Chapter Text
Shigeo Kageyama never needed an employee. After all– he could pour his own coffee, file his documents, write an email, and tidy his office all at the same time.
One day, he noticed that business was being slower than usual, so he took it upon himself to design and print out some flyers that he could spread across the city in an attempt to bring in some more foot traffic. And now, he looks up when he hears a dull thump at the door. He glances at the clock– ten minutes until close– and shifts back in his chair.
"Welcome to-" He starts to say, but is interrupted by another voice, much higher pitched and squeaky with prepubescent youth.
"Is this Spirits and Such?" A boy- no older than 13- declares, waving a flyer triumphantly. His hair is blond, and he's still in his middle school uniform, though the collar has been loosened for comfort. Shigeo can't feel any psychic powers from the boy.
"Yes. How can I help you?" Shigeo asks, adjusting himself in his seat so he can fold his hands in his lap politely.
The boy waves one hand dramatically. "I am Reigen Arataka! Future greatest psychic of the 21st century! And I would like to train under you, mister...?"
"Kageyama," Shigeo supplies, and Reigen nods enthusiastically.
He waves the flyer excitedly, bouncing a little on his heels. "Kageyama. Right. So, is that a yes? You'll hire- I mean, train me?"
"Now, hold on a minute," Shigeo raises one hand to draw the boy's attention. "I can't hire a middle-schooler."
"Train! You can train me, can't you? You don't have to pay me a lot..." Reigen trails off, looking thoughtful for a moment. "And it's not child labor, because I asked you to."
Shigeo shakes his head, slowly. "I doubt law enforcement will listen to what you have to say about the matter. Now, please, I'll have to ask you to lea-"
"No! No, no," Reigen waves his hands hurriedly, the flyer making an odd wobbly paper noise. "You can't. You need to train me! Please, Mr. Kageyama. I'll be really good and I won't make any trouble at all."
Somehow, Shigeo finds that hard to believe. Even if the child doesn't possess an aura, he exudes 'trouble' in waves. He sighs. "Go ahead, give me a good reason as to why exactly I should train you." He glances pointedly at the clock.
Reigen grins, as if he was prepared for this question. With the way he presented himself, it wouldn't be much of a surprise if he was. "I'm very good at talking to people-" He counts on his fingers. "-I can manage money, I can navigate the internet and help with your online presence... And I'm a hard worker."
"...How about this," Shigeo begins, hoping that what he's about to propose will be enough to send the kid away. "You intern here for a week. If you are unsatisfied, you may leave at any time."
The boy's face lights up, enough to make Shigeo wonder if he just dug his own grave. "Perfect! Thank you so much, Mr. Kageyama! You won't regret it, I promise!"
---
It would be remiss of Shigeo if he didn't say that he forgot about his compromise with the boy from yesterday. It had taken him another few minutes to convince the boy to go home so that he could tidy and close the office, that by the time he got home, he was later than he had been in years.
Teru had been worried (usually his husband is very time-conscious, and would never be late unless something kept him at work), but Shigeo needed only to shake his head and smile, and everything was alright.
His workday had been nothing out of the ordinary– or, at least, until about 3:30, when Reigen Arataka let himself inside.
Now, the boy is eagerly awaiting... Training? Shigeo looks at him curiously, as he tugs at the collar of his school uniform.
"So, when do we start?" Reigen asks, dropping his bag onto the floor beside Shigeo's briefcase. "I'm ready whenever you are."
Shigeo glances around the office, looking for some kind of chore he can assign the boy. When his search yields nothing, he discreetly shuffles around the objects on the shelf until they look out of order. He points at the shelf, and Reigen's eyes follow his finger. "You can organize that."
Reigen's face falls slightly, but he fixes his expression fast enough that Shigeo knows that he didn't intend for it to be noticed. "Of course!"
Shigeo watches him work for a moment, making sure he isn't going to break anything, and then returns to his own work. He's been getting comments on his website saying that he's too cheap, and that he must surely be a scam, and it's been hard refuting them all. Sometimes, his brother takes the time out of his busy day to help him, by commenting things like "His services are cheap because he isn't a money-grubber!" and "Next time you have a spiritual problem, go check him out in person. You will change your mind."
Ritsu's efforts are appreciated deeply, even though Shigeo has told him multiple times that he really doesn't need to help him.
Shigeo's eyes flick up from his computer when he notices a distinct silence filling the office. Of course, it was usually quiet, but he realizes that perhaps it shouldn't be when there's a child around. Aren't children usually only quiet when they're being troublesome? That's what Teru says, at least.
"Everything alright?" He asks, looking at Reigen, who is crouched awkwardly on the floor, one arm extended underneath the couch while the other holds his body up. "Is there something under there?"
"I, ah, maybe dropped something," Reigen winces, then widens his eyes as he pulls out what looks like one of Shigeo's old spirit charms. "It's not broken, though! I was very careful."
As the boy finishes his sentence, the charm shatters into approximately a million pieces.
Reigen curses and cups his hands around the broken pieces, glancing nervously at Shigeo. "Ah, I'm sorry. Crap, I could've sworn it wasn't broken..."
Shigeo stands up, psychic powers fetching him the first-aid kit he keeps in the bathroom as he kneels beside the boy. He scoops up the pieces of the charm with his powers and deposits them in the trash.
"Are you hurt?" He asks, frowning and gently grabbing the boy's wrist so he can examine his palms.
"No... It just kinda fell apart," Reigen's eyes are wide, as though half expecting Shigeo to bite him. "Was... Was that a really expensive thing?"
"Hardly," Shigeo shakes his head dismissively. He presses his ESP into Reigen's skin, trying to detect any pieces he might have missed. "It was given to me by a former client a few years ago. I cleared it of the evil spirit, but they didn't want to keep it. They said it was too creepy. So I kept it as a decoration."
Reigen laughs, still sounding nervous but a bit less so. "That thing was creepy."
Shigeo looks up from the boy's hand, retracting his powers back into himself. "Then maybe it's better that it broke."
He stands, dusting off his pants slightly, and Reigen follows suit. He sits back at his desk, and Reigen (now wary of the newly-organized shelf) stands awkwardly in the middle of the office, fiddling with the hem of his shirt.
"How, exactly," Shigeo says, slowly, and Reigen whips his head over to look at him. "Did you want me to train you?"