Archive of Our Own ^beta

It has been exactly one month since Ritsu has called. 

Normally, Shou wouldn’t care about these kinds of things. 

Normally, Shou wouldn’t keep track of how long it has been since he’s last spoken to someone. 

Normally, an observation like this would be no cause for concern. 

But, see, the thing is that nothing is “normal” when it comes to Ritsu Kageyama. As much as the boy claims to be the simplest, most average middle schooler out there, Shou knows all of that is a big crock of shit. Ritsu has quirks--little bits to his routine that only make sense to him, or mannerisms that are quintessentially Ritsu. Shou knows the ins and outs of that boy’s routine better than he knows his own. He knows what time Ritsu gets up (6:15--fifteen minutes after his mom but fifteen minutes before his brother), what way he takes to school (the fastest route that avoids the main road--he hates the early-morning foot traffic), how long it takes him to eat (usually an hour, since he chews his food slowly to avoid choking), and what time he goes to bed (around 8:45, unless Shou is around to keep him up). Shou knows Ritsu isn’t ignoring his texts when doesn’t reply; he’s just preoccupied, hence why they have such long phone calls every few days. He knows that Ritsu is his friend, and that Shou is Ritsu’s. He knows nothing can ever come between them with the bond they’ve forged. He knows this all. 

But it’s been a month and Ritsu hasn’t done so much as open Shou’s texts. 

Needless to say, he’s a little less sure about everything and a lot more worried about his friend. 

And pissed, too. Like, seriously, one whole month and not so much as a, “Hello, how are you?” Shou knows he’s personally been busy with school and settling back into life after years of being entrenched in anti-Claw business, but that doesn’t mean he deserves the cold shoulder! At least he bothers to send a meme every now and then! As soon as he is assured Ritsu is okay, he is getting the noogie of a lifetime. Maybe a punch, too. Depends on how charitable Shou is feeling. But he’d certainly deserve it for making Shou so goddamn concerned. 

So, on one particular January afternoon, Shou waves goodbye to his classmates and makes his way towards the side of the school. Once there, he makes sure his stuff is secure and no one is around to see before taking off. He flies swiftly to Seasoning City, not wanting to dilly-dally about this Ritsu situation any longer. He was going to find out just what had Ritsu so preoccupied, chew him out for it, then spend the rest of the day hanging out like they should’ve been doing the entire time. As he flies, he wonders just what could’ve caused Ritsu to go quiet. 

It doesn’t seem likely that it’s school-related. Ritsu is remarkably good at multitasking; Shou once saw him train his psychic powers by cleaning the house while jotting down notes for History in between rounds of their heated Smash Bros games. The dude is a nut about getting everything done, and Shou supposes you kind of have to be when you’re at the top of your class, are in Student Council, participate in school sports, and still have time to be social outside of it all. 

He could be sick. Though, that’s only a good excuse for a week. A whole month of being sick? Shou would hope someone would reach out to him if that were the case, maybe from his older brother. The two are acquainted well enough. Not close by any means, but Shou knows that the older esper understands the bond Shou and Ritsu have. In the past, he’s been happy to let Shou know just where Ritsu is and if he’s available to hang out when Shou has shown up to their front door unannounced.

Is Ritsu mad about something Shou did? That seems the least likely of all the options. Ritsu is petty, but never to the length of giving the cold shoulder for weeks on end. And Shou hasn’t even done anything to incur such ire. They may bicker and fight sometimes, but both of them know it’s all in good fun. Shou would never do anything to hurt Ritsu genuinely, and he’s certain the other boy feels the same about him. Plus, Ritsu just isn’t the type of person to shut someone out of his life. Hell, he still bothers hanging out with Serizawa’s boss when he’s invited out on an excursion, and Ritsu hates that guy! (Well, hate is a strong word, but that’s what Ritsu will claim up and down.) 

For only a second, Shou considers the actual least likely option: that Ritsu isn’t ignoring him, or is sick, or is busy with school, he just doesn’t care about their friendship the way Shou does. That they haven’t known each other long enough for Shou to be worrying this much. That he’s going to show up at Ritsu’s doorstep to see the boy perfectly fine, absolutely normal, and slightly perturbed to see Shou barging in. That the late night conversations about their lives and struggles haven’t meant the same to Ritsu, and Shou is wasting his time with someone he thought could really be his first true frie--

With a shake of his head, Shou banishes those pesky thoughts and instead focuses on the city coming into view. 

