Archive of Our Own ^beta

Angel of Testing

In Heaven, Reigen was known as the angel of testing. His job was not to save humanity, but to test its moral fortitude. Can people, even when faced with temptation, remain honest, kind, and choose the right path? Or will they easily succumb to their dark sides?

Reigen was always confident in himself. He was given the most difficult missions. But one day, his superiors sent him to Earth to test everyone around him - not just criminals and swindlers, but everyone who fell under his wing.

Earth became a real test for Reigen. He had to disguise himself as an ordinary person and pretend that he understood all human problems. This mainly involved a lot of verbal improvisation, strange advice, and attempts to look important. He even opened a business called "Spirits and the like", and his "assistant" Mob did not suspect that Reigen was watching not only his clients, but also himself.

And although Reigen knew perfectly well why he was here, he didn’t expect people to be so… complicated.

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1. Mob

It was a normal day at the agency. Another client came in with tears in his eyes and an incredibly dramatic story.

“Please help! My house is cursed! I lost all my money because of an evil spirit, and now it haunts me every day!” the client cried, clutching his head.

Reigen looked at him, slightly narrowing his eyes. This man looked too theatrical. “Obviously he’s lying,” Reigen thought. The perfect case for a test!

“Mob, you’ll handle this. You go to the client’s house, perform a cleansing, and see what can be done,” he commanded, as always, with a majestic look.

Mob nodded seriously.

Later, when Mob returned, Reigen asked a direct question:

“So, was there really a spirit?” Or did the client deceive you?

Mob thought for a moment before answering:

"I don't think there was an evil spirit there. But the client was very scared. I decided to help him so he would feel better."

Reigen was taken aback.

"You knew he was probably lying, but you still helped him?"

Mob shrugged.

"Sometimes people need help, even if they don't always tell the truth."

Reigen tried not to show his surprise, but something inside him trembled. This kid saw the best in people, even when they didn't deserve it. "Well, the first test has been passed. Let's see how it goes," he thought.

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2. Ritsu

One day, Reigen found himself alone with Ritsu. Mob had left for another call, and the younger brother was waiting in the office. Reigen noticed Ritsu leafing through a magazine with a look of complete concentration.

“I wonder how he feels next to his brother, who has such powers?” Reigen thought. It seemed like the perfect opportunity to test him.

“You know, Ritsu, your brother is an incredibly talented guy,” Reigen suddenly began. “He has no equal. At his age, having such power is simply amazing.”

Ritsu raised his head, his eyes narrowing slightly.

“Yes, he really is very strong,” he answered calmly.

But Reigen was not going to stop.

“Sometimes, it must be hard to be in his shadow, right?” He tried to speak casually, but his tone was clearly provocative.

Ritsu exhaled tensely and put the magazine aside.

"You know," he said, looking straight into Reigen's eyes, "I've always been proud of my brother. He is who he is because he is kind. And I want to become like him."

Reigen froze. He hadn't expected that answer.

"Even if he is better than you in some ways?" Reigen asked, determined to see it through to the end.

"Even if he is better than me," Ritsu answered firmly.

Reigen chuckled slightly. This was another unexpected result. He had expected envy or resentment, but instead Ritsu showed genuine love and pride for his brother.

"These people... are not at all what I expected," Reigen thought, leaning back in his chair.

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3. Dimple

One evening, when there were no clients in the office, Dimples materialized in the middle of the room, clearly bored.

"Hey, Reigen," he began with a smirk, "why don't you give me some of your energy? Well, just a little. I could get stronger again."

Reigen smirked back. It was just what he needed for his next challenge.

"Energy? Yeah, that sounds interesting," he said, seeming thoughtful. "But how about... this?" He pulled out a small talisman from the drawer, emitting a barely noticeable glow.

Dimples immediately became wary.

"What is this?" he asked, narrowing his eyes.

"This talisman can draw a little energy from people nearby. If you want, you can try it. Of course, no one will notice," Reigen offered innocently.

Dimples paused, as if considering the offer. His eyes gleamed – the idea was tempting.

But then he suddenly sighed and waved it off.

“Oh, come on, Reigen. I’ve been hanging out with these kids for too long to go back to being some pathetic parasite. Besides, if I return to my old strength, who would want to be with me anyway?”

Reigen was surprised inwardly.

“So you’d rather stay in gas form… like you are now?” he asked with feigned skepticism.

“Sure,” Dimples snorted. “I may be a spirit, but I’ve learned one thing. People don’t want to be around evil people. They want someone who’s just there, even if they’re small and weak.”

Reigen was silent for a long moment, then slowly tucked the talisman back into the drawer.

