Work Text:
Ring, Rrring, Rrrrrring,
Reigen’s morning smoke was interrupted by the ringing of his cellphone, it was the Kageyama landline. Shigeo had a phone now, so usually, the landline meant parents. Reigen put out his cigarette, closed the patio window and answered the phone.
“Hello?”
“Hello, Mr Reigen?”
“Yes, Mrs Kageyama? to what do I owe the pleasure?” Reigen decided that this impromptu call had no reason to interrupt his morning routine, and he shifted the phone to his shoulder and went about watering his plants.
“I wanted to ask a favour of you.”
“Certainly, what do you need?”
“Shige’s class is going on a trip, but um, the staff don’t think he should go, and they said he could come to school and work in the library but I think that wouldn’t help. He already feels singled out enough. Would he be able to go to your office during the day on Thursday and Friday next week? Saburo and I won’t be able to take the time off and-“
“Not a problem at all, but can I ask, what is his class doing? Maybe I could take him somewhere to make-up for what he’s missing.”
“Oh, No no I couldn’t ask that of you, I don’t know that Shige really wanted to go anyway.”
“It wouldn’t bother me at all, honest, I could ask him what he prefers, but it certainly wouldn’t be an issue for me to take him somewhere, he has been doing a great job in the office, he deserves it.”
“I, okay, if you’re sure, I can put him on the phone, he’s just having his breakfast now, don’t keep him too long though, he’ll need to leave for school soon.”
“Of course, I’ll be quick.”
There is some shuffling on the other line and a muffled scream of “Shige, Mr Reigen wants to talk to you.” and then Shigeo’s soft voice is on the other line.
“Hello, master? Is something wrong?”
“Oh, Hey Mob,” Reigen’s voice got much more boisterous and confident when speaking to his pupil compared to the nervous wreck he was with his parents. “I’m fine, but your mum told me that your class is going on a trip.”
“Yeah, but I’m not. So don’t worry, I won’t be missing any work.”
Reigen took in a sharp inhale, as he almost saw the point fly right over Shigeo’s head. “Ah, yes, Your mum told me, but are you okay with that? Did you want to go I mean?”
“Um, I don’t know, I wasn’t asked, the teachers didn’t think I should go.”
“But I’m asking you now, so can you think about it and tell me? If you want to go to school now and when you come after we can talk about it if you need time.”
“I guess, but I don’t know why, Why are you asking me?”
“Because if there’s something you want to do while your class is away I want to help. You’ll have a four day weekend, how often does that happen, we could take a trip?”
“Oh.” Shigeo stayed silent for a long minute Reigen let him, even though he was basically ready to leave but didn’t want to go outside until the phone call was over. “Okay I will think about it and we can talk after school.”
“Great, See you this afternoon, Bye.”
“Goodbye Master.”
After school, Shigeo walked to spirits and such to talk to his mentor. He had spent the day at school thinking about it. His class was going into the mountains for a skiing trip. Shigeo wasn’t good at sports, and likely would just get himself hurt skiing. He really didn’t want to bother his master, and couldn’t think of anything that would make him happy.
When Shigeo reached came into the office he let out a quiet hello while removing his shoes and coat.
Reigen looked up from his computer, “Oh hi there Mob, did you think about our chat this morning?” Shigeo nodded and sat at his desk “Did you want to share any of those thoughts with me.”
Shigeo paused a second, “The class is going on a ski trip. I’m not good at that sort of thing, so it’s fine that I’m not going.”
Reigen tried to keep his expression as cheery as possible, but that answer was actually very sad to him, clearly, this was less of an educational trip and more of a social trip, which made the fact that his teachers apparently didn’t want him there even worse. “How would you feel if we took a trip together?”
Shigeo stopped fiddling with his homework and looked directly at Reigen, “Where, why?”
“I don’t know, where ever you want to go, a hot spring might be nice this time of year, we could visit some shrines, just drive.”
Shigeo pauses a moment, “I like being in the car.”
Reigen smiles, he’s already opening a car rental website, “Well, we could just drive in circles, but it’d probably be nicer to drive to somewhere. Any ideas?”
“Hmm, wait, you don’t have to take me anywhere, I’ll be fine. won’t you have work?”
“No, I could use a vacation, plus, if we visit something spiritual it’ll be a business expense.”
Shigeo hummed at that and then went back to his bag. “Maybe we could stop at shrines, they’re nice, usually there are lots of animals there, and they’re very peaceful.”
Reigen looked up a map of shrines, and was immediately overwhelmed with choice, “Yeah, we could, pretty much anywhere we go would have shrines, any clue where, a specific one you’d like to see, maybe a direction?”
Shigeo nodded, “I don’t know of any shrines, I think though, north, I think I’d like to go north.”
Reigen smiled booked the car, and started looking at inns that were “north”.