This little thing takes place somewhere within the three month time skip.

Almost done with chapter 7 in the sequel. Just need to, uhh, take a break from the violence I guess. ¯⁠\⁠_⁠(⁠ツ⁠)⁠_⁠/⁠¯

All here:
Reigen
Serizawa
Hanazawa
Mob
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Izuku
Ochako
Jiro
Kaminari
Mina
Tokoyami
Tsu
Koda
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     There was a lot of noise coming from the central 1A dorm lounge-room. Sitting on and around the couches were those of the class who weren't quite ready for bed yet, plus a few others.

     "Um, Serizawa, you sure this game isn't too complicated for the amount of people we have?" Reigen asked the man across from him at the little table.

     "Uhh-um, well- well I think it should be fine! Um..." The brunette was presently reading the textbook length instructions and rules for some D&D game he brought. Everyone else was clearly getting bored now. Ochako had even fallen asleep, draped over the ledge of the couch!

     "H-how about we play another game in the meantime?" Hanazawa offered. Everyone's heads jerked awake at that proposition. Reigen stretched his fingers and smiled.

     "Good~ Because I brought some cards!"

     "So did I." Tsu.
     "Me too!" Izuku.
     "Yeah same here." Jiro.

     Reigen convinced everyone to use his, though, since they were already shuffled. They were also specially designed to fit his business. Something he was secretly super proud of~

     "Okay, so does anyone here know how to play poker?" Everyone save for Koda shook their heads. Reigen sighed. "I figured. How about Go Fish?" Only a few more nodded to knowing that game. Reigen named off a few more common card games until finally he landed on one the majority already knew. Oddly enough, that game just so happened to be Rummy, which Mob, Serizawa, Izuku and a few others didn't even recognize the name of. Reigen, however, knew exactly how to play this game, since he'd spent most of his childhood learning every card game he could with the slim chance of persuading other kids to play with him. "Okay! So everyone is going to start out with five cards!" The blond expertly dishes out the cards around the table as everyone scooted near. By the time he was done explaining the rules of the game, everyone was gathered around the short table shoulder to shoulder.

     As the game started, the minority had no idea what they were doing still. It took a few rounds for them to get the hang of it, and by then, they were losing. Mob, for instance, somehow had acquired more cards than he could care to count! Teru right beside him tried to help, but the situation was kind of hopeless, as all of Mob's cards were trash. Ochako's arms were too short to reach the stack of cards in the middle from her corner seat, so she resulted to asking either Mob at the other end of the table or Koda directly beside her to pass another card to her. Teru was winning. Big time. And he ended up winning all three rounds of that game they played, shocking and annoying everyone else. But Teruki had no shame. :3 Kaminari and Reigen had the exact same reaction to losing. It was kind of funny, actually.

     After that, everyone decided to play the game of Uno Jiro brought, since it was simple enough. Again, though, Serizawa had no experience here and Mob expressed that he'd only seen it being played a few times before. So, both required a little bit of explaining.

     There was a lot more loud mouthing in the games that followed, which mostly happened whenever a 'draw four' card was involved. In the end, Teru won twice, Jiro and Tokoyami won once, and Reigen finally pulled in a win at the end.

78% despair

     Mob's head hung low, ashamed he couldn't even come close to winning no matter what. Didn't help that sitting to his right was apparently the card game champion. To his left, however, was Tsu, who took special note that the boy beside her was feeling especially down. After everyone had turned their cards in to be shuffled, the young frog hero rubbed Mob's back. "It's okay, Mob. I haven't won anything either." She chuckled a little. Mob deflated, sliding under the table a little to escape all the eyes that suddenly landed on him.

     "..Thanks, Tsu..." The boy mumbled from underneath. The girl smiled wholesomely.

     Everyone continued to play various games, even trying out the one Izuku brought, which was essentially Pokemon but with collectable Hero cards, until Tokoyami noticed the time.

     "By jove!!" Quote the raven. "It's really late, guys!" He followed that up by pointing up at the clock.

     "It's already THREE AM!?!" Reigen.
     "Oh no! I have a test tomorrow!" Serizawa.
     "Well that kind of sucks." Teru.
     Draping over the couch behind her. "Yeahhhh... That makes sense. I'm really tired.." Ochako.
     "Wh-what?! We only got to play one round!" Izuku.
     "Aawwwwwh!" Denki Kaminari.
     "So I guess that's it for tonight?" Mob.

     Mob was kind of glad that game night was over. He was beginning to fear it would never end!

     Everyone said a fairwel to the visitors as they packed everything up and headed out. A mess still remained for the rest to have to clean up. They all had pizza for dinner, after all! An American delicacy that tends to make quite a bit of a mess, especially when eaten with forks, knives, and chopsticks.

