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

Parallel, Not Perpendicular

Mob sighed as he walked towards the cafe. He wanted to tell Taru about how he got rejected by Tsubomi, but despite this setback, he was still proud of the fact that he was able to confess to her anyways. By the time he reached the cafe, he paused in his steps.

"Temporarily... closed?" He blinked, unsure on how to handle this. After a few seconds of silence, he finally checked the inside of the cafe by looking into the window, but it seemed like they were open for half a day. "That's odd..." He squinted his eyes further and checked the time on the clock. "Lunchtime... I guess they're eating out for lunch today."

He thought about waiting for them in front of the store, but people kept staring at him, which made him feel a little self-conscious of himself. "Maybe, I can come back later..." As he walked the route that he took before, he noticed a large crowd from a short distance away. An ambulance was behind the crowd.

He glanced at them, pausing in his steps. "I wonder what happened." But since the ambulance was there, he felt relieved that someone was there to take care of the situation. "I hope the crowd leaves by the time I come back... I don't think Taru would like it if people who aren't customers crowded near the cafe, especially if they can grab the attention of potential customers..." He then tapped his foot against the ground. "Or maybe she would like it..." He continued to walk with a small smile on his face. "I should ask her later today..."

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'No...' From a distance away, within the large crowd, Hotaru laid on the ambulance stretcher with tears trickling down her cheek. She could see from the corner of her eye of Mob's figure. 'Please don't go... Please look over here...'

He only glanced, unable to see her through the crowd. And then he turned.

'Hope... Kageyama-kun...' She wanted to yell out to him, but she could not move. She could not speak or yell. She was helpless. 'Shigeo...'

Tears continued to roll down her cheeks and her aunt focused only on her. No one could hear her screams, her agony, and her despair of how he never saw her. 'Don't leave me... Just once... Just once, let me see you...'

He paused in his step, igniting hope inside of her. However, they moved her into the ambulance and by the time he looked in her direction, the doors had closed.

'It's...not fair...'

Her eyes felt heavy and before she could call out his name in her head again, she had passed out.

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Mob blinked in surprise, facing the direction of the large crowd. "Dimple, what are you doing here? I thought that you were going to stay in my room to relax."

Dimple shrugged. "I can do what I want, but you..." He looked at the younger male with a concerned expression. He then turned to face the large crowd, watching the ambulance leave. "Do you even know...?"

"What's wrong, Dimple? Is there something in the crowd?" He squinted his eyes to look carefully at the large crowd that was now dispersing.

Dimple only sighed, looking at Mob with a knowing expression. There was something else in his gaze, but Mob could not tell what it was. "Well, I suppose it's better this way."

"What is?" Mob questioned him.

"It's nothing. Let's head back for today, alright?" Dimple's expression seemed solemn, but he soon brightened up, so that Mob would stop asking him questions.

"...Okay. But I'm going to come back to the cafe later today." Mob informed the green spirit.

"Yeah, yeah... Do whatever you want." He floated away from the younger boy. Before they left, however, he glanced one last time in the general direction of the ambulance, making him lag behind the younger boy. "...I guess it's about time..." He then looked at Mob solemnly from behind.