Chapter Text
Reigen was starting to wonder if any of the students knew he'd been hired.
Reigen Arataka was a student counselor, hired about a week ago by the district to hold a position at two middle schools: Salt Mid and Black Vinegar. Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, he would spend the day at Salt Mid, and Tuesdays and Thursdays, he'd go to Black Vinegar. Most districts made school counselors responsible for more than one school, often visiting each of theirs schools as little as once a week, so it was rare to visit them so often, but recently, the gangs of these two schools had gotten particularly hostile and Reigen had been hired in hopes of controlling these outbursts.
Of course, he couldn't help if students didn't come to see him. In fact, he'd gotten more teachers in his office than anyone else. They were amicable enough towards him, but that was probably due to tradition and social manner. He couldn't help feel as though they begrudged him, at least a little, for eating away at some of their funding without yet having helped a single child at either school. Plus, it was difficult to build a relationship among peers you didn't see every day.
So that was why he now sat eating lunch alone in his counseling office rather than among colleagues. School counseling was fairly new in Japan, so he was researching ways in which new teachers fostered a relationship with the student body. On his laptop, he clicked through a forum, wondering if he should try to promote himself during the next weekly assembly. As if that would help, the principal had already done that once. Reigen took another bite of rice from the bento lunch he'd bought that morning at the store near his home. It wasn't up to par with home cooking, but the pickled plum tasted fine.
He leaned back and took in the sight of the small office he'd been given. He was pretty sure it used to be a copy room. Still, better than the half office, half storage closet he had over at Black Vinegar. He'd put a small table with four chairs in one corner and placed an old thrift store couch along the opposite wall, with an end table since a coffee table would leave no walking room. A small bookshelf behind him, which he used mostly to store tea and an electric kettle, partially blocked the lone window in the room. His desk took up the rest of the space, with his own chair on one side and two frankly uncomfortable-looking chairs on the opposite end. He hadn't had much time to decorate, aside from a paw-print painting he received from an acquaintance and various origami cranes, stars, and other statues he'd made over the past week of boredom while waiting for a student to come to him. He'd spent the previous day at salt mid filling a mason jar with paper stars.
Reigen took another bite of his lunch. Egg this time. Maybe there just weren't any students with problems they felt worth seeking professional counseling. Not that he felt particularly professional. Sure he had all the qualifications, but he had zero experience. They had needed someone short notice, and he was acquaintances with the principal. Still, hadn't they said this school was particularly troubled?
There was a soft knock at his door and he answered shortly, expecting it to be another teacher come to tell him about their home troubles. Well, if he couldn't help kids, he could at least help faculty. He looked up, but his line of vision had to be adjusted for the short height of the newcomer. It wasn't an adult this time. It was a kid.
"Excuse me," the young boy said plainly and politely. His short black hair was cut into a bowl cut and Reigen thought his mother must hate him to give him hair like that. Or he cut it himself. He wore the same black uniform as any other middle schooler, though his facial expression wasn't animated like most kids.
Reigen glanced quickly at his clock. Lunch had only started 5 minutes ago. The kid must have either skipped it or brought it with him. He pushed his own lunch aside in case it was the former. "Come in and take a seat," Reigen greeted warmly, trying to hide his nervousness and enthusiasm for finally having a student in his office after a week of nothing.
The kid nodded and entered, closing the door behind him. Reigen took the opportunity to try and get a read on his body language, as facial expressions weren't an option. He seemed nervous, hesitant even. He'd need to be reassuring that he was here to help. When the boy sat down, Reigen spoke again. "What's your name?" he asked. He'd introduce himself, but he figured the kid already knew, considering it was plastered on his door.
"Kageyama Shigeo," the boy said quietly, his hands twisting anxiously.
Reigen moved to his bookshelf to look for a file. Unless he wanted to block the rest of his window, there really wasn't room for a file cabinet, so he kept them here. There were two Kageyamas in his list. "Hmm, looks like there's also a Kageyama Ritsu. Your brother?" he asked, trying to build up the kid's confidence before going into why he was here.
Shigeo nodded, tensing at the sound of his brother's name. So, sensitive topic there.
"Not eating lunch today?" Reigen asked, trying to make it sound casual rather than accusing.
"I forgot it at home," Shigeo said, averting his eyes and scratching his cheek. A lie.
Reigen responded in a light tone, "Well, we all do that sometimes, especially if we have things on our minds." He set the file aside, not bothering to look at more than just the kanji of Shigeo's name. "So, as you probably know, I'm the new school counselor. Did you have something on your mind, Kageyama?"
Shigeo hesitated again, clearly nervous to bring up whatever was bothering him. After about a minute, he finally said, "You can call me Mob. My friends call me Mob."
An offer of informality. Trust. "Okay, Mob, then you can call me Reigen," Reigen answered, offering a kind smile. Reigen didn't care much for formality when it came to kids anyway, not when everything people talked about was so intimate and personal.
