Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Job-hunting was not going well for you, to put it lightly. Half the time, you were told you were either too young or too smart or too inexperienced for most positions for which you applied. The other half of the time, you didn’t hear back after the interview. Typical.

As you walked down the streets of Seasoning City after yet another terrible interview, you saw a “HELP WANTED” sign in the window of the office of Spirits and Such Consultation. You knew nothing about spirits, -- or such for that matter – but a help wanted sign was a help wanted sign. You headed inside.

You opened the office door hesitantly. “Is this Spirits and Such Consultation?”

“Yes! Please, come in!” said a tall blonde man as he stood up from his desk.

You obliged and made your way into the room where the man met you halfway.

“I am Reigen Arataka, the Greatest Psychic of the 21st Century!” he exclaimed proudly, “How can I help you today, miss?”

“I, uh, actually,” you began, “I saw your ‘Help Wanted’ sign outside…”

Reigen’s brow furrowed for a moment as he had clearly forgotten about the sign. Then his face lit up as he cried, “Oh, of course! Please, come sit.” He gestured towards the chair in front of his desk.

Reigen searched through his desk drawers before finding a clipboard and a pen. He leaned back in his chair and with one leg resting over the other, he theatrically clicked his pen and began scribbling on the piece of paper.

“The interview for my next assistant has begun! Firstly, what’s your name?”

“(Y/N) (L/N).”

“All right,” he said, scribbling, “And (Y/N), what do you know about psychics and spirits and other such paranormal phenomena?”

“Well, uh,” you admitted nervously, “Not much.”

Reigen quirked an eyebrow.

“But I am very interested in spirits and would be willing to learn more!” you added in a rushed attempt to save face.

Reigen nodded as he continued to write. “So why do you want this job?”

You decided it would be best just to tell him. Maybe brutal honesty is what you were missing in all those other interviews. “To tell you the truth, I’ve been searching for a part-time job now for weeks and none of my interviews have gone well in the slightest. I’m honestly so desperate for a job right now, and I really don’t know anything about spirits, but a job is a job, and I’m really sorry for wasting your time, but I thought I’d come here anyway.”

You stared anxiously at your shoes as you prepared for the worst. You said too much and it was probably a bad move to tell your potential employer that you were so inexperienced in his field.

“Do you want some tea?”

You returned your gaze to the psychic. He had set his clipboard down and was leaning over his desk to look at you.

“What was that?” you asked timidly, not sure if you had heard him correctly.

“Would you like some tea?” he continued, “It sounds like you need to vent a little and I find that tea helps people relax.”

“That’s really nice of you, but I couldn’t bother you like that,” you said, “I should just head out.”

“No, no,” he urged, “Really, it’s no bother.” He smiled and added, “I insist.”

He took your smile as confirmation and headed to the other room to brew some tea. As your eyes roamed around the room, you glanced at the clipboard on which he had been writing. At the top, he had written “Job Interview” and your name. Everything below that was simply doodles. You couldn’t help but smile. This Reigen guy seemed like such a goof.

Reigen returned with two cups of tea and joined you at his desk.

“Thank you.”

You spent an hour in Reigen’s office, allowing yourself to be consulted. You told him about your life and the stress of everyday life. Reigen offered advice on how to alleviate some stress and even cracked some jokes throughout. He made you laugh more times than not, and he even brewed you a second cup of tea. He seemed to be enjoying the company as much as you were.

“I didn’t mean to become one of your clients,” you admitted, “but I guess I owe you for a consultation session now, don’t I?”

“Well, if you’d like,” Reigen said nonchalantly, “I could just take it out of your first pay.”

You blinked, bringing your teacup down from your lips. “What?”

“You’re hired,” he clarified, “Think you can come in at three tomorrow?”

You stood up abruptly, almost knocking over your chair as you exclaimed, “Are you serious??”

Reigen laughed. “Yeah, the job’s yours,” he said, “I think you’ll make an excellent assistant.”

“Thank you so, so much! I really need this job. I won’t let you down!”

“I’ll see you tomorrow then,” Reigen said with a smile.

You nodded profusely as you left the office, waving to Reigen as you exited through the door.

Chapter Text

The next day, you arrived at the office of Spirits and Such Consultation half an hour early, as you were not going to risk being late for your first day of work. Beforehand, you had stopped at a nearby shop and picked up some takoyaki to give to Reigen to show your gratitude for hiring you. You only hoped he liked octopus.

Reigen was on the phone when you entered, and he silently waved to you and gestured towards the couch.

“Yes, we’ll be over in an hour,” Reigen said to the phone, “We’ll see you then, sir. Yes, goodbye.” He hung up and walked towards you. “Well, you’re here early.”

“I didn’t want to be late.” You remembered the bag you were carrying and handed it to Reigen. “Oh, this is for you.”

He quirked an eyebrow. “What for?”

“It’s just a small something to thank you again for hiring me.”

“You didn’t have to do that,” he said, smiling.

“Well, I did, so I, uh, I hope you like takoyaki.”

Reigen’s eyes lit up at the mention of his favorite octopus snack. He hurriedly opened the bag and began eating. In between munching and panting – since Reigen never stopped to blow on his food – he thanked you for the snack.

“I’m really happy you like it,” you laughed.

Once Reigen finished devouring the takoyaki, he thanked you again and then led you to a filing cabinet.

“For the most part,” he explained, “you’ll be filing and sorting through these.” He opened the drawer to show a mess of papers.

“And whenever I’m not here,” he continued as he walked towards his desk, “you’ll be in charge of reading emails and answering phone calls. Sound good?”

You nodded.

The office door opened and in appeared a young boy in his middle school uniform.

“Ah, Mob!” Reigen said as he sauntered over towards his pupil, “There’s someone I want to introduce you to.” With an extravagant gesture, he beckoned you to approach him and the small boy.

“(Y/N), this is Mob, my prized student. I taught him everything he knows about his psychic powers.”

“Oh, so you’re an esper?” you asked as the boy bowed to greet you.

Mob nodded. “It’s nice to meet you, miss.”

“Oh, you can call me (Y/N),” you said, waving your hand in front of your face.

“(Y/N) is my new assistant,” Reigen explained, “You said you wanted more time off for club activities, so I thought I would need some more help around here.”

“Since she’s an employee, are we going to let her see me?” asked Dimple, unbeknownst to you.

“Oh,” Mob agreed, “hold on.” He lifted his hand and a colorful aura appeared, causing the world around you to momentarily light up. When Mob returned his hand to his side and the colors faded, you came face to face with a green orb-like thing.

You jumped behind Reigen. “What is that?”

Reigen tried not to laugh at how shocked you were. He did find it rather adorable that you hid behind him though. “That’s Dimple,” he said, “Mob’s pet spirit.”

“Hey!” shouted the spirit, “I am no one’s pet, thank you very much! Nice to meet you, sweetheart.”

You awkwardly waved at the spirit.

“All right!” Reigen said, clapping his hands together, “We have a client to tend to! (Y/N), I’m trusting you to hold down the fort while the three of us are gone.”

“I mean, okay, but I don’t know where anything goes yet.”

Reigen placed a finger to his chin while he thought. “Dimple!” he barked, “Stay here and show her the ropes.”

“Anything’s better than following you around all day,” the spirit muttered.

Reigen ignored Dimple. He turned to face you and gave you a flashy smile as he placed a hand on your shoulder. “We’ll be back soon. Try not to let Dimple bother you too much.” With a wink, he was out the door.

Chapter Text

It was a bit new to you to be working alongside a literal spiritual entity, but you dismissed the absurdity of it all as you got started on your new job.

Dimple hovered over your shoulder as you began looking through the first drawer of papers.

“So, what brought you to this dump?” the spirit asked unapologetically.

“Uh,” you began, pulling out a folder, “a ‘help wanted’ sign?”

He laughed. “Funny, are you?”

“It’s the truth,” you shrugged, “I just happened to pass by, and I was looking for a job, and now I’m here.”

The spirit nodded – as well as any floating head-thing can nod – and zipped around to face you.

“So, what do you think of Reigen?”

You blinked, not expecting such an abrupt question. “I like him,” you answered honestly, “I only met him just yesterday, but I think we’re going to get along just fine. He seems like he’ll make a decent boss.” You held up one of the papers to Dimple. “Where does this go?”

“Oh, in here,” he said opening the drawer above, “so you like Reigen, eh? Don’t get used to the feeling.”

“Why’s that?” you asked, mild concern in your tone of voice.

“Eh,” he said, “you’ll figure it out sooner or later.”

You knitted your brows in frustration. “What does that mean?”

“He’s just a very… interesting guy.”

“I don’t think that’s a bad thing,” you said, continuing to sort through all the untouched files.

Reigen didn’t seem like a bad person at all. You hoped that whatever grievances Dimple had towards Reigen were personal because you really did believe Reigen to be a nice guy, even if you had met him only yesterday.

“So,” you said, attempting to keep the conversation going, “how long have you been working for Reigen?”

“What?!” he scoffed, “Me? Work for that moron? Absolutely not. He’s just lucky I choose to stick around.”

“Ah, so you are that boy’s pet,” you commented snarkily.

“I am not!” he protested, waving newly-formed arms around violently, “I was going to be God!”

You quirked an eyebrow before returning your attention to your work, closing the first drawer to open another of which to sort.

“Shigeo is a powerful esper, and I intend to make use of him one day,” the spirit continued, without having been prompted to do so. “You’ll see,” he added, sticking out his incorporeal tongue.

“I’m sure I will, er,” you said, “What about these papers?”

“Over here.”

A few hours later, Reigen and Mob returned from their appointment.

"We're back!" Reigen said as they entered the office. His cheerful attitude implied a successful consultation.

You finished tidying up a pile of papers as the two espers greeted you.

“Oh, hey,” he said, holding out a bag, “we got food after the exorcism, so I brought you a burger.”

“That’s so nice, thank you,” you said, “you didn’t have to do that.”

He shrugged. "You brought me takoyaki earlier, and besides," he said, “you’re part of the team now.”

You covered your face as you smiled wide.

“So!” Reigen said, clapping his hands together, “What did you do today?”

You hurried over to the filing cabinet and opened a few drawers. “Well, for one, these are all organized,” you said proudly, “I have a stack set aside for you to look over because I’m pretty sure the papers can be shredded, but I wanted you to have the final say in that.”

You closed the drawers and walked towards the various plants around the room. “These have all been trimmed and watered,” you said before continuing your path towards the door to the totally-not-a-massage room, “and I sanitized everything in there; it's all wiped down for the next client.”

Reigen had his hands in his pockets as he nodded. ‘Wow, I’m impressed,” he said with a smile, “good job, (Y/N). You outdid yourself.”

You shrugged. “It’s nothing,” you said, “just doing my job.”

“Well, no one could do it better.”

You rubbed the back of your neck as you flashed Reigen a grin; it felt nice to be complimented, but you didn’t quite know how to take it. “Thank you.”

After a somewhat awkward pause, you asked, “So your exorcism went well today?”

“Hm? Oh, it was great,” Reigen beamed, “It was a weak spirit, so I let Mob handle it.”

“Oh, good job!” you said to the boy.

Mob scrambled. “Oh, uh, thank you,” he said bashfully. He then turned to Reigen and said, “Master, I have a club meeting.”

“Of course,” he said, “see you tomorrow, Mob.”

“Nice work on your first day, rookie,” said Dimple before he left with Mob out the door.

“All right,” Reigen said, rubbing his hands together, “let’s talk about your schedule.”

You nodded and followed him to his desk.

“We’re open six days a week, Sunday through Friday, but rarely see customers for more than four of those,” he explained, “Mob works Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays, and Sundays as of now, so I’ll need you at least on Tuesdays and Thursdays, if possible.”

You exhaled. “Honestly, I could work every day if you wanted me to,” you admitted, “I don’t have much going on, and I need as much work as I can get, so schedule me whenever is best for you.”

Reigen squinted and looked towards the ceiling as he sat there in thought. He would appreciate the assistance, as well as the company, but he contemplated whether or not he could afford to have you come so frequently. He knew he had to pay you more than what he was paying Mob, but you proved today that you do excellent work, more than sufficiently earning your pay.

After a moment of swaying his head back and forth and tapping his foot, Reigen had made up his mind. “Let’s have you try out Sunday through Wednesday,” he decided, “starting tomorrow?”

“Sounds good to me!”

Reigen extended his hand, which you shook. You noted that his palms were a bit sweaty, but you disregarded this observation.

“Great first day, (Y/N),” he said warmly.

“Thank you,” you said smiling, “see you tomorrow.” Before you headed out the door, you added, “Boss.”

