A/N: The truth is out there !
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Mob did not know how he got into the situation—no, really. After Tome asked him to help her contact aliens, she went on to explain further how grand of a dream she had, and Tome had a way of absorbing any atmosphere or attention in a room that was not her own and that left Mob only able to watch her. In some convoluted way or another, she got him to give out his address and agree to host her there to try and contact aliens; all within the span of one lunch hour. At least she was friendly enough that Mob did not feel like he was threatened into it.
Unfortunately, Reigen would not be there to see it. He had a client that claimed a ghost would always come out of his vents right before sunset, and he really could not put off going to the grocery for another day, so that left him with his evening mostly occupied. Mob told him about having an acquaintance over, and although Reigen was reluctant, he figured if Mob trusted said acquaintance, they would be just fine alone.
And Dimple was there, too.
Or Mob thought he would be, but he seemed to be busy elsewhere for the evening as well. That left Mob alone until Tome came, in that awkward time space right before someone was going to arrive—he had waited for Teru and Ritsu to meet him before, but the expectation was not quite the same. Mob also did not know where exactly would be the best place to contact aliens from, but he knew the office was the best place to accommodate people in, and he waited there in his window nook, watching from the window as the light washed from the sky and the stars popped from the blue veil like silver fish from the dark sea.
Tome did not knock on the door so much as… kick it. Mob hurried to greet her, and upon opening the door, he saw her arms were full with an old transistor radio and desk lamp that had seen better days. The haphazard kookiness of her hanging the radio off her elbow and clutching the saucer-like lamp with both hands really suited her personality.
"Mob-kun!"
She greeted him first. Mob invited her in, and before he could offer her tea or a snack, she kicked off her high-tops in the entry way, some way or another knowing she was supposed to go into the office and rushing there. She was nothing but activity as she buzzed about and investigated the space, all the while speaking loud enough for Mob to hear her from the doorway where he watched.
"I'm going to teach you how my grandfather contacted aliens, Mob-kun!" Tome declared, finding an electrical outlet below his window nook. "Can I use this?"
Mob nodded.
"And can you turn out the light?"
Mob flicked off the lights, and the house fell dark.
"We need to make it easier for the aliens to find us! If they decide to," she clarified. She spread apart Mob's pillows and sat the desk lamp on the nook's ledge, allowing the light to show into the sky. "Like a beacon!"
Ah.
"But one thing about my grandfather…" Tome whirled around, the radio handle creaking as it swayed. "He never found out how to get his messages off planet."
Oh.
"That's where you come in, Mob-kun!" Tome pointed skyward. "With your telepathy, you can help me project my message anywhere!"
Mob sheltered himself against the doorway. "Tome-senpai— "
"I told you, call me Tome-chan!"
"… Tome-chan," Mob tested the name on his tongue. "I don't know if I can."
"Now is not the time for doubts." Tome did not seem deterred. "Not when we are so close!"
Tome placed the radio on the table where Reigen met with clients, and her skirt fanned over her legs as she sat on her knees despite being on a chair. Although it was his house, Mob stepped forward into the oddly backlit office tentatively, and he sat down in the opposite chair as Tome clicked on the radio and messed with the dials.
"There's a certain channel," Tome explained while she worked. "Where if you—ah, there!"
The bits of music and static switched to a low humming. Tome pulled out the antenna all the way and looked to Mob with expectant eyes.
"Now it is all up to you! You can use the antenna to direct your telepathy and contact aliens!"
Was it possible to conduct psychic powers through a radio? Did psychic powers even work like radio waves? Mob didn't know. He hadn't heard Reigen or Teru mention anything similar. Although, it did appear that metal cutlery responded to psychic powers easily, and Mob figured that was similar. It was worth a try.
Mob did not know where he would grab the radio to do that, either, but the metal antenna would act as a good spoon substitute. He held the antenna between his thumb and forefinger around the base of it, right above where it would rotate. He swallowed, and hesitated, before he decided just to get on with it. He allowed a spark of his psychic powers to touch the rod.
Instead of bending, the antenna swung an inch leftward. That startled even Mob, and he let the antenna go, but Tome was vehement that he continue on, flapping her arms all over the place.
"No, no, that was something!" she insisted. "That was something!"
Mob's throat felt sore, and he swallowed again. Nevertheless, he held the antenna again upon Tome's persistence. He shot another spark into the rod.
