Mission accomplished

And so, the days slipped quietly by, and before long, a full week had passed.

People rarely brought up the fire anymore. Not a single clue had been found at the scene, so many claimed it was the work of a demon.

Even Jujutsu Society had been alerted to the fire. They sent two Grade 2 Sorcerers, but neither found any cursed energy residue.

In the end, it could only be classified as a mysterious case. Until any clues emerged, the detailed records of the fire would remain sealed indefinitely.

Of course, since not a single clue had been found at the scene, those sealed records were little more than blank sheets of paper.

Sukuna merely smiled when he learned that the police had found no leads.

What a joke. Why would he ever leave clues for the police?

To prevent Jujutsu Society from getting involved, he had not left even a trace of cursed energy residue.

"It's time for the second phase of the plan."

Sukuna muttered to himself, then hurried toward the cafeteria.

No matter what he was going to do, filling his stomach always came first.

As usual, he ate a greasy breakfast and drank a large can of ice-cold cola.

Then he vanished from Jujutsu High again.

It was Friday, and the elementary school kids would be heading home for the weekend. He could stage another chance encounter.

After holding back for five days without seeing Megumi Fushiguro, Sukuna was starting to miss him.

He had no intention of giving up such an entertaining toy so easily. At the very least, he could have some fun before the boy's father showed up.

Once his father appeared, things would not be nearly as fun.

After all, his father's appearance would signal the start of the plot, and Satoru Gojo would receive an epic power boost.

Suguru Geto would also undergo a tremendous change. All of it was connected to the boy's father, Toji Fushiguro.

Sukuna's timing was excellent. After waiting just a few minutes, he spotted the two little brats.

Megumi Fushiguro noticed him immediately too, but deliberately turned his head away and pretended not to see him.

Tsumiki Fushiguro was almost right in front of him before she recognized Sukuna.

Her face lit up with delight. "Kind mister, we meet again!"

Of course we meet again. I came here specifically to wait for you. Naturally, he only said that in his head.

"Oh, it's you two. I was just coming over to look for a restaurant."

Hearing that Sukuna was having trouble finding somewhere to eat, Tsumiki Fushiguro quickly said, "Why don't you come eat at our house, mister? We still haven't properly thanked you for last time."

Sukuna deliberately put on a delighted expression. "Really? Oh, I couldn't possibly impose."

Despite his words, Sukuna had already walked over to them.

"Of course! My mom always told me growing up that I should repay people who help me."

Tsumiki Fushiguro looked utterly innocent, while Megumi Fushiguro stood beside her with his eyes wide. Clearly, Megumi did not want this stranger coming to his house.

Although he knew Tsumiki Fushiguro was a genuinely good person, Sukuna, the embodiment of evil, still thought she was far too kind.

People that kind never came to a good end.

Although Megumi Fushiguro was deeply reluctant to have Sukuna visit, he did not refuse. After all, Sukuna really had helped him.

"Follow me, mister. Our house is just up ahead."

Tsumiki Fushiguro led the way in front of Sukuna, even though he already knew where she lived.

To avoid giving himself away, however, he quietly followed behind her.

Megumi Fushiguro walked ahead too, staying very close to Tsumiki, mainly because he feared Sukuna might suddenly scoop her up and run off.

After all, traffickers were particularly brazen these days, and little girls like Tsumiki were exactly what they wanted.

Watching Megumi Fushiguro remain so vigilant at such a young age, Sukuna studied him.

There was only one question on Sukuna's mind: how on earth had Satoru Gojo managed to lure Megumi away?

Well, perhaps "lure him away" was not quite right, but Gojo was clearly even more suspicious than he was.

"We're here, mister. This is our house."

Tsumiki Fushiguro eagerly brought out Toji Fushiguro's slippers for him to change into.

Only then did Megumi Fushiguro, who had stayed on guard the entire way, relax a little.

"Take a break here, mister. I'll go cook us something."

After saying that, Tsumiki Fushiguro started toward the kitchen. Remembering her hellish cooking, Sukuna hurriedly caught her little hand.

"Oh, I couldn't let you do that. Since I'm here to freeload, why don't you let me cook this meal?"

"Ah... but-"

Before Tsumiki Fushiguro could finish, Sukuna pulled her over and pressed her down onto a chair.

No matter how bad Sukuna's cooking might be, he could at least whip up a few simple home-cooked dishes.

Seeing how insistent he was, Tsumiki Fushiguro said nothing more.

Her cooking was not very good anyway...

He opened the kitchen door and went inside. The first thing he saw was a small refrigerator.

