Okuyasu started to try and scratch his shoulder through the uniform, "S-Suddenly..." He shrugged his left sleeve off to keep scratching, "I-I'm getting really itchy!" He looked at his hand again, "S-Something slimy is stuck to my fingers!"
You took a good look at his somewhat torn up shoulder and then down at his hand, "I-I think that's skin."
Tonio nodded, "Correct. It's all dead skin. That's proof that your metabolism has improved and blood is circulating well. The calcium, vitamins, and minerals in the antipasto that you just ate have stimulated the thyroid gland in your throat that controls your metabolism. All of your bad cells are coming out as dead skin. Keep scratching, and get all of the dead skin off."
You took a step away from the scene for a moment as dead skin was being flung everywhere. Josuke decided to gather it all up for some reason, "Okuyasu! Stop scratching! It's as big as a softball now! You're starting to dig at the muscle in your shoulder!"
"N-No! You're wrong, Josuke!" He flung his uniform jacket off entirely as he stretched his arms behind his back, "It's light! My shoulder feels so stupidly light! Like there's a balloon there now!" He had his elbows point in different directions as his hands met around his shoulder blades, "It's made me more flexible, too! I've never been able to do this before!"
Tonio took the ball of dead skin and placed it on his now empty tray, "Now, if you'll excuse me for a bit. I have to make sure the pasta boils properly." With that he headed back to the kitchen.
Okuyasu watched him leave in awe, "Holy crap! That Chef Tonio guy is a genius!"
Josuke whispered to you as you sat back down, "Hey, don't you think there's something suspicious about him?"
You thought for a moment, "Sure, the things that have happened to Okuyasu are a bit odd, but so far they've only had beneficial affects on him. So stop being so paranoid, I'm sure it's all fine."
Tonio walked back in with two new dishes in hand that he placed in front of Okuyasu and you, "Let's continue with the meal. Next is the primo piatto. This will be your pasta course. I call yours, Signore, Harlot Spaghetti!"
The Nijimura twirled a few pieces around the prongs of his fork, "Are there red peppers in this spaghetti?"
"Yes, there are. The harlot's use a sauce that is one of the oldest in Italian cuisine. It was born in my hometown of Naples. That is why I recommend this dish. And your dish, Signorina, is Spaghetti al Nero de Sepia."
Okuyasu stared at his fork with a scared expression, "Oh, well... I can't eat spicy things. I can't even eat curry rice unless its Vermont Curry's mild flavor with the honey and apples. I can't eat sushi with wasabi in it either." His tongue barely touched the pasta before he recoiled in pain, "I can't! It's super spicy!" He quickly grabbed his glass of water and gulped it down.
Josuke just glared at the forkful of food, "If you can't eat spicy food, Okuyasu, then don't eat it."
You scooted your plate a bit closer to his, "If the spiciness is too much for you we can switch dishes, if you'd like."
Okuyasu shook his head in disgust, "No thanks, yours looks like it was dipped in oil or something."
You laughed as you twirled some around your fork, "No, it's actually really good. It's just black because of the squid ink. You know, I actually had this Italian friend named Caesar. I was eating this same dish when I saw him the first time. He was pretty rash back then and now he's..." Your smile faded and you went silent, a lump forming in your throat. You tried to distract yourself by eating a bite of the pasta. Sure, it tasted amazing, but it really didn't seem to help.
"He's what?" Pried Okuyasu. "Is he as good a cook as Tonio? 'Cause then you should invite him over!"
Josuke was better at reading the room and tapped his friend's forearm, "I don't think she wants to talk about it."
"Huh? Why not?" The Nijimura tried to get a closer look at your face, "Hey, did you actually not get enough sleep?" He reached at a hand to touch the damp trail down your cheek. "You alright?"
You nudged his hand aside and tried to blink away the excess moisture in your eyes. You plastered as big a smile as you could muster on your face, "I'm doing great! Let's just keep eating this delicious food, okay?" Okuyasu seemed convinced as he licked his forkful of pasta only to once again let out a pained yelp.
Tonio gave you a concerned smile, "I'll go make you some tea, Signorina, before I start working on the secundo piatto, the main dish. And Signore, it's perfectly fine if you don't eat your dish. However, my spaghetti is made such that even people who do not like spicy things can eat it." He retreated back to the kitchen. Tonio came out moments later to set a cup by the right side of your plate.
You mumbled a thanks to him before he went back to cooking. Just one sip seemed to somehow make you feel a bit happier again.
Okuyasu licked the pasta again, "I totally admit that you're a talented chef, Tonio! That guy's definitely a genius! But this was a miss." He jabbed his fork back into the plate, wriggling it around mournfully.
"Maybe you were lucky that you couldn't eat it." Grumbled Josuke. "Don't you think this food and that water are way too weird? It's too suspicious!"
"Suspicious? What is? Hey (Y/N), I changed my mind. Can I try a bite of yours?" Okuyasu opened his mouth and waited until you obliged. He let out a satisfied hum while chewing until he stared to bring the forkful of his own spaghetti up to his lips again.
"Remember what Hazamada said?" Josuke stood and leaned on the table getting uncomfortably close to Okuyasu, "Stand users are drawn to each other."
You nodded along as you ate another bite of your food, "I guess that would explain the weird stuff, but I really don't think he's evil or anything..."