The antenna tilted further leftward, and a sound crackled from the speakers:
"… Mrp…"
Tome's jaw dropped. It took a moment of awe before she slammed her hands on the table, nearly launching herself out of the chair.
"Did you hear that, Mob-kun? I think you got something!"
Only Mob heard the full word. Dimple appeared out of the wall from the direction of the antenna, the tip following his movements as he approached the table.
He repeated, "Mob-kun?"
"… Mrp…"
"There it is again!" Tome bounced in her seat. "They must be trying to communicate!"
Dimple eyed Tome and the radio critically. Even though it was not necessary, Dimple leaned in to whisper in Mob's ear, his eyes never leaning Tome who was practically weeping.
"Did a girl con you into trying to contact ghosts?"
"… C… Gh…"
Tome held her hands to her chest. "I can't believe this is actually happening!"
Mob shook his head. "Aliens."
"Yes!" Tome, who could not hear Dimple, agreed. "It's sure to be aliens!"
"All the same." Dimple formed arms just to shrug. "Did she promise you a date if you helped her?"
Mob shook his head again.
"You're just allowing yourself to be used, Mob-kun," Dimple sighed and held his forehead(?). "You're too kind! You shouldn't waste time using your powers for useless things."
"… Kn… U…"
Tome tossed up her hands. "Wow!"
Mob did not reply. It was not useless to Tome.
"Try moving the antenna again to see if you can get a clearer signal," Tome tapped the top of the radio. "Maybe we can get a full sentence!"
Dimple suddenly got a sly look on his face. Without warning, he slithered towards the radio, the antenna following him until he slipped into it. Mob saw Dimple move discreetly through the rod and between his fingers into the bulk of the radio, and how he moved the dial the smallest bit—enough that Tome did not notice it in the dark.
Violin music and a rich voice murmured from the radio, the quality like something that would come out of a gramophone. Tome leaned back as if in quiet horror as the long vocals in a foreign language filled the room and replaced whatever blips of noise that had interested her so. Her head drooped, and Mob felt tiny cracks hurting his heart, his fingers leaving the antenna to fall on the table.
"… Tome-chan?"
"… Do you know what this means, Mob-kun?" Tome asked, her voice thick and low. The cracks widened.
"Tome-chan— "
"This means aliens love German opera!" Tome cried, propelling herself forward in abrupt high spirits. She hoisted her upper body across the table to lean in closer to Mob.
"It must be something similar to what their language sounds like!"
Mob blinked in dull, flickering surprise. And if the front door had not opened, he may have remained like that forever with how much knowledge he had of what to do or what response to give after that. Reigen (not spacemen) saved him that distress when he came into the room, grocery bags in one arm and a pizza box in the other.
"I brought food for you and your friend!"
Reigen paused, his eyes adjusting enough to the dark to see a girl he did not recognize have a dreamy look in her eyes and her body leaned over the table to place face mere centimeters from Mob's.
"… What's going on here?"
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Ritsu held the spoon almost like he was choking it.
Surely, the bent spoon from the incident with the high schoolers had to mean something. Spoons did not just bend on their own—Ritsu knew that better than anyone. His eyes darted from the bent spoon on his desk to the one in his grasp, which did not look like it wanted to move anytime soon. Ritsu's anger flared again.
"Just bend already."
Ritsu slammed the spoon on his desk as it refused. He shoved open his door and went downstairs, but he mellowed his composure halfway there so his mother would not worry. She was fixing something in the kitchen, and she looked towards him as he descended the stairs.
"The daifuku are almost done steaming, if you want one," she told him. "Your father wanted them as a snack for work tomorrow."
Maybe a sweet would do him good.
After a daifuku and cup of green tea and a game show episode with his parents, Ritsu decided he was cooled enough to return to his room. He really should have been focusing on the schoolwork he had to do, not worrying about whether or not he had bent the spoon and broken the high schooler's hand when it could have been something that was not as surreal as he thought.
But he could not let it go.
Ritsu settled in his chair and pulled it forward. He reached to grab his school book, but was stopped by the two spoons. The one he had thrown had landed beside the other, and a very prominent curl in the handle forced it to face backwards.
Was it because he acted out in violence?
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A/N: Give Reigen a backstory? More like give Tome a backstory, amiright.
Also, happy birthday to me! :
