Breaking into a Meeting

~ Simply put, I just want to find Reigen ~

Adolescence is a sensitive time in any person's life, an important part that can be easily moulded or corrupted without a moment's notice. It is in adolescence that the true character of a person is revealed, that a person's true passions and loves are discovered and when a person is most adventurous, creating experiences they will likely never have again in adulthood.

Some use these precious years to refine their skills. Some to excel in hobbies. Others to polish their talents or work hard in their studies. Some rebel. The most unfortunate fall in love, experiencing their first taste of bittersweet and often unrequited love.

And then there was Reigen, who didn't do any of those things (or rather, he did nothing noticeably different from his previous thirteen years of existence) and sort of went about his business with no clear goal in mind. He currently stuck to a job he had created for himself as a psychic. Although he'd actually started as someone that simply proved various tall tales from fellow students false, he had eventually fallen into this peculiar line of work.

He didn't mind, since it got him extra cash that he could spend as he pleased. He used to spend it at what he now called the "original" arcade, but ever since that had closed, he'd found himself buying things that needed replacing around the house, as well as saving up for perhaps a weekend away with his parents. They had been meaning to go on a family holiday for years now and nothing had come of it yet...

Sure, he still went to the new arcade, but he didn't spend any money there. He'd long figured out a way of getting around having to pay. Kids with short fuses and an inability to ignore taunts would often fall prey to his tricks and traps. And the few times he did pay, he usually managed to convince staff members to let him piggyback off his shishou's reduction (the only staff member that didn't fall for his innocent manipulating was Kurata. For someone that believed in aliens, she was sharp.)

Reigen huffed irritably, as he flicked through his emails on his phone. He'd received only one new assignment in the past week, which was a bit annoying. If this kept up, he'd actually have to agree to it and he really didn't want to. Not only was the location of the supposed haunting pretty far away, but it was also at some upscale private middle school. And private middle schools always set off alarm bells in his head.

He'd been "employed" by some rich kids from those kind of schools before and it hadn't ended well. To say the least, it turned out that Shoudou Kirin had friends in high places, that much like the obnoxious glory hog, weren't fans of Reigen. In response, the teen had developed a habit of instantly rejecting any assignments from rich kids in their mid-teens. They weren't to be trusted...

Unless, of course, they were the only possible source of income for a week straight. And Reigen really liked earning money. It made him feel like he'd at least achieved something. It was definitely better than all that schoolwork he was forced to do and Takane-sensei could dress it up all she liked, schoolwork was always going to be pointless and dumb.

Aside from that, rich kids could pay very well. They usually got way more pocket money than other kids. Being paid by this kid would probably make up for the otherwise workless week…

Reigen frowned, feeling torn between rejecting and accepting the request. Maybe he should go and visit Mob, to see what he thought about it. Then again, Mob could be pretty useless at times. And maybe not very understanding…

Reigen's train of thought was abruptly interrupted. He stopped walking and looked up. Opposite him stood a girl, perhaps his age, perhaps not. It was hard to tell, since she was wearing a smiling mask with bright red cheeks painted on either side of the grin. His frown deepened, but he said nothing and instead stepped aside to continue walking. However, she instantly moved to block his way.

"Can I help you?" he asked, irritated. The girl didn't react for a moment, but then she became animated, clasping her hands together and practically radiating energy.

"Oh, I don't mean to bother you…" she explained in an innocent tone.

"Really? 'Cause you're kinda blocking my way," Reigen flatly stated. She giggled nervously.

"It's just that you're not laughing or smiling. Is something troubling you?"

Reigen's phone buzzed in his hands. He'd received a text from his mother.

"Ok, firstly, that's none of your business," he replied absentmindedly as he read the text. Ah. His mother just wanted to know why he was coming back late… But how had she known…? She should still be working! "Secondly, why would you think something's troubling me?"

"Oh, I don't know. Have you seen people smiling when they're troubled?" the girl asked.

"Well, right now, the only thing troubling me is an annoying girl blocking my way."

"You suuure?" she asked sweetly. "I'm good at sensing these kinda things! I bet something is bothering you and… Oh, oh, I know what it is! You're worried about your studies, right?"

When Reigen didn't answer, the girl twitched. A sign of nervousness.

"Or is it family issues? Your health? Love? A girl?"

