Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

It’s only been a few days – just over a week, maybe, since Mob started working at the LOL café. He’s terrible at his job. He’s clumsy, already broke a few plates and cups, sometimes he writes the orders down wrong and even manages to still place them at the wrong tables. Yet his genuine smile, his hardworking style and his polite and kind demeanor are probably what didn’t stop the customers from coming, despite the frequent placements of “Caution: Wet Floor” signs. Tome has already lost her patience with Mob. She says if she has to place another wet floor sign one more time this week, she’ll explode.

“No need to act irrationally,” says Dimple as he’s drying the cups with a piece of cloth, having just finished washing everything. They’re closed for the day.

“Irrationally? You’re the owner of this café, aren’t you? You seem to be the calmest about this,” says Tome. She kneels, a dustpan in one hand and a brush in the other. She brushes shattered glass pieces and some biscuits off the floor, collecting it in the dustpan. “You’re suffering the most, you realize.”

“You seem to be the angriest about this,” says Ritsu, standing on a stool and using a feather duster to brush any dust off the cabinets. He’s trembling slightly, trying not to lose his balance. “Nii-san doesn’t mean to; he’s trying his best.”

“I think we should just fire him,” huffs Tome. “It’d be better for business.”

“No,” Ritsu snaps.

“What’s your deal? I bet the only reason you’re looking out for him is ‘cause he’s your brother.”

“That’s not it.”

“It so is!”

“Can you guys shut up and just keep cleaning? You’re talking about Shigeo like he’s not here.” Dimple raises his voice, gripping the cup in his hand and causing it to crack slightly. He grumbles, annoyed. It finally quiets down for a moment.

“… I’m sorry,” mumbles Mob, clenching a mop in his hands. He looks down in shame as he continues to clean the floor. Tome looks at him, suddenly feeling slightly guilty.

She sighs and looks down, continuing to clean up. “You’re still in training, after all. It’s okay to be making mistakes at this stage, but you better brush up on your skills! Okay?”

“You are a little clumsy, Nii-san,” admits Ritsu.

“You’ll be able to hold those trays no problem! You’ll serve with finesse,” says Dimple. “I might even give you a raise.”

“What!? You haven’t even given me one!” complains Tome.

“Maybe if I heard your annoying voice less often, I’d consider it.”

“That’s so mean!”

“You’re mean.”

Mob watches them bicker for a moment. He smiles and starts to chuckle. Tome, Dimple and Ritsu look at him. They smile and laugh together. It’s always nice to have moments like this. The café is quite small and somewhat casual, but it’s a place people often go to. They’ve watched all sorts of people come and go. There are young people who come and cram for exams, old couples who like to drink hot drinks and chat, groups of people hanging out, small families with children who really love dessert, and there’s also people who come regularly.

Hopeless romantics, people who struggle with life for various reasons and just advice seekers come to speak to Dimple. They seem to open up very easily to him. He’s comforting and caring – a very good listener, and great at giving advice. Sometimes men and women come just to gossip with him and rant about things. It makes Mob wonder how Dimple would serve as a therapist of some sort.

Mob has only worked for a week, but Tome has been an employee for a year, and Ritsu for nearly eight months. The first four months of Tome’s employment, she was the only one aside from Dimple. She was decent at her job in the physical aspect, but her attitude could use work. She’s a bit of a slacker, talks too loudly most of the time and even sometimes forgets to greet the customers when approaching them. She carries a portable video game console she loves to play with and is always carrying snacks in her bag. However, she never makes mistakes with orders. She’s quick and always earns tips.

When Ritsu joined, she was excited, mostly because she thought that meant less work for her. However, it only meant looking after Ritsu for a while, given she had more experience. She felt irritated, but that irritation quickly disappeared when she saw Ritsu was good at his job and didn’t require much supervision. They became friends. Tome told Ritsu about her love for aliens and wanting to telepathically communicate with them. Ritsu guesses she got that obsession from the types of video games he sees her play.

Fast forward to eight months later, Ritsu tells Tome and Dimple he finally convinced Mob to work for the café. They were very excited, given that Ritsu speaks very highly of his brother. He says he’s the most powerful person he knows, the most amazing and caring, and the rest they didn’t listen for because he rambles a lot. But now, Tome is suspecting Ritsu may have been dropped as a child, because she sees nothing appealing about the rookie.

He’s very shy, stutters a lot, drops and breaks things, hardly makes eye contact with the customers. It’s awkward and painful to watch. However, Ritsu seems to have no problem, he’s so happy to be working alongside his brother. It’s gotten to the point where Tome had to supervise Mob intensively. There are many times she had to rush in to serve the customers instead of Mob. Mob stood, dumbfounded, as Tome ran fast past him and reached the customer before him.

The first time Mob broke something, it made a loud, startling shattering noise. Tome rushed to clean it, told Mob it’s okay whilst he frantically apologized. The second time, again. Third time. Fourth time… it’s starting to get a bit old, isn’t it? Each time, something different fell along with a plate or a cup. Cake, biscuits, ice cream, coffee, tea and more. It’s starting to get a bit infuriating. After the nth time he broke something, Tome went blind with rage.

“If I have to place another wet floor sign one more time this week, I’ll explode!”

Now here they are. Laughing with each other like they didn’t have a stressful week. They’re like a family.

“Thank you for being patient with me,” says Mob, smiling. “I’ll do a better job from now on!”

Tome smiles and nods, giving a thumbs up. Dimple lets out a sigh as he realizes how much damaged property he needs to replace. Ritsu stares at Mob for a moment in admiration. Suddenly, Tome flinches.

“I think I just hurt my finger.”

The next day, Mob and Ritsu walk into the café. It’s not so busy in the morning, so Dimple was able to handle customers on his own without struggle. The afternoons and evenings are the café’s busiest hours.

“Where’s Tome?” asks Ritsu, walking in. She’s usually in before them.

“She had an exam today, so she’ll be here in about ten minutes,” answers Dimple.

“Wow, she came here to work yesterday, despite exams?” asks Mob, standing next to Ritsu. Dimple nods.

Mob and Ritsu walk to the changing room to place their belongings in their lockers and change their clothes. Ritsu talks to Mob about how difficult the senior year is, how the student council is doing, the new school principal and more in general. Mob listens attentively, reacting to what he’s saying.

“Oh, yeah, remember Tsubomi-chan?”

Mob goes stiff, then looks away, bothered as he feels himself sweating slightly. “What about her?” He’s not as hung over her as he used to be. He managed to confess one day, and it was incredibly awkward. His hair was flowing out of control, everything within a two-mile radius was rattling. The worst part was when she laughed and said she always knew because he was obvious about it. He wanted to dig a hole, hide in it and never come out. She said she was flattered, accepted his feelings, said she likes and cares about him but not in that way. Mob was understanding, but a little upset. He was absent for a week after that and couldn’t even look her way anymore.

