It only counted as sneaking around if you had started off sneaking around.
Which was why Mob was not sneaking around. She hadn't left her house, well the house she was staying in, with the intention of going to Minegishi's house to sneak around. No, not at all. She had left her house with the intention of finding someone who wanted to play with her without complaining and telling her that she was boring. Normally it wouldn't have bothered her, when Sho told her that her games were boring, but she had been feeling sort of…not happy…lately. Mainly because she had been borrowing less and less from Minegishi lately.
Sure her milk didn't burn going down anymore but her feelings got hurt a lot more easily.
Well maybe not. She had just been making her feelings be a lot quieter than they usually preferred to be. It was easier to control her powers that way and to keep her feelings from becoming too much but also it made her tired all the time and also sometimes nauseated. It was bothering Sho, too, seeing her like that so she had to cut back.
Plus it was wrong to borrow things from your friends without asking and without having any ability at all of returning.
Which sounded like stealing but wasn't. First of all it was not stealing because Minegishi shared with Mob whenever she asked. They only gave her a capful, usually, and never when they weren't having some first but that still counted as sharing. Third of all if there had been some way to return the favor then Mob would have. If she had no intention of ever returning the favor then it would have been stealing. Like on TV when neighbor's asked each other to borrow a cup of sugar. Obviously you couldn't return a cup of sugar after you used it but you made it up to the person you borrow from by lending them something in return. So because Mob would have been willing to make it up to Minegishi then she was not stealing at all.
But it still felt bad to borrow things without asking.
But Mob wasn't sneaking around for that reason….nor was she sneaking around at all. Minegishi let them come over all the time when they were home. Mob always let herself in. She always knocked on Minegishi's bedroom door, you were supposed to do that because otherwise you'll see things that scarred you for life like Minegishi had said, so that was ok. She came over with a bunch of dolls and stuff all the time so this was ok. She would have knocked on the bedroom door, too, if she could…so that meant that it was ok to stand outside of the bedroom door…for a while…because she totally had every intention of knocking.
She really did.
She also had all the time in the world to start knocking on the door in front of her. She'd start knocking at any minute now. She just needed time. That was all. She was not sneaking around or spying on anyone. She just needed a minute to raise her hand up and knock on the door to make sure if it was ok for her to come in. That was all.
She was not eavesdropping.
"Toshi, you are ridiculously tense. Even for you." Said Shimazaki. Mob had known that he was over, too, she could sense his aura. He followed dad around throughout most of his day. Dad still wasn't home but that just meant that the dangerous part of his day was over now. Sho said that people tried to shoot dad and stuff, why anyone would want to hurt her dad she did not know, but she was grateful to Shimazaki for protecting her dad and little brother, too, when Sho was with dad. She really was grateful towards him…
Even if he was kind of a jerk sometimes.
"Toshi? Toshiki? Minegishi Toshiiki? Toshi?" said Shimazaki. He kept on calling Minegishi by their given name even though they didn't like to be called that. That was kind of a jerk thing to do. You had to call people what they wanted to be called. People were allowed to decide their own names and Minegishi decided that they only wanted to be called Minegishi and you were not supposed to use someone's given name without permission anyway because it was rude to be that familiar with someone without their permission. It really was.
But Shimazaki could be kind of a jerk sometimes…a lot of the times….
"I was curious to see when you'd get tired of this but it's been half an hour now….half an hour….what do you want, Ryou? Can't you see I'm busy." Said Minegishi. Mob wondered if Minegishi was given permission to call Shimazaki by his first name or if they had just decided to do that because he kept on calling them Toshi. She didn't know. She'd ask later. Right now she just…wanted to know if it was ok to knock on the door. That was all.
"Actually I can't-" said Shimazaki
"Yes, because you're blind. Oh my you are just so very clever, aren't you?" said Minegishi. Mob heard the bed creak. Minegishi liked to hang out in their room reading on their bed. They said that there was nothing else to do since they had been demoted. Mob didn't know what they meant by that but she did know how relaxing it could be just hanging out in your room. Well it was a lot more relaxing when people didn't come in and bother you.
Shimazaki was kind of like Sho when it came to bothering people who were just kind of trying to relax.
