This was truly the greatest day of Claw Member Sato Isamu Level Three's life.
She was coming! She was on her way! Mob! The avatar of the goddess of love, friendship, and kindness was coming to the Seventh Division! And Sato was a part of the welcome wagon! He couldn't breathe….there was not enough air in this room. This was…this was the greatest day of his life. Not only did he get to meet Mob but he also got to welcome her. That meant setting up the President's apartments for her and greeting her at the door…if he'd had anything to drink in the last six hours he would have wet himself from excitement…
But that was why his workmates were monitoring his liquid intake.
"What the hell are you still doing in here? Come on, we have to set up the kitchen and you know that's a bitch and a half!" said Claw Member Kuba Reiki Level Three. They were from the same level group and the same work detail. They had been a part of the same Awakening group too. They were friends…well all of Claw was friends….but the people who you worked with most of the time were your very best friends in the whole world. The people you saw most were the people who loved you the most because they wanted to be around you.
Well they had to be around each other…but if Kuba didn't like him then he could have just requested a different work detail…not that Sato knew why anyone would want to do anything besides this!
"I'm combing the carpet to make sure that it isn't lumpy. I wouldn't want Mob to step on a carpet lump…..no. That wouldn't do at all." said Sato from his place on the floor. He was on his hands and knees with a stiff brush making sure that the shags in the shag carpeting were all evenly distributed. Shag carpeting was the best, Mob had said once, because it kept your feet warm. She had been doing a stream of her virtual people game with Hatori, one of her closest friends, when she said that but he assumed that it applied to real life too.
She was such a good person to care if her virtual people were comfortable or not.
"Do you really think that she'll notice?" asked Kuba
"Yes! I know that she'll notice! Haven't you seen how small and delicate she is? She's like a china doll! She can't be expected to walk on an uneven carpet! What the h-word is the matter with you?!" asked Sato
"What's the matter with me? Whats the matter with you, that's the billion yen question right there." said Kuba
"There's nothing wrong with me. I'm just the only one taking this job seriously. I bet you guys didn't even arrange the soap in the bathroom the way she likes it." Said Sato
"What the….we put the soap in the bathroom. The coconut and rice milk bar soap, the strawberry kiwi body wash, and something called a blueberry burst body scrub are all under the sink like she likes them. We even got the special Zootopia body wash her brother likes and that plain white soap the President uses. It's all under the sink where it belongs-" said Kubo
"Wrong! That's wrong! Haven't you seen her beauty vlogs!? When she does her makeup routine in her bathroom the arrangement of her soap can clearly be seen. The body wash goes in the shower caddy, the sugar scrub goes on the side of the tub, and the bar soap goes in the special bar soap preserving box that she keeps on the outer rim of the tub! She does that because she's half Japanese and half American on her mother's side and her mother taught her to wash in the tub. She's said before that she's been trying to get into the Japanese habit of washing before she gets in the tub but because she's out of the country so often-" said Sato
"Yeah, no, I don't spend time thinking about ten year old kids taking baths…and neither should you. People are…well people are going to start talking about you and I don't know how in the hell I'm going to contain it." Said Kuba
"First of all she just turned twelve and second of all let people talk. All of you need to start paying more attention to Mob-" said Kuba
"Mob…the vice president…is twelve. You just said so. Do you know what people say about guys our age who are obsessed with twelve year olds? They say that they're perverts…and I'm not a pervert. I'm a money launderer, and yes I did bite that man on the train platform, and there have been times when I've walked out of Uniqlo with more pants on than I walked in with….but I'm not perving over a twelve year old girl. Come on, man, that's weird. Even for this place." Said Kuba
"Shut your f-wording mouth! I'm not like that! It's not like that…you wouldn't understand." Said Sato
"Yeah, well, what I do understand is that we have to get this apartment ready and she's going to be here soon so, yeah, stop playing with the carpet and help us with the real work already." Said Kuba as he left. There were footprints where he had stood. There, in the shag carpeting, was a trail of footprints…and that would not do. That would not do at all. Sato sighed and crawled over as best as he could. He tried to brush them out…but not the carpet was messed up where he had crawled.