Chapter Text

You found yourself excited to go to your job nearly every day, and you had enjoyed your first few weeks at Spirits and Such Consultation. The work was manageable, your coworkers were amiable, and your boss was now one of your favorite people. Not only was Reigen understanding and lax when it came to your schedule, but he proved to be a fascinating guy, and you loved his company. Reigen was the best employer you had ever had, and you felt pulled to him. He was dripping with charisma and it was often hard not to get caught up in his shenanigans. All in all, he was fun.

“I’ll see you tomorrow,” you said as you headed out of the office for the day.

Reigen enjoyed having you as his assistant. Not only were you a diligent worker, but you were also a wonderful conversationalist once you got going. And he appreciated having someone closer to his age to talk to during the day besides clients.

He gathered his things and locked the door to the office. He had yet to realize that it was pouring rain until he reached the door leading to the outside. As he searched for an umbrella, he noticed you sitting on the steps.

“Hey,” he said, opening the door and approaching you.

The rain was loud and coming down in heavy sheets.

“Oh, hey.”

“Is everything okay?” he asked, raising his voice above the downpour.

“Oh, yeah,” you said, as if sitting on the doorstep to your work was a perfectly normal evening activity, “the rain’s nice, isn’t it?”

“Uh, yeah,” he said, sitting down next to you, “it’s nice.”

The two of you sat listening to the rain hit the buildings and neighboring vehicles.

“Do you need to borrow an umbrella to get to your car or something?” he asked.

“Well,” you said awkwardly, shifting your body, “not necessarily.”

He gave you a quizzical look.

“It’s just that I, uh, I usually walk home from here,” you explained, “so I was waiting to see if the rain would clear up.”

Reigen glanced up at the sky, which was only getting darker, and noted the never-ending onslaught of water droplets. “Do you need a ride home?”

“Would you?” you asked eagerly before adding, “Are you sure? I don’t want to trouble you.”

He smiled. “Of course,” he assured you, “it’s no trouble.”

You felt a bit guilty for putting Reigen out like this, especially after all he had done for you, but your only other choice was to call a taxi, which wasn’t exactly the safest option.

“Thank you.”

He held out his hand and helped you off the steps. Under his umbrella, the two of you walked down the street to his car. He held the passenger door open for you before circling his way to the driver’s side where he shook the umbrella and threw it in the backseat.

His suit was speckled with rain drops and his hair was messy from the rain. You found yourself wanting to fix his unruly mop for him, but just as soon as the thought crossed your mind, he ran his fingers through his wet hair in attempts to tame it. And you reminded yourself that although you were out of the office, he was still your boss.

“Thank you again for driving me home,” you said as he started the engine.

“Don’t mention it,” he said with a smile.

“I mean it,” you persisted, “you didn’t have to.”

“You say that as if I would leave you out in the rain alone,” he said, “come on, don’t you know me better than that by now?” He flashed you a playful smile before returning his attention to the road.

“Yeah, you’re right, okay,” you conceded, “but thank you, nonetheless.”

You kept stealing glances at him while you helped him navigate the roads back to your apartment. Reigen was a handsome man and you found that you could lose yourself in his features if you stared long enough. You hoped he wouldn’t notice as that would lead to a very awkward encounter, and yet, you never stopped your gazing. There was no harm in looking after all.

“That’s it right there,” you said as he pulled up to your building.

“You’re kidding, right?” Reigen chuckled, quirking an eyebrow.

“No?”

“That’s my apartment,” he said, “I guess we’re neighbors.”

“Well, I’m happy you didn’t have to drive out of your way then.”

He smiled. “Like I said, it wouldn’t have been any trouble. After all, I can’t have my favorite assistant catching a cold from walking in the rain.”

You rolled your eyes. “Reigen, I’m your only assistant.”

“You’re still my favorite,” he said with a shrug.

The two of you got out of the car, and Reigen walked you to your door. You thanked him yet again for driving you and he waved off your gratitude before heading downstairs to his own place.

Chapter Text

The next morning when your alarm went off, you leapt out of bed and threw on a robe. Although your eyes were still sleepy from waking up, you walked to your kitchen and filled the tea kettle with water. As you waited for the water to boil, you headed to your bathroom to wash your face, brush your teeth, etc.

On most days, you would make two cups of tea: one to drink with breakfast and another to bring with you on your way to work or run errands. Today you would make three; the third one was for Reigen.

Once the water was hot, you brewed the cups of tea. After adding some honey, you poured one of the cups into a thermos. Glancing at the clock on your wall, you smiled for timing things so perfectly. Grabbing the thermos, you headed outside your front door.

You waited only a minute before you saw Reigen exiting his apartment to head to work.

“Good morning!” you called from upstairs.

Reigen seemed startled at first, but he then smiled and waved to you. “Good morning,” he said, approaching the stairs and placing a hand on the railing. He then picked up his phone and looked at the time and date. “Don’t you have the morning off?”

“Yeah, but,” you said, walking down the stairs to meet him, “I made you tea.” You held out the thermos with a smile.

He gingerly took it from your grasp. “Thank you,” he said, not knowing how to respond to you being so nice.

“I made it just the way you like it,” you said proudly, your cheeks turning pink.

“You’re not trying to earn a raise now, are you?” he teased, raising an eyebrow as he opened the thermos to smell the tea.

“I promise I’m not,” you laughed, nervously playing with your hair, “it’s just a small thank you for driving me home yesterday.”

“I told you that was no big deal,” he said, noticing the warmth from the tea spread from his hands to the rest of his body, “but thank you for the tea.”

“Have a great day at work,” you said before rushing back up the stairs to your own front door, “I’ll see you later.”

“Yeah,” he said, not wanting to admit to himself or anyone how pretty you looked first thing in the morning, “uh, yeah, see you then. Thanks again for the tea.”

You waved to him before dipping back inside your apartment to have your breakfast.

As he walked to his car, he was smiling. He couldn’t stop smiling. He sat down in the driver’s seat and took a sip from the thermos. Instinctively, he expected to burn his tongue like he did with any food or drink, but you had been sure to give him the tea after it had cooled down a bit.

That was sweet of you.

It suddenly occurred to him that he had seen you in your pajamas and something about that felt so scandalous to him. He began to sweat as he realized how attractive you looked. Taking a deep breath, he tried his best to shake the image of you in your robe from his head, and started his drive to the office.

That afternoon when you arrived at work, Reigen was with a client while Mob sat at his desk doing homework with Dimple reading over his shoulder. You waved to the boy as you set down your belongings at your own desk.

You snuck passed Reigen and his client to reach the filing cabinet, where you extracted a stack of papers and brought them to your desk with you.

“Ah, Mr. Takahiro,” you heard Reigen say as you began sorting through the papers, “I’ll exorcise this evil spirit haunting your precious photo, but it’ll take about two hours. Please come back then.”

You looked up and saw your boss sporting a wide smile. You had learned early on that he had no true psychic powers, but that never stopped him from providing his clients the services they required. You had seen enough of his “graphic exorcisms” to know that you better make sure the printer had ink in it.

Mr. Takahiro left the office and Reigen immediately scanned his photo to begin the “exorcism.”

He called your name.

“I’m already on it,” you said, walking towards the printer on his desk.

“Heh,” he said, looking up at you, “always one step ahead, I see.”

You smiled. It was nice that Reigen praised you as his assistant at least every other day.

A couple hours later, Mr. Takahiro returned to the office, and Reigen presented him with his newly exorcised photograph. He was thrilled and said he would recommend Spirits and Such to all his friends, and after he paid, Mr. Takahiro was led out of the office by Reigen.

“Great job, team!” Reigen said, “Not only do we have a satisfied client, but we have free publicity now. Nothing better than word of mouth.”

Dimple rolled his eyes. “It’s a good thing all your customers are idiots,” he snided.

Mob began to gather his things as he liked to be home before sundown.

“Mob, here’s your pay for today’s exorcism,” Reigen said, handing the boy a measly 300 yen.

“And here’s the rest of it,” you chimed in, placing another 1000 yen from your own pocket into the boy’s hand.

Reigen gave you a bewildered look, but you only smiled at him.

“Thank you,” Mob said with a big smile as he bowed to the two of you, “see you both next week.”

“Way to make me look bad,” Reigen huffed once Mob had left the office.

You chuckled. “Oh, come on, Reigen,” you said, “you know he deserves more for the time he’s here.”

Reigen grimaced. “Yeah, I do.” He then lit up as he remembered something, making his way to his desk to retrieve something.

He handed you your thermos from that morning. “The tea was great,” he said, “thank you.”

You took the thermos and tucked it away in your bag. “I’m happy to hear that.”

“Oh, and I, uh,” he added, “I already washed it. So you don’t have to deal with that.”

“Thanks, Reigen,” you said, smiling, “you didn’t have to do that.”

“Eh, it seemed like the right thing,” he said, rubbing the nape of his neck, “you made the tea and all.”

“Maybe I’ll make you tea again.”

“I’d like that.”

Chapter Text

“Geez, how did I let myself schedule this many clients in one day?” Reigen griped, reading the schedule you had handed him.

You took it upon yourself to give Reigen his weekly schedule every Monday morning. That way, everyone in the office knew what to expect and it became easier to bring on any new clients without overwhelming Reigen or Mob. Especially Mob, who very much appreciated this new routine because it meant there was a lower chance of him being called in on short notice.

“Isn’t it your job to stop me from doing this sort of thing?” he joked.

“Hey, you schedule the appointments, I just help you keep track of them and make sure you don’t add any more than this,” you defended, “but at least it gets a lot of the week’s clients out of the way.”

“Good point,” he said before leaning over his desk and whining, “ugh, I’m starving.”

“Want me to go pick you up some lunch or something?” you offered, knowing that no one can be their best self on an empty stomach.

“No, I couldn’t make you do that,” he sighed.

“Well, you could actually,” you said, “I am your assistant, after all. I think this is right up my alley.”

Reigen looked up at you, brows furrowed. He had yet to realize that sending you out on errands for the office fit your job description. “All right,” he said, “but make sure to bring back the receipt so I can reimburse you.”

“Got it,” you said, “now what do you want and from where, boss?”

“Anything quick.”

You nodded and grabbed your belongings as you headed for the door.

“Oh, and uh,” he began, “thanks.”

“No problem.” You smiled and were out the door.

Not too much time passed before you returned to the office with a Mobdonald’s bag containing a cheeseburger and fries.

Reigen rose from his desk and greedily snatched the bag from you, taking no time to grab a handful of fries. “I don’t deserve you as an assistant,” he said with a full mouth.

“Just doing my job,” you laughed.

As you watched Reigen scarf down his burger, you had the strangest urge to wipe his face, which was riddled with crumbs and ketchup. Who knew Reigen was such a messy eater?

“I should send you on lunch runs more often,” he said as he finished off his burger.

“Sure, if you want,” you said with a shrug, “I wouldn’t mind the afternoon walks.”

You sat down on the couch as Reigen finished up his meal. You looked up at the clock and noted that Mob should be here soon.

“Hello,” Mob said as he entered the office a few minutes later.

“Ah, Mob,” Reigen said, “ready for an afternoon out of the office?”

“Do we have lots of clients today?” he asked plainly.

Reigen nodded. “No time to waste,” he said, “Dimple, you can stay here and keep (Y/N) company while we’re out. Try not to bother her too much.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Dimple said annoyed, zipping through the air to float near your head.

“Good luck, you two,” you said happily, “do your best!”

“Thank you, (Y/N),” Mob said with a bright smile, although he was never too fond of these sorts of long afternoons with clients.

“We’ll be back,” Reigen said as they headed out the door.

The two of them began walking downstairs to the street.

“All right, Mob,” the conman said, “our first client is a landlady who is suffering from complaints that her estate is haunted, so I’ll just give her a call and we’ll head over.”

As Reigen reached into his pocket, however, he realized that he did not have his phone on his person.

“Oh, Mob, wait here a moment,” he said, stopping in his tracks, “I’ll meet you back here in a second, I just forgot something.”

Mob nodded as his master headed back inside the office.

“So you actually think Reigen’s a good guy when it comes to this whole shady business?” the spirit questioned critically.

Reigen stopped abruptly outside the door upon hearing this. He wasn’t entirely sure he wanted to hear your answer. Nonetheless, he removed his hovering hand from the doorknob and listened for a response.

“Well, yeah, he’s no psychic,” you said, “but he’s not really scamming anyone if you think about it. Everyone who comes here with a problem leaves feeling way better than before they arrived.

Reigen felt his heart swell as he listened to you from outside the office.

“No one actually comes in haunted by a ghost, but Reigen ‘exorcises’ that ‘ghost’ for them,” you continued, holding up air quotation marks, “so in the end, even if they think it’s because of psychic powers, all he really does is help people.”

Reigen admitted to himself that he appreciated someone seeing his work in that light. He struggled with his own morals on a daily basis, so hearing your words of approval meant the world to him.

“So that’s why I think Reigen’s a really good person,” you concluded, swiftly adding, “but don’t tell him I said that!”