Sometimes Mob would be playing in the room or watching something on her ipad or something and Sho would just sort of come in and jump on her or start trying to get her to play with him or something. Shimazaki was the same sort of way with Minegishi. He would just sort of appear and then he and Minegishi would say a bunch of stuff to each other that sounded mean but might not have been mean at all judging by the fact that Minegishi still let him hang out with them no matter what he said. Mob didn't know how well they got on though because, eventually, she was always kicked out of the room and sent right back home.
So maybe if she knocked on the door now then she would be sent home.
But maybe if she waited for long enough by the door then Shimazaki would get bored and teleport back to wherever it was that he lived and then she and Minegishi would be able to play dolls or just hang out or anything really. So that meant that the best thing to do was to stand there by the door and just wait for whatever was happening on the other side to be over with. She didn't think it would take too long. They both seemed like they were being mean to each other and Mob didn't know why you would spend time with someone who was mean to you unless they were members of your family.
"Well I try to be. Why? Do you think it's working?" asked Shimazaki. There was another creak of the bed. Mob wondered why he didn't just leave Minegishi alone. It sounded like they were trying to scoot away from him. Mob had no way of knowing what was going on, of course, because while she could see their auras she couldn't see them.
"I think that you think that you're clever but, in reality, you aren't." Said Minegishi. Mob frowned. That seemed extra mean…but then again Shimazaki had probably just popped around without asking again.
"Oh? Well now you're just trying to hurt me. Go on, insult the poor blind man who only came to you seeking some basic human companionship-" said Shimazaki
"You know something? You can't hide behind the fact that you're blind forever. I don't give a damn that you don't have any eyes, Shimazaki, I can and will kick your ass if you annoy me enough." Said Minegishi
"I know you will. You've done it before and you'll do it again." Said Shimazaki. Mob wondered why Shimazaki kept on pushing them then. If he knew that, eventually, Minegishi would get upset and fight with him then why did he keep on carrying on like this? What was with boys and fighting with people and annoying them? Mob had no clue. She wondered how people had come this far if boys were like this even when they grew up.
"Then shut up before I get up and kick your ass." Said Minegishi. That wasn't a nice thing to say…but maybe Minegishi was a boy too, then, because that was what boys were always saying to each other. Maybe when Mob grew up she would figure out why boys were obsessed with fighting. If that was one of those things that could be figured out. It may have been one of life's mysteries, like why diet soda made your head hurt or how come no matter how many baths you took there would still be sand in your hair for days after you came home from the beach.
"Please, don't get up on my account." Said Shimazaki. There was more creaking, then, from the bed. Mob wondered if they were actually fighting. She maybe should have at least knocked because then, if they knew that she was there, they might have stopped. She raised her hand up to knock on the door but only managed to tap it once when the talking started back up again.
Maybe she should have knocked even though they had started talking.
Because now the door was opened a sliver, just enough to barely see through, and this wasn't good because now if they did notice her then they would have thought that she was peeking through the sliver of space between the door and the doorframe. That would have been even worse than if they had found her and thought that she had been eavesdropping. Not that she had been eavesdropping and not that she was looking. She just couldn't help it.
She had never seen them like this before.
She had never seen anyone like that. Ever. All cuddled up….but not like how she cuddled up with Sho sometimes. Minegishi was laying down and Shimazaki looked like he would have been crushing them but it looked like most of his weight was on his arms. Minegishi didn't even seem to care. They just had their arms crossed behind their head. Mob didn't get this at all…but she did get the feeling that maybe she was not meant to be watching this…
She reached over with one finger and pulled the door shut slowly so she wasn't noticed.
"You just like me best on my back." Said Minegishi
"No, I like you best on your side facing me." Said Shimazaki
"Well I like you best on your back looking up at me." Said Minegishi
"Eyes opened or closed?" asked Shimazaki
"Opened." Said Minegishi
"I thought that freaked you out." Said Shimazaki
"It did, before, but I got used to it." Said Minegishi
"It doesn't bother you?" asked Shimazaki
"The empty space where your eyes used to be?" asked Minegishi
"There is no 'used to' but yes." said Shimazaki
"No. That doesn't bother me at all. Since the eyes are the windows to the soul looking down at your empty eye sockets is actually reassuring." Said Minegishi. Mob didn't get it. She didn't get a word of what she had just heard. Not getting it, not understanding, just made her want to listen more…even though she knew that she was not supposed to be sneaking around and spying on people…and she wasn't. She was just…waiting for her chance to…to ask Minegishi to play with her. That was it.