"What do you want?" Reigen finally asked, fed up of listening to her desperately trying to suss out a problem. He cocked his head to the side, with a bored expression on his face. "Because if you're only going to babble at me, I've got places to be."

He started texting back to his mother, explaining why he was late. The girl again giggled in that awkward, forced way.

"Sorry, sorry," she apologised. "I just want to see you smile."

"You seem to be smiling enough for the both of us," Reigen instantly answered. Curiosity drove him to add "Tell me what you want, or this conversation is over."

He really should have just turned and left. He would have looked so cool too, leaving on those last words…

The girl giggled.

"Well, if you insist. I belong to a brand new religious order that came into existence just last month! It's called LOL. Maybe you've heard of it?"

"Nope. Listen, you do you, but I'm not joining any new religious order any time soon. Plus, my mother dearest told me to never walk off with strangers, so there's that," Reigen replied dismissively, as he walked passed her, deliberately bumping into her shoulder as he did so.

"Such hostility…" the girl muttered. "But hold on there! You sure you don't want to join? It's the happiest, most trendiest gathering of the century and it's all led by Dimple-sama!"

"I still don't care-"

"And Dimple-sama has the most amazing and mysterious ability to make anybody laugh immediately! It's like he's got you under a spell~!" the girl hurriedly added.

"Making anybody laugh, huh? That's enough for you guys to worship him?" Reigen asked, as he turned back to her. All he saw was that smiling mask. He then looked back at the unsent text to his mother. Well… It wasn't like he had anything better to do. His mother wouldn't be back home until later anyway and his dad was working overtime again… "Must be a pretty interesting guy. Maybe I should meet him," Reigen said softly, as he deleted the text.

"Great! Come with me, you won't regret it!" the girl instantly replied, turning on her heel and walking. Reigen strode after her, as he sent his mother a new text, letting her know what he was up to. He was curious about this Dimple, whose charm and ability to make anyone laugh was apparently reason enough to worship him. It stank of con. And cons just so happened to be one of the things Reigen hated a lot.

Shigeo looked at the water bottle offered to him, then smiled appreciatively to Kumagawa, one of the fitness trainers at the Body Improvement Gym. He took a few swigs of water and felt suitably refreshed.

"You're doing well Kageyama-san, but I think that's enough for today. We don't want you passing out again, do we?" Kumagawa asked. Shigeo shook his head.

"No, I can keep going," he calmly insisted. Kumagawa forced himself to smile.

"You really can't, Kageyama-san. You shouldn't push yourself pass your limits. It's not healthy."

Shigeo put the water bottle aside, looking pensive. They'd had this discussion before.

"But…" he softly started, deciding to finally admit it. "I've noticed everyone else seems to be ahead of me already…"

Kumagawa looked confused. "Everyone else?"

"Other gym members. I talked to Sato-san and even though we were both equally unfit when we started, he's now much stronger than me. Even though I go to the gym more often," Shigeo explained. "So… I must not be training hard enough…"

Kumagawa looked uncomfortable, but Shigeo didn't notice.

"Everyone's bodies work differently, you know. You can't expect to become as fit as quickly as others. It's got a lot to do with, um, genetics and whether you did a lot of sports in your youth and… uh… Nutrition…" he stuttered in his explanation. "My point is, you happen to be a little slower than others. There's nothing wrong with that. Pushing yourself to keep up with them isn't going to do you any good though."

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Shigeo didn't seem convinced.

"Perhaps that's why you're slow? You're pushing yourself too much?" Kumagawa then suggested. Shigeo looked at his shoes.

"Perhaps…" he muttered, no longer certain about doing more exercise before going home. "But..."

There was suddenly a loud thud as a door slammed open. Those that weren't plugged into headphones were all startled out of their exercises, looking in the direction of the main office. Out of it stormed a rough looking man, his face distorted with anger, followed by Shimura Ryohei, the gym owner, and Tome.

"You're the reason Spice City is going to be brought to its knees!" the man snarled, as he strode away.

"Onigawara-san, get back here!" Tome ordered and the man stopped and turned so sharply that she accidentally let out a terrified squeak and backed away. Unfortunately for Onigawara, this meant that Shimura had gone from merely being uncomfortable and annoyed to livid.

"Onigawara, your intentions may be good, but we cannot possibly condone that behaviour, let alone participate in it," he quietly bit out, as he forced Onigawara to a quieter corner. Onigawara glowered at him.

