"Reigen-kun, please don't be mad at me," Shigeo said, trying desperately to appease his student. Reigen didn't respond for a moment, too busy fuming silently a few paces ahead of him.

"Why?" he then demanded. "You embarrassed me in front of Naito-sensei!"

"I didn't realise that it would affect your pay…" Shigeo tried to comfort.

"I could have had so much money. Coulda used it to… I don't know! Get a new... Phone? Or something?! But no! You let slip that according to my own fees, I was overcharging them! And then you pointed out that you did most of the work!"

"You still got paid, didn't you?" Shigeo hesitantly asked.

"It's not pay! It's pocket money!" Reigen snapped. "I've never felt more patronised in my life! Bet she thought I was ten too. I'm nearly fourteen, you know!"

"I know, Reigen-kun, I know…" Shigeo replied. "She did still pay you more than your usual clients would…"

"My usual clients are kids like me! All they've got is whatever their parents gave them, which usually isn't much! That's why my fees are low, shishou! But Naito-sensei, she's a head teacher of a prestigious school! She could well afford a higher charge. And you know what? My price was still less than that of a professional psychic!"

"Reigen-kun, charging her more than your other clients because she's rich is still sleazy, even if you don't charge as much as a professional," Shigeo stated, bluntly. "You should charge everyone at the same rate, irrelevant of how wealthy they are. Unless they can't even afford it… Then I guess you could come up with an alternate arrangement…"

"Why is it ok to adjust fees according to how poor someone is, but not according to how rich?" Reigen demanded. Shigeo hesitated, unable to come up with an answer. It just seemed so... Ambiguously wrong.

"I'll make it up to you?" Shigeo finally asked. When Reigen snorted derisively, Shigeo added "I didn't get paid at all. And you do realise I didn't have to come with you today, don't you?"

For some reason, that successfully calmed Reigen's anger. Shigeo wasn't quite sure why though. Facts usually didn't work. The teen sighed.

"How would you make it up to me, anyway?" Reigen asked.

"Well, there's that arcade you like going to. We could go there, instead of having our usual lessons next time," Shigeo suggested. Reigen looked back at him, for a moment.

"That would be cool…" he admitted, looking at his shoes. "But the arcade's closed."

Shigeo frowned slightly, confused.

"Really? Why? It was doing fine, last time I saw it…"

"I don't know the exact details, but my mum said something about the owner being too fond of children. Don't know what that's supposed to mean. Either way, with the owner and, well, only employee gone, the arcade's closed for good."

Shigeo hummed in response and decided not to tell Reigen what his mother probably meant. He was relieved to know that the guy had been caught…

"That's a shame," he softly admitted. "It's the only arcade nearby…"

"I know!" Reigen replied. "And all my high-scores are permanently lost now! That's a real pain…"

"I guess I'll have to find another way to make it up to you then," Shigeo mumbled. Reigen looked at him surprised. His expression softened.

"No... No. You don't have to, shishou," Reigen replied, tiredly. "You… You'll never owe me anything. Thanks for coming. I know you had to rearrange your shifts to accompany me…" he quietly admitted. Shigeo smiled and ruffled Reigen's hair.

"It's fine. But I do hope you learnt something today."

Reigen knocked the hand way, grinning.

"Well, I mean, yeah. Of course I did. You hogged all the glory! So if I want to exorcise a ghost, I have to do it before you go all predator on it."

"Predator?"

"It's a classic film. You should watch it some time."

"Hm…"

That wasn't what Shigeo had hoped Reigen would learn and he wasn't entirely sure what the kid meant by "hogging the glory" (since Reigen had been the one to soak up all the compliments), but if he thought he'd learnt something… Well. Then it had to have been productive for Reigen. Even if he hadn't learnt what Shigeo wanted him to realise…

"By the way, what are you going to do about the Awakening Labs, shishou?" Reigen casually asked.

"Awakening…? Oh, yes… I forgot…" Shigeo muttered. He hummed thoughtfully. "I don't know."

Reigen gave him a disbelieving look, before returning his gaze to the streets ahead with a more neutral expression.

