My first two reviews are something I'll treasure dearly, man, why does it feel so good when you get good feedback? Feel free to voice your good opinion, if they are bad, then I won't care!
Nah, just kidding, both nice and bad feedback is welcome, if anything, maybe one of these "bad" feedback helps me to improve myself in this.
If there is someone wondering, Sho's appearance on this story is based on a certain image of an Ageswap AU that's out there, good luck finding it!
Enjoy.
"Cycles"
Mako was one definitely one of a kind.
She already revealed that the only friends she had before him were the ones in her head, and she said that in such a cheerful manner, that Shigeo feared for her sanity, but other than that, Mako was just a sweet, goofy and hyperactive girl who wanted a friend, and well, she had one now.
"Mako, you studied here since first grade, right?"
"Yeep!"
"Is there good clubs here you recommend me?"
To be honest, after all the funny moments Shigeo passed along with his friends of the Body Improvement Club and the Telepathy Club, he developed an aversion to what Reigen called "Going-Home Club".
"Of course, Shige! There are plenty! And when I say plenty, I mean plenty of plenty! I'm on the Tennis Club! It's so fun! Our president has sharp teeth even!"
Tennis.
Mob wasn't specially good for sports, he was a lousy player in almost all of them, football, basketball, volleyball, and all that stuff weren't for him. But…
He came here to taste new things, no? That was his main reason, moreover, the training with Musashi and the others put him in good shape, maybe, he would give it a try with the basketball club, if there was one, to begin with.
No.
He would definitely give it a try with the basketball club.
"Is there a basketball club?"
"Nope!"
Oh.
Well, that was inconvenient, now he didn't know which club he would join. The Esper decided to let that matter for later. "Why don't you join the Tennis Club Shige? We can both see each other if you do!"
Tennis could be another option, yes. "I'll think of it later, Mako, for now, we should do the activ-"
In less than a blink, Mako was asleep, just as she was when he arrived, and it felt extremely surreal. Shigeo touched her in the cheek with a finger and she didn't react, meaning that she was totally unconscious, but still, Shigeo couldn't help but smile.
Her behavior was so unnatural, yet Mob couldn't stop himself from growing fond of her in the last three hours they had been in the classroom, she was so active, so cheerful, and she was revealing herself to be pretty selfless, which was a thing Shigeo shared with her, not for nothing he hid his powers and emotions for most of his life, he no longer did that, but that was because he gained better control over his massive energy and that led to his powers being not likely to hurt anyone, which was the main reason as to why he refrained himself for so long in the first place.
Now he felt…free.
He yawned; it seemed that Mako's sudden sleepiness was a bit contagious, but only a bit. Mob would finish the activity and maybe, take a short nap, Mako would probably wake him.
History was really boring.
Mob expected that once this Evaluation Day was over, they would...go to other classrooms, there were many others, right?
The sound of the door being knocked reached his ears, interrupting his thoughts. It was a complete mystery for him how someone could just go and knock on a door made of steel such as that of his classroom. He would just let it pass and finish his activity, though.
The blue-haired teacher stood from his seat and shuffled to the door of steel, opening it with the massive wheel it had in the center. Before him, a girl carrying a big guitar case, with a white and black uniform which had rolled up sleeves and a white shirt below, a black miniskirt and white sneakers. That defiant gaze and black hair with a red bang could only be of one person, and that person was the daughter of a friend that wasn't in this world anymore.
The daughter of Isshin Matoi, Ryuko Matoi.
If he was frank, Aikuro expected her to come, which also reminded him of another task he had and that, soon, he would accomplish.
"Pass." He boringly let out, standing aside to let the girl step into the room. Before she could take a seat, Ryuko was stopped by the man. "I'll introduce you."
Ryuko raised an inquisitive eyebrow and was about to ask why, but the teacher didn't wait for her question and flatly spoke. "This is Ryuko Matoi, a student transferred to Second Grade Class K today."
Now that was stuff Shigeo didn't know of. So there was a way to arrange a transfer in one day? That was nice, but odd, at least for him.
Ryuko accepted the different glances of the students. They were looking at her with faces that she perceived as bored or sad, except for a girl with a bowl cut, and there was that other, who curiously was the only one who was using a notebook.