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     "Kind of late for walking the streets of a crime ridden city, isn't it?" Reigen's shoes scratched over the pavement. Hands shoved into his pockets, he walked with a swing to each one of his sloppily placed steps. Serizawa and Teru walked beside him, so he wasn't exactly scared. But.. The night streets were eerily silent and barren. Not even an animal scurried around. Part of this was due to the rise in crime. It was rare to find any normal, well mannered civilians wandering around at night. Another factor could simply be that it was so late. Even the stumbling drunkards were probably home by now!

     Serizawa's arm swung out, slamming against Reigen's chest! "Hey-- oww!"

     "Shh!" Serizawa had a stern look in his eyes as he stared out over the quiet streets.

     "You sense that too, Serizawa?" Hanazawa whispered. Serizawa nodded. Reigen gulped and held his breath. His eyes looked around, but there wasn't another living creature in sight! Maybe this was something else, then.. Something spiritual in nature. There was nothing but a faint whistle in the wind. As one of the distant street lamps flickered. That whistle glided their way in a hurry.

     "DOWN!!" Serizawa tackled Reigen, wrapping his arms around him to help protect from the fall. The blond still felt a lot of new bruises coming in anyways.

     "What the crap, Serizawa?!"

     "S-sorry, boss! It was coming right for you and I--"

     What was?

     "Serizawa, a little help!?" Teru was jumping around, swinging his arms around like crazy "What the h### are these things?!" He kicked something mid air, his body actually reacting by pushing him in the opposite direction. Reigen's eyes widened. So there WAS a dangerous spirit here! He stumbled a few steps back as the two Espers fought what looked like an entire invisible army! His breaths were a little rapid, heart rate picking up pace. He didn't know what to do to help them! Get Mob?!

     "So the rumors are true, then. You can't even see low level spirits." A new voice approached from behind. Reigen twisted around. From a darkened patch of the sidewalk appeared a taller man, who's hair was long and black, all the top part of his long hair tied up into a ponytail save for a single strand that fell in front of his face. He wore some kind of old fashioned black kimono, green and gold drapes fashioned around him like a loose belt or sash. The whole thing gave off Buddhist monk vibes somehow. But of course the most striking feature was the ugly stitch-like scar across his forehead. As the man approached, his eyes were closed, face conveying a tender smile. There was something warm and trustworthy, yet also so cold and terrifying about that smile. Sooo, as in, trusting he could kill you in a second kind of smile.

     "Who are you??" Reigen reasonably asked, his brows furrowed. He gritted his teeth, hiding his fear behind a wall of anger.

     But the stranger walked calmly still. Reigen began to step back as he drew a little too close for comfort. "You know, I was going to kidnap you for the purpose of my study, but looks like that won't be necessary anymore." Still smiling, though now it was a little bit more of a smirk, the stranger turned to gesture at the bench not far away. "Come, sit with me."

     "Uhhh, no thanks. I'm good. I- I'll just be on my wa--" Reigen's back nudged against a solid surface as he tried his quick escape. He gasped and peered over his shoulder. N-nothing was there! It was just a wall of air! The blond yelped, in a panic, as the other spoke again.

     "Hope you don't mind.. I put up a small barrier. No one on the outside can either see nor hear you... So how about you have a seat? Make things a little easier on us."

     Reigen banged on the invisible wall for good measure. "HE-HEYY!.. A little HELP!?!" But neither of the Espers even noticed his efforts. By the time he turned around, the other was already sitting there at the bench, smiling while waiting patiently.

     The concrete beneath them trembled as Serizawa was thrown into the ground a ways behind Reigen, sparks of light from his hands followed a trail of air, completely destroying the spirit that pinned him! Reigen took cautious steps forward. He eventually sat down on the bench beside the stranger, seated as far away from the other as possible.

     "They say you're the one who defeated the Esper known as Shigeo Kageyama... Is this true..?" The stranger asked once the blond had settled. Reigen's eyes widened a smidge. Now he had a better idea what was going on. After the whole prison break ordeal, in order to ease the general population, it was announced to everyone that Shigeo had been "taken care of." Whether this meant he was killed or captured was up to interpretation, though the majority began to believe the boy was truly dead. Since questions around WHO had managed this began to arise, the following answer was none other than the truth..of sorts. They said the one to "defeat" Shigeo....was Reigen. This of course had launched the man to a whole NEW level of popularity. Popularity, which, for understandable reasons, he tried to ignore as much as possible. Heh, he got a whole lot more clients at least! But, now everyone thought he had been given no choice other than to kill his own student. He got a lot of hate and sympathy for it. Some people online even "joked" about turning his story into a movie.

     Reigen nodded, looking down to avoid making eye contact. Though it all felt like a lie...it was also technically the truth.