Which is the exact moment Shou notices something is…off. 

The once bright and bustling sprawl known as Seasoning City looks dull and dark as Shou approaches overhead. From his vantage point he can make out what looks to be vegetation scaling up the dilapidated office buildings and bursting through the empty streets. Shou squints to make out that they’re in fact roots that litter every available surface. They twist up lamp posts and slither down brick walls. They’re everywhere . Shou looks down upon it all with a mix of awe and impending dread. On the far side of the city sits the “Divine Tree”--or, that’s what he thinks it’s called, last time he checked. It sprouted from the explosion his dad was in the middle of, and no one’s quite sure how or why that happened. Touichirou has been interrogated on its existence extensively , according to his dad, and Touichirou swears that it wasn’t his power that created it. Which Shou believes him wholeheartedly on, seeing as his dad’s powers have only ever destroyed , not created. The last time he heard Ritsu talking about it, apparently the city was taking to the new landmark quite nicely. There was even some meme religion worshiping it like it was their god. With all these roots infecting the city, Shou has to wonder if it’s to blame. 

Well, that’s not what he’s here for. He’s no botanist--maybe he’ll try finding Minegishi while he’s here. If anyone would know what to do about this situation, it’d be them. 

Shou descends upon the root-infested city, touching down in an alleyway close to Ritsu’s school, and immediately notices something else. 

His power is being drained. 

Immediately, Shou is on guard. The sensation is minor but there; the slow dripping of his power being siphoned away. Like a leaky faucet dripping water every few minutes, Shou feels the minute weakness that comes with being drained of psychic energy. He walks briskly out of the alleyway and towards Ritsu’s school, not wanting to waste a second with this phenomenon present. He knows with such a slow drip he’ll be fine, he might be a bit weak flying home but he certainly won’t be down for the count. But this sensation has Shou wondering how the other psychics in this city are faring. Have they even noticed this is happening? The worry Shou once had about Ritsu’s health now grows as he narrowly avoids tripping on a root cracking out of the sidewalk. Ritsu could be in some serious trouble with this phenomenon present; the boy spent so many years wishing for powers, it would be catastrophic to see him lose them so quickly after gaining them. Plus, this begs the question: just what is draining his power? As he considers this question, he notices the way the roots squirm and shift. Almost as if they were breathing. Living in a way roots shouldn’t. 

A chill runs down Shou’s spine as he picks up the pace. 

He rounds a corner when he notices something else about the city--how empty it is. Seriously, it’s 5 o’clock on a weekday and Shou hasn’t seen so much as a single person heading home from work. There’s not a car on the road other than the ones parked on the side, though they can hardly be considered usable with the way the roots have swallowed them whole. Businesses appear open but Shou doesn’t see anyone manning the counters or browsing the shelves. The whole city feels like a ghost town, though Shou supposes he’d rather it be a town full of ghosts than a city infested with nothing but roots. It’s almost like the roots have taken the place of people; wrapping around jungle gyms as if to play with them, winding around benches as if to sit on them, and slithering inside apartments as if to live in them. 

Yet, despite all this emptiness, Shou still can’t shake the feeling that he’s being watched. 

Finally, he reaches Salt Middle School and sees the state of utter decay that has befallen the place. The grass is shriveled and dry, as if it hasn’t been watered in weeks, while the walkways are littered in strong, healthy roots. The building itself looks dingy, decrepit, and covered in roots. It kind of reminds Shou of those post-apocalyptic movies where nature has finally reclaimed what man had once built, though the implications of that here make Shou feel uneasy. All the windows are dark, save for the ones where roots have broken the glass, but even then it all looks empty. Not a single student is visible anywhere on the property. No kids loiter outside with nothing to do. No cliques walk on the sidewalk, gossiping about that or another. No clubs practice on the fields. No teachers linger around the sides of the school, having a quick after-work smoke before heading home. There’s nothing --Shou isn’t even sure if the school is open right now. He got here with enough time to catch the afterschool crowd, hoping to find Ritsu coming out of Student Council, but there’s nothing here to suggest he’ll be able to find his friend--

Just as that thought comes to mind, the trill of the afterschool bell rings throughout the courtyard, and suddenly there is life. 

