"I'll be getting home a little later today. Let Megumi know, and make sure you prepare dinner for him before you leave tonight."
During the break between classes, Asou Akiya called the nanny who looked after Fushiguro Megumi.
The Hanaboshi Kindergarten discouraged children from comparing themselves with one another, so Akiya hadn't bought Megumi a mobile phone. He also made sure the boy carried only a modest amount of pocket money whenever he went out.
Today was a special occasion. Akiya suspected his friends would organize a group dinner, so he made arrangements for Megumi in advance.
As it turned out, he was right. The moment the lunch break began, the group chat [Jujutsu High Same-Year Quartet] was flooded with the names of various restaurants. Everyone was enthusiastically declaring that Yaga-sensei had to treat them to a meal. They couldn't possibly let him acquire such an excellent adopted son without paying some price for it.
[Ieiri Shoko: I have faith in Yaga-sensei's— no, Yaga-koucho's— substantial income. If we don't make him spend his money now, when will we?]
[Getou Suguru: Satoru, show us that young master flair of yours. We're going to the most upscale restaurant in Japan!]
[Gojo Satoru: Quit rushing me! I'm already looking through the menus!]
[Asou Akiya: As long as you're all happy.]
[Asou Akiya: If there's any food left over after you order, don't you dare waste it. Everyone takes their leftovers home in a doggy bag.]
With that single message, he successfully established a limit that the other three couldn't cross.
—Nobody wanted to eat other people's leftovers.
At noon, Ieiri Shoko stopped Asou Akiya and asked him to stay behind in the classroom, while Gojo Satoru and Getou Suguru eagerly scampered off together.
"Akiya, keep me company for a bit," Shoko said, putting on an expression that made it seem as though she hadn't secretly coordinated anything with anyone.
"Sure." Akiya withdrew his gaze from the doorway.
Shoko pointed to a chair and Akiya obediently took a seat, hugging his schoolbag to his chest. In an instant, he looked like a well-behaved, innocent, and utterly harmless model student.
Shoko got straight to the point. "Can you please refrain from causing trouble on my birthday?"
"No problem."
Ieiri Shoko's birthday is only four days away.
Akiya had underestimated just how much psychological trauma he'd inflicted on his friends. With an innocent expression, he said, "How could I possibly do anything that would make you unhappy?"
Shoko immediately brightened, then she dropped a more explicit hint. "I actually prefer watching other people get into trouble."
Asou Akiya: ...
One moment, she was asking him not to cause trouble; the next, she was saying she wanted to watch someone else make a spectacle of themselves. Those two wishes were hardly compatible!
An idea suddenly struck Akiya. He cautiously sounded her out. "Shoko, would you be willing to secretly treat someone for me when you go out that day?"
Secretly? Who exactly were they trying to keep this from? Shoko caught the unmistakable scent of gossip.
"Male or female?"
"Male."
Shoko ran her fingers over her phone before setting it back down. "How old is this man?"
Where did this random man come from?!
Asou Akiya chuckled. "Three years old."
As a doctor whose theoretical knowledge was only half-baked, Ieiri Shoko instinctively calculated Akiya's age, only to find him looking at her with an expression of reproach.
Akiya protested with an especially aggrieved look. "How could I possibly have an illegitimate child?"
Shoko didn't look the least bit embarrassed. "But I also can't imagine you having the time to take care of someone else's child."
Exactly. Take care of.
The unhurried way Akiya had brought it up suggested that the person in question wasn't disabled, hadn't suffered any serious injuries, and wasn't in any particular hurry to receive treatment.
For ordinary illnesses and minor injuries, Akiya would rather let time take its course than trouble her. Shoko had a vague understanding of her place in his heart; to him, she wasn't merely someone who possessed the Reverse Cursed Technique, she was also a girl worth cherishing.
Akiya proposed a trade. "Tell me what Gojo went back to the dormitory to do first, and then I'll tell you the whole story."
Shoko regretfully declined. "I can't betray him. If I sell him out once, he won't trust me to keep his secrets next time."
She flashed a sly smile. "Besides, if I'm going to betray that guy, I should save it for something valuable."
What she really meant was that whatever Gojo and Getou were up to today was trivial, and Akiya shouldn't dwell too much on it.