He would have to start all over again.
But he believed in himself. He believed in not only his ability to do this job but also in his friends and their abilities too. Just so long as everyone believed in themselves no matter what…then they could do anything. That was something that Mob believed in. believing in yourself and your friends. She got that from the President. He said that they were going to all take over the world together because they had the audacity to say it. Once you had the audacity to say something then it was bound to happen.
That was another way of saying 'believe in yourself and you can do anything'.
Well Sato believed in himself. He held out his hand…maybe it would be faster with his powers. He focused as hard as he could…and the carpet stood up…but he was dizzy. He put his hand down and reached for the brush. He could use his powers…but not really…but that was ok. He was just an Awakened. He was happy that he could do anything at all. Happy that he had risen to level four. That meant that he got a little red in his uniform. The blue was for Mob, it was off uniform, but it was for her…so that was ok.
He never would have made it this far if not for her.
If not for Mob then he would have been dead. There had been so many times, during his awakening, that he had thought that he was dead…that he had wanted to die. There had been times that he had wanted to give up. He wanted to go home. Sure he worked a really f-wording terrible job at Family Mart and he'd lived in a six tatami room with four other people…and he'd been nothing. He hadn't even finished high school let alone university. You had to be able to sit down and do your school work, not only that but do it right, and he'd just…never been good at that. So he'd stopped going to school…stopped everything…until mom and dad threw him out of the house. He hadn't believed in himself then….but he believed in himself now.
Like Mob told him to.
That was the first thing that he had ever heard her say. He had been in the holding cell, the ones in the Awakening Lab, waiting for his next round of shocks…or maybe the water again…or the water that felt like fire…cold fire…cold fire all around him…inside of him….not being able to move…even when it was gone. The cold fire…he had only been able to think about the cold fire…and it had been so cold in the cell…and the futon had been so small. It had to be small so they could fit as many people in as possible…and the bars had to be thick and strong so nobody changed their mind and tried to escape. The guards had been watching something on their laptops…the birthday list…yes. That had been the first time he'd heard Mob's voice.
The birthday list.
She had been reading off the birthdays…and that had reminded him that he had a birthday…that he had been born and that he was alive. The cold fire was over. He was still alive and a waste of life…and he would be waste of life tomorrow and the day after and the day after…until his birthday. Until it came and…and she mentioned him. She had a whole list for the Awakened…and he was going to be one of them. She closed off her announcement with the results of the Tokyo HQ Smash Brother tournament…an Awakened had one…a level two but still….and she had said…she had said…
'Believe in yourself, and your friends, and you can do anything.'
So that was what he did. For once in his life he believed in himself. For once in his life he'd succeeded at something. For once in his life he was a part of something. Not just anything but something great. Something wonderful. Something perfect. Something that was going to change the world for the better…and it was all because of her. She was the best person that had ever existed…and she was there for him…for all of them. She had been sent down to earth to love and care for everyone in Claw…and nobody had ever loved or cared for him before…
He had to get all of this absolutely perfect for her…so she would love him even more.
"She's close! Everyone finish up! And Sato, stop daydreaming about twelve year old girls and help us out for once!" called Kuba from in the kitchen. Sato scowled even though nobody could see him.
"It's not like that!" shouted Sato. It really wasn't! He had no idea why the h-word anyone would think something like that! She was unattainable! She wasn't just the vice president, no, she was a drop of sunshine and goodness sent down to earth. Also she was twelve. People were the worst sort…that was a bad thought to have. He took it back as soon as he thought it, that people sucked, because that was not at all in line with what Mob had said. You were supposed to make friends with everyone no matter how mean or annoying or jerkish….
He had to get out of here.
"I have something to take care of! One of your finish brushing out the rug….please!" called out Sato as he left. The 'please' had come out as more of an afterthought than anything. Please and thank you were important things to say to people. You had to be polite to people all the time…especially your friends...even when your friends were kind of being jerkish…..
Not that he thought that anyone was being jerkish!