That particular student glanced to her and was the first, and perhaps the last in greeting her. "Good morning, Matoi."
Aikuro reached up to her ear to whisper. "If I was you, I would try to get along with him, he's the most normal student over here."
The teacher's affirmation was solidified by the fact that no one apart from that guy of the spiky hair and notebook greeted or gave her the welcome, they only stared at her like lifeless statues. Ryuko's gaze fixated on the sleeping girl of the bowl cut, now that she could see her better…
Wasn't she the girl whose brother tried to steal a lemon from her today in the morning?
"RYUKO! Here! Here! This desk is free!"
Mako startled both Shigeo, who was aside from her, and Ryuko, who was close to the chalkboard. The brown-haired girl was pointing her fingers to a desk in front of her eagerly. "No one ever sat here! This is the first day but still, I know no one ever sat here! I can't believe you're going to be my desk neighbor! Want it? Don't want it? Want it?"
At all that dialogue, Ryuko could only retort with a simple sound.
"Oh."
Aikuro raised his eyebrows just as he did with Shigeo three hours ago. "You two know each other?"
The girl of the red streak blinked. "I can't say we're acquaintances."
The teacher sighed to the side and spoke. "Mankanshoku is like that…that'll be your seat then."
And so, Ryuko walked to the desk Mako energetically pointed her fingers to, she felt that sitting with these two would be better than doing so with all the other guys in this room, they both seemed…more alive.
"I'm Mako Mankanshoku!"
The hyperactive girl wasn't able to refrain herself from pulling another pose from beneath her sleeve. "Well, I'll be! How has your day been Ryuko?"
Ryuko sat in a way so she could face her. "Fine, I guess."
Even though this place was full to the core with thugs and punks, no one assaulted her after that boy's lame attempt, and that was something she didn't expect, not from a place where beaten people sat in the alleys and hatefully watched her, or where brats carried chains, knives and more ass-pulled things.
"Mine too! I've made my first real friend here!"
"First real friend…?"
Okay, she got it, this girl didn't have any friend apart from…her imaginary friends until this day. That was…odd.
"You mean?"
She didn't know if asking a person about his mental sanity was appropriate, so Ryuko leaned towards changing the matter, that sure was the best way to go.
"Here! Shige!"
Mob was hiking to the desk of the professor, his activity was surprisingly easy, which led to him finishing it in record time, and his walk towards him was interrupted by a certain someone.
"Mako…?"
In less than a blink, he was dragged by his newest friend to her seat, and she sat in his. His notebook was on the floor and Mako was smiling, as almost always. Before he could protest, Mako's cheek collided with his cheek, the girl embraced him with an arm to pull him closer and eagerly yelped "He's my best friend, Shige!"
Ryuko was staring perplexed at the two persons in front of her. Her mind just processed what happened before her eyes and it was too strange, Mako just stood from her desk and ran towards the now known as "Shige", only to drag him to the seat where she sat before, and it happened at such an unbelievable speed and suddenness that her mind needed time to take it all.
Nonetheless, Ryuko let the name roll in her tongue. "…Shige?"
Mob was starting to wonder if Mako forgot about his full name. "You can call me Mob."
The Esper outstretched his hand for her to shake it, and Ryuko did so. "Matoi, Ryuko Matoi."
Mob raised his eyebrows with curiosity as she let go of his hand. "Didn't the teacher said your name already?"
At these words, Ryuko's eyes widened and her cheeks got a light pink coloration. She averted her gaze with mild embarrassment. "Oh, right."
"Shige! Ryuko! I think I'm going to pee!"
In an instant and without asking the professor, Mako sprinted to the door, opened it with unexpected force and ran leaving a trail of smoke due to her fastness and both Shigeo and Ryuko watched the events transpire with stupefaction.
"Is she always like this…?"
The question Ryuko made to him was one that he didn't really know the answer but based on the three hours he spent with her, Shigeo guessed that…"Yes."
She glanced to him. "How'd you ended being her friend?"
Mob scratched his head and looked to the ceiling. "I told her I would be her friend."
"You said you were Mob, right?"
At that, Shigeo nodded. "Yes, Mob."
Ryuko stared at him with a deadpan. Where did that name come from and who would put it to their son was a total mystery for her, but she decided to not give it much importance. "Hey, uh, think you can tell me where White T-Poison is?"
