~I'm In Love With A Scammer~ | Reigen x Reader

Part 1 - First Encounter

I was seated on a bench at Basil Park. I usually took a break halfway through my morning jog - it was mid-summer, so I went early enough before the heat set in and to try to avoid any crowds.

It was unnerving when, despite the park being totally empty, a man and an older woman appeared on the path and made a beeline straight for me.

I stiffened and looked around, wondering what they could be walking towards. Nothing else besides me. Reflexively, I stood up, starting my jog to get away from any interaction.

"Hey! You!"

I froze and looked over my shoulder. The man was waving me down. He was dressed in a suit and tie and seemed somewhat professional, so I felt like I wasn't in any immediate danger. "Yes?"

He quickly turned to the woman. "Is this it?"

She nodded her head slowly. Her expression looked genuinely fearful. I thought about running again. "I have to get back to my jog, so-"

"Do you sit on this bench often? Have you noticed anything different about it?"

I considered that maybe he was doing some kind of inspection for the park. The bench seemed fine to me. "No, I mean - I do sit here when I take a break on my runs, but the bench is fine."

"It's fine?" He stared at the bench pensively in a dramatized thinking pose, as if he were putting on a show. The whole situation kind of freaked me out. "And what did you say about the bench, ma'am?"

The woman, quiet up until now, immediately started blabbering. "Oh, it's horrible. Every time I sit on that bench it gets worse and worse - two weeks ago, a bird crapped on me, then last week, two acorns fell on my head.." She was suddenly on the verge of tears "..and then two days ago, my boyfriend of 20 years broke up with me on this bench, and THEN- ever since then, I've felt a weight on my shoulders.."

The man nodded the entire time. I stood at a distance, awkwardly listening in disbelief.

The woman continued, looking faint, "..and I think it has to do with them finding a dead body here last month!"

"What? When?" I asked without thinking. This was news to me.

"Well, it was in the river, but the river passes near the edge of the park, you know."

At this point, I was incredulous. "I don't think that-"

The man cut me off. "No, that does make sense, ma'am. All of this is coming together." He turned to face me. "And how long have you felt that pain in your neck, miss?"

"The... the pain in my neck?" I actually had been having a sore neck for maybe two weeks. But there's no way this guy could have known that. I imagined this was getting recorded for some kind of show, but I really didn't want to participate. "No, I don't have any neck issues."

"Really? I just can sense the aura of something weighing on it, is all." He shrugged. "But if you don't wanna tell me that's fine. I'll take care of this, Francine."

The woman, Francine, clasped her hands together and held them to her chest. She closed her eyes. It looked like she was praying.

The man proceeded to take out a large bag of table salt and make a circle around the bench, then lit what appeared to be incense and set it on the bench itself. "Leave this bench, spirit, and rest!" He threw one handful of salt violently at the bench, then wiped his forehead as if he were really working up a sweat. "Alright, I don't sense it anymore."

Francine opened her eyes. "It's over already?"

"Yep, it's been cleansed. It's safe now, you have my word."

I was sticking around to watch, still somewhat in disbelief, but also feeling a little scared. I was one to entirely avoid scary movies or anything of the sort. Even though this was obviously fake, part of me stuck around because I wanted him to confirm that it was all for show. The ache in my neck seemed to get worse.

"Still watching? Your neck bothering you? It wouldn't be unusual to feel what Miss Francine here felt, but don't be scared, we can cleanse it easily if you come in for a consultation. Here's my card." The man handed me a business card. Reigen Arataka. Spirits and Such Consultation. He didn't wait for a response and quickly turned back toward his client. "Alright Francine, let's head back to the office for your payment."

I shoved the business card in my pocket and continued with my jog, trying not to let the thought of my aching neck eat away at me.