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As an adult, Reigen liked to have a drink every now and again. It was a social thing more than getting actually drunk for the sake of it or whatever. After a particularly long day at the office, he figured he deserved to treat himself!
Problem was, he was already on the train when he decided this. Going back the other direction to his usual bar would have been a hassle. So, he just decided to stop at a random bar at the next stop.
It really shouldn’t have been a big deal. He picked one tucked away in a busy if not kind of sleazy district.
He whistled when he walked in. “Geez, for such a bad location this place looks pretty nice!” It was like a hidden gem!
There were only like, ten people max here. Eh, it was small, but being where it was, he expected it to be busier! He must have come at a good time! The people in here looked eclectic, but he was never one to judge. Not out loud at least; unless they had it coming. But they were staring, and that was a bit rude, wasn’t it?
“Look, I realize I’m not a regular, but you guys need to work on your customer service smiles or something.” He tried to shrug it off, pulling up on one of the barstools.
“Um? This isn’t a public business.” A guy with a lot of weird hands all over him mumbled.
“What, really? Then why was the door unlocked? Seems disturbing to think just anyone could walk in, doesn’t it?”
He looked around at the patrons in the bar for the first time. And blinked.
“Actually, which one of you is in charge? You’re aware a kid is in your bar, that’s definitely illegal. And hey, are you dressed up like Stain? That’s distasteful, you know he killed people, right?”
“Distasteful-?! We- you-!” The guy sputtered. Reigen doubted he had an actual justification for the costume if he couldn’t even form a basic comeback.
"I'm not that young!" The girl in what was clearly a school uniform protested.
“Boss, this guy has no idea who we are! We’re so famous, that’s majorly rude!” A guy in full spandex said.
“Huh, wait, should I?”
The hand guy got all puffed up, sitting straighter on his stool.
“You will soon enough, we’re the lea-”
“Tomura Shigaraki, we shouldn’t be too hasty in saying anything– he seems to be telling the truth, he most likely came in by accident…” The bartender interrupted the hand guy.
Actually, they’d all been very on edge since he came in… like they were up to something shifty. He knew shifty people when he saw ‘em.
"He could be lying.” Hand guy- Tomura Shigaraki? said. “Hey, are you some sort of hero?”
“We can hardly just let him walk out." A... magician? A magician said.
Reigen had just wanted a drink. Now, he thought leaving might actually be the right move. He hopped off the stool, waving his hands defensively.
"Hey, hey, let’s not be hasty! No, I’m no hero, except to those being haunted, possessed, or otherwise inconvenienced by spirits! I'm Reigen Arataka, the greatest psychic in modern history! Now, you might not believe me, but me coming in here? Well, let's just say I wasn't blindly stumbling in!" He had been. "I sensed a great and terrible energy from this place!"
"...Really? What, like a ghost or whatever?" The teen girl asked, looking around and biting her lip nervously. "Tomura, that's kinda scary. I didn't hear about that when you recruited us..."
"He's bluffing. Obviously. He came in by accident and he’s just trying to cover his ass with some fake story." A guy with patchwork skin scoffed. "I can take care of him." His hands were starting to smoke.
“I’m an actual professional psychic, look me up online right now!” He huffed, indignant. The teenage girl was the first to pull her phone out, several cutesy charms hanging off it. After a quick series of taps, she hummed and nodded.
“Yeah, he’s like, got a website…and he had a total cancel era on twitter a year ago.” Reigen did his best not to flush red and protest.
“I recall that, too,” The magician nodded. “I got second-hand embarrassment from such a poor performance, it was some sort of fake exorcism-”
“Oh shit, what’d he get canceled for?!” The spandex guy was beside her in an instant. “Ohhh, wait, I remember seeing that press conference! This guys a total fraud! He’s legit, Shigaraki!”
“Yes, I am! Legitimate, that is. And your place is in desperate need of my services. I’m not usually one to do free consultations; but it’s bad. You need help with this!” He said, pointedly ignoring the other, more offensive statements about him being a ‘poor performer’ or being ‘canceled’.
"...Well, it seems like we have a celebrity in our midst. Stand down, Dabi, I want to hear where he's going with this." Shigaraki waved the other guy- Dabi? off. Good- that was good, they seemed to listen to him, at least a little bit. He was the one to focus on.
"Of course you do! The problem is very serious. And hey, before we go further, can you take off those plastic hands? I can barely hear you, and it's rude. Why are you wearing all of them inside, anyway? Something to do with your quirk or what?”
