A Certain Unknown Mob

For a guest reviewer who thought my country is in lock-down, so I can get more chapters in: JOKES ON YOU; my country is entering new normal to uphold its fragile economy despite the pandemic, so I have nearly no free time to write much stories as of late. Still, I'm doing my best now. Without further ado, enjoy!

Chapter 4: Meeting

It was night at the Academy City, and the Kageyama siblings were sleeping on their respective beds after they'd had their dinner.

...Only for the older sibling who was actually not asleep yet. Staring at the ceiling above him, Shigeo then absent-mindedly hovered his hand above and stared at his palm, his mind trailing back at one particular encounter in the evening.

oXo

The Kageyama siblings blinked at the shout that came from the vending machine they were heading towards. Glancing at each other, they both nodded before they went to have a look. When they arrived, they were greeted with a sight of a teenager with spiky black hair, wearing a school-uniform they did not recognize. Judging from his height and looks, it was safe to assume that the teen was older than them; the said teen was procrastinating with his both hands crawling at the vending machine.

"Um, are you okay there? Is something wrong?" Ritsu decided to take the initiative.

The teen turned to look at them with teary eyes, while his lips were stretched into a self-deprecating smile. "Err… Nah, it's nothing. I'm good, thanks for asking." He said as he grabbed his school bag and stood up.

"We heard your shouting earlier, something about the vending machine eating away your cash? Perhaps we can help." Ritsu offered.

"No, no, it's okay, really. I appreciate the offer, but I don't want to bother you. I'll just report this to the management and buy something from a minimarket or something." The teen politely refused with his hand raised up.

"It's no bother at all." Ritsu smiled, and on cue, Shigeo walked up and placed his hand on the offending vending machine.

The vending machine then shook slightly, and the cash that was taken from the teen earlier was spit out from the return slot. "Here you go." Shigeo offered the note.

"Wow, thanks!" The teen's face lit up as he reached out with his right hand.

55%

However, when the teen's hand closed in and grabbed the notes, Shigeo suddenly retreated his hand back a little too quickly, almost dropping the money if not for the teen's fingers having already secured the cash. Noticing the odd behaviour, Ritsu furrowed his eyebrows. "...Brother?"

It appeared the teen also noticed the oddity, "Are you okay?"

Shigeo found his hand, the one that was close in making contact with the teen's right hand, was sweating. He looked between his palm and those around him, before replying, "Yes, I'm okay. Sorry, I just…"

The teen eyed Shigeo for a second before an understanding smile appeared on his face. "...That's okay. It happens sometimes."

Shigeo and Ritsu could not help but blink at the reply - it was as if the teen knew something that they did not.

"Anyway, thanks again for getting my money back. I gotta go for an errand. You guys should leave too. What you did with the vending machines might attract some security robots nearby. See ya!" The high-scholar then ran off after waving his goodbyes.

Once the older teen had gone far enough, Ritsu turned to Shigeo. "What was that all about, brother?"

Shigeo eyed at his hand again, where the sweats had dried off. "I… don't know."

Ritsu began to worry as he looked at the direction where the teen went off. Truthfully, when he approached him, Ritsu felt his nape hair stood up; the teen seemed to be nice enough, but something about him sent the wrong kind of signals to his sixth sense. Not to mention, his reaction to Shigeo earlier was as if he knew what was actually going on.

"Never mind that, then. Let's just go home, brother." Ritsu beckoned before he walked towards their apartment, with Shigeo following behind; the latter's eyes were still looking at the direction where the teen had gone.

oXo

"What was that, really?" Shigeo thought as he lowered his hand down to his blanket-covered belly.

The teen from the evening was a nice person, and was nice enough to brush off his rude reaction earlier. So how could that kind young man make him feel so…. Scared?

The thought did not leave his head until Shigeo eventually passed out around a couple of hours later.

The next day at school, Uiharu and Ruiko, along with the rest of their classmates, were watching at some odd spectacle during their P.E. class.

The odd spectacle would be the sight of a level-5 Esper struggling in doing a long-distance running test as he was breathless by the time he reached the finish line.

"Kageyama-kun?" The teacher in charge approached to look over the exhausted Esper. "Are you alright there?"

