Espers By Day, Campers By Night (part 1)

It can be agreed that the summer season was practically made for spending time in the “great outdoors”. No one questioned it, then, when two adults and four teenagers made their way through the thick forest just outside of Seasoning City with large camping bags on their backs.

The group had taken a bus to the edge of town, then hiked the rest of the way. Reigen, for one, was happy that the group consisted of all espers (besides himself). The kids were still young and, minus Shigeo, had a little more stamina than normal, so he didn’t have to lose money and/or risk killing all of them by renting a car and driving it up this way. That wasn’t to say the trek wasn’t without its fair share of complaints, though.

“Master… we’re getting close, right?” Shigeo wheezed, looking a little worse for wear. Ritsu put an arm across his shoulders, gently pulling him along with him so he didn’t fall behind somehow.

“I can’t help but get the sinking suspicion that this is more than ‘just a camping trip’. You wanna explain what you’re really up to, calling us all out here?” Ritsu questioned with a pointed glare, patting Shigeo’s back when he started to cough a little between pants. Reigen glanced over his shoulder at him with a conniving grin.

“You got it, kid! This is nothing more than the ultimate exorcise mission!” He gestured about wildly with his hand before thrusting his index finger forward, pointing straight ahead. “We’re going to clear all of the evil spirits out of this forest!” Ritsu’s scowl deepened (if that were possible), and Teru and Shou simply offered deadpan expressions.

“But Reigen-san… this really is just a camping trip, right? You said you wanted everyone to have some fun this summer break, and you were so excited about doing this, too… you couldn’t stop talking about it- er, sorry,” Serizawa said quietly, then winced at the look of utter betrayal his boss threw at him. Teru stifled a laugh and readjusted his bag, walking a little slower to match his pace with Shigeo’s. Shou made less of an effort to cover his laughing, though.

“You’re just a big softie, arentcha? Old Man?” he prodded, delighted when it got the rise out of Reigen he had been aiming for.

“‘Old man’?! You’ve got some nerve! Who even invited you along, anyways?” Reigen huffed then picked up the pace, glaring straight ahead. He yelped and jumped back a bit, though, when Shou suddenly appeared right in front of him, legs crossed and hands behind his head, floating in midair.

“Uh, you did, Old Man. The invitation DID say ‘Ritsu’s big bro and all of his friends’, right?”

“...Not the exact wording, but yes, that is what the invitation did say.” Reigen schooled his annoyed expression into a more calm, neutral look. It was somewhat awkward to hike with a kid flying in his way, but it was decidedly better to just deal with it than to admit he was causing him some inconvenience.

“Then there you go! I count as one of Kageyama’s friends!”

“Pfft. ‘By extension’, you mean,” Ritsu added. Shou flipped over onto his belly and stuck his tongue out at him. Reigen rolled his eyes and finally pushed the flame-haired esper out of his way.

“Alright, alright. Feet on the ground, kiddo, no powers out here.”

More or less in a controlled situation now, Shou had fallen back to chat with Ritsu about some incredible thing one of his hamsters had apparently done the other day. Teru chose this peaceful opportunity to speak up.

“This is a really nice change of scenery. I’m almost impressed a place this pretty, this close to Seasoning City even exists.”

“One of my classmates told me about this area, actually,” Serizawa chimed in, proudly. “I almost didn’t believe him, but a little research proved it to be true.”

It was as though someone had taken the prospect of an ideal “camping trip” and turned it into a location. They came upon a small clearing, one that was clean and close to a river, and they had a great view of the open sky above them. The weather had been in their favor during their hike, the sun sitting up high and spreading a layer of warmth over everyone. Small birds occasionally sang and flew by, and a gentle breeze, though mostly impeded by the trees surrounding them, blew by every once in awhile. It was a picture-perfect camping location, and everyone in the group was excited for it, though no one wanted to be the first to admit it.

They were understandably relieved when they were finally able to drop all of their bags to the ground. Shigeo went straight down with his, panting heavily and trying to catch his breath. Ritsu was immediately at his side, offering water and words of encouragement. Shou rolled his shoulders, then boldly proclaimed he was ‘going to take a leak’ before wandering off on his own somewhere. Reigen, wiping the sweat from his brow, only shook his head; not even 2 minutes here and the kid was already being crass. Teru stretched his arms over his head and said something about wanting to see the river before disappearing, too. Serizawa sat down close by and began writing fervently in his journal.

“School project?” Reigen asked. Serizawa began to shake his head, but thought better of it.

“No- well, yes, but kinda not, too. My class’s summer project is to write about what we did over the vacation, but I also wanted to write down everything that happens so I won’t forget it,” he shrugged after a moment of consideration. “Like a journal, I guess.”

“Just like me, then,” Ritsu said to himself quietly, earning a curious look from Serizawa. Reigen placed his hands on his hips and reviewed the scenery.

“Well, it seems we’ve been ditched for the time being, so I think now’s as good a time as any to start setting up the tents.”

“I’ll help too, Master” Shigeo pulled himself to his feet, having more or less regained his composure by this point. Reigen gave him a thumbs up and turned to one of the bags to start emptying it out. Ritsu stood and dusted himself off, then grabbed another bag and began pulling equipment out, too.

