spirits_and_such_offices | Chapter 4: Cutting Algae Part One

Texting was a pretty neat function. It was widely adopted by every teenager except the one he, Reigen, had so generously gifted a phone to do it with. Mob was diligent to a fault about picking up his calls, but texting? Still a work in progress. Mob was getting better, though. After all, how else was Reigen supposed to give him a heads up about big jobs before the end of the school day? Excepting the occasional friendly lunch break chat.

That was of course assuming the phone was still intact. After their chat last night, Reigen wasn't so sure. It wasn't like Mob made a habit of texting him first.

Reigen squinted at the clock on his second-hand laptop he'd just replaced the shattered one with. 12:05PM. He had found a decent deal on one in a flea market but there was something off about the graphics. Parts of the screen were always slightly out of frame and most of his day had been spent trying to uselessly dink with the display options until it was righted, but instead he just ended up with a resolution that was too small.

'Ugh. New laptop, and if we're really unlucky, a new phone? I'll just garnish it...' Reigen pulled out his phone and fired off a text to his pupil. You didn't get washed away, did you? Your phone's still working, right?

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"But then you met other people like you and figured it out, right?"

‘Heh…’

“Yeah. I did. Eventually. …What brought this on?”

"Nothing. I just wanted to make sure you weren't possessed by a spirit."

“Aren’t those questions only effective when both parties supposedly know the answers…?”

"What makes you think I didn't know the answer?" Mob asked, gazing at Reigen with his usual neutral expression.

“Eh?”

"My powers have changed a lot since I first met you... and I've been spending more time with the Telepathy Club... and with another psychic."

The gears of Reigen’s brain were catching and grinding on each other as he processed that.

“S-so…you’re saying you…?”

Mob just gazed blankly back at Reigen, unmoved and unanswering.

Reigen was combusting. Soon, there'd be nothing of him left. It was only serendipity they were in a hot spring where the physical symptoms could be easily passed off as heat exhaustion.

"I...see..." Unable to fight or flee or even freeze in front of his student, Reigen's hand shakily rose to rest on Mob's head once more. He cleared his throat. "Given your psychic growth spurt, allow me to test you."

"Test me?" Mob tilted his head slightly to one side.

"I'm going to transmit the incredible secret of my power directly into your brain. It's beyond spiritual ability...something that can't be described in words...it's pure thought." Reigen solemnly closed his eyes. "I never thought this day would come so soon, but...if your psychic abilities are growing so rapidly, I must. If I don't... ..."

Reigen seemed really serious. Mob couldn't help but feel unnerved.

"If you don't what?"

"...Your spiritual powers will consume your metabolic processes...and you'll never grow another inch."

"What?!"

“Don’t panic—leave it all to your Master!” Reigen’s grip tightened over Mob’s damp hair. “If your powers are growing as fast as you say then, by doing this, we’ll unlock a new training regimen. It’ll be intense but it’s for your body’s good. Now, hold still…”

"N-no, I'm good, really!!" Mob flailed.

“You are not good, Mob. Your muscles are on the line here. Or…are you doubting me?”

"I promise," Mob said, hands raised in front of his chest, as if in surrender. "I was just messing with you before. I haven't gained telepathic powers at all!"

Reigen drew his hand back. “Really?”

"Yes! Promise!"

“So that was a lie. You definitely lied to me just now.”

"It was a joke," Mob said, his voice cracking with panic.

The panic dissolved and Reigen was left with an andrenaline hangover strong enough to make him want to cry. He huffed a wheezing laugh and papped Mob’s cheek.

“Whew! That’s such a relief. For you.”

Mob deflated into the water, his eyes and the top of his bowl cut the only parts of him exposed to the world.

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