Part 1
It was morning when Shigeo woke up and was greeted by a pair of emerald eyes looking at him
"So you finally woke up"
His wife was laid by his side smiling, even after all those years, the sight of her still made his heart skip
"Good morning, were you watching me sleep?"
"N-not a lot, I just woke up and you seemed tired, so I just thought I should let you rest a little longer, that's all"
Tatsumaki said a bit bashful while standing to sit on the bed, she was now wearing her underwear but he could definitely tell that she wasn't wearing anything when they went to bed last night. Which means she probably dressed herself and was staring him for a while.
"For a guy who works out almost every day you surely got tired"
He smiled to himself, even after all these years of marriage and even a child together, she still retained a part of that tsundere behaviour from when they first met
"And whose fault is it?"
"Gyah!"
Tatsumaki yelped as her husband also sat on the bed and grabbed her from behind
"Mou, don't you have work today?"
She said embarassed, but happy to be cuddled
"Not today, do you wanna go somewhere?"
The green haired woman looked up and answered after kissing his cheek
"Sorry, I got a mission today, remember?"
Tatsumaki said escaping his grip and standing up. She was a high rank active member of the Esper Community, usually required to do works that most espers couldn't do even when banded together, so even if she wanted, refusing was not an option.
"Oh..."
Shigeo was a little disappointed, he knew that his wife wouldn't be happy at a normal job, she had been doing this all her life and was damn good at it, but it did made him sad when she had to go because another emergency had appeared.
"C'mon, don't give me this face!"
She said lifting his chin up
"I'll try to solve it as fast as I can so we can have some time together when I get back, okay?"
Her husband smiled and stood up
"Alright then!"
He hugged her and lifted her up, something he liked to do ever since they were dating
"H-hey, put me down! I gotta take a shower!"
"Hahahaha, sorry"
After he put her down, she strolled towards the bathroom
"I'm gonna make breakfast"
Shigeo said after getting dressed
"Thanks"
He heard his wife replying from the bathroom and made his way downstairs to the kitchen
While he was cooking, Shigeo felt a familiar presence getting close and a small green figure emerged from a nearby wall
"Hi Dimple, didn't Sensei needed you today?"
After deciding he would rather stay on earth than passing on, Dimple often ran errands with Reigen, who, everybody already knew, wasn't an esper himself.
"No, your brother is going with him this time"
Shigeo felt troubled, the spirit would often drop by when he had nothing else to do, but everytime he did it...
"Where's the midget by the way?"
This would happen, his wife and the evil spirit simply couldn't get along
"She's my wife, Dimple, please don't call her that"
"Yeah, yeah, sorry, so she's not here?"
As if answering to his question, footsteps were heard coming towards the kitchen, Tatsumaki had already put on the dress she often used on her work ever since her Hero Association days
"We need to buy more sham-"
When the green haired woman strolled in and saw the little ghost talking to her husband, her expression took an 180 turn to total despise
"What is that doing here?"
'Here we go again' - Shigeo thought to himself
"Who are you calling that?"
"I don't see any other floating booger in the kitchen besides you! Go away before you contaminate our food!"
"Who are you calling a booger, you halfling?"
"H-halfling?!"
Green aura started to envelop Tatsumaki's body as the atmosphere around her started to warp
"I'm going to erase you from this world!"
Not wanting to have a wall on their kitchen destroyed (again) Shigeo got between the two
"Calm down dear, here, have your coffee"
He handed a mug to his wife, who took it while calming her aura down
"Humph, I really don't know why you like that green little thing so much"
She said while looking behind Shigeo to glare sharply at the spirit
"Heh? What a coincidence, I thought the same thing when he married you!"
A tick appeared on Tatsumaki's forehead and the mug in her hand started to float in the air as well as the other objects in the kitchen
'This isn't good' - Shigeo thought as he used his own power to put the things back
"Calm down, let's try not to break the house today"
He said stroking her green hair
"Go sit down, I'll bring the food when it's done, alright?"
He said smiling and placing a hand over her shoulder
Tatsumaki looked at the green ghost and shrugged it off
"Hmph, fine!"