Kids file out of the door in neat little rows like ants marching to their nest. Shou watches in shock as they walk past him, diverting their lines’ path just enough to pardon the intrusion. But all throughout, kids are talking like this isn’t the strangest thing in the world; like the city they live in isn’t slowly being eaten alive by roots and vegetation. He hears talk of basketball games and Geometry tests and something about a “Lord Psycho Helmet” that sounds like something straight out of a manga. Nobody mentions the roots in their way, or the dilapidated state of their school, or the redhead he stands in awe at it all. 

Almost as if they don’t see it. 

Almost as if they don’t care. 

Then, Shou spots him, and everything clicks into place. 

In one of those lines, chatting amicably with what looks to be the Student Council President, is Ritsu Kageyama. Shou feels a flurry of emotions kick up in his stomach at the sight of his friend: relief, happiness, annoyance, fear, fear, so much fear it’s unreal. Without even thinking, he makes his way over to the boy while waving fervently. 

“Ritsu!” He calls out, causing the boy in question and his companion to pause (the line moves around him without hesitation). “Hey, Ritsu! Over here!” It takes Ritsu a second to spot Shou, but once he does he smiles and politely waves. Immediately, Shou falters, almost tripping over his eager feet as realization slams into him. 

Something is very wrong with Ritsu. 

At first glance, he looks normal. His neatly-pressed uniform and spiked-up hairdo look untouched by the roots surrounding them. But Shou knows Ritsu better than anybody, and he knows that the one spot of white on the bottom of his uniform jacket (likely a bit of white-out from his extensive note-taking) would drive him up the wall. If things were normal, he’d be making an effort to hide that infinitesimally small stain from the world, likely with his hand or bag. But Ritsu just stands there, unbothered by the stain. His hair also looks duller than normal, like he hasn’t been taking as much care to keep it healthy and shiny. Another thing he knows Ritsu would do that has seemingly been forgotten. But that’s how Shou knows something is very wrong. 

No, he knew it the second they locked eyes. 

Because his face hardly looks like his own. Skin that once was tanned and healthy now sits sallow and paled over top of his flesh, looking like he was deeply ill. His eyes bore holes into Shou, resembling the dark brown irises Shou is familiar with in color and color alone. No life sits behind those glassy eyes. He stares as if he were staring at nothing--not watching his best friend approach him out of the blue after a month of being apart. There is no happiness there. No surprise. Disgust. Anger. Sadness. Nothing . And his smile--if you could really call it that--looks plastered on his face. It’s not his normal smile, nor his polite smile, nor his “I’m being nice and smiling back but in reality I want to strike you down like an angry god” smile. It’s just a smile. His whole face looks wrong, like someone was describing Ritsu to someone else and those half-baked descriptions became a person. 

Not Shou's person in the least. 

Still, it’s not as if he’s about to turn heel and run off. Not now, when everything about this situation has Shou dying to grab Ritsu and figure out just what is going on. So he continues his approach, goosebumps raising all over as he gets closer to “Ritsu”. 

“Suzuki,” Ritsu greets as Shou nears him, and God, no , that sounds all wrong. There’s none of the warmth and familiarity that typically comes with Ritsu’s voice. “What are you doing here?” 

“Ah, y’know,” Shou says awkwardly, rubbing the back of his neck. He can hardly maintain eye contact with him--every part of his body screams at how wrong this is. “I was just in the area. Thought I’d drop by and see my favorite nerd!” He punctuates his sentence with a laugh that is not reciprocated whatsoever, causing Shou to trail off until they’re left in tense, awkward silence. Then, as if activated by some unseen force, Ritsu turns to the Student Council President and bows slightly. 

“President, I’ll be walking home with Suzuki today.” He suddenly announces, to Shou’s surprise. The older student simply nods and walks off, assimilating back into the line ahead of him and walking until he’s out of sight. With him gone, Ritsu turns back to Shou and smiles before heading in the direction of his house. Shou wordlessly follows him, resigning himself to this weird as fuck day if only to get more answers. 