"Who's White T-Poison?"
Surprisingly, Shigeo was completely clueless about that. "Nevermind, I guess you don't know if he's here because you don't even know him."
Mob just blinked. He was about to retort with something but he was interrupted by the noise the school's bell produced, indicating that it was time for the break, and both Ryuko and he stood from their seats. "I'll carry Mako's bag, she's still in the bathroo-"
It seemed that the world's odds LOVED to interrupt him every time he was about to say or end a phrase because, once the teacher and every one of the students in the room apart from he and Ryuko left, Mako appeared out of the blue and grabbed her bag. "Thanks a ton Shige!"
The Esper was startled once again and felt shivers go down his spine when he heard Mako behind. If she pulled one more of these, he might die of a heart attack.
The three left the room as Mako started to ask Ryuko about what she liked, and Shigeo hiked along with the two girls and couldn't but think that he forgot of something.
Meanwhile, in the now alone room.
"Oh, man…you're not the most careful guy out there I see."
Sho crouched and took his friend's forgotten notebook, and he could tell by the appearance that it wasn't one of these shitty and fragile notebooks he always bought at a small price in the corner's little market.
"You're lucky to have me, bro…"
Once these words were spoken, Sho used the refractor of light, rendering himself and the notebook invisible, with the goal of exploring the academy further, and watching over his friend's brother, of course.
"Ryuko."
The girl's gaze shifted to Shigeo, who was sitting in the bench where she, Mako and he sat. "What?"
Mob glanced to her and spoke. "You've been asking others where White T-Poison is, " The Esper raised one eyebrow. "Who's him?"
Ryuko remained silent for a moment before her gaze averted his and she looked to the ground. "I don't really know, but…" She stood from the bench and grabbed her guitar case, which she placed beneath the bench, confident in that no one would have the audacity, AKA the balls to steal it, and pulled a red blade about her own size from it. Mako, Mob and every student nearby watched the weapon with confusion, well, Mako was feeling amazed, but she was the only one feeling that. "…I was told that he was familiar with this blade."
The scissor blade wielder quietly looked the glances that Mako and Mob gave to her blade before Mako squealed. "A giant scissor! I hadn't known you carried toys with you, Ryuko! I thought you had a guitar like any other person and that you loved singing Bit by bit I'm falling under your spell!"
"What!? This isn't a toy! Wait, don't touch it! Mako!"
Ryuko retreated the scissor blade from the girl's hand. "Aww! Why'd you not let me touch your toy Ryuko?"
"I said that this isn't a toy." She retorted as she placed the blade inside the guitar case again. First that Hazanawa guy mistaking her blade and now Mako, and she couldn't explain why, at least Mob seemed to know that this obviously wasn't a toy if the serious glance he was giving her said anything.
"Hey, what's with that look?"
"You know how dangerous it is for you to carry stuff like that, right?" Shigeo inquired, earning an angry look from the sapphire-eyed girl. "Huh? Are ya tryin' to boss me around?"
"No, I don't, but still, I hope you don't misuse that blade."
Ryuko sat in a masculine manner on the bench with a nonchalant face. "Whatever."
Mako hopped in front of the two teenagers and turned around, raising her hands to catch both attention. "I say we go see the school! Ryuko, I want you to know about this place, come with me! Shige already knows how it is, so he doesn't want to know more! See you later Shige!"
The brown-haired girl took Ryuko by the hand and with the other, she grabbed the scissor blade below the bench. "Mako! Wait!"
Her command fell on deaf ears as Mako dragged her around the place, and she couldn't help but glance at Mob's face of both stupefaction and concern.
In a moment, Shigeo was left alone, processing what he had just seen while glancing to the bench he was sitting on and then to the front, where Mako and Ryuko went, one against her own will, but that was almost comical.
He sighed.
Shigeo decided to just enjoy the view of the sky he had from here, but he couldn't avoid to see a shining light coming from the top of the academy. It was blinding and he actually had to cover his eyes, but if he focused enough, he was able to see a familiar shadow.