“She repeated the year. She’s in my class now,” says Ritsu.

“Oh,” is all Mob could say. He’s surprised, because he thought she always excelled in her studies.

“I can play wingman for you, Nii-san!”

Mob flinches. He shakes his head. “That’s okay. Thank you, Ritsu.”

“I thought you liked her.”

Mob hums, turning away even more as he continues to get dressed. He really doesn’t want to talk about Tsubomi. He feels awkward every time he recalls his confession for her. “I used to.”

“Really?” Suddenly Ritsu is right next to him. He’s already dressed. Mob yelps and moves away. “Did something happen?”

Mob hurriedly finishes getting dressed. “I confessed to her, but she rejected me.”

Ritsu frowns. “I’m sorry to hear.”

Mob turns to Ritsu and pats him on the shoulder, smiling. “It’s okay, really. Let’s go now. Dimple is probably getting annoyed with how long we’re taking.” Ritsu nods and follows Mob out of the dressing room.

“Ah, you again!?” Mob and Ritsu hear Tome yell. They rush out and see a man sitting down at a table. He has a laptop placed on it, and he looks completely innocent. Mob tilts his head in confusion.

“What’s with the attitude?” the man grimaces at her. Tome is not even in her uniform, implying she yelled at him as soon as she came in and saw him. Some of the other customers look over, some are amused, and the others annoyed, but the rest are not really caring about what’s happening.

Ritsu grumbles. Mob glances at him, realizing the customer must be a regular. This is the first time he has ever seen him.

“That’s no way to treat a customer,” says Dimple, slightly irritated.

“Tell her right, Pimple,” says the customer, grinning.

“Why are you even here!?” he shouts.

Dimple, Tome and the customer start to bicker loudly. Mob is confused, watching the whole thing. Ritsu sighs. “Nii-san, can you go speak to that customer? I’ll deal with the others.” He walks to grab a small notebook and a pencil, then approaches a table of customers. He can hear him apologizing to them about the noise.

Moments later, Tome storms to the changing room. Dimple is rubbing his temples, he really dislikes loud noise; cafés are meant to be quiet. Mob grabs hold of a small notebook and a pencil like Ritsu, and shyly approaches the customer.

“Hello. Wh-What can I get for you, sir?” Mob asks, fidgeting slightly as he avoids eye contact.

“I’ll have the regular,” says the man as he types on his laptop, not even glancing up. Mob looks at him, realizing he’s kind of distracted. He freezes as his eyes land to look at his face. Suddenly, it's as if colours have turned pastel and bright. Looking at him this close, it makes his own heart race. Oh, no. It’s like Tsubomi all over again…

Moments that feel like centuries pass. “Did you not hear me? I said, I’ll have the–” he looks up and sees Mob. “Oh.” He stops typing and stares for a moment. Mob feels like his soul is trying to slip out of his body. His mind feels numb, butterflies fluttering in his stomach. Suddenly, the customer smiles. “You’re new here, aren’t you?”

Mob nods his head frantically, unable to speak.

“I’m Reigen Arataka. What’s your name?”

Mob can’t even remember his own name. All that comes out is insane stuttering. It’s so awkward, his face is burning up, he wants to run away but his feet are frozen in place. The customer's eyes are staring at him. It’s like he’s Medusa.

The customer, Reigen, peeps at his chest and sees his nametag. “Mob? Cool name. It’s unique.”

“That’s not his real name,” says Dimple. “It’s Kageyama Shigeo.”

“Ah,” Reigen nods. “Nice to meet you. I think I’ll just call you Mob, I assume that’s what you want to be called. You can just tell me if that’s not the case.”

Mob opens his mouth to speak, sounding like a stuttering broken record as he tries to say, ‘nice to meet you, too’. Reigen laughs. Heavenly sound.

“Anyway, I’ll just have a coffee. Black, no sugar.” He grins. “I’m writing a book, so I need the caffeine.” Mob is amazed.

“Y-Yes, sir,” he manages to say and runs to Dimple, who’s always standing behind the counter. “He’ll have a sugar coffee.”

Dimple stares at him. “… You could’ve just written the order down if you’re really that bad at remembering them.” Mob looks down, ashamed and apologizing profusely. Ritsu comes up to the counter and sits on a stool. He tears the piece of paper he just wrote on off his small notebook and slides it across the counter to Dimple, showing him the orders he just collected. He looks at Mob.

“What’s up, Nii-san? You’re shaking a lot,” says Ritsu, seeing that Mob lost his composure completely.

“Shigeo has a little crush,” teases Dimple as he brews Reigen’s coffee. Mob whines slightly, upset at the teasing.

“Really? I thought you didn’t like Tsubomi-chan anymore,” Ritsu sounds interested.

“Tsubomi-chan?” repeats Dimple. “No, Shigeo has a crush on Reigen.”

…

“What.”

Ritsu has never sounded so displeased before in his life. He never really disliked Reigen, was only slightly irritated by him because of his arrogant boldness and his tendency to never pay for anything. Always choosing to ‘put it on the tab’. Ritsu suspects he’s going to disappear and not pay a single yen. This is different…

Now that he has captured his brother’s heart, Ritsu is going to want to destroy Reigen. He refuses to let someone that suspicious play with his precious brother’s heartstrings, not on his watch. Dimple, on the other hand, seems amused. He’s always understanding and supportive, and if he can get a kick out of it, it’s more reason to enjoy things as they go.

“Th-That’s not true at all,” denies Mob, looking away, flustered. What a terrible liar.

“You can’t, Nii-san,” says Ritsu, desperate as he grips Mob’s shoulders. Mob stares at him, surprised.

“Why do you dislike him, Ritsu?”

“Because he’s…” Think fast. “… he’s a conman! A con artist!”

Mob raises his eyebrows. “Really?”

Ritsu nods frantically. “You can’t trust him! He’s probably going to con you as well.”

Mob looks down, considering. “Con artists are really terrible people.”

“Yes, yes, exactly!” Ritsu says, shaking slightly as his grip on his shoulders tighten.

“Ritsu, you’re kind of hurting me.”

Dimple chuckles. He places a cup of black coffee on a small plate on the counter. “Here, Shigeo, take this to Reigen.” Mob picks it up and places it on a small tray. He takes the tray and very carefully walks back to Reigen.

“Your coffee, sir,” mutters Mob as he picks up the plate and places it on Reigen’s table.

“Thank you,” says Reigen as he continues to type away on his laptop. Mob stares at him for a moment, thinking he looks dreamy. He hugs the tray shyly, looking away slightly. He shakes his head, remembering what Ritsu told him. Reigen looks up at Mob, realizing he’s still standing there. He clears his throat, feeling slightly awkward. “… I don’t know how new you are, but you don’t have to keep standing by me until I finish. I might take a while.”

