Chapter Text
Shigeo called in sick the next day.
He called Tome early in the morning to tell her, sneezing after just about every sentence. She decided he wasn’t faking it, as if he had ever done that, and told him that she’d move around all the suspected-to-be real exorcisms for the next day.
“Don’t worry ‘bout it, Shige,” Tome mumbled. The phone call had definitely woken her up. “I’ll jus’... give you extra paperwork for you to do when you get back. That’ll teach you.”
The minute he hung up, he regretted it. This meant he didn’t have anything to do today. He could just lay in his futon and watch the light through his windows move throughout his room. He didn’t like being alone with himself like this. He hadn’t had to be for a long time. Shigeo had half a mind to just call Tome back and tell her he was feeling better and would be a little late at worst.
Then he sneezed again, and felt the pressure in his sinuses. If he went to work, he’d be more miserable than he would be here.
The man supposed this was his fault. He’d spent far too long in the rain yesterday without a coat. Still, Hanazawa needed it more than him.
The thought of Hanazawa made a headache flare up. Shigeo closed his eyes and pulled his blanket up to his chin.
His throat was also sore, though he wasn’t sure if that was from his cold or from being choked out yesterday. Shigeo brought his hand to his throat and instantly winced. He was sure if he looked in the bathroom mirror, the hand-shaped bruises around his neck would be dark blue and purple.
It took him some time to get up. He liked the warmth of his blankets and pajamas, hated the feeling of the cold floor. However, Mob knew he had to do something, as to not waste the day away. He pushed himself up and found his slippers, waddling to his small bathroom.
Mob’s apartment was not large. Not at all. As much business as Spirits & Such had been getting recently, it wasn’t really reflected in Mob’s paycheck. But it was still a survivable amount of money, so he didn’t bother Tome about it. His living space was pretty multipurpose, only being one room excluding the bathroom. Once he rolled up his futon (if he got to it), the space would look larger, but not by much.
He had a few plants by the window that he was trying to keep alive. He had a kitchenette and fridge across from the window, and a small tv and couch adjacent to that, along with a bookshelf. He had a small desk with his computer. Besides the plants and the little alien figurine Tome had gifted him in high school, the space was very plain.
Mob brushed his teeth and showered, just like normal. The shower made him feel a little better, but it didn’t clear up his nose. He blew his nose with some toilet paper once he had gotten out. Maybe he should buy some actual tissues today, since the last box he had was emptied a long time ago.
Still, he didn’t like the idea of going outside today. He didn’t have the energy. He fought the urge to lay back down on his futon and sat on his couch instead. That’s where his thoughts started to bug him.
He had failed. He had failed to change as he had promised himself. He’d had two explosions in the past week. He caused another accident with his psychic powers, hurt someone, let a person he was supposed to watch get hurt. He was the same boy back then, the horrible, terrified one who got taken over by that terrible force inside himself.
Shigeo needed a distraction. He needed to stop thinking about himself.
He didn’t know when he picked up his flip phone, but he found himself scrolling through his recent contacts. He’d been doing this a lot lately, even though there was a name he wanted to avoid.
The most recent call, of course, was with Tome. Throughout his life, she had most consistently come out on top.
They had met in middle school when her club, The Telepathy Club, was about to be shut down. He had an acquaintance from his class invite him because he had no after school activities. That was true. He didn’t have anywhere to go but home. He joined the club.
It was… alright. They didn’t do much except eat snacks or play games together. But it was a nice group, all things considered. Once Tome graduated, they couldn’t fill the requirement for group members anymore and it actually got shut down. He was still friendly with the other members, but they didn’t really stick together all that much.
That changed when Mob went to high school. He had no idea he had chosen the same school as Tome. Tome was, surprisingly, overjoyed, because as much as a drag Mob felt like, she could be herself around him. They hung out as much as they could after that.
Before graduating, Mob had an explosion. His first one since childhood. He didn’t remember where he had been, what he was doing, what exactly had set him off. Most of his explosions were hazy memories. All he knew was that he caused a crater in the gym and Tome was there. He didn’t remember if she had been nearby or not, but she was at his side when it was over. She had seen that horrible, ugly side of him that he was so desperate to detach himself from. Mob was sure she would abandon their friendship altogether.
That did not happen. They stayed friends as Tome went through college and as Mob went from job to job. He had gotten fired after multiple cases of poor customer service, and one night, on Tome’s tiny balcony, three beers in, she had an idea.
“Shh, Shige, wait, so, you’re psychic, yeah?” She was leaning on his shoulder and he was awkwardly trying to keep her upright. “We should, like, use that for busin’ss.. I wouldn’ fire you or nothing…”
He didn’t think that was going anywhere. But he had learned then that when Tome says she’s going to do something, she’s going to do it. Even if she procrastinates, or argues too much with landlords about office spaces. She would do it. And she did. Spirits & Such has been up and running for 3 years now.