“...You can’t just come in here making demands,” Shigaraki grumbled. But he actually took the hand off his face and slid it into his hoodie pocket. “You still want a drink? You did come in here like you were going to order one.”
“Well, I should probably be sober for this, but the energies were so overwhelming it almost made me want to get drunk. You know, to try and numb it. When you have such bad sensitivity to spiritual energies, it can be hard.” Reigen nodded, and paced the room. Everyone in the room leaned back when he got near them; geez, they were a jumpy bunch. “I have to feel out the energies, it’s a huge, terrible mass! It could bring some serious bad luck. We have to figure out the source; could be a curse, could be an actual haunting…”
“Why’re we entertaining this, Shigaraki? This seems like a waste of time.” Stain cosplayer scoffed.
“C’mon, it’s kind of fun, Spinner. You never had fun trying to scare your friends with ghost stories?” The teenager asked.
“These are more than just stories…”
“Toga Himiko!” She introduced herself.
“Right, well, this is very real and very serious, Toga. Have any of you been having extraordinarily bad luck lately? Would anyone have reason to dislike any of you, to the point of holding a grudge?”
“Uhhh,” Spandex said.
“You could say that, yeah, we all have had bad luck.” Spinner muttered.
“Hmmm, possibly a group cursing? Or a haunting at this very location that follows you all... Treating it can be hard, if I don’t have specifics. Luckily, I’m an expert! There are ways to tell the exact nature of bad energy.”
He circled the room once again, making a show of closing his eyes and throwing his hands around, like he was literally ‘feeling’ the energy.
“Yes, yes, I see…”
He threw a finger out, pointing at the TV on the wall.
“That is where the energy is coming from!”
Here was the idea of this scheme: he recognized that TV model; he’d been looking for a new TV for the office this week, since the old one got broken recently by a particularly intense exorcism involving a mop and incense. (…It was fine, it was covered by insurance.)
After doing the first casing of the room, he realized they would have had to buy that one recently, since it was practically brand new.
He was planning on telling them a spirit was attached to it, from the factory where a worker died assembling it, or something.
Then, he was going to perform a dramatic exorcism, and get the hell out of here.
Only, Shigaraki looked stunned. Way more stunned than he should, not incredulous, but like he actually was believing it. …Was he actually scared of ghosts or something? Shigaraki exchanged a look with the bartender, who’s yellow eyes were also wide.
“The bad energies are coming from there,” Shigaraki repeated, pointing at the TV.
“...Yes, I’m sure of it.” Reigen nodded firmly, putting his hands on his hips. “So, I have a few hunches, but most likely-”
“It’s not a ghost.” Shigaraki interrupted him. “But you must actually be able to sense energies. Wow. That’s pretty impressive.”
“Not a spirit? …Well, my mistake? You seem to have an idea of what it is, though. I can offer protective talismans, if you’re interested! Or a complimentary salt cleansing-”
“That probably wouldn’t work. …But it would be pretty funny–”
“Tomura Shigaraki, that would be disrespectful.”
“It’s where we speak with my Sensei.” Shigaraki clarified. “Not a spirit, but it’s probably his, uh, energy?”
And oh.
Something about Shigaraki connecting ‘bad energies from the TV’ to his ‘Sensei’ so quickly didn’t sit well with Reigen. Since he also had a student and all. Come to think of it, Shigaraki looked pretty young, scars aside, didn’t he? Reigen frowned.
“Yeah? Does he usually have…bad energies?”
Shigaraki didn’t really answer, he just gave a sort of bitter smile and brought his hand to his neck, like it was a nervous tick. He shrugged noncommittally.
Aw. Aw man. Reigen seriously couldn’t leave in good conscience now…
“Well…well! There are certainly ways to defend against other’s bad energies! Even if it’s not necessarily a spirit issue, I deal in all kinds of mediums, including energy work. Consider me a jack of many trades. How old did you say you were, Shigaraki?”
“...I didn’t say.”
“Well, you seem young! It’s good you have so many friends here,” He gestured to the others, who looked very interested in the conversation. It was like having a whole audience. “Right, you guys? You all wanna help your friend, right?”
“I’ll help Tomura-kun!” Toga offered. “I want to do spirit work, too! Will you let me help, Reigen? Please?” She clasped her hands together.
“I can’t say no to someone so earnest! Okay! But it could be dangerous, so you have to follow my instructions exactly.”
She nodded eagerly.
“Hey, I wasn’t asking for help–” Shigaraki hissed. “What, are you going to do some kind of ritual or something?”
