Chapter 4: Cutting Algae Part One

[mp_strikinglyblessed]

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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[spiritsandsuchtrainee]

Mob's gaze followed the girl even after she finished pouring their tea and set the teapot down in front of them. She hovered nearby, her gaze so firmly set on Reigen that she didn't even seem to notice Mob was staring back at her in turn.

"Of course, I had no doubt after the recommendation we received," he said, settling down across from the duo. "Oh, how rude of me. I'm Hata, and over there's my oldest daughter, Asa."

Asa bowed deeply.

[mp_strikinglyblessed]

Reigen took a sip of the tea, clearly savoring it before shooting a smile to Asa in particular. “Thank you for making my protege feel so welcome during his first time here. And I must say, this is delicious. In fact…this is the most finely brewed tea I’ve had in a long time.”

As he took another sip he gave Mob a small nudge beneath the low table. Bow back was the clear message.

[spiritsandsuchtrainee]

It took a moment for Mob to get the cue, but when he did, he bowed so deeply that his forehead almost hit the table in front of them.

"Did you have the chance to see the castle on your way in?" Hata gestured out the window. In the distance, swallowed by mist, they could just barely make out the figure of a castle.

[mp_strikinglyblessed]

Reigen’s eyes followed Hata’s gesture. He had to admit to himself that there was something distinctly fascinating yet eerie about the castle itself looming ever-presently in the distance.

“Not up close...yet. My student and I were going to get settled and conduct our first formal site visit today. Of course, we’ve spent a good amount of time acquainting ourselves on the stories and rumors.”

[spiritsandsuchtrainee]

Once Mob sat up, he half-listened while he stared at Asa, trying to get a feel for what was off about her.

"Then I'm sure you already know the history of the Kona-Zanshō," Hata said. "And of the castle's most infamous spirit, Nagisa."

[mp_strikinglyblessed]

Reigen nodded. ‘Such a gentle name for such a sorrowful spirit.’ That certainly had to mean something.

“The woman whose tears drown the castle…during our initial conversation you said the flooding has been getting worse than ever this season. Has something perhaps happened to disturb the site? Perhaps unruly tourists running amok?”

[spiritsandsuchtrainee]

Hata nodded. "There is a small tomb within the castle -- we suspect that perhaps someone has done something to it. But with the flooding and the disappearances that have occurred since then, we believe that only an expert can safely navigate the castle and determine what is happening there."

Mob sipped his tea, watching Asa the whole time. She hadn't stopped staring at Reigen, either.

[mp_strikinglyblessed]

It was important to look clients in the eye and today was no different—in fact, it felt even more important. Reigen looked to Hata, to Emika, then to Asa.

He was suddenly aware of the way the young woman’s gaze in particular lingered but somehow it didn’t feel at all unnatural.

“Your faith in us will not be ill-placed, I promise you.”

[spiritsandsuchtrainee]

Mob finally averted his eyes from Asa just long enough to give Hata a single nod. Hata and Emika's appreciation was immediately palpable. Both of them bowed deeply at the both of them.

Asa, on the other hand, didn't seem nearly as appreciative, standing sullenly in her corner of the room.

"We can not begin to express our gratitude," Hata said. "Go ahead, finish up your tea. When you're done, my wife will show you to your room!"

[mp_strikinglyblessed]

"Thank you." Reigen bowed and gave Mob the same controlled smile he gave their clients. "Deshi, what do you say?"

[spiritsandsuchtrainee]

"Um." What was he supposed to say? It took a moment for the answer to register in his mind, but when he did, he bowed a little too quickly.

"Thank you very much for your hospitality. We won't let you down."

Mob glanced over at Reigen, hoping that was the right thing to say.

[mp_strikinglyblessed]

Reigen seemed satisfied, and Emika gave a warm maternal laugh.

"We have a daughter about your age. She's out in the gardens right about now. Even at her age she's quite the young professional...and an expert on the local history. Please take a moment to say hello to her during your time here."

'Heh.' Reigen resisted the urge to tease Mob. "Doubling up on our time sounds like a good idea, Mob. Once we're settled, why don't you do that while I prep in our room?"

[spiritsandsuchtrainee]

"Sure." Mob finished the rest of his tea and set the empty glass back down. "Thank you for the tea."

And with that, Mob left, sparing one last quick glimpse of Asa as he headed outside. Was it really okay for him to leave Reigen alone with her?

Well... if it turned out that a spirit was involved, Reigen would be fine. He was a spirit specialist after all.

[mp_npc]

~~

The gardens unfolded before Mob when he emerged from the sliding glass door. The sun was high in the sky but the tall bamboo still cast some dappled shade onto the mossy ground as it swayed in the breeze. To his left, a small teahouse was nestled beneath the shade of a cherry tree, accented by the perfumed scent of the emerging blossoms.

