Mob Psycho 100
Won't I get into a lot of trouble if I'm busted? Mob quietly snuck through the school, girls chatting around him.
"I actually feel bad for him."
"I mean, he was kind of just pushed into crossdressing and infiltrating a freaking school."
"I'm crossing my fingers," one student said. "Here's to him not getting caught."
He said we're meeting on the roof, but...
The door to the roof opened and Mob emerged, looking nervous. A group of girls were chatting and he called, "Um, hello. I'm from the Consultation Office. Are you the clients?"
"Huh? Who the hell are you?"
"An unfamiliar face. You a transfer student?"
One of the teachers winced at the improper grammar.
"Huh?"
"Consultation Office?" The third girl said, standing. The other girls followed suit.
"You trying to get through to us thugs?"
"Can I just say I'm sorry for everything life has put you through?"
Ritsu glared at the delinquent girls, despite there being nothing he could do.
"So annoying!"
"Like we're going to let some twerp like you lecture us!"
"No, I'm just-"
"Why don't you mind your own business?" A girl barks. "If you don't, you're going to regret it!"
"Sorry about that..." Mob said, obviously panicking.
"Man, talk about a downer. Let's go."
"Hmph!" The girls walked away, steaming.
"I- he didn't even... do anything? Like, what?"
I should have tried to go with him. Reigen glanced at Mob, who watched expressionlessly.
Mob put a hand on his chest and exhaled, probably in relief.
"Hello?" Someone called. He jumped.
"You promptly got picked on by thugs. How funny."
"Nothing about that interaction was funny, you-"
"Ritsu," Mob said, placing a hand on his arm.
Clients: Mari and Chihiro.
"We're your clients."
Later, they sat on the stairs. "Isn't that Reigen guy coming?"
"He got caught at the front gate."
"Also, you both came here dressed as girls? Seriously?"
"He didn't give us permission to come in, so we didn't have a choice..." Mob mumbled.
"I see. Sorry to make you go through all that."
"The school just refuses to take us seriously."
"I bet if they had seen the stuff we just saw, they wouldn't hesitate to call an exorcist."
"What did you tell them?"
"Student's belongings have been disappearing under mysterious circumstances," the black-haired girl explained, "and we've been hearing weird noises... Like, a poltergeist phenomenon?"
"We heard things have been spotted floating through the air, too."
"Right. Apparently a bra started floating around in the locker room."
A hovering bra appeared. "Bra...?"
One of the boys took a picture on his phone. The girl next to him slapped it out of his hands.
"We're dead sure it has to be something supernatural."
"So we picked the cheapest exorcist in the area and somehow ended up with you."
"Wait, in the area? Are there more exorcists in Salt City?"
"Huh?" Reigen said. "Oh, of course. I don't have the monopoly in this business. I am the closest to the district, however."
"Huh?"
"I can't believe a guy was trembling so much dealing with some high-school girls. You must be quite the reliable gentleman."
"Th-thank you..."
"It was sarcasm, duh!" The girl said, waving a hand. "She wasn't complimenting you!"
Reigen took a deep breath and forced himself to not get pissed at these little nOPE NOPE DEEP BREATHS ARATAKA. DEEEEEEP BREATHS.
"Are you sure we can trust you?"
"I have my doubts."
"You seem unreliable."
"Hey! That's rude!"
"What the hell? He just took this?"
Ritsu's hands balled into fists, practically trembling with rage. The apple he was saving floated into the air and Mob hurriedly grabbed it.
Mob stared at the ground, looking crestfallen.
"There was no need for that."
"Poor kid," a teacher remarked.
"What's wrong?"
"UH, YOU JUST SHIT-TALKED HIM INTO THE GROUND, YOU-"
"Who in the hell has the audacity to say 'what's wrong' after THAT-"
"I-It's okay..." Mob looked nervous again. "I just have to perform an exorcism."
"Are you kidding, man? You've got this in the bag!"
"Hell yeah! You're a badass!"
"Show 'em what you can do!"
Mob blushed, feeling very warm all of a sudden.
They walked down the hall. "If you're feeling anything spiritual, let us know."
"...Right."
"Well?" The ginger asked. "Do you sense anything?"
