Will You Come Again Tomorrow? Depends on My Mom's Mood

Kana Shizumi casually glanced to the side.

Yuji Itadori seemed to have said something incredible in a very matter-of-fact tone.

And that was indeed the case.

There was no one at home... That statement was simply factual.

Itadori's parents had disappeared long ago.

His grandfather, Wasuke Itadori, should have already been hospitalized by this point. Considering the timeline of when he kicked the bucket at the start of the story, he probably only had a month or two left to live.

In other words,

Yuji Itadori had been, in the literal sense, an "orphan" from the very beginning of the story.

But unlike the protagonists of other stories, Yuji Itadori never went around talking about what he lacked.

The kid came across as sunny and cheerful, making it easy for people to overlook his shortcomings in that regard... Tch, he seemed a little pitiful when you thought about it.

In other works, a setup where the parents vanished and the child was raised by his grandfather was basically a prerequisite for becoming a villain.

Yet Itadori had been raised so "upright." All that could be said was that Grandpa Itadori really knew how to teach a kid... By comparison, Jail Mom, who had probably only looked after him as a baby for a while before disappearing, was truly messed up.

"Since you were home alone, you wandered around when you got bored, found this twenty-four-hour shop, and found something like a sense of belonging inside?"

It made sense logically, but the reality of it was rather moving, even stirring up something close to pity.

Damn Kenjaku, always doing disgusting things!

Perhaps sensing Kana Shizumi's gaze, Itadori turned halfway toward him and asked with a surprised look on his face.

"You're not playing?"

As soon as he said that, he seemed to remember something and let out an "Ah."

"Come to think of it... I completely forgot. You treated me to pachinko, but I don't even know your name."

He flashed a brilliant smile and said frankly,

"What's your name?"

"...Kana Shizumi."

He lowered his gaze and turned back to the machine, the corners of his lips lifting slightly as he said in an even tone,

"My name is Kana Shizumi."

"Oh! You look a little older than me, so can I call you Mr. Kana?!"

"That makes it sound like I'm more than just a little older..."

"Haha, you really know how to joke around, sir. Anyone willing to treat me is a big brother! Please let me call you sir!"

"Forget that... Why did this screen suddenly start flashing?"

"Let me see... Huh?! Three classic sevens, a jackpot?! Are you serious!!!"

"Wait, wait, wait, why is it suddenly spitting out pachinko balls? Huh? There are so many! They won't fit! And when did all these people gather behind us?!"

"If you hit the jackpot, this is just 'common sense'! Ignore them, this is our absolute time... Hurry, Mr. Kana!"

"Hurry with what? Is there something I need to do?"

"I'll collect the balls! We're in a high-win-rate state now! This is the perfect time to press our advantage! Switch to right play immediately and shoot into that metal opening—we'll make a fortune!"

"Say something I can understand!!!"

Their noisy pachinko outing ended three hours later.

When they left, both of them looked noticeably drained.

But that was normal... The shop was filled with dazzling lights and deafening noise. After staying inside for just ten minutes or so, anyone would go numb. Once they walked out, there was a good chance they would feel as though they had entered another world.

"Uh... Want to get something to drink, Mr. Kana?"

As if worried Kana might misunderstand, Itadori hurried to explain.

"Not alcohol! I'm not arrogant enough to do that... Anyway, this time I'll treat you."

With that, he turned and ran toward a convenience store. When he came back out, he had two cans of cola in his hands.

"Iced strawberry-flavored cola, a limited-time edition! I really like this stuff!"

Seeing the young man's radiant smile, Kana Shizumi accepted the drink and could not help recalling what happened in the original story.

During the Shibuya Incident, Itadori swallowed a huge number of fingers in a short time and lost control of his body. By the time Sukuna decided to crash the ritual and test Mahoraga's strength, he was holding popcorn and cola.

Considering that Sukuna normally observed Itadori's daily habits, he most likely knew his food preferences too.

As the Hannibal of the Heian Era, Sukuna personally tasted those two modern foods and gave an objective assessment.

What garbage!

Of course, given the situation at the time, Sukuna had most likely found those things amid the ruins.

So there was every reason to suspect that the "flat cola" and "cold popcorn" Sukuna got his hands on...

Unfair, unfair! Rematch, rematch!

Kana Shizumi slowly drew his wandering thoughts back in. Copying Itadori's movements, he pulled open the tab, raised his right hand, and clinked cans with him.

"I had quite a lot of fun today, Itadori."

The latter nodded readily, looking as though he was still savoring the experience.

"I've played for so long, but that was my first time seeing 777. Ah, now that you mention it, we should've bet big right then. If we had, we could've made a killing in one go... Huh?! We could've won that much?!!!"

Kana Shizumi took a moment to glance at the time. After making a rough estimate, he looked at Yuji Itadori beside him.

"Sorry, but I'll call it a day here."

As long as he could get back to Tokyo before noon, even if Kenjaku wanted to pick a fight, he would not say anything too excessive.

Itadori froze for a moment before letting out a slightly awkward "Oh."

He raised a hand and scratched his head, shifted half a step aside, and muttered another "Oh," as though talking to himself.

His voice was even quieter.

"I guess so... It's already this late. I should probably head home."

It was like meeting the one and only best friend of your life in a bouncy castle. Together, you explored the unknown and defeated all the other groups of kids.

—Will you come again tomorrow?

—Depends on my mom's mood...

Yuji Itadori found it difficult to hide his expression at that moment.

Seeing the disappointed look on the kid's face, Kana Shizumi smiled.

"It's not like we'll never see each other again... Here, take out your phone. Want to exchange LINE?"

"Huh?! Really? Thanks!"

Having gotten Kana's phone number and contact information, Itadori beamed.

"Can I ask Mr. Kana to come play pachinko with me again next time?!"

He could.

But...

"Keep your voice down. Don't get so cocky... What if we run into the police later?"

Itadori walked Kana Shizumi to the station. At this hour, there were no more trains, so Kana could only travel by taxi.

"See you next time, Itadori."

"Yeah! Take care, Mr. Kana!"

Watching the car gradually disappear into the distance, Yuji Itadori clutched his phone, a rare happy smile appearing on his face.

He never lied, so...

He really had had a lot of fun today.