“I-I know,” responds Mob, a bit too loudly. He’s so nervous. Reigen blinks at him.

“Okay,” he leans back on his seat, rubbing the back of his neck. “What’s up then? You want to say something to me?”

“I feel like I recognize you from somewhere…”

“You’re looking at Seasoning City’s bro,” he grins, proudly.

“Ah.” Mob feels his heart skip a beat when he sees his grin. He fidgets slightly. “Y-You got cyberbullied, didn’t you?”

“Tch.” Reigen looks away, annoyed. “Nevermind them. You’re always going to get haters. Barely any of them even knew how to spell.” Mob admires his confidence.

“… Are you really a con artist?”

Reigen is sweating. “Is that another one of those rumors? You hear crazy sorts of things all the time!”

“M-My brother, Ritsu, told me and I thought I should ask you before I assume anything–”

“Ritsu’s your brother? Huh...” He holds his chin with his index finger and thumb thoughtfully as he looks at him. “… Kid, I’m a realtor. In my spare time, I write books. I also like to provide services that include exorcisms and such. Got my own website, and all.” He points at himself with his thumb, pride radiating off him. “Feel free to Google me.”

Mob gasps, his mind is blown. “You’re amazing, Reigen-san!”

Ritsu is watching them talk, unable to hear most of the things they’re saying, however he heard the last thing Mob said. He makes an utterly disappointed face. “… He just conned my brother…”

Dimple laughs. “He’s not that bad, I guess.”

“Shut up,” grumbles Ritsu. He ducks his head down on the counter, acting dramatic.

Reigen smiles, flattered. He picks up his coffee and takes a sip then puts it down. He makes a face, bothered by the bitterness. “God. I hate coffee.”

“It’s bitter, right? I’ll add the sugar for you,” says Mob. Reigen waves his hand, about to deny, when Mob reaches over with his hand and accidentally tips the cup over. Tome is just finally walking out of the changing rooms, wearing her uniform and holding a console which probably caused her to be this late, quickly able to see Mob has tipped a cup over. Dimple looks, shock overcoming him. Reigen stares, wide-eyed.

It all feels like it’s going in slow motion as Mob panics in realization. His hair flows suddenly, his aura glowing as he stops the cup from falling with his powers, also stopping any of the coffee from spilling.

“… holy…” Reigen mutters.

“… shit!” Tome finishes, shocked.

“Language,” says Dimple.

The other customers are staring in shock. Ritsu finally picks his head up and sees what’s happening. Mob sweats slightly, feeling overexposed. He uses his powers to put the cup back to how it was and all the coffee back inside of it. His aura disappears, hair falling back in place, like nothing ever happened.

Mob looks at Reigen’s face, which looks surprised. He glances at the other customers, seeing that they, understandably, are sharing the same surprised and shocked expressions. Mob gulps.

Oh, no.

Chapter Text

“Nii-san? It’s time to clean up, so come out,” calls Ritsu as he opens the door to the dressing room. He flinches, startled with how dark the room is. He flicks the light switch on and screams when he sees Mob, aura pouring out of him, crouching and sulking in the corner as he faces the wall.

Mob hasn’t come out at all after what happened. He ran away and stayed in the dressing room until the café closed for the day. He can’t think about coming back out, can’t even think about showing his face to Reigen after what he made him witness. He’s shuddering slightly, mortified. He turns his head to look at Ritsu, eyes squinting as they’re bothered by the brightness of the room.

“Nii-san, you can’t be serious,” says Ritsu as he walks closer to Mob. He kneels next to him and rubs his back, comforting him. “Don’t worry, Dimple announced it was just a magic trick and everyone clapped. You wowed them all!”

“Really?” sniffles Mob, calming down as his aura dies out.

“Of course!” Ritsu gives a reassuring smile. Mob returns the smile subtly, relieved.

“Even Reigen-san?” Instantly killed Ritsu’s smile.

“… Yeah, even ‘Reigen-san’,” Ritsu huffs. “The con artist I warned you about.”

“He’s a realtor.” Mob stands up, wobbling slightly. He’s been sitting for very long.

“That’s what he wants you to think,” says Ritsu as he stands as well. They walk together to get cleaning supplies then come back out to the café. Mob suddenly realizes he feels guilty for sitting in the dressing room for the rest of the day. He walks up to Dimple, wearing gloves as he’s gripping a squeegee in one hand and a sponge in the other, on his wrist rests a bucket containing a cleaning solution. Dimple stops cleaning the counter to look at him and flash him an understanding smile.

“I’m sorry for hiding in the dressing room,” mutters Mob.

“Don’t worry, we sorted the situation out quickly anyway,” says Dimple. He goes back to cleaning. “Let’s just clean up, okay?”

Mob smiles and nods. “Okay.” He walks up to the windows and sets the bucket and squeegee down. He wets the sponge and begins to clean the windows. Tome is sat on the floor, scrubbing it. She sits up and stares daggers at Mob. Ritsu is quietly cleaning the tables. They continue to clean for a while, enjoying the quiet jazz and bossa nova music in the background. Tome can feel a vein threatening to pop in her forehead. This is driving her insane.

“Is no one going to talk about what happened!?” she shouts, standing up. Mob flinches, turning to look at her.

“It was just a magic trick,” says Dimple, casually.

“It was not! If it was, I’d know about it,” snaps Tome. She points at Mob. “You got psychic powers, don’t you?” Mob stammers, barely managing to say ‘yes’. Tome approaches him, loud footsteps causing Mob to shudder as he feels intimidated. Suddenly, she grabs his wrists and smiles excitedly. “This is amazing!”

“Huh?” Mob and Ritsu both say.

“Do you know what this means for humanity? It means we’re so close to finally communicating with aliens! Telepathy, here I come!” she grins widely, her grip on Mob’s wrists tightening as she stares up at the ceiling, fantasizing. Ritsu rolls his eyes.

“Aliens? I’m not sure I understand–”

“Can you sense other people like you?”

“Yes,” Mob’s voice falters. Tome lets go of his wrists.

“We need to get out there and find as many of them as possible! This is revolutionary!”

“Aliens don’t exist,” shouts Ritsu.

“Who even asked you?” she shouts back. “There’s no way that we have all this space and be the only ones alive in it. There must at least be signs of life out there.”

“Interesting theory,” adds Dimple. “Back to cleaning, we don’t have all day.”

Tome goes back to scrubbing the floor, this time more quickly and with more enthusiasm as she blabbers on about aliens and extra-terrestrial things. Mob continues to clean the windows, listening to her. Ritsu grumbles, occasionally making snarky comments. By the time they finish cleaning, the three take seats on the stools at the counter where Dimple works, Tome showing Mob her games on her console. Mob watches in amusement and Ritsu peeks over, also interested.