“As if I’d feed his ego like that,” scoffed Dimple.

You laughed. He loved the sound of your laugh.

Reigen composed himself and waited a few moments before walking into the office, acting as if he had heard nothing.

“Forget something?” you said, already holding his phone out for him.

“Yeah,” he said awkwardly, rubbing the back of his neck, “thanks, (Y/N). You’re the best!”

“Nah,” you said, handing him his phone, “just doing my job.”

Chapter Text

It was another day at Spirits and Such Consultation. Mob and you both did your work at separate desks while Reigen edited his shady-looking website.

Every now and then, you would look up from your work just to watch Reigen at his desk. His bizarre facial expressions never failed to make you smile, and his hand movements were so intense that you wondered how it was possible for someone to gesticulate so wildly. Still, his mannerisms fascinated you.

There was one time, however, you glanced at Reigen and were less than pleased at what you saw.

“You really shouldn’t smoke inside,” you chastised, “especially not in front of Mob.”

Reigen looked sheepish as he closed his lighter. He had attempted to squeeze in a few puffs while Mob had gone to the bathroom, but his efforts now seemed futile.

“I know it’s your office and you’re my boss and all,” you continued in a matter-of-fact tone, “but it’s really not healthy for you. Or us, for that matter.”

You felt a bit guilty as you watched Reigen toss the unused cigarette into the trash bin.

Not much later, you finished sorting through documents from the week’s services, and decided to take your break.

You headed outside to get some fresh air. Maybe it was wrong to chew out your boss like that, but smoking was incredibly bad for him, as well as the rest of you in that small, stuffy office. You took a few breaths and decided you would apologize for being rude. You could have been a bit more gentle, after all. After another minute or so, you made your way back inside.

Reigen was coming out of the bathroom as you walked back up the stairs.

When the two of you were both in the hallway, you stopped him before he could return to the office. “Reigen?”

“Hm?”

You looked at your hands. “I’m sorry for getting mad at you earlier,” you apologized, “you know, about the smoking?”

Reigen seemed taken aback by your apology. “(Y/N), there’s no need to apologize,” he laughed, “I mean, you’re absolutely right. I’m glad someone besides my mother is riding my ass about it. It’s a terrible habit.”

You laughed. You were glad you hadn’t upset your boss by being so hostile.

“You tell me off if you catch me smoking during office hours again, okay?” he said, playfully poking you in the shoulder.

You nodded. “Okay, I will,” you said.

Chapter Text

Some distant sound had woken you from your sleep. Sun rays from the early morning floated through your blinds into your room as you stirred in your bed, slowly beginning to wake up.

Had you heard something? Maybe you dreamt whatever the noise that had awoken you was.

You slowly blinked your eyes open and rubbing them, reached for your phone. Another half an hour until your alarm. You sighed.

Maybe I could go back to sleep, you thought to yourself. But as you rolled over to fall back into unconsciousness, there was the unmistakable sound of knocking at your front door.

Wondering who the hell would be at your door so early in the morning, you jostled yourself out of bed and put on your robe before answering the door.

"Reigen?" you asked as you opened your door. Who else?

"Good morning," he said enthusiastically.

"Hi," you said with a yawn, "what's up?"

"We've got a client this morning," he said, "do you think you can be ready to go in, let's say," - he flipped open his phone to read the time - "fifteen minutes?"

You blinked. "Huh?" Your shift wasn't supposed to start until the afternoon, and you could have sworn Reigen had a morning void of clientele.

"This exorcism came out of the blue, but it's really big and I know it'll pay well," he explained, "I told Mob we'd pick him up at the office and head over."

"We?" you echoed, finally starting to wake up.

"You're coming, aren't you?" he said, almost as if he was asking specially for your company.

"Oh, uh, yeah, for sure," you said, "of course."

"Great," he said with a smile, "I'll meet you back out here in fifteen minutes then?"

You nodded before closing your door and proceeding to get dressed.

Fifteen minutes later, Reigen greeted you once more outside of your door. Although you were still a bit tired, you smiled to him politely and walked to his car with him before he opened the passenger door for you.

You yawned and rested your head against the seat.

“Still waking up?” he asked before starting the car.

You nodded.

“Well, feel free to relax or even take a nap before we get there.”

“Thanks, Reigen,” you said, “but I should be fine in a few minutes.”

The drive to the office was fairly short, but you happened to fall asleep and take a very quick power nap.

“So where are we going?” you asked after waking up, ready to face whatever the day had in store for you.

“It’s about an hour’s drive away from the office,” Reigen said as he parked outside Spirits and Such, “we’re going to a fancy hotel whose owner has received complaints about the place being haunted.”

You nodded. “So why bring me?” you asked.

“Hm?”

“Well, I don’t have any psychic powers,” you said with a laugh, “I don’t think I’m going to be much help.”

“I thought it would look good for the company to have the whole team come,” he said, “besides, you’re good with people.”

“Me?!” you cried, “I guess, but you’re so much better at handling clients!”

“Yeah, but people like you,” Reigen said, “you give off this feeling that you can be trusted.”

“Hm,” you mused, “you think so?”

He nodded. “I know so,” he said, “I got that feeling the day I hired you, and- OI, MOB!” He had interrupted himself to lean out the window and wave down his pupil who was approaching the car.

“Good morning, Master, (Y/N),” the boy greeted.

“Morning, Mob!” you cheered, waving to him.

Mob climbed into the backseat with Dimple zipping behind him. After checking if Mob was buckled up, Reigen began the drive.

“Did you sleep well, Mob?” he asked.

“Yes,” he said with a smile, “Do we have a long ride, Master?”

“Just an hour, but,” he reached across your lap to open the glove compartment, “I brought you this in case you got bored.” Reigen had retrieved a volume of the One-Punch Man manga, which he handed to Mob.

“Thank you, Master,” he said with a big smile on his sweet face.

“Is that your favorite manga, Mob?” you asked.

“Yeah!” he replied with an uncharacteristic amount of enthusiasm.

You giggled at his excitement. “I see why,” you said, smiling, “Saitama reminds me of a very special and very powerful young esper.”

Mob beamed as you winked at him.

Just under an hour later, the four of you arrived at the hotel, a nice place with high ceilings and fancy, seemingly unused furniture decorating the lobby. Reigen parked and you and Mob followed him inside with Dimple invisibly at your sides.

Reigen strided towards the front desk while you and Mob perused the lobby, admiring the landscape paintings on the wall and enjoying the aesthetically pleasing ambience of the room.

“Of course,” you heard the receptionist chirp, “you’re right on time, sir. One moment, please.” With a bow, she left Reigen for the back room.

When she returned, she was accompanied by an older woman, who bowed to Reigen. “You must be the young man whom I spoke with this morning,” she said nicely, “I’m so grateful you could come on such short notice. I feel terrible inconveniencing you like that.”

“Nonsense,” Reigen said in full businessman mode, “it’s no trouble at all, ma’am. We’re happy to help. Reigen Arataka at your service.”

“Oh, you’re too kind, sir,” she said, “and is this your… team?” You could hear the confusion in her voice upon seeing a middle-school child and you join Reigen’s side.

“This is my assistant, L/N Y/N,” Reigen said, holding your shoulders.

“Nice to meet you, ma’am,” you said, bowing.

“And this is my student, Kageyama Shigeo,” he concluded.

Mob said nothing, but respectfully bowed to the woman.

The woman smiled at us and gestured us to follow her into the back room. “This building is very old, you see,” she explained, “but recently, the complaints have been far too numerous, and I’m worried about the reputation of our hotel.”

Reigen nodded. "We'll start investigating right away," he said, “Are there any specific rooms or areas that have been complained about frequently?”

“Oh yes,” she said, “would you like me to show you?”

“Please, lead the way, ma’am,” Reigen said with a broad smile.

She led you all out the door to the lobby once more before turning a corner to proceed towards the rooms. The hotel was nice overall, but this particular hallway sent a chill down your spine. You were not entirely certain it was simply a draft. The lamps were dimly lit and a handful of them were flickering. Whatever spirit haunting this place was definitely fulfilling some stereotypical role, you decided.

“I don’t want this place to become a tourist trap for people searching for ghosts,” she said as you followed her down one of the hallways.

“Mob, do you sense anything?” Reigen whispered as he leaned towards his pupil.

“Yes,” he said plainly, “and it’s getting stronger the more we walk.”

Upon overhearing this, you moved closer to Reigen. You did not want to be alone when whatever Mob was sensing revealed itself. “This is freaking me out,” you said in a quiet voice so only Reigen could hear you.

“Hey, fake it until you make it,” he said encouragingly, “especially with a client watching.”

You nodded. “This place is still super creepy,” you muttered.

“Shhh” he shushed kindly, “don’t worry.”

You walked further into the hallway before you heard him say, “I wouldn’t let anything happen to you.”

Your heart stopped as you looked up at Reigen, whose gaze was focused on whatever lay straight ahead, and you squeezed his arm a little tighter.

“I believe this room is the most troublesome,” Mrs. Sakurai said as she stopped at the room at the end of the hallway.

After she unlocked the door, she and you stepped aside to let Reigen enter the room first. He flipped the lightswitch, but nothing happened, so he reached into his pocket to use his cellphone as a flashlight.

Mob and you followed behind him; you much more closely than Mob.

Had the lights turned on, there was a good chance this would have looked like any other nice room, but in the dark, this abandoned room seemed downright eerie: the curtains had cobwebs on them and blocked out any and all light from entering the room, the carpet was covered in dust and was wet and dank in some spots, and there was an overall suffocating feeling as the airflow was nonexistent. Clearly, this room had not been checked out in a long while.

“This place is definitely haunted,” you muttered, feeling an all too cliché chill as you looked around the dark room.

Reigen thrust his hand into his pocket and scattered some substance across the carpeted floor.

“What is that?” you asked, irrationally and exceedingly paranoid in this new environment.

“Salt,” he said, taking out the bag to show you.

Picture frames that had been hanging on the walls moments before loudly fell to the floor, causing you to jump, instinctively grabbing hold of Reigen’s arm.

He looked down at you, your eyes shut tight as you gripped his suit, and placed a hand on your shoulder. Your eyes snapped open to see Reigen giving you a reassuring smile. You let go of his suit jacket but remained close to him for safety.

You continued to walk deeper into the dark room. According to Mob and Dimple, there was an incredibly strong spiritual presence nearby; you all only had to wait for it to reveal itself so Mob could exorcise it.

“All right, Mob,” Reigen said quietly, “if you see anything, don’t hesitate to-“

A bright flash of light nearly blinded you as a spirit emerged from nothingness to appear in front of you all. Reigen’s body stiffened, but beyond that, he and Mob seemed unbothered by this development.

Mrs. Sakurai, however, looked petrified as she swayed in the doorframe. You rushed to her side to catch her as she collapsed. “She fainted!” you cried out to your boss, holding the woman in your arms and desperately fanning her face.

“Take her back to the other room,” Reigen ordered, “Mob and I will take care of this.”

You nodded before throwing her arm over your shoulders and doing your best to lead Mrs. Sakurai out of the room and safe from any danger.

“Mob, you wanna handle this one?” Reigen asked his disciple, “It’s pretty weak.”

Dimple rolled his eyes, but Mob stepped forward.

“What’s a pipsqueak like you gonna do?” the spirit sneered, growing larger to loom over Mob.

Mob merely blinked, unfazed by the spirit. “Why are you here?”

“Huh?” the spirit barked, “This is my room!”

“You can’t stay here,” said Mob, “you’re scaring the other guests.”

“Yeah, that is fun,” the spirit boomed, “it’s so easy!”

“You have to go,” Mob said flatly, interrupting the spirit’s cackling.

“No, I think I’m gonna stay,” the spirit said angrily, crossing his arms, “and you can’t possibly do anything about it.”

“Shigeo, just take this brute out already,” Dimple whined.

Mob lifted his hand and the spirit instantaneously disappeared in a cloud of technicolor fog.

Although the room would still need to be tidied up and dusted before any guests could stay in there, it had been exorcised of all spiritual evil.

“Ready to find the next one, Mob?” Reigen asked playfully.

Over the course of half an hour or so, Mob had exorcised roughly a dozen unwelcomed spirits. The hotel had been cleansed.

Reigen, Mob, and Dimple returned to you and Mrs. Sakurai in the break room, where she had recently recovered from her fainting spell.

“Oh, thank you, thank you!” she cried when Reigen informed her that the exorcism had been a complete success, “I can’t thank you enough for your help!”

“We’re only doing our jobs, ma’am,” Reigen said with a grin.

“And you, my dear,” she said, turning to you, “I don’t know what would have happened to me if you hadn’t been there!”

“Oh, it was nothing really,” you said, holding up your hands, “I’m just glad you’re safe.”

“I want to give you something,” she insisted.

