Aren: I Think I Just Figured Something Out! I Gotta Go.

I think everyone agrees that the most telling scene for Teruhashi and Saiki's relationship is the karaoke mixer scene (with Imu and Chiyo and the guys from the fancy school).

However, I also think it's the most misinterpreted part of the series. I haven't seen a single analysis of it that I agree with tbh, so I figured I'd write my own:

However, as Saiki points out, her understanding of him is completely wrong. She doesn't think he would have a good time or could make things more fun, when in reality, HE'S the one coming up with all the jokes the guys say, and their kind gestures like adjusting the temperature of the room for her. And to top it off, he was even doing actual karaoke during the mixer and killing it, based on his 100% score. Saiki was secretly being the whole life of the party, something that Teruhashi can't even imagine at this point.

Teruhashi appreciates that Saiki doesn't actively chase her, that he treats her like everybody else, that he isn't waiting for her to slip on her perfect pretty projection. However, while Teruhashi wishes Saiki was there with her at the mixer, she also thinks that he would just be there glooming it up with a dull expression in the corner. That seems to show that she finds Saiki's presence comforting but doesn't really think he can contribute otherwise to this kind of social situation. And based on what she's seen of him, it's a reasonable expectation tbh!

And that's because whenever we see Saiki at parties with his friends, he ISN'T charming and funny then. Saiki even feels bad about being so boring and unexpressive, sending in his father as a substitute for one birthday party. But that's because he's actively masking his powers and by extension, his real personality, to almost everyone.

We've only ever seen him at parties with people who DON'T know the truth about him. So we can't know exactly what he'd do at a proper party post power-reveal. But we CAN see the difference in interactions that he has with people who don't know about his powers and people who do.

People who know about Saiki's powers and who he acts genuinely around: his family, the Psychickers, and little Yuuta.

The biggest immediate difference between how he behaves with them vs with everyone else is that Saiki is a huge backtalker lmao. He has a smartass remark for everything but only says it "out loud" if he's comfortable. He disrespects his dad on the daily, roasts Toritsuka half to death, and repeats [no] at Yuuta every time he begs.

In fact, Teruhashi has never seen Saiki be genuine around her, which is why she has to dig desperately for something positive to say to Saiki's grandfather when she meets him. All she can say is that he seems studious (the man gets strictly average grades so this is kind of sad actually lmao) and that he has a lot of friends for some reason hsfjdlshfks.

Saiki is also a bit of a show-off / kind of prideful. We see it when he's a kid in the Time Leap episodes, we see him fly up to get Yuuta that balloon instead of using telekinesis, and we see him refusing to lose any games to his friends despite low or no stakes (and being a very sore loser when Akechi beats him).

My personal favorite example of him being his hilarious self is when he and Aiura are trying to keep Chiyo alive despite her death mark, and Aiura thinks to herself something like "well, there's no way he can hear my thoughts at THIS distance or he'd be some kind of god" and Saiki IMMEDIATELY replies [what's up, God speaking] like WHAT. THE LEVEL OF SASS. He's just naturally that fucking funny and repressing it all the time. And most of his friends have no clue that this guy is actually a hilarious mfer!

However, we as the audience actually *do* see Saiki be his genuine self around Teruhashi: that one episode where she's trying to find him but he turns invisible so her simps can't catch him. Instead of being a quiet, emotionless presence, he steals her milkshake and makes fun of how she can't see him and is generally silly. Maybe one day they'll truly know each other well enough to where Saiki feels comfortable being silly like that where she can see it, but due to all their circumstances (powers/crush/simps), he has to try to be as boring and off-putting as he can be instead.

Which all leads me to say that the end of the mixer scene is actually really bittersweet imo. It's Saiki realizing how much fun he *could* be having with his friends if he was able to be open and honest about himself around them, and if he didn't have to worry about inadvertantly encouraging an unwanted crush. That is the life he's always wanted to have, a normal one where he can just relax and be himself and hang out with his friends without risking cataclysmic consequences at every turn.

And at the same time it reinforces that most of the people he genuinely cares about and considers his friends don't really know him well at all. While they all clearly enjoy his presence and care about him, they don't know that he's sarcastic, selfless, incredibly clever, tsundere af, generally anxious, and kind of nosy.

Does that make all of Saiki's friendships fake? I don't think so. Everyone presents different parts of themselves to different people, this is a normal. We live in a society, etc. The same behavior and conversation isn't appropriate for someone who's a coworker vs a lover, half your age vs twice your age, etc.

But it sure hurts to know that a friendship was built under false premises and could crumble if the truth is revealed. And that's why Saiki even considers never stopping the volcano so he can stay in the same status quo with his friends, because he's certain that once they leave high school, they will all forget about that quiet, stone-faced guy in the background of their memories. He's sure that even if everyone finds out about his powers, after he's been made powerless, giving him the opportunity to be himself for the first time ever, that they won't like the "new" him.

That mixer was Saiki being his whole self with his friends, just through a different face, and while he had fun, it was with the full knowledge that this is essentially as close to being genuine with his friends as he can possibly get, for a limited time only. Because the volcano and their senior year are both looming large on the horizon.

Fofos

Someone has GOT TO mention how fucking romantic and vanilla Aren Kuboyasu and Shun Kaido from The Disastrous Life of Saiki K are

Like y'all remember that episode when Aren got a love letter which was actually from a rival gang?? OMFG Aren was so happy about it and how he explained to Saiki that he would have ONLY one woman in his life and would marry her and all that!? Dude was planning a wedding and the kids' names c'mon. Like that is a romantic mind istg (fellow romantics assemble)

And how in this one episode(i forgot which one) Kaido is explaining what dating is to Nendo and the group is watching....like, seeing him blush over THE THOUGHT of holding hands omg. And he had totally lost it when he was JUST talking about kissing. Like yes we need men like you Kaido

Idrk but these two scenes made me realise how romantic these two characters are and how big of a simp I am for them :')

*screams*

the fact that this matches their faces exactly

please don't repost

Kuroshitsuji: Kishuku Gakkou-hen E01

Few mp100 doodles to finish the year!!

sweets spotted