"This isn't like when we were kids! If we don't do something, the Vinegar gang's going to destroy this city! Their shadow leader has gone off the rails!"

"I don't care! We do not participate in vigilantism and we do not aid gangs," Shimura snarled, arms folded. Tome took a step forwards, diverting attention to her.

"Onigawara-san, this gym cannot and will not be affiliated with crime. Your gym membership is cancelled from today, due to breach of contract," she stated, her hands on her hips and looking fierce. One could almost forget that she had been intimidated a few moments ago.

"Breach of…" Onigawara stuttered for a moment. "You can't do that!" he then snapped.

"You're just lucky we're not calling the police on you," Shimura retorted. "Get out of my sight."

Onigawara opened and closed his mouth a few times like a fish, then turned sharply on his heels and once again stormed out. Tome massaged her forehead, tiredly.

"I'll sort out the paperwork," she flatly announced, as she headed towards the main office. The gym was silent, as they watched her open the door. She then turned to them, a glare on her face.

"There's nothing to see here," she stated, then disappeared behind the office door. Although a little stunned, the gym members quickly returned to their routines. Shigeo frowned. The shadow leader of a criminal gang…? Was that something he should be worried about? Probably not. Ritsu would have let him and his parents know if anything worth worrying about was going on. Then again, Ritsu had seemed a bit more stressed than usual and hadn't he mentioned something about worrying finds a few weeks ago…?

"Oi, Kageyama, are you trying to push yourself too far again?" Shimura asked, turning his attention to Shigeo, "You should listen to our trainers," he continued, disapprovingly. Shigeo paused for a moment, then shrugged.

"Well, either way, if you want to do a little extra, you can help Gouda-san unload his goods into the staff room. If you want," Shimura suggested. Shigeo looked back at the gym equipment, still uncertain. When he thought about it though, he didn't really want to do anymore sets…? He nodded in agreement.

"I would like to do more, but perhaps this kind of exercise might be too strenuous for me…" he softly admitted. Kumagawa smiled, feeling relieved, and shot his boss a thankful look. Shimura didn't acknowledge it, instead slapping a hand down on Shigeo's shoulder.

"Come on then. He's in the back."

As the two walked towards the back of the gym, they got a few curious looks from other gym members, who were wondering why Shigeo, a fellow member, was heading towards the staff room. It was a fair thing to wonder. Members only came to use the gym, not to help its staff. But Shigeo was a bit of an exception. Several staff members, including the gym owner, had attended Salt Middle school with Shigeo and had remembered him as the guy that stopped their club from getting a room for their equipment, meaning the club never came into being. But they weren't petty about it. Rather, they had warmly welcomed him to the gym and since Tome and her staff members knew Shigeo fairly well, they soon started treating him with similar familiarity. Hence the special treatment.

Gouda Musashi was by his truck, unloading packaged farmed goods. Fresh eggs, vegetables, milk… All for the gym's cafe, which offered healthy fresh snacks and meals for their members. The cafe had actually not been something they'd planned on making, but Tome had suggested it, when they'd realised they still had too much room. Ever since then, she'd had some creative input into the gym and was officially a business partner to it. She'd also been the one to cut a deal with Gouda, who had agreed to deliver his bio-products straight from the farm. Especially since the Gouda family farm had been doing very well since he'd taken over. Said man smiled when he saw Shimura and Shigeo approaching.

"Ah good, some helping hands. Just what I need. I've got a bit more than usual with me, so this could take a while," he said, as he took out one of the boxes. "Hello Mob-san," he happily greeted, as he handed Shigeo a box. Shigeo didn't comment on the nickname. Since the arcade staff all referred to Shigeo as Mob, most of the gym staff had taken to calling him that too. It didn't bother Shigeo nearly as much as he thought it would though. Who would have thought he'd actually missed his old name?

He took the box and almost immediately dropped it, falling over in his efforts to catch it. Both Gouda and Shimura looked concerned, but Shigeo got back to his feet, visibly struggling under the weight.

"I've got it, I've got it!" he reassured, as he walked towards the kitchens. Gouda and Shimura turned to each other, looking worried.

"Are you sure this isn't too much for him?" Gouda asked. Shimura looked uncertain.