“No need to,” Reigen said politely, “your happiness is thanks enough.”

The woman shook her head. “No, no,” she protested, “A job is a job. Please accept this on top of your pay.” She handed Reigen a handful of vouchers. “Feel free to stay here any time!” she said with a smile.

“Ah, thank you,” Reigen said, taking the vouchers from her and bowing slightly before handing them off to you to hold for him.

You worried that Mob might feel bad for having been left out of this praise, but he seemed unbothered, almost tired.

You received your payment and the three (four) of you headed out after exchanging pleasant goodbyes with the hotel’s owner. Maybe you would take her up on that offer to stay for free… even if the place had been haunted.

Reigen was positively giddy as you all made your way back to the car. The woman had been more than generous in her payment for the exorcism, meaning that the early-morning trip had been well worth the hassle.

“Good job, Mob!” Reigen cheered as he began the drive back to the office, “I know it was early, but you did- Mob?”

As Reigen glanced towards the backseat to praise his student, he noticed that the boy had fallen fast asleep.

Dimple poked Mob’s cheek, but the boy did not stir.

“Is he okay?” you asked with a motherly amount of concern in your voice.

Reigen smiled. “Yeah, he’s all right,” he said, his eyes on the road, “he gets tired after using a lot of his ESP.”

“Oh, okay, good,” you exhaled, “poor baby.” He was such a good, sweet kid. You just wanted to hug the boy.

Your attention returned to Reigen as you noticed him shimmying out of his suit jacket. “Here,” he said, tossing it to you, “throw this over him.”

Your heart melted at what seemed to be a nonchalant gesture. “Aww,” you said aloud, “you’re such a dad, Reigen.”

Reigen quirked an eyebrow. “Tch,” he said defensively, “anyone would do the same.”

“Mhm,” you said, smiling warmly at Reigen as he attempted to hide his familial affections towards Mob. You always loved seeing this side of Reigen and imagined he’d make such a great dad one day. Not that you thought about him that way, of course. He was still your boss, after all.

Your train of thought was derailed, however, when your stomach growled. Loudly.

"Sorry,” you laughed, “I guess I haven’t eaten today.”

"Why didn't you say something?" Reigen asked, feeling a bit guilty for being the reason you skipped breakfast.

"Well, we had the exorcism.”

Reigen shook his head. "You need to eat."

Within a few minutes, Reigen had pulled into the parking lot for a 7/11. He turned off the car and towards the backseat. "Mob?" he asked gently, placing a hand on the boy's shoulder.

Upon realizing that Mob wouldn't be waking up any time soon, Reigen returned his attention to you, reaching into his pocket and handing you his wallet.

"Go pick out something for the two of us," he said, "and get a bento for when Mob wakes up."

"You got it, boss," you said, taking his wallet from him, "thank you, Reigen."

He shrugged. "It's the least I can do for dragging you out of bed," he said, "I'll wait in the car with Mob. Take your time."

You got out of the car and headed into the 7/11. You already knew what Reigen liked to eat, having gotten him lunch nearly every day for the last week or so, but you had yet to figure out for what you were in the mood.

After about ten minutes in the konbini, you had purchased udon, shrimp chips, and C.C. Lemon for Reigen, a ham sandwich, onigiri, and Calpis for yourself, and of course, a bento box for Mob for when he woke up. You would have gotten the sweet boy some milk, too, but you didn't want it to spoil in the car.

You returned to the car and handed Reigen his food and wallet, thanking him yet again for buying lunch for the three of you. You sat your legs in a crisscross as you dug into the bag of food without haste.

You greedily bit into your ham sandwich, relishing in the feeling of having food in your system again.

“How’s your sandwich?” he chuckled, glancing over at you devouring your lunch.

“So good!” you practically moaned, “How’s your udon?”

“Very good,” he said, slurping down another bite of noodles and washing it down with a swig of the lemon drink.

“Geez, who’d have guessed you’re just as much of a glutton as Reigen is,” Dimple snided from the backseat.

“Hey!” Reigen said with a mouth full of noodles.

“You’re just jealous you can’t have any,” you said, sticking out your tongue. You finished your ham sandwich and immediately unwrapped your rice ball.

It was just after noon when you all returned to Spirits & Such Consultation. You and Reigen opened the backseat to help Mob get unbuckled and situated in the office. You held Reigen’s jacket and Mob’s bento box in your arms as Reigen carried Mob upstairs to the office, where you unlocked the door. Reigen placed his beloved pupil down on the couch, propping a pillow under his head while you went to the closet to retrieve a blanket for him.

You handed Reigen his suit jacket as you sat down next to him.

“He’s so sweet,” you said in a whisper.

“Yeah, he’s a good kid,” Reigen agreed.

“You two look and sound like nauseatingly loving and proud parents right now,” commented Dimple sarcastically.

You and Reigen turned red before looking at each other and laughing quietly.

“Who wouldn’t be proud of this kid?” you asked, “He has the power to basically control the world, and yet, he’s just a kind boy who loves milk.”

Reigen smiled. “Well, we’ll leave him there for now,” he said, standing up to stretch, “looks like he needs his sleep.”

You stood up and glanced at your phone. “Hey, I’m right on time for work!” you cheered with a big smile.

“About time,” Reigen teased, “I’ve been expecting you all day.”

You giggled as he flashed you one of his signature smiles, causing Dimple to groan, only making you both laugh a little harder, a warm glow spreading across the two of you.

Working at Spirits and Such with Reigen really was the best.

Chapter Text

It was near closing time when the last customer for the day finally left the office of Spirits and Such.

“I just have a few more papers to sort before we close,” you said, “and then I can walk you to your car, if you want.”

“Actually,” he said awkwardly, rubbing the back of his neck, “I walked to work today.”

“Oh.”

Feeling slightly defeated, you returned to the papers in your hand, scribbling some note to yourself before placing the remaining stack in a folder.

You became keenly focused on your breathing as a suffocating silence fell across the two of you like a wet blanket.

“Do you,” he began, breaking the silence, “do you want to walk home with me? Seeing as we live in the same apartment complex.”

“Yeah,” you said, a wave of relief washing over you, “I’d like that.”

It was a cool evening as you and Reigen walked down the streets of Seasoning City.

“So, when did you start walking to work, Reigen?” you asked, making an attempt at casual conversation.

“Maybe a week ago?” he said.

“Hm,” you said, nodding, “guess I’ve rubbed off on you a little since working here, huh?”

He laughed, shoving his hands into his pockets as he continued to walk by your side. “It’s been nice,” he admitted.

“Maybe we can do this more often then?” you asked as your cheeks dusted pink.

“Sounds good to me.”

The two of you walked, but neither knew how to best initiate further conversation.

Reigen was the first to say something. “So,” he began slowly, “how are you liking working at Spirits and Such?”

You were surprised by his question. You loved your job and you hoped you made that perfectly apparent every day, but you had a feeling he was simply trying to make small talk. “I’m liking it a lot,“ you said, “it really is the best job I’ve ever had.”

“Oh, you’re just saying that.”

“No, I mean it!” you protested, laughing, “I’m really enjoying my time with you.”

Well, you could have phrased that differently. You felt your ears turn pink.

“I’m happy to hear that,” Reigen said, trying his best not to overthink your statement.

“Good, yeah,” you said awkwardly as you thrust your hands into the pockets of your jacket.

You had been working with him for months now. How hard could it be just to talk to him?

“I don’t know how you do it,” you blurted out.

He raised an inquisitive eyebrow and glanced at you as he continued to walk by your side.

“The exorcisms, that is,” you clarified, “I was so scared when we went to that hotel.”

“Oh, those, you get used to it,” he said, “you did remarkably well for your first exorcism, by the way.”

“Thanks, but I think I’m good. One and done.”

Reigen laughed. “All right, then I promise not to bring you to any more if you don’t want to come, and uh… huh?”

You had taken hold of his wrist and were guiding him towards the window of a 7/11 you two had been passing.

“Look!” you cheered all of a sudden, smiling with bright eyes like a schoolgirl. You were excitedly pointing at the display for one of the store’s sales.

Reigen peered into the window and gave you a puzzled look. “Daifukumochi?”

“They’re my favorite!” you said before suddenly caving in on yourself timidly, “Do you- do you mind if I step in for a second?”

“No, go ahead,” he chuckled, admiring how excited you were.

Your smile returned and only grew as you excitedly zipped into the convenience store.

Reigen watched as you zipped through the aisles of the convenience store to reach the shelves full of daifukumochi. It was honestly quite cute. He perused the snacks and drinks and decided to purchase a bottle of tea for later.

You followed behind him and left the store with a bag full of discounted daifuku.

He almost made a teasing comment about how you were spending your paycheck, but he had noticed that you get uncomfortable whenever he talks about money, so he decided against it. Instead he just laughed. "Are there any left in the store?" he chuckled.

You giggled before reaching into the bag to pull out a smaller brown paper bag. "These are for you," you said, handing it to him with a wide grin spread across your face.

Reigen stopped laughing as he blinked. "For me?" he echoed.

You nodded enthusiastically as you pushed the bag into his hands.

He opened it up to find a dozen packaged daifuku. "Thank you," he said, feeling all too touched at such a small gesture. Why were you always giving him tea and snacks?

"I wanted to share," you said, shrugging. The two of you continued your walk back to the apartment complex all while stuffing your faces with mochi.

"I haven't had something this sweet in forever," Reigen said as he swallowed another bite of daifuku.

"It's all that Mobdonald's you eat," you teased, nudging his arm, "you're too full of salt."

"Salt keeps away evil spirits," he said in a matter-of-fact tone.

"Yeah, but all that sodium isn't good for your heart,." You poked his chest.

He waved his hand to brush you off. “My heart is just fine,” he said, pounding a fist into his chest, “don’t worry about me.”

“I’m going to,” you said, “I don’t want anything happening to you.”

“I’m not going anywhere.”

You stole a glance to face him and were met with a soft look in his eyes.

The two of you looked away from one another after sharing a brief moment of eye contact. You couldn’t stop yourself from practically staring at Reigen while he walked. You had yet to realize how entranced you had become until you abruptly felt yourself diving towards the sidewalk, having tripped over yourself in your daze.

You suddenly felt a pair of strong arms prevent you from hitting the ground. Reigen barely had enough time to stop your descent, with one arm under your breasts and the other hooked around your waist, the grocery bag hanging from your arm swinging violently from the momentum of your near fall.

You hoped to yourself that Reigen had not noticed the reason why you tripped, but you were grateful he caught you just the same, holding you off the ground in his arms.

“Hey, are you okay?”

You looked up at him with a sheepish smile, your face flushed with a deep blush as Reigen lifted you back to your feet, and the two of you locked eyes. You didn’t fail to notice that his arms were still protectively wrapped around your waist.

“Ye-yeah, um, thank you,” you said, your blush only becoming a deeper shade of red, “I guess I tripped over my own feet.” You flashed him a big smile as you added, “It’s a good thing you were here to catch me.”

And in that moment when you smiled at him, Reigen knew he was in trouble. You may have been the one to trip, but he realized that he was the one who had fallen.

“Heh,” he said with a crooked smile, “I guess so.”

You both continued to stare at one another before Reigen realized your position and immediately removed you from his grasp and coughed awkwardly.

You glanced to the side, embarrassed at having been in such an embrace, but you couldn’t help but smile.

As you two returned to your walk, there was an uncomfortable quiet about you both.

You couldn’t take the quiet any longer. “Thank you for catching me,” you murmured.

Reigen looked at you, who were blushing and looking at your hands, and he felt his own cheeks burn up. “Don’t mention it,” he said, fixing his gaze on a distant street sign.

Thankfully, the remainder of the walk home was fairly brief. The silence had become less uncomfortable and although you were relieved to be home, you admitted that you had enjoyed your time with Reigen, for the most part.

“Thanks for walking home with me!” you cheered with a bright smile extended across your face.

There was that smile again.

“Yeah, of course,” he said, feeling himself starting to sweat, “thank you for the mochi.” He awkwardly held up the grocery bag containing the daifuku as he grinned.

“You’re welcome,” you said happily, “see you at work.” You smiled again before unlocking and closing your apartment door behind you.

Reigen stood outside your front door for a few moments longer as he attempted to process the last minutes of your walk together. He blinked and felt himself walking down the stairs to his own home.

He closed his door, the light from the outside disappearing, only slipping through the blinds of his apartment window. He set down the daifukumochi you gave him on the coffee table before removing his jacket and collapsing onto his bed.

Damn it.

You just had to look at him like that. With those kind eyes and that smile. That damned smile. He knew it was going to be his undoing if you kept smiling at him with that perfect, radiant smile of yours.

Reigen stared at his ceiling and sighed. His fan whirred as his water cooler gurgled, bubbles rising to the water’s surface to break.

