Chapter 2: Hunting Season(ing) Part One

[spiritsandsuchtrainee]

"Are you okay with this?" Mob sat on a bench with Tome, the head of the Telepathy Club. Mob wasn't part of the Telepathy Club, but he had a good relationship with the members since they shared the room with the Body Improvement Club (which Mob was a part of). So naturally, when Tome aggressively insisted that he help her hunt aliens or telepaths or telepaths that were also aliens, Mob felt like he had no choice to agree.

But unfortunately, despite having four investigative meetings (this one was number five), they had thusfar failed to find anything.

Maybe aliens or telepaths weren't as common as either one of them thought.

"Maybe it'd be better for us to try again later in the year. Maybe aliens visit only during certain seasons." It didn't at all seem implausible to Mob. People always hoped for the weather to be a certain way when they went on vacation. If aliens were even a little like humans, Mob was sure they'd feel the same way when they vacationed on other planets.

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[spiritsandsuchtrainee]

Mob had his hand held and his face touched all in one day. He wasn't used to this much physical touch... at least not from someone who wasn't related to him.

"Okay." He didn't think that Teruki was lying about it, but he did think that if he got to see his job, he might think differently.

"If you want, you should stop by sometime. It's called Spirits & Such."

[mp_npc]

Mrs. Kageyama usually delegated dinner announcements to one of her sons or her husband, but today was quite special! Shigeo--her Shigeo--had brought over a friend. And such a polite one and sporty one, too! That could only bode well for her wayward boy. Water that seed. Water that seed. That's all she could think as she walked up the stairs to ensure Hanazawa was getting a good impression.

So, she didn't wait to make her announcement until after she slid the door to her oldest's room open. "Boys! Dinner is...ready..."

[spiritsandsuchtrainee]

Mob's head immediately swiveled to look at his mother as she entered the room; she had a second to catch Teruki's hand on his face. Even Mob was aware what she might think of it. That prolonged silence said everything without saying anything at all.

"M-mom!" He tried to push the word out evenly, but instead it came out with a slight stutter. Somehow, he managed to regain his composure to spit out a few more words. "We'll be right down."

[mp_npc]

"Oh...well. You've had a long day. Just take the time you need." Mrs. Kageyama delicately slid the door shut--and opened it one more time. "Oh, but not too long, alright? It really will get cold." Then she finally shut it for good.

[spiritsandsuchtrainee]

Once his mom left the room, Mob turned to look at Teruki. "Um, we should go downstairs."

[mp_simplyacommoner]

"Understood." None the wiser to what had just taken place, Teruki hopped off the windowsill to follow Mob's lead.

[spiritsandsuchtrainee]

Before long, all of them were seated, bowls of nikujaga in front of them. Mob was all too aware of his mother's glances. It really made him feel anxious.

26%... 27%... 28%...

"Tome-senpai and I went out today looking for telepaths," he said, desperate to fill the silence with something. "We weren't successful, though."

[mp_npc]

"Oh...you weren't with Hanazawa-kun all day?"

[spiritsandsuchtrainee]

"No, we met up after she left." Mob took a bite of his nikujaga, focusing hard on the actual act of eating so he wouldn't inadvertently mess up his spoon again.

[mp_npc]

"I see, I see." She wasn't trying to embarrass her boy--really, she wasn't, but she just needed a clearer picture of this...development! "Hanazawa-kun, please feel free to take some home with you."

Teruki swallowed his latest mouthful quickly. "Really? Thank you very much. It's delicious, Mrs. Kageyama!"

"Oh, it's just my old stand-by, but it goes a long way in keeping a house full of boys full."

"You used Suigei Tokubetsu Junmai sake, right?"

"Eh? Oh...well, yes!"

Teruki took another small bite of meat and swallowed. "I could tell by the acidity and the texture. Much more than you get with a honjozo. Ah, and fennel. Those really complement the flavors of the meat."

"...My! You're so cultured!" The laughter that came from Mrs. Kageyama was equal parts delight and disbelief. That was the most thorough compliment she ever remembered getting on her cooking. "To think middle schoolers these days know so much about sake..."

"Ah, no, no. Not at all. My father is an enthusiast. That makes him rather...discerning about these kinds of things."

[spiritsandsuchtrainee]

Wow. Teruki really did know just about everything, didn't he? Mob had no idea what his scores at school were like, but he was sure they were closer to the top than they were from the bottom. As for Mob, his scores were always right near the middle.

"What does your dad do for a living?" Mob was curious about what kind of job he'd have for Teruki to live alone. Now seemed like a good time to ask it.