"I figured it was just unloading a truck. I forgot how much he still needs to train…" Shimura admitted. "But it's either this or he'll insist on training further. And he always passes out when he does that… We really don't want to scare the other members into thinking we'll force them to exercise until they pass out."

Gouda scratched the back of his neck. "Yeah… This is for the best." He gave Shimura a reassuring grin. "It's just unloading a truck. I'm sure he can handle it…"

Shimura smiled back. He then sighed and looked at his feet. The conversation with Onigawara was fresh in his mind and he wondered if perhaps he had handled the situation poorly. Or if there was anything he could have done better.

"Is... something wrong?" Gouda asked. Shimura immediately wanted to shake his head in reply. Don't burden others, his mother had taught him. But he hesitated. He generally bit his tongue when with others, but he'd also always looked up to Gouda (both figuratively and literally). As such, he also had a tendency to be more open around others. He opened his mouth to speak, but then Kumagawa came running out the door, looking alarmed.

"Shimura! Gouda! Mob just passed out!" he announced. Shimura let out another sigh. So much for him being able to handle it.

Most people would feel humiliated after passing out in a public space while doing something that was the equivalent of carrying groceries. However, Shigeo's muted emotions barely conjured up the ability to look properly embarrassed, let alone humiliated. Still, it was obvious that he was a little upset about the whole debacle. His head hung lower than usual and his feet shuffled more than they did walk. His hands were in his pockets and he was, essentially, sulking.

He'd always known he was a little weak, but that he was also slow at getting strong bothered him. He'd been hoping that perhaps he could get fit enough to run in that marathon with Tsubomi. At the moment, it didn't seem like he'd ever be fit enough to even run in a sixty metre sprint, not even within the next ten years. His phone began ringing. Of course. His day was never over without his student contacting him at least once.

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He took out the phone, expecting to see Reigen's contact name as he flipped it open. Instead, he saw Reigen Arisu written out on the screen. He frowned, ever so slightly, and answered.

"Hello Reigen-san…?" Shigeo greeted.

"Hello Kageyama-san. I'm sorry to call, but Arataka wouldn't happen to be with you, would he…?"

Shigeo paused, a little confused by the question. He always let Reigen's parents know if he was with Reigen… Mostly so that they didn't think their son was running around causing unfathomable chaos without at least some adult supervision.

"No, why?" he asked. Arisu, in response, burst into tears. Real tears.

"I don't know where he is and he's still not home!" she explained. "His phone's off, so I can't even track it! All I know is that he joined a – a cult! He said he'd be home at six! That was almost two hours ago! I'm so worried…" she admitted, letting her tears spill freely.

"What about the office?" Shigeo slowly asked.

"No, he's not with Takashi, not that Acchan visits the office very often… I've already called Takashi and he's on his way home now. Once he's back, we're going to go out to look for him, but what if we can't find him…?"

"I'll look for him too. I'll call you if I find anything," Shigeo announced.

"… Thank you Kageyama-san. Sorry for crying, I just…" Arisu apologised, sniffling. "I've never even heard of this LOL cult before… And Acchan is very good at finding trouble, you know?"

"I'll do my best to find him," Shigeo promised. Arisu muttered her thanks again, then hung up. Shigeo frowned, concerned. Where could Reigen be…?

Panic didn't bubble within him. He was sure that Reigen had simply pushed the limits of his irresponsibility again and that nothing serious was happening. But he decided to call a few people that knew Reigen anyway. They could keep an eye out for him and perhaps even name a few places that Reigen tended to spend time at. Of course, Shigeo probably knew more spots than anyone else, but that came with the problem of knowing so many that he didn't know where to start.

He dialled Tsubomi first. Sadly, she didn't know where Reigen could be, outside of perhaps the arcade that he had mentioned a few times. The problem for her was that Reigen never stuck with anything long enough for the place to become a place he'd spend time at. He'd left the dojo where he'd been learning shaolin kung-fu, he'd left the athlete's club before his first year had even ended, etc…

Shigeo promised that he'd let her know if they find Reigen, as she became increasingly worried after Shigeo had explained the situation to her in a little more detail. He then called Tome and she said that yes, she had seen Reigen. She'd actually had him forcefully removed him from the arcade, when she'd seen him picking a fight with one of the arcade regulars. Shigeo asked if that had resulted in a suspension or a permanent ban, but Tome calmly negated the very idea.