Shigeo glanced at the teacher before he took several deep breaths. "It's… I'm alright, sensei. Don't worry about me."

The boy was still caked in sweat, but his breathing did get better, earning a nod from the teacher.

"Okay, then. Just don't push yourself too much. Keep up the good work." The teacher gave Shigeo one last smile before he addressed the next student in line.

Shigeo then walked past his classmates, who were giving him odd looks, until he reached a spot beneath the shade of a tree. He took a seat, making sure to keep his legs stretched out to prevent cramps.

"Good work out there."

Shigeo blinked and looked up to see Uiharu offering bottled water with a smile on her face. Ruiko was also present, standing a little behind Uiharu.

"...Thank you, Uiharu-san." Shigeo accepted the drink gratefully and took a chug.

"You know, you're allowed to use your powers during P.E. In fact, sometimes students with psychic powers will be asked to use their powers so the teachers can make comparisons in grading past and future performances." Ruiko commented with a mildly amused expression.

Shigeo breathed out a sigh after drinking. "Yeah, but… I don't think it's right to use your power just to make things easier. This class to improve your physique, after all. Using powers will make things pointless."

Uiharu and Ruiko nodded in understanding as they took the logic in Shigeo's words.

"I guess I'm with you there, but a word of advice, Shigeo." Ruiko spoke while crossing her arms. "Your humble attitude is fine and all, but some people might get jealous out of misunderstanding."

"Saten-san, please don't say things like that!" Uiharu admonished her friend lightly.

"Sorry, sorry, I don't mean to scare him or anything like that." Ruiko smiled sheepishly. "It's just… y'know, many people here want to have some strong psychic power so they can prove themselves, only to find they are either level zero or having weak powers…. Yet there's someone who has what everyone wanted but refused to use it. It's kind of… vexing, y'know? Still, I agree with you about using psychic power in daily lives, if only the rest of Espers have an attitude like yours…" She ended her speech while looking to the sky wishfully.

Uiharu sighed and smiled lightly at Ruiko's attempt to lighten the mood, before she returned to address her new classmate. "Don't worry about what Saten-san said too much, Shigeo-san. I think it's wonderful of you not wanting to abuse your powers."

Shigeo could not help but flustered at Uiharu's compliments, a sight that caused Ruiko to grin in both amusement and mischief.

"Welp, let's leave the guy to cool down, 'kay? It's nearly our turn for the run, Uiharu." Ruiko then turned around to leave. "Be sure to join us again once you're rested, Shigeo!" She said before walking away.

"Ah, wait for me, Saten-san!" Uiharu went after her friend before halting on her tracks to address Shigeo again. "I'll see you later, Shigeo-san!"

"Ah, yes…" Shigeo could only reply with those two words before he watched the two of his classmates run off. A few seconds later, he took another sip from his drink and looked up to the blue sky.

Another change he had learned, that he was allowed to use his powers during P.E. Improving his physique had been Shigeo's goal back when he was still attending Salt middle-school.

It took him another few minutes until Shigeo was called out by a random classmate to go back to the field.

"Wait, hang on a second."

It was a weekend - Uiharu Kazari and Saten Ruiko were meeting up with two students from Tokiwadai school. Two elites - one was a girl with tawny hair tied into two curly pig-tails, the other one was a slightly taller girl with short brown hair with a clip ornament.

"So you're saying that the siblings you want to introduce to me, as well as recruit into Judgement, are actually boys?" Shirai Kuroko - Uiharu's senior in Judgement, as well as a level-4 teleporter, asked with a bemused tone.

"Heheh… Didn't I tell you before?" Uiharu giggled sheepishly as she leaned away from her senior.

"Uiharu…" Kuroko started to loom over Uiharu dangerously until a hand was placed on her shoulder.

"Come on, Kuroko. That's enough." Uiharu's savior was one of the seven - now eight level-5s, Misaka Mikoto, the Ace of Tokiwadai, the strongest electromaster.

They had encountered Kageyama Shigeo, but both Ruiko and Uiharu were still not fully accustomed to have an elite behaving so modestly and friendly before mundane people like them.

"Sis." Kuroko turned to her big-sister figure.

"So what if we're meeting a couple of boys? If Uiharu-san and Saten-san trust them, I don't see a problem here. Do you?" Mikoto chided with a cordial tone.