"Just slightly..." he said, turning to them.
I wonder if he's being serious...
Mob felt something, starting.
"Here we go."
Suddenly looking more serious, he said, "It's here. Nearby."
They looked nervous. "Huh? Really?"
People leaned forward, waiting for these girls to eat their damn words.
In the bathroom, someone screamed. "Someone help!"
All three of them turned toward it, the girls looking thoroughly shaken.
The black-haired girl slammed the door open. "What's wrong?"
"Something was here..." the girl on the floor whimpered, pointing. "Someone was looking in from the top of the door..."
Shudders passed through the watchers. Someone rubbed their arms.
The two girls looked around. "The windows are locked. And no one's gone through the exit."
Mob looked around, as well, and said, "I'm going to follow the spirit."
He didn't look nervous anymore.
A smile flitted across Reigen's face. An attitude change.
"Heck yeah, he's realized he's gonna OWN this pervert spirit."
They walked outside. "Nothing so far?"
To the pool. "We can trust you, right?"
"Right."
To the gym. "You still can't find it?"
Mob stopped.
"The spirit's angry."
"Oh boy."
"This should go swimmingly."
"Huh?"
"If we keep pursuing it, it might try to do something."
"Eek! What are we going to do?"
"The basketball team is practicing inside!"
"No one got hurt, I hope?"
"Hm?" Reigen said, looking back at the line of teachers. "Oh." He looked at Mob.
"No, Shishou, nobody was hurt."
"Oh, good."
"I'm going to end this," Mob said, raising a hand that flickered with lightning.
Some people actually clapped. "Here we go."
"Wreck the ghost, man!"
The gym glowed. "I've trapped the spirit."
Mob opened the doors slowly. The girls inside are indeed playing basketball. One girl made a shot.
Mob's eyes sharpened slightly.
"Found you."
People leaned forward, watching with bated breath.
"C'mon, c'mon...!"
The ball stopped right before going into the basket.
"Huh?"
The screen went dark before a hand formed around the ball.
"Ah!" One of the girls flinched back.
"It's huge! What is it? A ghost?"
"Right on the dot," a girl remarked.
The gargantuan spirit looms over the girls.
"This will never not be creepy."
Girls scream.
"Psychic brat..." he said, turning toward Mob. "How dare you trap me? Are you trying to ruin my paradise?"
He pinched the basketball and it popped. The screams came again.
Several people flinched at the loud noise. Someone yelped.
Evil Spirit: Scent-Ghoul
"Is there any more of a perverted name then Scent-Ghoul?"
"I highly doubt it."
"This is what you get!"
Mob looked wholly unfazed with this entire situation.
"DO YOU EVEN HAVE EMOTIONS? WHA-"
Mob flinched at the shouting, although it was probably more from the word choice.
You must not have emotions, brat.
His eyes shaded and the people sitting at his sides seemed to notice. Ritsu glared toward the commentator while Reigen rested a hand on Mob's back for a few seconds.
"Hey! What the hell?!"
"That's not cool."
"Just because he's not a wimp like you-"
Tsubomi felt a prick of anger, like getting poked with a needle. Mob doesn't smile anymore. The thought clouded her mind. He was always happy when we were kids...
Or was that just when he was with me?
The ghost swung a fist toward Mob, who casually held up a hand, stopping it with zero effort. The girls cowered behind him, shrieking.
"How can you hide behind someone who's shorter then my little sister?"
Ritsu's burning gaze moved to the boy who had made the remark, who jumped and hurriedly said, "N-no offense, of course!"
Mob put a hand on Ritsu's arm and said, "None taken."
Quieter, he said, "Ritsu..."
Ritsu frowned. "Sorry, Nii-san."
"It's alright, just try not to scare them."
He nodded and turned back to the screen.
With the block, he sent out energy, blowing off its arm. The girls on the ground stared in awe.
The ghost sweated. Crap. I underestimated the psychic. If I don't take a hostage, he'll erase me!
"He'll erase you anyway, you little-"
"I don't think little is the correct word."
He turned to the basketball players, who screamed.
"I choose you!" He shouted.
"Pikachu! I choose-!"
"Shh! You'll get the author sued!"
"What?"
"Stop breaking the fourth wall, please," Kei called.