“I thought you said you wanted to see where he was going?! Are you embarrassed, Shigaraki?” The spandex guy asked.
“That’s right, are you embarrassed, Shigaraki?” Dabi teased.
“No! Fine, what are we doing?”
Ah…this brought Reigen back to his school days, having friends to tease around with…they looked scary, but clearly, they had some kind of bond, to be so casual with each other.
“Well, before we do it, I need some more information. See, spirit work is delicate. Yes, even just the slightest wrong energy can throw off my concentration, or sour a ritual. Just a little about everyone present should work; we have to make sure you’re all in good spirits- ha, pun intended- before we start…otherwise, it may not work. So, if any of you have problems, let’s hear them so we can get them resolved before we start!”
“...What, you want us to…tell you our issues? What the hell are you talking about?” Dabi actually looked very uncomfortable. “No way in hell.”
“Dabi, if we don’t, Shigaraki will be full of ghosts.” Toga said, very seriously. “And he’ll probably explode or something.”
“...I am not 'full of ghosts',” Shigaraki said.
“Yeah, but you might be if we don’t do this!” She was doing the arguing for him. Even if she was getting it wrong. Reigen snorted behind his hand.
“I like your bold attitude! I didn’t introduce myself, but I’m Twice!” Finally, a name for the spandex guy. “No I’m not. Anyway, My quirk resulted in me fighting myself, and if I don’t keep covered with my mask, I split! I love it- it’s the worst- ugh- see? My past was rough, but this is a place I can belong!”
“That must have been really rough.” Reigen said, even though he really had no idea what Twice meant at all. He could at least understand wanting somewhere to belong. He’d personally carved out his own little place like that, and he was pretty proud of it himself.
“Having a support system is important. And the mask helps- it’s like a support item for you?” Twice gave him a thumbs up. “That’s great! Glad you figured out something to help you out, then!”
“He’s severely understating how bad it is.” Spinner said under his breath.
“And what about you, then?”
“W-What about me? There’s nothing wrong with me!”
“Hmm, are you sure? Your energies are very insecure.” He heard Toga and Dabi snickering about that. Spinner’s cheeks reddened.
“Fine, I have a terrible quirk and I was a shut-in until recently! I couldn't do anything like become a hero or a member of regular society because of it! Happy?”
“I mean, I don’t have a quirk or run around with my underwear on the outside of a tacky costume like heroes do, and I’m running a very successful, very legitimate business. ‘Course, I’m gifted with psychic abilities, but that’s beside the point!” He threw his arm around Spinner’s shoulder, making him yelp.
“Look, buddy. A good friend of mine was also a shut-in, and he’s doing amazingly now! He just needed a little help. I’ll tell you what I told him: you just need to start thinking for yourself instead of following others! Screw Stain, what is it you want?”
“What I want? Uh…I want to carry out Stain’s goals! And to tear down this society that has such awful heroes and discrimination!”
“...We can workshop that,” Reigen stroked his chin, thinking hard. “If things are hard for you because you’re a heteromorph, there’s more productive ways to go about trying to make that better. What was it about Stain that you liked? Uh, besides, the murder stuff. What drew you to him?”
“Mr. Stainy had a blood quirk! And he looked sooo cool, covered in it and all beat up.” Toga giggled. Reigen decided to ignore that statement.
“Uh! Well, I didn’t like him because of that.” Spinner shook his head. “No, it’s ‘cause he…I guess because he…it felt like he really cared about weeding out the ‘fakes’! Heroes who just do it for the sake of popularity and don’t really help those who need it!”
“Justice, you like justice!” Reigen clarified.
“That’s right! Exactly!”
“...So maybe instead of trying to emulate a serial killer- who went to jail, by the way- uh, pursue law?”
“...Law,” Spinner’s whole face dropped. “What?”
“C’mon, think about it. You could learn to make the calls, persecute people you think deserve it.”
“I guess..I could have made sure Stain didn’t go to jail?”
“That probably would have fallen to a criminal defense attorney, so yeah. And you could make sure bad heroes- which, I’m not arguing that those don’t exist, god knows they’ve caused me to be late to work more than once- go on to actually be punished accordingly!”
“...I guess I never thought about it like that…you think I could?”
“I know you could! I mean, you already said you were a shut-in, yet you’re here right now! The hardest part, leaving the comfort zone, is long past! Law school can be expensive, but with loans and smart money management-”
“Oi, stop trying to convert my party members into NPCs- this has nothing to do with spirits.” Shigaraki snapped.
“It does, I already explained I need everyone present to have decently positive energies for my cleansing to be efficient! That means no bad energies lingering from past issues!” Reigen said.
