[At the restaurant]
The small restaurant was cozy, with wooden walls and soft lighting that contrasted with the chaos that was Gojo Satoru.
Utahime had changed clothes before accompanying him — now she wore a light, long-sleeved navy-blue shirt along with black jeans.
Sitting at the table, she kept her arms crossed, still completely suspicious. The menu was open in front of her, but she barely looked at it, more focused on observing Satoru, who seemed perfectly at ease. He had taken off his glasses, revealing those absurdly intense eyes, and was flipping through the menu as if it were the most fascinating thing in the world.
"So," she began, breaking the silence, "What's your goal? Because I know you didn't invite me here just for lunch."
Satoru looked up. "Wow, Utahime, still so suspicious? Can't I just want to spend some quality time with my senpai?"
"No," she replied curtly, narrowing her eyes. "You'd never go out with me without a reason. Spill it."
He laughed, leaning back in his chair. "Alright, alright. Maybe I need a little favor. But let's order first, okay? I don't want to talk about serious stuff on an empty stomach."
Utahime huffed but grabbed the menu, deciding that if she had to deal with Gojo's antics, she might as well do it with a decent meal. "You said you're paying, so don't you dare complain about what I choose."
"Of course, order whatever you want," Satoru winked, and she rolled her eyes, trying to ignore the heat rising to her face.
'What the hell is this guy up to? And why are the Six Eyes still active? Isn't he going to fry his brain or something?'
"Excuse me" A young woman approached the table, holding a notepad in her hand and wearing a polite smile that faltered the instant her eyes landed on Gojo. She froze a few steps from the table, her face visibly turning red.
Utahime noticed the exact moment the poor girl froze, her wide eyes locked on Gojo. 'Is this for real?'
"Er... h-have you decided what you'll be having?" the waitress stammered, trying to pull herself together.
Satoru didn't miss the chance to shine. He leaned toward her slightly, that charming smile—effortless and capable of melting half the world—spreading across his face. "I'll have the katsu curry, nice and generous, please. And an ice-cold Coke to go with it."
The waitress jotted the order down at an almost comical speed, barely taking her eyes off his face. "R-right, katsu curry and Coke... Perfect!" She looked like she was about to faint, which made Utahime roll her eyes so hard it almost hurt.
Noticing her silence, Satoru turned to her with an amused look. "And you, Utahime? Not ordering anything?"
Utahime huffed. "I'll have the oyakodon. And an iced green tea, please."
The waitress, however, didn't register a single word. She just nodded vaguely, eyes still glued to Satoru as if Utahime didn't even exist. 'Seriously? Is this girl kidding me?' The sorceress made a face of pure disgust, lips twisting in a mix of disdain and disbelief.
Satoru noticed everything and turned to the waitress. "Hey, my friend here ordered an oyakodon and an iced green tea. Write that down, will ya? She gets a little cranky when she's ignored."
The waitress blinked, finally realizing there was someone else at the table. "O-oh! I'm so sorry, of course, oyakodon and green tea!" She scribbled it down in a rush, face now even redder, before mumbling a quick "I'll be right back" and practically fleeing toward the kitchen.
Utahime crossed her arms and shot Satoru a death glare. "Does this happen every time you take off your glasses?"
"Hey, it's not my fault for being perfect," Satoru replied, his tone dripping with confidence. "It's a burden, you know? Walking around with this face."
Utahime let out an exasperated sigh, rolling her eyes once again. "A burden? You love it, you arrogant jerk." She jabbed a finger in his direction. "Now, just tell me what you want from me already!"
"Haa, fine, fine," Then, all of a sudden, Satoru's face turned serious — a shift so rare that Utahime blinked, caught off guard.
"Okay, so to sum it up: remember Toji? The guy who almost sent me to the afterlife? Yeah, after that fight, I kind of let him make one last request — honor and all that. Then he threw it in my face that his son would be sold to the Zen'in in a few years, and I was like, 'Wow, he really doesn't want that.' So, I had one of my contacts track the kid down. When they finally found him, turns out he's four years old and lives alone with his five-year-old sister, surviving off whatever money they had at home. And I thought, 'Yikes, that's pretty bad, huh?' So I decided to drop by and check things out. I talked to the boy — his name is Megumi — and I saw that he and his sister really don't want to be separated. And then, to make things even more fun, I found out Megumi inherited the Ten Shadows Technique, which is like — wow, the Zen'in clan would kill for that, right? So, I... are you following all this?"
Utahime was frozen, mouth slightly open. Her brain seemed to have short-circuited, trying to process the avalanche of information Gojo had just dumped on her. Toji? Megumi? Ten Shadows? Kids living alone? She blinked several times, her face a mix of shock, confusion, and just a touch of irritation at how he'd dropped all of that at once.
He tilted his head, smile returning, clearly enjoying her reaction. "Wow, Utahime, don't tell me you froze! Want me to repeat it? I can go slower."
"Don't you dare repeat it!"
***
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters, images or songs featured in this fic. Additionally, I do not claim ownership of any products or properties mentioned in this novel. This work is entirely fanfic.