"The commotion upstairs is pretty intense." Fushiguro Megumi had already heard the sounds from above. It was likely that they were in the middle of fighting a curse.
Gojo Satoru stood up and sighed, saying, "It's over. We didn't really test much out of Nobara Kugisaki, but it looks like Hayashi showed us something."
"What do you mean?" Megumi asked, confused.
Gojo tilted his head back to look at the sky, a smile creeping onto his face. "That kid—he has a lot of potential."
Megumi glanced at Gojo and stood up as well. If Gojo-sensei was praising him, then Hayashi must be exceptional. It seemed like Hayashi wasn't just good at cooking—his abilities had also gained Gojo's recognition.
But Megumi hadn't seen it with his own eyes yet.
Neither Itadori Yuji nor Nobara Kugisaki had realized that the kick Hayashi had delivered earlier was a Black Flash. They only thought it was particularly powerful, without noticing its true nature.
After the curses were exorcised, the building returned to normal. From the outside, the heavy curse aura and dark atmosphere had vanished.
Now, all that was left was to send the kid back home, which would complete the mission. Though, today didn't even feel like a real mission—Gojo-sensei had just dragged them along for some work.
Still, Hayashi was quite satisfied. He'd gained 40 points. While there were plenty of cursed spirits around these days, actively searching for them could be difficult unless someone provided a clue. Otherwise, finding them aimlessly could take forever.
As the sun set, the three of them—Hayashi, Yuji, and Nobara—sat on the outdoor steps, facing the evening sky. Gojo and Megumi had gone to take the kid back home.
"You know, I get really grumpy when I'm hungry." Nobara sat on the steps, resting her chin in her hand, speaking in a casual tone.
Yuji, sounding worn out, replied, "Is there ever a time when you're not grumpy?"
"Good point." Hayashi nodded in agreement.
"Hayashi, have I been too nice to you?" Nobara's voice took on a slightly serious edge, though she still didn't move from her spot.
"Ah, come on. You're just hungry. When we get back, I'll cook you some noodles." Hayashi said casually.
"Tch, who wants your noodles? I like eating out, at restaurants." Nobara responded dismissively.
Yuji's eyes lit up as he turned to Hayashi. "If she doesn't want it, I do! Make them for me—I'd love to eat them."
"Alright, alright, no need to get so excited, Yuji." Hayashi waved his hand, indicating for him to calm down. After all, it was just a bowl of noodles.
Nobara raised an eyebrow and looked at Yuji in surprise. "Hey, is your reaction really necessary for just a bowl of noodles?"
"You don't get it, Nobara. Hayashi's cooking is amazing. Once you've had it, you'll never forget it. If you don't want it, just stay out of the way." Yuji stretched his arms and relaxed, clearly in a good mood.
"???" Nobara turned her gaze to Hayashi. This kid was really that good at cooking?
"Thanks for your hard work, everyone!" Gojo's voice rang out as he and Megumi returned. "The kid's home now, so let's go grab something to eat."
"Haha, well, I guess I don't need to make noodles after all." Hayashi nudged Yuji. "It's nice to eat out occasionally."
"Oh? Were you going to cook for us, Hayashi?" Gojo smiled. "That would have saved me some money."
"I'm not eating! I want sushi!" Nobara shouted, waving her hands. She rarely came to Tokyo, so her first meal here had to be sushi—not something Hayashi cooked.
"Nobara, don't underestimate Hayashi's cooking. You're the only one here who hasn't tried it yet—zero complaints from anyone," Gojo chuckled. "But you all worked hard today, so it's my treat. What do you want to eat?"
Nobara hadn't expected even Gojo-sensei to praise Hayashi's cooking. She suddenly wanted to try it too. But then, she thought about how they had been neighbors for almost a month, and yet he hadn't offered her anything to taste?
She was a little annoyed at that, but then again, she remembered how cold she'd been toward Hayashi before. Even if he had offered her food, would she have accepted it?
"Let's have steak!" Yuji licked his lips. He wasn't paying, so he figured steak was a great option—delicious and worth it.
"Sushi! I want sushi!" Nobara waved her hands in the air.
"No problem!" Gojo gave a thumbs-up. "Whatever you want! How about you, Megumi?"
Megumi was fiddling with his phone and didn't seem to be paying attention. Gojo walked over and peeked at his screen. He was still focused on his phone, seemingly oblivious to their conversation.
"Alright, let's go," Gojo said, leading Hayashi and the others ahead.
"Huh?" Megumi finally realized they were leaving. "What were they talking about just now?"
Nobara turned around and pointed at Hayashi. "You! Go grab my luggage."
Hayashi was speechless. Why did she ask him to do it? If he weren't here, this would definitely be Yuji's job.
"Yuji, go help her out," Hayashi said, turning to Yuji.
"What? But she asked you to do it," Yuji protested, not wanting to go.
"You don't want to eat my cooking anymore, do you?" Hayashi shook his head, feigning disappointment.
As soon as Yuji heard that, he immediately smiled and said, "Oh, come on, Hayashi! I was just kidding! Of course I'll go help. It's no problem at all!"
"See, that's more like it. You could use the exercise," Hayashi laughed. Yuji had practically signed up to be his helper now.
Nobara was beyond surprised. Hayashi had somehow gotten Yuji to do things for him just by cooking? And Yuji actually seemed happy about it. They hadn't even known each other that long, and yet, here they were?
"Is Hayashi's cooking really that good?" Nobara asked skeptically, still in disbelief.
"It is!"
"It really is."
"It's amazing."
Gojo, Megumi, and Yuji all answered in unison, without hesitation.
Nobara's eyes widened. Now she really believed it—but she'd have to try it for herself before making her final judgment.
"By the way, Megumi, you've been quiet for a while. What's on your mind?" Yuji noticed Megumi's silence and asked.
Megumi didn't reply, but Gojo grinned and said, "He didn't get a chance to join in today, so he's sulking."
"Immature~" Nobara said, wearing a smug expression.
"Hahaha!" Yuji and Hayashi burst out laughing.
The five of them continued joking and chatting as they walked. Megumi's mood seemed to lift, and soon, they arrived at a steakhouse. It not only served steak but also sushi.
While the sushi here might not be as good as at a specialized sushi place, Nobara didn't mind. After all, she wasn't the one paying, so she had no complaints.