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unsafe-working-conditionz · 18 hours ago

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MP100 - Shigeo Kageyama x Ghost!Reader - Memoirs of a Musical Prodigy

Summary: Reigen lucks out when he gets a job he doesn't have to touch at all- Investigating the hauntings of his protegee's very own Salt Middle School.

Warnings: Angst, fluff, platonic or romantic pairing, ghost!reader, fem!reader, not based on any canon events, setting, or timeline, mentions of death, mentions of poor mental health.

Reigen couldn't possibly believe his luck, the agency was finally blessed with a job after a dry spell- and an easy one at that! When the music teacher first reached out to him, he dreaded the thought of having to once again try (and probably fail) at infiltrating another school. But that changed when she mentioned the location was Salt Middle School. That meant he could let Mob take care of it without lifting a finger, and he'd still make most of the money from the job. A total score.

That's what led Shiego to the music room of the school, already nervous. The teacher he'd met with had reported instruments playing themselves and moving without initial force. Most recently, she'd claimed to see a full-bodied apparition playing an antique cello that was previously locked in a display case.

Shiegeo shook his head, trying to dispel any anxiety as he approached the room. He could already feel a small presence, which only grew as he opened the door. Flicking on a flashlight, he initially saw nothing. The seats of the orchestra were aligned perfectly, all the sheet music was filed away neatly, and all the instruments were in their respective cases.

"I wonder if this was the cello the teacher was talking about?" He asked himself softly, shining his flashlight on the display case. Alongside the said instrument were a slew of others, as well as trophies, and notable students who had long since graduated. Beside the cello, there was a framed photograph, looking incredibly vintage. It depicted a young girl, close to his own age, who smiled brightly. He could have assumed she was simply a very accomplished cellist, if not for the wreath of long-dried flowers leaning against the instrument itself.

Just as he began to assume the spirit was too insignificant to launch an actual investigation, he jumped, startled by the sound of books flying off the shelf. He spun around to find sheet music raining from the ceiling, as if the books were tearing themselves apart above him.

"Hey, stop that!" He called out softly, but with a firm edge. "Don't you know the students here need these books to learn from?" With a sigh, his hands began to glow as the pages began to put themselves back together at his command. "Now, show yourself, please."

Instead of going the peaceful route like Shiego would have liked, the spirit further resisted. Suddenly, he found himself swept up in a storm of sheet music and a chorus of devastatingly out-of-tune chords. The instrument cases all began to unlock themselves, weapons of brass, woodwind, and percussion rising up to warn him to go away.

Shigeo covered his ears, wincing at the noise. "I said, stop it! It's too loud, I can't think straight," He mutters, raising his hands to force the instruments pack in their rightful place. "I'm not leaving until I exorcise you, so just stop fighting me already!"

The activity seemed to dull as he concluded cleaning up the mess the spirit's tantrum caused. Just as the last page of sheet music fell back into place, he turned back to get his flashlight, suddenly freezing. As he bent down to retrieve the flashlight, he noticed a large empty space in the class cabinet. It was obvious what was now missing by the dried floral wreath that now lay carlessly in the bottom of it and the now cracked photo frame that rested on the shelf above it.

"The cello-" He gasped softly, freezing as the room suddenly filled with a deep, hauntingly beautiful sound. As he slowly turned, his eyes widened. There, in the cellist's chair in the orchestral seating arrangement, was a girl who wasn't there before. It was a girl he'd seen before in a framed photo.

She sat and played as if she were performing for an audience, fingers cradling the bow with the perfect amount of pressure to drag it seamlessly against the strings. Shigeo simply stared in awe at the apparition. He'd seen ghosts before, even ones that looked exceptionally human, but the sight still rattled him deeply.

"Who are you?" He asked softly. When she didn't answer, he decided to let her finish the song before interrupting again. After a few minutes, the room filled with silence again, and the girl peered up at him expectantly. When he stood still, her brows furrowed, and she finally spoke.

"Didn't you like the show?" She asked, voice echoey and multitoned. "You're supposed to clap." Shaking his head, Shiego brought his palms together, clapping frantically.

"N-No, it was beautiful" He stammered. "T-Thank you for playing for me."

The girl seemed somewhat appeased and rested her bow hand on her knee. "Do you mean that?"

"Of course I do," He insisted. "I don't have a musical bone in my body-" He paused, rubbing the back of his neck. "You're amazing."

"I know," The girl turned her nose up at him. "I'm the best cellist Salt Middle has ever had."

Shigeo nodded in agreement. "I don't think the current band even has a cellist."

"They don't," She scoffed. "No one in this year's music class is anywhere near talented enough to take that title. Noboy is deserving of my cello."

The boy tilted his head curiously. "I don't think anyone is going to take your cello away, it's yours." He explained softly, taking a seat beside her. "Nobody else is allowed to play that cello; that's why they keep it in the trophy case."