"Look out!" Mob moved in front of her, creating a shield. She rocked back, blushing.
"Question- does that count as a lesbian awakening if she thinks he's a girl?" Someone thought out loud.
"..."
"Oh my god, you're rIGHT."
"Does that count? DOES THAT COUNT?"
Mob brought his hand forward and slashed at the spirit hundreds of times in quick succession. The ghost's glasses shattered and Mob put his hand down as the beast explodes into bits. Chunks fly fast him, but he looks back, calm.
"Smoother then... uh... I can't think of anything, shoot."
"So cool!" Someone squealed.
The seal around the gym faded.
Mob turned. "It's over."
He's quickly surrounded by a circle of girls.
"Of course he gets girls."
"But the think he's a girl, so..."
"How did you do that?"
"Wow."
"So cool!"
Mob sweated, blushing.
"Listen to them cheer. Good for you."
"Thanks. Looks like you were pretty reliable after all."
"UH, YEAH HE WERE, YOU LITTLE-"
"Calm, Aiko, calm..."
"Damn it..." a voice whispered. Mob turned, still slightly flushed.
The last of the spirit hovered in a dark blob. It looked like a smudge of dark paint.
"How could I be defeated by a loser like you? And here I thought I'd finally found happiness."
"At least he's not a pervert!" Someone sniped, face red.
Mob stared at it, expressionless.
"You seem to be similar to me."
"Similar?"
"They way you get nervous around girls... you're playing the loser role in life just like me, aren't you?"
He looked slightly suprised.
He's not wrong, Reigen thought. Or, at least, he wasn't wrong then.
Mob opened his mouth to speak, but the ghost continued. "I... finally started to have fun after I died. I was content. But I guess it's all over now."
As the spirit faded, it managed to croak one final sentence.
"Hey, are you living every day to the fullest?"
Oh.
Oh.
God, that explained it. He'd been deep in thought about that subject, but the ghost's last sentence must have struck home. Reigen could see it in the way Mob's eyes widened on the screen.
The scene changed to him sitting in the bathtub, staring at his reflection with his knees pulled to his chest, silent.
He's obviously putting a lot of thought into it.
Ritsu rubbed his forehead, groaning a little. He should have been able to help- anything to make his brother feel better. He sat back, feeling useless.
Teru felt invasive. He rubbed his arms. This really wasn't any of his business, anyway. He was probably going to appear, but how long until then?
Suddenly he froze.
He had choked Mob.
He had choked Mob.
Oh god, Ritsu was going to murder him.
Teru shivered, sweating, taking a moment to kiss his ass goodbye, because when that happened he was undeniably screwed.
The scene changed again. Mob sat at the table, a glass of milk in his hand.
"What's wrong?" Ritsu asked, walking by him holding a towel. "You seem out of it. Is something troubling you?"
"Huh? No, I'm fine," Mob reassured him.
"All right, then..." He said, walking away.
Mob watched him go, then looked down.
"Mob! You came!" Shouted Inukawa, back in the Telepathy Club room.
"That's what she said."
"I can confirm that is indeed what she said."
"Both of you shut up."
"We believed in you, Kageyama-kun!" Tome said, practically shoving the admission form in his face. "Now hurry up and sign this club admission form."
"Wow, desperate much?"
"Didn't even bother saying please-"
Behind Mob, the door opened.
"You're already here?" Tome said, sounding disgusted as the student council president stepped into the room.
"That was awfully quick."
"Well, I had to show this room to them," he said, pointing out the muscled students behind him. Menacing floated around them.
"IsthataJoJo-"
"I swear to god, Yuto, you say 'is that a JoJo reference' again I will end your free trial of living."
"This will be the club room for the newly formed Body Improvement Club."
"What? Hold on a sec!" Tome shouted, sweating.
For some reason, mist is swirling around her feet.
"Is there, like, a fog machine in there or-"
"Yeah, like where? Did that come from...?"
"The Telepathy Club won't be abolished! Kageyama-kun here is just about to join!"
"What? Are you insane?"
"HEY!"
Reigen rubbed his eyes. He really didn't care about this.
Huffing, he focused on the screen.
What he did care about was Mob, so he was just going to watch anyway.