She turned back and walked over to the table, Mob gave a breath of relieve and looked at Dimple
"You have to stop doing this, one of these days she might erase you for real"
He said quietly so she wouldn't listen
"Meh, if I didn't got killed by you I won't get killed by her. Seriously, I don't know what you saw on that angry midget"
Dimple said in a barely audible voice
"I told you to not call her that, I really wish you two would get along"
Dimple snirked
"Heh, not happening"
Mob sighed, when Dimple first heard he was dating a powerful esper, the green spirit became overjoyed, maybe thinking that she would be the push Shigeo needed to finally start using his powers for himself, however, things went south pretty fast when they actually met.
Even though Mob had forgiven his former master for lying to him and Dimple for brainwashing people, his wife wasn't so kind and would often butt heads whenever they met.
"I'm being serious Dimple, you and sensei are important to me and she is..."
Mob looked with loving eyes towards the small green haired woman who was drinking coffee in the living room
"She is the woman I love"
"Shigeo..."
Dimple was always surprised to see Mob like this, to think that the dense kid who couldn't get a clue and be honest with his feelings would become this man, it actually made him feel a little proud to have witnessed it.
"Okay, I can try"
Shigeo smiled and thanked the spirit
"Actually, the Esper Community asked me to analyze a cursed weapon they found laying on a ruin, I would like if you could take a look at it and see if you can track it's source"
He asked, expecting that this would give him and his wife some time alone
"Huh? Alright, it's in your office, right?"
Shigeo noded
"Yes, thanks Dimple"
The spirit floated out of the room and Mob gave a breath of relieve. He was glad this meal wouldn't turn into a war zone
"Breakfast is ready!"
He said laying out the dishes on the table
Tatsumaki thanked and they both started eating, but Shigeo noticed there was something troubling his wife
"I'm sorry about Dimple, I didn't knew he would be coming over today"
Tatsumaki shook her head
"Don't worry, I'm not mad over it, really..."
Shigeo tilted his head, even if she said that, it still seemed like something was bothering her
"Are you worried about Tatseyo?"
Tatsumaki sighed
"J-just a bit, lately I've been feeling something weird..."
She had the power to sense if their loved ones were in the danger, that used to extend only to her sister, but after some time she became able to also feel if Tatseyo or even him were in danger
"Do you think he's in danger?"
"No, it's not that, he's our son after all!"
She said with a proud expression and then continued after blushing a little
"Also... if I thought he was in danger I would have t-told y-you..."
Shigeo almost had a nosebleed at that, even now he thought his wife was the cutest like this
"Everytime I call he seems eerie, almost as if he's hiding something, whenever I ask he just shrugs it off and says he's fine, but I'm starting to get worried..."
Mob grabbed her hand to reassure her
"I trust your instincts, but if he hasn't told us, then he probably has a reason for it"
Being raised as an esper, Tatseyo never had the life of a normal child and going to Kuoh town would be his first attempt at a normal life, even though his wife was the one that pushed them to accept it, over the suggestion of a leader in the esper community, she was still worried about him
"We raised him well, all we can do now is have some faith in our son, alright?"
"R-right"
She said while blushing, Mob again looked at the ground to supress a nosebleed.
DING DONG
""Huh?""
He and his wife inquired after hearing the doorbell sound
"Are you expecting someone?"
Shigeo asked his wife, who promptly denied
"No, do you think it's your brother?"
He shook his head
"Ritsu wouldn't come here without at least messaging me first"
Both looked at each other with the same suspicious look on their faces
""Let's chek the cameras""
They said at the same time and laughed a little at each other's answer
A few moments later they were looking at the screen to the front gate of their house, where a particular weird group of people were waiting
"Any friends of yours?"
Because of the clothes they were wearing, Shigeo thought they were his wife's friends from when she was a hero
"I've never seem these clowns in my life"
She said weirded out
"I see..."
Tatsumaki released her green aura and said nonchalantly
"Shall I crush them right now?"
Mob made a troubled face and put his hands forward
"I-I think I have a less violent idea, Dimple!"