But this was interesting.
It still sounded like they were being mean to each other but…but also like they weren't. She didn't get it. She just…she just didn't get them. She got the feeling that this was different than her and Sho. Sho could be mean to her but she was always nice to him because he was her little brother. She really got the feeling that whatever she was listening to was different than anything she had ever seen or listened to in her life…and she wished that she could have asked but she didn't know who she could ask. The person she usually asked about this stuff would probably get mad at her if she ever mentioned that she had been there overhearing…whatever that was.
"Why? Because I have no soul?" asked Shimazaki
"No, you do, that's what's so reassuring about it. If you do then maybe there's hope for me yet…or whatever." Said Minegishi
"You do have a soul Toshi, I can feel it. I can hear it and I can feel it and I'm touching it right now." Said Shimazaki
"Stop touching my aura." Said Minegishi
"Oh? And what would you rather I touch?" asked Shimazaki
"If you don't know already-" said Minegishi
"I do you, I just like it when you ask." Said Shimazaki. He laughed there. Mob didn't know what he was laughing at…and also the way he laughed sounded weird. Kind of deep. Deeper than any other laugh that she had ever heard….and that was something else that she had no idea what to make of. The way he laughed…and why she couldn't stop thinking about the way that he had laughed….this whole things was so confusing…or maybe she just couldn't get a clue. That must have been it.
"If you're going to sit there waiting for me to beg then I suggest that you make yourself comfortable since that's never going to happen." Said Minegishi
"I've had you begging before, Toshi." Said Shimazaki
"Calling me 'Toshi' over and over again is only pissing me off more, you know." Said Minegishi
"Alright, I won't call you Toshi anymore…even though you look like a-" said Shimazaki
"How can I look like a 'Toshi' or an anything to you? Aren't you the one always going on about how blind you are?" asked Minegishi
"I was going to say that you look like a kind and caring human being and I would love to get to know you better. Right now, if possible. But, yeah, if you're not in the mood to-" said Shimazaki
"Well I would be in the mood if you were not so truly annoying." Said Minegishi
"Am I still an annoying asshole?" asked Shimazaki
"Yes. You're an annoying asshole and I do not need anyone pissing me off right now. I have enough crap to deal with as it is." Said Minegishi
"Like what? Your new assignment is pretty freaking sweet if you ask me. You just hang out with a kid all day playing dolls and braiding each other's hair or whatever it is that you guys do." Said Shimazaki. Mob got the feeling that she and Minegishi were being made fun of then. She frowned. She didn't care if she got made fun of, well she kind of did, but she cared more if her friend got made fun of. Maybe she was right and they were just being mean to each other…even if it seemed like they were and were not being mean to each other….
"Yeah, it's a cushy job, that's the problem. If I wanted a cushy job then I would have stayed at the Florist's. I joined this stupid thing to have something to do. I mean Mob's ok but I know for a fact that Suzuki only brought me along to be her babysitter-" said Minegishi
"Join the club. I have to protect his son sometimes and that kid…I don't even have words for that kid." Said Shimazaki. Sho was the kid that he was talking about and there were a lot of words that could apply to him. He was a good little brother. He was nice, sometimes, and he was brave. He was good at climbing and knew that names of every single animal in the world and also was a very good artist, too, so good that dad even kept his drawings and he didn't like anything at all.
