A Favor Is Hard to Refuse Once You've Eaten

"I'm cooking the last dish now. Everyone, take your seats—it'll be ready in a moment," Lin Ran said with a smile. Since he didn't have to pay for any of these ingredients, he could cook whatever he wanted.

Besides, he really didn't have much money on him right now. He had to be frugal with what Hijikata Shichiro had given him.

"Then let's sit down." Satoru Gojo gestured for everyone to take their seats. But once they were all seated, the colorful, steaming dishes on the table made it hard for them to hold back.

"I usually just grab something quick to eat. I wouldn't even dare dream of food this good..." Yuji Itadori could barely suppress the urge to start grabbing dishes.

Fushiguro Megumi hadn't felt much about Lin Ran's cooking at first, but the moment he caught the aroma and saw the dishes, his appetite was thoroughly awakened.

He hadn't expected Lin Ran to actually know how to cook—and to be this good at it.

"The last dish is here!" Lin Ran said with a smile as he brought over the final dish: the only bowl of tomato and egg soup.

"Can we start?" Satoru Gojo asked politely.

"Of course. Help yourselves," Lin Ran said, taking care of himself before sitting down as well.

Once Lin Ran was seated, no one held back any longer. They all picked up their chopsticks and began eating.

"Delicious!!!" Yuji Itadori's eyes went wide, and only one sentence came out of his mouth. "I've never had food this delicious before."

"Are you really being that dramatic?" Fushiguro Megumi shot Yuji Itadori a look. This guy was always making a fuss. Couldn't he even eat quietly?

Only then did Fushiguro Megumi pick up a bright red piece of braised pork and put it into his mouth.

"This..." Fushiguro Megumi's eyes widened at once, and he nearly blurted something out. But remembering what he had just said to Yuji Itadori, he stopped himself and could only silently chew the delicious food in his mouth.

Satoru Gojo, meanwhile, had long since started stuffing himself with meat and vegetables. His expression was one of pure enjoyment the entire time, yet he was surprisingly quiet.

Seeing their pleased expressions, Lin Ran finally relaxed and began eating too.

Ten minutes later.

"Burp~~~"

"Burp~"

"Burp!"

Three burps announced the end of dinner. Yuji Itadori rubbed his swollen belly and said, "It was so delicious that I accidentally ate too much."

"Ahem, it really was good. Thanks for the meal," Fushiguro Megumi said, somewhat more reserved as he thanked Lin Ran. After all, he would be eating Lin Ran's cooking again in the future. Once you'd eaten someone's food, it was hard to refuse them.

"So full, so full..." Satoru Gojo leaned back in his chair and looked at the empty plates on the table. "Everyone really made sure not to waste a thing."

Yuji Itadori and Fushiguro Megumi blushed a little at that. The three of them had actually eaten the most, while Lin Ran, the one who had cooked, had eaten the least.

"As long as everyone's full, that's what matters. You were all satisfied with the meal, right?" Lin Ran asked with a smile.

"Satisfied, satisfied." "Very satisfied." "It was great."

Seeing their responses, Lin Ran wore a satisfied expression as well. He had these three guys' stomachs firmly in his grasp now.

After the meal, Yuji Itadori and Fushiguro Megumi stayed behind to clean up the dishes, while Lin Ran went back to lie down and rest. It wasn't that he didn't want to clean up, but those two were simply too enthusiastic. They insisted on washing the dishes and wiping the table for him, and he couldn't stop them.

Jujutsu High was very quiet at night. Only the chirping of insects could be heard, and it let Lin Ran sleep soundly.

Early the next morning, seemingly just as the sun rose, Satoru Gojo came over to wake them up.

"You three go wait for someone at this location near Harajuku Station first. I won't be going with you. We'll just meet up at the end," Satoru Gojo said, glancing at the three guys who still looked half-asleep before waving with a smile.

After Satoru Gojo left, the three changed into Jujutsu High's dark uniforms and headed for Harajuku Station in Tokyo's Shibuya District.

"No way, we're walking there?" Yuji Itadori pouted as he looked at the countryside lined with trees on both sides. At this hour, there wasn't a single passerby in sight.

"Is Harajuku Station far from here?" Lin Ran looked at Fushiguro Megumi. He had obviously been there before.

"It's a little closer than when we picked you up last time. It's not far," Fushiguro Megumi said. He had no objection to walking; this was still a distance they had to cover.

The three continued toward Harajuku Station as they chatted. Most of the conversation along the way was between Yuji Itadori and Lin Ran, while Fushiguro Megumi only responded occasionally.

Gradually, they entered the city, where there were more people and the streets became livelier.

Lin Ran had never been to Japan in his previous life, so he could properly experience it in this one. And this experience was obviously different from his last life—there had been no cursed spirits or curses back then.

There were countless pedestrians coming and going on the streets. Fashionably dressed young men and women were everywhere, while buildings of all heights rose one after another. Lin Ran found it all dazzling.

"Life is wonderful," Lin Ran said with feeling. He swore that he would earn more money through his own abilities, buy a house of his own in Tokyo, and maybe even open a shop.

"Yeah, but we don't have much money in our pockets," Yuji Itadori said, pulling out his pocket to show that there was nothing inside.

Lin Ran smiled. "Tiger, follow me from now on. I'll take you out and make money."

"Tiger?" Yuji Itadori looked at Lin Ran curiously. That was certainly a special nickname. "You're younger than both of us. You want to take me out and make money—do you even have what it takes...?"

At the mention of having what it took, Yuji Itadori and Fushiguro Megumi suddenly exchanged a glance. This guy really did have what it took. Just based on his cooking alone, he could establish himself here. Some restaurant dishes didn't even taste as good as Lin Ran's cooking.

"Ahem, forget what I just said. You really do have what it takes," Yuji Itadori immediately changed his tune. "But we probably won't have time to make money for now. We're usually pretty busy, right, Fushiguro?"

"Yeah. In any case, it isn't easy," Fushiguro Megumi nodded. As Jujutsu Sorcerers, they had matters to deal with every day. The bigger the city, the more there was to handle.

That didn't mean they had something to do every single day, though. It was just that they got busier during certain times.

"There's an ice cream shop over there. Want some?" Yuji Itadori spotted an ice cream shop across the street, and it was packed with people.

"We came here to pick someone up, not to have fun." Fushiguro Megumi looked at Yuji Itadori with some sympathy. "Also, do you have any money?"

"Fushiguro, you're underestimating me too much." Yuji Itadori pulled some money from his pants pocket. It was more than enough to buy ice cream.

"You weren't broke?" Fushiguro Megumi froze for a moment. He had just seen that Yuji Itadori had no money in his jacket pocket—so how did he suddenly have some now? Was he doing magic?

"Yeah, there wasn't any money in my jacket pocket. There was money in my pants pocket." Yuji Itadori grinned, only to be met with a punch from Fushiguro Megumi.

"If you're treating, I'm eating." Lin Ran was straightforward about it. Why turn down free food?

"Of course I'm treating. You treated me to a huge meal yesterday, so this is just a little gesture." As Yuji Itadori spoke, he headed toward the shop called "Tangtang's Sweetness."

Fushiguro Megumi glanced at Lin Ran. Going by Yuji's logic, didn't that mean he also had to make a little gesture toward Lin Ran?

Sure enough, once you ate someone's food, you couldn't be too hard-hearted.

But he couldn't exactly refuse to eat, either. The taste was just too addictive.