There was something about you that Reigen knew he had been ignoring on purpose. But that smile of yours gave him no choice to ignore it any longer. And if he was being honest with himself which he refused to do, he wanted you to keep smiling at him forever.

Your smile had etched itself into his head and made itself home there, and somehow, you had made your way into his heart. He let his guard down and you managed to slip right in.

He groaned, draping his arm across his forehead. It didn’t matter how he felt. Aside from the very important fact that he was your boss, he knew he didn’t deserve all the love you could give, if you even wanted to give it, which he doubted. He’d feel like a fraud, which, although he had trouble admitting it, he was. He had a notion that his feelings would not be reciprocated by someone as amazing as you.

Reigen realized he was too tired to think about any of this, so he decided to bury his feelings until further notice. He was still wearing his suit pants when he fell asleep.

Chapter Text

“An advertisement, eh?” Reigen mused.

The boss man was leaning back in his chair with his shoes propped up on his desk as he brainstormed. Good thing no clients had come in to see this blatant display of unprofessionalism.

“You think the two of you can draw something up while I type up the details?”

You and Mob exchanged glances before shrugging.

“Great! Let’s get to work then,” he said, clapping his hands together and swinging his legs off the desk.

Over the course of the afternoon, the three of you managed to put together a decent looking flyer for Spirits and Such Consultation. Satisfied with the work done, Reigen headed to another room to make copies.

As he stood in front of the photocopier, waiting for the copies to be made, Reigen found his mind wandering.

It had been a couple of weeks since the tripping mishap. Reigen had done well to bury his feelings for you and keep his personal life out of the office space. But on occasion, he would remember how you felt in his arms and how warm and radiant your smile was.

He hummed happily, picturing your smiling face, as the photocopy machine whirred and continued to spit out flyers.

“Shishou?”

Reigen jumped as he turned to face his pupil. “Ah, Mob,” he said, sweating, “What do you need?”

Wordlessly, the boy pointed to the photocopier, which was now sending flyers flitting towards the floor as the tray overfilled with papers.

With a startled grunt, Reigen scrambled to shut off the machine before he wasted any more ink and paper.

Dimple cackled as he watched Reigen struggle. “Nice going.”

Reigen grumbled before picking up papers off the floor.

“Oh, let me help you with those,” you said, leaning down to help Reigen as you entered the room.

Reigen thanked you before busying his hands with neatly stacking the flyers.

Once all the flyers had been collected, the three of you with Dimple headed out of the office to hang up and distribute the advertisements across Seasoning City.

A few days later, after one particularly successful day of curse-dispelling services and exorcisms, Reigen was ecstatic. You came into work to find him grinning ear to ear. Apparently, some wealthy executive had seen the flyers and came to the office with a “haunting” problem, which Reigen promptly solved and received substantial payment.

“All right!” Reigen announced, “Who wants ramen?”

“Oh, I can’t tonight,” said Mob, “I have a test tomorrow.”

Reigen’s heart sank a little. He was hoping to bring you to dinner while playing it off as a group outing. He didn’t want to push any boundaries by asking you to get food with him. “Well, maybe another night then?”

“I-“ you started, feeling particularly brave, “I can go tonight. If you still wanted to go.”

Mob nodded in agreement. “Master, you’ve taken me for ramen lots of times,” he said, “I think you should just take (Y/N) this time.”

“I’m sure he’d love the alone time with her,” Dimple muttered.

Reigen ignored the spirit. “Sounds great!”

You smiled. You couldn’t help but feel excited at the idea of getting dinner with Reigen.

As soon as Mob and Dimple left for the weekend, you and Reigen headed out to a nearby ramen shop.

The walk to the restaurant was pleasant, if not a bit awkward. You and Reigen were no strangers to playful banter, but something about spending time together after hours still felt different and led to a new layer of interaction.

“So what do you recommend?” you asked as the two of you received your menus.

“Well,” he began, clearing his throat, “I always go for the Tonkotsu ramen, but really, all the food here is great.”

You nodded as you continued to scan the menu. When the waiter arrived, Reigen ordered a bowl of Tonkotsu ramen, a side of gyoza, and a kettle of green tea.

“Uh, the same as him, please,” you informed the waiter, flashing Reigen a small smile.

You glanced around at your surroundings, taking in the aesthetic of the ramen shop. It was a nice, little restaurant that smelled heavily of pork broth. The lighting was fairly dim, creating a warm and homey atmosphere, and the sounds of the kitchen staff bustling filled the small room over the quiet music playing overhead.

“So you and Mob come here often?”

“Hm? Oh yeah,” Reigen said, “it’s definitely my favorite ramen shop in town.”

The waitress returned with the green tea, which Reigen immediately poured for the two of you. You thanked him and waited patiently for the drink to cool, but Reigen was not so patient.

You watched as your boss sputtered and panted after burning his tongue on his tea.

“You really should learn to blow on your food and drink,” you commented, handing him a napkin to wipe his mouth.

He grumbled something unintelligibly and you couldn’t stop yourself from giggling. If you had a 100-yen coin for every time you witnessed Reigen burning his mouth…

A moment of silence fell across the two of you. What should you talk about on a date? Was this a date? No, it was simply dinner. Right?

Reigen was the first to speak up, as per usual. “Mob really likes having you at the office.”

“Oh, that’s sweet,” you said before adding, “Only Mob?” You flashed Reigen a cheeky smile.

“Well, of course I like having you there, too,” he said, humoring you, “I hired you, after all.”

You smiled and took a sip of your tea (after blowing on it, of course). “Well, for what it’s worth, I love my job.”

Reigen leaned his chin on his fist and let his hair fall sideways. “I’m happy to hear it. You’re the perfect assistant.”

“Oh, whatever,” you protested, waving your hand in front of your face, “you’re just saying that.”

“Are you kidding?” He sat up so he could better gesticulate. “Now that I have you, I don’t know what I’d do without you. Tch-“

His eyes widened slightly as he watched your face turn red. Despite it being the truth, that was not exactly what he had meant to say.

“You flatter me, Reigen,” you said, playing off the compliment as best you could, “but thank you. I appreciate the praise. I’ve never been an assistant before, so I’m glad to hear I’m doing a good job.”

Just as Reigen opened his mouth to speak, the waitress returned with your orders.

Saying the ramen smelled and looked amazing would be a gross understatement. You had to stop yourself from moaning into your tonkotsu ramen, but it tasted just that good.

Without hesitation, Reigen picked up his chopsticks and began to hungrily devour his ramen, and for once, you could not blame him for his impatience. This place made some fantastic ramen.

As the evening progressed, you and Reigen became more and more comfortable with one another, allowing yourselves to fall into casual, lighthearted conversation while you ate your ramen and gyoza.

Shortly after you finished eating, the waitress returned with the bill, which Reigen politely took from her.

“Oh, Reigen,” you said, reaching for your wallet, “how much do I owe you?”

He shook his head as he dug out his own wallet from his pocket. “I always pay for Mob,” he explained, “it’s only fair that I cover you, too.”

“Oh, um, thank you, Reigen.”

“Thank you for joining me for dinner,” he said with a smile.

A blush spread across your face as you returned the smile. The two of you headed home together, making jokes and laughing the whole walk there.

Chapter Text

One afternoon, you and Reigen had miraculously finished all the work to be had. Instead of closing up for the day, the two of you were lounging on the couch together, waiting to see if there would be any more clients. You listened as Reigen relayed stories of past exorcisms.

“And you just waltzed up and punched him?” you asked, trying to suppress your laughter.

“Hey, it worked,” Reigen said proudly.

You laughed. “You’ve done some insane stuff.”

“It happens when you deal with espers on a daily basis.”

“It’s a wonder you haven’t gotten yourself killed,” you commented.

Reigen stretched out his arms, causing you to lean into him. You immediately stiffened, but upon seeing that he was unfazed, you relaxed and allowed yourself to lean against his shoulder.

“I’m too powerful to be killed this young.”

You laughed hard.

“What’s so funny?” he asked, looking down at you.

“You’re too powerful?” you chuckled, “Yeah, sure, you are, boss.”

“Hey!” he said, fighting back a laugh.

Another wave of laughter was enough to send Reigen over the edge, leaving you both giggling on the couch as you leaned against one another for support.

The two of you froze as you heard the door open.

Reigen immediately jumped up to greet whoever had entered the office.

“Are you the psychic?” an elderly woman asked of Reigen.

“Yes, please come in,” Reigen said, straightening out his suit jacket, “how may I help you, ma’am?”

“I think I’ve been cursed,” she said plainly as she made her way into the room, “I’m always so very stiff in my shoulders and hands.”

Reigen nodded solemnly with a hand on his chin. “Well, I’m glad you came to us!” he boasted as he gestured for you to join his side, “We’ll get rid of your curse in no time!”

The woman thanked us profusely as we led her to sit in front of Reigen’s desk.

“Would you like some tea, ma’am?” you asked her with a warm smile on your face.

“Oh, yes, thank you, dear,” she said.

You bowed to her and headed out of the room momentarily to brew some tea while Reigen made casual banter with the nice woman in your absence.

"I'm glad I came here," she said, accepting the cup of tea from your hands, "I do love supporting family-owned businesses."

"Excuse me?" he asked politely as he blinked an obviously confused look from his face.

"Oh, well, the two of you seem like such a perfect pair,” she doted on the two of you, “and it's just so nice to see a husband and wife working together.”

"Oh, uh," you interjected, "we're actually-"

"Engaged!" Reigen finished, rushing over to you from his side of the desk to finish your sentence.

You noticed him glance at you desperately, almost apologetically, moments before he wrapped his arm around your waist, pulling you into an intimate embrace.

You were taken by surprise, but ignored any and all flustered feelings to go along with his charade. Dealing with clients and supporting Reigen was your job, after all.

"Isn't that right, love?" he asked, locking eyes with you as he held you by his side.

"Oh, yeah," you said, gingerly placing a hand on his chest as you flashed a smile, "he's, uh, he's my fiancé."

"We just haven't picked a wedding date yet," Reigen explained, "saving up for the big day, you know?"

Oh, boy, was he milking this for all it was worth.

He had a wide grin plastered to his face as he lied through his teeth. You had known Reigen to stretch the truth to make a few cents, but this was something else. Most of the time, his statements always had a semblance of truth to them, but you had never seen him come up with something this intricated from scratch.

"Oh, of course!" agreed the woman, "That's so sweet."

Reigen's grip around you tightened as he squeezed you against him lovingly. "Yeah, I fell head over heels for this one," he continued, leaning his head towards you, "something about that darn smile."

You couldn't help but blush fervently. Yes, Reigen was making this all up as he went, but hearing it was enough to turn you into a blushing, hormonal mess. This staging felt like borderline sexual harassment, but you had to admit that it didn't bother you in the slightest.

"How did the two of you meet?" you heard the client ask. Her gaze was fixed on you.

You felt Reigen nudge you gently, snapping you out of your daze as he encouraged you to add to this fabrication.

"Oh, well, it's funny actually," you began nervously, "we met through work."

The woman gave you a quizzical look so you continued.

"We were both at this one office job, and after getting to know each other, we... we fell in love." You reached for the hand that wasn't wrapped around your torso and held onto it gently.

Reigen looked startled for a split second, but immediately intertwined his fingers with yours to keep up the act. His hand was incredibly sweaty.

"We then decided to start this business together and hopefully raise enough money for a wedding," you said, looking up at Reigen who was still smiling like an idiot. "Or even a ring," you added, holding up your naked hand.

Reigen laughed nervously. "You just have to keep bringing that up, don't you?" he whined.

"I'm only teasing you, honey," you said, the last word falling from your lips a bit too easily.

Reigen returned his attention to the woman and said, "I'll get her the wedding and the ring she deserves as soon as I can afford it."

She smiled and you both knew she was sold. Your sappy story had hit a cord with her. Hook, line, and sinker.

After satisfying her curiosity about your "love" life, the two of you helped the woman with her "evil spirit," which involved a brief neck and hand massage of which Reigen and you each took part. At the end of her appointment, she paid her fee and - as Reigen had anticipated - left a significant tip, instructing you to put it towards the wedding. The two of you thanked her profusely, holding hands as she left.

As soon as the door closed, you both sighed.

It took a few moments for you to realize that Reigen was absentmindedly caressing your hand with his thumb. You looked down at your hand before your eyes met Reigen's, and you instinctively pulled your hand away as you blushed and glanced to the side.

There was an awkward silence before Reigen cleared his throat.

"Uh, good job," he said as casually as possible.

"Care to explain yourself?" you asked, almost laughing as you turned to face him.

"The customer is always right," he said with a crooked smile, "Sorry to throw you into that all of a sudden, but why correct her?"

"True," you said, before cheekily adding, "just be grateful I don't report you to HR."

"I am HR," he laughed, and you joined him.

A beat.

