That Kid Has Great Potential

"There's a lot of commotion upstairs." Fushiguro Megumi had already heard the noise from above. They were probably fighting the curse.

Satoru Gojo stood up and sighed. "It's over. Nobara Kugisaki didn't really get to show anything, but Lin Ran did."

"What do you mean?" Fushiguro Megumi asked in confusion.

Satoru Gojo looked up at the sky, a smile appearing on his face. "That kid has great potential."

Fushiguro Megumi glanced at Satoru Gojo and rose to his feet as well. Anyone Teacher Gojo praised had to be something special. It seemed Lin Ran wasn't just good at cooking—his strength had earned Teacher Gojo's recognition too.

He just hadn't seen it for himself.

Yuji Itadori and Nobara Kugisaki hadn't noticed either. Lin Ran's kick just now had been a Black Flash. They only felt that it was unusually powerful, without realizing its true nature.

Once the curse had been completely exorcised, the building returned to normal. From the outside, it no longer gave off that dense cursed aura or color.

All that remained was to take the child home, and the mission would be complete. Though today barely counted as a mission—they had just been dragged over by Teacher Gojo to do some temporary work.

Still, Lin Ran was quite satisfied. He had gained 40 Points. There were plenty of curses and cursed spirits around these days, but they were hard to find if one deliberately went looking, unless someone provided clues or they searched aimlessly.

As the sun set, the three of them sat on the outdoor stairs facing the sunset, while Satoru Gojo and Fushiguro Megumi went to take the child home.

"Do you know I get a bad temper when I'm hungry?" Nobara Kugisaki sat on the steps, propping her chin on one hand as she spoke in an apparently calm tone.

Yuji Itadori replied wearily, "Is there ever a time when you don't have a bad temper?"

"He's got a point." Lin Ran nodded.

"Lin Ran, have I been too nice to you?" Nobara Kugisaki's voice grew a little sharper, though she made no move to stand.

"Come on, you're just hungry. I'll cook you a bowl of noodles when we get back," Lin Ran said casually.

"Tch, who wants to eat noodles you cooked? I like eating out, at restaurants," Nobara Kugisaki said disdainfully.

Yuji Itadori, who was sitting nearby, immediately brightened. Looking at Lin Ran, he said, "If she won't eat it, I will. Cook for me instead—I'd be more than happy to eat it."

"Sure, sure. Yuji, you don't need to get so excited." Lin Ran motioned for Yuji Itadori to calm down. It was just a bowl of noodles.

Nobara Kugisaki looked at Yuji Itadori in surprise. "Hey, is that expression really necessary just to eat someone else's cooking?"

"You don't get it. Lin Ran's cooking is amazing. Once you've had it, you'll never forget it. If you're not eating, then don't get in the way." Yuji Itadori's mood improved considerably as he stretched lazily where he sat.

"???" Nobara Kugisaki's gaze shifted to Lin Ran. This guy's cooking was really that good?

"Good work, everyone!" Satoru Gojo returned with Fushiguro Megumi at that moment. "The child's home now. Let's go eat."

"Haha, then I don't need to cook noodles for you after all." Lin Ran nudged Yuji Itadori. "Eating out once in a while isn't bad either."

"Oh? Lin Ran was going to cook for us?" Satoru Gojo smiled. "Then we can save some money."

"No, I want sushi!!" It was Nobara Kugisaki's first time in Tokyo, so of course she had to eat sushi. Why would she eat something Lin Ran cooked?

"Nobara, don't underestimate Lin Ran's cooking. You're the only one here who hasn't tried it. It has a perfect zero bad reviews." Satoru Gojo smiled. "But you all worked hard today, so I'll treat you. What do you want to eat?"

Nobara Kugisaki hadn't expected even Teacher Gojo to praise Lin Ran's cooking so highly. She did want to try it, but they had been neighbors for nearly a month already. Why hadn't this guy brought any food over for her to taste?

Thinking about it made Nobara Kugisaki a little unhappy. But then she reconsidered. She had seemed rather indifferent toward Lin Ran before—if he had brought her food, would she even have eaten it?

"How about steak?!" Yuji Itadori licked his lips. Since he wasn't the one paying, steak tasted great and was a good deal.

"Sushi! I want sushi!" Nobara Kugisaki said, raising both hands.

"No problem!" Satoru Gojo gave a thumbs-up. "I'll satisfy you all. What about Megumi?"

Fushiguro Megumi was fiddling with his phone. Satoru Gojo walked over and took a look. The guy was still focused on it and seemed not to have heard anything they said.

"Then let's go." With that, Satoru Gojo led Lin Ran and the other two away.

"Huh?" Only then did Fushiguro Megumi react. What had they just said?

"I forgot about today's biggest haul. Go get my luggage for me." Nobara Kugisaki walked at the front, then turned around and pointed at Lin Ran.

Lin Ran was speechless. Why was she telling him to get it? If he hadn't been here, it definitely would have been Yuji Itadori's job.

"Yuji, go help her get it." Lin Ran looked at Yuji Itadori.

"Huh? Didn't she ask you to get it?" Yuji Itadori didn't really want to go.

"You brat, looks like you don't want to eat my cooking anymore." Lin Ran shook his head, putting on a helpless expression.

The moment Yuji Itadori heard that, he immediately smiled. "Come on, Lin Ran, what are you saying? I was just joking. I can handle something this small."

"That's more like it. It'll be good exercise for you too." Lin Ran laughed. It seemed Yuji Itadori was already set to become his little brother.

At this point, Nobara Kugisaki was beyond merely surprised. Lin Ran was actually using his cooking to make Yuji Itadori do things for him? And Yuji Itadori seemed perfectly willing to do it. They had only known each other for a short time, hadn't they? Yet he had managed to achieve this?

"Is Lin Ran's cooking really that good?" Nobara Kugisaki asked tentatively. She refused to believe it.

"It is!" "It is." "It is."

Satoru Gojo, Fushiguro Megumi, and Yuji Itadori answered in unison, practically without thinking.

Nobara Kugisaki's eyes widened. This time, she truly believed it—but she would have to wait until she tasted Lin Ran's cooking herself before reaching a conclusion.

"By the way, Fushiguro, you've been awfully quiet since earlier. Is something wrong?" Yuji Itadori noticed that something was off with Fushiguro Megumi and asked as they walked.

Fushiguro Megumi said nothing, but Satoru Gojo spoke with a smile. "He didn't get a chance to show off, so he's sulking."

"You big baby~" Nobara Kugisaki said with a punchable expression.

"HAHAHA!" Yuji Itadori and Lin Ran burst out laughing.

The five of them chatted and laughed all the way, and Fushiguro Megumi's mood improved quite a bit as well. Before long, they arrived at a steakhouse. Besides steak, the restaurant also served sushi.

Of course, compared to places that specialized in sushi, the sushi at this steakhouse was probably a little lacking in texture and flavor.

But Nobara Kugisaki did not care. It was not her money anyway, so what was there to complain about?