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There was a legend developing about the well in the garden out behind the school. Like any well, kids and adults alike were known to toss their coins in and make a wish, but the rumor has it that the well actually started granting wishes years ago. It started when a PK Academy freshman named Teruhashi tossed a coin in and wished that the school drama surrounding her relationship status would cease. And it did, almost immediately thereafter. Instead of all the guys in the school speculating about which of them would date her, getting into petty arguments over who should get the honor of being her boyfriend, they decided that they would rather all get along in the pursuit of her greatest happiness instead.
Of course, anything that Teruhashi wished would come true, since God seemed to favor her so heavily. That wish was almost a given. After that, she didn’t see the need to make any more wishes, since her life was seemingly so perfect.
But then another freshman named Yumehara tossed a coin and wished for a boyfriend. An upperclassman asked her out, then asked to borrow money, then told her it wasn’t working out. Her wish didn’t bring long-lasting happiness, but it did come true.
Kaidou was the next student to be granted a wish. He tossed a coin, asking that he’d be given a friend or guide to help him navigate high school. Alphonse Calcifer Raiden showed up out of nowhere shortly thereafter, sitting on a tree branch, ready to tell Kaido all about the invisible powers at play in their world.
At this point, the rumor was beginning to grow, but these stories were simply anecdotal. The power of the wishing well could be chalked up to nothing more than coincidence or confirmation bias. But then, after a year, things started to become uncanny.
Students were being given answers to tests, as if whispered directly into their ears during tests. Mutual pining around the school came to a stop. Anyone whose crush was reciprocated found out and their love blossomed. Injuries were healed almost immediately. Weather would clear up as if on cue whenever a big soccer or baseball event was scheduled. The school marathon saw students finishing in record time, even the ones who were horribly unathletic. Coins tossed into the well resulted in granted wishes over and over again. With the well being so deep, one might assume there to be over a million yen in coins sitting in the water at the bottom.
But there wasn’t. In fact, there was rarely much more than a few hundred yen sitting in the bottom of the well. Where did all that money go? It went right into the pocket of the wish granter. But no one would ever be the wiser.
It wasn’t immoral to steal from the well if you were responsible for guaranteeing the success of the wishers, right? It was fair payment for passed tests and healed bones. So, it would be Saiki Kusuo’s little secret. The students of PK Academy would have their wishes come true, and Saiki would supplement his meager allowance.
Saiki watched from the roof as Aiura Mikoto approached the well with a hundred yen coin clasped in her hand. This is, like, totes silly, she thought as she held the coin in front of her. I wish that Saiki would accept me as his soulmate. She chucked the coin in.
That was one wish that Saiki didn’t intend to grant. He’d have to leave that coin down under the water. He clicked his teeth with disappointment. It’s not like it was a lot of money to miss out on, but every little bit counts. Oh well, he thought, there’s always the next wish.
The next day in class, Aiura couldn’t stop sighing. Saiki did his best to ignore her, but Yumehara took notice of her friend’s sour mood. “Miko-chan, what’s wrong?”
“I wished on the well,” Aiura said, jutting out her lower lip pitifully. “How lame am I?”
Yumehara shook her head. “No! I wished on the well last year, and it totally came true. Lots of people swear by it.”
“I don’t think my wish is going to come true,” Aiura said, casting Saiki a knowing look. He knows. Like, what’s a well to an esper?
“Maybe you just need to wish again!” Yumehara, ever the optimist.
“Yeah, okay,” Aiura said, giving a noncommittal shrug.
Another day passed and Saiki resumed his post, watching for people making wishes from the rooftop, attending to his unknowing customers. Takahashi tossed a coin and wished that he could get out of gym class that day. He tossed in a five hundred yen coin, so the wish was definitely worth Saiki’s while. With a pinch of Saiki’s fingers, he was able to induce immediate vomiting. Yeah, Takahashi wouldn’t be doing any physical activity any time soon. As he coughed his guts up into a flower bed, Takahashi immediately regretted the request.