"Yeah, he's a brat. You have a point there. At least Mob's good company….I don't know. I'm pretty sure that I've been demoted. I used to be an enforcer. I used to-" said Minegishi
"Enforce?" asked Shimazaki
"Yes! And now he's just using me as a babysitter…because he's a sexist asshole." Said Minegishi
"So why not just tell him that you're a guy? I mean I'm pretty sure that he can't tell what you are either way. So why not just tell him that you're a guy and then see if he reassigns you. I mean if I had a daughter I wouldn't be leaving her alone with some guy. I'm a guy, I know how we think, and if I had all the money and power Suzuki did I would not leave a guy alone with my naïve, impressionable, daughter." Said Shimazaki
"You know she's nine, right? The fact that your mind would even go there says a lot about you." Said Minegishi
"I didn't mean I'd try anything with her while she was a kid, or ever really because she scares me a little, but she'll grow up and be all 'hey, now that I know what guys are for I'm into you' and then boom! You've secured your place in the brave new world Suzuki's building for us all." said Shimazaki
"So what you're saying is that I should keep you far away from her and any other underage girls I can find." Said Minegishi
"No, I'm just saying that you should tell him that you're a guy and that he should stick you back on sucking the life out of people with plants and then using their bodies as fertilizer." Said Shimazaki. Mob knew that he was joking. He had to be joking. Minegishi wouldn't so things like that. They were ni-not mean enough to do something like that.
"I don't define myself that way and you know it. Man, woman, it's all so pointless to me and it should be to everyone else, too. Besides, I've never felt male or female in my life and I am not about to go and lie to Suzuki's face. You know how he feels about lying? Remember that guy who took all those sick days? Remember what happened to him?" asked Minegishi
"Oh yeah. I bet Hatori still hates himself for opening his big mouth about that." Said Shimazaki
"Hatori? Oh, yeah, the tech guy." Said Minegishi
"You know him. Remember we met him back when we were all in Japan together a couple years ago looking for that woman?" asked Shimazaki
"I can't imagine you were very helpful back then considering all we had to go off of was a vague physical description and threats of torture for anyone who couldn't find her." said Minegishi
"No, I was helpful. I shook people down for information." Said Shimazaki
"Did you get any?" asked Minegishi
"No but I got to shake a bunch of guys down so it was worth it even if we did all piss off the boss by being 'a bunch of worthless incompetents not even worth the air we breathed' as our great and fearless leader was fond of shouting." Said Shimazaki
"Your team got off easy. He told us to go fill our pockets with rocks and walk off into the ocean. At least that way we could have been of some use to something." Said Minegishi
"Did you do it?" asked Shimazaki
"Oh yeah, I totally filled my pockets with rocks, walked into the ocean, and turned myself into fish food. You're actually talking to the ghost of Minegishi Toshiki right now." Said Minegishi
"Well can you tell my grandma that I miss her, my childhood brail teacher that he smelled like garlic and shame, and my dad that I hope he's burning in hell right now getting it up the ass by virgin demons?" asked Shimazaki
"Alright, he message has been passed along. Also your childhood dog says that it died because you didn't love it enough." Said Minegishi. She knew that Minegishi was kidding. Nobody could see to the other side. Dad had said so. Also they must have been kidding, not lying, because lying wasn't nice and Minegishi may not have been super nice but they weren't going to lie or anything like that.
"Well then you've got the wrong dog. My dog died because I fed it too much junk food and it got diabetes." Said Shimazaki. Mob wanted to tell him that she was sorry that happened to him. She didn't like him that much at all but she didn't think that she deserved to have his dog die. She didn't know what diabetes was but she knew that nobody deserved to have their dog die. Poor Shimazaki….
"How the hell did you actually manage to give a dog diabetes? Were you feeding it chocolate or something?" asked Minegishi
"What the fuck is the matter with you? You think I'm some kind of sadist? No I didn't give Ultradog chocolate, I gave him cake and ice cream because he liked it and it made him happy. It also made him fat and diabetic….but to be fair I was like seven, I didn't know that with every bite I was slowly killing my best friend." Said Shimazaki
"And that's what made you the man you are today?" asked Minegishi
"That and the vicious beatings. Never forget the vicious beatings." Said Shimazaki
"Where would we be without our messed up childhoods?" asked Minegishi
"Not in this weird half yakuza half cult thing, that's for sure." Said Shimazaki
"Whatever, it's not so bad aside from Suzuki. We get a lot of money, we got to see he world, full dental, retirement account, a seat of power once he takes over the world, Christmas and New Year's off, pet insurance—"said Minegishi
"Those weird office parties the awakened throw every year on Suzuki's birthday. Those guys are really enjoying the cult portion of our jobs." Said Shimazaki. Mob didn't know what a cult was but she didn't know what was wrong with throwing dad a birthday party. Maybe it was wrong because he would never go to a birthday party thrown for him. He didn't like parties, he said, or anything that made him be social with other people.
