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Smoke made a slow, almost calming path through the office of Spirits and Such.
The best psychic of the 21st century was seated at his desk. His chair was turned towards the window behind him, gazing at the sunset in front of him.
Unhurriedly, Reigen put some ash from his cigarette into a nearby ashtray.
He didn’t smoke often. Well, not as often as before. After Mob came to his office, he couldn’t bear for him to comment on his smoking habits constantly. Innocent questions like “What is that?” or “Master, why does that thing smell so weird?” made him feel a sense of guilt he had never felt before.
So, he tossed every cigarette he owned out after meeting Mob for only about a month.
But… Old habits die hard, right?
He took a drag of his cigarette, exhaling the familiar smoke back into the air; a practice he was all too accustomed to.
His mind drifted back to Mob. He was a teenager now, going to high school and whatnot. Words couldn’t explain how proud he was of the boy.
He was striving more than Regien ever did when he was Mob’s age. He felt a weird sense of pride and jealousy at that thought.
Mob had friends, a promising future, and great authority figures in his life who would steer him in the right direction. Something he barely had in his early years.
If he had what Mob had, would he have had a better career? Would he be married by now, settling down somewhere that wasn't a small apartment?
That idea made him inhale longer than usual.
He turned his chair away from the window, now facing the office in front of him.
Serizawa was wiping down the table in front of the couch. He didn’t have to stay after hours, but he did, almost every day. He silently appreciated the gesture.
His words came out of his mouth before he could stop them.
“Serizawa.”
The man flinched slightly, picking his head up and staring at Reigen.
“Uh–Yes, sir?”
Reigen paused before speaking again.
“Do you have any regrets?”
Serizawa raised his eyebrows for a moment and looked at the ground. “I suppose I do, yes…”
Reigen turned back towards the window, exhaling the smoke of his cigarette.
Serizawa put down the cleaning products he was using and spoke up again, “Is that why you’re smoking? Is something on your mind..?” He spoke calmly, his eyebrow arched in slight worry.
“You could say that.” He said, “I just… I was thinking about Mob. He’s doing good. Well… Far from good; he’s doing amazing.”
Reigen paused, gathering his thoughts.
“And I’m just thinking of my own childhood. What if I had that amount of support and love in my life..? I feel like I’d be doing far better than this.”
A heavy silence fell between them.
The man sighed, gesturing with his hand as a way to shoo Serizawa away. “Sorry, that came out of nowhere. You can go home now.”
Reigen heard no footsteps, no sound of the door opening, but he did hear a voice.
Serizawa spoke again, trying his best to make his words sound comforting.
“Well… That’s all in the past. You can’t try and change what happened already.”
“You can only change what’s in the future. And–Uh… You have a lot of people in your life who care for you right now. That’s what's important.”
Reigen fell silent, the cigarette sitting between his almost frozen fingers.
The office was quiet for a long few seconds before Serizawa spoke again.
“S–Sorry, sir, did I–”
“You’re right.”
He said, a sigh escaping his lips. He turned around once again towards Serizawa, who still had a somewhat tense expression on his face.
“Thank you, Serizawa. I..." He paused, placing the cigarette on the ashtray. "I really mean it.” He said, his words genuine and his face softening. A warm smile made its way onto his face.
Serizawa reciprocated the smile; the tension that was evident in his shoulders now (mostly) gone. “It’s the least I can do.”
With that, Reigen once again told Serizawa could leave. And, this time, he did. When the door shut, there was nothing but silence that filled the room. But he didn’t feel lonely; he didn’t feel like nobody was there.
He had everything he ever needed, and that made the smile on his face slightly widen.
The past is the past, but his future was looking bright.