They’ve separated themselves from the lines of children, but that doesn’t stop Ritsu’s robotic gait as they make their way towards the Kageyama residence. Shou almost struggles to keep up with Ritsu’s impossible pace, but he manages to stay close by. All around them, roots poke out of every possible orifice of the earth--the lone spectator to the conversation that is about to ensue. 

“So, uh, how have you been?” Shou asks, deciding to start small. He can’t possibly watch Ritsu’s face (far too unnerved by what he has already seen) so he sticks to watching the sidewalk in front of him. 

“I’ve been good,” Ritsu replies simply, “Student Council has been very busy these past few weeks.” 

“Is that why I haven’t heard from you?” Shou asks, keeping his tone casual and not at all imbued with the anxious worry that plague him currently. There’s a pause after his question, the only sound being their steps and the occasional mysterious groan (as if the roots were calling out to them; a siren’s song to lull them into mundanity before constricting them). Shou finally looks at Ritsu and sees him staring back at him, expression blank. 

“My apologies,” Ritsu says at last, that same smile back on his face. It makes Shou sick just to look at it. 

This is wrong. All wrong. The real Ritsu would’ve teased the hell out of him for worrying. He’d let out a little snort, probably hip-checking him as he does so, before going into a story about what Shou has missed. A silent apology and explanation all rolled into one. Shou wonders if Ritsu has been drained of more than just his power. That maybe whatever is sapping their psychic energy is also taking their freewill. He shudders to think of what would happen to him if he stayed too long. 

“Hey, what’s with all these roots?” Shou asks, ignoring his racing thoughts. Maybe he can get some intel out of this Ritsu before he jumps to any more conclusions. “The whole city looks overgrown with ‘em.” Ritsu smiles once again as he turns to look straight ahead. 

“These are the roots of the Divine Tree.” Ritsu explains, gesturing to a particularly gnarled root. “They’re harmless, don’t worry. They just need to expand to continue feeding our great tree.” Shou hadn’t been worried about the roots being harmful, though now he feels like he should. 

“They’ve taken over, like, every inch of your school.” Shou points out. “You sure they’re harmless?” 

“Of course!” Ritsu answers immediately, voice laden with a sickeningly sweet tone. Shou resists the urge to shudder at the sound. 

“If you say so…” Shou trails off, not willing to argue about it. They round the corner and suddenly Ritsu’s house is in-view. Shou has to restrain himself from cursing at just how many roots have overtaken the building, as if it were an epicenter of them. There was hardly a patch of house visible beneath the roots--Shou could just make out the front door. And, glancing around, it seems like most of the residencies here have been overrun with them. Shou hesitantly follows behind Ritsu as he approaches the front door, that lingering feeling of being watched trailing him all the way through the entrance of the home. 

“Mom! Dad! I’m home!” Ritsu calls out once they’ve both stepped through the rooted doorway. Shou kicks off his shoes (as if polite, even in these circumstances) just as a figure comes around one of the corners. 

“Oh, you brought a friend?” Mrs. Kageyama asks, and Shou is once again faced with someone who looks so wrong . Mrs. Kageyama typically looks tired but kind; the result of working both as a laborer and as a mother full-time. But this Mrs. Kageyama has none of the regular wit and motherly exasperation to Shou’s random intrusion. She just looks. Not even happy, just…observing. Watching Shou with hollow eyes that are devoid of emotion. 

“Yes, Suzuki stopped by after Student Council. Do you mind if he stays for dinner?” Ritsu replies, catching Shou off guard. 

“Uh, wait, I don’t—“ 

“Of course he can!” Mrs. Kageyama cuts in as if Shou had never spoken, smiling as she starts to turn. “I'll set out another plate. Dinner will be ready soon.” With that, she steps out of the room and leaves Shou and Ritsu in the main entryway. Ritsu takes his shoes off before silently trodding upstairs. He doesn’t ask for Shou to follow him so, for once, he doesn’t. Instead, he makes his way into the living room and sits down on the couch. 

With the windows covered in roots, the whole house feels incredibly dark. Even in the living room, where there’s plenty of artificial light, Shou still feels trapped in some dark hole somewhere. Like he’s trapped inside the root system itself, with nowhere to run and nowhere to hide as the roots slowly siphon all the life from his body. 