“Hmm, that’s an unexpectedly smart decision,” he muttered.

“What did you think?” — Dimples chuckled, disappearing into thin air.

“This spirit… it seems he’s starting to understand people better than I do,” Reigen thought, a little confused.

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4. Serizawa

Serizawa was Reigen's most trusted employee. But that day, Reigen decided to test how far his loyalty and self-confidence would go.

"Serizawa, I'm going to meet a client. You stay in charge in the office," Reigen said, getting ready to walk out the door.

Serizawa fidgeted nervously.

"But... I've never managed things without you. What if a client comes?"

"Then you can handle it yourself," Reigen waved his hand dismissively. "You're a grown man now, it's time to learn to make decisions."

Reigen left, leaving Serizawa alone. After a while, a client did indeed come to the office - a stern man in a business suit who demanded that his office be cleared of spirits immediately.

"Well, uh... Sure," Serizawa began, trying to look confident. He tried to follow all the instructions that Reigen had taught him, but the client kept asking questions and clearly doubting his competence.

Serizawa felt himself starting to panic. But instead of being completely at a loss, he gathered his courage.

"Sorry, but I can't give you an answer right now. I have to consult with Reigen," he said honestly.

The client snorted, but agreed to wait.

When Reigen returned, he heard Serizawa's report and appreciated his honesty.

"So you decided not to take on something you can't handle yet? That's not bad," he said, trying to hide his satisfaction.

Serizawa blushed at the praise.

"Not only is he honest, but he also knows when to ask for help. I didn't expect that," Reigen thought.

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5. Teruki

Teruki walked into Reigen's office on a quiet day. Reigen immediately realized that something was wrong. The usually self-confident and energetic guy looked thoughtful and absent-minded.

"Hey, Teru, what's wrong with you?" Reigen asked, cracking a joke.

Teruki sat down on the couch and sighed heavily.

"Someone set me up at school. They said that I cheated on the exam. It wasn't true, but now all the teachers don't believe me."

Reigen thought about it.

"Hmm, and you're angry?"

"Of course!" Teruki answered sharply. "It's not fair! I want to find whoever did this and teach them a lesson."

"The perfect time to test them," Reigen thought.

"What if you forgive them?" he suddenly suggested.

"Forgive them?" — Teruki asked, shocked.

— Well, yeah. Instead of taking revenge, try talking to him. Maybe he didn't do it because he wanted to hurt you, but because he was in a tough spot himself.

Teruki looked like he'd heard something completely ridiculous.

— Do you really think this will work?

— You won't know until you try it, — Reigen smirked.

A few days later, Teruki returned to the office. This time, he looked calm and even pleased.

— So, how did it go? — Reigen asked.

— You were right, — Teruki admitted. — The guy was just scared. He thought he'd get expelled for bad grades. I talked to him, and now we seem to be getting along.

Reigen tried to hide his surprise.

"Good job," he said dryly, but inside he felt a twinge of pride.

These kids continue to amaze me, he thought as he watched Teruki walk out of the office with renewed confidence.

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+ 1.

It was the end of December. Mob, Ritsu, Serizawa, Dimples, and Teruki had decided to throw a New Year's party right in Reigen's office. He himself had been told about it at the last minute.

"A party? Here?" Reigen was surprised, standing in the middle of a room decorated with garlands, tinsel, and a small artificial tree.

"Of course," Mob said, smiling. "We wanted to celebrate the New Year together."

"That would be great!" Teruki chimed in, helping to hang up the last decorations.

Reigen tried to look indifferent. In fact, he didn't understand human holidays. For an angel, such things seemed useless. But looking at the shining faces of his friends and colleagues, he decided to resign himself to it.

Soon, the guests arrived. Everyone ate, laughed, and exchanged humorous gifts. Even Dimples participated, although he occasionally grumbled that there were too few tangerines for him.

"Reigen," Serizawa suddenly said, coming closer, "do you... celebrate New Year's?"

Reigen hesitated, but then blurted out,

"Of course! I always celebrate. Just... in my own way."

Serizawa nodded, not suspecting anything strange.

When the chimes struck, everyone raised their glasses of soda and shouted,

"Happy New Year!"

Reigen raised his glass and looked at everyone present. They were laughing, hugging, sharing plans for the future. He suddenly felt a warmth he rarely felt.

"These people... They're not that bad," he thought.

At that moment, Reigen realized that the tests he set up weren't revealing people's dark sides, but something more important - their kindness, their faith in others, and their power to forgive. And even though he was an angel hiding his essence, he allowed himself to smile and just enjoy this moment with them.

The end. And whoever listened, well done!