"Do you want to work for them?" he asked after a moment of silence.

"Not really," Shigeo honestly answered.

"Then don't work for them. It's that simple," Reigen concluded.

"They said they needed me…" Shigeo hesitantly said.

"Yeah, but do you really want to work for a research centre that's about to go bust?" Reigen countered. Shigeo looked thoughtfully at the ground.

"Not really."

"I think they're just desperately grasping at straws," Reigen continued to explain. "The neesan that was so desperate to get you to work for them…"

"Kurata-san."

"Yeah, her. I think this is more her venture. The guy with her-"

"Inugawa-kun."

"Yeah, him. He didn't seem as enthusiastic about it. At all. Prefers… Doing whatever it was you did back at the telepathy club."

"What makes you think that?"

"He mentioned it, remember? He said that working for Awakening Labs is exactly like being back in the telepathy club."

"Hm… That was fun, I guess… But not very suitable for work…" Shigeo muttered to himself. Now that Reigen had pointed it out… He really shouldn't accept the offer. "Thank you, Reigen-kun."

"For what?" Reigen asked. Shigeo smiled.

"For being around," he answered.

The two reached a crossing.

"This is where our paths split. Can you get home all right from here?" Shigeo asked.

"I'm not a baby anymore," Reigen retorted. "I can get home just fine by myself."

"Of course you can. I was just wondering if you wanted extra company, since you went through a lot today," Shigeo replied, a little confused. He couldn't understand Reigen's sudden knee jerk reaction to his harmless inquiry. Reigen sighed.

"I know, sorry shishou. I guess I am still a little shaken... But I can get home fine by myself."

"Well, see you soon then," Shigeo said.

"Yeah! See you!" Reigen replied. He retreated down the street, but hesitantly looked back, to see Shigeo disappear around the corner. Reigen sighed deeply, feeling a little bad for snapping at his shishou so often within such a small space of time, but shrugged it off. It didn't seem to bother Shigeo, so no harm done, right?

He continued to walk home, occasionally looking over his shoulder, whenever he felt watched. He really had to stop listening to those stupid urban legends. There were no fiendish, ghostly women around that were going to ask him if he thought she was pretty. He shouldn't be so paranoid.

When he got home, he was disappointed to find no parents present. On the fridge, he found two notes. One said "Sorry family, last minute work dropped in. Will be back late, don't wait up - Dad" and the other "Sorry Acchan, surprise shift at hospital again. Dinner's in the microwave - Mum".

Reigen got right away to warming up his food and did his homework as he ate. He accidentally knocked over his mug of hot chocolate while eating though and it smashed against the floor. After he cleaned up the mess of shards and chocolate milk, he decided that he could use his money, limited as it was, on a new mug. After finishing his dinner, his homework and any mess he'd created along the way, he went to check his emails, to see if any more requests for paranormal investigation had come in. Not seeing any, he browsed the internet for a bit, until he got too tired to work.

He plopped himself down on the sofa and watched TV, thinking about what else he could do with the money he'd earned. Mob had, of course, been right. Despite being 'underpaid', Reigen had still earned more than he usually would. He could easily buy five excellent quality mugs with the money. He took out the five thousand yen bill and examined it. He could always treat Mob to something nice though. Mob was always treating him, so why not the other way around? Perhaps yakinku? That would be cool… He sighed and stuffed it back in his pocket, tuning back into the TV.

"… It has been almost fourteen years since anyone last stepped into the Asagiri Mansion, an abandoned property on the outskirts of Spice City. To this day…"

Reigen sighed and flicked to a different channel. He didn't particularly want to watch the news at that moment. He kept flicking, until he landed on a film channel that was currently airing some B movie. Ah! This is perfect! He thought to himself and started watching.

Ten minutes in and he'd fallen asleep.

Well. It had been a long day.


"… Sadly, she's broken her leg, so it looks like I might not have anyone to run with. I mean, I'll still participate in the marathon, but it just won't be as much fun without a friend. Well, it's for charity, so having fun isn't really the thing that matters… Mob-kun? Are you listening?"

