Chapter 3: Hunting Season(ing) Part Two

[mp_npc]

God, was there some planet in retrograde right now? Everything was so…gray. Tome usually would have been able to cite a specific planet but she had been too oddly deflated all day to speculate.

At least she wasn’t the worst one off. No, not by far. That honor went to the pompadour’d thug who did nothing but sulk in the corner of their shared club space now. Her own club mates who were always too scared of him to even approach even tried to offer him one of their honey chip bags out of sheer pity. Tome, usually quite stingy with the resources (especially now they didn’t actually have funding anymore) didn’t even object. ‘How the mighty fall.’

Goda had spent some time trying to cheer Onigawara up. That boy was too nice for his own good. Him AND Kageyama. Tome didn’t know what Goda had been trying, exactly, since she was too engrossed in (or rather numbed by) her video game to listen but she could guess. The Body Improvement Club had one solution for every possible human ailment. It was exactly why she didn’t risk complaining today.

Tome glanced at the clock—it was getting to be that time, wasn’t it? The time where everyone finished their club activities up. Ah. Orwell was calling her name once again.

Comments

[spiritsandsuchtrainee]

"Huh?" Mob turned to look at Teru, still leaning on his shoulder for support.

[mp_simplyacommoner]

“Tome-san. The Fluffy One. You. You’re all pretty incredible.”

[spiritsandsuchtrainee]

"You're incredible, too. We wouldn't have been able to find the ring if you hadn't been here."

[mp_simplyacommoner]

Teru merely huffed in quiet laughter. ‘Maybe my heart was pure enough in the end…heh. Yeah right.’

Desire. That was the bullet that killed it. Was that the first time he had ever shared his true desire with something else? And it wasn’t even human. Well…that was enough. For both him and the evil spirit.

“Thanks, Kageyama-kun. I think I’m strong enough to stand on my own now.”

[spiritsandsuchtrainee]

Concern flickered in Mob's eyes. "You sure?"

[mp_simplyacommoner]

Teru laughed again but much more boldly. “If you’re going to fret you may as well carry me.”

[spiritsandsuchtrainee]

"You want me to?"

[mp_simplyacommoner]

“Eh? N-no, I was just kidding.”

[spiritsandsuchtrainee]

"Are you sure? It won't be hard for me to do with my powers."

[mp_simplyacommoner]

“I mean, it’ll get chilly if I’m just floating up in the sky.” And he was already chilly from getting doused and then sucked on by a giant spider spirit.

[spiritsandsuchtrainee]

"Okay." That was a point Mob hadn't considered. He shifted himself so Teru was no longer leaning on him for support.

"My mom's really going to be upset when I get home." He'd missed dinner and hadn't checked in. Plus -- Mob looked down at his clothing -- he'd ruined his clothes again.

[mp_simplyacommoner]

Righting himself, Teru stretched his body to wake it back up. “Say you got caught up with me. Spend the night. I can get your clothes dry cleaned before you leave for school in the morning.”

[spiritsandsuchtrainee]

"Um. Well, I'm kind of worried about my family getting the wrong idea."

[mp_simplyacommoner]

“What do you mean?”

[spiritsandsuchtrainee]

"My parents think we're together. If I asked to spend the night, they'd probably think that we were sleeping together."

[mp_simplyacommoner]

Teru spluttered—and burst into laughter that heaved his whole body until it hurt. Hearing something so unexpected and bawdy in Mob’s perfect deadpan—it was simply too much to take.

“G-Good one! Oh my god, I knew you had a wild sense of humor…! Seriously though, call them. It’s getting really late.”

[spiritsandsuchtrainee]

"I'm not joking."

[mp_simplyacommoner]

Teru laughed again, but it was forced. Then it trailed off into nothing.

He swallowed the obvious and burning question of HOW and WHEN and felt himself ready to fall over again. No, no, he couldn’t pass out now. He had a problem to solve for Kageyama!

“…Um…then…say you’re at a different friend’s…”

[spiritsandsuchtrainee]

"You're the only friend I have ever brought home."

[mp_simplyacommoner]

“Well I’m surely not your only friend! You have an entire club of people you can call on, remember?”

[spiritsandsuchtrainee]

"Yeah, but we're not really close." A pause. "I suppose I could say I was staying with Master Reigen."

[mp_simplyacommoner]

’What?!’

“Well! Surely nothing suspicious about that, right?”

[spiritsandsuchtrainee]

"Ritsu might be suspicious, though." Mob appeared to consider this.

[mp_simplyacommoner]

Somehow that didn’t surprise Teru. He quieted his internal scream from Mob’s admission and scraped his composure together.

“Hey…it’s up to you in the end, but…I’d really enjoy having you over.”

[spiritsandsuchtrainee]

"I think it would be easier to tell them the truth. Besides, I don't like lying."

Mob fished out his cell phone and started typing out a text. His fingers were far slower than Teru's were.