Wasn't that Satsuki? That long hair, it certainly looked like hers. Gamagori told him that he should show her the "Gratitude" she deserved when the time came, for giving him a dorm that no No-Star would normally be able to acquire. Yesterday, they offered a One-Star uniform to him, and to Gamagori's utter astonishment, he quietly denied it. Then he assigned him his dorm, to him and to the many students that were there yesterday, before taking him to the student council room, where he met Satsuki and all the Elite-Four members.
The Esper glanced to the front at hearing fast footsteps only to see Mako moving Ryuko by the hand all the way to the bench where he had sat for a long time.
Then she stumbled.
Shigeo reacted just in time and, with telekinesis, he stopped Mako and Ryuko from landing in the ground, Mako had her eyes oddly open waiting for her face to crash while Ryuko strongly closed hers, bracing for the impact.
The latter slowly half-opened her eyes hesitatingly before they widened in surprise. "What the fuck!?"
Ryuko glared to the person sitting in front of her with disbelief and witnessed how his body was surrounded by a strange colored aura. "That was close, Ryuko."
Mob placed Ryuko and Mako on their feet. "Whoa! That was awesome Shige! I wish I had your powers! You could be a hero and me your sidekick! The psychic duo!"
The brown-haired girl's words were brutally shocking for the Esper, who was accustomed to persons reacting with awe at watching his powers for the first time, almost everyone did, and those who didn't, or it was because they were Espers too, or because they hadn't seen the true extent of his powers.
Mako would just go along with you and say "I wish I had them, I could be your sidekick!", and that was what she said, while Ryuko…well, she was acting as expected.
"The hell was that…?!"
In response at these words, Mob scratched his head with a sheepish smile on his lips. "You see…I appear to be an Esper."
Ryuko blinked dumbly at the flat explanation the self-proclaimed Esper gave her. "An Esper…? Like, you can bend spoons with your mind and stuff…?"
"Right. I can do that."
In a moment, Ryuko found herself floating few meters from Shigeo and Mako, the latter was watching her with shining eyes full of increasing curiosity and amazement coupled with exclamations of surprise like "Whoa" and "You're doing it again it's aweeeesome!" while the former only looked her cautiously with a hand aimed to her, who was floating, to not let her fall.
"H-Hey! Put me down, bastard!"
Unknown for them, they were being watched by almost every student in the courtyard, everyone was mumbling their impressions of the situation and some others were saying "That's White T-Poison" in whispers.
Particularly, these ones were particularly close to them, and Ryuko heard all.
"Sorry." Shigeo apologized as he placed her down. "Hey." She called him.
"Yes?"
Ryuko didn't look at him for a moment until her gaze emerged with an almost…death glare? Dimple told him he made some of these when he got angry, was Ryuko angry at him for elevating her?
"Ryuko?"
"What was your name?" She questioned, but the tone she used along with the fact that she almost snarled were the indicators that she indeed was angry.
"Well, most of my friends call me Mob, well, actually not, only three do, but my real name is Kageyama, Shigeo Kageyama."
Shigeo Kageyama.
That name…
That name.
It couldn't be a mere coincidence that these guys called him White T-Poison and that he was named Kageyama, the same name Hanazawa used to refer to him. Ryuko pulled the scissor blade as calmly as she could before throwing the guitar case to the bench and pointing it to Mob, not so close, but not so far.
"You…You know who's the owner of the other half of this blade…?"
She was actually struggling to keep her cool with this, the death of her father had a great impact on her and the event was still fresh in her mind, but why was she refraining herself from yelling like she ever did?
Maybe it was because, during the short time the three passed with each other, he showed himself as a particularly kind person, proof of this was the fact that he hadn't let her and Mako fall to the ground prior to all of this, or when Mako accidentally hit herself with a tube in the hallways of the main building and he came to her aid with a concerned face, even though Mako was continuously and happily affirming that she was okay while her nose bleed in a surrealistic manner.
Or maybe because he was one of these few persons that actually wanted to get along with her, like Mako or Hanazawa.
Mako was glancing between Ryuko and Shigeo with a face that could only mean that she was clueless as to what was happening right now. Shigeo watched the red blade cautiously before quietly speaking. "No. I'm sorry, but I hadn't ever seen a blade like yours, Ryuko."
They remained silent for a moment.
Ryuko's snapped out from her glare closing her eyes, before placing the blade in her shoulder and huffing.