“I might as well give you a hand. I’ve got nothing better to do, and I’d rather not sleep in a tent that isn’t setup properly.”

“Aww, have some faith in me, Mob’s Little Brother! You think I haven’t done this before?”

Ritsu’s eye twitched with irritation, but he held his tongue if only for his older brother’s sake. Writing down a few more words, Serizawa tucked his journal away and began helping them as well.

Shou returned several minutes later to find a large mess and four very frustrated people.

    “Tent’s are lookin’ swell, guys. Great work,” he sauntered over, an amused grin alighting his features. To be fair, Ritsu’s mess resembled a tent far more than the other two piles did, but it was still in an unlivable condition. Said dark-haired esper glared up at him.

    “It wouldn't kill you to give us a hand, now would it?” Shou’s grin only grew and he shoved his hands in his jean pockets.

    “Weeeellll… I MIGHT be able to help out, but I'm gonna need a little more… persuasion, if ya catch my drift.” Sensing a deal waiting to be made, Reigen stared, then stood to his full height and straightened out his shirt.

    “Get these tents standing and sturdy within the next 10 minutes, and I'll give you extra chocolate with your s'more tonight, as well as the first look through the telescope.”

    “Consider it done, Old Man!” Shou’s grin broke into a full toothy smile. He ignored Reigen’s irked expression and lifted his hands, powers flitting to life. The three tents assembled themselves in a matter of moments, perfectly aligned equal spaces apart. Shou laced his fingers and placed his hands behind his head, smirking at Reigen.

    “Just let me know when dinner and the s’mores are ready, alright?”

“I said ‘no powers’, brat.”

    “Not that time, you didn't,” he winked, then pivoted on his heel and disappeared into the forest again. Reigen clicked his tongue and went back to digging through his bag.

    “Even if he didn't use his powers, he seemed to know how to set the tents up really easily,” Shigeo commented after a silent moment. Serizawa sighed and rubbed the back of his head.

    “I think members of Claw sometimes had retrieval missions that lasted for as long as several days. He might've learned from watching other members do it.”

    “Or he's got a strange affinity with camping. Don't think about it too hard, Serizawa,” Reigen cut in smoothly, but almost too quickly for comfort. The older man looked ready to say more, but a rustle from the bushes nearby caught everyone’s attention.

    “Guys, the river over there is huge!” Teru stepped through the brush, a wide smile on his face as he gestured over his shoulder. “Did we bring fishing rods? I bet we could catch something good!” Shigeo's expression fell slightly at the exclamation.

    “I don't think any of us remembered to…” he started, but stopped when Reigen chuckled.

    “Don't underestimate me, Mob! I came prepared!” He tossed a collapsible fishing rod to Shigeo, who caught it and stared at it in awe. “It IS the only one I had, but one should be plenty, I think,” he added as an afterthought. Teru shuffled over and inspected the fishing rod as well, making no effort to contain his excitement.

    “You've gotta show me how to do it! I've always wanted to try!”

    “Then we’ll head over there first thing in the morning! Sound good?” Reigen suggested, to which Teru nodded his head enthusiastically.

The rest of the evening was spent setting up for dinner and arranging the sleeping situations. With Ritsu’s help, a proper campfire was built, and Reigen began frying chicken and vegetables in a large pan over it while the espers relaxed and chatted.

    “Shige and I will share a tent. It makes sense for us to stick together,” Ritsu declared. He was startled when Shou laughed out loud.

    “You're funny, Ritsu! But you know as well as I do that you're sticking with me!”

    “Hey! You don't just get to decide that-”

    “I've got no problems rooming with Kageyama. Is that okay?” Teru slipped into the conversation easily, patting Shigeo’s shoulder.

    “Um, it's oka-”

    “Yeah, I’m sure Kageyama’s gonna LOVE yapping about hairstyles and fashion all night long,” Shou jumped in. Shigeo, to his credit, did appear somewhat displeased by the thought, while Teru looked outright offended.

    “You can't seriously think that's ALL I talk about! I'm full of substance and character!”

    “Uh huh.”

    “Nii-san, what do you think? What should we do?” Ritsu finally turned to Shigeo, Shou and Teru’s eyes also landing on him. With all of the attention and pressure to choose suddenly on him, he understandably froze up. He looked between his friends for a few moments, considering each option before his gaze stopped on Teru.

    “Hanazawa, I’ll stay with you, okay?” he asked, accepting a plate of food from Serizawa. Teru grinned and took a plate as well.

    “Sounds good to me! As long as you're okay with long-winded conversations about fashion and hairstyles, since that's apparently all I talk about according to someone!”

    “I guess that leaves me with you, Shou,” Ritsu said dismissively, taking two plates and passing one to his friend.

    “Well damn, Ritsu! I'd almost think you were upset to be paired with me!”

    “Ritsu’s Friend, language!” Reigen admonished Shou but was, naturally, ignored. He sighed and smiled a little.“As long as that's settled, though, eat up and we can break out the marshmallows and telescope.”