The new form of address seem to help Mob relax, and after another minute, finally seemed to work up the courage to speak again. "I..." he started, his voice wavering, his hands fidgeting with his shirtsleeves. "I have psychic powers. And I'm scared of them."
Reigen raised his eyebrows, but didn't say anything at first. There were a couple options here. One was that this kid lost a bet and came here to pull a prank, but the way he was acting didn't suggest that. Another was that something happened to make him believe he had some kind of supernatural ability, which would be scary for any kid. Of course the third option was he actually had powers, but the probability of that was zero to none. This kid was either a very good actor or very delusional.
"What makes you scared of them?" Reigen asked, deciding to address the problem he could actually see.
Mob let out a breath when Reigen didn't get angry or call him a liar. So, not a prank then. "There was... an accident. When I was younger and Ritsu got hurt. I hurt my little brother. Sometimes, I can't control my powers and then people end up getting hurt because of me. I don't want to hurt others, but I'm dangerous and it's my fault. I'm... bad," Mob finished, his voice sounding tired by the end of it, unable to think of a better word to describe it.
Reigen nodded to show he was listening. The kid blamed himself for something that happened to his brother. Depending on what it was, it could explain the delusion. As an older brother, he had power over him due to age. He had to think of a way to reassure Mob without making it sound like he didn't believe the kid had powers. He needed time to think. As if on cue, his electric kettle beeped, signaling the water was at the right temperature. Reigen had forgotten it was even set. "Would you like some tea?" he asked.
Mob, who was eager for a response, but too polite to decline the offer nodded.
Reigen took the time to pour the hot water, mulling over his answers. He picked up one of the mugs and decided on which to say. "Would you say I have power over you, being an adult and an authority figure?" Reigen asked, finally.
"Um... yes?" Mob answered, confused by the question.
"If I spilled this hot tea on you on accident, it would be my fault for not having a better grip on the cup, right?"
"Right..."
"Would it make me a bad person for accidentally spilling tea on you?"
"No."
"Then accidents that happen because of you don't make you a bad person ether. People with power make mistakes, Mob," Reigen said. "Sometimes people get hurt because of those mistakes, or because you don't have good enough control over your position. But you're not any different than me for having power. Being older, having a better job, being in a higher grade, having psychic powers, everyone is the same. No matter how much power you have compared to someone else, you're still just a person. People are people, and people make mistakes. You didn't hurt your brother on purpose, did you?"
"No, of course not," Mob answered.
"Well, then there you go. It's just like you said. It was an accident. A mistake. The best anyone can do is own up to it and learn from it."
Mob nodded, starting to understand. "That's what I want!" he said, his voice more excited than the deadpan so far, but still very plain compared to other kids. "I want to learn how to control my powers so I don't hurt anyone anymore."
Again, Reigen found himself backed into a corner where he had to find a way to help without calling the kid delusional. He didn't want to break the trust he'd just built with his first student. "Oh, that... Hmm," Reigen said, and chose to use his still boiling-hot tea to buy time.
He burned his tongue.
"OW HOT!" he yelped and his cup went flying... straight at Mob. Ironic, considering his earlier analogy. "Oi, Mob, look out-" He braced for the sound of breaking ceramic. He cringed at the thought of an angry parent coming to him over their child's burn. But neither happened. Before his eyes, the liquid and cup were floating, just above Mob, in mid-air, with the kid pointing a single finger at it.
"I get what you mean now," Mob said, putting the tea back into the cup and grabbing it himself.
Reigen was too shocked to have much of an answer. "Y-yeah?" he asked. The kid actually did have powers. It wasn't a delusion.
"When I came in here I was intimidated. You're bigger than me and I thought you wouldn't believe me. I was scared to talk to you. But you're not scary, you're just like me. You make mistakes too, and you have to learn from them not to make them again," Mob continued. He held up the cup for Reigen to take back. With a shaky hand, he did.
"Y-yeah..." Reigen said, finding more than one syllable hard to grasp.
"Can I come back again the next time you're here?" Mob asked, and this seemed to pull Reigen out of his state of shock.
"S-sure," he said, then cleared his throat and continued more confidently. "Of course you can. That's what I'm here for. I'll help you learn how to control your powers."
Mob's eyes shone at that, and it was clear that the offer of help meant the world to him. "Really?"
Reigen nodded. "But don't skip lunch again to come see me. Bring your lunch with you next time."
"It's okay... I wasn't that hungry today," At the mention of food, Mob's stomach growled, giving him away.
Reigen glanced up at his clock again. Still 20 minutes left of lunch before recess. "If you hurry, you can grab your lunch and bring it back here. I know you didn't forget it at home."
"How did you-"
"Let's just say I have powers, too. Now, go on."
Mob nodded. "Y-yes! Thank you!" he said and rushed out the door in a hurry.
As soon as Mob was gone, Reigen collapsed into his chair, running a hand through his hair. God, the kid actually had real powers. Test anxiety? Bad grades? School crushes? No problem, but psychic powers?
He saw now why this school was indeed more troubled than others.