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.

Comments

[mp_simplyacommoner]

"Of course, they've never succeeded, but..." Teruki glanced around to take stock of their surroundings; the shadows under the bridge moved, but it was just a cat with a rat in its jaws. "Basically...it's a cult of psychics who go after children who they know to have strong psychic ability to recruit them into their ranks. By force."

[spiritsandsuchtrainee]

That was... unnerving to think about. Mob was relieved that he had gone unnoticed up until now. Was it because he rarely used his psychic powers for anything outside of work?

Still, he had one other thing to be worried about.

"Is it really safe for you to live alone when there are people after you?"

[mp_simplyacommoner]

“It’s the safest thing for me to do. I can handle myself.” He stepped towards Mob, extending a hand for the wrapped bentos. “I’m not trying to freak you out…but it would be wrong for me not to at least warn you.”

[spiritsandsuchtrainee]

Mob handed them over. "Thank you." Hopefully, there wouldn't be anything to worry about. But still... when he thought about Ritsu, his mom and dad, and Master Reigen getting hurt...

29%, 30%, 31%, 32%...

"I'll see you later."

[mp_simplyacommoner]

The weight of the wrapped food settled over Teruki's fingers. It was warm and it still smelled really good and he suddenly felt like there was more he should say.

"Hey...Kageyama-kun. I thought having another psychic in town would be nothing but trouble at first. But the truth is...I feel a lot better knowing you're around." His thumb tightened around the fabric. "And I'm not just saying this from one psychic to another. I'm saying this to you."

[spiritsandsuchtrainee]

Mob knotted his hands in front of him.

"Thanks." He never felt like be could be relied on before. He was always the one relying on others. But it felt a little like Teruki might be relying on him a little.

"I don't like fighting, but if you get into any trouble..."

[mp_simplyacommoner]

"You'll come to my rescue, right?" Teruki laughed but not unkindly. He didn't want to leave Mob on a dour note. "Don't worry, there are plenty of other things we'll do before I ask you to do something like that. Like perfecting your hand-holding technique."

[spiritsandsuchtrainee]

Mob blushed. It was still dark, even in the city lights, right? He hoped Teruki wouldn't see it.

"Y-yeah."

[mp_simplyacommoner]

"See ya around, Kageyama-kun." Giving the other boy a sharp two-fingered salute, Teruki turned with a flourish and ascended the steps.

[spiritsandsuchtrainee]

Mob closed the door behind him quietly enough that he was sure no one was going to hear him coming in.

He was wrong. His dad popped his head in the hallway with an expression that Mob wasn't exactly sure how to read.

"Oh, Shigeo, you're back. Come here and talk to your mom and me for a bit." He gestured for Shigeo to join them in the living room.

His dad's voice was friendly enough, but Mob was already on-edge. This wasn't going to be about Teruki, was it?

[mp_npc]

"Oh Shige, welcome back. Have a seat." Mrs. Kageyama smiled and motioned for her son to have a seat beside her on the sofa and then at some steaming tea on the table "I made some nice hojicha with honey and milk, just how you like it."

[spiritsandsuchtrainee]

"S-Sure!" He sat down on the sofa next to his mom. His dad sat next to him.

Mr. Kageyama looked at his wife and gave her a sturdy nod of signal.

[mp_npc]

Mrs. Kageyama returned the gesture. “Shige, your father and I just wanted to talk about what happened in your room earlier…”

[spiritsandsuchtrainee]

"I-it wasn't anything!"

"Don't worry! Your mom and I support you no matter what!" Mr. Kageyama slapped a hand on his oldest's shoulder. "I have to say, I wasn't expecting you to date until at least high school!"

"W-wait, it's not like that!"

[mp_npc]

“What your father means is…yes, we love and support you no matter what.” Mrs. Kageyama put her hand on Shigeo’s other shoulder. “You don’t have to be embarrassed of any thoughts or feelings you’re having. The most important thing to us is that you’re spending your time with someone who respects those thoughts and feelings.”

[spiritsandsuchtrainee]

33% 34% 35% 36% 37%...

"I know that," Shigeo said, his voice tensing nearly as much as his body.

"Good!" Another familiar pat on the shoulder from his father.

"But Hanazawa-kun and I really aren't dating. I promise you!"

[mp_npc]

Ah, her poor Shigeo was really panicking. Still, she knew her son well enough to know that he wasn’t the type to kiss anyone just because he felt like it. If he wasn’t able to admit anything to them now she could let him know that door was always open. “And it’s okay if you aren’t. Or if you are. Hanazawa-kun is clearly very fond of you and he’s always welcome to visit anytime.”

[spiritsandsuchtrainee]

"Thanks, I'll be going now." Mob immediately stood up, but his father caught his wrist.

"Even if it's with a man, you still should wear a condom."

38&39%40%41%42%...

[mp_kageyamabro]

“Don’t forget your tea!” Ritsu heard his mom shout when he left his room, followed by a frantic ascension of steps to the second floor. He was ready to peek over the banister when his older brother was already flying into him.

“Whoa!” The tea flew out of Mob’s mug but was returned to its place with his older brother’s power in short order. “You okay?”

[spiritsandsuchtrainee]

"YeahI'mfine," Mob spit out. The beads of sweat and the franticness of his movements as he navigated his way upstairs clearly spelled out one thing with absolute clarity:

Mob was not fine.

[mp_kageyamabro]

“Um. Okay.” Mob was like an electric cable that had snapped and was now flailing all over the street. An errant flinch could spell doom. “Did…they give you a hard time about your clothes?”

[spiritsandsuchtrainee]

"No, not this time." This time was a lot worse.

[mp_kageyamabro]

That only left one far worse option.

Hanazawa showing up for dinner from nowhere. The weird looks they’d shared all evening. His brother’s cageyness. Mom and Dad whispering in the back room.

All of the action potential in Ritsu’s system was firing off with the need to tear out of the house and hunt the source of this tension down himself. He suppressed all this behind an unassuming smile to reassure panicking brother.

“Mom and dad really get ahead of themselves. Should I talk to them for you?”

[spiritsandsuchtrainee]

"Don't worry about it," Mob said, trying to steady his voice as to not worry Ritsu. "I'm sure they'll..." Mob wanted to say forget about it, but he got the feeling that wouldn't happen for a really long time. "I'm sure they'll get tired of it eventually."

[mp_kageyamabro]

Before Ritsu could reply the buzzer from Mob’s phone started going off in his pocket. He tightened his jaw and hoped his sense on this one was wrong.