"I can't stand those guys. The difference between a natural esper and an artificial one is night and day." Said Minegishi
"Just like the difference between a Suzuki and the rest of us. Those kids…I look at them and I think that I'm looking at tiny adults. It's uncanny." Said Shimazaki
"Will you stop being so freaked out? They're just kids. Mob's actually pretty cool when you get to know her…not that I'll be letting you get to know her based on certain previously made comments." Said Minegishi. She didn't know why Minegishi didn't want her to get to known Shimazaki but she, also, wasn't complaining. She would rather be all alone than hang out with Shimazaki.
"What? Are you jealous?" asked Shimazaki
"I don't get jealous, you know that. If she wants you when she's an adult or a teenager or, you know, not so very clearly a little girl then she can have you." Said Minegishi. Mob shook her head. She didn't want him. She didn't know who would want him, she really didn't, but she knew that she didn't want him. If she were a meaner person then she would have thought something like how the only girl who would love him, with the way he talked to people and acted, was his big sister. If he had one, that is. She wasn't about to go in there and ask him or anything like that.
"Oh? And if she fell in love with me?" asked Shimazaki. Mob stuck out her tongue. Ick. Her? In love with Shimazaki? She'd rather be all alone for the rest of her life. He was mean, he smelled weird, and she didn't like the way that he talked to or about people. If he thought that she would ever fall in love with him then he needed to have his head examined.
"Then you hit the jackpot." Said Minegishi
"You wouldn't care?" asked Shimazaki
"No. What do I care if someone falls in love with you? Especially if Mob falls in love with you in some hypothetical future scenario that we both know is never going to happen." Said Minegishi. Good. She didn't know what hypothetical meant but she did know that she was glad that Minegishi knew that she would never fall in love with Shimazaki for as long as she lived.
"What? Are you saying there's something wrong with me?" asked Shimazaki
"Where do I even begin?" asked Minegishi
"Cute, Toshi, very cute." Said Shimazaki
"Fine, you're perfect. You're practically perfect in every single conceivable way but you're still not so perfect that Suzuki is going to let you anywhere near his little heiress. We both know that when she gets older then he's going to build his sacred virgin of a daughter her own little tower where she can be safe from guys like you." Said Minegishi. Mob blinked. She didn't know what a sacred virgin was but she knew that she did not want to be kept in a tower. First of all she did not want to be away from Dad or Sho or Minegishi, either, and second of all she was not a princess. Only princesses got kept in towers and she did not want to be or call herself a princess. Third of all she could easily just fly out of her tower and escape so, really, the whole thing would have been a waste of time.
"You act like I'm some kind of lecherous old man." Said Shimazaki
"Well you are getting up there in years." Said Minegishi
"I'm twenty seven." Said Shimazaki
"I know. You're almost thirty. Practically ancient. Tell me, what was it like growing up during the war?" asked Minegishi
"I sold bad information to both sides in an effort to prolong the war for my amusement." Said Shimazaki
"And how'd that work out for you?" asked Minegishi
"Pretty good, though maybe I went a little too far towards the end." Said Shimazaki
"Yeah, maybe just the one step too far…but hey, we rebuilt and as a result of the constant nuclear bombardment we have these wonderful powers we're now going to take over the world with." Said Minegishi
"You really think so?" asked Shimazaki
"Think what?" asked Minegishi
"That our powers come from radiation like we're in a Godzilla movie or an anime or something." Said Shimazaki
"I don't have a fucking clue. Head to a research division and ask them, they'd probably know. All I know is that a quarter of a century ago a baby was born that could see spirits and control plants and that baby grew up to be the most overpaid babysitter in all of Japan." Said Minegishi
"Just tell him you want to strike fear in the hearts of men again. I'm sure he'd understand….as much as he's capable of understanding another human being." Said Shimazaki
"I can't. I just…I can't leave he kid. That's the thing of it. I cannot leave that kid back to the hell she's growing up in. I mean…I know what that kind of life does to a person. That's what made you and me and probably most of the upper echelon…and come to think of it the awakened must not have had the best lives either." Said Minegishi
"So stop griping and be the kid's babysitter for the rest of your life." Said Shimazaki
"Honestly we're more like friends, if you must know, and it's not so bad." Said Minegishi
"So what were you pissing and moaning about before?" asked Shimazaki
"You intruding on my solitude." Said Minegishi
"You know, if you really want me to go then I'll go." Said Shimazaki
"No, stay, I guess. I don't know." Said Minegishi
"Should I stay or should I go?" sang Shimazaki in English.