Shigeo looked up from his glass of milk.

"Hm?" he asked. Tsubomi frowned, in response, which set off all sorts of flags in his mind.

"Is something bothering you? Or am I boring you?" she asked flatly.

"No, no! You're not… I just, um… I was thinking. Sorry," he quietly admitted. He hadn't meant to zone out on her. Her frown faded a little, melting into concern instead.

"Thinking, huh? About what?"

"I-I wouldn't want to burden you," he replied dismissively, looking away. Tsubomi propped her head in her hand, and looked at him. In the corner of his eye, he noticed the barkeeper perk up a bit, as if suddenly interested in the conversation.

"You know I'm a teacher, right? Part of my role is listening to my students, to their problems and needs. Some teachers find it very burdensome, but not me. If teenage drama can't get to me, I'm sure you can't either," she stated. "Of course, I realise it could be a very personal matter, so I won't force you to say anything… But don't stay silent because you don't want to burden me."

He gave her a shy look, then sighed deeply.

"I was… Just wondering… Wondering if I'm… A, uh …" a loser? Shigeo swallowed. He didn't want to say that out loud. That sounded silly and childish, even to his own ears. "I was kind of… wondering if I was living life to the fullest or… Or something."

"To the fullest? What do you mean?" Tsubomi asked, brows knitting together.

"Well… If… When people look at me… I just… What do you think they say? Am I wasting my life? Should I be doing something else? Am I even happy with the way things are now? Or is there something else I could be doing that would make me happier…?"

Tsubomi frowned. Ah, he knew this would happen. She was probably mentally ridiculing him or mocking him or…

"Oh. That," she said. He looked at her confused. "Does it matter what other people think?" she asked. He slowly shook his head.

"I just… I was just wondering if… there's anything better that I could be doing."

"Hm…" she answered. "That's kind of hard to answer, since it's a subjective matter."

"Subjective…?"

She looked thoughtful.

"For example… Um… My parents wanted me to be a politician. Or develop a reputation as a socialite," she explained. "Instead, I decided to become a middle school teacher." She paused for a moment, as she mentally replayed the many arguments she'd had with her parents in the past. "… They think I'm wasting my life in a job they don't consider very respectable or reputable. But I think I can do more good in Salt Middle than I can in politics."

As she explained, she looked increasingly sad and although it had taken several moments, it occurred to Shigeo that he should probably do something about it. What though, he didn't know. Thankfully, he didn't have to do anything after all, as she forced a smile on her face and looked back at him.

"So, according to my parents, I'm not living my life to the fullest. But in my opinion, I am."

"Ah! Like with my dad!" Shigeo said out loud, suddenly understanding what she was getting at. She looked a little stunned by the sudden outburst. "He says people that haven't smoked have never lived. I disagree," he explained. She smiled.

"See? You already know the concept. So what others think of you doesn't... Their opinions only matter if you choose to let them. So you have to decide which ones matter and which ones don't..." she quietly finished. Shigeo hummed in agreement. The two fell into silence, looking at their respective drinks.

"Then... Well, my problem is... Do you ever feel like there's... something else you could be doing?" he quietly asked.

"Sometimes," she admitted, almost as softly. "Anything specific?"

He shrugged.

"Not really. Just..." Shigeo trailed off, thinking of the scent-ghoul. "... I had a conversation with someone. It's left me feeling... Um..." Shigeo racked his brain for a word, the right one to describe his feelings... Only, that was rather hard, since unlike everyone else, his feelings had grown to become very subtle in adulthood.

He usually only marginally felt the shifts from anger to sadness to happiness. It was like a pleasant background hum he had grown accustomed to. Unfortunately, the shifts were hard to notice and sometimes he had no idea what his emotion had changed into, due to how similar it felt to all his other, quiet emotions.

Granted, that too had changed when he had met Reigen and much of the emotional numbness had begun to break under the constant emotional strain the boy had unleashed on him, but in calm moments like these...

"Confused? Frustrated? Dissatisfied?" Tsubomi suggested, but he shook his head.

"I don't know, just... Curious? Maybe...?" he asked.