Mob squinted up at his ceiling as his head throbbed, feeling like it was splitting down the middle. He stood up to close the blinds, watching the sun disappear behind them. He let out a sigh as he was finally granted some peace.
He went back to his phone. After Tome, of course his coworker would be the next most recent call.
Reigen Arataka was 13, almost 14, so it was just about a year of having him at Spirits & Such, Mob believed. That boy was… a little strange.
When Reigen (he didn’t like it when Mob and Tome said his first name. “That’s too unprofessional, what’s wrong with you?” He had said,) had first come into Spirits & Such, they weren't having a good time. Business was slow and money was tight in those first few years, and Mob was waiting for the last shoe to drop. He would eventually just have to find a new job and go from there.
The young boy had run into the office in mid-July, sweating profusely from the run from… wherever he had come from. He looked between Mob and Tome and cleared his throat.
“Which one of you,” The young boy had panted, “is the boss around here?”
“Uh, that would be me.” Tome raised her hand. “Are you our 4:30? Do you have a… parent coming in with you?”
“No, what? No.” He cleared his throat and did a wide movement with his arm before pointing at himself.
“My name is Reigen Arataka, and I’m applying to work here!”
Both adults stared at the little boy. Then they looked at each other.
“Uh… what?”
He smiled proudly. “Yes, ma’am, I’d like to work here. Can I have an interview now?”
Tome tilted her head. Mob didn’t know how old this kid was at the time. He saw the middle school uniform, but still, the boy didn’t look much older than 12. Could 12-year-olds even get jobs?
“Uh… you do know what this business does, right?” Tome raised an eyebrow.
“Of course I know,” the little boy glared at her, which was not good interview etiquette. He shook his head. “I wouldn’t come in for an interview if I didn’t know what the business is, ma’am.”
Tome leaned forward, and the boy straightened up, posture perfect and practically holding his breath. Tome narrowed her eyes, expression actually serious.
“So, kid, answer me this..” The woman’s tone was serious, too. Mob realized he knew what she was going to ask.
“Are you a telepath?”
The boy raised an eyebrow at her. “Uh… excuse me?”
“Well,” Tome folded her hands in front of her, smiling mostly to herself. “You wanna work at a business that specializes in exorcisms. That must mean you’re some kind of psychic.”
That was a large leap in logic, Mob thought, but he didn’t say anything, as usual.
The boy's expression only got more confused. “Exorcisms..?”
Tome rolled her eyes. “Well, obviously. At least I think it’s obvious. Didn’t you read the sign? It says Spirits & Such Consultation Office, after all. What other kind of business would that be?”
“What?” His voice cracked. “Of course I read the sign! Who walks into an interview without reading the sign?” He shook his head again, keeping his tone nice. “And, no, I’m not a telepath.”
“Aw man..” Tome sighed, “Are you at least psychic?”
The boy made another face. “Will it get me the job?”
Now it was Tome’s turn to raise an eyebrow. “So you aren’t?”
Reigen threw his hands out in front of him. “Woah, woah, woah, I never said that!” He gave a laugh that was the tiniest bit strained. “I am a psychic, okay? I am! I just, y’know… can’t tell people usually.”
“Riiight. Alright, I’ll discuss it with my associate. Mob!” Tome called him over to her desk. They made a little huddle, Mob crouched down in a way that hurt his knees while Tome just leaned forward in her chair.
“Well, Mob?” Tome prompted, “I don’t know if I can have a middle schooler on payroll, psychic or not.”
Mob hummed. “Well, if he is a psychic, I think that it wouldn’t do any harm.”
The boy cleared his throat, still standing in the middle of the office. “I can also do advertising! Among various other things. I’m very multitalented.”
Tome gave him a small smile before turning back to Mob with a serious face. “Again, I’m pretty sure I can’t even legally hire the kid. And you’ve managed some pretty tough cases, y’know?”
“Just give me cash… that’s fine too…” The boy could absolutely hear what they were saying in their huddle.
Mob looked back at the boy. He wasn’t a very big kid, probably a first year at his middle school. His hair was a mess and his uniform wasn’t straight, though that was probably from all the running, more than Mob could ever think of doing. He could also usually sense if someone had a psychic aura or not. And this kid?
This kid was not a psychic. Sure, the psychic energy around him was a little stronger than most— as everyone has at least a little bit of psychic energy— it wasn’t strong enough to be considered “powers.” Maybe he could see an aura or two, spot a spirit perhaps, but nothing that Tome would find useful in that regard.
Maybe this was all a trick, a prank the boy's friends were making him do. Maybe the kid thought he was more psychic than he was. Mob leaned toward the latter, and felt bad for this kid.
Reigen Arataka joined Spirits & Such just before his summer break had started. Since then, business has been back to normal, even great at some points, and he had grown so much.
When they met him was right before he had a growth spurt, landing him right at Tome’s height, which she wasn’t very happy about. He looked like any other teenager, really. Lanky limbs like a baby deer that he didn’t quite know what to do with, face covered in acne. He was a good kid, too. Smart boy with good grades. He butted heads with Tome, but who didn’t?
