Would you like a cup of tea? || Shigeo Kageyama

Indigo Punch Tea

"Big brother, where are you headed out to? Weren't we going to go the shop together later?" Ritsu called out to his brother from the sofa as his older brother paused in his steps towards the door.

After a moment of hesitation, Mob answered in a reassuring manner. "Just going somewhere for a bit. I'll be back in time."

"Oh, are you meeting your friends?" Ritsu smiled at him.

"Ahh... No. Not exactly..." His older brother immediately began to head towards the door without stopping.

"...How suspicious." Ritsu murmured to himself as he soon began to follow his big brother. "Don't tell me a suspicious person is forcing him to meet with them..." He tapped his foot lightly against the ground. After all, Mob was no longer working with Reigen, so there was no particular reason for his brother to leave the house. "Doesn't seem like the club either..."

By the time he reached the building that his brother went into, he paused. "Keika... Cafe...?" He didn't think that his brother was the type to go to cafes often. "Why is he here?" When he secretly peeked inside the cafe through the window, he spotted his brother with a girl. "Who is she?" He didn't recognize her from anywhere - not their school or neighborhood. Despite this, he could sense a peaceful and warm atmosphere between them. Somehow, the brother in the cafe seemed a bit different from his usual self - almost as if he felt more comfortable in there.

Feeling a bit relieved that his brother wasn't being tricked by some evil person, he stood up with a smile gracing his lips. "I'm glad that my brother has someone outside of school who he can talk to now... She doesn't seem like a bad person either." Coming to that conclusion, he turned around and began to walk away.

Meanwhile, Mob looked out the window and noticed a shadow walking away from it. "...Ritsu...?" He whispered to himself.

"Hm? Is something wrong, Hope?" Hotaru finished pouring the tea into his cup.

"Ah, no, it's nothing." Mob shook his head and then glanced down at his cup. "So what tea is this one?" The dark navy color was fascinating to him.

"It's called Indigo Punch tea. Isn't it pretty? We just recently got it, so I wanted to share it with you. I also added in a little bit of honey for a touch of sweetness." She sipped it herself. "Mmm... So delicate and earthy..."

He also took a sip. The fruity flavors were crisp, but also bright and light. However, as she said, there was a hint of earthiness to it that he never expected. The touch of sweetness binded everything together into a nice orchestral flavor of colorful fruits and flowers. "That's really good."

"Now then!" Hotaru's eyes widened with excitement coloring her voice. "Tell me more stories about your school life!"

"Eh?" Mob blinked in surprise. "But isn't it mundane for you?"

"...What are you talking about?" Hotaru pouted as she crossed her arms. "Your stories are so interesting to me. So don't decide on your own if something is boring for me or not."

He let out a short breathy laugh. "Okay, I won't do that. Then what do you want to hear next?"

She grabbed the teapot to pour them more tea. "Well... How about something that happened this week?" He was about to agree when he noticed how shaky her hand was, compared to normal, when she was pouring the tea from the teapot.

"Is your hand okay?" He asked her worriedly.

She let out a small laugh. "It's okay. It happens sometimes, so there's nothing to worry about. So are you going to tell me about something that happened this week or not?" She grinned at him with excitement.

"Oh... Okay." He smiled, glancing at her hand for one last time, before diving into his story.

By the time he almost finished his story, he realized that he really did have nothing to worry about as she managed to pour the rest of the tea without any problems.

"So? What happened after that?" She asked as she sipped her tea.

"Well... You see..." He then continued talking about the end of his story with a relieved smile.