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Reigen is finishing explaining his next job, but the phrase said at the end leaves him confused. "Again?" Shigeo is not very happy with the idea of having to wear that strange... disguise? Yes, that suit he had worn for a job at an all-girls school.
"Again?" Serizawa asks, a bit concerned about the younger man's integrity. "Yes, again. Don't worry, it was just for a moment for a job. Besides, he wasn't alone; I was with him," the blonde replies, worrying the older man even more. "Were you also dressed as a girl?" The teasing tone of the Dimple angers Reigen and embarrasses the younger one, "That doesn't matter" the blonde defends himself, "It's a simple job; you just go, exorcise a spirit, and come back to the office." Mob nods. "When you get back, we'll go eat. Don't take too long!"
He already knew the way to the school. Serizawa had offered to accompany him, but in Reigen's words, it wasn't a good idea. "I don't think two men in their thirties at a school full of teenagers is a good idea" he had said, and he wasn't far from the truth.
Besides, the job wouldn't take him long. The information he had was: a group of girls who, trying one of those rituals you find everywhere, attempted to communicate with a spirit. The bad part? They succeeded, and now one of them was being haunted by a specter, it wasn't powerful, but the girls were so scared that their master insisted he take care of the job as soon as he arrived at the office.
His pride was being a bit trampled. How was it possible? After so much time and effort on his muscles, he was still small enough to pass as a girl. Well, at least to feed the little ego he had left, the jacket that used to be a bit loose was now somewhat fitted, a sign that his arms had grown, even if just a few millimeters.
First, he encountered the pair of girls he had met the first time he was at the school. "They are new; they don't know anything about not messing with ghosts" one of them complains. "Come on, we'll accompany you to make it easier to find them."
Finding the group of girls wasn't difficult; it wasn't complicated to find a few teenagers who got scared by anything. Even when he greeted them to introduce himself, they jumped like cats.
Getting rid of the spirit wasn't hard; it was clinging to the most fearful girl of all. It seemed that her fear fed it; the more afraid they were, the greater its presence became, and the greater the presence, the greater the fear.
It was a vicious circle.
When the ghost disappeared, the group of girls breathed such a sigh of relief that he could see the weight lift from their shoulders. A wave of gratitude washed over him, momentarily overwhelming him.
"I’ve never had the attention of so many girls" he thinks, feeling the color red take over his face. He quickly says goodbye to them, remembering, after so long, that he was still dressed like a girl!
He leaves the school without much trouble, relieved to finally be free from that job. He just has to return to the office, change, and pretend that none of this had happened.
But of course, the universe had a different plan.
"Hey, are you okay? It's not good for a girl to be walking alone" a silhouette approaches him, with blonde hair, blue eyes, and a purple uniform he would recognize instantly.
Why was he seeing Hanazawa in front of him? This was not a good time; he didn’t want to run into someone he knew, especially not Teru.
"Hi" the blonde greets him with a smile, embarrassing him. This is worse than he had thought. Did he really not realize it was him?
He hesitates for a few seconds before making the terrible mistake of responding. If he said anything, Teru would instantly realize it was him. The best thing to do was to let him think he was an unknown girl and take advantage of the slightest moment of distraction to flee and never think about this day for the rest of his life.
Teruki hadn’t planned on meeting a pretty girl on his way home; he almost never passed through those streets. But today, he had decided to take a different route. He had a lot of free time; Mob was working, leaving him with not much to do for the rest of the afternoon.
Meeting her felt like a reward for the boredom he had been experiencing all day. Although she seemed a bit shy, that wouldn’t stop him from flirting with her, even if just a little.
"You don’t talk much, do you?" he asks, laughing lightly. The girl looks somewhat embarrassed, which makes her look adorable. She shakes her head, still silent.
She didn’t seem to mind his company much; they had walked a few meters, moving away from her house. It didn’t matter; he just wanted a bit of her attention.
She was pretty, and he felt like she resembled someone... black hair and dark eyes...
She looked a little like Shigeo. What a coincidence...
"You’re a very cute girl, did you know that?" he asks, smiling. "You remind me of someone I know; he’s kind and just as cute as you" he compliments, thinking of his best friend.
It’s completely normal to compliment your friends, right? There was nothing wrong with finding his friend just as cute as the girl in front of him.
Mob's mind was blank.
This was starting to feel like a joke. Did Hanazawa really not realize he wasn’t a girl? Or was he just teasing him?
He couldn’t think of a way to get out of this situation. He couldn’t run; his stamina wasn’t enough to get very far. He was still working on that, and while he was better than before, he was sure Teru was very athletic and would catch up to him in no time.
He also couldn’t tell the truth; he couldn’t bear the embarrassment of being seen by his friend in a female school uniform. That would be terrible.
His thoughts were interrupted by the sound of his phone; it was an incoming call from his teacher.
"Mob, I thought you finished a while ago. Is everything okay? I was a bit worried," he hears the voice on the other end say. He whispers a weak "yes," hoping the older man heard him while simultaneously praying that Teru hadn’t noticed. "I knew those ghosts wouldn’t be a problem for you, so we’re waiting for you. Don’t take too long!" The call ends, and the other is waiting, leaning against a wall, looking relaxed.
Even without doing anything, he looked good...
Mob feels embarrassed by his own thoughts. "Was that your boyfriend?" the blonde asks, leaving him confused. "Because if he was, that would be really weird. I wouldn’t flirt with a girl who has a boyfriend." He raises his hands in a gesture of innocence.
Boyfriend... A little lie doesn’t hurt.
He nods at the question, watching the disappointment on Teru's face. "Oh, right, it would be strange for someone so pretty to be single" he clarifies. "He’s very lucky, but he should be careful; I might steal you" he finishes with a wink. "Well, I think it’s safer for you this way. I have to go; I hope you take care. Bye, cutie~"
After that strange exchange, he finally manages to reach the office, taking off the uniform, still embarrassed by the conversation.
“Does Teru think I’m cute?” is the only thought in his mind
A few days later, in the middle of a casual conversation, Teruki seems to remember the encounter.
“Shige, guess what? The other day I ran into someone who looked a lot like you” he laughs at the comment, not noticing the nervous expression on the other’s face. “she goes to an all-girls school; maybe that’s why we’ve never seen her” he explains. “But I swear, she was like your double” he says again.
“That’s kind of weird” Kageyama replies.