"Uh," he began, not entirely sure as to what he wanted to say, rubbing the back of his neck, "I hope I didn't, uh, make you uncomfortable or anything."

You blinked. "Oh, it's okay," you said, turning a dark shade of red, "we convinced her, so it's all good. No worries."

"Good, uh, you did great," he commented, stuffing his hands in his pockets, "I’m impressed. I wasn't sure if you'd be able to act on the spot like that."

"Heh," you chuckled, "Was I supposed to leave you hanging? I think that would make for a pretty lousy assistant."

Reigen smiled. "I guess you're right, and you are the best assistant I've got," he said, poking you in the shoulder.

You laughed and playfully nudged him back. "Only assistant," you reminded him before the two of you returned to your desks.

Only at Spirits and Such would you and your boss have to pretend to be engaged to make a sale. You would never admit that you were flattered with the client's misunderstanding, but you would never ever admit that you loved that Reigen went along with it.

Chapter Text

It was a slow day at Spirits and Such Consultation. Mob did his homework at his small desk while Reigen absentmindedly twirled an unlit cigarette in his hand while scrolling through emails. He was bored without you there, but he knew he would see you in an hour or so.

Reigen had come to terms with himself and his feelings; he knew he cared for you more than any boss should ever care for their assistant, but he would keep that to himself. But no matter how hard he tried, he could not get your smile out of his head.

Your smile.

The smile he first saw when he gave you the job, when you made him tea, when you saw your favorite snack at 7/11, and at dinner last week. Dammit.

Not to mention he absolutely loved pretending to be your fiancé. Yes, it was part of the scam, but that didn’t mean he didn’t enjoy every second of it. Holding you close was enough to make his heart throb, even if it was all an act.

He was lost. He thought about sending you on more errands to get you out of the office so you wouldn’t distract him, but he would be lying to himself if he said he wouldn’t miss your company.

He just wanted to spend every day with you and to see your beautiful smile every day. He wanted to be the reason you smiled that damn smile that made him weak. He wanted to be everything to make you happy, but who knew if you even wanted him.

But it made him smile to know you were in his life now. Even if the two of you were strictly employer and employee, at least he got to see that smile of yours that always brightened his day…

His phone rang and your name appeared on the caller ID. He jumped up as he answered the call. “Ah, (Y/N),” Reigen said, happy to hear from you and now have something to do, “What’s- oh. Yeah… mhm… all right… Feel better then.”

“Is everything okay with (Y/N)?” Mob asked.

“She’s just feeling a bit under the weather, is all,” he explained halfheartedly, “she said she should be back tomorrow.”

Reigen looked dejected as he slumped back in his chair.

“Geez,” groaned Dimple, “could you look any more depressing?”

“Dimple,” Mob warned, but soon realized that his teacher did look a bit upset, “Master?”

Reigen said nothing as he ignored his pupil and the annoying spirit.

Then it clicked. “Falling for your assistant now, are you, Reigen?” remarked Dimple with a devilish grin.

Reigen stood up and waved his arms about. “Falling for my-?! N-no, I would never!” he sputtered a bit too defensively, sweat protruding from his forehead, “That would be highly unprofessional, and I don’t have any time for a relationship what with all my clients.”

Dimple glanced at the empty office that had remained empty of clientele throughout the duration of the workday. “Mhm,” he muttered, “So then, why is it that you never smoke in the office anymore whenever she’s here?”

“I try not to smoke in the office whenever Mob’s here, so by extension, that includes when (Y/N)’s here,” Reigen said, “What’re you getting at?”

“Ever since she chewed you out for smoking, you’ve almost entirely quit,” Dimple noted.

Reigen hesitated. Dimple was right; he had been smoking less in the past couple of months you had been working for him. There was a moment of silence before Mob spoke up, pulling Reigen away from his thoughts.

“Master,” Mob said, “do you like (Y/N)?”

Reigen blinked. “Well, of course I like her,” he said, rolling his eyes in an attempt to dodge the question and bury his feelings, “I wouldn’t have hired her if I didn’t like her.”

“Oh, don’t give us that crap,” griped Dimple, “you know what he meant.”

Reigen bit his cheek before sighing. “Mob,” he said, putting on his conman act all while sweating profusely, “(Y/N) is my employee. She’s an amazing assistant and a pleasure to be around, but she’s just my employee. Nothing more and nothing less.”

Although a bit disappointed, Mob seemed satisfied and nodded.

Dimple groaned. “Whatever helps you sleep at night, Reigen.”

Reigen glanced at the wall clock. “Why don’t you just head home for the rest of the day? I don’t think we’re going to be very busy.”

Mob and Dimple headed out, leaving Reigen alone in his quiet office.

Reigen felt torn. He clearly had strong feelings for you, but he was your employer. He knew not to cross any lines or take advantage of that authority he had over you. He would never forgive himself if he said or did something to make you quit, or worse, cry.

He sighed. It wasn’t like him to catch feelings. He was going to have to make a conscious effort not to let his emotions get the best of him, which meant not flirting with you or making any passes at you. It was unprofessional and you deserved better, and he knew it.

He leaned back in his chair, staring at the ceiling in deep thought while his fingers mindlessly fiddled with an unlit cigarette.

He let out an audible groan and dropped his forehead to the desk. How did you manage to get inside his head like that? After all these years of closing himself off from others and hiding his true emotions, you just had to come into his life and mess up everything by being so damn nice and sweet and funny and pretty…

After some time, he reached the decision that it was best to enjoy your company as he did now because he wasn’t going to risk losing you by expressing his feelings. Reigen promised himself that he would make you the happiest he could whenever you were at the office.

It was the least he could do for the girl he loved so much.

Chapter Text

“Ma’am, yes, I- no, I understand, but-“

You switched the office phone to your other ear and balanced it between your shoulder as you searched for a document on Reigen’s desk.

“Please, don’t yell at me,” you asked of the client, “I’m aware of your situation-“

“No, you most certainly are not!” the woman barked over the phone, “You’re not listening to a word I’m saying! You incompetent-“

“Ma’am, please,” you begged, “I’m afraid we don’t offer that sort of service here, but I can offer-“

“Then what good are you?!”

The client continued to berate and insult you, and normally you could have tried to hold it together, but you felt yourself starting to crack under the pressure, and you had to forcibly stop yourself from crying.

“Y-yes, but what I’m saying is-“ you continued as your breathing became unsteady.

As you tried to communicate with her to no avail, Reigen and Mob returned from their exorcism.

You looked up at Reigen and you must have looked desperate as his laid-back demeanor instantly became much more serious.

He could hear the verbal abuse without needing the speaker phone before he even reached his desk. In one swift movement, he snatched the phone from your grasp, essentially rescuing you.

“Excuse me, who is this?” he began.

“Who are you?!” she shrieked over the receiver.

“I’m the owner of Spirits and Such, and-“

“Oh, good. Then maybe you’ll actually be able to help me unlike that useless girl-“

“I don’t appreciate you being so rude to my assistant,” he stated curtly.

“Rude! Why, I never!” she spat, “How dare you, and-“

“Have a nice day,” he said dismissively, hanging up the phone.

Reigen exhaled and his features relaxed after becoming so tense during that brief yet draining exchange. His attention immediately returned to you, and he kneeled in front of you, placing a hand on your arm. “Are you all right?”

“Reigen, I’m so sorry!” you cried, allowing the tears to finally spill from your eyes, “I completely screwed up, and we lost a client because I didn’t know what-“

“Hey, hey,” he said, “don’t worry about it.”

You wiped your eyes with your wrist and looked at him.

“I wouldn’t want to help out someone like her anyway,” he added with a reassuring smile.

Just as you were about to thank Reigen, you became distracted by various objects floating around the room.

“Shigeo,” you heard Dimple say.

You looked to Mob, whose hair was on end with his hands balled into fists. You smiled at him and gestured for him to come closer. “No need to get upset,” you told the boy before walking over to him and pulling him into a hug.

Slowly, the few things that had been floating drifted back to their rightful spots in the office as Mob hugged you.

“She made you cry,” he said plainly.

Oh, sweet, little Mob. Your heart melted.

“That’s okay,” you reassured him, “some people are just like that, but you can’t let them get to you.”

Mob frowned. He never understood why nor how people could be so mean.

“I’m okay,” you said, "our amazing boss here saved me."

Mob smiled.

"Are you good now, Mob?"

He nodded, and you ruffled his hair.

You took a deep breath and smiled. “So! How’d the exorcism go?”

Reigen shrugged. “It was fine,” he said, “nothing we couldn’t handle.” He paused. “I think I can take care of the rest of the phone calls for today.”

“Thank you, Reigen.” He and Mob sat at their respective desks as you returned to sorting through some files.

Later that day, you found yourself waking up on the office couch. Your laptop had been placed on your desk and Reigen’s jacket had been thrown over you.

“Oh, you’re up,” Reigen said from his desk, “Did you sleep well?”

“Yeah, thank you…” you said slowly before realization dawned on you, and you exclaimed, “OH MY GOD, I CAN'T BELIEVE I FELL ASLEEP. I’M SO, SO SORRY.”

He laughed. “It’s okay,” he said, “clearly, you needed the rest.”

He had worried that you had tired yourself out answering phone calls all morning. You had refused to tell him if any other clients had been as rude or draining as the woman he had dismissed.

“There weren’t any clients?”

“None. You’re fine.”

You nodded as you calmed down. “Thank you,” you said, “not many bosses would let their assistants nap on company time.” You let out a nervous laugh.

Reigen smiled at you as he got up from his desk chair. “Well, I’ve got to keep my employees happy and healthy now, don’t I?” He placed a finger to his chin in thought as he added, “Although your snoring was a bit distracting.”

“EH?!” you cried, “I- I don’t snore!”

“Well, you murmur,” he corrected himself, “I wouldn’t quite call it talking in your sleep, but you make these cute, little noises.”

Tch. He didn’t catch himself in time.

You covered your face as you blushed. “That’s so embarrassing.” Wait. Did he say cute?

Your embarrassment only grew when you realize you had buried your face in Reigen’s jacket. “Oh, um,” you started, holding it at arm’s length, “Here’s your jacket. Thank you.”

“Don’t mention it,” he said, taking it from your grasp.

The two of you stood momentarily still as an awkward silence fell over you.

Reigen cleared his throat and glanced at the clock on the wall. “You can head home for the rest of the day,” he said, “if you’d like.”

“Oh.”

“Oh?”

“Well, I actually kinda like it in the office,” you admitted, a slight tinge of pink spreading across your face, “I like your company.”

“You’re just saying that,” he said, rolling his eyes to deflect the emotions caused by your implications.

“You think I’d stay at this shady business if I didn’t like you, Reigen?” you teased.

Well, maybe that sounded a bit more forward than you had intended.

The hair on the back of Reigen’s neck stood on end and he began to sweat. Instead of gesticulating wildly and making the situation even more awkward than it already was, Reigen composed himself.

He cleared his throat and stood up straight, seemingly going into his professional mode. “Shady?” he asked accusingly, “Who told you Spirits and Such was shady? My business that I built up from nothing, and you call it shady? That hurts.”

He held a hand over his heart and looked wounded, pouting at you.

You laughed. “Oh, I’m so sorry, sir,” you said sarcastically, putting emphasis on the honorific.

Reigen couldn’t help but laugh, your smile being contagious. “It’s a good thing you’re my favorite assistant.”

“I’m your only assistant, Reigen,” you reminded him for the nth time.

“Still my favorite.”

Chapter Text

Reigen sat in his apartment, illuminated by the light from his computer monitor in front of him. After you had made another not-so-subtle comment about the layout for the Spirits and Such website, he decided to try his best to adjust it. He’d be sure to get the Y/N Stamp of Approval in the morning.

He leaned back in his chair with his arms towards the ceiling, stretching his back and cracking his knuckles. He yawned before leaning his chin against his hand as he stared at the screen, debating whether or not he should head to bed soon.

His thoughts were interrupted by the quiet sound of his cellphone buzzing against his coffee table. He wondered who would be calling him at this time of night until he saw your name appear on the screen.

“Hello?” he answered in a confused, but not disappointed tone.

“Uh, h-hey,” you said quietly, doing your best to hold back the tears you had been crying.

He could hear the sobs caught in your throat as you spoke, and it made his heart wrench. “Hey, is everything okay?”

“Can you come over?” you asked weakly, “I- I don’t want to be alone.”

You were worried he had hung up on you and were about to start crying again before you heard him say, “Of course.”

Not two minutes later, Reigen was outside your door, wearing a pullover and sweatpants.

You welcomed him inside, and upon locking the door behind him, immediately latched onto him in a tight hug.

His body stiffened as you sobbed into his chest with your arms wrapped around him. Slowly he allowed his own arms to pull you into a closer embrace, deciding it was appropriate given the circumstances. He placed a hand behind your head and held you flush against him.