What a letdown. All the trip to here and that culminated in nothing, nothing at all.
"Are you angry?" Shigeo inquired with a worried face, and she shook her head. "No, I ain't angry," A mischievous smirk made its way to the girl's face. "You're afraid of me? Don't, I won't point this to ya."
Shigeo's formed a relieved smile. "It makes me glad, Ryuko. I promise I won't lift you again with my powers if you don't want to."
"No, you won't, because I'll kick your ass if you do."
The smile that was previously mischievous changed to…a smile, not her defiant, amused, smug or mischievous smirk, just that…a smile.
Shigeo was smiling too. "You will? You aren't afraid of my powers?"
"Heh, I bet I could still take on you, powers or not. I don't get why I should be afraid of you, apart from lifting things and all that, it's not as if having powers makes you any better or shit, besides, I've seen worst things."
The Esper's eyes widened in astonishment. She thought the same of him as Reigen and that was such a…such a wonderful thing. "Ryuko...thanks."
Ryuko blinked and raised an inquisitive eyebrow. "For what?"
"For telling that to me."
Then, again, they went silent. It wasn't an awkward silence that two persons had when they ran out of stuff to talk about, and it was quite…enjoyable, at least for Mob. That lasted until a certain person intervened.
"I'm so happy my two besties are getting along! I also was going to ask you if you would like to see Tennis Club Shige! Want to? Don't want to? Want to?"
And so, Mako began with another of her ramblings, poses included, this time about how cool the Tennis Club was.
"She's so odd, but I like having her around, ya know, everyone and everything seems to be so off in this place…" She looked to the Esper, who was witnessing everything Mako was doing, paying attention both to her and to the girl standing by the side. "You're a weirdo, too, but I can get used to you."
Something about the way she called him "Weirdo" didn't make it seem like an insult, unlike other times when he got called by that word. "I like having Mako around too, she's so cheerful and alive."
Ryuko noticed that they were being looked at by many students and felt slightly uneasy.
"Yeah, tha-"
"Ryuko! Shige! Bow! Bow!"
In an instant, both teenagers found themselves in the middle of a herd of students, a herd that was leaving a way for someone to pass. The crowd in front of them did the same, leaving a perfectly linear way.
"Mako?! Huh?! Huh?!"
Ryuko was glancing repeatedly between her friend and the crowd of students with wide eyes and mouth, and Mob, well, he was already growing accustomed to Mako's randomness, but he was quite surprised, still.
"What is happening, Mako?" Mob questioned calmly. "We're gonna be punished by the lead of the Disciplinary Committee chair if we don't bow!"
Mako's exclamation turned the memory gears of Shigeo on. Of course! Gamagori said that everyone had to bow and address their superiors properly when they made act of presence in the courtyard, or in any other part of the school, including the bathroom.
"The hell? Is this an empire or shit like that…?"
The brown-haired girl nodded eagerly much to Ryuko's puzzlement. "Yup! And the queen of that empire is Lady Satsuki!"
Ryuko was reminded of something. She had to search for her father's killer, she was momentarily pulled out from that, and guess who were the two persons to blame?
"That Satsuki…is she the Top-Dog here?" Ryuko inquired, not bowing, but crouching. "Yep! She and her Elite-Four! Lady Satsuki bestows the Goku Uniforms the higher your abilities are ranked, and having a Goku Uniform also grants you a wonderful living place! Oh, speak of the devil! Look!"
Both Ryuko and Shigeo glanced to where Mako was pointing, and walking downstairs with an imposing aura of superiority towards everyone in the courtyard, there she was.
Satsuki Kiryuin.
"She's that Satsuki you're tellin' me about?"
At Ryuko's question, Mako nodded eagerly, as she enjoyed to do so. "Of course!"
The girl of the red streak didn't need anything more and strolled in the line towards Satsuki, who was walking down with a shining light behind, much to Shigeo and Mako's surprise.
Ryuko came to a halt halfway from the student council president, hands in her pockets and standing confidently, earning various looks from the plenty of students that were in the courtyard.
"So, I heard you're the queen bee of this place, I have a question for ya!"
A group of One-Star's pounced over her while yelling simultaneously "Bitch! How dare you!?", only to be roughly beaten at ridiculous ease in an instant with the guitar case. Ryuko pulled her blade from the case before spinning it around her wrist and pointing it to Satsuki, whose eyes mildly widened.
