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It starts with an innocent enough question. It’s one that doesn’t make Reigen stop and think all too much.
“Shishou? What makes someone bad?”
The question is innocent, really.
Without thinking much, Reigen looks at the twelve year old sitting at the desk that Reigen prepared for him. He mets the eyes of a child who has too much admiration for him, admiration that still manages to make Reigen stumble and buckle beneath the pressure.
“Well, someone who’s bad does bad things.” He says. He figures the question is born purely from curiosity, so Reigen doubts this conversation will last very long.
“Like what?”
He hums, leaning back in his chair as he puts a hand on his chin, “Like...hurting people, or stealing. That kind of stuff.”
He looks over at little Mob, seeing him knit his eyebrows in what Reigen assumes to be confusion. It makes him a little worried.
“Shishou? Am I a bad person?” Mob eventually asks and Reigen looks at him with wide eyes.
Why would Mob ever ask him something like that? Scratch that, why would Mob ever think that? What made him think that? Or...maybe a better question to ask is who .
Reigen knows that Mob’s powers are strong. Granted, he’s never really seen or met another psychic before so maybe he’s not the best judge of how strong his pupil is. But he knows Mob is powerful, that much is certainly clear.
So he can imagine there are people who are afraid of Mob’s power.
Reigen looks back to Mob, seeing the boy look nervous and uncertain. His shoulders are hunched up, and his eyes are glued to his desk. He looks...insecure, maybe even afraid of Reigen’s answer. Reigen’s known the kid for just about a year now, and he’s gotten a bit better at reading his facial expressions.
Mob’s face is just...so open right now that it throws Reigen for a loop. It’s just another reminder that Mob is a kid, and he’s vulnerable.
He wants to handle this properly.
So, Reigen gets up from his chair and casually walks over to the two chairs by the corner of the office. Mob looks up at him as he sits, and Reigen meets his eyes, “Come sit, kiddo.”
Still looking uncertain, Mob gets up and joins him. Once he sits down, Reigen mulls over what he wants to say.
How does he convince Mob that he isn’t a bad person? He knows it has to do with the kid’s powers, but he doesn’t want to just throw some words together and hope for the best. He wants to make sure that Mob understands that his powers don’t make him bad.
“What makes you think you’re a bad person, Mob?” Reigen eventually asks, making sure that he doesn’t sound accusatory or upset. He wants Mob to talk to him, not close up on him.
Mob fidgets with his hands as he looks down at his lap. “Well um...I’ve hurt people with my powers before...”
And then Reigen understands. Mob never exactly told him all of the details, but before they met, there was some sort of incident with his powers. Reigen never pushed for information, but from what it sounded like, people were hurt when Mob lost control.
He gets a better idea of how to handle this.
“For starters kiddo, I don’t think you’re a bad person at all.” Reigen starts, causing Mob to look at him with slight surprise. “Bad people don’t usually question if they’re bad. And they don’t normally feel guilty after doing something bad either.”
“But I...” Mob tried to say, but Reigen holds up a hand, stopping him.
“It was an accident, right?” Reigen asks him, voice still gentle. “Listen Mob, accidents happen. It’s completely normal.” Though, he isn’t sure if it’s considered normal to have accidents with psychic powers, but for Mob’s sake he’ll pretend like it is.
“Even with my powers..?” Mob questions, his voice small.
Reigen nods, “Accidents happen all the time, regardless of if a person has psychic powers or not. It’s not just powers that can hurt people. Words can too. Like I said, psychic powers are just another characteristic. They don’t make you a bad person just because you have them.”
Mob’s shoulders drop slightly, and he stares at Reigen, looking as hopeful as he did the first time he stepped into the office. It startles Reigen, reminds him of how much the kid looks up to him.
It also reminds him that Mob only looks up to him because he’s lying. He’s built a foundation on quick sand.
And as if he wants to put another foot in the grave, Reigen leans forward, humming with a hand on his chin, “Y’know, I think I even had a few accidents with my powers when I was your age.”
“Really?” Mob gasps, leaning forward in his seat.
“Yup.” Reigen says with a grin. The grin then disappears, and a question slips out, “Do you think that makes me a bad person?”
Mob’s answer is immediate, “No. I think you’re a good person, shishou. You help people with your powers.”
Reigen doesn’t expect for those words to affect him the way they do. He feels choked up, like he wants to cry. He bites back all of the self loathing that wants to spill, the truth about his lack of power clawing it’s way up his throat.
He doesn’t say any of it.
Instead, he fixes a grin on his face and says, “Thanks kiddo. And the same goes for you. You’re a good kid, Mob.”
Mob fully relaxes and Reigen gives him a smile. He stands up from the chair and stretches, “Now, we should—“
He blinks as he feels two arms wrap around his waist. He looks down and finds Mob there, hugging him. Reigen’s eyes widen a bit and his arms hover in the air, unsure of what to do with them. “Thank you, shishou.” Mob says, voice muffled by Reigen’s shirt.
Reigen smiles a bit, arms lowering as he relaxes. His arms find their way around Mob, hugging him back. “Of course, kiddo.” He hums, patting the kid’s head.
He makes a mental note to treat Mob to some ramen after work.