Mob was getting the feeling that maybe this was not a good idea.
Tome had invited everyone out to go sky watching. Well everyone but Serizawa because this was also a sleepover and he was a boy so it would have been weird. Also because he was an adult. That was why Master Reigen always declined their sleepovers, too. Well she said that she got enough of them during the daytime but Mob knew that she didn't mean to be mean. She was an adult anyway and adults did adult things at night.
Like what was happening in the building across the street.
"I thought that we were going sky watching, Tome. Can't we do that at your house?" asked Rei as the wind blew her hair into her face. Mob was glad that she always wore her hair in braids, that way the wind wouldn't bother her. She put a barrier up around everyone, though, because it was really windy up there. They were on top of a building, some kind of hotel, and they had telescopes and binoculars. Tome said that they were going sky watching.
Though it was hard to see the sky past all of these tall buildings.
"Trust me, the view is much better from up here." Said Tome as she set up her telescope. Mob had flown them all up to this building. Tome said that she used to come up here a lot until they locked up the access stairwells….which meant that they weren't meant to be up there…
"Tome, isn't this trespassing?" asked Mob. She shouldn't have been so clueless. They were committing a crime and they'd get in trouble and then the police would call her mom and mom would ground her or take her phone away or something like that. Also she would have a criminal record, that would be bad, too.
"Mob, Mob, Mob, it's only trespassing if we get caught." Said Tome. That didn't make much sense to Mob. A crime was a crime, that was why it was still a crime even if nobody found out. If you could just commit crimes whenever you felt like it so long as you could hide the evidence….that would probably destroy the entire Japanese legal system.
"We aren't going to get caught, there's a very small chance of it." Said Rei, her aura visible for a moment. She had a pair of binoculars around her neck. Mob didn't think that she'd be able to see any aliens with those. Not that they had once seen any aliens on their sky watching adventures.
"….that's still a chance…" said Mob. She did not want to get in any kind of trouble. What would mom say? What would Master Reigen say? She always said that Mob just had to be a good person…and good people did not commit crimes.
"If somebody catches us up here we'll just pitch ourselves off the roof. You can catch us, right Mob?" asked Tome
"I could…I guess…but I don't want to." said Mob. It was cold and dark and she wanted to go to Tome's house and drink cocoa and watch movies and read art books which were really about boys kissing but it was drawings and not real photographs so that made it all artistic.
"You'd let us all fall to our deaths!?" asked Tome
"No, no, no! I meant that I didn't want us to have to jump off of the roof." Said Mob
"Yeah I'm not a big fan of that idea either. You know what we should do? We should go back to your house and maybe…invite-some-guys-over?" asked Rei. She said the last part really fast but Mob heard her.
"My mom says that I'm not allowed to have sleepovers with boys until I'm in university. That's why Sho's not allowed to hang out in my room when he comes over." Said Mob
"Sho hangs out in your room?" asked Rei, her eyes were kind of narrow and her voice sounded a little scary.
"To visit Ritsu, not me. They're best friends, they always hang out together. Sometimes he comes over when Ritsu isn't around and he used to hang out with me in my room but mom says no boys in my room ever. Oh, and one time he fell asleep in there so mom said that I couldn't have any sleepovers with boys until I'm in university." Said Mob
"That's all? I mean, not that I care. He can do whatever he wants, I don't care." Said Rei
"I thought you were after Mob's little brother." Said Tome
"I was but I don't think he likes me like that…or at all, really. When he came over to help me study that's all he did, study. We were all alone and all he wanted to do was help me with my math homework." Said Rei, her eyes downcast.
"Good. That's good. Ritsu isn't allowed to do…stuff." Said Mob. Nope. She did not want to hear about all the stuff that Rei wanted to do with Ritsu. Sometimes Mob thought that Rei wasn't in love or even like with Ritsu. Sometimes it seemed like all Rei wanted to do was kiss Ritsu…or Sho…or any boy, really. Mob didn't blame her, kissing seemed like it would be really nice.
Not that she would ever know.
"I didn't mean do…stuff! I just…you know what? You don't want to hear about me and your brother and I respect that." Said Rei
"Thank you for respecting that, Rei." Said Mob. She really did not want to hear about any girls liking Ritsu, especially not her friend. Ritsu was too little for girls and kissing and all the stuff that came after kissing. Much too little.
"Yeah, nobody wants to hear about how much you want Mob's little brother, and I am not having him over either. His friend maybe but not him." said Tome
"Because he's my brother?" asked Mob. She did not want to have a sleepover with her brother. She lived with Ritsu, and she loved him, but this was time with her friends….and anyway if they were inviting boys over even though they weren't allowed to she'd have invited Teru before she invited her little brother. Not that she and Teru would do anything…
So pretty much just like having a sleepover with her little brother.
"Because he's so…him. I mean you can't see it because you're his sister but beneath his cuteness there exists…him." said Tome. She said it low and dramatically. Mob didn't get. What was so bad about Ritsu? He said that he was done beating people up.