"He may still just be a kid, but he attracts a lot of girls already. I reckon maybe half the girls his age are only here because of him. And then about half of our other kids are just there to beat Reigen's high-scores. They pay tons just to get their name on the leader-board for a little while, until your student comes along to remove it completely," she explained. "He may be a brat, but I can't kick him out permanently. It'd be bad for business. However, I can't let him pick fights like that and he'd already been at the arcade for a while, so…"

"What made him pick a fight?" Shigeo asked.

"I don't know. Ah, but I think the kid he picked on is involved in some kind of psychic club or something. Maybe that has something to do with it, since you and Reigen go ghost-hunting, right?"

"Mhm," Shigeo hummed. Psychic club… Tsubomi had mentioned that Reigen wanted to join the one at his school. Perhaps he should ask him about it? If the psychic club was driving Reigen to pick fights with its members… Definitely something to at least try to learn more about.

"And you haven't seen him since he left?" Shigeo asked.

"No. Why? If you're looking for him, he should be home by now… Or is something wrong…?" Tome asked.

"Not really," Shigeo answered. "I'll talk to you later then."

"Wait, Mob-kun, don't hang up, what's going-" she started, but he'd already hung up. Shigeo pocketed his phone, thinking deeply. So Reigen had been to the arcade… He must have bumped into someone on the way back home from there. If he could backtrack to that point…

Shigeo had walked back and forth between the arcade and Reigen's home twice, when he gave up and started asking around instead. He'd initially asked if anyone had seen his student, but he soon started asking about the LOL cult instead. It seemed no one had heard of it. Either that, or they just didn't want to talk to him. Both were equally possible.

He'd been about to give up, when someone suddenly spoke to him.

"Hey Just-Milk-san. Couldn't help but overhear you're looking for LOL?" she said from behind him. For a moment, surprise passed over Shigeo's face, but it vanished just as quickly as it had appeared. He turned around and came face to face with a young woman, who had a sort of smugness about her person. He looked at her confused and she smiled in response.

"I'm not a cult member, if that's what you're thinking. I'm Mezato Ichi. Investigative journalist," she introduced herself. "I'm investigating LOL right now and I thought I'd let you know that you're better off not looking."

"Kageyama Shigeo," Shigeo introduced himself. "And I kind of have to. I'm looking for my student. He was last seen with them and his parents are worried… Why did you call me Just-Milk-san?"

"I didn't think you'd recognise me. We're both regulars at the same bar. You're the guy that always orders milk. It's the main reason I remember you," she explained.

"Oh. Sorry I didn't recognise you."

"Hey, it's not like we've ever talked before," she shrugged off, smiling. Then her expression became serious. "Look Kageyama-san, I'm sorry to tell you this, but if your student is with LOL, then he's… He's not coming back."

Shigeo gave her an odd look.

"Why not?"

"This LOL cult… It hasn't been tied to anything yet, but I suspect it's the reason why so many teenagers and kids have gone missing over the last month."

"And what would Reigen have to do with missing children?" Shigeo asked, still confused.

"Seriously, I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but… No one's been able to find the missing kids. Sure, you can't prove that LOL is behind anything, since only a few kids have an official connection..." she explained. "... But the few that do... Look, if your student has attachments to LOL, he's probably long gone. Not coming back," she finished, looking at him with a little remorse and guilt. Shigeo, however, was not convinced by her.

"No. He wouldn't do that to his parents," Shigeo insisted.

"Perhaps not… But… Look, usually cults are pretty harmless, so I wouldn't investigate them. But LOL was only formed last month, which happens to match up with the beginning of the child disappearances. And after a month, it already has a large amount of followers, mostly consisting of people that have a connection to the missing kids, irrelevant of relationship. Doesn't that strike you as odd?"

"That still doesn't explain…"

"Why would family, friends, equals and enemies of missing kids allbecome part of a cult? Unless they were baited. So perhaps the missing kids are with the LOL cult and they're not there willingly. There are rumours that they use hypnosis to force people to join their cult. As such, your student may have been taken as bait to lure in more followers. Which also means he's not there willingly. As he's bait, it's best you stay away or you're falling for the trap."

Shigeo became more unconvinced.

"Hypnosis?" he questioned.

"Just think about it!" Ichi hurried to defend herself. "Only very few people could possibly be part of this scheme! And how can a minority possibly control so many? Answer! Brainwashing!"