He called out and the green spirit came down from the roof
"Hey Shigeo, what happened... huh?"
Dimple looked confused at the monitor
"Is the circus in town?"
"We don't know who these people are, could you go there to check if they are friends or foes?"
Shigeo asked and Dimple looked closer at the screen
"Heh, alright, if those guys want to stir trouble they would just end up dead anyway, better give them a chance to run"
Dimple floated out of the room and towards outside of the house
"Are you sure it's okay to send the booger to them?"
Tatsumaki asked
"I think it'll be fine, they are not espers, if Dimple runs into trouble he can just come back right away"
The couple looked at the screen for a few minutes and saw Dimple float towards the strange group that stood in front of their doorway
They didn't stir any trouble, the man that seemed to be leader spoke casually to Dimple, even going as far as bowing to the spirit, the camera didn't give any sounds, but by what both could see, none of them were giving off any signs of a menacing aura
After a while, Dimple came back, unharmed, but seemed to be very nervous
"What happened? Who are they?"
Tatsumaki asked and Dimple looked at Mob to answer
"Shigeo, those guys seem like a crazy bunch, the fact that they can see me shows that they are not normal, I was going to tell them to go away but..."
Dimple looked more nervous than before, it only made Mob feel even more at edge
"What did them said?"
Dimple gulped down and answered
"He said he wanted to talk about your son, Tatseyo"
Tatsumaki and Shigeo wided their eyes
"W-what?!"
The green haired girl exclamated and Dimple pleaded
"S-Shigeo, calm down..."
Now it was him that had his aura going all over the place, Tatsumaki wanted to do something to keep him under control but...
"Call them here, now!"
She was also enraged, there was no way she could ask her husband to hold back. Pressing a button, Shigeo opened the doors to their house and the group of five people made their way in.
"You got their interest buddy, just be ready for what's about to come"
Dimple warned them as he guided the group
They were received in the living room by an angry looking Tatsumaki and Shigeo
The leader of the group immediately bowed to them and the others followed his cue
"We are very pleased to finally meet you, Lady Tatsumaki, Kageyama-dono"
The youth spoke to them and was quickly answered
"Cut it, first of all who are you and how do you know us?"
Tatsumaki said sharply while glaring at the man with eyes that were ready to crush him at the slightest wrong move
The young man stood up
"I am very sorry, my name is Cao Cao and these are my companions, Heracles, Jeanne, Georg and Siegfried"
He said respectfully, but the answer only made the couple angrier
"Are you joking with me?" - Tatsumaki replied
"Huh? I'm sorry?"
"Oh boy, I told you to not say these stupid made up names in front of them..." - Dimple sayed with a sigh
Tatsumaki gritted her teeth
"I let you come into my house so that you can make jokes with us?!"
She immediately lifted her hand to blast them away, Cao Cao, aware of the danger that the woman presented, summoned his spear and prepared to take the hit
"Wait!"
A voice came from behind the group and when they turned around to see...
"Ugh!"
Shigeo, who hadn't said a word since the group came in, was already behind the group.
"W-when did he?"
Siegfried said, he never noticed even the slightest movement from the dark haired man
Placing his hand over Heracles's shoulder, Shigeo pushed him on one knee to the ground and a loud bang echoed through the house
"W-what is this?" - Heracles said in disbelieve
Their leader had warned them about the enormous powers of the couple they were about to talk with, but he simply couldn't believe that the man had completely immobilized half of his body simply by putting a hand over his shoulder
He could still move the other half, but something told him that if he dared to even try standing, he wouldn't make it out of this house alive
"We let you into our house because you said you knew our son, I don't care if you want to lie about your names, but stop joking and tell me what you have to say about my family before I kick you out. Our patience is wearing thin."
Shigeo and Tatsumaki's aura were flooding the entire room, the members of the Hero Faction could barely breath as the sheer pressure made them sweat cold. Aside from Cao Cao, all the other members felt so much fear that they could barely move.