For the first time in his life, Reigen Arataka was speechless.

He wasn’t sure if he should ask you what’s wrong or if it would be better just to hold you until you were ready to open up. He squeezed you tighter.

The two of you remained in the other’s embrace for what felt like forever. Eventually your crying subsided and your breathing steadied, and you stepped back slightly. Reigen held you gingerly by your waist as he waited for some sort of queue.

“Thank you,” you sniffled, “for coming over.”

“Y-yeah, of course,” he said softly. A beat. “Are you okay?”

You looked up at him with puffy, wet eyes. You tried your best to put on a brave face, but your lip began to quiver. You gripped his shirt and buried your face into him again.

“No,” you squeaked out, fighting, but to no avail, to hold back your tears.

“Oh, Y/N,” he said with a heavy feeling in his chest.

“I- I’m sorry,” you said, hating how pathetic you felt, “I- I shouldn’t have c-called you here and inter-terrupted you, and-“

“Hey, hey,” he soothed, “shhhh, it’s okay. Just breathe.” He led you over to the couch so you could hopefully relax a bit more.

Your sobs turned into hiccups as you struggled to steady your breathing once more. “I didn’t know who else to call,” you admitted quietly.

He gently rubbed your back. “I’m here.”

A pause.

“Did something happen?” he asked in such a low voice you were unsure he had even spoken.

You gently shook your head.

“You’re not hurt, right?” The concern in his tone was apparent.

Again, you shook your head. You took a deep breath before saying, “It’s just my anxiety. I haven’t had an attack this bad in a while. It just happened.” Your heart was still pounding in your chest.

He nodded slowly. “Is there anything I can do?”

You looked up at him, a bit surprised by the softness in his voice. “I don’t know,” you admitted.

“Well, I’m not leaving until you’re feeling better,” he said firmly, sounding like himself again as he propped his feet up on your coffee table, “I’ll stay here all night if I have to.”

A smile tugged at your lips. “You don’t have to do that,” you said, “I’ll be okay… eventually.”

Reigen squinted and stared at you. “Hmm,” he mused, “bullshit.”

“No, really, look!” you said, wiping your eyes, sniffing, and sitting up a little straighter, “I’m perfectly fine. No problems here, sir, none at all.”

“Oh, well, if you insist,” Reigen said, rising from the couch. Playing along with your bluff, he began to waltz towards the door. “I guess I’ll be on my way then.”

“Yep,” you said, watching him slowly reach for the door. You sighed. “Wait.”

He turned around to face you again and awaited your next request.

Silent tears streamed down your face as you added, “Stay?”

“Of course.” He returned to the seat next to you on the couch and handed you a tissue, which you used to dab your eyes and cheeks.

“Do you want some tea? I’m going to make some tea,” you stated out of nowhere.

“You don’t have to make me tea,” he said, “if anything, I should be making you tea.”

You shook your head. “You’re still a guest in my home,” you said as you headed towards the kitchen to fill the kettle with water.

Reigen’s hands fidgeted in his lap as he tried to think of something to say or do.

As if reading his mind, you decided to initiate the conversation. “I guess I’m just being emotional,” you said, “I should have just gone to sleep.”

“What, no,” he said, leaning over the back of the couch to look at you, “it’s perfectly normal to just… feel things.” He then chuckled and added, “Or so I’ve been told.”

You gave him a weak smile.

“You’re not being emotional,” he reassured, “you just have feelings. And that’s perfectly valid.”

“I suppose,” you said, pouring the hot water into two mugs. “I don’t like being alone with my thoughts,” you sighed.

“Yeah, I know the feeling,” he said, rubbing the back of his neck.

A pause.

“I must sound so cliché.” You let out a halfhearted laugh.

“Not at all,” he said, “you sound… like a classic.”

You rolled your eyes and smiled. “Nice try, Reigen, I know how silly I sound,” you said, “but thank you.”

You handed him his cup of tea and he thanked you as you returned to your spot on the couch.

The two of you sat in comfortable silence as you drank your tea.

He finished his tea and set the cup down on the table. He took a deep breath before asking, “Are you going to be okay?”

He glanced down, your silence making him think you may have fallen asleep.

“Yeah, I’ll be fine,” you finally said, taking a sip of your tea.

Reigen breathed in steadily as his mind rushed one million miles per second. “I really can stay as late as you need or want me to,” he said, ignoring his panicked thoughts that told him he was pushing his limits, “kick me out anytime or I can just sleep on your floor.”

You laughed quietly into your mug.

“It looks very comfy,” he added.

“I won’t make you sleep on my floor,” you reassured, nudging his shoulder with your own, “and I’ll try not to keep you here much longer.”

“No worries.”

You finished your tea and Reigen set the cup next to his while you bundled yourself in your blanket.

He gingerly rubbed your back and let you lean against him.

Eventually, your sniffing was replaced with quiet, steady snoring.

Reigen propped his elbow on the armrest of the couch and placed his cheek in his hand as he contemplated what to do next.

Should he stay and let you sleep comfortably in his arms? Should he leave so you won’t have to worry about him in the morning? Should he carry you to bed and then leave?

He let out a soft sigh and massaged his temples with one hand. He stole a glance at your sleeping form.

You looked so peaceful, despite your puffy eyes and messy hair. You looked perfect as you instinctively snuggled closer to him as you fell deeper into sleep.

Before he knew it, Reigen had drifted off. He only came to this realization when the light from the sunrise came through your curtains.

With a small moan, he woke up, rubbing the sleep from his eyes.

You were still fast asleep, bundled up in your blanket and rested in his hold.

Reigen yawned before carefully removing himself from the couch. He took special care in gently setting you back down on the couch once he was standing. He stretched and cracked his neck once or twice. He then reached towards the blanket and adjusted it so it was covering all of you comfortably.

He carried yours and his mugs to the kitchen and placed them in the sink before quietly slipping out of your apartment.

Chapter Text

You woke up and were surprised to find yourself on your couch and not in your bed.

Then you remembered that Reigen had sat with you last night during your “moment” when you needed comfort, and you smiled fondly to yourself.

You wanted to thank him for coming over. Should you call him? Shoot him a text? Maybe thank him in person? The lines of your professional relationship were becoming blurrier and blurrier by the day...

With a yawn, you stretched and rose from the couch, letting the blanket fall to the cushions below you. As you poured a glass of water, you noticed that the mugs you and Reigen used had been brought to the sink. He must have done that, but when? When did he leave? You honestly didn’t remember when you even fell asleep and you never felt him get up. Oh, well.

You hoped a shower would help wake your mind and body. You were just grateful you didn’t have work until the afternoon. You needed a long shower.

----------------------------------------------------------------------

“Have you eaten?” You held out to him a bento lunch you had picked up at the convenience store on your way to work, anticipating that Reigen would have forgotten to feed himself.

“Not yet- oh, thank you, Y/N,” he said, “how much do I owe you?”

You waved your hand. “Don’t worry about it.”

Before you could explain to him that it was your little way of thanking him for the previous night, Mob entered the office.

“Ah, Mob, are you ready to go?”

Mob nodded and Reigen stood from his desk.

“Um, you can take five minutes to eat your lunch first,” you chastised, sitting Reigen back down.

“She’s really putting you in your place, Reigen,” Dimple snickered.

Reigen grumbled but proceeded to open his bento regardless. After hastily shoveling food into his mouth, he asked, “Can we go now?”

You handed him a napkin to wipe his face and nodded before the four of you headed to your next exorcism.

The gig was at an apartment building a few blocks away where a tenant believed his room was haunted. If this job had taught you anything, you never knew whether it was going to be leaky pipes or a genuine spirit. Seriously, what did Reigen even do before he hired Mob??

“Ah, Reigen-sama, thank you for coming! Please, come in!” the man greeted as he welcomed your group into the supposedly haunted apartment.

As you entered, there was suddenly a powerful gust of wind whirling around the room. Neither you nor Reigen could see the source of the mini twister, but Mob informed you and the client that it was, in fact, a troublesome spirit.

“Mob, you want to take this one?” he shouted before turning to the client and adding, “I let my student handle some of the lower level spirits to help him perfect his skills.”

The client’s eyes widened in bewilderment and he nodded. “I understand! Could I watch him at work? This sort of thing is fascinating!!”

Reigen made a face before shrugging. “Sure,” he said loudly so as to be heard over the wind, “Mob, are you all right with that?”

The boy nodded politely as his hair whipped violently around his face.

“Y/N, let’s get out of Mob’s way and wait outside, yeah?”

“Sounds good, boss!” you said, giving a thumbs up to Mob, “You got this, Shigeo!”

With some effort, you and Reigen managed to push the door closed. You both took a moment to fix your hair that had been mussed by the indoor tornado.

As the two of you waited outside of the apartment for Mob to finish up the exorcism, you decided to use this opportunity to address the previous night.

“Um, Reigen?”

“Hm?”

Before you could say anything, you noticed a familiar green blur lurking in the corner of the room, and you did not want Dimple in on yours and Reigen’s interesting situationship.

“Oh, uh,” you started, “I was just wondering if we had any more jobs lined up for the week.”

“I think one or two,” he said in a bored tone, “I can check when we get back to the office.”

You nodded.

“Why, do you need time off?” he asked.

“Ah, no, I’m good,” you said, waving your hands in front of your face, “just curious.”

There was a bright flash of technicolor light from under the front door of the apartment before Mob emerged from the room with the client.

“All done?” Reigen asked, looking smug.

Mob nodded.

“Good job, Mob!”

“What an incredible pupil you have!!” the client cheered before digging through his pocket for his wallet, “Thank you so much for your help, Reigen-sama!!”

“Ah, you’re very welcome,” Reigen said through an exaggerated smile as he took the payment, “Please remember us if something like this ever occurs again.”

With a flashy show of his hands, Reigen reached into his suit to pull out a business card which he then handed to the man. “If you bring that in, you’ll get a five percent discount on any preventative treatment!” he beamed.

Dimple groaned and rolled his eyes, unbeknownst to the client, thank goodness.

The man bowed. “Thank you, Reigen-sama,” he said, “and all of you.”

With the job finished, your group began walking back to Spirits & Such.

You and Reigen listened as Mob talked about an upcoming exam while Dimple teased him for spending class staring at Tsubomi instead of taking notes.

“Master,” Mob began after recovering from his violent blushing from thinking about Tsubomi, “can I please leave early today? I want to study more.”

“Yeah, of course,” Reigen said, “school comes first.”

Dimple scoffed. “Since when? You’ve always made Shigeo prioritize this volunteer work you call a job.”

“Hey, he gets paid!”

“Barely,” you and Dimple said at the same time before laughing.

Reigen huffed, but chose to ignoreyou as he handed Mob his sorry excuse of payment. “You can head on home now, Mob,” he said, “good luck on your exam.”

Mob thanked his master and turned to walk home with Dimple zipping behind him.

“Good luck!!” you called after him, receiving a small smile from the boy.

You and Reigen walked back up the stairs to the office. He collapsed in his desk chair and began scrolling through emails while you busied yourself with organizing his bookshelf.

Reigen got bored after half an hour or so later and began swaying back and forth in his seat idly, staring out the office window.

You set down a few books and took a deep breath as you slowly approached his desk.

“Hey, Reigen, do you have a minute?”

“What’s up?” he asked, swiveling around in his chair to face you.

“I just-” you began, “I just really appreciate you coming over last night.”

Not wanting to make eye contact, you bowed to Reigen politely.

You then felt his hand on your shoulder gently urging you to stand upright. He looked at you with a kind smile.

You returned the smile as you stood up straight.

“I hope you know,” he started, “that I’m always here for you if you need me.”

You locked eyes for what felt like an eternity as Reigen’s thumb absentmindedly caressed your arm before abruptly pulling it away upon realizing what it was he was doing.

He cleared his throat.

“Thank you, Reigen,” you said softly, missing his soothing touch.

“You’re- you’re welcome, Y/N.”

You clicked your teeth and sighed. “Do you want to walk home together?” you offered.

“Sure, yeah, that sounds good,” he said, feeling the tips of his ears turn red, “Just let me lock up.”

----------------------------------------------------------------------

Late that night, Reigen once again found himself staring at his ceiling, arms crossed behind his head as he lay deep in thought…

She’s probably just being nice. What would a woman like that see in me? And even if she did, I’m her boss, so I’d be professional… yeah, right. Besides, even if I did broach the subject, she’d probably quit. I couldn’t blame her.

But what if…? No, don’t raise your hopes like that, Arataka.

Unless…?

Reigen absentmindedly chewed on his bottom lip as he thought back to your time together since you two met. You always made sure he eats, bringing him food without ever being prompted. You clung to him for comfort and protection during that hotel exorcism. Getting ramen together was really nice. Hell, you called him when you were at a low point and needed somebody. You could have called anybody, but you called him.