She paused.

"Admittedly, out loud it sounds a little far-fetched, but I do have some solid evidence to back me up…" she stuttered, annoyed by how ridiculous she sounded.

"Do you know where LOL is meeting?" Shigeo interrupted. He knew it was rude to interrupt, especially towards a lady, but he didn't have time to talk to someone about reasons not to look for Reigen. Like there ever could be one…

Ichi fell silent.

"Well, um…" she stuttered.

"I know you think it's better for me not to look, but I really need to find my student. He's my responsibility," Shigeo calmly explained. "He's good at getting himself into trouble too. Which is why he needs me."

"It's really not a good idea Kageyama-san…" she started to explain again. "Look, yeah, I admit it. I'm heading to a meeting right now. And I'll keep an eye out for your kid, but you should stay away."

"You know where they're meeting?" Shigeo again interrupted.

"Not… really… I know a few locations where they might be meeting, but it's nothing certain."

"I'm coming with you."

"Kageyama-san, I can't let a civilian accompany me. It's too dangerous."

"You're stopping me from looking for my student?" he questioned, his voice suddenly hard. She looked surprised by the brief spark of hostility, but she didn't back away.

"Yes. If it'll keep you safe," she sternly answered.

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"I don't need protecting. Please let me accompany you, Mezato-san," Shigeo insisted. She frowned.

"If I'd known you were going to insist, I wouldn't have bothered warning you…" she grumpily muttered. "Will you stop looking for him if I leave you here?"

"No. I'll keep looking until I find him," Shigeo answered. She looked at him disbelievingly, then sighed. She had no choice. It was better to keep him with her, where she could keep him relatively safe… If he found the cult alone, who knew what kind of trouble he'd be in…

She looked back at him, resignation in her eyes. "You must really care about this kid… Fine. You can come with me. But if you get stuck in the middle of this madness, don't blame me," she stated. He smiled a little in response.

"Thank you Mezato-san," he said gratefully. She turned away, her hands in her pockets and eyes closed with frustration.

"… This is so unprofessional…" she muttered under her breath. "I'm going to regret this…"

Their first two searches were indeed met with failure, but the third time they'd found it. Not that they'd known, when they'd entered the abandoned building. Shigeo observed his surroundings, mildly interested. Once upon a time the abandoned building had been vibrant and alive as a shopping centre. Signs of what once was still haunting the place.

The broken centre piece that had once been a fountain had long been forgotten, no longer capable of attracting attention. Discarded baskets and trolleys lay discarded in various areas around the place and several shop windows had been smashed open and then abandoned, shards still littering the floor.

He returned his attention to Mezato, who was busy pick-locking yet another locked door. He couldn't help but think of Reigen as he watched her. It was the kind of thing the kid would do. Perhaps his student should become an investigative journalist then? If pick-locking and nosiness were required skills, it would definitely suit Reigen…

The door clicked and Mezato slid it open.

"Lifts? Really?" she muttered.

"That one's doors are open," Shigeo commented, as they walked into the small room. There were two elevator doors within, one was open, the other closed.

"Just another safety risk to add to the list… And considering how unsuccessful we've been so far, are you sure you don't want to give up now?" Ichi asked. Shigeo shook his head and she frowned. She'd been hoping that perhaps by wearing down his interest, he'd leave on his own, but apparently boredom was not enough to deter Just-Milk-san.

They walked up to the lift shaft and looked down. At the bottom, in the basement, they could see coloured light streaming from an open door.

"Looks like someone is having a party down there…" she muttered. Even if this did turn out to be another bust, the party might be worth an article…

"In an abandoned shopping centre?" Shigeo questioned.

"Could be our cult. Maybe something else. But the lift's not working any more, so…" she muttered pensively.

"Do you think they used these cables to climb down?" Shigeo asked. Ichi took out her phone and flicked on the torch setting. She turned to Shigeo.

"I'll go down first. When I'm at the bottom, I'll call for you. Understood?" she asked. He nodded.

She gave one last approving nod, before she jumped onto one of the cables, placing her phone in her mouth so that she could use both hands to climb. She tried to ignore the fact that Shigeo watched her with disinterest as she made her way down, no matter how unnerving it was to have a pair of indifferent eyes watching her at all times. It bothered her less and less the further she climbed down, as without light, he became just another shadow to her.