"I am very sorry, we came here over the indication of one of your friends, he is an esper as well"
Cao Cao bowed deeply while putting his spear over his shoulder, he was treating the couple with utmost respect not only because he knew their history, but also out of fear for the life of himself and his companions
The couple looked at him with a sharp glance
"I believe we started things with the wrong foot, but I assure you that we have absolutely no ill intention towards you or your family"
Heracles could feel the grip on his shoulder starting to loose after Shigeo listened to Cao Cao's words, but he still didn't dared to move a muscle
"Then what do you want?"
Tatsumaki asked impatiently
"Your son saved some of my men a while ago and I never had the chance to repay him, however, now I believe that he could be in a dangerous position and we can help him now"
Shigeo and Tatsumaki exchanged stares
"Tatseyo saved you? When?"
Mob asked and the leader of the Hero Faction smiled
"A while ago a group of my men were fighting demons in Kuoh town and your son came to rescue them"
Tatsumaki's eyes wided
"K-Kuoh town?!"
She clutched her fist
"I knew there was something wrong!"
Shigeo looked over at Cao Cao and asked
"Is my son in danger?"
The leader of the Hero Faction shook his head
"In short, no, he is not, but I do believe that he's in a risky situation right now and that we could help him"
"And why should we let you help him instead of going there ourselves?"
Tatsumaki said and Cao Cao turned to her and bowed again
"It is a very complicated situation, but if you two will allow me the honor, I can explain everything to you"
Mob and Tatsumaki again looked at each other, she wanted to blast them away from their house immediately, but Shigeo shook his head and released Heracles from his grip
"Let's listen to what they have to say dear, you did said that Tatseyo was acting weird"
His wife agreed reluctanly
"Very well... but you better have a very good explanation"
Cao Cao tapped his spear against his shoulder
"Thank you very much! I promise we won't disapoint you"
The green haired woman pointed at the group
"You said you were a team? And how do you call yourselves by the way?"
The other four members answered
""""We are the Hero Faction! It's a pleasure to meet you""""
They all said respectfully, which made Tatsumaki smile a little
"Heroes, huh?"
"Very, well, I guess we gonna need more plates then"
Mob said, preparing to gather more food for his new guests
Part 2
Hero faction's hideout (Undisclosed location) - Several hours later
"The devils from Kuoh town are still alive because they are holding the town hostage?"
Tatsumaki asked to the Hero Faction leader
"Yes, I believe that after they teleported him out of that factory, they tried to intimidate Kageyama-kun into cooperating with them by using the people of Kuoh town as hostages"
Cao Cao didn't knew that Tatseyo was currently working with Liliana Caim and her peerage, he only knew that even after the encounter with Tatseyo, all the devils of Kuoh town remained alive and well, but Tatseyo himself was also safe and sound. After discarding the possibility that he became a devil and noticing the lack of any activity involving him and the devils of the town, they contacted their allies in the esper community and drew the conclusion that Tatseyo avoided any fights over the fear that the devils would use the townsfolk against him, it was also what their contact in the esper community told them
"These devils are tricky, even if Tatseyo killed all of them at once, a member of their family could still cause trouble" - Jeanne said
"Well, it's either this or your son has started working with the Devils"
Siegfried said calmly but lowered his head after hearing a loud bang on the table
"Don't even think that! My son would never align himself with an evil being!"
Cao Cao tried to calm the esper hero
"We didn't mean to offend Lady Tatsumaki, there has been no visible activity of your son being involved with underworld beings, please don't take his words seriously"
Tatsumaki shrugged it off and led her hand on her chin
"It's alright, but I still don't understand why he didn't told anyone"
"I don't think this is true, Lady Tatsumaki"
Cao Cao said pushing a file towards her
"Huh? What's this?" - She asked while grabbing it
"A request from Ayumu Yatsushiro to go to Kuoh Town"
Tatsumaki's eyes wided in surprise as she read through it
"According to our source, this request was made after Kageyama-kun moved into Kuoh... and after he fought against Rias Gremory's and Sona Sitri's peerage."
Georg said adjusting his classes
"I-I see, so you think he requested her aid instead of telling us..."