"Curiosity wouldn't make you space out," Tsubomi argued. He shrank at her retort and guilt momentarily flared up inside her. She then clacked her tongue, dismissing her own words. "Well... Maybe you could try something new," she suggested.

"New?" Shigeo repeated.

"You feel like there's something else you could be doing, but you have nothing specific in mind. So... Just do something new. Completely outlandishly new, something you never thought of trying. For example... I, uh... Had a pretty bad break-up, some time ago. Right after finishing uni. It left me feeling pretty numb for a while. It was horrible, to be honest. Then, on a whim, I decided to participate in a marathon. Honestly, I'd never even dreamt of doing something that crazy, but I was desperate for something that wasn't a part of my world... To help take my mind off things. True, it didn't give me a new purpose in life or anything like that, but it did give me a little more perspective on... Things. That aside, I enjoyed it enough to still be doing it now. Although, it's usually a charity marathon now."

"Huh," Shigeo muttered. Something completely and outlandishly new? Could he even come up with something like that? He finished the last of his milk and motioned the bartender for another. "Something new. I think I could maybe do that. Thanks Tsubomi-san."

She smiled and he felt his heart flutter.

"Honestly, I'm just glad I was helpful."


The next day, Shigeo found himself getting up unusually early, so he made himself a proper, traditional breakfast. Or he did his best to, since he didn't have everything he needed on hand, such as fish or pickled vegetables. It couldn't be helped. It had still tasted good and he'd thoroughly enjoyed it.

Although breakfast had taken up a significant amount of his time, he still had a lot of time left until he'd have to leave for work. This was fine by him though, since he needed to drop by Awakening Labs anyway. He'd made a promise, after all.

As he walked towards the labs, he noticed that the building next to it had a large advertising poster in its windows. Body Improvement Gym! Coming soon! He looked at it curiously. Hadn't Reigen said something about gyms...? Oh yes, right. If he was worried about his strength, join a gym. What a coincidence that he happened to find one now.

Thinking about it... Hadn't Tsubomi told him to try something new? Joining a gym would be good. And Tsubomi liked running, right? He remembered how she had admired athletes when they'd been younger. Now she was the athlete, participating in marathons and jogging in the mornings... Perhaps he should get fit, in case she ever asked him to join her.

That sounded like a good idea...

When he buzzed to be let into Awakening Labs, the janitor opened the doors for him. Shigeo was surprised to find out that other than Tome, no one else was there. The janitor was polite enough to let him know where she was, but soon left to go about his business.

When Shigeo reached the main office he found Tome sitting in a chair, feet propped up on a desk and a portable game console in her hands. She looked up when she heard the door open. Her eyes immediately widened with excitement when she realised who it was and Shigeo very nearly almost immediately turned around and walked straight back out of there.

"Mob-kun! You came! Unexpectedly early too," she spoke. She sat up straight, her feet thumping against the ground in her hurry to look presentable. She made to get up, but seemed to change her mind at the last moment. "So? Have you thought it over?" she asked eagerly, leaning forward in anticipation. Shigeo shifted from foot to foot uncomfortably.

"Yes..." he quietly admitted.

"And?" she asked, looking at him expectantly.

"... My answer is no. Thank you for the opportunity, but I have to respectfully decline your offer. Sorry, Tome-san," he said (as he'd rehearsed), bowing a little to emphasise his regret. His eyes focused on his feet for perhaps a few moments, before he summoned up the courage to look her in the eye. He just knew he'd disappointed her. The look she was giving him confirmed it. She stared at him for a few moments, then let out a deep breath.

"Can I know why?" she asked, looking down, so that her fringe covered her eyes. It made her look sadder than she actually was.

"My current job is stable. The new job you're offering isn't," he explained. "Also, from what Inugawa-kun told me, it doesn't seem like proper work. He said it was like being in the telepathy club? If I want to play games, I can... Was able to go to the arcade. I don't want that to be my full-time job."

"Ghost hunting is a stable job?" she questioned.

"That's not my job. Reigen-kun likes to make up the truth sometimes," he explained.

