Maybe there was something to be said about this current generation and their dependence on their mobile phones. Mob and Reigen had both been subject to enough lectures by their respective mothers on subject of proper mobile phone usage, or, why this next generation was going to the dogs.
Not that Mob or Reigen were much inclined to agree with that assessment.
Reigen's nose was buried in her phone for legitimate work reasons. Yes, legitimate work reasons named Taro, a client who had come through a day or so ago. Reigen didn't usually date clients, or so she told herself, but when he walked out that door he ceased to be a client and instead became yet another tall, dark, and handsome stranger on the streets. Well, not entirely a stranger. He liked ramen, she liked ramen, so the logical thing to do was to get ramen and Reigen did not get ramen with complete and total strangers.
Hence the excessive amount of texting.
Besides, it was just about closing time anyway and Mob was off in her own little phone world too.
Mob's nose was buried in her phone for reasons that had absolutely nothing at all to do with work. Her reason was named Teruki, or Teru as he liked to be called. Not Hanazawa, he said that after defeating Claw plus the whole beating him up, shaving his head, ripping off his clothes, and destroying his school thing they were much too familiar for family names.
Not that Mob had intended to do those things. Well she had wanted to save Ritsu from Claw and all of that but she never intended to do the part that happened before. Losing control of her powers was bad enough but she had hurt another person with them. Not only had she beat him up and tossed him into the stratosphere but she had also shaved his head and ripped off all his clothes.
In self-defense.
That was the important part.
He said that after all of that they were very familiar. Then they exchanged phone numbers, in case anything ever happened he had said, and then he started texting her. A lot. She liked it. That was why she was texting him right now instead of doing actual work. It was ok, though, because Master Reigen would tell her if there was anything that needed doing. They were being chill, she had said, because of the whole Claw thing.
Something which Mob had no problem with whatsoever.
Besides, Master Reigen was on her phone, too, so it was ok. She was smiling a lot, even laughing a little. Mob knew that she had been looking for too long because Master Reigen met her eyes. She looked back down at her phone. She shouldn't snoop like that. She was just curious about what Master Reigen was so happy about.
Her phone vibrated. Mob smiled, Teru again. Well who else could it be? Well except for Tome, she texted sometimes. Mezato too, but not as often. Rei more frequently, she was nice. Ok, it could have been people other than Teru but she was very happy that it was Teru. Not to discount her other friends or anything.
"What's got you so happy over there?" asked Reigen. Mob was smiling, something rare-ish for her. Not that she ever gave a big ear to ear grin or anything, just her usual little smile.
"I got a message." Said Mob. She could feel herself smiling. Teru wanted to see her after work. She said maybe. Sometimes, a lot of times, she got first dinner with Master Reigen after work. First dinner was the dinner she had with Master Reigen, second dinner was the dinner she had with her family.
"Good news?" asked Reigen. She knew that look, well the Mob version of it anyways. The little smile, the slight blush, the way she was holding onto her phone for dear life. So cute, but so soon. Mob was only…yeah fourteen was, if anything, a little late for all of this to start.
Her little Mob was growing up.
Maybe she'd swing by the hundred yen store and pick her up a new doll. Just because.
"Not really news, just…" said Mob. She crossed her ankles. Her hair started to float up. She wanted to say something but she also didn't. She maybe may have…liked…Teru a little bit. But that was dumb. She had liked boys before but they never liked her back. She was too weird.
"Mob, you are too adorable right now." Said Reigen. Poor Mob, to be young and to taste love's bitter embrace. Her own phone vibrated. To be old and to taste love's lukewarm embrace. Well, not love…and not old! What was she thinking? She wasn't even thirty yet.
"Thank you, Master." Said mob. Now Master Reigen was smiling down at her phone again.
"Do you have good news?" asked Mob
"Me? No, just…a guy. That's all." Said Reigen. Mob blinked. A guy? A boy? Master was testing a boy, too? She had known Master Reigen since she was eleven and she never had a boyfriend in all that time. Master Reigen said that she just hadn't met the right person yet, when Mob asked. Ritsu said it was because she was sloppy and obnoxious and a con. None of those things were true so Mob was going to go with what Master Reigen had said.
"Is he your boyfriend?" asked Mob. Reigen just about tipped over in her chair.
"I wouldn't go that far, Mob, I haven't even been out with the guy yet." Said Reigen
"Do you like him?" asked Mob
"I like him enough." Said Reigen
"What does that mean?" asked Mob
"I like him enough to have dinner with him. By the way, I'm having dinner with someone tonight so have your parents feed me." Said Mob
"They will. I have dinner with them almost every night." Said Mob
"But we get dinner almost every night." Said Reigen
"I know, that's first dinner." Said Mob
"First dinner?" asked Reigen
"Yes. I have first dinner with you and then second dinner with my family." Said Mob.
"Mob that's….well you are a growing girl." Said Reigen. She was about to tell Mob something to the effect of 'that's how you get fat' but Mob did not need those kinds of issues cluttering up her head. She had enough to worry about without Reigen getting her worried about the things that plagued her mind when she herself was fourteen.
"I know. I grew three centimeters this year." Said Mob
"Three? That's pretty good. Maybe by next year you'll be as tall as a regular middle schooler. I'm kidding, by the way." said Reigen
"I know. You would never actually be mean to me, Master." Said Mob
"You're right, I never would." Said Reigen. Mob's phone and hers vibrated at once. They both looked down at once, picked up their phones at once, and began typing at once. It would have been really cool if someone had been recording it.