Before she reached the bottom, she noticed a hatch in one of the walls. When she inspected it a little closer, she realised that it was a vent. Through the gaps of the grid, she could see a faint light in the distance. Perhaps there was a window somewhere within it…? It might give them a good vantage point... Definitely a good place to hide. At the very least, they could check it out… She'd much rather not have anyone know she was there, after all.

Making up her mind, she swung closer to the hatch, holding onto it with one hand. With the other, she took out her toolkit, selecting her multi-head screwdriver and removing the bolts on the vent. Once she'd done so, she put the screwdriver away, let go of the vent and took the phone out of her mouth, ignoring the fact that it had become a little wet. As she wiped it off on the inside of her jacket, she called upwards "Kageyama-san!"

"Yes?" Shigeo asked, right beside her ear. She squeaked and jumped away from him, swinging back and forth in the shaft. She didn't notice how he only then grabbed cables to hold himself, the last traces of his psychic powers fading.

"How did you get down here?!" she gasped, as she tried to calm down.

"I came down…?" Shigeo asked, as if it were obvious. She let out a deep breath, forcing her nerves to steel themselves.

"Just don't sneak up on me like that again," she irritably ordered. "You scared the life out of me, I didn't hear you at all!"

"We're not at the bottom of the shaft," Shigeo commented, ignoring her statement.

"I know that. I was going to tell you to climb into the ventilation shaft here," she explained, motioning to it. "It's fairly large. Big enough for an adult to comfortably climb within it. Should make sneaking in easier."

Shigeo didn't look impressed by the idea, but since he didn't protest, she went ahead and started climbing in. Shigeo followed after her.

Some crawling later, they did reach a window. It was large and wide; wide enough for two adults to lie side by side. The view wasn't excellent though. They could see a stage, with what seemed to be a teenage crowd gathered at its edge. On the stage itself stood a shabby-looking teenage boy, but otherwise no one. By the chatter of the crowd, they didn't seem particularly interested in him either. Both adults wished they could see more of the crowd and less of the barren stage, but Ichi decided she could make do with what she could see. She smiled. What she could see was very satisfying anyway.

"This is it. This has to be a LOL cult secret meeting," she rasped out. She shifted a little, in order to get out her camera.

"I should go down there. I can't see very well who is who from up here. If Reigen-kun is down there, I wouldn't know," Shigeo muttered, as he made his way to crawl back to the elevator shafts. Ichi grabbed his wrist, preventing him from leaving.

"They're waiting for something," she whispered. "It's best if we stay here, until it's over. If Reigen-kun is down there, he'll still be there afterwards."

Shigeo's neutral expression didn't change, but he stopped trying to go back to the lift. Instead, he fished out his phone and let Arisu and Takashi know that he may have an idea of where Reigen was. He instructed them to wait an hour, two at most, for him to contact them again. If he didn't and if they still hadn't found Reigen, they should go to the police. He turned off his phone before either parent could reply.

"I'm right about something! This must be, like, some sort of meeting for the missing kids!" Ichi suddenly said with excitement, as she flicked through photos on her camera.

"How do you know?" Shigeo asked and she showed him the pictures.

"Since I'm looking for lost kids, I've been carrying their photos with me. And look, see this kid? He's right over there!" She pointed at a tall, scrawny teenager with a Mohawk haircut down below in the audience. "He's been missing for a month now… That one over there has been missing for a few weeks. That one officially went missing yesterday," Ichi listed, as she pointed to various teenagers and children, both showing Shigeo photos of their missing status profiles, as well as taking photos.

"Could Reigen really be here…? He's not the type to run away…" Shigeo muttered, a little concerned.

"I've already told you. It's hypnosis. I'm sure your kid wouldn't do this to you- to his parents… But I don't think he has a choice in the matter."

Shigeo frowned, his lips becoming a thin line. The very idea of someone forcing Reigen to do something… If it was true…

49%

Suddenly, the gathered teenagers cheered. Shigeo and Ichi silenced, as they watched a man, significantly older than the congregation, walk onto the stage. His followers were silent, as they keenly listened to what he had to say. The shabby teenager onstage looked uncomfortable.

"That must be Dimple…" Ichi muttered. Shigeo nodded in agreement. Dimple greeted his followers, his voice starting sinister, before turning into something warm and merry.