Akiya suppressed his curiosity and resisted the urge to speculate.
Shoko pressed on. "So, what's the theme of my birthday party?"
"Take a guess~"
Shoko deflated. She couldn't figure it out, and if even she couldn't, who in the entire world could possibly guess what went on inside Asou Akiya's wonderfully unpredictable mind?
Ieiri Shoko tried to regain the upper hand from another angle. "The child you want me to treat can't be seen by either Gojo or Getou? That's going to be a little difficult."
"I'll have Suguru keep Gojo occupied," Asou Akiya replied.
"Getou? Can you guarantee that Gojo won't be constantly checking on our safety while we're out?"
Akiya chuckled. "I'll ask Suguru to give me a fly head. If I run into danger, I'll crush it. That way, he'll know I'm safe, and I won't have to worry about making him anxious. As for Gojo…" He paused before speaking bluntly. "He won't care what dangerous things I get up to, as long as I can handle the consequences."
When Akiya brought up Fushiguro Megumi, his voice softened. "That child has a few scrapes and bruises, and he's been through some hardships before. I'd like to ask you to help nurse his health back to normal, Shoko."
Shoko agreed readily. "Find a way to get Getou to keep Gojo occupied for thirty minutes."
Akiya stared at her in surprise. "Does it really take that long?"
Shoko explained, "This is a child you care about, after all. Of course I'm going to give him a thorough, meticulous treatment. Thirty minutes is already the bare minimum."
Concerned about her health, Akiya asked, "Will the treatment leave you exhausted? Will it affect how you feel that day?"
Shoko smiled and answered honestly. "I'll be a little mentally tired, but it'll be worth it.
Akiya, I don't get many chances to leave the school, and you don't often ask me for favors, either; so that day, you're going to do as I say!
I'll be happy, and I'll enjoy myself."
With that, Shoko finalized the arrangements for Megumi's treatment and strode off without another backward glance.
Akiya watched her go, taking note of a small but telling change. The flat leather shoes she had worn last autumn and winter had been replaced by brown ankle boots with three-centimeter heels. Beneath her skirt, her opaque black tights showed not the slightest hint of skin. She no longer had to worry about a gust of mountain wind exposing her when she walked too quickly.
Without even realizing it, Shoko had begun to care about her appearance, too. To borrow her own words, she wasn't about to let Gojo outdo her in the art of looking polished.
Other people's gazes could be a powerful motivator and it too, can also be a kind of invisible pressure.
Asou Akiya suddenly realized that the birthday celebration he had planned so successfully last year had made his friends far more invested in this year's birthday theme than he had anticipated.
I've been so busy lately that I haven't had time to come up with a theme for Shoko's birthday. Thank goodness she doesn't know that.
Akiya pressed a hand against his aching forehead and made his way back to the boys' dormitory alone, his mind weighed down by worries.
I might have to order an oxygen concentrator.
Back when he had been preparing for the university entrance exams in his previous life, his family had bought one for him. Whenever he overworked his brain, taking a few breaths of oxygen helped him relax.
I'm so tired. And hungry...
When Akiya returned to the boys' dormitory, Getou Suguru intercepted him and led him straight to Gojo Satoru's room.
"Lunch is being served here today~!"
The moment he stepped inside, Akiya was surprised to find Nanami Kento and Haibara Yu seated at the dining table, both looking somewhat ill at ease. Getou grandly introduced Gojo, who was standing at the sink with a long-suffering expression as he scrubbed a pot.
"Akiya, come take a look! This is our very own Chef Gojo, who personally prepared five servings of noodle soup!"
Gojo gritted his teeth. "Suguru, you don't have to announce it so loudly!"
Today, they were celebrating Akiya's adoption by Yaga-sensei. Gojo Satoru had also intended to celebrate his newfound independence.
The independent life he had been looking forward to for so long had been successfully derailed by Suguru!
Getou had somehow talked Gojo into cooking. Not only had he persuaded Gojo to make his own lunch, but he had also gotten him to prepare a meal for all the boys while he was at it.
Five people were now gathered around the dining table.
Asou Akiya could hear them debating whether the soup noodles were even safe to eat. None of them seemed particularly confident.
That included Gojo Satoru himself...