When Ryuko placed her scissor blade in the guitar case again was a complete mystery for Shigeo.
Plenty of students on the crowds mumbled exclamations of surprise like "A scissor!?" or "Half a scissor…?" before Mako squealed eagerly. "Your scissor!"
"That's right. This is half of a pair of giant scissors, and I'm searching for the owner of the other half, want to know somethin', prez? You looked shocked to see this just yet, aren't you? Admit it! You've seen my scissor blade!"
Satsuki's condescending gaze fixated on her before the governor of Honnoji tilted her head back slightly and spoke in an unimpressed tone. "And what if I have?"
Ryuko's previously confident gaze was changed to an enraged glare almost at the same time Satsuki said that line. "That fucking settles it." Ryuko cocked her sword back and jumped to the black-haired woman, who stood tall as a wall, waiting for her to arrive as Ryuko shouted in the air. "YOU'RE THE BITCH THAT HAS THE OTHER HALF AREN'T YOU!"
In the instant she was about to swing her sword and do who knows what to Satsuki's neck and before she was about to be stopped by Shigeo's telekinesis, a massive black glove barreled onto her face, hitting her harshly.
"TEK!"
A hook to her stomach was directed by her aggressor, landing brutally and provoking her to spit blood from her throat.
"KEN!"
It didn't end there, though. The unknown person who yelled these words threw an uppercut to her chin, forcefully shutting her mouth.
"FUN!"
To finish things, the guy spun around in the air before punching her in the face laterally with his gigantic glove again, sending Ryuko down to a crowd of students at ludicrous speed, provoking these students to fall like bowling pins.
"SAI!"
The attacker landed in the ground, and Satsuki's eyes shifted to him before addressing the guy. "Ah, Fukuroda…"
A wicked grin appeared in the face of the now identified as Fukuroda, showing the fact that he lacked one tooth. "Yes, ma'am, Takaharu Fukuroda, president of the Boxing Club. Permit me to finish off this insolent, weak and useless wench by myself!"
"She's all yours."
Speaking these words meant that Satsuki was letting the boxer attack Ryuko, and Shigeo didn't plan on just watching the whole thing happen.
"Aside bastards!"
The growl in Ryuko's voice didn't pass unregistered by Shigeo, and he witnessed how Ryuko swung her sword towards Fukuroda's waist, only for it to be stopped by his massive glove with no effort at all.
"Are these gloves made of steel?!"
A mocking laugh emerged from Fukuroda's throat before he yelled. "This is pathetic! Don't you even know your uniforms?"
That toothy and smug grin he had irked Ryuko to no end, and she grunted at the searing pain she was still feeling in her stomach, the hit from before really hurt, but for some reason, she always had a higher endurance to pain than others, so she could, and would stand this.
"You're not even wearing a uniform, bastard!"
"For boxers, THIS is a uniform!" Fukuroda declared, pointing to the equipment he had, the helmet with the black reddish stars, his white cape, the shorts, his gloves, and commenced a rant about stuff that Shigeo didn't care about, he was preparing to intercept him in case he attacked Ryuko again, which was the most likely scenario.
"I ain't really following you, but for what I understood, I guess I won't need to pull my own punches!" She affirmed, preparing her sword for another assault. Fukuroda's face twisted into pure outrage at this.
"You believe you can hurt me!? Don't you dare slight me, insolent idiot!"
Fukuroda threw a jab to the front and just when one of his barrages of punches was about to be launched against Ryuko, an aura whose main color was blue surrounded him before he was stopped in his tracks.
"Be quiet."
If he could turn his head to see who spoke these words, Fukuroda would've did, but alas, he wasn't able to move, not even an inch, it was as if he was caged inside a cell exactly his size. "What the fuck is this…!? I can't move!"
His gaze fixated on Ryuko as he desperately tried to escape the psychic hold, doing animalistic growls unintentionally in the process. 'Is she doing this…!? No…she's as surprised as me, who is then?!'
"I'll let you go, but only if you promise me that you'll leave her alone."
Everyone was witnessing in awe the raised hand of Shigeo pointed towards the president of the boxing club, an aura sparkling around the Esper's body as he intercepted the boxer.