Kuroko scowled - it was already bad enough when she learned of a rumor that Mikoto had been seeing a man with spiky black hair, and now she had to see her dear big sister meeting more opposite sex.

What if, by any chance, the boys were attractive in Mikoto's eyes? The idea itself had already become a nightmare in Kuroko's mind - Mikoto Misaka is hers and hers alone.

On the other hand, Uiharu was still her friend. If she spoke highly of these boys, then Kuroko needed to at least see them for herself. If the boys ended up…. Not to her liking for one reason or another, Kuroko would cross that bridge.

The teleporter calmed down with a sigh. "...Perhaps I didn't ask about the specifics myself in the first place. Very well, I guess I can meet them, at least. Where are they now?" She asked Uiharu, who sighed in relief.

The level-1 took another look at her cellphone, "Um, I've given them the time and place, so they should be arriving…"

"Oh, there they are!" Ruiko remarked as she waved her arm at two familiar visages in a distance. "Hey, over here!"

When Mikoto and Kuroko turned to see the newcomers, the latter had prepared herself for the worst. She had heard the rumors, after all - a rare case of a gemstone from outside Academy City who became the 8th level-5, with his brother being a level-3.

Two boys with similar height with each other; they looked…. Surprisingly normal, all things considered, especially the one with a bowl-cut hair. The other one gave more impression with his slightly longer and spiky haircut.

The siblings came approaching, with the one with longer hair leading and waving at Uiharu and Ruiko.

"Saten-san! Uiharu-san!" The boys arrived and Ritsu greeted them. "Did you wait long?"

"No, we just arrived here ourselves. Thanks again for joining us, Shigeo-san, Ritsu-san." Ruiko replied with an easy smile.

"...Hello." Shigeo simply nodded in return.

"That's right, you two! Let me introduce you." Uiharu stepped in and gestured at the two Tokiwadai girls. "This is my senior in judgement, Shirai Kuroko, and the other one is Misaka Mikoto, a fellow level-5 like you, Shigeo-san."

Kuroko and Mikoto nodded at the boys upon their introduction.

"Nice to meet you." Ritsu nodded in return. "I'm Kageyama Ritsu, and this is my brother."

On cue, Shigeo nodded as well. "Kageyama Shigeo, nice to meet you."

Kuroko blinked as her eyes darted between the siblings - wait, so this mob-looking boy is the level-5 one?

'Not judging a book by its cover' notwithstanding - In any case, she could not let her guard down. Who knew if these monkeys were stripping her and her big sister in their minds as they spoke.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Kageyama-san." Kuroko greeted with a practiced courtesy. "I've heard many good things about you from Uiharu. So you are interested in joining Judgement?"

Ritsu nodded with a polite smile. "Well, we haven't decided yet, since we are still new with this town. We actually would like to see and have a chat of what we are getting ourselves into, if you don't mind."

"I suppose that is fair." Kuroko nodded in understanding. "To tell you the truth, we don't usually scout or recruit prospective new members like this, but perhaps there's no point in delaying either. If you are free after this, would you mind coming with me to the branch office where Uiharu and I work? We can brief you there."

The siblings shared a glance for a couple of seconds before Shigeo nodded while Ritsu replied, "That would be fine, thank you."

Uiharu sighed before she turned to smile at Ruiko who only shrugged while smiling in return.

"Well, now with that out of the way? Shall we go?" Mikoto stepped in. "Do you guys want to go to a game centre or arcade, maybe? I might know a place."

Uiharu and Ruiko only blinked, not expecting Mikoto's suggestion on how to spend time, considering her status. Kuroko on the other hand could only sigh, having seen it coming.

The Kageyamas on the other hand, took it in stride as Ritsu smiled with interest; Shigeo himself was looking a tad excited. "Is that so? We haven't really explored the entire city ourselves, so…"

"Then I believe you'll enjoy these places I have in mind." Mikoto gave a small grin and turned to the others. "Come on, we're burning daylight!"

Everyone then went on with Mikoto leading them.

For those who are actually looking into my (p) atreon account, One-Punch DxD: NEO has been updated - currently on Phoenix fiasco. Cheers! ;)