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]

"Well, maybe we can talk more if you want." Mob didn't know Teruki very well -- not this one or the one he met before. But the one in front of him right now seemed like a nice guy. "And if you wanted, maybe we could be friends, too."

[mp_simplyacommoner]

'Friends?'

...

"Kageyama-kun. Are you the type to make a lot of friends?"

[spiritsandsuchtrainee]

"Um... I guess I started to recently." He didn't really have many friends up until then. Just Master Reigen and Ritsu. Did the two of them count? Mob thought so.

[mp_simplyacommoner]

"I see. ...I'm not the type. Well. Not until recently." Teruki stood, then, balancing himself effortlessly on the swing even with his hands in his pockets. "That being said, I want to pay you back before we go any further."

[spiritsandsuchtrainee]

"Pay me back? There's nothing to pay me back for."

[mp_simplyacommoner]

"I'm afraid no matter what you say, I'd like to make things up to you." Paying back. Making up. Whatever Mob preferred to think of it as. "Once that happens, we can become friends on equal terms."

Teruki kicked off into a swing with a powerful lurch before gracefully leaping from it to land back on the mulch. He stretched and took stock of everything on the playground--approaching the spin rider and giving it an investigatory shove. "So. Kageyama-kun. Isn't there something you'd like me to do for you?"

[spiritsandsuchtrainee]

"Um." Mob thought about it, wracking his brain for something -- anything -- he could ask for that might allow Teruki to make it up to him so he could stop feeling guilty about it. "Well, I have everything I need right now."

[mp_simplyacommoner]

Teruki hummed in clear disbelief. "Come on. Pick just one thing. I'll do whatever you say. I'm serious. Even if it's to fight Super Saiyans or escape from a supermax prison or pilot a giant mech." He raised a hand to make the spin rider spin with his power--these things had to be built to last, right? It seemed pretty sturdy, even when he made it spin so fast it practically looked to be standing still.

"That being said...you'd be really helping me out if you let me grant a personal wish of yours." He stopped the spin rider on a dime to climb on. "Ah! You said that girl wasn't your girlfriend...do you want her to be?"

[spiritsandsuchtrainee]

"I mean..." Mob tapped his index fingers together nervously. "...I'd like her to be. But I want her to want to be my girlfriend because she likes me for me." That was why Mob was working so hard. At least, it was part of it.

[mp_simplyacommoner]

Gripping the bars, Teru began to spin -- until the spin rider glowed gold, detaching from its base, and he was taking off with it into the air. He laughed in triumph as he spun around in mid-air, free as a bird, before hovering back down to Mob's side. He arched and bent over backwards to stare at the other boy upside-down.

"Then it's settled. I'll help you connect with her."

[spiritsandsuchtrainee]

"Um, don't you need to know more about her?" Mob asked uncertainly. Teru didn't know anything about Tsubomi. How was he going to help them connect without knowing anything about her?

[mp_simplyacommoner]

“I’m pretty good at reading the hearts of women, you know.” Teruki spun around smoothly to face Mob properly from where he stood on the floating spin rider. “Have you dated before?”

[spiritsandsuchtrainee]

"Um. No. What about you?" As cool as Teruki was, Mob thought he had to have had a few girlfriends.

[mp_simplyacommoner]

“Yeah. This is actually the first time I haven’t had a girlfriend since I was ten.”

[spiritsandsuchtrainee]

Wow. Mob stared at Teru in awe.

[mp_simplyacommoner]

Teru laughed and floated down to Mob’s eye level. “Come on, Kageyama-kun. You’re a good looking guy with a cool personality. This shouldn’t be a sweat for you.”

[spiritsandsuchtrainee]

"You really think so?"

[mp_simplyacommoner]

“You just have to be more confident—even on the days when you don’t feel like it. Especially on the days you don’t feel like it. Even a total novice can fool a great master if they’re confident enough.” Teru grinned. “Ah, before you say anything, it’s not lying. You just need to realize what’s already there.”

[spiritsandsuchtrainee]

"So... you can teach me that too?" Teruki was amazing!

[mp_simplyacommoner]

"Yeah! Your first lesson starts now. You're ready, right? Of course you are." Wasting no time, Teruki hopped off the spin rider and directed it back to its place in the ground. "Pretend I'm her. Ask me out."

[spiritsandsuchtrainee]

"A-ask you out?!"

[mp_simplyacommoner]

Teruki only grinned as his answer. He passed his hand over his face to reveal a completely new expression for him--something that could only be described as coquettish intrigue. He clasped his hands behind his back and swayed his hips to one side.

"Ah, Kageyama-kun, why'd you call me here so late in the day?" There was a lot to be said for Teruki's acting abilities--he was completely able to switch to the perfect affectation of a schoolgirl on a dime.

[spiritsandsuchtrainee]

Mob opened his mouth to try and say something, but no audible sound came out.

[mp_simplyacommoner]

"Kageyama-kun?" Mob was ramrod stiff. He bent at the waist to lean in. "Are you feeling okay?"

[spiritsandsuchtrainee]

Mob managed to make a small sound -- progress! -- but it didn't make up a full word. It didn't even sound like the start of one.