The specter seemed thoughtful for a moment. "That's right, it's all mine." She finally muttered softly.

"So... what's your name? I'm Shigeo Kageyama." He offered a soft smile and a hand, which she eyed skeptically.

"(Y/N) (L/N)," She replied curtly, taking his hand, only for her fingers to pass through his.

"(Y/N), that's a nice name," He complimented before his smile faded. "Do you... know what happened to you?"

(Y/N) thought for a moment before nodding. "I died, I'm not a moron."

"I didn't mean that," Shigeo shook his head. "Believe it or not, it's pretty rare that a spirit remembers what happened to them. It's really common for them not to know their dead at all, actually." He rambled, wringing his hands anxiously. "It's called an intelligent haunting. The majority of hauntings are residual, which means they replay a significant moment in their lives or their death, over and over until they pass on-"

"You talk a lot, Kageyama." She sighed, flipping her hair over her shoulder.

"S-Sorry," He replied sheepishly. "So... can I ask... what happened to you?"

The girl sighs, her outdated school uniform crinkling with her movement. "It was an accident," She muttered, balling her skirt in her fists at her knees.

"What was?" Shigeo pressed carefully. "Your death?"

"I was helping the teacher clean the of the bookself and a boy ran past my step ladder. His foot caught on the leg and took it from under me. I fell and hit my head on the corner of the marimba." She explained quietly. "And then, when I woke up, I couldn't leave the music room, and no one would talk to me anymore."

Shigeo's shoulders fell as he realized what that meant. "None of your friends could see you anymore, could they?" The ghost shook her head.

"It was as if I never existed. But I knew I had because my picture was in the trophy case along with my cello and those dumb flowers." Her tone turned bitter toward the end. "I don't even like lilies, those phonies didn't know me at all!"

Shigeo's eyes softened, knowing lilies are a popular choice for funerals due to their symbolism. "Well..." He asked carefully. "What kind of flowers do you like?"

The girl paused, appreciating how her referred to her in the present tense. "Daisies, I like daisies. Yellow ones."

He simply nodded. "What else do you like? Other than playing the cello?" He reveled in the smile that spread across her face, realizing the reason she was acting out was just because she was lonely. She was never an evil spirit at all; she was just a girl in need of a friend.

The pair talked for what felt like hours when she finally asked softly, all her earlier animosity vanquished. "You're going to exorcise me, aren't you? Because I keep scaring people?"

"Do you want me to?" He asked back, equally soft. "I'll help you pass on, if that's what you want."

But the girl shook her head with a sad smile. "I want to stay here with my cello." She answered politely.

"Then I'm not going to exorcise you," Shigeo smiled sweetly. "But you have to promise me you'll behave, okay? No more scaring people or throwing sheet music in the air."

(Y/N) looked at him, her smile falling as tears welled in her eyes. "You're really going to let me stay and haunt the music room?"

"My job is only to exorcise evil spirits or spirits that bother the living." He explained soothingly. "But as long as you get along with the living, I don't have a good reason to pass you on."

"Thank you..." She muttered, pulling the neck of the cello to her chest, hugging it as if it would tether her to the physical world.

"Besides... I'd be really sad if I had to exorcise you." He mumbled sheepishly, itching the back of his head as he looked away. "I'd miss you."

-----

Shigeo, a few inches taller, over a year older, and much wiser, strode into the empty music room, yellow daisy in hand, with a soft smile. "(Y/N)," He called out warmly, relieved when the girl materialized in her rightful seat, waiting for him like he always did. He came to sit beside her and left the flower in his palm for her to take. "This is my last week in middle school," He sighed with a bittersweet smile.

"I know," She admitted, taking the daisy and twirling it in her hand. "So this is the last time you'll visit me?"

"No," He laughed softly. "I'll find a way to visit you still. I'm going to apply to work as the music teacher's aid next semester."

(Y/N) smiled at that sentiment. "I'd like that."

"And even if I can't arrange that, I'll never stop sending you yellow daisies." He reassured with the same sweet expression he always wore.

-----

Years later, after several changes of music room staff, there's still an old cello in the glass case with a photo of a middle school girl to go with it. There's still a dried wreath with withered lilies leaning against the body of the instrument. But now there's also a plethora of green and yellow to liven the memorial display. Vases and bouquets, even single stems of canary colored blooms, some dried with petals long fallen, were scattered in the bottom of the case. But others are still on their way out, color beginning to fade. Some are still vibrant and sun colored.

The freshest, however, are the ones in the vase currently being installed into the exhibit. The pretty glass vessel of fresh water is still clutched in the hand of a kind man as he carefully makes room for the new addition. A man with a mop of pin-straight raven hair and the kindest smile she ever saw.

"There you go, (Y/N)," He says, flashing a warm grin to the dark music room.

"Thank you, Shiego."

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