Then- it occurred to him, he was pretty sure he had actually seen Shigaraki before. Hadn't he? He paid decent enough attention to the news. Some guy wearing hands had attacked UA a while back. A class full of first years, if he remembered right.
"And you know what? No matter what your issues, violence against kids hardly seems like a rational solution; it’s not like the kids put those laws in place. I mean, you’re all adults for god’s sake! Except the literal kid here!" He frantically waved in Toga’s direction. “None of you are stepping up and being good role models!”
“Oh Toga, I’m so sorry!” Twice cried. “I’ll be better, I’ll try my best to be worse! You're starved of good influences! I struggled when I was your age, too!”
“She’s a wanted criminal. She literally drained people of all of their blood.” Dabi said. "Since you seem to have figured out who we are. She's just as dangerous as the rest of us."
And there it was. Reigen had had his suspicions…what, with everyone being so shifty, but Dabi confirming it out loud put him in that position of knowing for sure, which meant leaving without incident would be much harder. Reigen never backed down from a challenge, though. He’d already gotten to some of them, he could tell.
Being quirkless, words had always been his best defense. Though if it came to it, he did have a green belt.
Not that he was going to fight a kid. The rest of them were fair game if it came down to it...
Toga looked away, face red. Reigen swallowed.
“Yeah?”
“Yeah, I did. You got a problem with it? It's how I like to live!"
“Why?”
“Why?” She repeated. “What?”
“I mean, you had a reason, right? Why? I actually did notice you seem to have fangs. Does it have to do with your quirk?”
“It does! I love blood! And when I love someone, I want to drink theirs and become them! I- no adults have ever asked why…” She played with the edges of her cardigan. "I thought talking to Stainy about it would be nice..."
“...And if I remember right, Stain had a blood quirk, too…ah. Okay.” He nodded. “You just had bad quirk management? You think if you got blood regularly you would be able to go without draining people entirely? I mean, just think about it like this: you wouldn’t want someone to come and suck all your blood, would you?”
“...Well, no,” She admitted. “But…”
“Right, exactly, so you shouldn’t do it to others! If you absolutely need it, I can try and get in touch with an old doctor friend of mine, she’d probably be able to get you access to some if it’s for a quirk-support reason…I did an exorcism for her, back last Spring…”
She started crying.
“Hey-! It’s okay! You’re young, so I had to guess if you were in a place like this– geez, I’m really the first adult to suggest any of this? You need a hug?” She didn’t hesitate. Well. That sucked. He could only guess what her home life had been like.
“You broke the crazy brat.” Dabi muttered.
“No one can help what side effects their quirks have; in the end, all that matters is trying to be a good person!” Reigen patted her head.
“I tried so hard to be good for Mama and Papa, but if they would’ve just let me have a little blood– if the cops or heroes catch me–”
“I know, it can be rough.” He soothed. “Well, it’ll be okay. We’ll figure something out.” Actually, he had no idea if it would be, but dang it, when a kid was crying on you, you didn’t say that!
Some heroes could be really unreasonable when it came to villains, even kids, no matter how good Reigen was at talking… maybe he could forge some documents and make her dye her hair and change her name or something to keep her away from jail. She obviously wasn’t that bad of a kid; since he'd been here, she had been social and warm, and eager to help him. Mob could be scary on occasion, too, when he went all out with his powers, and he had had accidents where people got hurt, but he was also a good kid trying his best, who just needed guidance…this was a little different, but not too much, right?
She pulled away, sniffling. “I’m gonna go to the bathroom ‘nd clean up, sorry for crying on you…”
“Nah, it’s okay, this suit is due for a wash anyway.”
She gave him a shaky smile, and wandered off towards the back of the bar. Twice chased after her, and Reigen assumed it was to comfort her.
That one had been rough. He clapped as if it hadn’t happened, turning to the magician.
“No thank you.”
“You can't just opt out! I have a lot of questions for you! You're wearing a mask and a top hat indoors, why? Is it related to helping with your quirk, like Twice?”
"No, it's purely aesthetic. For the sake of showmanship!"
"...Sure. So you're some kind of performer!" Reigen guessed.
"Precisely!"
"That's a productive way to spend your time. So you put on public shows or something?"
"...Well, not exactly. I'm not after money or fame, I simply intend to use my magic to teach the world that this society is broken! I assure you, I'm perfectly balanced when it comes to 'energies', though."
"You realize that kind of thing isn't something someone 'perfectly balanced' would say..." Reigen said. He realized he didn't even know this guy's name, and he didn't seem to be offering it, either.