"What grade are you in?"
"I'm a second-year."
"Do you have any experience with other clubs?"
"No."
"Do you have any close friends in the Telepathy Club?"
"I have an acquaintance."
"Do you go to cram school?"
"No."
"Do you study?"
"Not really."
"Do you have any hobbies?"
"Um..."
"Don't you have anything you want to do?"
"Huh?"
"No need to drill the guy."
"rESpEcT thE dRiP kArEN."
Tokugawa pointed at him, the Body Improvement Club looming over him. "If you let them goad you into joining despite having no interest at all, what exactly will you gain from it?"
"Well, I want to live every day to the fullest."
He really did take the spirit's words to heart. Reigen smiled. Good for you, Mob.
"And will wasting your time after school with cola, snacks, and video games help you do that?
"If you want to join of your own free will, I won't stop you. However, you should really reconsider this."
The kid is smart. He realizes that Mob is being badgered into joining a club he has no real drive to join. Resting his cheek on his hand, Reigen watched the President with sharper eyes.
"What is is you really want to do?"
Mob was shown with a pure white background. What I want to do... he thought, sweating.
Do I have anything I want to do?
Does everyone else have something?
Pieces snapped into place. Oh.
Mob's panic is obvious. His eyes are wide and full of the most confusion that two black dots could convey. Blue swirls curl around inside his silhouette.
Something enjoyable? Something I'm envious of?
The teachers focused on the screen.
His distorted, blue-curled body looked out over a line of students. The members of the clubs, the president.
What are they enjoying? Clubs, hobbies, and studying?
Ritsu and Reigen closed the circle.
A concerned frown flitted across Reigen's face.
You don't have to like what they like. Don't I tell you to be yourself? To be a good person?
Don't struggle with these things, Mob. Just be yourself.
That's good enough.
Mob's figure grew more distorted. He looked as disoriented as he probably was.
Hanging out with girls might be fun...
Then, suddenly, he snapped back into focus, eyes widening.
I did have a dream!
I wanted to confess my feelings to my first love, Tsubomi-chan, and hold hands while walking home together.
Mob shrunk in his seat, screaming internally.
In a flashback, a frog swam through the air.
"Look, Tsubomi-chan."
Tsubomi leaned forward in her seat.
Mob, as a boy, pointed up at a frog, making it float. Tsubomi stood next to him.
"When you make frogs float, they start swimming!"
"Aw, this is really cute!
"Dude, I miss being a kid."
"Wow, how cute!" Tsubomi said, clasping her hands together. Mob smiled, cheeks flushed.
Mob turned to her. "I can make the bar all squishy!"
"This... this is quality content."
The bar wiggled like a very energetic worm.
"You're amazing, Mob-kun."
A dog floated through the air.
"I'm only showing you, Tsubomi-chan!"
Tsubomi stared, unimpressed. "I'm bored of that."
"BRUH."
Tsubomi's friend elbowed her. "Tsubomi-chan!"
Mob's face dropped. "Huh?"
He bowed his head slightly, looking dejected.
Reigen's eyebrows shot into his hairline.
"Oh my god, he looks so sad."
"Why would you say that?"
A relay race was displayed on the screen. "The red team is fast!"
Mob ran, but eventually lost.
"You're so fast, Akira-kun!" Tsubomi admired the winning boy while Mob panted on all fours, looking exhausted.
"Psychic powers? NAH. To catch my fancy, you have to run."
Ritsu barely avoided glaring at Tsubomi. Nii-san likes her, Nii-san likes her, Nii-san likes her...
That's right. If I can change anything by joining a club...
"I'll join!"
The Telepathy Club celebrated, offering the admission form, when Mob bowed and said, "Thank you for having me, Body Improvement Club!"
"..."
"Honesty, I shouldn't be surprised."
"Wow. But, like, talk about a plot twist."
"Agreed."
"Huh? You want to join us?"
The Telepathy Club members fell over, the form dropping out of Tome's hands.
"Huh?"
"Good to have you!" Chorused the Body Improvement Club, looking extremely enthusiastic.
"Thank you!"
Progress Towards Mob's Explosion: 40%
His admission form, joining the Body Improvement Club, was shown.