"You mean he lies," she said softly. He shook his head. Then he thought it over and shrugged.

"It's not entirely untrue," he replied. She sighed.

"I understand, Mob-kun. Thank you for being honest," she spoke, as she rose to her feet. "You know, I remember the telepathy club. When it was like this, hanging on by a thread. We approached you then too. Convinced you to sign up." She paused, pursing her lips thoughtfully. "Here we are again. Hanging on by a thread. Asking you for help. But I guess this time it's different, huh? This time we're adults and this isn't about a harmless hobby. It's about a job."

She slammed her hand down hard on the desk, gripping its edge tightly.

"Well, one of us grew up. I... I should probably not have gone down this path..." she began to mutter to herself.

"Tome-san...? Are you ok?" Shigeo hesitantly asked, sensing that she may be a bit upset.

"Fine! Fine, never better, just my entire world crashing down around me!" she bitterly replied.

"Oh... well in that case..."

"I was being sarcastic."

He swallowed nervously. Of course she was being sarcastic. He should have paid better attention.

"Is it really that bad?" he asked. She shrugged.

"I don't know," she bitterly replied. "I've known this was going to happen for a long time. I just didn't want to admit it. I just... I don't know what jobs I could take. I'm very specialised, you know."

"Oh."

"I suppose I could start a new business or something..." she murmured. "I have a lot of experience in that. I mean, Awakening Labs was very nearly my own creation. Had to get some funding from others in the end, but still..." she softly admitted.

"What would your new business be?" Shigeo asked.

"I don't know. I mean, I do have other interests, not just aliens," she explained. "I'd honestly prefer to stay a scientist, but... Ugh, I'm currently the laughing stock of the local science community. Doubt they're lining up to offer me a place right now."

She slumped in her chair, clearly sulking. Shigeo, however, was thinking deeply. A new business... A new business...?

"What about an arcade?" he asked.

"A what?" Tome asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Well, um... Reigen-kun told me that the local arcade was recently shut down. It's the only local one too. If you were to open an arcade here, you'd have no competition," he explained. "Just a thought. Because you've already got so many games lying around here."

He motioned at the retro game consoles lying around the lab. Most were originally meant for arcades, but had been bought for the staff-room instead. Having to pay to play was supposed to discourage staff from playing too much... But that had evidently not worked, considering just how many different games they had. There were probably more than enough to open an arcade.

Tome sighed, dismissively.

"I'm a scientist at heart, Mob-kun. I'm not going to become some arcade owner..." she trailed off, suddenly becoming thoughtful. "Actually... If I can keep this building, I could probably run some of it as a lab. Arcade in one part, lab in another..."

"Well, anyway, I need to go to work now..." Mob began to excuse himself. Suddenly Tome shot out of her chair.

"It's brilliant! By running an unaffiliated business, I can look for aliens in secret! Any aliens amongst the people will never know I'm watching them! And those boys can finally stop complaining about not having any proper work..."

She grinned brightly. "This... This could actually work! Hey Mob, do you want to work for an arcade?"

"Um... Not really..."

She continued smiling, undeterred.

"That's not a problem! Because with or without you, I'm going to reopen Awakening Labs as an arcade! The Awakening Arcade!"

She continued to rant and rave with pride and determination, while Mob watched her enthusiastic speech with something similar to morbid curiosity. Well. At least Spice City would have an arcade again.


And indeed, a week later, the Awakening Arcade opened alongside the Body Improvement Gym, with the gym using some of the arcade's backrooms as storage space (something the two owners and their investor had agreed upon). Mob received a one year free membership to the gym and a permanent reduction at the arcade for helping transform Awakening Labs into a successful business. He intended to use both to the fullest extent.

Reigen really appreciated the reductions and getting into shape was appealing to Mob. And maybe, just maybe, he could run with Tsubomi in that charity marathon. Maybe.


Sorry that it took so long to update! I had problems trying to find an end to this chapter and I've essentially given up. Oh well. Fanfiction doesn't have to be perfect, right? Also, thank you for the many reviews! I was surprised...