Reigen was, in most other cases, still a mystery to Mob. He didn’t talk in-depth about his life outside of the office (minus complaints) and ate most of his meals at the office, too. He wondered how Reigen made time between being at the office all day and the social life he swore he had.
He did not want to pry. Perhaps a part of him didn’t want to let himself care. Maintain a safe distance so that this kid, who Tome swore looked up to him, (something he could never understand), would not be hurt by him. He could remain neutral about this kid, about everyone in his life. No unnecessary emotions.
He failed at protecting the poor boy yesterday. Sure, he said he was fine, but it wouldn’t be the first time he’d just been trying to make Mob feel better. He could just hope he wasn’t in pain today after getting thrown around so much.
Reigen was a responsible, kind boy at the end of the day. Mob did not want him to waste that on an adult who couldn’t even use his abilities right. He really hoped the kid did not look up to him like Tome said.
Sometimes, like yesterday, Mob couldn’t help but look at him and remember someone else. Someone else he couldn’t protect from himself.
Ah, that’s what he was avoiding right now, wasn’t it?
The oldest contact, buried under work and friends, was Ritsu, his younger brother. The first and far from the last person he hurt.
Mob hovered over the contact for longer than he should, frozen in place. No. Ritsu was probably busy. Stop. Don’t open that up again. Mob put the phone away. He didn’t have anything else to do. He fell asleep on the couch.
A few hours passed before Mob woke up. He yawned, stretching out on the couch, when he senses something. Something faint, but familiar.
Mob opened his eyes. A green blob with red cheeks floated before him.
“Good afternoon. Lovely day, isn’t it, partner?”
What?
“Surprised? Well, you know what they say,” The green, slightly familiar spirit said, “Last week's enemy could be today’s friend!”
Oh, he remembered this spirit now. He was weaker now, smaller by a long shot, but he was still him.
An old friend and reporter, Mezato, had put him on a case to take down a suspicious cult. It was run by Dimple, a powerful spirit who was possessing some older man at the time. Forcing people to smile and laugh all the time. They couldn’t get Mob to express an emotion until the very end.
This must be a dream.
He grabbed the spirit by the top, which worked like a handle, and smacked him against the coffee table.
Somewhere else, much later in the day, it seemed that there were firecrackers going off behind a dumpster behind a cafe.
That, of course, caught Teru’s attention.
After losing his fight with Kageyama, Teru was going to make a change. He would be better, he would be just as good of a person as Kageyama!
And if his suspensions were right, this would be a perfect chance to really prove himself to Kageyama.
The psychic aura he sensed was not as strong as many other psychics he’d met, and practically nothing compared to Kageyama’s abilities, but it was there, and Teru could use it.
He turned the corner down the alleyway to find a girl in a red high school uniform. What had appeared to be firecrackers lit her face up in different colors as they were fired at a trash bag, and it became abundantly clear that there were not firecrackers at all. Just real flashy psychic powers.
“Stupid, stupid…” The girl spat through gritted teeth. “I’ll find another stupid place who can hire me. Gotta be somewhere.”
She held her hand up, waited until the pink, sparking ball of energy got real big, and fired it off at the garbage bag. A hole had been pierced all the way through a few times, but that left a burn mark on the wall. She seemed satisfied with that, sighing and straightening herself up.
That’s when the blonde girl noticed Teru. She froze like she was caught doing something illegal.
“So, you’re a psychic?” Teru approached her. She looked at his face, then up. And up… and up… probably at his new “better person” haircut.
The girl finally looked back at his face. She took a step back, clearly unsure. Teru assumed she just hadn’t had many celebrities approach her out of the blue.
“Haha, what?” She tilted her head. Was she playing dumb? “What even is a psychic, anyway?”
He mirrored her tilted head, frowning in disapproval. “Are you seriously going to try that?”
She let out a huff of air, crossing her arms. “Worth a shot. I can see you are too.”
He gave a smile with the intention of looking kind, even if it didn’t end up that way. He stretched out his hand. “Yes, I am. You can call me Teru, I’m sure you’ve heard of me.”
The girl gave a half-hearted laugh and shook his hand firmly. “Reigen Agako. And I haven’t heard of you, no.”
Reigen, huh. That sounded familiar to Teru, even though he wasn’t sure why. One of his crew members, maybe? Well, it didn’t matter. This is what Kageyama would want him to do, he guessed.
“Well, Agako, how would you like to learn how to use your powers?”
She looked suspicious again, pulling back. “Well, you saw me use them back there, didn’t you? I know how to use them, clearly.”
Teru frowned. Did the boy with Kageyama become his mentee easily? Maybe he’d have to find another psychic child. He didn’t really want to do that. What was a good motivator?
“How about I pay you?” He offered, “Learning to use your powers could be your job.”
She seemed to think deeper about that. After a second, a wide smile appeared on Agako’s face. “Well, sir, you should’ve led with that.”