“Listen. I know someone like myself when I see them.” He tilted his head. “And I assure you, I’m not in need of your 'services'; aside from maybe bringing you with me to underground poker games, since you seem to be a master at bluffing." He pulled out his card and slid it to Reigen. ...Reigen decided he would accept that poker offer and try again with this guy later. If nothing else, he'd get a good profit from it. He put the business card away in his breast pocket. "I do suggest Dabi next, though.”
“No, I pass, too–”
“Come on, don’t you care about Shigaraki at all? I know you have terrible energies! I wouldn’t even need to be such a great psychic to know you were ready for a fight when I walked in! What has you so angry?”
“Dabi, I want to know, too.” Shigaraki added in. “Don’t you care about me at all?” He mimicked Reigen.
“Oh shut up, you know I don’t. I’m here for my own goals and a shitty conman isn’t going to be able to help.”
“Well, you don’t know that!” Spinner argued. “He feels legit- I really feel much lighter after talking to him! Like- full of hope or whatever!”
“Because you’re gullible as hell. A few placating, nice words aren’t going to do anything for me. My ambition is way bigger than anything you can understand.”
“Like Spinner said,” Reigen made a sweeping gesture towards Dabi. “Let me be the judge of that! It’s more than just words– I’ve been cleansing energies!”
“I don’t have an energy problem, I have a problem with heroes. Like- top heroes. Endeavor- and Miruko, All Might, and Hawks. People like that.” He added the other names quickly. But the way he’d said Endeavor’s name…the burns all over him… Reigen cringed. Endeavor wasn’t known for going easy on his targets. Had Dabi gotten in a fight with him or something?
“You two have a past…yeah, I can see it clearly.” Reigen nodded. Dabi immediately tensed. Reigen was an expert of reading people, if nothing else, and Dabi was absolutely gearing up to fight him. “Hold your horses, let me finish…I won’t go into detail, since we both know the details; I am a psychic, after all! It’s your prerogative to keep it a secret!” Dabi barely relaxed at that.
“You can actually read minds or pasts or something?” Dabi asked slowly.
“Oh, past with who?” Shigaraki asked. "He's been clammed up about even his real name."
“No, shut up. You. If you can actually…see my past or whatever…you should know what I intend to do.” Get revenge? It seemed too obvious. “So there’s nothing you can do, since I want to see him suffering.”
“Understandable! Perfectly, totally understandable. I’m not going to trivialize your trauma and suffering.” He patted Dabi’s shoulder. Dabi was very quick to draw back, eyeing him for any sign of a trick.
“Is that all, then?” Dabi asked. “Just, ‘okay then, go on and take your revenge’? No moralizing bullshit?”
“You seem to be an adult. It doesn’t matter, really, what I say; I mean, I’m no one to you.”
“...Right,” Dabi agreed.
“And I have experience in things like that! I mean, not listening to people. My very own mother emails me every month with listings for ‘real’ jobs. So I’m not sure someone who isn’t willing to be receptive to advice would listen in the first place. I know when not to waste my breath.”
“That’s not the same at all.” Dabi frowned. “You really have no comments at all.”
The ole reverse psychology was getting to him. Reigen shrugged, choosing his words carefully.
“I’d just say it’s not worth going to jail over yourself. I mean, wouldn’t it be better to let him get punished and you be alive and well to enjoy seeing it? From a safe distance? Going after him yourself would be a suicide mission.”
“It’s something I’d die for. Easily. Happily. I’m practically already dead as it is.”
“There’s no one you’d want to live for?” He asked softer. Dabi hesitated. Ah, there it was. He’d thrown the mom comment out as a random example without much thought, but he’d seen the way Dabi had flinched. It had been barely noticeable, but it had been there. He’d probably been thinking of his own family.
“Is it that you don’t think they’d want to see you?”
“You’re the real deal, aren’t you? You should know they wouldn’t.”
“I know you think they wouldn’t; can’t exactly tell you what they’d really think, unless they were in this room. Then I could probably read their minds for you. But, you don’t know they wouldn’t either, unless you try.”
“He's gotta pay. He hurt them, too. And–mom.” Endeavor hit Dabi’s mom-?! What the hell? Reigen looked at him- really looked, and oh. Ohh.
“Men who hit women are the worst, most despicable cowards there are. You know what I’d do if someone hit my mom? Actually, I don’t even want to think about it; just in case I didn’t make it clear, your anger? Is totally justified.”