Dimple pours a glass of water for each. “Good job today,” he says. Ritsu immediately drinks his, Mob takes a few sips of his own and Tome doesn’t even pick hers up yet, her hands preoccupied by the console. “I have an announcement to make.”

The three look up at him, listening attentively.

“We have enough people now to host a little competition. It could reward you and take your mind off things at the same time. How does that sound?” he smiles.

“A competition?” Mob looks down, nervous.

“What’s the competition all about?” Ritsu asks.

Dimple explains to them they must come up with a dessert, and then place it on the menu. The dessert which catches people’s attention the most and earns the most money wins a spot in the menu for an entire season. The winner earns a prize.

“Easy,” Tome smiles, resting her elbows on the counter.

“You think so? I think I’ll beat you,” Ritsu says, snickering. Tome glares at him and Ritsu shoots a nastier glare back. Sat amid their glaring contest, Mob is looking up, daydreaming as he places the tip of his index finger on his chin. He daydreams about serving the dessert he made to Reigen and watching his face light up as he eats it. Mob’s heart beats erratically as he thinks about it, happy as he smiles.

“I’m excited for this,” he says, shyly playing with a strand of his hair. The quickest way to a man’s heart is through his stomach, his mother jokes at the dinner table as his father compliments her cooking. He hopes to make something delicious for Reigen, something that would help him get to his heart.

Ritsu smiles, glad his brother is already feeling better from before. Though he doesn’t really get why he’s excited for the contest, he supports his enthusiasm for it. Tome slams her hand on the table. “I’ve made two enemies today,” she claims. “You two are going to lose to me!”

“As if!” huffs Ritsu.

“Your rules are simple: no stealing or telling ideas and no sabotaging other’s dishes,” says Dimple. Tome, Ritsu and Mob nod, understanding. “Good luck!”

Who knew coming up with dessert was this hard? Mob has been sat in his room, at his desk, for a while now, his hand gripping a pencil and trembling as he stares at a blank paper. He can’t seem to think of anything. Maybe he needs to browse the internet or something for inspiration. He sighs and stands up, stretching. He walks out of his room and goes downstairs. He sees Ritsu sitting in the living room, watching the cooking channel whilst also having a textbook and a notebook with a pencil on his lap.

“What are you doing, Ritsu?” asks Mob as he sits next to him, eyes fixed on the TV.

“Just doing homework and also watching TV,” he responds.

“Are you watching the cooking channel for inspiration?”

“Hm,” Ritsu hums. He crosses his legs and places his notebook on top of his textbook. “Not really. I actually have too many ideas. I’m trying to narrow what I got down and decide on one thing to make.”

Mob looks at him, shocked. He’s completely the opposite.

“Have you thought of anything?” asks Ritsu.

“No,” Mob mutters, ashamed.

“It’s not that hard, just think of what you like and put that in a dessert.”

Mob looks back at the TV and contemplates. Something he likes… he holds his chin thoughtfully. There are a lot of things he likes. He keeps thinking for a minute when finally, the light bulb in his head flickers on. Milk. He stands up abruptly, determined with his fists clenched. “Thank you for your advice, Ritsu!” He immediately runs back to his room. Ritsu watches him go.

“Glad I could help,” Ritsu says, smiling, then turns back to watch the TV.

Mob barges into his room and runs to his desk. He sits and starts to scribble as many ideas as he can, and there’s surprisingly a lot of them. All sorts of dessert which include milk. He eventually settles on a strawberry milk cake. He holds up his paper, admiring his badly drawn slice of cake. This is it.

Reigen hasn’t shown up today at all. Mob can’t stop glancing at the clock on the wall, dreading the hour of closing. The later it is, the less likely he is to show up. Mob is fidgeting a lot, but other than that, his performance is better than his first week. He’s a lot more careful with dishes. He hasn’t broken anything, only spilt a little bit of one woman’s cappuccino. He quickly cleaned it and apologized, and she forgave him immediately.

Mob walks and sits at the counter. Dimple looks at him, watching him sulk for a moment. “Regular doesn’t necessarily mean they come in everyday, you know,” he says. He takes out a small cheesecake on a plate from behind the counter and gives it to Tome who then turns and walks away to a table with it. “He’ll probably come in tomorrow. Don’t worry.”

“I’m scared I might have freaked him out,” says Mob, twiddling his thumbs.

“Not at all,” Dimple waves his hand. “If anything, you probably made him even more interested in you.”

Mob looks up at Dimple, eyes full of hope. “Really?”

Dimple smiles. “Shigeo, get behind the counter, I got something I want to show you.” Mob stands up and does as he’s told. He stands behind the counter, glancing around the café. He inhales, taking into account that this is an idea of how everything looks from Dimple’s perspective. He can see the main entrance, everything beyond the windows, seats in his line of sight with people in them.

He glances and sees a girl sat near them at the counter wearing a portable camera around her neck, scribbling notes onto a notebook as she reads from a textbook. It looks like she’s cramming. He can hear the relaxing background music, it’s not too loud, the perfect volume. He looks down and sees all sorts of dessert behind the counter, protected and separated by glass. Behind them are equipment such as machines, grinders, brewers, blenders and more.

Dimple places his hand on Mob’s shoulder. “The girl cramming there said she wants a latte. You interested in attempting some latte art?”

Mob gasps. “I’d love to try that,” he says excitedly.

Dimple grabs a cup and places it between him and Mob. Mob looks at it, seeing it already has coffee and espresso shots in it. Dimple grabs a pitcher which contains steamed milk. “I already got everything prepared beforehand. All I have to do now is pour the milk in, this is where the art comes in,” he says. Mob nods. “Allow me to demonstrate.” Mob leans over, watching in astonishment as Dimple expertly pours in a rosetta with the milk.

“Did you get that?” Mob nods. Dimple gently pushes the latte to the side and grabs hold of another cup with coffee and espresso shots in it. He places it on the counter and hands Mob the pitcher with steamed milk. “Give it a try then.”

Mob gulps, nervous. “Okay,” he takes the pitcher. Dimple watches him tremble slightly as he hesitantly pours the milk in. He’s extremely careful, gripping the hand holding the pitcher so he can control his shaking. Dimple watches as he tries to pour in a rosetta, but it’s coming out all wrong. He snickers quietly to himself.

Ritsu walks up to the counter. “There’s this table that keeps making me fetch water for them,” he sighs. He leans over the counter slightly, seeing what Mob is doing. “Nii-san, you’re trying out latte art? That’s cool!”

Mob smiles and puts down the pitcher. “What do you think?” He rotates the cup and shows it to Ritsu, causing him to freeze in place as he stares at it. Dimple is quietly chuckling.

“Nii-san…”

“Hm?”

“What were you trying to make?”

“A rosetta like Dimple.” He points at the cup Dimple poured the milk in. Ritsu glances at the cup then back at Mob’s.