To distract himself from such an awful mental image, Shou decides to turn on the TV (after spending a few minutes locating the controller, which is typically resting atop the TV but was instead underneath the couch). He’s soon to find out—after flipping through channel after channel of static—that the TV isn’t connected to any cable service. Which is odd because just one month ago it was. Shou recalls the way the roots had become a thick canopy on the roof and frowns—are they blocking satellite signal? If that’s the case then that would mean this whole neighborhood is without service. And what does that mean for the whole city? Have they been stranded without any contact from the outside world for an entire month? Shou shudders to think of what will happen when they reach the power lines—how the entire city would be plunged into absolute darkness. 

“Suzuki?” Shou nearly jumps out of his ski at the sound of Ritsu’s voice, his hand encased in psychic energy ready to strike. He wills it away to smile up at the raven-haired teen whose eyes bore holes into his skull. 

“Sorry!” Shou exclaims. “Just, uh--Got lost in my thoughts for a sec.” Ritsu nods and walks around the side of the couch to join him, sitting about as close as he usually does. Shou would normally take this opportunity to sling an arm over Ritsu’s shoulders and pull him in to watch stupid videos on his phone. 

Today, Ritsu scoots closer and Shou resists the urge to run. 

“Anything funny?” Ritsu asks, somehow predicting Shou’s exact thoughts as he points to the pocket where Shou keeps his phone. Not wanting to let Ritsu on to the feelings churning in Shou’s gut, he quickly pulls out his phone and turns it on. The screen brightens to reveal a selfie of Shou and Ritsu. Shou has an arm slung over Ritsu’s shoulders, pulling him down enough so the two can smile cheek-to-cheek. In Ritsu’s hand is an incredibly small fish that he holds like a badge of honor. Shou feels a spark of fondness light ; the picture was taken on one of their very first outings after Claw was defeated. Shou hadn’t been fishing in years and Ritsu had never gone, so the two spent the day at a nearby lake with their newly-acquired poles. Most of the day was spent talking about life and eating snacks; but right before they were about to pack up, Ritsu’s line tugged. After reeling it in for a ridiculous amount of time, the two revealed the tiniest little fish they could’ve ever caught. And it was so funny that Shou decided to commemorate that day with a photo. It’s been his lockscreen ever since. 

He dares a glance at Ritsu, desperate to see some kind of recognition in his face, but the boy just stares blankly. 

“Uh, not really,” Shou says with a weak laugh, turning off his phone and stowing it away in his pocket. 

“Boys! It’s time for dinner!” Mrs. Kageyama’s voice rings out through the house, causing both boys to stop what they were doing. Ritsu instantly gets to his feet and walks towards the dining room, with Shou slowly trailing behind. 

Once seated at the dining room table, Shou is immediately affronted by the food waiting for him. It appears to be omurice, but the rice and egg have taken on this sickly green hue. And is that broccoli in the fried rice…? Who the hell puts broccoli in omurice? Shou doesn’t have much time to think it over because suddenly Ritsu’s hand is in his field of vision, and when he looks up he notices the entire table has joined hands and is staring at him expectantly. 

“We’re going to pray,” Ritsu says as a way of an explanation. Shou looks to his other side and sees Mr. Kageyama also offering him a hand, which is the exact moment Shou realizes something. 

There are only four people at this table. 

“Shouldn’t we wait for your brother?” Shou asks. He’s not sure where the older Kageyama sibling could be doing, but certainly his own family wouldn’t want to start dinner without their missing kid. Unless he’s going to be out late and they already know, which Shou doubts. He recalls the boy only being in one club at school, which means it would’ve ended at around the same time Ritsu got out. Which--hold on, wouldn’t that mean Shou would’ve seen him at the school? 

“Ah, you don’t know?” Mrs. Kageyama speaks up, snapping Shou out of his thoughts. He looks to the older woman to see her smiling brightly back at him--a facsimile of pride. “Our boy is working alongside our great Lord Psycho Helmet! Isn’t that wonderful?” Shou’s brow furrows--he isn’t sure who this “Lord Psycho Helmet” is but that’s now the second time he’s heard that name since showing up here.