"Are you laughing?!" Dimple loudly asked. The crowd started laughing. Hard. No giggling or sniggering. Loud, boastful laughter. And it continued, with most barely pausing for breath.

"Why are they laughing? He didn't say anything funny…" Ichi muttered. Shigeo didn't comment, his brows furrowing in confusion. He didn't get it either.

"And… stop! Today, we have yet another new smile mate joining us!" Dimple announced, pointing at the shabby teenager. Now that both Ichi and Shigeo were looking more carefully, they noticed that his clothes seemed somewhat dirty and that the teenager hadn't shaved in a while… All indications that he was a runaway. Dimple proudly clapped his hands together, when the teenager questioned his philosophy and beliefs. The teenager got rather flustered by that, if the red shade he was turning was anything to go by, and snapped at a volume loud enough for the two adults above to hear "Oh come on, oh great Dimple-sama! You can't fix everyone's problems by laughing at it!"

"Who might this be?" Dimple asked his audience. Ichi noticed that he sounded slightly annoyed. Shigeo didn't pick up on the subtlety. One of the girls in the audience put her hand up. She was a young girl with pigtails. Ichi was so surprised by her appearance, that she accidentally bashed her head on the top of the shaft. She swore under her breath.

"Are you ok?" Shigeo asked.

"Yes, ow, I'm fine… It's just that she's one of the high profile missing people. Daughter of some rich billionaire parents. Turns out they were pretty neglectful, so no one was surprised she ran away… Her parents started donating money to this cult a few days after she disappeared," Ichi explained, but Shigeo had stopped listening to her about halfway.

Instead he lifted his head a little, looking at the vent, frowning. He thought he'd heard something just now… Perhaps something caused by Ichi bashing her head against the vent…

"So sad! Another victim of bad parenting!" Dimple loudly exclaimed. "As we all know here, there's no such thing as a bad kid. Just bad parents!" Dimple proudly continued. "But even so, everyone is in charge of their own lives! You can choose to resent your parents and blame them for your life while making it worse... Or you can take control! For with a hearty laugh, even such pains can be healed! Isn't that right!?"

Dimple was answered with laughter, but Shigeo couldn't focus on him. He'd heard something strange again.

"Did something creak?" he asked, looking to Ichi for confirmation.

"Shhh… I can't hear what he's saying," she instead hushed, watching as the cult leader pulled out a mask.

"I think something's about to give, Mezato-san…" Shigeo murmured warningly.

"He's laughing!" Ichi gasped, pointing at the formally disgruntled, shabby and homeless teenager. "How? I didn't see any kind of trick or…" she stuttered. "But why is he laughing?" she continued, watching fellow cult members gather around the teenager and pat him congratulatingly on the back. "Those masks… Maybe it has something to do with the laughter…? Perhaps the trick's in the mask?"

"Mezato-san…" Shigeo repeated, but she continued to ramble, ignoring him.

"I need to get my hands on one. Perhaps there's some kind of technology in them? Or… No, that's too silly… But there's definitely something wrong going on here-"

The air vent gave one last creaking complaint, before it completely snapped and both adults slid out of it.

At least the landing hadn't been too bad, thanks to Shigeo reluctantly using just enough psychic power to prevent himself and Ichi from falling too fast. It didn't stop either from still landing with heavy thuds against the floor though.

Man, had that hurt.

I hate having to split the chapter in two! But I set a personal limit, so I can upload faster (and so that it's not too much to read in one go).

Anyway, apparently Arataka is not a real Japanese name (some fans even believe Reigen Arataka isn't Reigen's real name, which would make sense, given its meaning and also the implication that Reigen intentionally separated and distanced himself from his parents in canon...) however the character for Ara apparently means "New", while Taka is likely derived from Takashi... Which means at least in this story, he's essentially called Takashi Jr. Also it's no coincidence that Arisu starts with Ar-. I actually wanted a female name beginning with Ara-, but I just liked Arisu too much.

On another note, how should Shigeo address Arisu and Takashi? Because technically, he should call both Reigen-san, but then they both have the same name? How do you differentiate?!

And for those wondering, no. Shigeo doesn't get a cut from Reigen's money. He has no reason to spend time with this kid that keeps pestering him, he gains nothing but additional stress. I mean, he thought things would end once the parents got involved, but no, it actually got worse, it's almost like the parents are glad Reigen is out of their hair for most of the day. XD