“That looks nothing like it. In fact, this doesn’t look really appro–”

“I think it looks perfect,” interrupts Dimple, wide smile on his face. “Let’s serve it to the girl, Shigeo.” He pats Mob on the shoulder reassuringly. Mob smiles and picks the cup up. He walks closer to the girl and places the cup next to her.

“Here’s your latte,” Mob says, somewhat confident, his shoulders lifted. He seems happy about his first latte art attempt. Ritsu is watching, but he desperately wants to look away.

The girl stops scribbling and looks at the cup. “Ah, thank…” her eyes widen as she sees the art. “… you?” She stays silent for a few moments. Mob stares at her, silently praying she says something. Her face splits into a wide smile and she starts laughing.

Mob’s confidence is shattered.

His shoulders slump. He watches her laugh and use her camera to take multiple photos of the latte. He slowly turns and walks back to Dimple and Ritsu. “Why did she laugh?”

“Because it looks like a fat, tiny dic–”

“Because she thinks it looks cute,” Dimple interrupts Ritsu again. They look at each other and Ritsu can’t help shooting threatening glares at him.

“Oh. Really?” Mob smiles, not feeling so bad anymore. “Maybe I’ll try this again, then.”

“Practice behind the scenes first, though.”

“Okay.” Mob bows respectfully. “Thank you, Dimple,” he stands upright then steps out from behind the counter and goes to serve a couple that just walked in and sat at a table.

Dimple looks at Ritsu, who’s just shaking his head at him. “… What?” He flashes a cheeky smile.

A week has gone by. Reigen showed up to the café only twice, claims to be busy with selling one of the most difficult houses to sell in the market. He sat at a booth seat with and across from Mob, Ritsu and Tome as he described to them the house in eerie detail. Mob and Tome listened with interest, whilst Ritsu rolled his eyes and didn’t appear to care as he looked out the window, resting his chin on his hand as his elbow rests on the table, secretly listening in on what he’s saying.

Over the week, Mob would practice latte art with Dimple after closing hours for a little while. He joined cleaning with Tome and Ritsu after practicing on five cups. He’s slowly getting better; Dimple is happy and impressed with his perseverance.

Mob would then go home and join Ritsu in the kitchen so they can work on their separate recipes. They promised each other not to look at the other’s work, so they stayed on opposite sides of the kitchen to ensure they don’t. Whilst working, they talked about many casual things. It’s been a smooth week. Now the moment of truth awaits.

“Prepare to lose,” says Tome, a smug expression on her face.

“I bet yours is literal bird poop,” says Ritsu.

“I’m kind of nervous,” mutters Mob.

The three of them are sitting on the stools in front of the counter, waiting for Dimple. He comes out and places three plates on the counter with covers on top of them. “So, here are your submissions.” He uncovers the first one. “Tome’s fried bananas with chocolate.” Ritsu snorts. He moves on to the next plate and uncovers it. “Ritsu’s lemon lava cake.” Tome raises her eyebrows. Dimple reveals the last dish. “And Shigeo’s strawberry milk cake.”

“Not bad at all,” Tome nods.

“Nii-san, that’s really good,” says Ritsu, smiling.

Mob smiles in relief. “Yours are really good, too.”

“Let’s make the most of this,” says Dimple, clapping his hands.

The day goes by rather slowly and very busily. The sign which reads ‘new, unique and daring dishes to try’ seems to attract more people than usual. Regulars would reluctantly pick one of the dishes, not used to ordering something they’re not comfortable with. New people would barge in and try out all three. Overall, they’re getting mixed reviews on the dishes. Tome, Ritsu and Mob would try to persuade the customers they serve to try their dishes. However, something seems off…

“Oh my god. I feel so sick,” a customer hurriedly digs into her bag and carelessly throws cash onto the table, not minding the amount she paid. She paid way too much. She runs out immediately.

Mob stares, confused. “This is the sixth time that’s happened today,” he scratches his cheek lightly.

“What did you put in your dish?” Tome asks, leaning over.

“Nothing weird,” he holds his chin thoughtfully, trying to remember. “Ritsu?” He calls.

Ritsu walks over to them. “Yeah?”

“Do you remember the ingredients I used to make my cake?”

“Not all of them since we worked on the opposite sides of the kitchen.” He looks down at the messy table in front of them, then sees the cake on the plate, half-eaten. “Although I do recall seeing expired milk in the trash and having all the sugar on my side. Also, a lot of other weird things I didn’t think too much about, to be honest.”

Mob’s expression drops. He’s horrified. He can't even believe the store near their home kept and sold expired milk. He might have to look more into that later. Tome looks at him, amused as she grins. “So, you put too much salt in your cake, huh? That’s the opposite of a dessert, you know,” teases Tome.

“I’m sure it’s fine, Nii-san,” he places a comforting hand on Mob’s shoulder. “Maybe that person and a lot of others were just lactose intolerant.”

“… If they're really lactose intolerant, they wouldn't have ordered cake, you idiot,” says Tome. Ritsu scowls at her.

They turn their heads when they hear the door open and see Reigen waltzing in. “I think I’ve earned someone’s interest in the house I’m trying to sell, so I’m here to celebrate,” he announces, huge grin on his face. He takes a seat and watches as all three Tome, Ritsu and Mob walk up to him.

“C-Congratulations,” Mob stutters, nervous as his face turns red.

“Try one of our desserts!” shouts Tome. Mob gulps, alarms going off in his head.

“I think I’ve tried all of them at least once,” says Reigen.

“No, we’re having a competition. We each made our own dessert and added it to the menu,” explains Ritsu. “Winner gets to keep their dish on for a whole season and win a prize. So, pick one.” He holds up the café’s menu and gives it to Reigen.

Reigen hums as he looks at the desserts, one hand holding the menu and the other holding his own chin. “Which one is Mob’s?”

Mob flinches. “Y-You don’t want to try it,” he mutters too quietly.

“The strawberry milk cake,” replies Tome.

“Ah. That sounds really nice,” he smiles as he puts the menu down. “I guess I’ll have that. I want to give the newbie a chance.”

“One strawberry milk cake coming right up,” sings Tome as she runs to the counter to grab him one. Ritsu squints his eyes as he stares at Reigen. A small twisted desire in him is hoping for Reigen to get sick from Mob’s dish.

Mob watches in horror as Tome places the plate of strawberry milk cake on Reigen’s desk. It seems like the fastest way he’s going to get to Reigen’s heart is through vomit. He shudders as he watches Reigen take the first bite, whispering ‘please no’. Tome is watching the whole thing unfold in amusement.

…

Reigen raises his eyebrows. “Wow,” he smiles as he looks at them. “This is actually really good!”

Mob just died and went to heaven.

“Are you serious!?” exclaims Tome.

