "Breakfast is ready, so hurry u—!"
She froze.
Her voice cut off mid-sentence as her eyes landed on the bed. Makoto and Saiki were sound asleep, sharing the same blanket. Makoto was curled up beside him, one arm draped across Saiki's chest, and Saiki, as usual, lay perfectly still, eyes closed, looking like he hadn't moved once during the night.
For a full five seconds, Kokomi just stood there, blinking.
"What the hell," she whispered, expression flickering between shock and disbelief.
Saiki stirred first. His eyes opened slowly, and upon seeing Kokomi standing in the doorway, he sighed. "You left the door unlocked," he muttered to Makoto.
Makoto cracked one eye open. "Huh...? What time is it?"
"It's breakfast time," Kokomi said flatly, voice dangerously calm. "Which I announced, expecting a normal response. Not... this."
Makoto sat up, rubbing his eyes, entirely unbothered. "Oh. Good morning."
"Why is Saiki in your bed?!"
Makoto blinked at her, then shrugged. "He stayed over."
"You have a couch!"
"The couch is lumpy," Makoto said with a yawn. "Besides, he didn't mind."
"I did," Saiki muttered under his breath.
Kokomi let out an offended noise and slammed the door shut behind her.
Makoto turned to Saiki with a sleepy grin. "She's gonna be weird all day now."
Saiki sighed again and pushed the blanket off. "I should go. I'll stop by my house and grab a uniform."
"You can just borrow one of mine," Makoto offered, already standing and stretching. "I've got spares."
"I'm not wearing your clothes."
"Why not?" Makoto pouted. "I wanna see my boyfriend in my clothes."
There was a pause.
"…You said that out loud," Saiki said flatly.
"I did." Makoto smirked.
Saiki stared at him for a moment, then sighed deeply. "…you're lucky I like you."
Makoto beamed. "Yes!"
As Saiki accepted the neatly folded uniform Makoto handed over, he made a mental note to never fall asleep here again without checking the lock on the door.
The smell of grilled pork and miso wafted through the house by the time Makoto stepped out of the bathroom, towel still around his shoulders and hair damp. He'd shoved Saiki into his slightly-too-large spare uniform, which, bless him, Saiki wore without comment—though the sleeves were a bit long and the hem just barely covered his wrists.
In the kitchen, Makoto's mother was already plating breakfast. His father sat at the low table, reading the newspaper. Kokomi was sulking with her face planted on the table like the world had ended.
"Good morning~!" Makoto sing-songed, dropping into his seat with the cheer of someone who definitely hadn't caused mass hysteria an hour ago.
His mother turned, beaming. "Good morning, sweetie! Oh? You brought a guest?"
Saiki hovered awkwardly in the doorway.
Makoto gestured grandly. "This is Kusuo! My boyfriend."
The newspaper rustled violently.
Kokomi made a strangled noise.
Saiki, expression flat: "…You didn't warn them at all, did you."
Makoto grinned "Surprise?"
His mother blinked, then clapped her hands together. "Oh! Well, it's very nice to meet you, Kusuo-kun! You're even more handsome than in the magazines!"
Saiki blinked. "Magazines?"
Makoto elbowed him. "She means our dating scandals."
His father peered over the edge of the newspaper. "So you're the one my son cuddles in his sleep."
Makoto choked on his tea.
"You're surprisingly calm."
His mother smiled. "Dear, if we panicked every time Makoto did something sudden, we'd both be bald by now."
Makoto puffed his cheeks. "Rude."
Kokomi lifted her head with the weariness of someone ten years older. "So… you didn't break up?"
Makoto nodded, holding up a peace sign. "Yep."
"You were literally ignoring each other yesterday," she mumbled.
Makoto shrugged. "Feelings are complicated."
Saiki, quietly muttered "Your drama was complicated."
Kokomi groaned and buried her face again. "I need a new family…"
Breakfast proceeded with a weird sort of normalcy. Saiki sat stiffly between Makoto and Kokomi, trying not to look like he wanted to phase through the floor every time Makoto's knee brushed his. Makoto, meanwhile, was acting like he'd brought home a husband of ten years.
