Chapter Text
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Taking a deep breath, Muraki took a step back to admire his new office. Just a few hours ago, the entire room was littered with various cardboard boxes, along with styrofoam and bubble wrap from the ones that had already been opened. It had also been largely empty with only a single desk and chair towards the back near the sole window. Before it didn't look or feel like a professional yet cozy workroom. Now? Nodding in approval, he surveyed it, admiring the kept table adorned with freshly bought notepads, pens, and other supplies necessary for important scrawlings. A smile formed as he looked over at the certificates he hung on his wall from his business management classes, and he placed his hand on the framed photograph of his friends from there. He would make them proud, he vowed. Despite Tsuchiya and Mukai warning him not to take on an apprenticeship with Reigen or to 'work with people', he ended up deciding to do so anyway. This was the way to put his talents and abilities to good use, and to help others.
And thus, Muraki's 'Spiritual Consultation and Other Esper Related Services' business was now officially open. ...He still wasn't sure about that name.
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Next came the part where he hired some help. After all, any successful business will have more than one employee to shoulder all the burden. With that in mind, he had placed an ad in the local newspaper. Within a few days, he received calls from three interested parties, and he decided to set up some interviews. Rubbing his chin, he contemplated what sort of people he would be meeting...
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Popping her bubblegum, the girl in the elaborate and overly colorful outfit, gawked at Muraki as she sat on the opposite side to his desk. "Are you for real?"
"Um, well, yes." He replied, feeling rather awkward as if he was the one being interviewed here. "I am indeed an esper."
"No way!" Curling her finger around some of her dyed blonde hair, she thought about this. "That's, like, so weird. This isn't a scam, is it?"
Muraki waved his hands frantically over the accusation. "Ah! I can assure you, this is a legitimate business venture!" Then he pointed over at the certificate on his wall. "See? I studied long and hard to make this dream a reality!"
Chewing her gum some more, she continued to appear to ponder his response. "Okay, so...what am I supposed to do here?"
"It's a simple job. I'd mostly ask my assistant to--"
A cutesy jingle began to ring throughout the room, coming from her pink cellphone with the glittery bear strap attached. "Hang on a sec, bro." Lifting a finger to quiet him down, she proceeded to answer the call. "Hello? ...Mm, hey, Yoko-chan! ...Yeah, I'm okay. Just in a job interview with some bald dude."
Self consciously, he put a hand against the top of his head.
Laughing loudly, she continued with her conversation. "...Well, I heard he was interested in going out with her."
"Excuse me?"
Winking, she put a finger against her lips to get him to stop talking to her.
This wasn't going to work out.
---
"It's a pleasure to meet you again, sir!" Bowing twice, Go tried hard to make a good impression.
His intensity was working in his favor, and Muraki was satisfied. "Likewise! Please, have a seat, Asahi-kun."
Immediately, he obeyed. "I've, uh, never done a job interview before. Just a word of warning."
"I understand. No need to worry." Muraki sat down behind his desk. "I would like to look over your resume if that's alright."
Rummaging through his school bag, Go tried to retrieve it. Several moments went by, and his searching became more frantic. "No... Come on..."
A single bead of sweat formed on the side of Muraki's head, which he quickly wiped away with a hanky. "Is there a problem?"
"Well... It looks like I might've left it at school. Or something." Sighing, Go tried to regain some composure.
Muraki wasn't upset, rather he felt bad for the teen's misfortune. "If you'd like, you could just tell me about why you believe you'd be qualified for this job."
"I can try, sure." He shuffled in his seat before speaking. "Thing is, I'm an esper myself, as you already know. I was hoping to maybe gain some experience from working with another. I remember watching you back when we were fighting against Claw, and I was really impressed with your prowess. I hope I can learn a lot from a job like this."
Taking this in, Muraki mulled it over quietly.
Due to the ongoing silence, Go decided to continue. "My powers have grown considerably in the last three years under Hanazawa's tutelage. I've also been hanging around with other espers in a group called the 'Shining Force', and we've been conducting our own thing there. But I really want to...I guess spread my wings more, as they say."
"Yes, I see." The employer uttered.
At this point, Go was unsure of whether the interview was going splendidly or crashing and burning. "I'd like to be given a chance. I'll work really hard, do whatever you ask of me. I'd really like to get something worthwhile out of the experience."
Meeting Go's determined gaze, Muraki folded his hands against the desk. "I'll be calling you with my decision soon. Please, write your telephone number down."
The corner of Go's mouth twitched, and he figured he had lost the opportunity. "Oh, uh, right. I'll give you my number." With that, he reached over to take a hold of the notepad and pen.