“Tch.” Ritsu is disappointed. He looks at Mob, seeing his knees are getting wobbly and looking like he’s about to cry. Mob is stuttering like a madman again, spitting words and expressions of gratitude towards Reigen. Reigen barely understands what he’s saying but he can guess. He smiles reassuringly as he continues to eat the dish.

“Wow. I can’t believe Reigen actually ate the whole thing,” says Tome, cleaning the windows this time. “A lot of people got sick.” Dimple had announced that Tome is the winner by default, because although Mob’s dishes gave them the most money (due to people carelessly throwing cash and rushing out to the nearest hospital), people enjoyed Tome’s the most. Ritsu got disqualified because since he hogged all the sugar up in the kitchen at home, he technically sabotaged Mob’s dish, which is against the rules. “You know what else I can’t believe?” says Tome, loudly. “That I won! You guys, I won.”

Mob is beaming, as happy as one can be as he cleans the floor. He hasn’t stopped smiling at all since Reigen left. It’s apparently the first time Reigen has left a tip as well. Ritsu is starting to wonder if Mob’s face is hurting from all the smiling. Tome sighs, and just goes back to cleaning.

“I guess Reigen is just not a picky eater,” says Ritsu. “Maybe he just has a really strong gut?”

“Reigen-san liked my cake,” says Mob, the happiness in his voice is obvious as he blushes. “Maybe I can make him more if he wants.”

“Ah, I don’t really think that’d be a good idea for now,” Tome clears her throat.

Reigen felt sick for days after that.

Chapter Text

Mob and Ritsu walk into the café, seeing Reigen sat on a stool at the counter with Tome next to him and Dimple leaning over at the counter. It looks like he’s showing them something on his laptop. Tome looks irritated and Dimple looks unamused.

“Reigen, I already told you what I think of your trashy website, and my opinion is common,” says Ritsu as he walks up to them.

Reigen scowls at Ritsu. “That’s not what I’m showing them, you brat.”

Tome gestures for Ritsu and Mob to look at what Reigen is showing them. Ritsu squints his eyes as he leans in, quietly reading to himself what’s on the screen. “What the hell? Who left this review?”

Mob tries to lean over. “I can’t see.” Reigen turns the laptop to Mob to show him. Ritsu flails his hands, trying to tell Reigen not to show him, but he doesn’t see him. Too late. Mob reads the review out loud. “It’s way too loud, and I got really sick from one of their desserts. I missed the exam I crammed for. I’d give one star, but I was served a latte with a penis in it, so I gave two stars instead. Here’s a picture of it if you don’t believe me.” Ritsu wants to strangle Reigen when he sees him scrolling down to show Mob the attached photo. Mob freezes as he stares at it.

“That’s pretty funny,” says Tome, smiling slightly. “But two stars? That’s damaging for our reputation!”

Reigen shrugs. “Maybe, but one review is not going to completely destroy you. The rest are pretty good, right?” He scrolls down further and sees even more bad reviews, thanks to the strawberry milk cake from the competition which caused people to fall ill. “… ah.”

Mob is shaking. “I’m so sorry.”

“Don’t worry,” says Dimple. “That just means we’ll have to work even harder to make up for it.”

“Let’s serve them good with fried bananas with chocolate! Maybe we’ll add whipped cream!” exclaims Tome victoriously.

Ritsu rolls his eyes. “We get it. You won.” Tome glares at him.

“That actually sounds kind of gross,” remarks Reigen casually as he types on his laptop. Tome gasps, offended. She yells at Reigen about how he’s a shady adult who never pays for anything whilst Reigen sits with a smug expression gracing his face.

Ritsu turns to walk to the changing room. He looks, seeing that Mob is staring at Reigen, daydreaming as his heart flutters. He grabs Mob’s arm, pulling him along. They put on their uniforms and come out shortly afterwards. Ritsu is already off to serve customers.

Mob walks up to the counter. “I think I know who might have left that review.”

“Really?” asks Dimple sarcastically.

Mob nods. “The girl with the camera around her neck.”

“It’s not like we can ask her to take it down, Shigeo.”

“We can try,” mutters Mob, scratching his cheek. “I just want to make up for the damage I’ve caused.”

“Don’t worry about it,” says Dimple, waving his hand. “If you see her, just serve her as normal.” He points at Reigen with his thumb. “Serve him, he’s had nothing the whole time he was here.”

Mob gulps. He approaches Reigen. “R-Reigen-san, what would you like?” He turns red immediately when Reigen turns to look at him.

Reigen smiles. “What do you recommend for me this time?”

Mob looks down, his heart beating so fast. “Um… maybe a latte?”

Reigen gives him a thumbs up then turns back to his laptop. Mob looks at Dimple who nods and goes to make Reigen’s latte. Dimple returns with the pitcher and hands it to Mob. “Try to make something for Reigen,” he encourages. Mob nods and takes the pitcher. He pours in a heart; one side is slightly bigger than the other. Dimple wonders if Mob is trying to confess to Reigen already through latte art. He whistles, impressed, when he sees it looks good. All the practicing Mob’s been doing after closing hours paid off.

Mob puts the pitcher down and picks the cup up. He puts it down next to Reigen. “Here,” he looks to the side, gentle shade of pink coloring his face.

Reigen looks at the latte. “Ooh, a heart,” he admires the art. “Did you do this?”

“Y-Yeah,” stutters Mob, feeling shy.

“It’s cute,” he says, smiling. He doesn’t realize he just made Mob’s day.

Mob’s knees feel wobbly, his head light. He stumbles slightly and sits on the stool next to Reigen, unable to maintain his balance. Reigen types for a while longer, then stops and looks at Mob. “Mob?”

Mob immediately sits up, embarrassment washing over him. “I-I’m sorry, I think I nearly fainted–”

“Oh, no, it’s okay,” he waves his hand. “I just wanted to ask you something.”

Mob leans slightly, listening as his hands grip the stool he’s sitting on. “Anything.”

“Want to go check out the house I told you about with me?”

Dimple, who’s been watching the entire time, is pleasantly surprised. Mob stares blankly for a moment, feeling like his heart just stopped. He slowly turns his head to Dimple, eyes watering. “Geez, don’t look at me like that, of course you can go,” says Dimple, instantly defeated by Mob’s puppy eyes.

Reigen chuckles. “Perfect! We can leave now, so if you want to go change–” before Reigen could even finish his sentence, Mob is already gone to the changing room. “He ran away…”

“He’s really excited,” laughs Dimple.

“He must be really into haunted places,” remarks Reigen thoughtfully, holding his chin.

“Yeah… it’s the haunted places he’s into,” Dimple rolls his eyes, unable to believe how dense Reigen is.

Few minutes pass as Mob hurriedly changes his clothes. He comes back out and runs to Reigen who sees him and places his laptop in his laptop bag. He then wears the bag, single strap over his shoulder and across his torso, the bag hanging by his hip. He stands up and says goodbye to Dimple. Mob waves goodbye and walks out of the café with Reigen, his excitement loud and clear in his movements and expression.