[mp_simplyacommoner]

"He does hedge fund management." Teruki took another bite.

[spiritsandsuchtrainee]

"Oh, sounds..." How could Mob possibly finish that sentence honestly? He wanted to say interesting, but it really didn't sound interesting at all.

"Impressive!" Mr. Kageyama supplied cheerily, much to Mob's relief. "I'm just a salaryman, but Shigeo's mother and I met at our company headquarters back when she was still working as an OL."

[mp_simplyacommoner]

"Yes, that's right...every day I brought in lunch for myself and he'd always walk into the lounge after me and declare things smelled delicious as always. Then, he actually gifted me a bottle of my favorite chili oil on my birthday. It's one you can only get overseas. Maybe it sounds silly to you kids, but...it was actually quite charming. When you're working the printers and scanners all day, having someone notice your the little things..."

"It's not silly at all, ma'am." Teruki smiled, though a bit distantly.

"What about your mother, Hanazawa-kun?

"She's an attorney. She owns her own law firm."

Mrs. Kageyama formed a little 'o' with her lips. "That sounds quite demanding." For both his parents, really.

"Yes, you could say that."

[spiritsandsuchtrainee]

Mob was getting the sense that Teruki didn't really want to talk about his parents. But what else could people talk about? Come to think of it, the only people he really talked to at school he knew from his clubs, so there was always something club-related for them to talk about.

Clubs! That's what he should ask about!

"Are you in any clubs?" Teruki already knew that he was in the Body Improvement Club. If Mob had to guess what club Teruki was in, it'd probably be the Fashion Club.

[mp_kageyamabro]

"No, not really...I've been taking a break from group activities to focus on myself for awhile."

Ritsu had been pretty quiet the entire meal--he made an excuse to his mom about being drained from being on the student council, which wasn't at all a lie. But...seriously...was he the only one who saw how weird this was!? His brother, this stranger, and now his mom all had weird radiating off of them.

His dad...well...he was the same as always.

"Are your parents gonna be worried if you're out late?" Ritsu asked suddenly as he stirred his snap pea around the edge of his bowl.

"No. I'm usually out late."

"Really? I mean...mom, you could give them a call. You made dessert and everything. Hanazawa should stay for that." 'Heh. There we go.' Teruki was giving him a look that only he could see. Maybe if he pushed a bit more, everyone else would see it--

"I'm sure if Hanazawa-kun says he's fine, he'll be fine, dear."

[spiritsandsuchtrainee]

"Yeah, he'll be fine," Mob agreed. "He's very responsible. Just like you, Ritsu!"

[mp_kageyamabro]

The end of Ritsu's chopstick pierced the skin of the snap pea he hadn't been able to bring himself to eat yet. Still, he turned his lips up. "Gotcha."

"I'm afraid I won't be able to stay for dessert. I'm very sorry. I am expecting a delivery tonight, and I'll need to be there to sign for it." Teruki bowed his head.

"I'll pack some to go for you, dear! Just stay right there." Mrs. Kageyama rose and motioned for her husband to get up as well. "Honey, could you show me where the new bento is? I know it's in the back room, but I seem to have forgotten where." Her tone was clear--we need to chat. In private.

[mp_npc]

"Hm?" Mr. Kageyama was about to say that he didn't have the faintest idea where to even begin to start until a moment later, when his wife's true intention pierced through his foggy mind. Maybe he shouldn't have had that extra glass of sake at dinner. "Sure, dear." He pushed himself up from his chair and joined his wife in walking to the back room.

[mp_npc]

Mrs. Kageyama closed the door to their humble storage room behind them and immediately set about sorting the shelves--in that moment she really needed to stay busy with her hands.

"Honey...I think Shige isn't giving us the full picture about his new friend."

[mp_npc]

Mr. Kageyama wasn't following his spouse's train of thought at all. "What do you mean?"

[mp_npc]

"When I went to tell them dinner was ready, I saw them...well." Mrs. Kageyama found a pair of old decorative maneki-nekos she'd forgotten she even had and tapped their noses together.

[mp_npc]

"KISSING?!" The word came out far louder than he intended it to.

[mp_npc]

Mrs. Kageyama pressed a finger to her lips and lowered her voice to a hush--lord, could her beloved husband's voice carry when he'd had a few! "I'm really at a loss here, Honey. We always thought he was just a late bloomer! He doesn't even keep nudie magazines or anything..." While she was one to let her children keep a certain level of privacy, she felt like she had missed something terribly along the way now.

[mp_npc]

"Wow, how did he catch that one?" Mr. Kageyama mused, half-impressed, half-bewildered. "Way to go, Shigeo!"