"Well if you keep on singing like that I'll be forced to kick you out." Said Minegishi
"Well then I'll have to be silent as a church mouse. You don't have to be, though, in fact I'd prefer it if you weren't." said Shimazaki
"You've got a one track mind." Said Minegishi
"Guilty. But how can I think of anything else when you're here and I'm here….and this is the only thing between us…." Said Shimazaki
"Why'd you stop?" asked Minegishi
"Because I'm fifty five percent sure that there's a kid, the kid, right outside your door." Said Shimazaki
"What do you mean 'fifty five percent sure'? I've seen you pick out espers from-" said Minegishi
"It's the same reason why I have trouble getting a lock on Suzuki sometimes. She's got a very loud aura. It's like she's right here in my face screaming every time I come here to see you." Said Shimazaki
"You're not going to continue unless I check for her, are you?" asked Minegishi
"Nope." Said Shimazaki
"Fine. But when I get back I'd better be able to see each and every one of your tattoos, Ryou." Said Minegishi
"Good. One of us should be able to." Said Shimazaki. Mob was too scared to be curious. She tried to get her feet to move. She managed to make a few quiet steps back from the door. She would have ran but even if her feet hadn't felt like she was wearing bricks for shoes she wouldn't have ran. That would have made noise and if she made that much noise then Minegishi would have certainly known that she was there and then they certainly would have been upset with her. Certainly.
They certainly seemed upset.
"What the hell do you think that you're doing?" asked Minegishi as the opened the door. Mob stood frozen, her dolls still in her hands, as Minegishi looked at her. Their aura seemed mad…but only a little. Not mad like when dad was mad at her…but then again nobody in the whole world could ever be mad like dad could be mad.
But she still felt bad about having had made Minegishi this mad.
"I-I wanted to play with you and I remember what you said about always knocking on your bedroom door and I was going to knock but then I heard you and Shimazaki talking…and also I saw your auras…and then I thought that I would wait until you guys were done because Shimazaki can be kind of mean to me sometimes and stuff…so I waited but then I decided that you guys would be talking for a while so I decided to go back home and that's where I'm going now. Ok? Bye." Said Mob. She went to turned and walk away but a plant reached over and grabbed her by the braid. Not hard, though, so this was ok.
Aside from the fact that Minegishi was mad at her.
She hated it when people were mad at her. She never wanted to make anyone mad, let alone her friend, but this was just the way that it was going to be. She was the one who had stayed and listened after all even though she knew, no matter how she tried to change her own mind she knew, that she should have just gone right back to her own house from the very beginning….
And now her friend was mad at her.
"Next time knock from the very beginning, ok? Don't just lurk behind doors. It's rude." Said Minegishi. Mob nodded.
"Ok. I won't ever lurk around behind doors again. I'm sorry." Said Mob
"Good….and don't ask me about anything you heard, either. Don't you even think about asking me about any of that until you're older because I am not answering any questions." Said Minegishi
"Sure. Not until I'm ten." Said Mob. That wasn't so bad. That just gave her so much more to look forward to on her birthday. She still felt bad about making Minegishi mad but this wasn't anywhere near as bad as when dad got mad at her. This was ok.
"Good. Now don't come back here until tomorrow. Ok? No matter what you are not stepping through that door until tomorrow. I don't care if you caught a tsuchinoko or saw a unicorn or it's raining burning ice outside. You do not bother me until tomorrow. Got it?" asked Minegishi. Mob nodded. Sure. She could do that. That was better than when dad said to go away and leave him alone. He said that a lot when he was mad but then he never said when it was ok to talk to him again. So confusing. At least Minegishi was easy to understand even if they were mad at her.
"Good. Now go home." Said Minegishi. Mob didn't need to be told twice. She was done eavesdropping and sneaking around.
And yes, it did count as sneaking around even if you didn't set out to go sneaking around.