"He's White T-Poison!" One yelled with eyes full of amazement, and others started to sweat profusely. "You can't be serious! What is the shadow leader from the gang of Salt doing here?!"
"We have to bow!"
"Yes!"
"I hope he doesn't harm us!"
"Are you idiot?! He's from a gang! Of course he'll harm us if we don't give him our money and lunch!"
Shigeo glanced to the nervous and scared herds of students that were referring to him by that nickname, why they called him that way was a total mystery, at least he thought that.
Satsuki smirked. Perhaps this Kageyama was more known than expected, and the fact that he was able to outright stop a Two-Star Goku Uniform user with ESP said much about the strength he could possess.
No wonder why Sanageyama was so pumped, and speaking of him…
The green-haired warrior was watching the events in the top of the academy, where Satsuki previously was, with eyes full of fire, if that was possible. "See that?! He has enough power to stop Fukuroda effortlessly, he's worth it!"
"I've never seen you so excited about an opponent apart from Satsuki, what could this mean?" Inumuta asked while watching from the top, too, only to be replied by the only girl in the Elite-Four.
"It means that the monkey is giving us another fit of stupidity for us to endure."
Gamagori was speechless. He thought that the boy was respectful and rule-following, but the scene that was taking place in the courtyard was saying the contrary.
Back in the courtyard, Ryuko glanced to Shigeo. "Hey, what are you doing?"
"Helping a friend."
So that was it. This guy already considered her a friend even though they only passed less than two hours along with each other. "I don't get you, we don't even know anythin' about each other, and yet you're still doing this..."
"He's doing this because he knows that those who win at friendship win at life, Ryuko! Can't you see that? We want to be your friends!"
"Friends…?"
Now that she could recall, she never had any friend in her life, the gangs didn't count, they were united just because they didn't have any better to do, and she never bonded with any of the guys or girls from these gangs.
"Yeeeep! Friends! Despite you're gruff and all, we want to your friends! Besides, your red streak is awesome!"
Even Mako who wasn't the brightest person in the world could see that she wasn't very kind and friendly.
A loud clank echoed across the place, to silence everyone because there were still students rambling about Shigeo and how amazing he was.
"Enough of this foolishness, " She addressed the only Esper in the academy. "Shigeo Kageyama, may I ask you what are your designs for the wielder of the scissor blade?"
"So you know somethin' after all, bitch!" Ryuko yelled, ignored brutally by Satsuki, and another herd of One-Star's pounced over the girl of the red bang, only to be stopped again, this time by Shigeo, who let them suspended in the air.
"She's a friend your students are attacking, I can't let that happen." Shigeo retorted, and Satsuki's big shaped eyebrows raised inquisitively. "A friend? Is that what you consider the pig in clothing down there?"
"Huh!? Come here and say it to my face, bitch!" Ryuko yelled while rolling her sleeve even more, and Shigeo just cocked his head with a frown. "You're being mean for no reason, why?"
"Isn't it appropriate to address the weak, pigs wallowing in their own uselessness, as what they are?"
Mob frowned but kept his cool, as he ever did. "They aren't weak, and they aren't…pigs, they have the same value as you and I, we aren't special, and Ryuko is seeking answers, I think you should answer her properly."
"By 'properly', you are saying that I should answer her demands? If that is the case," Satsuki embedded her sealed sword in the ground imposingly. "You are in for a surprise, Shigeo Kageyama, but I will not answer any of her questions, not unless she proves herself worthy."
The Esper raised an eyebrow and let the words emerge from his mouth. "Worthy? What do you mean?"
Satsuki's gaze shifted towards the violent and impulsive girl that was by some meters away from Shigeo, and Ryuko was looking at her as if she was going to jump over her throat at any moment.
"You, there, if you think you are worthy enough," Satsuki's eyes opened menacingly and she stood even more imposingly if that was possible. "Show yourself tomorrow and clash with the president of the boxing club! If you defeat him in a fair battle, I shall consider responding to your questions!"
The yell echoed across the courtyard, and Ryuko, in response, aimed her sword towards Satsuki. "Bring it! I'll make quick work of you and your goons, just you fucking wait!"