"Yes, there does…I mean there is…." Said Rei with a far off look in her eyes that Mob did not like at all.
"You guys are so weird sometimes, and this is weird, too. Tome, shouldn't that telescope be pointed towards the sky?" Said Mob
"Yeah, all we can see is that hotel." Said Rei
"You're all such children sometimes. Such sweet innocent children…." Said Tome clicking her tongue and shaking her head.
"I'm only two years younger than you." Said Rei
"And I'm only one year younger than you." Said Mob
"A year may as well be a lifetime, you two. Ah yes, I remember when I was your age. Those halcyon days…" said Tome
"What are halcyon days?" asked Rei
"Tome says halcyon days when she's going to talk about something dirty." Said Mob. She hoped that it was just manga, this time, and not weird internet videos….Mob had no idea that people could be so creative and she hadn't wanted to. Wouldn't it have been a better use of people's times to use that creativity to do something other than, well, that?
"Oh…did they publish another installment of Alpha/Beta/Omega?" asked Rei
"No! Well yes but I don't have it yet. Besides, this is a much better use of our time than spending the entre night crowded around some book. I mean, why buy an overpriced manga when real life is right there." said Tome pointing to the building across the way. The building was painted purple and made to look like a castle, complete with a draw bridge over a river. The sign said 'Purple Palace Hotel'…this whole street was hotels…
And there were a lot of couples going in and out….
Rei started laughing.
Mob wanted to pitch herself over the side of the building.
"Tome! We can't spy on people while they do…that!" said Mob. Nope. No way. Not ok. Not allowed. This was peeping and peeping was a crime, one worse than trespassing, and she would not be able to explain this to her parents and…and…and…
Rei was still laughing.
"This is serious! Seriously, this is serious, I've never brought anyone else up here. Well Inukawa, once, when we didn't have enough money for a room…but that was for a whole different reason." Said Tome. Rei was still laughing. Mob shook her head.
"Tome…I don't think that this is such a good idea. We shouldn't invade people's privacy by doing this. I mean…this is kind of a crime…and also if we get caught we could go to prison…" said Mob. If she went to prison then everyone would be so disappointed in her and mom would be mad and dad would be mad and she'd be setting a bad example for Ritsu and also Master Reigen would be mad at her and if she was in prison then she couldn't see her friends anymore and she couldn't spend time with Master Reigen anymore and then she would never, ever, ever be ok again because she loved her friends and Master and her job and she did not want to go to prison! Or see anyone naked! The only person she ever wanted to see naked was herself! Also Teru….maybe….not that anything like that would ever happen between the two of them…but she was not to hard up to kiss him that she was going to peep in windows and watch strangers kiss and do…things…things of an adult nature!
"…we won't get caught." Said Rei softly as she finished giggling. She was so red that Mob could see her blushing through her blush. Or was it rouge? What was the difference? Maybe they could all go back to Tome's house and put on makeup and watch movies and bake things and confess their deepest, darkest, secrets….anything but watching strangers have…that…adult thing…
"Rei! You too?" asked Mob. Well then she had to stay if both of her friends were staying. She had to be able to fly everyone to safety if they did decide to pitch themselves over the side of the building.
"I mean…nobody would know that we were up here…" said Rei
"We would know." Said Mob
"Mob…you're just so sweet and innocent. Ok, you stand guard, Mob." Said Tome. Mob was grateful that she didn't have to…watch…she'd rather stand there and watch out for people that would catch them all tell on them. So she did just that. She even had her back turned so that she wouldn't have any chance of seeing…anything.
She could still hear, though.
"Most of them have the curtains closed." Complained Rei
"Yeah, I guess they're worried about perverts or something. Not that we're perverts. No, we're just curious young girls in the spring of our youth." Said Tome
Mob may have been young and a girl and in the spring of her youth but she was not curious at all. No way. No way at all. She wasn't curious at all. Nope. Not at all.
"He's going to crush her into jelly…how do people get that fat?" asked Rei incredulously
"The real question is how he got someone as hot as her…though she might be a hooker." Said Tome. Mob shook her head. She did not want to know anything of what they were seeing…because that was wrong…and a crime…the worst kind of crime….because it was an invasion of privacy….and if her friends didn't need her to fly them to safety then she would have gone home and hid under her blankets until Monday happened….
"Hookers are real? I thought that…I mean, people really pay people to do…that?" asked Rei
"Oh yeah. This neighborhood is full of them. I would never, of course, because I have a boyfriend. Only total losers have to pay for it." Said Tome with a laugh. Rei giggled, too. Then they were quiet. The only sound was the wind hitting Mob's barrier. She turned slightly to the side, just slightly. She didn't want to see…anything. She was not curious. Not at all.
"Ok, you guys looked. Let's go home now. I'll get us some snacks on the way and then we can-" said Mob. Tome waved her hand dismissively.
