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When Junko Kageyama had heard her eldest boy mention that he made a new friend, she’d been overjoyed to hear it. Shigeo’s never been the most social of kids, bless his heart, but lately he’s been doing good and she couldn’t be happier for him. First it was that club he’d joined, then it was that boy from Black Vinegar… and now whoever this ‘Serizawa’ is! She and her husband had discussed his progress privately, the both of them proud and determined to meet this new friend of his.
“Um. I dunno. He’s kind of shy…” Shigeo says over dinner at their question of when they get to meet his new friend. “And he’s learning a lot still.”
“‘Learning’? What’s he learning?” Souma asks, sipping at his beer.
“Well, he’s taking some math classes I think. But he used to be a shut in and now he’s, um, readjusting, I guess.” He takes a bite of his dinner. “He doesn’t know how to make tea yet, but he’s getting… better.”
Junko takes this as an opportunity. “Oh! Why don’t you invite him over? I can show him how to make tea, easy.”
“Uh–” Ritsu starts.
“You can?” Shigeo blinks, and smiles a little. “I think he’d like that– Shishou would too, he’s been complaining about the tea lately.”
“Of course! Oh, and he’s working with you and Reigen too now? Wonderful, it’s good that your little circle is growing. Invite him over this weekend and I’ll show him the ropes and afterwards you three can hang out.”
“Um–”
“Okay. He’ll be very grateful.”
And so the week passes, during which Shigeo tells her Serizawa will gladly accept the invitation for tea lessons and that he’ll be at their house at noon on sunday. She looks forward to it– Shigeo has a habit of making such interesting friends, and she has yet to hear much more about Serizawa, besides the shut-in thing and what she assumes is only part of the story of how they met.
And then she actually meets him.
To say she was shocked at the sight of a grown man standing in her kitchen, being led there by Shigeo, would be an understatement. After Shigeo’s introducing them to each other, Junko smiles politely and makes an excuse to leave the room and find her husband… sitting on the back porch and reading the news.
“Souma. We need to talk,” she whispers even though there’s no way her son or that man would hear her from here.
“Mm? What up?”
“So!” She huffs. “Serizawa is here. And he’s… not what we were expecting!”
Souma raises an eyebrow. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“He looks like he’s in his thirties!”
Okay, that catches him off-guard, folding up the newspaper. “So– wait, our 14-year old son is friends with a thirty-something now? I mean, I suppose Reigen’s getting up there as well, but– damn. Okay. Do you need me to… I dunno, escort him out?”
“I– I don’t know! He seems like a nice enough person…” He really does, even if he seems sort of fidgety and nervous. He doesn’t seem to be the sort of person to be a creep– and if he were, he’d have rejected the invitation to come over. Right? She sighs, pinching the bridge of her nose. “I… I guess I should go back in there and see what’s going on. Just… I don’t know, stick around and don’t be surprised to see a strange man in the house.”
“...Alright, then, if you say so.”
She walks back into the kitchen, to see Mob working on homework at the kitchen table while Serizawa stands around, hands fidgeting and eyes darting over every trinket and picture frame. He perks up at the sight of her entering the kitchen, offering a polite smile, and she pastes on a smile in return.
“Ah, sorry about that, I forgot to tell my husband that he has some chores he needs to do. So– you… really want to know how to make tea?” She peers at him, trying to get a feel for his character.
“Yes! Please, I never learned how and– and I keep ruining whole batches of tea and I’m afraid Mr. Reigen is going to fire me if I don’t learn how soon,” he blurts, and takes a breath.
“Shishou isn’t going to fire you, Serizawa,” Shigeo says, calm and with a furrowed brow at his homework.
“I–I suppose, but I’d be so grateful, ma’am, if you were to show me how to at least make some green tea, it’s what we have the most at the office.”
Junko looks between her son, Serizawa, and the kitchen, still processing the fact that apparently this man is her son’s friend. Despite the red flags, however… he really does seem like a genuine person. And if he’s working at Spirits and Such… well, she’s never been 100% sure about Reigen, but it must mean something. Right? Right. She’ll have a crisis about whether or not she’s a good mother later, she has some tea to make.