     "Huh... How strange.. I was at least expecting you to have some kind of Heavenly Pact..." The stranger shrugged. Reigen didn't even recognize the term used! "That's pretty funny, actually..." Leaning back, the strange one smirked, casually watching Reigen's friends fighting off his own minions like it was merely a show on a screen. Reigen had a hard time doing the same. The sounds were muffled, so he knew the weird bubble was still around them, meaning he couldn't escape. ...But he felt so helpless here. Both for his own safety and not being able to help out the others. "So then... How did the man with no quirk, no psychic energy, no cursed energy, and not even a trace of a pact manage to defeat a double S rank villain? ...I have a hard time buying that..."

     Reigen's elbows were wresting on his knees when he chuckled. "Heh... Would you believe me if I told you it was the power of friendship?"

     "Pfhhhhhh!" A muffled, drawn out wheeze followed. "No, no I would not believe that!. So then who actually did it? Who really finished off that child..?"

     "Me.." Reigen faintly smiled, though he didn't really know why. Gosh... The more he thought about it, the more amazed he was. Because Reigen wouldn't have been able to do a thing that day if not for all those willing to help him. Truly, it was a miracle he even knew so many kind hearted people now. No doubt he would have been completely useless on his own! Not to mention, Mob was extremely kind to even consider hearing him out, and even more for actually caring about him enough for his words to have any effect. Otherwise, well, it would have been just like talking to any other inanimate object!

     The stranger chuckled dryly, this time more for show. "I don't take too kindly to those who try to wiggle their way out of giving me what I want... If my only option here is killing you to send a message to the real culprit, then that's just what I'll have to do." Reigen sat up at once, body vibrating as the true stakes of this situation really began to set in. The stranger sat now passively with his chin resting on his folded hands, staring ahead at the continuing duel with mild interest. "... You have quite the strong bodyguards with you~ Most Sorcerers would be dead about now... These were the two who helped you defeat my student, Mahito, a while back, hm~?.. Sure would be a shame if I were to swoop in and take them out after all their hard work." The stranger side eyed Reigen with a smug grin.

     'Wait, Mahito? Why do I recognize that name from somewhe--? Ohh... Right... Mahito was that super powerful spirit--- Oh..oh no.' The color slowly drained from Reigen's face. 'If that guy was super powerful, and yet he was only a student of this guy?!...' A dread like none other washed over him at once.

     "Please..." Reigen breathed, keeping his head down. His speech held no form of emotion. Just a heavy tiredness. "Only one of them was there that day... The kid.. He had nothing to do with your student. .. It's been a long day.. I'm willing to comply with whatever your wishes may be, but I am going to need you to make things clear to me. What is it you're after?"

     The stranger's eyes closed, him smiling contently hearing that. Then, his arm slid around Reigen's back, patting the blond on the distant shoulder. "That's a bit more like it~" Said in a lower tone. "I only came here to chat, really.. You have no idea how excited I was to hear about that kid." He pulled Reigen just a tad closer. "Listen, your student was strong enough to eviscerate Special Grade spirits by simply being near them. I know. The rest of my team was completely wiped out while trying to destroy him! This isn't just cursed energy, or- or some quirk! What you had right under your nose had the potential of revealing itself to be the origin of power ITSELF!" He was suddenly so energetic regarding this topic. Clearly, this conversation had tapped into a passion of his. But then the scarred man sulked a little. "I would have definitely preferred the boy survive... Maybe I could have figured out a way to absorb him like I can with spirits. But, at the same time, I understand the urgency you were in. And I'm not here to blame whoever killed him... I am, however, interested to find out who that could be~ Undoubtedly, they'd have to possess the power of a literal god in order to do such a thing! And this of course makes me all the more excited to meet them~! For that reason, I want you to tell me exactly who defeated him. Fail to do so and you will all be dead by morning. However, give me a name and I will consider you an ally instead."

     Reigen couldn't even flinch at the threat. His mind was already buzzing. So many things pressing down on him at once. It was like his own mind was on the verge of snapping in two. Despite that. Even through this blur of new information, an ocean of questions, and so, so many emotions..he thought up a lie, and he thought it up quick.

     "Shigeo Kageyama... That's who killed him in the end.."

     "Hm? But that's the same perso--"

     "Exactly..." Reigen was already insanely tired, so it was easy to fake a few tears. He didn't want to overdo the sad act, though, as that would only lead to the worst. "You heard about how he was diagnosed with DID, right..? ...And how he basically had two of him in there?"

     "..Yes?"