“Shige was born with a gift,” Ritsu adds on, smiling exactly like his mother. Shou wants to cut in with a, “yeah, dipshit, we have that gift too” but he remains silent. “Lord Psycho Helmet exists as two entities: the true creator and the true founder. Shige exists as the true creator, but was taken in by the true founder to unite the Lord Psycho Helmet religion under one entity. It truly is a remarkable thing, knowing I grew up alongside someone so great…” Shou takes in this information in shock, feeling a hole open up in his stomach. The puzzle is very quickly coming together and Shou isn’t happy with the picture it’s making. 

Still, Ritsu’s hand is outstretched, and Shou doesn’t have all the pieces put together. So he just smiles nervously and takes Ritsu’s hand without a word. The family all bow their heads and begin to mutter out prayers to Lord Psycho Helmet and Shou watches in horror, not saying a single word. Honestly, the whole thing is very surreal to witness--like watching marionette puppets before a little song and dance in that disjointed, clumsy way that puppets do. Shou knows there’s something bigger here pulling the strings, he just doesn’t know what . 

Then, the prayer is over, and dinner begins. 

Things go pretty smoothly, all things considered. Shou watches the Kageyamas interact in much the same way they usually do. Mr. Kageyama cracks jokes that have Mrs. Kageyama rolling her eyes, while Ritsu laughs behind his hand. They ask Shou about school and about his family, and Shou does his best to skirt around the occasional weird question regarding the Lord Psycho Helmet religion. 

“You’re not religious?” Ritsu asks at one point, bringing a spoonful of green rice to his mouth. Shou laughs awkwardly as he continues moving food around his plate, not quite comfortable enough to eat yet. 

“You know I’m not, dude.” Shou replies, “We’ve talked about this before.” There’s a moment of silence following Shou’s words where Ritsu just stares, and Shou swears he can see something like recognition far away in his eyes. It’s gone as soon as it came, though, and Ritsu just nods robotically. 

“Right, right,” he says, “Of course I knew that.” 

Shou laughs again because he isn’t sure how else to answer. 

Eventually, Shou isn’t able to escape the plate of food sitting in front of him. 

Mrs. Kageyama points at it with her spoon and says, “You’ve hardly touched your omurice. Are you not hungry?” Shou looks down at the offending plate and quickly scoops up a bite, not wanting to be rude. Though, the more he stares at it, the more he gets the distinct sense he shouldn’t be eating it. As he slowly brings the bite to his mouth he can hear his mind scream over and over for him to put it down, to run, to get far far away from whatever is on his plate and in this damn house. But Shou is stubborn and he doesn’t have his answers yet, so he tries his best to ignore his thoughts as the spoon comes closer and closer and closer to his mouth until finally--

The spoon warps, dropping the bite unceremoniously onto the table. 

Shou stares at it in shock; his powers have never done such a thing before, or at least not in current memory. He thinks he remembers his mom talking about him bending cutlery when he was little, but that must’ve been before he started training. 

“Sorry, sorry!” Shou says quickly, warping the spoon into its original shape. “I don’t know how that happened, I’m usually very--” And then he stops talking because he finally notices the way the entire table is focused on the spoon. 

Watching it. Studying it like it was something so foreign yet so familiar. Shou sees that same spark in Ritsu’s eyes reflected across each Kageyama as they stare on, unblinking. Shou feels self conscious before confusion takes hold. 

“Um…did I do something weird…?” Shou asks nervously. His voice seems to be the switch that flips everyone into returning to “normal” because that familiarity is gone now, as Mrs. Kageyama quickly gets up and starts collecting everyone’s plates. 

“It’s fine dear. Why don’t I pack this up for you to have later?” She says in a rush as the rest of the table quickly moves to clean up. Shou watches in awe as everything is tidied up in a matter of seconds, and before he knows it he’s being dragged up the stairs by Ritsu. 

The door to Ritsu’s room shuts behind them and Shou watches as Ritsu brushes past him to sit at his desk, pulling out papers and notebooks from his bag to organize on his desk. The room, at least, looks untouched by all the weirdness that has befallen the city--save for the window that is completely blocked out with roots. Shou feels a distinct sense of claustrophobia at that, but he tries his best to ignore the feeling as he turns to Ritsu. 

“What’re you doing?” Shou asks as he walks over to Ritsu’s desk, leaning over his shoulder to see him scribbling down something in one of his many journals. 

“I’m writing out my prayers,” Ritsu replies without looking away from his work. Shou frowns. 

“Dude, seriously?” 