Maybe you did like him just a little. Maybe he actually had a chance. Maybe.

I’ll just test the waters. Just another casual dinner like when we went out for ramen. Yeah… dinner should be fine. Should I go ask her now? No, no, it’s late, and I can’t just walk up to her door. What the hell am I thinking.

But I also can’t ask her during work hours… that would be unprofessional, crossing some line, I’m sure. Well, if it's just getting food after work, is that unprofessional? Be honest, Arataka, you're asking her out on a date. A date... when was the last time I was on one of those? Ugh...

Okay. Okay, it's just dinner. I can ask before she leaves for the day. Once her shift is over, it should be fine, right? Right?

Reigen groaned. “Wish me luck,” he asked the universe before he rolled over and fell asleep.

Chapter Text

The next day, you and Reigen were organizing the office before closing time. You were in charge of sorting through any and all incoming emails while he took it upon himself to redecorate the walls, having insisted that they needed "more posters."

“That one’s crooked,” you pointed out.

“What? No, it’s- drat.”

You giggled as Reigen took down one of the posters only to place it back on the wall at a slightly different angle.

You wordlessly handed him a ruler.

“Thanks.” He stepped back to admire his work. “Is that better?”

You looked up from the laptop and nodded. “Yep.”

He walked towards the desk, leaning over you to look at the screen. “Anything interesting yet?”

“Nope,” you said, shaking your head.

Reigen clicked his teeth and bounced on the balls of his feet before meandering to the other side of the office to hang up more posters.

The mouse clicked softly under your fingers as you continued refreshing the company's inbox over and over again.

"So, any plans for the weekend?" Reigen asked as the two of you worked on your tasks.

"Not really," you said, mindlessly opening and closing unread emails. You suddenly realized that maybe there was a reason he was asking so you added, "Why do you ask?"

"Just curious," he said as he awkwardly placed one hand behind his head while waving the other in front of him. After flashing you an embarrassed smile, he returned to rearranging his posters.

You thought that maybe you could make some weekend plans with Reigen, but you knew he would respect professional boundaries, so the only way that anything was ever going to happen between the two of you depended on you making the first move.

You took a deep breath as you closed the laptop in front of you.

"Hey, Reigen?" you started, your heart pounding in your chest.

"Hm?"

He turned to face you and your body stiffened. After another deep breath you blurted out, "Would you like to get dinner with me?"

He blinked. The posters he was holding fell from his hands to the floor surrounding him. He was certain he hadn't heard you correctly, but before he could process the question, you started to backtrack.

"I mean, uh, I just really enjoyed getting ramen with you that one time, and it would maybe be a good opportunity to talk about... work, but if you don't want to go, you can totally say no, and-"

"Y/N?"

"Yes?" You glanced up at him with big doe eyes full of hope, and his face was equally as red as yours.

He gulped, feeling sweat bead along his forehead. "I'd love to get dinner with you."

“Tomorrow?” you chanced.

“Yeah, tomorrow,” he said, “tomorrow’s good.”

_________________________________________

The next day, you spent most of your hours preoccupied with thoughts of your impending dinner date with your boss.

Date? Was it a date?

You paused, holding one of your dresses in hand.

No… well.

Well, it’s a date in the sense that it’s a social activity with which the two of us are engaging.

Oh, who am I kidding? I have a date with Reigen.

You closed your eyes and let out a slow exhale. After a minute, you felt reinvigorated with a new sense of determination.

If this truly was a date, then you were going to bring your A-game.

_________________________________________

Although you had been preparing for his arrival all day, Reigen’s knock on your front door made you jump.

Calm down, you told yourself, smoothing out the nonexistent wrinkles in your dress.

You took a deep breath and opened the door. “Hi.”

“Hey,” he said, awkwardly waving his hand.

“Hey,” you repeated, mentally berating yourself as you stepped outside.

“What’s that?” Reigen asked as you locked your door.
You must have looked confused when you turned to face him because he added, “The dress?”

“Oh,” you laughed nervously, turning bright red, “Well, you’re always in your suit, so I thought I should look a bit nicer if we’re going to dinner.”

Reigen smiled. “Looks good,” he said. He then darted his eyes away from you to stop himself from staring. He cleared his throat. “Are you ready to go?”

You nodded and he held out an arm to help you walk down the stairs.

You wavered, momentarily caught off guard by his kind gesture, but you proceeded to offer him your arm and let him lead the way.

It was a nice evening, so the two of you decided to walk to the restaurant and sit at an outside table once you arrived.

“So have you been here before?” you asked once your server had taken drink orders.

“Uh, no, actually,” Reigen said with an awkward chuckle, “but I've heard good things.”

You nodded. “Nice.”

You both laughed nervously, avoiding direct eye contact at all costs.

You decided to focus all of your attention on the menu to avoid any more awkward small talk, and based on how Reigen was scrutinizing his own menu across the table, you had a feeling that he had the same plan in mind.

The server returned with your beverages and asked, “Are you two ready to order or do you need more time?”

“Oh, well,” you began, looking towards Reigen, “a-are you-?”

“Y-yeah, I am,” he said, visibly sweating, “I’m ready, but only if you are-”

“Yeah, I'm good, I-”

“You can order first-”

“Oh, okay, if you- thank you, so,” you began before returning your attention to your server, “May I please have the pork cutlet bowl?”

The server nodded before turning to Reigen.

“Uh, the same, actually,” he said, handing the server his menu, “but add on an extra serving of pork. Ah, thank you.”

The server bowed before leaving the two of you alone once again and with no menus to distract you.

Your eyes wandered around the restaurant and the street next to you. You glanced at a pigeon and began observing its mannerisms as it hopped along the sidewalk.

“-looking at?”

You were pulled from your pigeon-induced trance when you heard Reigen's voice. “Hm?”

“What are you looking at?” he repeated with a small smile.

You blinked. “Pigeon.”

Reigen laughed and you found yourself letting out a few giggles, too.

“Sorry,” you said, “I should be focusing on you.”

“Yeah, it’s rude to ignore your date,” he teased.

You both took notice of his use of the word date and blushed. You sipped on your drink and he cleared his throat.

“So…” Reigen began, “How was your day off?”

“Oh, good, yeah,” you said, “it was good, I got a lot done today.” Lies. You spent the entire day stressing over what to wear to this dinner.

“Nice, nice, me too,” Reigen said, “I ran some errands I've been meaning to tend to.” Also lies. He was up late the previous night obsessing over what to wear and say and do at this dinner, so he ended up falling asleep after sunrise and waking up only an hour before meeting you.

“I'm glad we were able to do this,” you said, trying not to sound too nervous or too flirtatious.

“Yeah, me too,” he said, “it's nice to see you outside of work.”

“And not when I'm in my pajamas taking out the trash,” you joked.

He laughed. “Or struggling to unlock your door because you bought too many groceries.”

“Hey!” you laughed, deciding to throw it back at him, “That’s the amount of groceries people buy when they actually prepare food for themselves.”

Reigen scoffed, feigning insult. “I cook my own food!”

“Cup ramen doesn't count,” you teased.

“I-” He had no words to defend himself and could only laugh.

Soon, the sun was beginning to set on Seasoning City, so the restaurant's patio lights turned on, illuminating your dinner that had just arrived.

“This smells amazing!” Reigen announced as the steaming bowl of rice and meat was placed before him.

“Reigen, wait,” you said, instinctively putting your hand on his as he reached for his chopsticks. You've seen him burn his tongue too many times to not know what would come next.

“Give it a second to cool first,” you implored with a kind smile, “you'll actually be able to taste it that way.”

Reigen grimaced, but knew when he was beat, so he smiled. “Fine, thank you, Y/N,” he said with a playful roll of his eyes.

You squeezed his hand before pulling it away to pick up your own chopsticks. You blew on your food before taking your first bite, and it was incredible.

“Wow, that's good.”

“Yeah?” Reigen took his first bite and had to stop himself from the shoveling the rest of the bowl into his mouth. “Oh my god.”

“Thank you for suggesting this place.”

“Thank you for giving me an excuse to come here.”

_________________________________________

Your empty bowls sat in front of you as the two of you bantered and laughed together. Although it still felt unfamiliar to be so familiar with Reigen like this, the two of you were eventually able to relax a bit and hold a normal conversation like any other adults. You were actually having a lot of fun.

You spent time talking about movies you've seen or want to see before delving into psychic story time where Reigen shared hilarious moments from some of his craziest clientele. Your face hurt from smiling and laughing so much.

“-and so he comes in again for another consultation, but he-“

“Master?”

The two of you whipped your heads around as Mob and Ritsu walked past your table with Dimple floating at their sides.

“Mob!” Reigen cried, quickly glancing at you with a bewildered look, “What’re you doing here?”

“Ritsu and I were just at karaoke with the Telepathy Club.”

“Why are you and Y/N here?” Ritsu asked snarkily. He was never one for niceties when it came to Reigen.

Ritsu and Dimple looked skeptical and eager to hear what you both had to say for yourselves, but you knew you could trust Reigen to come up with something at least somewhat believable.

“Well, this is what we adults call a ‘business meeting,’” Reigen explained, waving his hands about wildly in front of him. You subtlety moved his glass out of the line of fire.

“I’m not missing anything, am I?” Mob asked innocently, worried that he was being left out of work affairs.

“Oh no, of course not, Mob!” Reigen said, “I had a feeling you might be busy tonight, so I was going to have Y/N fill you in on Monday.”

“Oh, okay,” Mob said, visibly relaxing again.

Ritsu and Dimple, however, were still not buying it and were even more skeptical now.

“Looks like a date to me,” remarked the spirit.

You felt your face heat up. Despite both of yours and Reigen’s efforts to deny it or avoid acknowleding it, this was absolutely a date.

“Reigen and I aren't allowed to get dinner together?” you asked, “It's been a long week at the office, so I'd say we've earned it.”

Mob seemed pleased with this answer, Ritsu seemed no less annoyed, and Dimple grumbled and muttered something under his breath (does he even breathe?), but you chose to ignore it.

“Well, we should be getting home,” Ritsu said flatly, all while glaring at Reigen, “Come on, brother.”

Mob nodded in agreement before turning to say goodbye to his coworkers.

“Enjoy your weekend, boys,” you said, waving to the Kageyama Brothers.

“Thank you, Y/N,” the boy said, returning the wave, “See you next week, Master.”

Ritsu gave a polite head nod before leading his brother away, along with Dimple.

Reigen waved until they turned a corner, and he instantly exhaled.

You giggled. “Well now we have to come up with some work-related thing to tell Mob on Monday."

“I'm sure we’ll think of something.”

He smiled at you and you felt your chest warm up.

The server returned and thanked you both as they set down the bill before leaving and taking the dirty dishes with them.

You went to pick up the check, but Reigen was faster.

“I got it,” he said.

“No, no, Reigen, I can pay,” you protested, but saw him ignoring you, “at least split the bill with me.”

Reigen swayed his head side to side as if contemplating whether or not to listen to you. “Mm, no.”

“But I asked you out to dinner in the first place,” you challenged.

“Yeah, but then I was the one who picked the restaurant, sooo-”

“Thats not how it works.”

Reigen shrugged. "Too bad.”

You bit your cheek before letting out a dramatic sigh. “Fine, but next time is on me.”

“Next time?” Reigen asked, more curious than accusatory.

“I mean, well,” you started, feeling thrown off guard all of a sudden, “how about another ‘business meeting’ next Friday?”

Reigen chuckled as he took cash out from his wallet and set it on the table for server. “Yeah,” he said, “yeah, let's do that.”

He then pointed a finger at you and added, “But only because you're paying. I can't afford to eat out like this every week.”

You laughed. “Sounds good.”

“Good.”

A beat.

“So,” he started, the tips of his ears turning red, “it’s a date?”

You couldn’t stop the smile that spread across your face as you nodded. “It’s a date.”

Reigen stood from the table and nodded his head towards the exit. “You ready?”

The two of you walked back to your apartment. Surprisingly, your stroll was rather quiet. Not because you didn't have anything to say, but instead, you were just enjoying one another's company.

He walked you to your front door and patiently waited for you to find your keys.

“Well, uh, goodnight, Y/N,” he said with a slight bow, “I’ll see you later.”

“Goodnight, Reigen," you said, "thank you again for dinner,” you said.

“Thank you for joining me for dinner,” he said, “Goodnight.” He turned to walk down the stairs, and nearly tripped from not watching where he was going.

You moved to help him, but he held up his hands and waved them frantically. “Fine! I’m fine! Goodnight!”

You tried not to laugh at him, but he gave you a look that told you it was okay; he knew it was funny.

With that, he ducked into his own apartment and you stepped into yours.

You closed your door and leaned against it as you took a deep breath to process your lovely evening with Reigen. You then thought of your next date and smiled to yourself, pumping your fist into the air with excitement.