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]

"That's the spirit." Teruki pulled out a book on math, thumbing through it. There were formulas everywhere that were erased and re-written--ah, did Mob struggle with it? He should have offered to tutor him instead.

Ah...there were so many things he should be doing right now. Like changing the dynamic. He couldn't let Mob be in control the entire time, could he? No, no.

Teruki shut the book firmly. "So...do you wanna practice that?"

[spiritsandsuchtrainee]

Mob tensed at Teruki's sudden intensity.

"Practice what?"

[mp_simplyacommoner]

"You know. What comes after holding hands."

[spiritsandsuchtrainee]

Perspiration gathered on Mob's face as he realized exactly what Teruki was saying. "W-what? I-- I haven't ever kissed anyone before."

[mp_simplyacommoner]

Laughing, Teruki approached the window and unlatched it to slide it up. It was pretty out tonight--the stars were bright enough to be seen even over all the light pollution. "I'm kidding, I'm kidding. You definitely shouldn't have your first kiss be a fake one. Actually...you might be better off if you didn't dwell on it at all and just let it happen naturally."

[spiritsandsuchtrainee]

Would Tsubomi want to kiss him? Would she be his first kiss? Would he be hers? It didn't matter to Mob if he wasn't, but he didn't want to disappoint her.

"Yeah," Mob said, more to himself than to Teruki. More to convince himself than to actually agree with his friend (?).

[mp_simplyacommoner]

"Live in the moment, Kageyama-kun. Let yourself enjoy it." Teruki motioned for Mob to join him where he was, leaning onto his forearms at the windowsill. "Look, look. You can see The Spring Triangle constellation in the sky. That's a really good omen."

[spiritsandsuchtrainee]

Mob joined Teruki by his side to look up at it, eyes scanning the sky. He didn't really know much about the stars, but he did like looking at them.

"Which one is it?"

[mp_simplyacommoner]

Teruki pointed and traced a clear triangle pattern in the sky, stopping on each bright star that marked the points of it. He said their names out loud as he went.

Spica.

Regulus.

And his favorite--Arcturus.

"Arcturus is the brightest star in the northern hemisphere. There are a ton of names for it all across the world. As-simāk ar-rāmiħ. Da Jiao. Uttuqalualuk. Here in Japan it's Mugi-boshi-- the "Star of Wheat." That's because it appears when all the wheat crops are fully grown in in Spring."

[spiritsandsuchtrainee]

"Wow, you really know a lot about the stars." Mob didn't have any special interests like that. "Do you want to be an astronomer or an astronaut?"

[mp_simplyacommoner]

"Huh? Oh no, no...it's just a hobby." Did Mob really think he knew that much? That was kind of flattering. "I mean...there are a lot of things I'm into, honestly. Cinema. Western music. Streetwear...actually, I've gotten into bicycle touring recently, too. But if you had to ask me what I wanted to do for the rest of my life...I'd really have no idea."

Was this too much detail to give to someone who wasn't a friend yet? Well...if they were going to become friends eventually, they should know more about each other, right?

"What about you?"

[spiritsandsuchtrainee]

Teruki was so cool. He had so many hobbies. And all of them were really interesting ones.

"I don't really have any hobbies, but... I'm in the Body Improvement Club and I work part time."

[mp_simplyacommoner]

"Oh?" Teruki turned to sit on the windowsill, his attention fully back on Mob. "I wasn't expecting that. What do you do?"

[spiritsandsuchtrainee]

"I work for a master exorcist as his disciple." Did that sound cool? Teruki seemed to think it was cool that he had a job, at least.

[mp_simplyacommoner]

"...Seriously?"

[spiritsandsuchtrainee]

"Yeah. I've been doing it for a few years now."

[mp_simplyacommoner]

"So you've been doing that since elementary?" Teruki laughed, kicking his feet a little. "No wonder you're so strong! You're way too humble for a guy that applies himself this much!"

[spiritsandsuchtrainee]

"I-it's not like that," Mob said, embarrassed. He was aware he was embarrassed but if anyone asked him why, he wouldn't be able to tell them. "It's just a little part time work. Master Reigen does most of the hard stuff."

[mp_simplyacommoner]

"Kageyama-kun..." Hearing Mob make himself this small was ridiculous--offensive, even. "I don't believe you...actually, it'd be better to say you're totally wrong."

[spiritsandsuchtrainee]

"Huh?"

[mp_simplyacommoner]

Teruki was leaning in close again--the only time he'd been closer was when he'd put his hands on Mob. "You're really strong...it's not because of your psychic power, either. Your conviction. Your discipline. No one cultivates that kind of strength by just showing up for a paycheck every other day."

[spiritsandsuchtrainee]

Mob was pretty good at determining what fights could and couldn't be won. He got a good feeling that he wasn't going to win this one, no matter how much he contested Teruki's opinion.

"Thanks," he said instead.

[mp_simplyacommoner]

"You don't believe me, huh?"

[spiritsandsuchtrainee]

"Um." Mob didn't want to lie, but he didn't want to admit the truth, either.

[mp_simplyacommoner]

"Yeah, you don't. You're really obvious." Teruki pressed his finger into the little dip beside Mob's lip that furrowed when he was trying to hold his words back. "As long as you don't think I'm lying. Whatever you think of me, I actually really hate liars."