“Yes. I don’t know what’s so weird about that,” Ritsu says, causing Shou to huff. 

“ Everything is weird about it, Ritsu.” Shou says, “I thought you were an atheist?” 

“I had a change of heart. Lord Psycho Helmet helped me see the light.” Ritsu replies, finally shutting his notebook before turning towards Shou with that same creepy smile. “You should really try giving Him a chance before passing judgment.” Shou has a feeling he’ll never be doing that, but he elects against mentioning that. 

“So, what do you want to do? Wanna go out and practice with our psychic powers?” Shou asks, changing the topic. Ritsu looks at him for a long, long moment before shaking his head. 

“Psychic powers aren’t necessary. Lord Psycho Helmet said so.” Ritsu replies, his voice sounding firm and hollow. Shou’s frown deepens. 

“I mean--of course they aren’t, like, necessary but they’re still fun.” Shou counters. “Wasn’t that your whole thing a month ago? That you wanted to start having more fun with your life?” Ritsu looks up at Shou from his chair and Shou resists the urge to shiver at how dead his eyes look. This is hardly his best friend as much as it is a shambling imitation. A doll. A toy for someone else to play with. 

“I am having fun,” Ritsu replies, “Nothing about that has changed.” 

“Dude, everything has changed. You’ve changed!” Shou snaps, finally having had enough. “You act all weird now, and talk like you’re a goddamn robot, and you can hardly remember anything about me! I don’t know what is going on, and I don’t know how you’re not panicking about your house being covered in roots, but I think this all has to do with that Lord Psycho Helmet you’re spending all your time worshiping!” Suddenly, Ritsu gets to his feet and glares down at Shou, his posture hard and dangerous. The few inches he has on Shou succeed in making the redhead feel a little intimidated. 

“ Don’t ,” Ritsu hisses dangerously. “ Bring Lord Psycho Helmet into this .” Shou holds his hands up in defense, not wanting to set Ritsu off further. There’s a danger in the air that grows the longer he stares at Shou and it’s putting him on-edge. After a few seconds, Ritsu relaxes slightly, though he does still look deeply unhappy. “You know what? I think you need to leave.” 

“What?” Shou gapes, shock evident on his features. But Ritsu remains steadfast in his decision, pointing towards the door. “Dude, we just got up here! I’m sorry for being mean to your god, or whatever, but you can’t seriously kick me out like this.” 

“I can and I will,” Ritsu replies, tone hard and cold. “You’ve been nothing but disrespectful all night. Asking weird questions and not eating dinner with us. And don’t think I didn’t hear you pray because I did . I’ve had enough--you need to leave, Suzuki.” Shou opens his mouth to argue, but then he realizes something. 

Ritsu is never going to budge like this. 

As much as Shou loves his friend dearly, there is something bigger at play here. He knows his friend is still in there, but right now he doesn’t have the tools to reach him. And sitting here with him, trying to deduce what is going on, isn’t going to help either. His reconnaissance mission failed, but that’s alright. He has more than enough information to move forward with, whether Ritsu wants to be there for it or not. So Shou simply nods his head, hands still up, and makes his way towards the door. 

“Alright, man. You win--I’ll go,” Shou says in defeat, back towards the door. “But this isn’t gonna be the last you see of me, mark my fuckin’ words.” And with that, Shou leaves Ritsu’s room and practically races to the front door to grab his shoes. Mrs. Kageyama calls after him but he’s out the door before she can even get a word in, Shou taking off into a sprint once he’s outside. The roots around him all rustle and squirm, but he doesn’t care as he feels weightlessness in midair. 

Shou flies high above Seasoning City until all he can see are the tops of buildings and that accursed Divine Tree. He glares at it, flipping it off for good measure, before turning and flying in the direction of his house. Weakness eats away at his limbs as he goes, making him a bit slower, but none of that matters so long as he gets away. The afterimage of roots sit behind his eyelids with each blink, taunting him as he thinks back on everything he learned today. 

Whatever is going on here, it is clear that it has gone on for too long. Someone has to stop that Lord Psycho Helmet from fully infecting the city. Someone has to cut back the roots. And it seems, in this situation, that someone will be Shou Suzuki. 

He’ll get to the bottom of this. For Seasoning City, he must. 

For Ritsu, he will .