"I'm sorry, Mob!" shouted Sato as he closed the door to the presidential apartments. He could hear them talking through the door, his friends, but he paid them no mind. They weren't jerkish. They were his friends and he loved his friends. He loved everyone! He loved everyone and…and he had to get away from everyone…because now there were more thoughts in his head that he didn't want to have…thoughts like how everyone around him was a jerk and they would never understand….how….how he wasn't anything….he wasn't a part of this…the blue ribbon around his neck felt like it was choking him…
He wasn't a part of anything.
If he couldn't follow Mob's teachings then he had no place here. If he had no place here then he had to go. He had to go right now. He had to…he had to…he couldn't leave. There was still so much to be done. He had abandoned the rug…and now Mob's feet would hurt…and….and that was his fault! She would be so upset with him and she would never love him ever again and then nobody would ever love him and…and….no. That was not who she was….she loved everyone. She loved freely and unconditionally and she was just…she was perfect. She was perfect and he was imperfect….and he just…he could go back and fix the rub…but then his friends would be there and he might think that they were jerks again…and she hated it when people had thoughts like that…she had never said that word but…but he didn't want to be the person who made her hate someone…
He had to do something nice for her.
New friends! There were two new friends that were right there in the holding cells! Two new friends that she would be so happy to have on her side! And there were sides. Some Awakened wore blue and some didn't….not enough did. If she saw more people in blue, more people who were on her side, and more people who wanted to be her very good friends….she would be so happy! Well she was always happy but now she would be extra happy and if she was happy then her happiness would spread to everyone! And she might have even given them extra desserts or a movie night…or something else super fun like that….
She was always so kind to them like that.
So he had to be kind back. He felt his pockets…he had plenty of ribbons. Good. He liked to carry a bunch of them with him. People liked to snatch them off. That was just people trying to be funny. Mo said that sometimes it could seem like your friends were mean, or that they acted like crazy people, but that was ok because deep down they still loved you. He knew that his friends still loved him just as much as he loved them…even if they said terrible things and snatched his ribbons away….and didn't follow Mob's teachings….they were still his friends….and friends were the best thing that a person could have….
So why not make more friends.
The walk to the prisoner holding room wasn't that long. Not when you knew how to get around. That took time. This was kind of like a maze but it wasn't so hard once you figured it out. Sure he had spent planet of nights sleeping in corridors and then getting punished for not being in his bed at bed check back when he'd been a level four….but he knew his way around now. He had believed in himself and he learned the layout of the place.
The prisoners…no…the new friends would learn their way around too….he would teach them.
He would teach them how to get around and where the best vending machines were and what the best lunch options were, once they got to level three so they could have lunch options. Not a lot of them. Level ones, Awakened soldiers, got the best lunch. They were security right now, they protected the base, but when the day they took over the world came they would need all their strength. That was why they got the best lunch out of all the Awakened. Then the level twos and threes ate and then the level fours got what was left…and he hoped that the new friends didn't end up being level fours for very long…
Maybe they'd get put on his work detail when they reached level three!
But first they had to Awaken…and before that they had to get out of that cell…and to get out of the cell Mob had to settle what was going to happen to them. If they became friends with Mob then maybe she would take them with her. That was what happened with Hatori. He was a level two when he joined and then when he got promoted he was sent to level two floating tech support and now he was one of Mob's very best friends! Mob would definitely pick the little boy for her friend since they looked to be about the same age….but only if he showed that he was on her side like all of her very best friends were!
Sato would help them out, the man and the boy, they didn't have to worry.
"Oh God…he's back…" the man groaned. Sato didn't stop smiling. They were just tired, that was all. It was always hard to seep in any kind of cell. The beds…at least they got beds here…weren't very soft and the lights dimmed at night but never went out….and also it smelled like Lemon Time all the time because some people were lazy and just dumped the cleaning solution on the ground and walked away. That wasn't right. These cells were pretty germy, because of all the blood and people wetting themselves and throwing up from fear and stuff, and….well everyone had spent time in the cells and there was no reason to make things worse for other people….
Treat your friends like you want to be treated….Mob had said that.