"In a minute, Mob, we haven't even gotten to the good parts yet. I swear to God, why did everyone on tonight of all nights decide to close their curtains?" muttered Tome. Mob thought that they must have closed their curtains to keep people with telescopes and binoculars from looking in on them while they did…adult stuff…
"Maybe it's a sign that we should head back." Said Mob
"It's only been a couple minutes." Said Rei
"But what if…what if you guys see something…that you shouldn't?" said Mob
"That's the point." Said Tome
"I mean…isn't this kind of mean? I know that if I was in there with…well nobody would ever go there with me…but if I was with someone and someone else was watching us do…stuff….then I would be really embarrassed. This is kind of mean and we should just stop. We might end up seeing something that we shouldn't…or something." Said Mob. She was facing them, now, and she was determined to have them listen to her. Sometimes you had to be hard on people. She didn't want to be mean to her friends but this was just something that she had to do. They were going to get in trouble if they got caught and even if they didn't this was still a massive invasion of privacy.
"Mob, what do you think is the worst thing that we could possibly see right now?" asked Tome with her hands on her hips. Mob shrugged. She didn't know what the worst thing was but she couldn't think of anything good that could be seen by peeping in the windows of a love hotel in the middle of the evening, or maybe the end because the sun was almost all the way down, but either way if they wanted to watch people doing that so bad then they could watch an…art…movie together like they had that one time…not that Mob was jumping to relive that awkwardness…
"Reigen." Said Rei as she looked through her binoculars.
"Ok, that would be pretty bad. I mean, I like Reigen and I like Serizawa but I don't want to see the two of them getting it on." Said Tome
"That would be the worst thing, you're right Rei." Said Mob. Yes, that would be the worst thing ever to see. She did not want to ever see Master Reigen in that state of affair's…not that she did things like this. She didn't have a boyfriend, she hadn't confessed to Serizawa yet and he hadn't confessed to her, but when they did Mob knew that they would kiss and do the adult stuff that came afterwards…and she did not want to ever end up seeing that….
"No, I mean I see Reigen right now!" said Rei. She let her binoculars hit her chest as she pointed, frantically, to the love hotel across the street. Tome grabbed her telescope and began to frantically search the windows. Mob covered her eyes with her hands. She did not want to ever see that.
"Why are you still looking!?" asked Mob. She sounded like she was in pain. She was in pain. This whole thing was painful. How was she supposed to ever even be able to look at Master Reigen again knowing that she went to places like this and did…things…things of an adult nature…
"I have to see if it's really her….and it is…and that's not Serizawa…." said Tome. Mob shook her head and still covered her eyes. Well that was…worse? Somehow? She didn't know exactly what she was feeling at this moment but she knew that there was a fair amount of embarrassment mixed in there and she did not like it one bit.
"He'll be heartbroken." Gasped Rei
"They aren't going out. I asked Master Reigen and she said that he didn't need all of that right now…but we shouldn't tell him or anyone what we saw tonight…or I mean what you guys saw…" said Mob. She took her hands off of her eyes. Rei was nodding and had her back to the big, purple, love hotel. Tome was still looking through her telescope. She was turning a weird color, though, and Mob didn't know if that was good or bad. She was leaning towards bad. That was the same color that Mob turned when she was starting to get motion sick.
"…..Ok, Mob was right…when you stare into the abyss…it looks back…" said Tome softly as she back away from her telescope.
"…yeah…let's maybe go home. Mob was right…" said Rei. Mob knew that she shouldn't be as happy as she was, with her friends so clearly being deeply disturbed by what they had seen, but she was happy that she was finally being listened to.
"Yeah…let's go…AND NEVER SPEAK OF THIS AGAIN!" shouted Tome. She shouted so loudly and suddenly that Mob got, well, surprised. So surprised that she dropped her barrier suddenly. The force of the wind was, well, forceful and she quickly put it back. Too quickly, though, and much too forcefully. Forcefully enough that the building they were on shook, a little.
So there was nothing to do but fly home really fast, do normal sleepover stuff, and pretend that they had never seen/learned of what Master Reigen did on a Saturday night. It was just too weird, even for Mob who hadn't even seen anything. She had just…learned….something that she had never been aware of. Well she knew that Master Reigen was an adult and adults did that sort of thing….but she had never wanted confirmation that Master Reigen did that sort of thing. But now she had confirmation. Not as much confirmation as Rei and Tome had…but still confirmation…
But she was grateful that she didn't have confirmation that Master Reigen's hair was naturally that color…
That was certainly something to be grateful for. Yup. She didn't have to spend the rest of her life with that burned into her mind. By the time the weekend was over she thought, maybe, that things wouldn't be awkward. After all she hadn't seen anything and she could be mature when she wanted to be. Everyone, well all the adults, did that. Even her own parents….ick….did things like that. So really there was nothing to be embarrassed about and Monday would come and everything would normal. It would, it really would.
But it wouldn't.
And it wasn't.
When Monday came around Rei couldn't stop giggling, Tome couldn't stop making remarks that Mob thought had more than one meaning, and Mob couldn't even look in Master Reigen's general vicinity…and Master Reigen kept on asking why everyone was being so weird….and Mob couldn't answer….
Maybe Tuesday would be better.