Showing Off His Skills

"True, but it's not like you can avoid fighting." Satoru Gojo smiled. He was fairly satisfied with Yuji Itadori's answer.

"Ah, you were testing me?" Yuji Itadori looked a little unhappy.

Satoru Gojo held out a hand in front of Yuji Itadori, cutting him off. "If it were that easy, we'd have found them all long ago. Some have overly strong presences, some conceal their presence, and some have already attached themselves to cursed spirits. When it comes to finding things, they're the biggest headache. But now that we have you, Sukuna inside you will tell you where the fingers are in order to regain his power."

With a half-smile, Satoru Gojo spread his hands. "You're a vessel, but you're also a detector—a radar, basically. So if you don't come to the scene, there's no show to put on."

Yuji Itadori touched his chest. "Is that guy really that kind-hearted?"

"That's where you come in—build a win-win relationship." Satoru Gojo patted Yuji Itadori and left the room.

Lin Ran and Yuji Itadori followed him. After only a few steps, they saw the wooden door ahead open and Fushiguro Megumi walk out.

"We're right next door?" Yuji Itadori suddenly laughed.

Fushiguro Megumi glanced at Yuji Itadori and Lin Ran. "There are plenty of empty rooms, aren't there?"

Lin Ran looked at the spacing between the rooms. Yuji Itadori's room was indeed next to Fushiguro Megumi's, while his own was several rooms away.

"The livelier, the better. I want you all to interact more." Satoru Gojo knew Fushiguro Megumi's personality. He was usually somewhat withdrawn and quiet, but this was a good opportunity to help everyone fit in and build trust with one another.

"Classes and missions are enough. Don't make trouble for people out of kindness." Fushiguro Megumi said expressionlessly.

"Haha, you're so serious..." Yuji Itadori leaned against Fushiguro Megumi's doorframe and peered inside. The room was exceptionally neat and clean.

"I told you, don't make trouble." A dark line crossed Fushiguro Megumi's forehead as he grabbed the door and slammed it shut on Yuji Itadori.

"Oww, oww, oww..." Yuji Itadori immediately pulled himself back.

Fushiguro Megumi glanced at the silent Lin Ran beside him. This guy was quiet enough, at least.

"All right, that's that. Tomorrow, we're heading out to welcome the fourth first-year student. But before that, Lin Ran will be making dinner tonight." Satoru Gojo grinned and looked at Lin Ran.

"No problem. Are there ingredients here?" Lin Ran was more than happy to show off his skills. He had already won over Satoru Gojo's stomach—could Fushiguro Megumi and Yuji Itadori's be far behind?

"Of course there are. I'll take you there now, and explain on the way." Satoru Gojo led Lin Ran toward the kitchen at the back as he said, "This may be the suburbs, but someone delivers ingredients every day, so you don't need to worry about that. Just let them know whatever you can make. As long as the ingredients aren't too expensive, it's fine."

"Then there won't be a problem. But the food I make might be different from what you usually eat. Do you know Chinese cuisine?" Lin Ran had long heard about and researched the ingredients available in Japan, but he mainly cooked Chinese cuisine.

"Oh? Have you been to China before? There are quite a few cursed spirits over there..." Satoru Gojo seemed to recall something before smiling. "I'd quite like to try Chinese cuisine too. But Lin Ran, could you learn to make dishes from our side as well?"

"Of course. But before that, you'll definitely have to try authentic Chinese cuisine." Lin Ran smiled.

"I'm looking forward to it." Satoru Gojo beamed. Delicious food really could brighten one's mood, and it made Lin Ran all the more pleasing to look at.

The dorms were not far from the kitchen, but this kitchen had clearly not been used for a long time. No one knew how long it had been abandoned. It looked more like a woodshed.

But Lin Ran was certain that it had once been a kitchen—it simply had not been used in far too long.

"It's a little dirty. Nobody uses this place, so you can come cook here whenever you want." Satoru Gojo had not expected it to be so messy. "Looks like we won't be eating today. I'll have the students clean it up another day."

"It's fine. You can head back first. Once I clean this place up, it can be used right away. I'll treat it as a workout." Lin Ran did not think it was much work. A little tidying would make it usable.

"I feel awful making you work so hard as soon as you've arrived." Satoru Gojo had not expected Lin Ran to be so proactive, and it pleased him greatly.

"This will be my private kitchen from now on, so naturally I should take care of it myself."

"I'll take you to the cafeteria. You can pick up some ingredients there while we're at it." Satoru Gojo brought Lin Ran to Jujutsu High's cafeteria. There was clearly no one around. The second- and third-years were all out, and with no one eating, the cafeteria was naturally empty.

After selecting some ingredients, Lin Ran returned directly to the small kitchen and began dealing with the dust and discarded junk. Satoru Gojo went back, planning to return for dinner.

Cleaning was no difficult task for Lin Ran. The room was around sixty or seventy square meters—not especially large, but not small either—yet it did not take long to sort out.

An hour later, Lin Ran had gathered all the necessary kitchen tools from the cafeteria and was ready to get started.

First came preparing the ingredients: peeling, washing them clean, and soaking them in water. Only then could he begin making dinner.

As the sky gradually darkened, Yuji Itadori lay against his bed reading when he suddenly caught a scent. His nose twitched as he followed the aroma and climbed out of bed.

"What's that smell?" Fushiguro Megumi opened his door and stepped out. At the same time, Yuji Itadori came out as well.

"Fushiguro, do you smell that?" Yuji Itadori felt like he was about to drool. It smelled far too good.

"My nose works fine." Fushiguro Megumi shot Yuji Itadori a glance before turning to find out what smelled so good.

"Looks like both of you have sharp noses too. I think Lin Ran has started cooking. Let's go take a look." Satoru Gojo appeared at the corner and waved to the two of them.

"So Lin Ran's the one cooking. No wonder it smells so good. If it smells this good, it'll probably taste even better." Yuji Itadori could hardly wait to eat Lin Ran's cooking.

"He's got the constitution of a foodie." The more Fushiguro Megumi looked at Yuji Itadori, the more peculiar the kid seemed.

The three of them headed toward Lin Ran. The closer they got, the richer the aroma became. Even Satoru Gojo unconsciously licked his lips. The smell was seriously addictive.

"Whoa, Lin Ran, you made so many dishes!!" Yuji Itadori pushed open the door and saw seven dishes laid out on the wooden table, while Lin Ran was still cooking.

"Yeah, isn't this a little too much for just the four of us?" Satoru Gojo had not expected Lin Ran to cook so many dishes. Was he really planning to show off in front of them?