Work Text:
Shigeo Kageyama stood at the train station, tapping his right foot in irregular beats.
As a favor to his master Reigen, he'd gone on a trip to a town two hours away from home to perform an exorcism. Serizawa had been busy with a different job, as was Dimple. Business was booming, and while Shigeo was more focused on his studies and the muscle improvement club these days he still tried to help out from time to time. Master Reigen even paid him better now thanks to Tome's ceaseless haranguing. Ironically, he'd earned more working for the Consultation Office part-time for a few months than he ever did when he worked full-time. Dimple and his little brother never could quite forgive Master Reigen for what they saw as exploitation, but Shigeo owed his Master a priceless debt. Plus Shigeo finally learned where Master lived, and almost immediately realized that he needed the money more.
The exorcism itself was easy enough, barely taking a minute of his time. However, when Shigeo learned that the town had a winding hiking trail that lead to the top of a nearby mountain, Shigeo couldn't help himself. Ever since taking over as Vice President of the Club he'd taken an avid interest in outdoor jogging, particularly on nature trails like the one in the town. Seeing the opportunity, Mob climbed the steep mountain road and did his daily mile run. Unfortunately, the trail was more difficult than expected. Even more unfortunate, the supposedly magnificent view rewarded to those who climbed the trail had been ruined by a cloudy day. Then it got worse when the downpour started, and he was forced to take shelter beneath a resting spot whose roof seemed ready to collapse at any minute.
By the time the rain stopped and he was able to get down the mountain, it was already night time. He hurried to the station, only to find that the train had just left. Another one wouldn't arrive for half an hour. Shigeo briefly considered calling his friend Hanazawa, who had apparently bought a car recently, for help. He decided against it. He had only himself to blame for this predicament, and thus he should pay for the consequences. Besides it was the weekend anyway, and Shigeo had already finished all his homework. There was nothing else for him to do anyway, so he could afford to wait. Thinking about that made him feel less embarassed of his mistake.
When the train finally arrived, Shigeo almost tripped as he rushed through the doors. He could feel the cold air permeate through his clothes, his knees shaking. He never did quite get used to the cold, but Shigeo reckoned that he probably won't get sick from this. Even before he started working out, Shigeo had always had a robust immune system.
There was an immediate difference the moment he went inside. The trains were usually heated, and at this time of the year were on average warmer than the outside. He was going to be riding for a while, so this was the ideal for him. Even better, there were hardly any passengers, so he could actually take a seat. The train had been cramped when he took the trip to the mountain town. Now comfortable, he stretched out his legs and allowed himself to rest his eyes.
When he opened them, he saw a sight that he hadn't seen in-person in the last few months.
Tsubomi Takane had changed, but not by much. Her raven-black hair was longer now, set in a ponytail. A thin streak of hair was dyed a light shade of blue. She wore a red blazer and a long skirt, reminding Shigeo of the outfits you see female delinquents wear in the movies. Her eyes were still a cool blue, and only now did he realize that they were on him.
"I'm sorry, did I wake you up?"
Shigeo felt his heart skip a beat. Even though his feelings for her had largely subsided, it was hard to forget one's first crush.
"Oh, no, don't worry about it." Shigeo smiled. "It's good to see you, Tsubomi."
"Right back at you Shigeo." Tsubomi returned his smile. "Who'd have thought that we'd see each other again on a train, of all places?"
"It does seem unlikely, yes." Shigeo took a good look of the train compartment. Besides the two of them, the only person in their compartment was an elderly woman reading a book and a sleeping boy with a butt chin. "How was your day?"
"I visited a bakery in my mom's hometown." She said, touching a plastic bag next to her seat. "She was feeling nostalgic so I bought some of her favorite mochi. Guess I had a lot of free time now that exams are over, and all my new friends were busy. How about yours?"
"I did an exorcism job for my Master." He said.
"Huh, didn't you say you left your old job?"
"Well, I work there from time to time when they don't have anyone else."
"Employment is hard to come by nowadays, so that's great." Tsubomi tapped the tip of her chin with a finger. "I tried working part time last summer, but no one was hiring."
"Work can cut with a lot of your free time. You won't have any time to be with your friends." Shigeo spoke from experience, though the old Shigeo didn't have any friends to hang out with in the first place. "It can also be very tiring, and you might end up losing sight of what you really want to do."
"But the money makes it worth it!" Tsubomi said. "And besides, you can do a lot more with your friends if you have some spending money."
Assuming you made enough; thinking back, Shigeo would've had more savings if his Master didn't skimp on his salary. "I guess that's true. I finally have enough money to buy my own milk."
They continued their conversation, mostly talking about small things and how everyone in Salt Middle School were now. It wouldn't be long until they all graduated and went to high school, Shigeo realized. He and his friends were going to go their separate ways, once that happened. There were ways to contact each other even after they'd gone to different schools, but it wasn't the same as meeting them in person every day.
"I'm sorry." Shigeo said suddenly.
Tsubomi, who was finishing a story about a particularly strange student in her new school, tilted her head. "Whatever for?"
Shigeo bent his head down."For never knowing you."
She focused her gaze on Shigeo.
"For the longest time, I've had a crush on you and I wasn't sure why. At first I thought it was because you were cute. Then I believed it was because you treated me like anybody else, even with my psychic powers. But now I realize it's because you have something I've always lacked. Something I think I still don't have." Shigeo met Tsubomi's gaze.
"It's because you're strong." He continued. "You're confident, you don't follow the crowd, and you can make decisions all by yourself. You're someone who can handle even the toughest problems and hold your head high. Or at least, I think you are. Come to think of it, I never really knew who you really were. To me, you were someone I wanted to be with so I can be like you. But that's wrong. I tried so hard to become someone you'd like, but I can't be that person if I don't know who you really are."
"And that's why I'm sorry. It was wrong of me to put you on a pedestal like that."
It felt like hours, but Tsubomi's silence had only been a minute or two at most. She drummed her fingers on an empty plastic seat, deep in thought. The sound of her fingers tapping slowed, then stopped altogether when she stood up and approached Shigeo.
Shigeo felt his heart sink. He wasn't sure what Tsubomi was going to do, now that he'd said what he really thought of her. When they met that fateful day when he nearly destroyed the city, Shigeo hadn't said any of this, only that he wanted to go out with her and how great Tsubomi was.
Then she took her phone out, and smiled. "That's not something to be sorry about, Mob."
"...really?" Shigeo gulped. "Are you sure."
"Of course. But if you really want to make it up to me, give me your number." She showed him her phone's screen, a set of numbers on display. "We used to be friends, when we were kids. I was always sad when he drifted apart, but we're young. We've got the time to fix that."
"So...uh, ummm..." This wasn't the reply he was expecting.
"Jeez, Mob, the girl you like is asking you for your number and you freeze up?" Tsubomi giggled.
"Oh, sorry. I was well, I wasn't expecting anything like this."
Tsubomi sat down next to Shigeo. They exchanged numbers, and continued to talk. Now the conversation went to their childhood, when they used to play with each other. They would have talked longer, had Shigeo not reached his stop.
"I need to go, sorry."
"It's alright." Tsubomi tapped the screen of her phone. "Don't be a stranger, okay Mob?"
"I won't."
He watched the train leave the station, waving to Tsubomi until she was completely out of sight. He could hardly believe that she got her number.
He could hardly believe that she was her friend again.