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]

"No not really," he said. "It's pretty, though." Mob couldn't help but feel grateful to be in such a beautiful place, even if it was for work.

[mp_strikinglyblessed]

Reigen led the way through to the entrance and at once they were enveloped in the scent of polished wood. The interior was as meticulously kept as the exterior.

"Reigen-sama! Welcome!" At once they were greeted by a middle-aged woman who was as meticulously kept as the inn. She stepped forward and bowed deeply to them both before setting her friendly gaze on Mob in particular. "And you must be Shigeo-sama. Welcome to the Sumitada Ryokan. I'm Emika Sumitada. I'll be your humble host."

Despite Mob's age, it was clear she held him in considerable regard as Reigen's assistant. Reigen, ever the ingratiator, matched Emika's tone perfectly. He matched her tone perfectly when he exchanged his leather lined loafers for the slippers she offered and when she prompted them to follow her to the lounge he followed in perfect step.

The hall towards the ryokan's lobby didn't need any other lighting at that hour; the windows that displayed the gardens in full imbued the hall with full natural light. Reigen entertained a brief fantasy of having a garden of his own even half as lush before they were in the ryokan's lounge.

The lounge was bathed in a softer light, filtered by the shoji screens. It was...in one word...serene. Low and lacquered tables were adorned with fresh flower arrangements, surely taken from those gardens. They were the only three in the room, even at that hour.

"Please, have a seat," Emika offered, gesturing towards a cushioned nook offering a distant view of the coast. "My husband and my eldest daughter will be in shortly to greet you both. We've prepared a welcome drink for you; would you like green tea? Or, perhaps, a refreshing spring beverage?"

"Green tea would be lovely, thank you," Reigen said as he took his seat on one of the tatami mats to one side of the table.

[spiritsandsuchtrainee]

"Green tea for me too." Mob followed right in line with Reigen, Mob following Reigen's every movement a few seconds behind.

By the time they both fully settled, Emika had fully disappeared.

"She called you '-sama'," Mob observed.

[mp_strikinglyblessed]

"She called you that too. Comes with the territory, Mob. Don't let it go to your head." Despite his statement on the matter, Reigen seemed quite pleased.

[spiritsandsuchtrainee]

"I don't really get it," Mob said. "It isn't as if either of us is that important or special."

[mp_strikinglyblessed]

"Mob. Mob. Mob, Mob, Mob. Of course we're not. It's omotenashi."

[spiritsandsuchtrainee]

"Omotenashi?" Mob echoed.

[mp_strikinglyblessed]

"It's the art of selfless and whole-hearted hospitality. A sacred art that goes beyond mere customer service. Respect, attention to detail, personalized service, anticipating your client's needs--these are values we practice in our own craft, too."

[spiritsandsuchtrainee]

"Huh." Maybe Reigen was right. "So then should we be using '-sama' for our customers too?"

[mp_strikinglyblessed]

"No, no. That's different."

[spiritsandsuchtrainee]

Mob blinked over at Reigen. "What makes it different?"

[mp_strikinglyblessed]

"It would be too much if people like us did that. Think about it--we'd just come off as shady try-hards."

[spiritsandsuchtrainee]

"But you don't think they're being shady try-hards?" Mob turned to look at the space the woman occupied a few minutes before.

[mp_strikinglyblessed]

"Of course not! Otomenashi is a broad custom with different practices among different industries, Mob. What may fly in one would be weird in another. It's all about context clues."

[spiritsandsuchtrainee]

Mob frowned. "I guess I don't really get people." Again spoken as a statement-of-fact rather than a self-criticism.

"Welcome to the Sumitada Ryokan!" The man's booming voice drew Mob's attention to its own immediately. His voice sounded exactly like he looked. Though he was middle-aged, he was clearly quite strong, with broad muscular shoulders that Mob envied. He also looked a lot more energetic than Mob felt, even though they spent most of their day traveling. "I trust you had a safe trip here!"

The woman behind them didn't echo much of that energy, though she managed a smile as she set two cups in front of them. Mob watched as she carefully poured their tea. Though she looked focused, she managed to look not-there at the same time. It puzzled Mob. It was really strange.

"We've prepared our best suite of rooms for your stay, so we hope you find the time to enjoy your stay here even as you work. We've taken the liberty of booking a few things for you tomorrow if you manage to finish your work today. Fully paid for, of course."

[mp_strikinglyblessed]

“You’re far too kind.” Reigen bowed his head and graciously framed his mug of tea in both his palms. “While we fully intend to work efficiently, we also intend to work as thoroughly as possible on a case as big as this.”

[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!"