- II -

Around eleven months later on a rainy summer afternoon, there was a knock on the door of the Spirits and Such Consultation Office.

Reigen glanced up from his newspaper, the cloying humidity sticking to him despite the small army of fans plugged in about the room. It wasn't rare for someone to stop by after closing, an elderly woman who hadn't noticed the sign or an overworked businessman who couldn't get there any sooner. He rarely shooed them off, but the heat was heavy on his limbs, pooling in his lungs like syrup. Conflicted, he huffed out a sigh, running a hand over his face.

The dilemma was wrested from him when the door swung open. He frowned at the well-dressed blonde boy, knowing he knew him, scrambling to figure out from where.

"You are here," the boy said. "Good."

Reigen frowned at him. "Hanazawa?"

"Clearly," came his breezy response. He invited himself to recline on the battered couch, draping a slim arm along its back. "I haven't changed that much, have I?"

In all honesty, Teruki's features, supposedly so handsome his school idolized him for them, seemed very nondescript to Arataka. Every time he adopted a new hairstyle, it took Reigen's mind a few moments to recalibrate and recognize him. He put a folder down he hadn't realized he was fanning himself with. "I'm assuming you didn't come here to ask for my assistance with something supernatural … what can I help you with?"

The blonde's almost snide expression barely changed as he cheerfully feigned offense. Yes, he was definitely recognizable now. "Really, Reigen? Who's to say I didn't just drop by to visit with you?" His smirk fell then, his eyes becoming more earnest, and he rested his hands in his lap, pale against the denim of his designer jeans. "I … wanted to talk to you about Mob."

A rogue oscillating fan threw a stream of warmish air at him, blowing Reigen's bangs into his face. He blinked. "Mob?"

"I'm sure he's mentioned the girl he's interested in. She goes to Salt. Tsubomi."

Of course, Reigen thought. His heart sank a little at that, at Mob's honesty, still pining for a girl who had zero interest in him.

"Using my influence, I could get him a date with anyone, but he's only interested in her." Hanazawa's gaze fell to some indeterminate point between them, and Arataka wondered silently if the teenager's feelings on the matter were similar to his own. "I'd like to help him. You're his master - you know him better than anybody. Is … there anything you could tell me that would help teach him how to talk to girls? How to act?"

He found himself smiling, proud to be the person to talk to if you wanted to know about Mob, glad that Mob had friends who wanted him to be happy. He leaned back in his chair with a sigh, interlacing his sweaty fingers. After a while, he spoke.

"To be honest … I don't think Mob fits into the normal idea of sexuality." Teruki looked surprised by this. "He's a very strange kid. I'm not sure it that's because of his powers or if he was just doomed to be different and his powers made it worse. Mob knows that he doesn't fit in, but he doesn't know how to fix it. It's almost like he's a different race sometimes."

"Yeah," Teru murmured. "I see."

Reigen nodded. "I'm sure you understand this: adults can be awful. People are mean and stupid and afraid of what they don't know. Mob just doesn't have it in him to act like that. He's too honest to treat people the way they expect to be treated."

"Huh. I suppose that's true."

Without thinking about it, Arataka took a cigarette from the pack in his top drawer and lit it. Hanazawa was silent, seemingly lost in thought.

He took a long drag and exhaled, a sigh filled with carbon monoxide. "It's for that reason that someone like that will never return his feelings."

For a long moment, Hanazawa said nothing, his blue eyes fixed on his graceful hands where they were folded in his lap. "Yeah," he finally uttered softly. "Part of me realized that. I'm not used to being helpless though."

Reigen closed his eyes and nodded. "It's not the answer you wanted, but it's the truth. And besides, when Mob does find someone who returns his feelings, wouldn't it be better if they see him for who he is and really cherish that?"

The teenager surprised him by chuckling. "Huh. You really do have a way with words, don't you?" He rose from his seat, sliding his hands into his pockets. "I can see why Mob thinks so highly of you, Reigen."

Arataka said nothing. Teruki had a way of speaking that never made it clear if he was mocking someone or not. The blonde stopped at the door and glanced back over his shoulder.

"Thank you for the advice."

"Of course." He tapped the ash off his cigarette, re-crossing his legs. "I'm always happy to help."

Teruki Hanazawa left the office, leaving Reigen to listen to his fading footsteps and the lazy buzz of the fans in his absence. He knew what he'd told the esper was true, but he was left with the odd sensation of a hole in his stomach and he didn't know why.