"Hi! You guys are going to be so excited! Mob is-" said Sato
"You're going to let us out?" asked the boy. He had been kind of mean there, in his tone, but that was ok. He was a little guy and he must have been tired…and hungry. The breakfast trays hadn't been touched aside from the tiny cereal boxes and milk cartons…at least he was drinking the milk. He still seemed to think that his food was poisoned though…the omelets were untouched. The dinner trays that he was supposed to clear away were untouched too….of course the little guy was in a bad mood. He was hungry…
He was lucky that he got food…you didn't get food when you were Awakening….no! Don't think that way! Mob wouldn't like that!
"No, not yet anyway. Mob is here and then she'll decide what she wants to do with you. That's why I brought you guys these! Just tie these around yourself and she'll see that you want to be her friends, her very best friends, and then she might even take you back with her to become her very best friends!" said Sato. He side two ribbons under the bars, he knew better than to stick his hand in between the bars….the kid could bite even if he didn't want to eat, and the man took them. He seemed much more on board with this. He was kind of soft, he might not end up making it, but if he did Sato knew that he'd be a great friend and fellow Awakened.
"Reigen, what are you-" said the boy
"Thanks so much, we'll be sure to wear these. For your leader. Say, what's her policy on cigarette breaks? And maybe us stretching out legs a little?" asked the man
"I don't know what you two would need a break from since there's nothing to do in here…well it's kind of exhausting having nothing to do….but I can't let you out and I'm not allowed to give you a cigarette either. We had someone set themselves on fire before…so no more of that…but Mob loves to smoke. I'm sure that when she sees that you're on her side she'll share with you. Just wait, she's almost here!" said Sato
"You…were in here too?" asked the boy
"No, my cell wasn't nearly as nice as this. It was about six of us in a cell half this size…and we didn't get food either. You really should eat, you'll need your strength for later." Said Sato
"Later? What do you mean, later?" asked the boy
"Why, for when it comes time to awaken you two of course. It's going to be hard but if you believe in yourselves and each other then-" said Sato. He knew what it was like, to feel hopeless, to feel like there was nothing that you could say or do to get out of this…but that was ok. It would pass. Everything passed. Mob might even meet them and then the memory of her would carry the both of them through their awakening…and maybe they wouldn't die.
"Hey! The Division Leader says all level threes, twos, and ones have to line up! She's here!" called a voice that Sato couldn't recognize….that wouldn't do at all. He needed to learn people's names. Mob would have wanted that.
"I have to go now but remember, eat, so you have your strength. You'll need it for when it happens." Said Sato
"When what happens?! Hey! When what happens!?" shouted the boy. He should have gone back and told them exactly what happened when they awakened you. About the water and the shocks and the fire and the cold fire and the cold water and the part where sometimes you died but you didn't….but it felt like it….he should have warned the boy and the man about that, Mob would have liked it, but he had to greet Mob now. She would have liked that more…well maybe not. She always said that you had to care more about other people than yourself….but he just…
He wanted to see her!
He ran up the stairs and found his work group. He stood in line like they had rehearsed and waited. There, in the distance, he could feel her aura getting closer. He could feel it in his skin, his blood, his bones, his own aura…he could see her aura too. Blue and pink and…and so bright. So bright and pretty…bubblegum pink and cotton candy blue…and of course she would have had a pretty aura. She was a really pretty girl…
Even more so in person.
The car pulled up faster than he thought it would. She came right out. She even opened her own door. She was just…she was so pretty. He saw her foot first, her Frozen sneaker, and then her leg, her Frozen knee sock, and then her dress, Frozen blue, and then her face. She was so pretty and…and he just…he couldn't believe that he was looking at her….he was wearing blue…should he have been wearing Frozen stuff!?
No. He wouldn't have been able to get away with such a big uniform violation.