"Myaaaaaaaaaan." A tortoiseshell stretched out it's paw to give a curious bat at Mob's head from where it laid on one of the hanging flower pots.

[spiritsandsuchtrainee]

"Oh, hi." Mob peered up at the cat. It was pretty cute. Mob really liked cats. "Is it okay if I pet you?" he asked her, holding a hovering hand a few inches away while he waited for the cat's approval.

[mp_npc]

The cat trilled curiously, eyeing Mob with her bright green eyes. She poked out her chin over the pot curiously in invitation.

[spiritsandsuchtrainee]

Good. Mob scritched the cat. All thoughts of meeting Misaki were completely vacated from his head. All that existed in that moment was him and the cat.

"Are you out here all by yourself?" he asked it, knowing she couldn't respond. "Maybe you just wanted some peace and quiet away from everyone." If that was the case, Mob hoped he wasn't disturbing her. But he could definitely understand how the cat felt if it were true. Mob was getting better at dealing with people, but sometimes it really felt like too much for him to handle.

[mp_npc]

"Hey! Suitopiiii!" The clack, clack, clack of zori against the wooden planks of the veranda sounded from behind Mob. "What did I tell you about settling in the flower pots? This is the third time I've had to reinforce them!"

"Myaaaaaaaan." Suitopi meowed back in a mimicry of her drawn out call of her name.

"Aw, don't say that. You know how cute you are..." The girl sighed and folded her arms, the wide sleeves of her blossom-patterned kimono fluttering dramatically. She collected herself and finally realized that there was a human right in front of her. "...Oh! You must be..."

[spiritsandsuchtrainee]

Mob was completely caught off-guard by Misaki's sudden appearance. Before he can manage to push out a greeting, she's already chiding the cat and talking to him.

She sure had a lot of energy.

"Shigeo Kageyama," Mob supplied, giving Suitopi a final scritch before directing his full attention over to Misaki. "I'm with Spirts and Such."

What else should he say? He was sure Reigen would be giving him a nudge or a look right now.

Mob bowed before he could give it another thought. "Thank you so much for your hospitality while we're here. We'll be sure to take care of the job as soon as possible."

[mp_npc]

Misaki made an 'o' with her mouth, awed. She bowed back at once and her long braids bounced as she did. "Misaki Sumitada! I attend the gardens here at my family's ryokan diligently. I'm in my last year of elementary. The kanji in my name means beautiful and blossom. Let's see...what else...ah! My favorite food is udon, but not with aburaage." She stood back up straight with her hands folded in front of her as she looked Mob up and down.

"Kageyamyamya-sama...ah, sorry, Kageyama-sama! You're a powerful psychic aren't you?"

[spiritsandsuchtrainee]

She really had a lot of energy. It intimidated Mob a little.

"Well, I think I'm pretty good at it, but I'm still training."

[mp_npc]

"I can tell these things. Well, that's not true. I shouldn't lie. My friends here can." Misaki gestured around them. There were suddenly small glimmering lights of eyes everywhere. From the trees. From the rafters. From the shadows of the meticulously trimmed bonsai plants. Eyes of cats staring right at Mob. "You've really gotten their attention!"

[spiritsandsuchtrainee]

Mob gaped at the sheer mob of cats surrounding them that he failed to notice before. They were really good at hiding. Mob really wasn't good at that kind of thing at all. He was always the first person his schoolmates found when he played hide and seek back in elementary school.

"Cats can really sense that kind of thing?"

[mp_npc]

"Of course. They can also sense who's good and who's bad. Especially Suitopi." Misaki smiled as Suitopi reached out a paw for Mob's attention. "Of course, even if you weren't all that good I'd still be obliged to provide excellent hospitality...ah! Sorry, I shouldn't say so much. Hey!" She clapped. "Alright, everyone stop staring so much! Kageyamya-sama is still a guest, so let's treat him like one, okay?"

Eventually the cats dispersed. Suitopi yawned and settled back into the flower pot. Misaki sighed and re-focused her attention back on her guest. Her talent, it seemed, was quickly moving on. "You're here investigating Kona-Zanshō Castle, so, it would be my honor to give you a tour of the gardens and answer any questions you have. I don't mean to be haughty but when it comes to knowledge on all the local legends I can't be beat."

[spiritsandsuchtrainee]

"That's what your parents said, too." Mob wondered what his parents said about him when he wasn't around. Maybe it was better that he didn't know.

"Um, do you mind if I ask a sensitive question?" Mob might be socially oblivious at times, but even he knew that this might come across as impolite.