“But he won’t get punished. He’s above the law–”
“I’ll tell you what– and normally, I’m not one to do this, because I have a student to set a good example for, but… I’m gonna offer you one of my very special, exclusive packages. I understand you want to do it yourself, but…but how about we talk about it after we take care of Shigaraki?”
“...At least give me an idea of what you’re offering in this ‘package’ deal…”
Reigen leaned in and whispered it. Dabi’s eyes grew twice their size, and were practically sparkling.
“You could do that? You’re- you’re not bluffing?”
“Nope, when it comes to things like this, you can trust me.”
Dabi nodded, then sat down in almost a daze.
“Sure. Okay. We can talk more about it in private later. You’re actually not such a bad guy.”
“Now!” He turned, pointing to the barkeeper. “I literally didn’t even get your name, that feels rude!”
“My apologies, I’m Kurogiri. But as far as, erm, 'bad energies'–”
“He’s a total workaholic. Look, none of us are even drinking and he’s still behind the bar cleaning all the time instead of on this side with the rest of us. What’s up with that?” Shigaraki asked.
“I enjoy cleaning; it’s my job to look after you.” Kurogiri tried to argue.
“Is that how it is? Well, if you spend all of your time taking care of someone else, when do you get time to take care of yourself? It’s bad to make others worry, especially if they’re people you’re caring for. It can make them feel guilty.”
“I didn’t say I felt guilty, it’s just annoying; he’s like a helicopter mom–”
“Tomura-”
“See?”
“Reigen-san,” Kurogiri said, very politely but obviously strained. “I appreciate what you’ve been doing, though I regret I couldn’t do it myself; but I am perfectly capable of caring for myself.”
“Great to hear! In that case, you can book yourself a massage at my business! And if you want we can talk more about how you can help these kids, too. You’ll be able to alleviate any regrets.” He winked, saying the last part more quietly.
“...You said you were a psychic, what do you mean you also do massages?” Shigaraki asked. "Isn't that kind of shady?"
“I did say I’m a man of many talents!” He cleared his throat. “Okay, so I feel like most the negative energy in the room has been cut down by a lot. Probably enough by now to actually work on the real problem.” He slid back onto a bar stool, a comfortable two seats away from Shigaraki.
“Getting bad energies attached to you from someone else can be a really serious problem. It’s a lot like catching a cold, in a way! Except it makes your very inner spirit— your soul get sick!”
“Huh,” Shigaraki said. He rested his chin on his palm, doing an impressive impression of someone who was bored. But his eyes were sharp and focused on Reigen. He resisted the urge to tug at his collar under such an intense gaze.
“And when that happens, you're very vulnerable to psychic attacks, curses, and even…” He leaned closer to Shigaraki, “spiritual possessions.”
“This is so stupid.” Shigaraki said. But he was still listening, not moving to attack or anything, so Reigen took it as a good sign.
“Hey Shigaraki, I think he actually is the real deal. There’s no way he could’ve known about my...personal business if he wasn’t.” Dabi said. “Hear him out.”
"That's right! I told you!" Spinner agreed.
“No, I know exactly what kind of person he is. Someone who goes around touting morals and acts all high and mighty because he obeys laws. You know humans make laws, and humans are flawed, so why should I bother listening?”
“Oh, it’s worse than I thought.” Reigen shook his head. “The worst of the energies are so accumulated it might as well be a curse. Curses are like ticks, you see. Even if I were to sit here and— as you say— 'moralize', to you, you’ve already gotten what’s basically a nasty virus from this 'tick'. Just to confirm…you’ve been really angry, haven’t you? You know you want to accomplish your goals, but your head feels all muddled; you might feel hopeless, or sick when you do bad deeds or hurt people, right? Because you know they’re wrong, laws aside.”
“Shut up. That sounds so fake." His hand was twitching.
“See, a part of you wants to violently lash out when I say all this; but you’re capable of fighting that, right? It’s not really what you wanna do, it’s just that nasty energy you’ve got built up after years of exposure to someone pushing it on you. Am I right? It's kind of like when a dog gets rabies; they can't help it, not really! The urge to lash out and spread it is irresistible!”
“I…no one else was there. I had no choice but to accept him.” Shigaraki paused. "By the way, there's no cure for rabies, so that's a bad metaphor."
“Well, that aside, look around! You’ve got plenty of people now! You’ve gotta live in the moment, not in the past! You’re a perfectly capable young man. You could easily rejoin society—”
Shigaraki actually lunged at him, wrapping a hand around his throat. Reigen had to throw his arm out and grab the bar to avoid falling backwards off his stool. Shigaraki glared at him.
