Nagi Yoshino

Itadori's solemn, serious expression returned to his usual cheerful smile a moment later.

He turned to Junpei and asked, "Anything fun happen at school? In gym class or something?"

"I'm not very good at gym. I'm slow, and I'm even worse at ball sports."

"Then I can teach you to run. Not to brag, but I'm pretty fast." Itadori pointed his thumb at himself. "Fifty meters in three seconds."

"Three seconds?" Junpei looked him up and down in surprise. "Are you an athlete? Or Superman?"

"Not really. I've just done a lot of running since I was little."

Junpei was about to say something when a woman's voice came from behind them.

"Junpei?"

All three turned around. A woman with her hair pinned up stood on the riverbank, holding a convenience store bag.

She wore a pale blue shirt, and her eyes and brows resembled Junpei's. She had a gentle air about her.

Nagi Yoshino, Junpei Yoshino's mother.

She looked at Junpei, then at the silver-haired girl and pink-haired boy sitting beside him.

"Your friends?" Nagi Yoshino asked, sounding surprised.

Junpei stood up, a little flustered. "Mom... they're..."

"I'm Yuji Itadori." Itadori stood and bowed. "This is my older sister, Mashiro. We're Junpei's friends."

Friends? Junpei looked at Itadori in surprise.

But after glancing at his mother, he nodded without denying it.

Kujo Mashiro stood and nodded to Nagi Yoshino. "Sorry for imposing."

Nagi Yoshino walked down the steps, her gaze lingering on the two visitors for a few seconds.

One had a smile too bright to seem ill-intentioned. The other had a calm expression, but a steadiness in her eyes that seemed beyond her years.

The older sister is actually a little shorter. How cute.

She smiled faintly, then looked at her son again.

Junpei stood beside Itadori. Though he still slouched a little, his expression was more relaxed than usual.

"You haven't had dinner yet, have you?" Nagi Yoshino lifted the convenience store bag and gave it a shake. "I bought too much. Junpei, invite your friends home for dinner."

"That's all right, ma'am, we-"

"Stay. Junpei hasn't brought friends home in ages," Nagi Yoshino said with a smile. "Though you only just met, um, how did you meet?"

Mashiro answered before Itadori could speak. "Outside the movie theater. He recommended Seven Samurai to us."

Nagi Yoshino's eyes lit up. "The Akira Kurosawa film? He's Junpei's favorite director."

She patted Junpei's shoulder, a hint of pride in her voice. "He has great taste in movies. He just doesn't like going out. Invite him out more often."

"Mom." Junpei's ears reddened a little.

"All right, all right, I'll stop." Nagi Yoshino turned toward home with a smile. "Come on. The curry will be ready in no time."

The Yoshinos' apartment was small but very tidy.

Three pairs of slippers sat in the entryway, and a film magazine lay open halfway through on the living room coffee table.

Several rented DVDs were stacked beside the TV stand. Most of the covers were for foreign films.

Nagi Yoshino heated the curry in the kitchen, and the clatter of utensils drifted into the living room along with its aroma.

Junpei gathered up the magazines on the coffee table and poured water for Itadori and Mashiro.

"Your place is pretty cozy." Itadori sat cross-legged on the floor and accepted his glass.

"...Thanks."

"Can I have a look at that film magazine?" Mashiro pointed to the magazine on the coffee table that he hadn't yet put away.

Junpei handed it to her.

Mashiro opened it. Inside was a long article about bizarre films, with several corners folded along the edges of its pages.

She turned to one page and paused. "How many times have you read this?"

"...Four or five, I guess." Junpei sat down and scratched his cheek. "How did you know?"

"The creases in the corners are different."

Junpei nodded. "I'll be more careful next time."

Dinner was curry rice with miso soup and fried chicken. Nagi Yoshino said her usual cooking was too lightly seasoned and she worried her guests wouldn't like it, so she'd made extra fried chicken.

Itadori loudly declared it delicious after his first bite, and Nagi Yoshino smiled and served him another bowl of rice.

Mashiro sat beside Itadori, quietly eating her portion.

Nagi Yoshino glanced at her and placed two more pieces of fried chicken on her plate.

Mashiro thanked her and accepted them.

"Where are you from, Itadori?"

"Sendai." Itadori swallowed his mouthful of rice. "I moved to Tokyo last month and transferred to a school here."

"What about you, Mashiro?"

"I came to Tokyo with him," Mashiro said.

She didn't explain why she and Itadori had different surnames, and Nagi Yoshino didn't ask.

"Where are you living now? Around here?"

"Yes, not far from here." Mashiro brought a spoonful of curry to her mouth.

Nagi Yoshino nodded, then turned to Junpei, who was tucked into a corner of the sofa eating curry.

"Junpei hasn't really liked socializing since elementary school. He changed classes a few times in middle school, but never made any friends. High school's been the same." She didn't sound like she was complaining, only a little wistful.

"So I was really happy to see him sitting by the river with you two on my way home today."

Junpei buried his face in his rice and muttered, "Mom, why are you telling them all this..."

"All right, I'll stop." Nagi Yoshino's eyes curved into a smile. "Anyway, come over often. I'll make pork cutlets next time."

"We definitely will!" Itadori was already helping himself to a third bowl.

After dinner, Itadori eagerly offered to help wash the dishes, but Nagi Yoshino pushed him out of the kitchen.

Junpei took three cups of pudding from the fridge, one for each of them.

As he ate, Itadori said, "This pudding's pretty good. Better than the one I bought at the Jujutsu High convenience store last time."

Junpei glanced at him. "Jujutsu High? What school is that?"

Itadori froze for a moment and looked at Mashiro, unsure whether he could say.

Mashiro looked Junpei in the eyes. "Jujutsu Technical High School. It's connected to Jujutsu."

Junpei stiffened slightly and said nothing.

Mashiro had no intention of saying more either. She finished her pudding and stood up. "Yuji, time to go."

"Leaving already?" Nagi Yoshino poked her head out of the kitchen.

"Yes. We won't keep you any longer."

Nagi Yoshino saw them to the door and pressed two packets of instant curry into Mashiro's hands. "Just heat them up when you get home. They're better than convenience store boxed meals."

Mashiro looked down at the packets and slipped them into her pocket. "Thank you."

At the door, Itadori waved to Junpei. "Junpei, let's go see that motorcycle movie sometime! I'll watch the one you recommended too, and then we can compare notes!"

Junpei stood in the entryway and nodded.

The wind outside drowned out most of his reply, but his faint smile was clear beneath the porch light.

The door closed. The living room fell quiet again.

Nagi Yoshino began clearing the dishes, and the sound of running water came from the kitchen.

Junpei remained in the entryway, looking down at the three pairs of slippers they'd just taken off.

Itadori's pair and Mashiro's pair sat together with his.

His mother poked her head out of the kitchen, glanced at him, and smiled before ducking back inside without a word.