"Stop! Stop, stop, stop… stay right there."

The moment Shigeo set foot through the door, Reigen practically leapt out of his seat, promptly halting him. Rummaging through a small side closet, he pulled out 3 towels and handed two to his student while he used the third to messily dry off his hair.

"Mob, honestly! Did you stroll through the rain? You're soaking wet!"

Shigeo removed his gakuran top, setting it on top of one towel on the floor and began drying off his arms with the other.

"The Body Improvement Club had to fulfill their quota today, so we ran," he answered plainly, ignoring the flabbergasted look that crossed his master's face.

"You went running? In this downpour- no, this torrent?" He began scrubbing Shigeo's face with the towel. "There are some exercises that can be done indoors, y'know."

"Yes, Master. But it did feel pretty good... until I passed out again," Shigeo mumbled, his response muffled by the towel. "I forgot my umbrella at home, too. It was okay at first, but then it started raining really hard on the way here." Reigen tsked, but continued his task until he felt satisfied and draped the towel over Shigeo's shoulders.

"Lucky that I caught you just in time, though. I just had the office carpets steam cleaned last week." He glanced down at his student's shoes and frowned. "Yikes. I don't think those mud stains are going to come out of those sneakers anytime soon, though." Shigeo also glanced down, mildly perturbed, but otherwise shrugged.

"I need to get new shoes anyways. These ones are starting to feel small."

"Hm. Are your parents going to get you new ones?"

"...They'll probably be upset. I'll just save up for some, since they had to get me a new pair at the beginning of the school year, too," Shigeo replied, fidgeting slightly.

"And you're already over halfway through the school year now… yeesh."

Kids these days. They grew way too fast. It wasn't really his business to do so, and he could've just dismissed the situation entirely, but something told him he should try a different approach to the matter.

"...Look, I'll cut you a deal. Work for me with no pay for one- no, two weeks, and I'll buy a new pair of shoes for you today."

Shigeo was slightly taken aback by the bold proposition, mulling over it for a little too long for comfort.

"That almost seems unfair, Master."

"Well, think of it this way, then. Shoes are already kinda expensive, and about two weeks of pay should be enough to cover just a portion of that. It's a bargain for you, really," Reigen's hand gestured about wildly before he jammed a thumb to his chest, "So! I propose that, instead of making you save up money for a new pair of shoes while wearing the old ones with discomfort, I could just buy a new set for you now, and you can work to pay me back!"

It was a great deal, in Reigen's opinion. But Shigeo's silent contemplation almost made him rethink this idea. Maybe it wasn't so good after-

"Okay then. Thank you, Master."

Well. That was easier than expected. But Reigen wasn't about to complain about a successful compromise.

"Alright! First things first, we need to get you into some dry clothes so you can stop dripping water all over the floor. Do you have an extra set in your bag?"

"No."

Of course not.

"W-well, that's fine, too. Let's stop by your house so you can get changed, then we'll head to the store afterwards. Sound good?"

"Yes, Master."

Reigen had, thankfully, remembered to bring an umbrella to the office that day, so the walk to his student's house wasn't so bad. Shigeo offered to have him wait inside while he cleaned up, but he opted to wait just outside the front door. It was a preferable alternative to any awkward conversations or silences he might encounter with the younger Kageyama boy. Standing just under the awning, Reigen realized that the top of his umbrella was completely dry - no doubt thanks to his student's thoughtfulness.

Not one to keep company waiting for long, Shigeo reemerged from the house only a few minutes later, dressed in black jeans and a warm blue jacket with a large hood, and a dark blue umbrella hung from his wrist by a strap.

"Say, Mob, why didn't you use your powers to keep yourself dry from the rain earlier?" He gestured to his own umbrella, "You had no problem keeping this one dry on the way here."

"Oh, I didn't want you to get wet out here. You're here as a favor to me, after all."

"Didn't want- ...but that's what the umbrella is for, right?"

"Yeah, but it was the least I could do for you."

"No, that's not- ah, nevermind."

This kid was way too kind for his own good. Reigen almost felt bad about the deal to have him work for free for two weeks.

Almost.

"Alright then! Seeing as you're properly bundled up for the weather, let's go. I know a few stores we can browse through."

Shigeo was, surprisingly, picky about the kind of shoes he wore. In spite of his school dress code, he preferred all white shoes with no colors or markings (grey being an exception) laced over and under starting from the bottom. It certainly wasn't expected, but Reigen was almost glad for it. It revealed more of his student's character, as well as made this shopping trip incredibly simple.

"What shoe size are you now? 23?" He picked through a few boxes absentmindedly as Shigeo selected two and sat down.

"Master, I'm almost a size 25."

Reigen turned so quickly he nearly gave himself whiplash, almost dropping the three boxes he was holding. He floundered about for a moment and caught the boxes before they could tumble to the ground.

"25?! Geez kid… anyone ever tell you it's okay to, y'know, NOT grow so fast?"

"...No?"

"Never mind, just… grab some shoes."

Shigeo was about 15 years old now, and he had grown up pretty fast, if Reigen thought about it. It had been nearly five years since they first met, and those five years passed by in what felt like an instant. It somehow made him feel really old, despite being only close to 29.

What would they be doing in another five years? Ten? Before he knew it, Shigeo would be a grown man, going to college or making a life for himself. And at that time….

"Master, I think this one is good." Shigeo's voice brought Reigen out of his thoughts, and he snapped to attention immediately.

"Found one already, huh? Is that the only pair that fit okay?"

Shigeo turned and pointed to two boxes neatly stacked upon a stool behind them.

"The box on top was also good, but one pair is fine for now." He walked past the older man with the box tucked under his arm, but Reigen stared at the lone boxes for a moment longer.

"...One pair, huh..?" he murmured to himself quietly, glancing to the ground briefly before turning and approaching the checkout counter. He paid for the shoes, and the two began to leave the store, but stopped when Reigen suddenly paused.

"Master, is everything okay?" Shigeo asked, puzzled, but his concern was waved off quickly.

"Yeah! I just… forgot something. Wait out here for a second, would you? I'll be right back."

He returned only a few minutes later, a bag with another pair of shoes in it hanging from his arm. Shigeo's confusion only grew when the bag was haphazardly thrust into his arms.

"They... had a 'buy one, get one' deal going on, and I figured your club shoes are probably getting small too. So why not take advantage of it, right?" He scratched at his cheek gently and pointedly avoided his student's gaze.

"I… didn't think of that. Thank you very much, Master. I appreciate it." Shigeo's eyes, widened with gratitude, all but betrayed the usual blank look on his face. Reigen turned away quickly and coughed into his hand.

"In any case, Mob, you need to be in top condition in order to better control your powers! I can't have you being distracted by tight shoes while under my tutelage!" He began walking away briskly, motioning for Shigeo to follow. "We can grab some takoyaki on the way back, if you're up for it."

Truthfully, Reigen was never one to be so loose with his money. He had already shelled out more than he had planned to with not one, but two pairs of shoes - there hadn't actually been a sale at the store, and he was sure that Shigeo had noticed it too. But at the same time, how long did he have left until they couldn't do this sort of thing? How much time did he have left to be the adult whom his student relied on? Five years were gone in the blink of an eye, and five more years would pass just as quickly, bringing with it changes that he wasn't particularly looking forward to. It was nerve-wracking, to say the least, but it was okay.

All he could do for now was make sure Shigeo was taken care of, and that in itself was priceless.