"Who wants to take the first bite?" Gojo asked, his tone thick with uncertainty.
"Gojo-senpai's noodles..." Haibara hesitated, eyeing the unappetizing appearance of the dish. "They don't look very promising, has anyone ever eaten something Senpai cooked before?"
"Nope." Having already taught Gojo everything he needed to know about cooking, Getou Suguru had no qualms about exposing the extent of his friend's culinary inexperience. "Satoru's a spoiled young master. After spending a whole year being fed by Akiya, the only people he's ever actually seen cooking are Akiya and me. I tried to get him into the kitchen several times, but he always found some excuse to wriggle out of it."
"Is it even safe to eat?" Nanami Kento's expression twisted with indecision.
"Relax, I prepared stomach medicine for everyone in advance." Getou held up a box of medication.
Hisss! Both underclassmen drew in sharp breaths.
"Is it really that bad?" Gojo's nostrils twitched as he sniffed the noodles from different angles. Despite the broth's pleasant aroma, its murky appearance was rapidly eroding what little confidence he had left.
Without saying a word, Asou Akiya picked up the bowl in front of him and took a sip of the broth, becoming the first to brave the dish.
His eyes lit up ever so slightly.
The broth is rich and savory, although it hadn't simmered for very long, the cook had used the finest ingredients and demonstrated a good grasp of both heat control and seasoning.
As long as Gojo is willing to put in the effort, he can master just about anything at an absurdly fast pace.
Akiya offered a sincere compliment. "It tastes pretty good, definitely above average."
"I knew I was good at everything!" Gojo crowed with delight. "Cooking is a piece of cake for the great Gojo Satoru!"
Getou Suguru stared at him in disbelief. "No way. Akiya, don't go around praising him like that."
Asou Akiya scooped up a spoonful of broth from Getou Suguru's bowl with a clean spoon, refusing to let him slander his cooking partner without evidence. "Here, try it for yourself."
Getou didn't reach for the spoon. Instead, he simply leaned forward and took a sip straight from Akiya's spoon.
"You'd make such a wonderful homemaker, Akiya."
Asou Akiya shot back, "Oh, really? Want me to marry into your family? Got a dowry ready for me?"
Getou Suguru immediately backpedaled. "I'm broke, you'll have to bring your own dowry."
Asou Akiya: "..."
So he had money to raise little girls but not to support his friends? Fine. Their friendship is over!
If today hadn't been such a happy occasion, Akiya would have shoved a spoon down Getou's throat and pressed it against the base of his tongue.
Haibara Yu snickered under his breath, while Nanami Kento raised an eyebrow. He hadn't expected Getou-senpai to be this kind of person in private.
"Eat up! The noodles won't taste as good once they get cold!" Gojo Satoru was already accustomed to Getou's antics, so he urged everyone else to focus on the lunch he had prepared.
The moment he finished speaking, the hungry crowd eagerly picked up their chopsticks and dug into their noodles, wolfing them down without another complaint about their unappetizing appearance.
After the two kouhais enjoyed a hearty lunch, they learned that an even more delicious feast awaited them that evening. Gojo Satoru and Getou Suguru exchanged a knowing smile before pulling Asou Akiya aside to whisper conspiratorially in a corner.
"For this year's history exam, make absolutely sure they get to experience the same kind of questions we had last semester."
Asou Akiya readily agreed, everyone deserved an equal share of the misery. They all needed to fail at least one exam to truly become part of Tokyo Jujutsu High.
Gojo Satoru asked, "What's this year's history exam going to be about?"
Getou Suguru, meanwhile, was practically beside himself with anxiety. "Akiya, I'm not asking you to leak the questions, just give me a general idea of what I should focus on when studying. I swear I'll actually read the textbook this time!"
Asou Akiya suddenly remembered the matter, his mind going blank for a brief second. He was the one to write the exam questions last year. Was he supposed to do it again this year?
For a moment, he was even more anxious than Getou Suguru. Frantically racking his brain for possible questions, he said, "I haven't decided yet. I'll probably make them related to everyone's experiences this year..."
Help!
He really needed to buy himself an oxygen machine! His brain was about to overheat from running at full capacity!
Questions? What questions—?!
Yaga-sensei, becoming an assistant teacher had never been part of his life goals!