     "Well..." Reigen's hands were clasped together, elbows on his knees, face cast downward. "..I was on my way to save him... With the help of a few friends, I was so close too!" Now some real tears began to appear as Reigen remembered just how torn apart his student was... Couldn't even imagine that much pain residing in the heart of one child. And yet there Mob was..suffering. "By the time I was finally close enough to see him, I could see the struggle clear on his face. His other half was fighting back. And.. by the time I finally reached him, he'd completely imploded in on himself... No traces of him remained. Not even a spirit.. according to the others at least. That's why...no one could exactly say whether he was dead or alive. Because nobody knew.. Nobody f###ing knew..." Reigen exhaled sharply, quick now that the story was over to wipe his tears away. Both deceivers had played good tricks, but Reigen's happened to get the edge on the other...simply because he cared more.

     He managed to fool the stranger.

     "...Hm.. Well that sucks." The other man's head rose a little. Staring ahead, he limply waved his hand out, which was followed by Hanazawa and Serizawa's struggle coming to a swift end. The two started to look around. They were pretty beaten up, but their first priority was to make sure their missing member was alright. Though muffled still, Reigen could hear their voices calling his name. "Guess it's my turn to hold up my end of the bargain." The stranger elbowed Reigen and handed him a small silver silk cloth with a golden ribbon attached, resembling a bookmark. On it was a professionally fashioned Kanji name. "If any spirits are bothering you, just show them this...unless they happen to be Mogami or Moyi Ashi, in which case you'd be better off accepting your fate there..." Chuckling, the stranger stood.

     Reigen read the name aloud. "Ken..jaku?"

     "And don't forget it!" Slipping away, the strange one was already smiling. His eyes were closed again as he smiled warmly down on the man. "You can tell whoever you like about this encounter. I don't really care! Just know that, if word ever slips out that you made a deal with the devil, then.. well, some pretty powerful people will come knocking at your door."

     "Eheh...thanks?"

     The stranger tipped his head and turned around. The moment he had phased out of the barrier, he completely disappeared from sight. Reigen looked down at the cloth he had been handed suspiciously.

     "...This thing has some kind of magical tracker on it, doesn't it..?"

     "REIGEN?!" Serizawa nearly tackled Reigen again to the ground.

     "WOAH!" Reigen caught himself from falling last second with his legs, then grabbed ahold of the man's arms around and fought hard to pry them off. "I'm okay!. More importantly, are you guys okay?!" Once he was free from the taller man, Reigen found himself again trapped by Hanazawa, who's hug was thankfully a lot looser and far less permanent.

     "Where did you go?!" Teru asked.

     "I- um- I-I!..." Now came the age old question... Truth, or lie..?

     Too bad he was far more comfortabl telling lies under stressful conditions like these!

     "I was wondering the same THING, actually! I was with you guys and then suddenly POOF! All gone! I was in some kind of void I think when I found this! A- and the moment I touched it-- I was back!"

     "Strange.." Both Espers stepped closer and leaned in. Both rubbed their china as they examined the cloth Reigen held out closely.

     Serizawa stood straighter first. "Well nothing seems off about it!"

     "Yeahhhh, I'm not really sensing anything either from it. But, maybe it would be better not to keep that.. Who knows what it means?" Teru stood straighter, a hand planted on his hip. Serizawa nodded in agreement.

     Reigen sweat nervously a little, but in the end relented, agreeing with the two. He dropped the cloth beside the bench and left with the other two to get themselves patched up at Elyse's house. But...the whole time.. he worried.

     What if things only got worse for them? Starting this job, Reigen didn't even know spirits existed, much less that some could be SO POWERFUL! Able to kill and torment the living! And it wasn't like he could always rely on his friends sticking up for him.

     ...About that...

     He was pretty helpless in most situations, wasn't he?

     Reigen couldn't fight back nearly as much as he would like to. He had been targeted as the weakest member of the group several times before. And...just like with today.... He hated seeing others getting hurt for his sake. ... He remembered those rushed of power from the past, first from Mob's power, then from Izuku Midoriya's... Both times, he felt like he wasn't lacking a thing! Like he could truly take on the world if he needed to! With that kind of power...he could handle all of his problems himself. He didn't need to rely on others then.

     Did he essentially want super powers now..? Eh, not really. He was still content just the way he was. Got over being quirkless way back in highschool. But... A little extra security never hurt anyone.

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     The sun was coming up by the time he finally found it.

     "Ah... There you are." The wind had moved the thin strip of cloth a little. A faint smile crawled onto the man's face as he slid the soft little thing into his wallet for safe keeping.

     It was small, but..he had some sense of security now. A granting of authority over the supernatural, if you will. No, he still wasn't sure if it would actually work...but the simple thought that it might lightened the man's load. He walked with a little pep in his step back home.

     It was small, but here he had it.

     A little power of his own.

     Sure, it was a wild card...but hopefully it would prove to be the Ace up his sleeve he always needed.