---
"Tell me about yourself." Muraki stated as he read over his next applicant's resume.
The teenaged girl's lips formed a line as she briefly went over what to say in her head. "My name is Minori. Minori Asagiri. I'm seventeen years old, and I'm in my second year of high school. I...get pretty good grades, I'm a part of the literature club at my school." A sigh followed when she paused. "Muraki-san, I would like to be honest, if that's okay."
Furrowing his brow, he then looked up at her. "Yes? Go on."
"I was given many options for workplaces to intern at due to my father's connections, though I decided to look for work on my own, and happened to find your ad. I would really like to learn more about the sorts of things espers have to deal with, so this seems like an ideal opportunity."
"Is there a reason for that, Asagiri-chan?"
Stroking her chin, she said, "An esper saved my life, in more ways than one. And I've always wanted to..."
Muraki could sense that this topic was taking an emotional toll on her, and he could also see it in her watering eyes. "Asagiri-chan--"
"I want to make a difference!" Minori spat, getting up from her chair. "I want to make amends, and help others as well!"
He was surprised by her blunt declaration. "I--"
"I want to understand espers, too. What they go through, how they use their powers to make the world a better place! It's just something that I've always wanted to do, and this is my chance! Please, Muraki-san! I'll give it my all!"
Staring at her, he was somewhat shocked at her outburst, notably at how full of emotion it was. "I...I understand, Asagiri-chan!"
Placing her hands behind her back, she looked away shyly. "It would mean a lot to me. I don't think I want to work anywhere else."
Tapping his fingers against the table, he knew he was going to have to make a decision soon. Who would he hire?
---
"Both of you!" Muraki exclaimed as he gestured at Minori and Go. "You're both my new hires!"
He had called them back in, finding that he didn't have the heart to say 'no' to either of them as they had been so earnest in their desire to work with him. It was probably beneficial, Muraki had figured, since the pair yearned to be there so much that they would likely be excellent assistants with equally impressive work ethic. Patting both of their shoulders, he enthusiastically bobbed his head as he attempted to introduce the teenagers to each other. Hopefully, they would get along! ...Right?
Minori frowned as she gave Go a somewhat judgmental look over. Although she had worked very hard over the years to get rid of her malice and ego issues, she still harbored an attitude towards those she didn't approve of. In her eyes, he seemed like an unreliable slacker, the type of boy who cared more about himself than others. Closing her eyes, she turned her cheek to him as she spoke. "Nice to meet you." It was obvious she didn't like him much.
Since Go wasn't a fool, he could tell that she wasn't happy about being around him for some reason. Slumping his shoulders, he stuffed his hands in his pockets, deciding not to be friendly to her in return. "Yeah, likewise, Asagiri."
There was a chill in the air, and you didn't need to be a psychic to notice.
---
Sitting upon Muraki's desk, Go fiddled with the fancy pen, mostly out of boredom. "So...what are we supposed to do now?"
Minori was on the couch, flipping through a magazine aimed toward her demographic. "We haven't done anything for a few hours. I guess it's kind of nice being paid to do nothing."
Mind scrambling to give them a task to get done, the boss tried to think of what they could do. So far, they hadn't really received any assignments, and the business was at a stand still. Without that, there just wasn't much to do except for menial chores around the office. "I guess we could have lunch early, if you're okay with that."
"Sure." Go and Minori replied in unison.
"Splendid." Muraki beamed. "Let's decide on what to eat, hm?"
"Pizza." Go almost cut his boss off with his immediate reply.
"...I'd like to go to the fancy sushi conveyor belt restaurant in the downtown district." Minori glanced at them, peeking out from behind her reading material.
Anxiously, Muraki put his two cents in. "I...I guess I was in the mood for a beef bowl myself..."
Tension hung in the air as they saw each other as competition, though Muraki did so only reluctantly (because he just really liked beef bowl meals).
Upon placing the pen back in its cup, Go folded his arms. "How do we decide?"
Flipping her hair, Minori felt she had a solution. "Let's just go to the sushi place. It's high quality, and healthier than greasy pizza."
"Well, if you stuff your face with sushi, then it's not exactly great diet fodder." Two can play this game, Go mused.
Irritated, Minori retorted, "Why do you assume I'd be stuffing my face? That's really rude of you."
"It's not like you're being polite yourself."
That stung her, making her feel like maybe she was slipping back into 'bully mode'. Biting her bottom lip, she looked away. "Sorry."
Making a face, Go wondered what her deal was. "...Sure. Whatever." Turning to the proprietor, he went on. "You're the boss, so I guess we can just do what you want."
