"Oh, that good friend of mine sent me a message!"
Itadori enthusiastically told the two members of the Yoshinoya household about Kana Shizumi, and his endless chatter brought wistful smiles to both their faces.
"You two must be pretty close. It's wonderful to have a friend like that-so, Itadori, could I ask you a favor?"
"Hm? Oh-please, go ahead."
"Could you treat my Junpei the same way you treat that friend?"
"Mom?!"
"He might not talk much, but he actually has quite a mischievous side~ He's just used to keeping it bottled up, so I'm sorry for the trouble, but please look after him, Itadori."
"Stop talking-"
Yuji Itadori grinned at his friend's embarrassed expression.
Perhaps this was the first time he had smiled so freely since his grandfather's death.
If he had to put a name to what he felt and experienced at that moment, it was probably a sense of connection, like being part of a family.
Something he had already lost, and might never find again.
"Junpei, you-you've got it pretty good."
"Yeah. Want me to share half with you?"
"Just appreciate what you have, you idiot!"
"Haha-I was only saying."
"Yeah, I originally thought it was just talk, too."
At almost the same time.
Narita Airport, Tokyo.
A woman with an intensely confident presence was dragging a suitcase through the arrivals corridor.
Her outfit might have seemed rather tacky-high-waisted jeans and a black sleeveless top-but paired with her striking presence, it took on an extraordinary charm.
People's eyes were drawn to her involuntarily, all moving in unison like bees returning to their hive.
But she seemed accustomed to being treated this way. Paying no attention to any of it, she merely tilted her head slightly to the left, bringing it against her shoulder to hold her