Ritsu walks up to the counter, placing down a torn off page from his small notebook with orders written on it. He stares at the door, able to see Reigen and Mob walking through the transparent glass. “What? Where’s Nii-san going with Reigen!?”

“Just to check out the house Reigen is trying to sell,” answers Dimple, picking the paper up and reading what’s on it.

“Can I go with–”

“No.”

Ritsu locks himself in the changing room to scream for thirty minutes.

Mob feels nervous. He looks at Reigen, admiring him as he walks alongside him. He’s so mesmerized, he doesn’t know how long he’s been staring at him for. He could stare at him all day, though. Taking in the details of his face and how expressive it is when he talks, his soft looking hair that bounces subtly on his head with each step he takes, the way he walks…

“Mob,” Reigen calls out.

Mob flinches as he’s suddenly pulled out of his trance. He realizes he’s just been standing still. Reigen is waiting, holding a taxi door open for him. He turns red, feeling like he already made a fool of himself in front of Reigen.

“You okay?” asks Reigen. “I’ve been stood here calling you for a while.”

“Y-Yes, I’m okay! I’m sorry!” says Mob, too quickly and nervously. He gets inside the taxi and moves to sit behind the taxi driver who looks irritated. Mob gulps then looks next to him, seeing Reigen getting in and sitting as he closes the door. Reigen pulls a piece of paper, an address is written on it, out of his pocket and hands it to the taxi driver.

“Take us there, please,” says Reigen. The taxi driver takes the paper, reads it then nods as he leaves the paper on top of the dashboard. He starts driving. Reigen looks at Mob. “You should wear your seatbelt, Mob.”

“Okay.” Mob fastens the seatbelt. He blushes slightly as he realizes Reigen’s concern for his safety. Wanting to show him the same type of care back, he looks at him and tries to tell him to fasten his seatbelt as well, but to no avail as the driver suddenly slams the brakes hard, causing Reigen to fly forwards and slam his face against the back of the passenger seat. Mob only moves forward slightly, held back by his seatbelt.

The driver sticks his head out the window and starts shouting at a bunch of shady looking teenagers sat on the crossroad on a green light, the cars behind them honking loudly. The teenagers hurriedly stand up and run away.

“Reigen-san! Are you okay!?” yells Mob, concerned.

“Yeah,” says Reigen, voice muffled.

“You should wear your seatbelt,” mutters Mob, feeling bad for saying it too late.

“Do as I say, not as I do, I suppose.” Reigen sighs. He moves back, face slightly red from getting slammed. He fastens his seatbelt as he grumbles quietly to himself. Mob can’t hear what he says, but he hears him say something about a ‘headache’.

The taxi driver sticks his hand out to show a rude gesture to the obnoxiously loud honking cars behind them. Reigen covers Mob’s eyes in shock.

Ritsu steps back out of the changing room, grumpy. He looks at Tome standing in front of him, she has a lollipop in her mouth, a console in one hand and a small can of potato chips. She holds up the can, giving it to Ritsu.

“What do you want?” asks Ritsu, voice worn out and hoarse from the screaming.

Tome moves the lollipop with her tongue in her mouth, letting it sit in her cheek so she can speak. “Take it,” she says, shaking the can slightly, creating a soft rattling sound.

“… Thanks,” he says. He takes it and opens the can, seeing only trash inside. Tome laughs obnoxiously loudly, pointing at him to mock him. Her laughter quiets down as she sees his expression. He looks dead inside. Tome gulps, sweating slightly.

Ritsu closes the can, then lifts it up with his powers. Tome gasps. “You, too!?” He doesn’t answer as he causes the can to spin rapidly. Tome is scared he’ll throw that at her with full force, not knowing just how powerful of a blow it would be. Instead, he just makes it float to a trashcan and drops it in there. Tome’s shoulders slump. “Oh.”

“What? Did you think I’d hurt you?”

“Of course not,” says Tome, feeling stupid. “When were you going to tell me that you had powers this whole time?”

Ritsu doesn’t answer, his expression unwavering. Tome clears her throat.

“Um, okay, what’s got you feeling so down?”

Suddenly the hard shell which is Ritsu’s seriousness breaks completely. He goes soft, frowns as he starts to whine. “Nii-san is out with Reigen!”

“Ohh, so that’s where he went.”

“He’s taking him to that house he’s been telling us about.”

“That’s so cool,” she beams excitedly.

“No! Not cool!” Ritsu presses his palms on his eyes, frustrated. He removes his hands from his face. “Well… maybe kind of cool, the house sounded interesting, but still.” He huffs.

Tome walks closer to him and awkwardly pats his spiky hair. “There, there. I’m sure your brother is going to have fun. Isn’t that something you want for him?”

“I guess so,” says Ritsu, reluctant.

“Good. Now, get back to work, or else Dimple will notice neither of us are out there.”

“What about you, though?”

“I’ll just sit here and play video games a little longer. I’ll be out shortly.”

Ritsu walks out to the café and sees the same girl with the camera around her neck, sitting down and reading a newspaper. He grimaces and approaches her. “What can a café worth two stars do for you today?”

She looks up at him, surprised. “Oh. I take it you’re upset about my review?”

Ritsu scowls and crosses his arms. “Order or leave.”

She chuckles. “No need to act so hostile. I’m back here because I actually like this café.”

“Why’d you leave a trashy review then?”

“I aspire to be a journalist, so being honest and unbiased with information is just something I have to do.” Ritsu is already annoyed with her. Just when he was about to turn and leave her alone, she extends her hand out to him. “Ichi Mezato. Your name is…?”

“None of your business,” he replies coldly. She keeps her hand extended, persistent. Ritsu stares at her until her arm starts to shake slightly, getting tired. He gives in, taking her hand and shaking it. “Kageyama Ritsu.”

“Nice to meet you!” she says, smiling. She lets go of his hand and rests her elbows on the table she’s sat at. “So, I heard one of the staff members here is an esper. Is that true?”

Ritsu sighs, already able to tell he’s going to be having a long conversation with her.

“This is it,” says Reigen, smiling as he looks up at the house, his hands tucked in his pockets.

“It’s just like you described,” says Mob. The modern two-storey house is simple-looking, perfect for a family of four. It looks like a nice and comfortable place to live in, separated from the houses next to it by a pointy wooden fence that reaches the average person’s chest in height. Mob almost fails to understand why nobody wants to live here, but he recalls the strange sounds which drive anyone who enters it away. The house is haunted, and Mob can sense it faintly.

“Let’s go in.” Reigen walks ahead. Mob follows closely behind him. Stepping inside the house, it feels very cold. Mob rubs his arms, trying to generate heat as he shudders slightly. He looks around and sees it’s not even furnished. “Mob, do you sense anything?”