Twiddling his thumbs, Muraki looked embarrassed. "...It wouldn't be fair if I made you two do everything I wanted! I'm not a tyrant or anything! We could, um, just go have some hamburgers. Hm? Neutral so none of us win. Or maybe we all do? Is it a win if it's something none of us want?"
The three didn't seem to know the answer to that.
---
MobDonald's was fairly busy since it was a Sunday, so it took Muraki and his two proteges a while to get their food, and a table. Once settled down, they began to dig in to their assortment of burgers, fries, and milkshakes. While taking his first bite, he once again observed the two he had hired, noting they were mostly ignoring each other. This was disappointing as he was hoping they would all get along. But what was he supposed to do? It wasn't like people always got along all the time... Even back when he was a part of Claw, there was in-fighting amongst the members that got a lot uglier than what was happening here. Then again, he didn't want to use his time there as any sort of measure of how people could be given that most of them were...flawed.
"Hey," Go's voice brought Muraki back to reality. "Have you been advertising your business, Muraki-san?"
"Oh, well," He paused to eat a handful of french fries. "I took out a single ad in the newspaper recently. I haven't done much else. Do you think I should?"
Go and Minori actually looked at one and other, incredulous. The latter stared hard at Muraki next. "Of course! You have to do way more than that!"
Sighing deeply, Muraki felt like he had messed up. Doubts about his business skills were beginning to take shape within him. "Right... Any suggestions?"
Pounding her fist into her other hand, Minori brightened considerably. "I do have a favor to ask for from a printing company my daddy's associated with. I could have them print up, oh, a thousand or so flyers for your business."
"A... A thousand?!" The man's mouth hung open.
Pulling her phone out of her purse, she began to dial the digits. "It's no problem. I'll begin the process."
"Convenient that you've got those connections." Go muttered, following up by slurping some of his shake.
A shrug was directed at Go, Minori tried to act coy. "It pays to network. What can I say?"
"It's your dad's network, but I guess it's all the same." He wasn't trying to be mean when he said that, though it might've come off that way.
Sliding out of her seat, she wandered off to the side to make the necessary calls. Muraki leaned over to whisper at Go. "Try to be more patient with her. She is your co-worker, and your senior!"
Propping his chin against his open hand, the boy looked apathetic. "She's not exactly kind either."
"I...think she's trying." Muraki remembered what she had told him during her interview. "Just give her a chance."
"If she gives me one." It seemed he was going to be stubborn about it.
Minori came back, taking her seat, and dipping one of her fries into the mayo-ketchup paper cup. "Done."
Clapping his two hands together, Muraki bowed his head. "Thank you so much, Asagiri-chan!"
"It's nothing."
Go peered over at her as he continued sipping his drink. "...Maybe we could hand some of those out at the street corner or something."
"I guess that's an idea." Leaning back in her chair, she looked up at the ceiling fan above them as it slowly turned. "We could also look into other venues, spread the word around."
As they continued to discuss options, Muraki wore a pleasant expression on his face. Perhaps things were going to work out after all.
---
A few days passed, several flyers had been printed then posted or given away. Minori had been in charge of ensuring the quality of the leaflets, particularly what she called the 'aesthetic standards' of such. Go tended to be the one to paste the mini posters around town. Both assistants stood outside the business to give them away to pedestrians. Despite managing to make use of the entire stock that had been produced, not a single customer dropped by Muraki's office. Due to the lack of clients, the two teenagers tended to spend their time doing their own thing such as homework while Muraki sulked in the corner. This just wasn't how it was supposed to go even though he had been warned about the pitfalls of starting a new business in his courses. He had been hoping that things would've picked up by this time, at least getting to help one person out. What if no one ever came? Could Tsuchiya and Mukai had been right? Their words echoed in his mind, further fueling his gloom.
"Boss?" asked Go. "You keep doing that."
"Doing what?"
"Kneeling in that same spot every day."
Crouching over while standing behind him, Minori tipped her head to the side. "Come on, enough with the pity party."
Despite feeling utterly defeated, he managed to get up, and faced the girl as she stared at him with her hands on her waist. "I'm sorry, I just..fear failure. I really wanted to make something of myself after Claw disbanded. I was told I couldn't, and--" The sound of the front door buzzing as it opened interrupted his explanation, prompting the three to turn their attention toward the entryway. An elderly woman made her way inside, walking stick helping to keep her steady. Dutifully, Muraki went over to see if she needed any help. "Ma'am, are you--"
"Is this 'Spiritual Consultation and Other Esper Related Services'?"
