Chapter Text
As soon as our old neighbors moved out, I knew that whoever moved in would be annoying. Why? Because the gods hate me. Or maybe they just think my suffering is funny.
By the time I was in telepathy range, I knew my mom was talking to whoever had moved in. I would have teleported to my room immediately, but there were too many people around.
“My son should be home from school soon, I’m sure he’d love to meet you!”
Good grief. By now, Mom should have known that I've never loved to do anything at all for my entire life. And meeting new people is one of the things I hate most. I can't make Mom look bad, and since she obligated me, I might as well get it over with.
‘Their little daughter is so cute, Ku is just going to love her!’ Oh great, another little kid. My mom’s thoughts are 100% incorrect. I’m going to hate the brat if she’s anything like Yuta.
By that time I’m around the corner and I see them. I would have looked at them earlier with clairvoyance, but I don't like crossing my eyes when I'm around people. The woman is a lot taller than mom. She's a westerner, which is a surprise.
“Oh, here he comes now! Ku, over here!” Mom waves at me to catch my attention, as if there’s any way I wouldn’t have known what was going on. As I approach, I see the daughter: she’s tiny. She looks like she’s around three or four?
I’m six years old!
Anya looked at him, as if she were correcting what he had been thinking.
“This is my son, Kusuo. Ku, this is Mrs. Forger, and this little cutie-pie here is Anya! Isn’t she the most adorable thing ever?”
“Yor Forger, pleased to meet you.” The woman holds out a hand to shake. Right, because she’s a westerner. I’m not crazy about shaking hands, but it’s a social convention, and anyway, I have my gloves on that will stop my psychometry.
There’s a psycho in a tree?
The little girl is thinking something strange as I shake her mother’s hand. That’s the problem with kids. Their thoughts are full of random, meaningless crap that I can’t help but hear anyway.
“Mrs. Forger is an office worker and her husband is a psychiatrist, isn’t that interesting?” No, not the least bit.
They’re an assassin and a spy.
Kids can’t tell reality from fantasy. It’s a real pain.
“Oh, and I was just telling Mrs. Forger how you’re such a good friend to little Yuta. You know, if you need someone to mind your daughter, I’m sure Ku would be happy to.”
I absolutely would not. Yuta is a big enough pain. I don’t want to have to deal with another brat.
How rude! I am not a brat!
…that was weird. Why is she thinking that? Nobody said anything out loud about brats.
And now she’s staring at me. Why?
Why’d he think “why is she thinking that?”
What? What?
That big kid with the glasses is really weird.
That’s a cheeky thing for a brat to say.
He’s calling me a brat again! What a big meanie.
Okay, it could be a coincidence that her thoughts are corresponding with mine exactly. There’s a UFO behind you.
Anya quickly whirled around and scanned the sky. After a few seconds she turned back.
This guy is a liar.
Good grief. Now I have yet another problem.
What kind of problem does he have?
My biggest current problem is that I now have another psychic living next door to me.
What’s a psychic?
People that can do things like read people’s minds.
Oh, okay. I guess I’m a psychic, then. Is there another psychic nearby?
I mean me, brat. I’m the psychic.
Why is he thinking like that? It’s like he’s reading my mind.
I am reading your mind.
...But Anya is the only one who can read minds.
I’ve been reading minds since before you were born, cheeky kid.
He sure thinks a lot of mean things.
Good grief. Is mind reading all you can do?
I know how to read books, too.
No, that’s not what I meant. I meant, do you have other psychic powers. Like, can you move things around with your mind or…
Kusuo inadvertently catalogued of all the things he know how to do, forgetting that his thoughts were no longer private.
You can fly? That sounds so cool! Take me flying!
My powers are not your amusement park ride. Damn, this is an even bigger problem than I thought.
You said a naughty word!
I'm a high school student. It's allowed.
“Ku? Why are you staring at Anya like that?”
Oh, great. I got so caught up in this situation that I ended up looking weird.
'No reason whatsoever. Nothing to worry about. But please excuse me, I need to study.'
That is, I need to study what this brat can do.
Stop calling me brat!
Okay, squirt.
Ugh. You sure are bad at being polite.
Quiet. And talking of quiet, you can’t tell anyone about me being a psychic
Is it a secret?
Yes, it’s a secret.
I can keep secrets. I’ve never told anyone that papa’s a spy and mama’s an assassin.
Besides telling me, just now?
Her eyes went wide and her jaw slackened from shock.
I’ve got a very bad feeling about this.