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_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!"

[mp_npc]

Mrs. Kageyama sighed. Her husband's tendency to not question things frustrated her at times but it was also a source of relief. She gathered the nice bento from the top shelf and handed him a few.

"I was worried our son was getting bullied again, but...Hanazawa seems like a nice boy. So we need to make him feel welcome, alright? If we alienate him, Shige may withdraw completely."

But still...kissing...Shigeo rarely even spoke to other kids his own age, but maybe joining that fitness club was just what he needed to bloom?

"Should we...give him the talk again?"

[mp_npc]

Mr. Kageyama hummed at that. "Maybe. But at least we don't have to worry about pregnancy here." That was the thing he was most worried about. "I'll probably need to do some reading on the internet about this before we have another talk, though." His experience only went as far as with women. Men were an entirely different species to him.

[mp_npc]

"That's true. But we should at least reassure him before he goes to bed." Their poor son had been terribly embarrassed by the discovery, after all. She opened the door back up and quickly packed up all the nikujaga and cheesecake she could fit in several bentos--stacking them neatly and wrapping them in cloth with an easy-to-carry-handle.

"Hanazawa-kun, it's all ready to go for you," she said as she re-entered the dining room. Ritsu was gone from the table already, but Teruki and Shigeo were still chatting away.

"Ah! That's so much...are you cert--"

"I am absolutely certain. And you're welcome over for more anytime. Isn't that right, Shige?"

[spiritsandsuchtrainee]

"Yeah, of course," Shigeo said, chiming in. "I know you intended on walking me home, but are you sure you don't want me to walk back to your place with you?"

Mr. Kageyama shot his wife a knowing look and gave her a slight nod.

[mp_simplyacommoner]

"Oh, no way. It's kind of far. I couldn't ask you to do that." Teruki paused and rubbed at his neck sheepishly. "But...if you wanted to walk me part way to the trail near the river...we could call it even."

Mrs. Kageyama had to resist adding in any commentary, but it was really difficult not to. This was as adorable an exchange as she could ever picture her oldest having. She handed Shigeo the stacked bentos. Hanazawa-kun's got a bag so be a gentlemen and help him carry his things was the unspoken message.

[spiritsandsuchtrainee]

"Thanks, Mom." Shigeo's smile was slight, but it was definitely there. "I'll be back in a bit."

[mp_simplyacommoner]

The night was pretty warm--Spring really was here, wasn't it? The sky got brighter the closer they got to Teruki's high-rise, but that was because it was closer to the city proper. That was one reason he was always getting home late; there was just always something to do in that part of Seasoning City.

"Your family is cute, Kageyama-kun. You're lucky."

[spiritsandsuchtrainee]

"Thanks, I really am." Shigeo could definitely recognize that. Especially now, knowing that Teruki was living alone. "If you ever want to drop by, let me know. Do you have a cell phone? I'll give you my number."

[mp_simplyacommoner]

"...Yeah. That's a good idea." They were nearing the trail by the river that was popular with all the joggers. Before they ascended the steps, Teruki whipped out his phone and added Mob's number to his contacts.

When he finished, he pocketed his phone to look Mob in the eye. The warmth in his blue eyes hardened over.

"Hey...don't tell your parents that I live alone. I'm not asking you as an acquaintance. I'm telling you as a fellow psychic."

[spiritsandsuchtrainee]

"Sure, but why don't you want me telling them?"

[mp_simplyacommoner]

"If they knew, they'd start asking questions. I don't want to expose them to danger." The Kageyama's were good people. They would have had to be to raise such a good son, but now that he had met them for himself...

"When I was ten I was nearly kidnapped. I've been followed by the ones who tried it ever since."

[spiritsandsuchtrainee]

"Almost kidnapped?" Mob could hardly believe it, but he could tell from the way Teruki was talking that there was no way he was lying. "Who are the people who tried to kidnap you?"

[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."