"Yes! Yes, it is! We're here to aid you with--"
"I'll cut straight to the point, sonny!" As she spoke, she waved the cane around. "I need the 'other'! I have an annoying varmint wreaking havoc in my house, and I want you to get rid of it!"
Gasping, Muraki felt that this was his chance. "Yes! I am on the case!"
Go nodded. "We'll handle this."
However, Minori had her suspicions about what this might entail. Though she decided not to say anything since the others seemed pretty excited about the prospect of finally getting a job.
---
"I knew it." Minori said plainly over what was in front of her.
Inside the home of the old woman, in the kitchen, there was a tiny mouse peering from the side of the juicer on the counter. Muraki and Go's faces were pale as they stared at the small rodent, which also kept its beady eyes on them. They had no idea what to do. Fighting and using their psychic powers was one thing, capturing a live animal was another. Picking up an empty food storage container and removing the lid, Muraki went over.
Mouse vs Man: Who Would Win?
Well, the 'fight' didn't take long since Muraki quickly trapped the vermin when he slammed the upside down plastic canister over it. "That should do it."
Scowling, Go remarked, "Anti-climactic."
"Is the little pest taken care of?" The elderly lady wobbled in from the adjacent room.
"I think the matter has been resolved, ma'am." Muraki carefully slid the container to the edge, then placed the cover underneath to ensure the mouse was still inside. "I suppose what's left to discuss is payment options..."
"Hmpf." Closing an eye, she glared at the associates irritably. "I may need to pay in installments. The very minimal. It's not like I have a ton of money to throw away."
"We provided you with a service!" the blond teen bellowed.
Making direct eye contact with his customer, Muraki seemed to accept her proposal. "I understand." Lifting the container, he went on, "I will need to keep this so I can dispose of the creature."
Growling, the woman turned, intending to leave the room. "Fine. I have many more."
---
Upon arriving at the treeline that separated the local park from the adjoining forest, Go and Minori watched as Muraki bent over as he gently prodded the mouse to jump out of the container. As soon as it landed on the ground, the cute critter looked at them for a moment before quickly retreating into the wild. Exhaling quite sharply, the man straightened himself up, proceeding to dust his suit off a little after. "My apologies... This first job wasn't quite what you two expected, was it?"
Smiling a little, Minori placed her hands behind her back. "Actually, it was, sir."
"It was?"
"We got to help someone out."
Raising an eyebrow, Go was thrown off guard by her sincerity. Although he had felt somewhat disappointed by the endeavor, he did appreciate the fact they did accomplish something, so he proceeded to nod in agreement. "Yeah. Not bad, right?"
With a sense of accomplishment, the man put on a grin. "We should go celebrate. Dinner's on me!"
Rubbing his hands together, Go said, "I could go for some sushi."
"I think I want pizza." Minori crossed her arms.
While Go looked daggers at her, Muraki sighed. He still wanted a beef bowl.
---
Arriving at her apartment, Hikaru Hirosawa clumsily fumbled with the keys to unlock the door while balancing two heavy bags of food she had just bought at the nearby Smile Mart. It took three particularly blundering tries before she finally got the knob to turn. Relieved that it didn't take longer than a minute this time, she used her shoulder to help push it open. Wandering in, she heard the loud slam from the door as it closed. She felt quite tired, having just spent four hours in cram school. Trudging along the narrow hallway, her legs felt heavy. Her eyes also flickered, signifying that she wanted to get right to bed. Times like these she wondered if it was worth the time she was using, and the money her parents were pouring into it. Feeling quite alone and miserable at the moment, she whimpered as she made her way into the kitchen to unpack the food she had bought. Setting one bag on the nook, she turned to put the other down near the sink. One by one, she stored the bags of potato chips in the cupboard. As she did this, she failed to notice the sharp knife being removed from the cutlery block. Humming a tune to herself, she remained oblivious to anything but the task she was attempting to complete. Slowly, the blade levitated into the air until it was positioned to strike in the direction of her throat.
Reaching out for a box of biscuit sticks, her fingers brushed against the cardboard in a way that knocked it onto the floor. Grunting in frustration, she bent down to retrieve it. Just as she did that, the knife had just begun its trajectory toward her, and ended up missing her by mere seconds. Hearing the sound of the knife pierce the wall beside her, she suddenly lifted herself up, then stared at the sight in disbelief. The sentiment soon turned to outright fear when she turned to see the other knives rise up.
"Leave." A disembodied voice warned in a soft whisper before launching the weapons in her direction, most of which landed on the floor near her feet.
Screaming as loud as she could, Hikaru ran to the door, immediately throwing it open, and proceeding to flee into the night.
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