Josuke leaned back in his chair, "Hey, I wasn't saying that. Just... we should be more suspicious of him."
As if prompted by some otherworldly source, Okuyasu licked the pasta once again, "Gah! I can't eat this!"
"Well if you can't eat spicy food, then stop licking it!" Shouted Josuke.
"Th-That's right. I can't eat spicy food, but you know... I just want to keep licking the spaghetti sauce." Then he just shoved the whole forkful into his mouth, shocking his friend. "I-I know I shouldn't be able to eat something this spicy..." His cheeks started to fill up as he abstained from swallowing. "But I can't help it! Once I tasted it the spiciness sucked me in!" At that point he really couldn't stop himself from gulping it all down.
"Hey, I told you to stop eating that!" Exclaimed the Higashikata.
"Josuke, relax. Just let him eat his food." You lifted up a forkful of your own dish and extended it towards him, "If you just try it you'll see how good it actually is." However, the fork was knocked out of your hand by a tooth that got shot out of Okuyasu's mouth. "Oh?"
"W-was that one of my cavities?!" The Nijimura got out of his seat, ready to search for wherever it had bounced off to. He started to clutch his jaw as it moved around in an abnormal manner. "Ah! Another one came out!" That one lodged itself into the ceiling. He started screaming as new teeth started to emerge in the briefly empty spaces along his gums. Once that finished, he broke into a grin, showing off his pearly whites.
"This settles it. I don't know what he's plotting, but... Crazy Diamond!" His Stand appeared behind him at its user's call. It slammed its fist into the plate of spaghetti, smashing it to smithereens before its ability took affect.
"But I wanted to eat more..." Cried out Okuyasu with anguish.
The dish quickly reverted the ingredients to their original state. Hidden amidst the dried pasta and whole tomatoes were tiny pepper looking creatures with sharp teeth that retreated into the kitchen, presumably back to their user.
"Well, I guess Tonio is a Stand user after all..." You mumbled out loud, wondering if you'd been eating those things this whole time. Okuyasu suddenly clutched his stomach and crouched down. His face gaining a sickly shade of purple, worrying you quite a bit, "Hey, what's wrong?"
"My sleepiness is gone, my shoulder stiffness disappeared, and new teeth replaced my old ones, but..." He stared up at the ceiling as saliva dropped down the corners of his mouth. "M-My stomach hurts! My stomach's hurting so bad!"
"Watch over him, (Y/N)!" Shouted Josuke who then started to follow after the Stand, "Tonio! Just what are you plotting?!"
Okuyasu started to sniff the air as shouting started within the kitchen. He struggled to get up to his feet as he started to hobble over in a dazed state to where his plate of food lay on the counter. He snatched the piece of lamb and gobbled it up eagerly.
Right in front of a dark room branching off the kitchen stood Josuke, "Why are you eating?! (Y/N), stop him! Don't let him have any more!"
"I can't help it!" Cried out Okuyasu, "Every time the sweet tang of the sauce and the juice from the lamb go down my throat, I feel happiness! It's so good!"
You scanned the surroundings a bit more before doing anything. A knife was sticking out of the wall near Josuke's face and Tonio seemed very angry. Not to mention, a tiny puppy stared happily at you from next to the chef's feet. That's when Okuyasu's innards started to spill out of his abdomen.
"You'll pay for this!" Tonio's voice echoed in the kitchen as he ran up behind Josuke to hand him a bar of soap, "Wash your hands right now! It's unforgivable! Entering the kitchen without permission is unforgivable! The kitchen must stay clean!"
"S-Soap? Are you telling me to wash my hands?" A dumbfounded look had made itself present on the Higashikata's face.
"Hey, my guts suddenly feel way better! I feel really full, too." Exclaimed Okuyasu who you helped stand back up again. "My tummy's all better and I feel super satisfied!"
"Good for you!" Tonio's smile made its way back on his face, "Nothing brings me more joy and happiness than a customer who enjoys my cooking and becomes healthy." He walked over to the puppy as it started barking, "The dish was a little iffy, so I was having him taste it first. His tummy was a little upset, too."
"Wait, so you really just wanted to feed them good food?" Josuke still couldn't quite believe it.
"What else could a chef ask for? That is what I live for. That is all I hope for."
You clasped you're hands together, "Ah, Tonio, you're a Stand user, right?" The chef tilted his head in confusion, until the three of you brought out your own, "We have ones, too. By any chance were you shot by a bow and arrow recently?"
His eyes widened, "N-No. But I don't believe it!" He brought out his Stand, the tiny pepper things floating around him, "When I went around the world looking for what my ideal cooking would be, that's when I discovered my powers. This is the first time I've met someone else with similar powers." His tone shifted to anger as he addressed Josuke, "But you! You lack common sense! You touched things without washing your hands, didn't you?! The number one enemy in a kitchen is germs!" He handed over a sponge and a bucket full of different spray bottles.
"I-I'm sorry! I didn't mean to!" The Higashikata grabbed the items.
"You better prepare yourself!" His face softened as he glanced over to his Stands who were starting to pick up some more tomatoes, "Now, let us continue with the cooking."
And as Josuke slaved away in the kitchen like Cinderella, you and Okuyasu enjoyed your finely made desserts, thus marking the end of that particular ordeal.