A Dead Man's Return

IX. Morality

This and the next chapter are gonna be long, sad, and dramatic, so buckle up 😭

-

-

-

Nobody's POV:

...

8:30 PM

Eating had to be Itadori's favorite hobby.

Well, it's not really a hobby per se, since you'll die without ingesting anything, but Yuji could confidentally call himself a foodie. He loved all things food, and especially loved going to a distant and legendary place called flavortown. Whether it'd be simple snacking or a full five course meal, Itadori gulped down anything that was plated in front of him.

Tonight was no different as Junpei's mom went into overtime, scurrying around the kitchen while balancing dozens of ingredients and utensils. She hadn't had this much fun in her own home ever since– well, ever since she was married to her husband. Maybe she ought to invite her son's new friend every once in a while; it sure did bring her joy cooking a massive meal for the two boys.

"This is so good!" Yuji exclaimed as he slurped down his noodles, four empty bowls already next to his current half empty one. Junpei's eyes were fixed on his new friend and his outrageously huge appetite. For being such a thin teenager, he sure could eat a lot– how did all of this food even fit in his stomach? The pink haired vessel lifted the bowl up, sipping and gulping down the last of the savory broth, placing the ceramic dish back on the counter with a satisfied smile. "Thank you so much Mrs. Yoshino! This is all delicious!"

"My pleasure Itadori! There's more where that came from!" She exclaimed from the kitchen, Yuji pumping his fists up in glee since he still had almost half of his stomach capacity open for more indulging. You couldn't really call it being gluttonous either– he was still hungry after all. Itadori turned towards Junpei, who slowly ate some gyoza from a plate. "Your mom's super awesome! I bet you go to sleep every night with an overly filled stomach."

The black haired boy shrugged, nibbling on the outside wonton wrapper and placing it back onto the plate with his chopsticks. "I don't really eat much. I'm kind of jealous of your appetite."

"What?! You don't eat much?" Yuji asked in surprise, wondering how it would feel to not have such a passion for stuffing your face. He eyed Junpei's plate, who caught wind of what the latter was thinking, pushing the dish over. The sorcerer tilted his head, "Are you sure?"

"Positive, I'm full anyway." Yoshino said quietly, fiddling with his thumbs and staring at the quilted table cover. Itadori, now guilty about even thinking of having the latter's food, pushed the plate back and grinned.

"I think you should eat it– your mom made it just for you."

Junpei looked down at the plate of food, a small grin creeping up on his face as he shrugged and began eating again. Dinner wasn't too long, only really lasting as long as Itadori could eat. Yuji, after about an hour of just eating, finally raised the white flag and slumped over, his stomach a few ticks away from popping.

Junpei's mom, who's name was Nagi, was utterly tired after spending an entire day at work then cooking a twenty course meal for both her son and his friend. She excused herself and laid on the couch, leaving Itadori and Yoshino alone on the table as she fell asleep rather quickly. It was nearing his time to go, so Yuji supposed it was time to start with his final questions– the whole reason why he was here.

"Junpei, if you're willing, do you wanna talk now? I still have a couple of questions for you so that I can get to the bottom of what exactly happened with those guys at the movie theater." Itadori stated, laying his head on his hand and waiting for the latter to respond.