Makoto's mom occasionally cooed. His dad made very dad noises of vague acceptance. Kokomi glared at her rice bowl like it personally betrayed her.
At one point, Makoto nudged Saiki and whispered, "You're surviving really well. I'm proud of you."
Saiki muttered back, "I've lived through Nendou's family dinners. This is fine."
By the end, Makoto's dad even gave him a grunt of approval. His mom insisted Saiki come again. Kokomi wordlessly slid a prayer bead bracelet across the table.
"For protection," she said darkly.
Makoto kissed her cheek. "Aww, thanks, sis."
Kokomi immediately moved away "I wasn't talking to you."
Saiki raised a brow.
Makoto smirked.
The morning chaos wound down with the clink of dishes and Makoto dragging Saiki toward the door, school bags in hand.
"You sure you don't want to teleport?" Saiki asked, already glowing faintly.
Makoto looped his arm through his. "Nope. We're walking together."
He leaned closer. "Let the world see my handsome boyfriend in my clothes."
Saiki paused. "That's kind of—"
Makoto, dramatically: "ROMANTIC? I AGREE."
And that was how they left the house - Makoto grinning ear to ear, Kokomi slumped against the doorframe like she'd aged ten years, and Saiki muttering under his breath about regrets and secondhand embarrassment.
Their arrival at PK Academy was about as subtle as a celebrity press conference.
Makoto was practically glowing, walking close enough to Saiki that their shoulders brushed every few steps. Meanwhile, Saiki looked entirely resigned—shoulders a little hunched, sleeves slightly too long, and the hem of the borrowed uniform hanging just a bit lower than usual.
Makoto had made a noise of victory about that earlier. "A perfect boyfriend aesthetic, my clothes on you."
"Your clothes are too big."
"Exactly."
Makoto had expected to walk into their classroom and bask in the chaos of his grand public reappearance—but instead, Saiki led him into a room that was very much not their homeroom.
He blinked. "This doesn't look like our classroom."
Before he could ask more, the lights flicked on.
"Took you long enough," Aiura Mikoto said from where she sat cross-legged atop a desk, her crystal ball glowing faintly in her lap. Her expression was sharp with worry. "I've been waiting forever."
Reita Toritsuka popped up beside her, eyebrows raised. "Dude. Bro. Your ghost was doing the WORM yesterday."
Saiki stopped mid-step. "Of course you're here."
Makoto squinted. "Wait, why are you guys here?"
Aiura hopped off the desk, stormed right up to Saiki, and jabbed a finger at his chest. "Your aura spiked at lunch yesterday, then collapsed like a sandcastle at high tide. I thought you got kidnapped! Or worse—emotionally compromised."
"I was emotionally compromised," Saiki muttered.
Toritsuka added helpfully, "Yeah, the ghost that usually hangs around you said you guys were having a divorce scene in a supernatural soap opera."
Makoto coughed. "Wow. Called out by a ghost. That's new."
Aiura narrowed her eyes. "Then this morning, your energy started merging with someone else's." She tapped the surface of her crystal ball, where pale pink and violet threads glowed and twisted around each other. "And that only happens when there's a soulmate resonance. A real one."
Makoto stared. "…Sorry, wait. Back up. Soulmates?!"
"Yeah," Aiura said, hands on her hips, her voice accusing. "You've got a full-on golden-thread-of-fate thing going. It lit up like fireworks last night."
Makoto looked between her and Saiki. "You knew this?"
"I suspected," Saiki replied flatly. "Ever since I lost the will to launch you into space."
Aiura crossed her arms. "That soulmate link was supposed to be mine, by the way."
"…Excuse me?" Makoto asked, blinking rapidly.
"I've seen dozens of possible futures," Aiura snapped. "Me and Saiki? Cosmic power couple. The soulmate line was fuzzy—until you showed up. Now it's glowing like a neon sign over your annoying little head."