Was his uniform right? Was he clean enough? Was his ribbon straight? Was the bow big enough? Was she looking at him?! Was she…she looked at him! Her eyes met his as she stepped to the side….and one of her very best friends was there too! One of the very best friends….the very best friend of all, Minegishi Toshiki! He knew them…he knew of them. Nonbinary, twenty eight years old, hated sugar, loved black coffee, could control plants, was dating Shimazaki Ryou, and dyed their hair about once a month. That was just what he could remember….he needed to study more on the very best friends…especially the best friend of them all….not that he thought that he had any hope of ever becoming a very best friend!
It would have been nice….though….if she walked right up to him and offered to make him one of her very best friends…and then gave him a lock of her hair…or one of her bows….or something….
"Vice President Suzuki, it's always a pleasure. It's been several years since you've graced us with your presence." Said Division Leader Ishiguro. She was very upset, he could tell by her tone, but Mob…that was weird. She didn't seem to care. She just stare straight forward…she had bags under her eyes…and also she hadn't done her daily makeup routine…something was wrong. He wanted to break rank, run up to her, and ask her what had gone wrong…and what he could do to fix it!
He would have done anything for her….but she didn't even look his way…so he didn't have to do anything….
"Hello Division Leader…and Scars…and Awakened." Said Mob. It hit him right in the stomach…the heat…the entire torso! She had mentioned him…well Awakened….which was almost as good as mentioning him by name! She looked at him…well near to him….as she said that! If he had been around to move he would have straightened his bow…but he wasn't allowed to move. Not in front of the Division leader and most of the Scars…and Mob…and one of the very best friends too.
"If you'll follow me to the holding-" said Division Leader Ishiguro
"It's been a long flight, we need to lay down. Then you can show me whatever you need to show us. She's exhausted." Said Very Best Friend Minegishi. They were so…wow! They were a very best friend and…and they were acting like it and…and their hair was so purple! Plenty of black, too, because hair dye day was supposed to be last week. Mob took pictures for her Instagram and stuff…she hadn't posted in so long….but why was he wishing that she had posted something?! She was right there! He was looking right at her! He just….did not understand himself sometimes….but that was ok. He had friends and sometimes when you couldn't understand yourself friends could understand you. Mob had never said that but he got the feeling that…well that she would say something like that….
Even though she looked so tired…too tired….so tired that she wasn't going to be saying anything anytime soon.
"I must insist-" said Division Leader Ishiguro
"Later. Show me things later. Right now I need to talk to my little brother. I'm going to talk to him now…and then you can show me or Minegishi or whoever whatever you need to show them. I need…I need to talk to Sho now." Said Mob. She was such a good person! Of course she missed her brother! She was such a good and wonderful person and he was so happy to be able to stand, if even for a few minutes, in her light!
"Come on, Mob, let's go give Sho…and probably Fukuda first, a piece of our minds." Said Very Best Friend Minegishi
"No, you're even more tired than I am…and anyway your friend is right there and he's been staring at you. I'll go, you rest." Said Mob. She said that and then she started walking…..and she was going to walk right past him! He stood as still as possible. She was going to pass him by…she was going to walk right past him…she was getting closer…and….and Division Leader Ishiguro was trying to talk to her…Ishiguro was really f-wording scary…but Mob wasn't! She was getting closer and closer and he had to sit still and…
He couldn't.
He moved, just a bit, as she passed him. He could feel everyone's eyes on him now…he had messed up…but he had gotten a centimeter closer to her…close enough to smell her. She smelled just as wonderful as he'd imagined…actually she smelled like stale sweat and fruity perfume….but he had still been close enough to smell her. He knew that he would pay for it but…but he had gotten close to her and….and nothing could make this better…
Something blue on the ground.
Her bow. She was inside now…and her bow was right there. He would move again…even though he would get it even worse now. He moved his foot out, slightly, and stepped on her bow. He was standing on it now…it was uneven….the ground was uneven and…and he could deal with it. He had had bow and he had to give it back to her…or maybe…maybe he could keep it. Stealing was wrong but she had dropped it so…finders keepers? She had other bows…he was being selfish…and he was being terrible…but…he would make it up to her, somehow, as best as he could….because….well because….he…he wanted….this….
This was truly the greatest day of Claw Member Sato Isamu Level Three's life.