---
Green tea pours shakily into three ceramic mugs, steaming and filling the room in an earthy aroma. Junko and Mob wait for Serizawa to sit down at the table with them, before they all taste the beverage– Serizawa’s third try of the evening.
They have a lot of mediocre green tea now.
“Mm…” she ponders the taste and gives Serizawa a smile. Despite her worries, she can’t help but be endeared towards him– he reminds her of her son in some ways. No wonder they get along so well. “I think this is your best batch yet, Serizawa. Good job!”
He absolutely beams at that. “Really? Thank you so much, Mrs. Kageyama, I wasn’t sure if I’d got the steep time right or not. You’ve helped me so much, you have my gratitude.”
She waves him away, continuing to sip at her mug. “It’s nothing, really. Once you get the hang of it, you can really just steep to your preference. Though, if you’re serving this to customers, I’d say to steep less than more.”
He nods with an overly serious attitude– she can practically see him making mental notes behind his eyes. “I’ll keep that in mind! Thank you.”
There’s a bit of an awkward silence that follows, but none of them seem particularly uncomfortable.
“So, Serizawa, what is it you do at Spirits and Such? Shige’s mentioned you work there with he and Reigen.”
His spine seems to snap into place, sitting ramrod straight. “Oh! I’m an esper, like Kageyama, so I also perform exorcisms and… make tea for customers. Sometimes I file things and help with emails. I’m, ah, still not very good at talking to people, so Reigen does that sort of stuff and sometimes helps me through those sort of social things.”
“Mm, I see…”
“He’s getting a lot better,” Shigeo says.
She ponders this. “How did you meet my son, again?”
Shigeo seems to blanche at that.
“Um, he, well– that’s a bit of a long story.”
“All he’s told me is that you were in a bad place so he decided to try and help and be a friend.”
Serizawa gives Shigeo a look. “That’s a bit vague, even for you, Kageyama.”
“I didn’t want to disrespect your privacy.”
The man sitting across from her fumbles with his hands a little, and after some time says:
“Well. I guess I’ll sum it up, I think I’m coming to terms with my past.” A sigh. “I spent 15 years of my life locking myself in my room. You don’t need to feel sorry for me, it’s… it’s in the past. The man who attacked the tower also happened to be the man who was eventually able to get me out of my room. Kageyama here was able to stop me from… deluding myself. And now I’m rejoining society as a working esper!” He laughs a little awkwardly. “Even if I still don’t know much about tea, and– and cooking and stuff. I’m learning! I’m taking night classes for the school I missed.”
Junko looks from her son to Serizawa, eyebrows high in shock.
“A-ah, was that too much?” Serizawa asks, starting to slouch again. “I’m sorry, I’m still learning about talking.”
“No, no– well, maybe a little, but, um. Thank you for telling me. I swear, I can hardly get anything out of Shigeo, unless it’s about his club activities, heh.” She gives her son a smile– he looks a little embarrassed. “I’m glad I was able to help. I’m glad my son was able to help, too. That sounds like… a lot to go through. I’m sure it’s been difficult. If…” She can’t believe she’s saying this, but… she’s a bit of a sap. “If you ever need help learning little things like making tea and whatnot, feel free to ask.”
“R-really?” He seems surprised that she’d offer. “Are you sure? I don’t want to impose.”
“I’m sure, I don’t mind. I’d be happy to help.”
He smiles again. “Thank you. Thank you so much.” And then he lets out a little laugh, looking from Shigeo to her. “I guess I know where Kageyama gets his hospitality.”
They spend the rest of the afternoon chatting– Serizawa meets her husband and even if it seems they don’t have much in common, they hit it off pretty well. Souma’s always been good at making small talk, and Serizawa makes for a good listener and adds to the conversation where he sees fit. When he leaves, they have a talk with Shigeo.
They don’t get much more out of him, but he seems happy that they met, and really that’s all they can ask for in the end.
Junko smiles, looking at the now cold containers of green tea they’ll fix with honey later on. She thinks she’s going to like teaching Serizawa how to cook and make tea in the future. He’s alright by her book.