Makoto raised both hands. "If I accidentally soul-thiefed your destined psychic boyfriend, my bad. Honest mistake."
"Damn right it's your bad," she muttered.
Toritsuka, now visibly invested, gasped. "Wait wait wait—so you two are soulmates now?! Am I dreaming this? Should I start planning a ghost wedding? Do I need to rent a tux?"
Makoto smirked. "Please. Do you think I'd settle for a ghost wedding? We're going full celebrity venue, red carpet, and psychic catering."
"Stop encouraging him," Saiki groaned.
Aiura gave Makoto a long, slow stare. "Wait—when did you find out Saiki was a psychic?"
"Oh, that," Makoto said casually. "He told me last night."
Both Aiura and Toritsuka froze.
"…Sorry," Aiura said slowly. "What."
Makoto smiled. "Yeah. Just laid it all out."
Toritsuka reeled back. "YOU TOLD HIM?!"
Makoto tilted his head. "Since last night. Officially, anyway."
"DUDE!" Toritsuka cried. "I didn't find out until a ghost ratted him out! How are you so calm about this?!"
"I panicked a little inside," Makoto said with a shrug. "But mostly I thought it was hot."
Aiura turned to Saiki, scandalized. "You told him?!"
Saiki looked painfully done. "He already had enough information to figure it out. And we're dating. Might as well confirm it before he got even more unbearable."
Makoto beamed. "Because I'm clever."
"You're annoying," Saiki corrected.
"Same difference," Makoto said.
Aiura groaned, massaging her temples. "This is so off-script. You're not supposed to know! Saiki's whole point was playing lowkey."
Toritsuka leaned toward her, whispering, "They're way too comfortable with each other. This is either fate or an anime filler episode."
Makoto checked the clock and turned toward the door. "Okay, besties, I love this intervention-slash-reveal party, but we're going to be late. Let's continue the scandal where we'll have an audience."
Saiki didn't move.
Aiura watched him closely, then sighed. "…You trust him? That much?"
Saiki didn't reply. He just looked at Makoto with the tired resignation of someone who knew better than to argue with the universe.
That was answer enough.
"…Unbelievable," Aiura muttered, staring down at her glowing crystal. "He really stole my psychic destiny."
Toritsuka patted her on the back. "Look on the bright side - this is going to be hilarious to watch crash and burn."
Aiura scowled. "If it crashes."
Makoto slung his bag over one shoulder and strolled beside Saiki down the hallway, practically humming with energy. "So… soulmate, huh?"
Saiki didn't look at him. "Don't start."
"Oh, I'm starting." Makoto grinned. "Soulmate. Soul-mate. We're bonded by the cosmic fabric of destiny, Saiki-kun. That's at least three anime tropes worth of romantic tension."
"Stop talking."
Makoto leaned closer, stage-whispering dramatically, "Should I call you darling instead?"
"I will phase through the floor."
"Kusuo~ my darling soulmate" Makoto cooed, dragging out the syllables like a bad romance drama.
Saiki sighed like the world had wronged him personally. "Why did I think telling you would make things quieter."
"Because you love me," Makoto chirped.
Saiki didn't respond. He didn't have to. The way his psychic aura flickered just a little—somewhere between exasperation and reluctant fondness—said it all.
They reached the classroom.
The second the door slid open, a visible wave of tension swept through the room. Heads turned. Jaws dropped. Someone in the back gasped like they were witnessing a soap opera twist.
"Wait—" Kaidou's voice cracked. "They're walking together?!"
Hairo blinked. "Weren't they basically at war yesterday?"
Aren muttered, "Did they kill each other and get replaced by clones?"
Yumehara sniffled behind her hands. "Are they back together? Is this what reconciliation looks like?!"
Saiki marched to his seat, face blank and aura bristling with please do not engage. Makoto followed, beaming like the cat who'd just outwitted every laser pointer in town.
Saiko watched it all from his seat, eyebrows furrowing. "Weren't you ignoring each other during lunch yesterday?"