"I thought that would your answer that," The woman turned and walked away, returning to the top of the academy by the stairs. "We shall wait for you tomorrow, then."
Satsuki stopped herself in her tracks and half-glanced behind. "And as for you, Shigeo Kageyama," The Esper's attention was drawn again to Satsuki, and he stopped what he was doing before, AKA watch over Mako and place the One-Stars and Fukuroda in another place. "I believe you deserve to be praised for your ability to resolve situations without the need of violence. It is indeed a relief that students as you still exist."
The Esper smiled sheepishly. "Don't say it like that, you're going to make me blush."
Satsuki turned away again, and this time, she didn't stop, she kept walking upward, to the top of Honnoji Academy.
Once she left, and once the Esper left unconscious the One-Stars and Fukuroda with a psychokinetic shockwave, placing them in the top of the walls from the academy, Ryuko hiked to him.
"Mob."
Shigeo's red eyes fixated on the girl, who walked to him until both were at a reasonable distance. "What is it?"
She averted his gaze and tried to let the words flow as best as she could. Shigeo saw many bruises in her face, and one part was slightly swollen even.
"Huh…thanks."
The Esper's eyes widened mildly, showing that he was impressed at what he heard. "Why are you looking me like that?"
"Mako told you to thank me." He affirmed, confident on his declaration. Not letting Ryuko retort, Mako appeared from behind her. "Yup! I knew Ryuko wouldn't ever thank you unless I tell her to do so, Shige! That's why she's thanking you now!"
"I figured it, Mako." He said, and Ryuko was left slightly embarrassed at the truth. "Still, it makes me glad."
"Shige! Ryuko! We have to go to our classroom! Look!" Mako pointed to the whole courtyard and the two teenagers saw that now it had few to no students on it. The bell must've sounded and they conveniently were the only students who didn't hear it.
"You're right."
And so, the three walked, as Mako recalled the events with a spark in her eyes, talking about how Ryuko acted like a boss in front of everyone or how Shigeo stopped a Two-Star Goku Uniform user effortlessly.
"This is the place, mister Reigen!"
The self-proclaimed psychic of the century strolled onto the place that his newest client was pointing to, and in front of himself, he found a hole in the ground; it was too big, but it wasn't too small either.
"A hole? I don't know what a hole has to do with evil spirits."
"I swear! We have thrown stuff inside and it never came back! It seems that it doesn't even have a bottom! And sometimes, we hear weird things coming from this place, horrific noises that don't let my daughter sleep in the night. I never considered going to the city and asking for an exorcist, but I think this isn't normal! Please help!"
The corpulent man was begging him, and, well, Reigen wasn't one to deny such tasks, much less when the payment was high or when the client seemed to be in a real struggle.
Now, these two things in unison made this job absolutely undeniable, although he wondered how a man that lived in the woods in a small town close to Seasoning City could have this much money.
"I'll check it, do you have a phone?"
"Y-Yes."
Once the two gave the number of each other, the brawny guy questioned the exorcist. "Wouldn't have it been better if we used a walkie-talkie?"
"Of course, but," Reigen accommodated his tie in a flash and pointed his thumb to himself. "Psychics don't use walkie-talkies! It's a universal rule that every psychic has to follow!"
"Oh, my bad, sorry!"
Now Reigen had to do only one thing. He searched for Serizawa in his list of people's numbers and once he found it, he called. "Serizawa? Yes, it's a job. No, don't tell me you can't come, this is important…No, it's not for the powers, it's because I need a rope to do said job…Dimple isn't with me anymore! Remember you gave him some of your energy, something I can't comprehend why you or Mob didn't do in the past three years?...Exactly!...Serizawa, you're a full grown man in an institution for adult kids, please come, they'll let you. You can? Perfect. Onto-"
The corpulent man couldn't hear the direction Reigen gave the guy called Serizawa, but he knew it was obviously the direction where the hole was.
"See you then."
Reigen hung.
The Esper glanced to the man and asked "Have any doubts of me being a psychic?"
"No!"
"Well, just in case," Reigen pointed his hand to a stone in the ground and, raising two fingers, it floated. "A-Amazing!"
It was amazing indeed, Reigen thought that he would never have them for real, but apparently, and thanks to Dimple, his latent psychic powers awakened.
He wasn't a fraud anymore.