“Why would I want to join a society that ignores a kid?!”
Reigen put his own hand on top of Shigaraki’s glaring right back.
He had just wanted a drink. He wasn't about to die for such a stupid thing; he was gonna walk out here. He smelt smoke, heard a sword unsheathing off to the side of the bar. He didn't dare look over, but it seemed like Spinner and Dabi were poised to step in, if they had to. Shigaraki didn't bother looking over at them, either.
“So you can be someone who doesn’t? You’re an adult now so you can be there for kids in equally bad circumstances! Change has to start with earnest effort and hard work! You wouldn't be so mad if you didn't think I had a point!”
“The only thing I’m good at is destroying things. And watching you waltz in here with such a cocky attitude and promising my team anything they want, like you know what's best for them is pissing me off-”
“Then it sounds like you’re long overdue to learn some news skills! Unless you’re saying it’s too hard- that you can’t do that much? I'm not just confident, I'm right. You-you can learn to do that, too!”
Shigaraki drew his hand back. Reigen rubbed his neck, clearing his throat again. Oof, that would bruise. Shigaraki took a step back, then slowly sat down again.
“If I was going to.. whatever it was you said I needed to do. Get rid of the…bad energy…what would I do?”
Thank god. He was listening. Reigen wiped sweat off his own brow and sighed.
“Well, it’s easy. You just need to cut off the source of the bad energy, and start- well, remember the cold comparison? What do you do when you’re sick?”
“Take medicine? …You aren’t going to try and sell some fake herbs or oils, are you?”
“Right! I mean, no! No fake oils. The medicine is right, but metaphorical. Like…spiritual medicine. To combat bad, negative energy, you have to put in the effort to seek out good energy. Let's see…you want to start small, so you don’t get overwhelmed. What’re some things you enjoy?”
“I hate everything.” He muttered.
“That’s not true. You like playing games with us.” Spinner pointed out.
“Gaming! Okay, let’s work with that. You make time to have some fun gaming time, let’s say…once or twice a week with friends. Routines are critical! And…hm. Hygiene is important. I think confidence in your appearance can do wonders for your overall spiritual wellness. Stop slouching so bad, get a haircut or brush it and tie it back, and change out of those pajamas.”
“They- they aren’t pajamas.” Shigaraki said, crossing his arms. But he did straighten his posture.
“I have been trying to get him to do that for years.” Kurogiri sulked. Reigen nodded sympathetically. Kids were usually less inclined to listen to parental figures.
“And think up some long-term goals, and how you want to accomplish them. You’re young, so you have plenty of time! You said you were mad no one helped you out as a kid? Do you think you’d be interested in working with kids, maybe?”
“There’s a hilarious mental image.” Dabi snickered.
“...No, I wouldn’t have any idea of how to do that, I’d be bad at it–”
“There’s a learning curve to everything! Even I, with my great powers, have struggled at times! Kids are just smaller people, as long as you keep things simple and try your best, you’ll do fine! I’ll tell you what, I have my own student, a middle-schooler. You can stop by my office to practice. He’s a blunt kid, so if you do anything wrong, he’ll tell you. And if it's something you enjoy, you could look into social work, or teaching, or even a mentor project!”
“I–” His eyes darted back to the TV. “I can’t.”
“Oh, I can handle your Sensei if he gives you trouble. I’m a green belt!” …And if worse came to worse, well, he wouldn’t let Mob actually fight anyone, if he could help it, but he could let Mob put up a defensive field if the guy had a freakishly strong quirk.
Shigaraki smiled. Then, Reigen was being laughed at.
“Tomura Shigaraki, you can’t actually-”
“No, it’s– it’s fine, Kurogiri. Somehow, I get the idea he might actually be an honest guy, and might actually be willing to…” He rubbed his neck. “I mean, he didn’t have to do this much in the first place…”
“I kind of did. You all seemed to need a consultation.”
"Sure. So, uh, your energies seem much better already! If you stick to what I said, I'm sure your problem will clear up right away!" He pulled out his own buissness card, sliding it over.
"I want one, too." Dabi demanded.
"Yeah, do you have more? Um, not that I'd need it again, I just- you know, if I encounter ghosts or something." Spinner mumbled.
"You did also promise a massage." Kurogiri said.
"I've got plenty! Give one to Twice and Toga for me, too." He pulled out a few, putting them on the bar. "And the next time you have a haunting, give me a call! Don't let it get this serious again."
Shigaraki ran a thumb across the card Reigen had given him.