Saiki levitated the coin from the well all the way to the top of the building and into his pocket. Be careful what you wish for.
A few more students tossed coins in with wishes that were easy for Saiki to grant without thinking too hard about the consequences. One would be getting the puppy they’d been wanting since they were a child as Saiki summoned a stray to follow the kid home via telepathic animal communication. Another wished to lose five pounds, so Saiki used pyrokinesis to help them sweat off a little water weight. Good enough.
Then Aiura reappeared with another coin in her hand. God, this is dumb, she thought. I know that he knows I’m wishing this right now and he’d do anything to make sure it doesn’t come true… She chucked the coin in and spun around, half-stomping back into the school building as lunch period came to an end with a ring of a bell.
For the next three school days, Saiki granted his wishes as usual. All except the wishes that Aiura kept making. It left a bad taste in his mouth, on the last day, watching her waste more of her money. The school’s legend was really too powerful if Aiura was acting this persistent. Maybe he should just tell her the truth. She already knew his secret, that he was a psychic. It wouldn’t hurt if she knew that he was the wish granter too. But he didn’t intervene as she tossed in the coin. He listened as it splashed into the water. He could imagine it drifting, swishing back and forth as it sank to rest on top of all of her other coins.
That’s the last one, she thought. If that’s not good enough for the damn well, then I’m giving up.
Saiki was glad that she wasn’t going to throw anymore of her money away, but the sadness in her thoughts also bothered him.
Before the bell rang to signal the end of break, Saiki fished all of the money she’d tossed into the well out and put it in his pocket.
“Hey, Aiura, can we talk?” Saiki asked at the end of class, with his hands shoved into his pockets along with all of her money.
Aiura’s heart started hammering in her chest.
Saiki felt a flash of something like guilt ripple from the crown of his head into his gut. But it didn’t last.
She followed him to the roof where he leaned against the railing, looking down on the legendary well of PK Academy. “I’m the one who’s been granting the wishes of the well,” he said.
Aiura smiled. “I actually kind of figured as much.”
Saiki shouldn’t have been too surprised by this, considering that Aiura was also a psychic. “Why’d you keep making wishes, then?”
Aiura shrugged. “I just wondered if maybe you’d, like, really hear me that way.”
“It doesn’t work like that,” he said. “I’m not obligated to grant anything.”
“I know,” she said. “I didn’t really think tossing coins in a well would make you date me. But it was worth a shot, since the well’s been working out for everyone else.”
Saiki put his hand into his pocket and grabbed a fistful of coins. “Here’s your refund,” he said, dropping the money into Aiura’s waiting hand.
She closed her hand around the money. “Thanks,” she said. “Wanna use this to go get some coffee jelly or something?” She smiled weakly.
“You can’t buy me,” Saiki reminded her in a sad attempt at being playful.
“I can try,” she said.
Saiki nodded. If she wasn’t going to give up after this latest rejection then she probably never would. He might as well enjoy it as much as he could.
“You’re really a nice guy,” she said as they made their way down the staircase. “Making your classmates' dreams come true and all.”
Saiki shook his head. “I get paid for it.”
Aiura laughed. “You could just take the money without granting their wishes, though.”
The thought had honestly never occurred to him. But he supposed it was true. They would never know the difference. The idea didn’t sit right with him, though, even if the money would just rust at the bottom of the well otherwise.
“That’s probs what I would do, but you’re a better person than me.” Aiura nudged him with her elbow.
How could she compliment him at a time like this? Why wasn’t she more upset? Why did she still like him after all this time? Sometimes Saiki just didn’t understand her.
“Give me that back,” Saiki said, snatching the coins from her hand while they walked out the front doors of the school.
“What?!” she said, watching him shove the money back into his pocket.
“I’m paying for us,” he said with a tiny smirk.
“So does this mean you’re granting my wish after all?”
“For just one date. It’s not fair if the well works for everyone except you.”
Aiura stuck out her tongue in response to his gentle teasing. But she was still happy, even if it was not a total granting of her wish. Maybe she was a tiny bit closer to having it really come true.