She said in a disappointed voice
"I think that's to be expected from him, after all, boys and girls at this age all want to prove they can fight by themselves"
Jeanne said in a joking voice
Tatsumaki still had a bitter expression, but shook her head
"Jeane, Cao Cao, Heracles, Georg, I'm impressed that you are all heirs of legendary heroes."
She was changing the subject as to not think about what might be going on her son's head
'Let's trust the son we raised' - she was trying to focus on what her husband had told her
"Thank you very much, the esper community has also been aiding our efforts"
Cao Cao replied
"You said that he told you where to find us?"
"Yes ma'am, but please do not be mad at him, he said it was the only way he cold atone for putting Kageyama-kun in a dangerous situation"
Tatsumaki noded with a sarcastic smile
"That stupid guy, he was the one that suggested Kuoh Academy to us in the first place, to think he would have ties with people like you..."
"So, are you willing to join us on our mission?" - Heracles asked
Tatsumaki snirked
"That goes without saying, exterminating devils, monsters and youkais is my duty, but I never thought you would be joining us... my dear husband"
She gave a smug smile at the man sitting beside her
"I was also quite surprised. By what I heard, Kageyama-san did not fought unless there was a serious threat at hand"
Cao Cao was genuinely impressed when Mob decided he would also go to the HQ after the meeting at their house, he was expecting to have Tatsumaki join them, or at least gain their support, but this exceed his expectations.
Shigeo simply noded with a serious expression
"Don't take me wrong, my desire is not the battle itself, I have no interest to test my powers or show how great humans are compared to the supernatural creatures. My only interest is to protect the others."
"Even so you seem pretty relaxed, even when your son is this kind of situation"
Tatsumaki said in a grumpy tone, to which Shigeo made a sad expression
"I don't know what is going on in that boy's head, but I trust my son and that Ayumu seems trustworthy, you know that they are not normal kids, just like us, remember?"
His wife pouted and crossed her arms
"M-maybe..."
"For the meantime, let's focus on what we can do. I believe that Cao Cao's plan might work."
She sighed
"Ah, okay, but he better be prepared to receive the scolding of a lifetime when this is over!"
She said and Shigeo gave a troubled smile before turning again to the heroes
He tapped the hologram they were looking at, it was the figure of a huge red dragon
"Biblical beings, pieces that can turn humans into devils and now even the Angels, whose existence I've never confirmed with my own eyes, are against us. This is truly a cruel world for humankind"
After hearing about the existence of Sacred Gears and the latest developments between the various factions, the esper couple couldn't help but fear for the future of this world.
"You said that if we are able to kill this "Great Red" and this "Ophis" then we can rid the world of all the evil creatures that plague it?"
Cao Cao nodded
"Yes, once they are down, it will be the proof that nothing can stand in our way, that humanity has triumphed over other existences"
Shigeo smiled
"A world without monsters and devils, is there a more beautiful one that we can strive for?"
His wife slushed over the table with an annoyed expression
"Well, it's going to be boring to have only evil spirits to exorcise"
She said looking at the green evil spirit that had come with them
"But I think I can live with that, fufufu~"
"Ugh"- Dimple strided closer to Mob
Shigeo continued without paying much attention to the spirit looking for cover
"When I was kid, I thought my powers were a curse, I wanted to get rid of them so I could live a normal life, but that is not possible, you cannot simply throw away talent you were born with. When I met my wife, I knew that our son would be powerful and that would bring trouble to him like it brought to us, I wished that he could live a normal, fulfilling life, but that was not possible either"
His wife smiled bitterly
"To be separated from my family, to be treated as an experiment and as a tool to fight monsters, that is a past I wish to forget, a time that I haven't even told my own son about. It is something I do not wish to anyone"
Shigeo took his wife's hand, he knew that all the suffering he went through was nothing compared to what had happened to her
"Sorry my dear, I think our date is going to be delayed"
The couple looked at the screen displaying the biblical monstrosity
All heroes present shivered in fear of the scary aura the couple was giving off, well, almost all of them.
Only Cao Cao was smiling without a care, knowing that with these two by his side, there would be nothing that could stop them now