"I won't. But...you can stay, if you actually wanted that drink."
Reigen decided that yes, he did, actually. His nerves were shot.
...
“Why is Dimple chasing Endeavor around on the news?”
“Well, Mob, you see, most people can’t see Dimple. You know he can do that thing where he chooses who can see him, right?”
“Yes, I know that. But regular people can’t exactly fight spirits, even if he’s letting Endeavor see him. Look, his fire’s not doing anything but…well, setting things on fire. Shouldn’t we go stop Dimple? Before Endeavor causes a lot of property damage?”
“Nah, he’s actually doing it because I asked. Besides, I’m sure Endeavor can pay for that damage.”
“You asked Dimple to? Why?”
“You remember what I told you about guys that hit women, Mob?”
“...Yes,” Mob’s expression darkened. “I understand.”
“One of his kids was going to do a reckless revenge scheme, and I figured a little- well, a lot of public embarrassment would be better. No one gets hurt, except a severely bruised ego, and the hero commission will probably get so embarrassed they ask him to step down.”
His phone buzzed with a text.
Dabi: ‘This is the funniest thing ive ever seen. he's out there. chasing NOTHING. Best day of my life. If he still has a career after this I Will Finish the job tho’
Reigen: ‘No prob. I instructed the spirit to tell Endeavor he'd keep haunting him until he publicly fesses up and agrees to release your mom & give her full custody. You gone to see your family yet?’
Dabi: ‘Working up to it. Just want to make sure im ready…and want to make sure hes not there. Obv’
Reigen: ‘Fair enough! Good luck! You have my number/office address if you need to stop by!’
Dabi: ‘Thank you. Glad I didnt light u on fire :’)’
Reigen: ‘Obviously me too!!!’
He closed his phone, feeling satisfied with himself.
“Hey, Mob…if I told you we might have a few people stopping by who want to be rehabilitated, what would you say? It’s not exactly psychic work, but it’d probably broaden your horizons, to meet people like them.”
“All kinds of people already stop by, don’t they? What sort of rehabilitation? People like former Claw employees?”
“Yeah, kind of like those people! But not exactly. Well, putting it bluntly, they’re ex-villains. I wanted to make sure you’d be comfortable with people like that coming by before I actually let them. I could always schedule for school hours, or you could leave if the schedules overlap.”
“I guess anyone should get a chance to do better. I’d be fine with it; you can schedule them appointments when I’m here, if you want to.” Mob shrugged.
“Okay, but if any of them make you uncomfortable or try anything, you let me know!”
“I will.” Mob nodded. Serizawa was out of the office, too, but he'd need to remind himself to run it by him, too.
Not fifteen minutes later, he was glad he'd asked Mob ahead of time. Shigaraki texted him, asking if he was okay with him stopping by, because he was just 'in the area'. He showed up very quickly after Reigen gave him a thumbs up emoji in response.
Though, he was hovering in the door awkwardly.
“Shigaraki! Come in! I was just telling Mob here about you. Mob, this is Tomura Shigaraki. And Shigaraki, this is Mob, my student.”
“Oh? You’re also psychic?”
“Yes.” Mob said bluntly. “You’re a former criminal.”
“...We’re working on it.” Reigen waved a hand. “Which is why you stopped by, isn’t it! Well, did you think about what I said?”
“Yeah, I think...I want to be someone who helps people no one else will. Desperate guys, like the leag- uh, people at the bar you met.”
"That's great! Do you have anything specific in mind?"
"Yes." Shigaraki grinned. "After watching how you did it with the league, and how you said I could, too, I realized what I wanted. I'm converting the league into a ghost-hunting and consultation group. I thought I'd let you know we'll also be operating in this city, nearby. Thanks for the inspiration."
"Oh, come on!"
"Isn't that better than a group of villains?" Mob wondered. "And it's a compliment if you inspired them, isn't it?"
"It's competition, Mob! I should be charging you a consultation fee right now!"
"Oh, that's cruel, I need the money to start up our new business venture..." Shigaraki actually had the nerve to smile at him. "We'll definitely be using all the tips you gave us, so thanks again!"
"Get out you little copycat!" Shigaraki left, laughing. Reigen sighed, shaking his head. "Honestly, the nerve of some people."
"Both of your auras seemed bright, though. So you're not actually mad." Mob noted.
"Yeah? Well. Good to hear his was bright or whatever, too." Reigen smiled to himself. "A little competition is healthy, sometimes. We'll just be working overtime!"
"So, will I also be paid overtime?"
"...Let's not get too wild."