Mob told Teru that they could definitely hang out after work. As friends, but she didn't say that part. Maybe she was…hopeful…but of course Teru wouldn't like her back. She was Mob. She wasn't pretty or cool or anything. She looked over at Master Reigen, if someone even as cool as Master Reigen took this long to find someone then what hope was there for Mob?
"What's eating you, Mob?" asked Reigen. She knew when something was bothering Mob. The energy around her changed, and Reigen could actually see that energy, now, if she focused. A side effect of the whole 'Mob sharing her powers' thing.
"Nothing just…." Said Mob
"Just…?" asked Reigen
"How do you know…I mean, that you like someone and that they like you back? I mean, that they even could like you back?" asked Mob digging her shoe onto the floor. Reigen sighed and leaned back, putting her feet up on the table. Time for some of her patented 'Reigen Arataki' life advice.
"Does this somebody have a name?" asked Reigen. Her phone vibrated again and for a moment she wanted to reach for it but Mob needed her. She was at that age, and it was an awful age, so she needed someone to guide her and that someone was Reigen.
"…Teru…" said Mob quietly. Reigen stifled a laugh, badly. She almost tipped over, again, but caught herself…and sight of Mob. Reigen didn't need to be able to see auras to know what that face meant.
"You don't have to make fun of me…" said Mob
"Mob, you know I'd never be mean to you. I was just remembering him, more specifically the haystack." Said Reigen
"Oh. His hair got cut in the battle. It's shorter now." Said Mob. His hair did look funny, before, but that was only because she had shaved his actual hair off. In self defense.
"Hopefully he can fit through a standard sized doorway now." Said Reigen shaking her head.
"I'll ask him when I see him." said Mob
"You're seeing him?" asked Reigen. Mob blushed and nodded.
"Yes. After work. He wants to hang out." Said Mob
"And you want to know if he means hang out as friends or hang on as in he's asking you out on a date." Said Reigen. Mob blinked.
"How did you know?" asked Mob
"I've been around the block a few times, Mob, believe me I have. I remember being your age and let me tell you, guys haven't changed one bit. I bet you he's wondering the same thing right now. 'Does she want to go out with me as a friend or does she want to go OUT with me?' or something like that." Said Reigen. Mob nodded. Master Reigen knew everything. Maybe she would even know…not that Mob was too hopeful. But maybe Teru was asking himself the same thing…maybe he wanted her to…
But that was crazy.
"So the question here is 'Mob, what do you want?'" asked Reigen
"I want…I don't know. I mean…I want him to like me but…boys don't like me. I'm weird. I can't get a clue and I'm not popular or pretty or anything." Said Mob. Reigen swung her legs over the table and walked over to Mob. She felt something that reminded her far too much of her stocking ripping. Great.
"Master, you ripped you stocking." Said Mob
"I know, now get up." Said Reigen. Mob paused for a minute before standing up.
"Good. Now follow me." Said Reigen. She led Mob to the bathroom. Mob hesitated before following her in. Reigen clicked on the light and then stood Mob in front of the mirror.
"You're pretty, Mob. Don't ever say that you aren't. When I was your age I always thought that I was weird and awkward and ugly and I drove myself crazy. I won't see you drive yourself crazy too, ok? See, you're pretty and, ok, sometimes you can't get a clue but you're getting much better." Said Reigen. Mob nodded.
"Do you really think so? Nobody else does. They, well they used to, make fun of me. I just…I don't want to get my hopes up…in case he doesn't like me…" said Mob
"If he doesn't like you then he doesn't like you. That's what this whole thing is about. You hang out with the guy, see if you like each other, and work from there." Said Reigen
"Is that what you're going to do?" asked Mob
"Yeah, more or less. I don't even know this guy that well but it's been a while…since I've been on a date I mean!" said Reigen. Right, Mob was way too young to even think about things like that.
"Aren't you scared that he won't like you?" asked Mob
"Me? No, not really. I might not like him, he might not like me, that's just the way it goes." Said Reigen
"….you really think he might like me?" asked Mob
"I don't see why he wouldn't. Look at you, you're adorable. Pretty. Pretty damn adorable." Said Reigen. She brushed Mob's bangs out of her eyes and tossed her braids behind her.
"…thanks…" said Mob. She didn't want to be pretty adorable, she just wanted to be pretty. Adorable was what adults always called her. Boys didn't care about adorable. Adorable was for when you were little. She was not little anymore.
"No go get 'em Mob. Tell me how it goes." Said Reigen. She led Mob over to the office door. Poor kid. She somehow still lacked confidence, even after everything that happened. Reigen knew what it was like to be Mob, Mob had lent Reigen her powers after all. Even with all of that the kid had no confidence. She was more than her powers, Reigen had taught her that, powers were just another talent after all, but it was still odd that Mob had almost zero confidence in herself.
Well that was what Reigen was for. She was there to help Mob with whatever she needed, especially in this godawful period in life. Confidence was key, that was what Mob needed. Confidence, something that Reigen had in excess. Not enough confidence to walk around in ripped stockings though.
She'd pick some up at the hundred yen store. Stockings and a doll for Mob.
Maybe Reigen wasn't totally ready for Mob to trade in her dolls for phones and boys just yet.