Mob nods. “It’s very faint.”

“It really is haunted,” mutters Reigen under his breath. He approaches a creepy looking painting of a deer. He squints his eyes and leans in, staring at it. “This looks really ugly. I can do better.”

“You paint, Reigen-san?” asks Mob, interested.

“No, but I think I’d be good at it.”

“I’d love to see that.” Mob smiles. He stands next to Reigen and looks at the painting, his smile disappearing. The deer looks crooked and the colors of the painting portray a dark mood. It’s unsettling to look at. Reigen looks at him, noticing he’s starting to get uncomfortable.

“Mob, you don’t have to keep looking at it, you know.” He smiles, amused.

Mob turns his head to look at Reigen. Standing this closely to him, feeling the subtle warmth radiating off him, and seeing the smile on his face causes Mob to feel all sorts of nervous. He turns red and starts to stutter. “I-I know…” He’s so glad to be here with him.

“You’re shaking a lot. Are you feeling cold?”

“A little bit,” he mutters.

“Maybe this could help,” says Reigen as he takes off his jacket (struggling slightly to do so because of the laptop bag) and places it over Mob’s shoulders. Mob’s eyes widen as he stares up at him. Reigen pulls on the lapel of the jacket, making it more comfortable for Mob. Mob swears his heart could jump out of his chest any second. They stare at each other for a moment, making Mob’s head feel dizzy as his breath falters. Reigen pats him on the shoulders and flashes him a smile. “Let’s look around the house now.”

They quietly walk around the bottom floor. The house is silent, but Mob’s head is loud. He grips the jacket tightly, unable to help the smile on his face. The jacket is big on him, but he loves it. Suddenly he bumps into Reigen’s back. “Hm?” He looks at him.

“Wait, I hear something,” says Reigen, lifting his finger as he listens in.

“…I think it’s coming from upstairs,” Mob looks up at the ceiling.

“Let’s check.”

They walk up the stairs. They’re made of wood and they creak when you step on them. Reigen’s hand grips the railing as he climbs the stairs. Mob places his hand on the railing, rubbing it softly as he goes up.

They follow the source of the noise and end up standing in front of a door. Reigen reaches for the doorknob and uses it to open the door. He pushes it, revealing an empty room. “I thought it came from–” he flinches when he sees a slimey looking spirit drop from the ceiling. He frowns in disgust. The spirit seems to notice and gets angry, launching forward to attack Reigen, but Mob stands in front of him with his hand up, shielding them both.

“Reigen-san, please be careful,” says Mob as he looks back at Reigen over his shoulder.

Reigen stares, mesmerized by the way he looks when he uses his powers. His hair flows slowly and steadily as all of him glows. Mob looks at the spirit and blasts it with his psychic powers, effectively exorcising it. The shield around them disappears.

“Wow,” says Reigen, breathlessly. “That was awesome, Mob.”

Mob flinches, turning red at the praise. He crosses his arms over his chest, hands gripping on opposite sides of the jacket as he pulls it over his head slightly as if to hide, embarrassed. “Th-Thank you,” he stutters madly.

Reigen chuckles. “I’ll make the call later to let the client know the house is safe to live in. Do you want to go grab something to eat before heading back to the café? I know a place that sells good ramen, it’s worth the walk.”

Mob looks at him. “S-Sure,” he smiles.

They walk out of the house together and head over to the ramen shop. Mob and Reigen sit inside together. Mob slides his arms through Reigen’s jacket’s sleeves, wearing it properly. Reigen looks at him, realizing he probably won’t be able to ask for it back for a while. Mob really hopes he doesn’t.

Reigen holds up two fingers, asking for two bowls of ramen, one for himself and one for Mob. They talk about being a real estate agent and what kind of clients Reigen dealt with in the past whilst waiting for the ramen to arrive. Once the bowls of ramen arrive, they dig in.

Mob notices that Reigen is a messy eater. He watches him eat for a moment, watching his face get food on it. He feels his heart beat slightly out of rhythm, head over heels for him even whilst he’s eating messily. Impressively enough, his face is the only place the food reaches. No food lands on his clothes, nor the counter at all.

Mob looks down at his own food and eats as well. After they both finish eating, Reigen looks at Mob. “You got something on your face there,” he says as he grabs a paper napkin and wipes around Mob’s mouth with it, leaning into him. Mob sits as still as he can, fists clenching hard as he’s trying not to topple over from how dizzy he feels over this contact and his closeness.

Mob notices how Reigen is focusing on the little bit of food he has on him, despite being the one with more food on his face. He really wants to wipe it off for him, but he’s too shy to go for it. Reigen moves the paper napkin away to look at his now clean face. “All good!”

“Thank you,” mumbles Mob quietly.

“We should probably head back to the café soon. I’m getting the feeling your brother wants to kill me for taking you away.”

“Ritsu,” mutters Mob, remembering he didn’t even tell him where he went. He frowns slightly, feeling bad, but that quickly disappears when Reigen reaches his hand over to gently rub Mob’s head. Mob is frozen but overheating. He leans into his touch slightly as Reigen pets him.

“We should do this again sometime,” says Reigen, smiling at him.

Mob can’t speak. In fact, he can hardly breathe.

“Mob, you feel hot. Are you sick?”

As soon as Mob and Reigen walk back into the café, Ritsu drops his mop and immediately runs to them. He nearly trips on wet floor but holds onto Reigen’s arm to catch himself from falling.

“Careful there,” says Reigen playfully.

Ritsu hisses at him and stands up, backing away from him. He grabs Mob and pulls him over to his side. “You shady adult, you kidnapped my brother until closing hours! What were you even doing to him!?” he points at him accusingly, his other hand gripping Mob tightly. Reigen smiles, amused.

Tome, who is sat a booth, looks up from her game to see what’s happening. She then looks back down and continues to play her game. Dimple hates when she plays games on the job, but he loves that it’s what keeps her the quietest.

“I’m okay, Ritsu.” Mob turns to look at him. “We went to the house, and then we went to eat afterwards.”

Ritsu exhales, his grip on Mob loosening. “At least you made sure he ate,” he mumbles, not really wanting to express any gratitude towards Reigen. He looks at Mob and realizes he’s wearing Reigen’s jacket. He stares, expression unreadable.

Reigen grips his laptop bag’s strap. “Time for me to get going then. I’ll see you all next time.” He casually gives a two-finger salute goodbye and turns to leave the café.

“See you,” says Dimple.

“Bye, Reigen-san!” Mob waves shyly.

Ritsu watches Reigen hesitate for a moment in his steps as if forgetting something, but decidedly leave anyway. “… Idiot forgot to ask for his jacket back.”

Later that night, Mob slept soundly after having the best day ever, using Reigen’s jacket as a blanket.