Makoto turned to him with mock surprise. "Oh, did it seem that way? You must've caught us mid-drama arc. Don't worry, it's resolved now."
Saiko's expression soured. "Already?"
Makoto patted Saiki's shoulder affectionately. "Turns out we were just hiding our deep emotional bond."
Saiki thunked his forehead against his desk.
Saiko frowned. "Tch. Lucky timing."
Hairo leaned toward Kaidou. "Was Saiko… hoping something would happen between him and Makoto?"
"Desperate," Aren muttered.
Makoto looked at Saiko with a dazzling smile. "Don't worry, Saiko-kun. If we ever break up, you'll be the third to know."
Saiko blinked. "Third?"
Makoto held up three fingers. "Me,Saiki, then you."
Saiki made a strangled sound into his desk.
Saiko opened his mouth—probably to retort with something expensive-sounding—but then paused. Fine. Time for a more elegant strategy.
He stood, brushing imaginary lint off his designer uniform. "You know," he said smoothly, "it might help clear the air if we all spent more time together. Perhaps… a yacht trip this weekend?"
Makoto blinked. "A what."
Saiko smiled, slow and self-satisfied. "A private cruise. On my yacht."
Makoto narrowed his eyes. "...Who's 'we' exactly?"
Saiko tilted his chin. "You, me, and Kokomi, of course."
Makoto stared at him. "Three of us?"
Saiko nodded. "Yes. Just the three of us."
Kokomi glanced up from her book, with a sweet, practiced smile and a tilt of her head, she said, "I'm sorry, but I'll be studying that day."
The class fell silent for half a second.
Then.
"She's so dedicated!"
"Even turning down a yacht for her studies…"
"Truly perfection in human form…"
"She's too good for this world…"
Makoto rolled his eyes as a glowing aura of admiration seemed to radiate off Kokomi's desk. "Seriously? You people need help."
Before Saiko could recover from the polite rejection, Hairo jumped to his feet, fists clenched with enthusiasm. "That's a great idea! Friend bonding time!"
Kaidou gasped. "On a yacht?! That's so villain-coded! What if we're ambushed at sea?!"
"I'm in," Chisato added. "Free cruise? There's probably snacks!"
Aren nodded. "Sure. Why not."
"I call dibs on eating the snacks," Chisato added, raising her hand.
Yumehara clapped. "Yacht party! Yay!"
Saiko's eye twitched. "I… meant for it to be a small gathering."
"Oh come on," Hairo said, slinging an arm around his shoulders. "You can't exclude classmates. That's not very team-spirited!"
"The friendship yacht sails for all!" Kaidou shouted.
Saiko opened his mouth to protest—
The classroom door slid open again, and a bubbly voice rang out.
"Did someone say yacht?" Haruka appeared in the doorway, eyes sparkling like she'd just found the ultimate treasure. She bounced in with a bright smile. "Makoto!, I heard about your yacht trip! Can I join? Please? I promise I'm super fun!"
Makoto blinked, caught off guard. Saiko's confident smile faltered.
Saiko cleared his throat, stepping forward. "Uh, actually, this is just for our classroom group."
Haruka's smile faltered but didn't disappear. "Oh! I see. So it's, like, an exclusive thing?"
"Yes," Saiko said firmly but politely. "We're keeping it limited to students in this class."
Haruka gave a slow, almost theatrical nod. "Maybe next time…," she replied slowly, voice dripping with equal parts sweetness and insanity. She shot Makoto a quick, intense wink — the kind that could haunt your dreams — and waved with a flourish like she was starring in a drama.
Then, without missing a beat, she spun on her heel and sashayed out of the room like she'd just delivered a grand performance, leaving a faint trail of glitter and an eerie, lingering energy that made everyone's skin crawl a little.
The door clicked shut behind her.
For a moment, the whole class just stared, frozen.
Then Kaidou muttered, "Dude… that was straight-up villain energy, maybe she's Dark reunion's leader."