He opened it, and just as expected, there was hardly any food inside: only a few eggs, a packet of kelp, and some ready-to-eat tofu from the supermarket.

Looking at the meager ingredients, Sukuna decided to buy a few things at the supermarket.

He had money now, after all. Although he had "borrowed" it from someone else, at least he did not have to pay it back.

"Little girl, could you tell me where the nearest supermarket is? I'm going to buy a few things."

Sukuna came out of the kitchen and asked Tsumiki Fushiguro directly.

Tsumiki Fushiguro looked conflicted. Her stepfather had not sent them any money this month, and they had already used up their living expenses.

The food left in the refrigerator had all been bought a long time ago...

When Tsumiki Fushiguro stayed silent, he immediately understood.

"It's all right. Just tell me where it is. Since I'm here to mooch a meal, it's only fair that I buy some ingredients."

Tsumiki Fushiguro was still a little girl, after all, and a few words were enough to win her over.

Megumi Fushiguro did not buy it, but he said little. He knew they really had no money left.

"All right, mister. I'll take you to the supermarket."

Hearing that, Megumi Fushiguro immediately sprang up from his chair.

"No!"

Tsumiki Fushiguro looked at him in confusion.

Seeing her clueless expression, Megumi Fushiguro's face darkened. How could he let her be alone with a stranger?

"I'll take him instead. You can tidy up the house first."

Megumi Fushiguro came up with a flimsy excuse.

"Okay, Megumi."

Tsumiki Fushiguro did not insist. She went straight to the kitchen to get the cleaning supplies.

The house was already spotless, but since Megumi had asked, she would clean it again.

After leaving the house, Megumi Fushiguro walked coolly ahead, his hands tucked into the little pockets of his pants.

He had a maturity that did not suit his age. At the very least, he looked much more mature than Satoru Gojo.

Neither of them spoke along the way. One was pretending to be aloof, while the other truly was.

They soon reached a supermarket, though it looked more like a convenience store.

Convenience stores in Japan generally sold everything. Apart from adult products, there was practically nothing they did not stock.

Pushing a small cart, Sukuna headed straight for the produce section. He intended to stock up properly, or at least indulge in a shopping spree.

Megumi Fushiguro no longer walked ahead of him, instead following quietly behind. After all, Sukuna would be paying.

Looking at the vegetables, Sukuna had only one word for them: expensive.

He picked up some tomatoes, a few cucumbers, some leafy greens, and mushrooms, then grabbed a large packet of ready-to-eat tofu skin.

Next, he went to the meat section and picked up a large slab of pork belly, along with ribs, chicken drumsticks, duck legs, and other cuts of meat.

He could hardly believe the meat was actually cheaper than the vegetables. He also picked up half a kilo of whale meat, which was among the cheapest meats available in Japan.

Last of all, he grabbed some chicken eggs, duck eggs, and goose eggs.

Of course, he did not forget the rice. He hoisted a twenty-five-kilo sack with one hand, leaving Megumi Fushiguro looking at him in admiration.

Naturally, that was only his own fantasy. The cool, aloof Megumi Fushiguro would never look at him that way.

Before long, they had picked up everything they needed. Sukuna even made a special trip to the household goods section for a pair of slippers. He was not used to wearing someone else's.

Sukuna nodded in satisfaction at the assortment of goods he had gathered.

When they reached the checkout, quite a few people were already waiting in line.

Naturally, there was no chance that our Sukuna would queue. He simply dumped everything in front of the cashier.

He also exposed his tattoo-covered body, frightening the cashier into ringing him up immediately.

All those purchases cost only a little over eighty thousand yen. He currently had nearly a million yen in cash.

That amount barely made a dent. To him, it was pocket change.

The walk back was even quieter.

It was the first time Megumi Fushiguro had seen someone carry so many things in one hand.

He probably did not know his father could do the same, and was actually much stronger.

Walking briskly ahead, Megumi Fushiguro opened the door to their house.

Sukuna followed him inside and put everything in the kitchen.

"Ah! Mister, why did you buy so much? You spent far too much!"

Tsumiki Fushiguro was utterly stunned. She had thought Sukuna would only buy a few things, never imagining he would return with enough food to feed them for half a year.

The two little brats really could make it last six months. The rice alone weighed a full twenty-five kilos.

"All right, all right. Time to show off my cooking skills."

Sukuna even pretended to be out of breath. Standing nearby, Megumi Fushiguro took it all in.

Seeing all that food, Tsumiki Fushiguro quietly swallowed. She had not eaten meat in days, and they were almost out of eggs too.

"Thank you, mister."

Tsumiki Fushiguro bowed deeply to Sukuna once again.

"No need to thank me. Like I said, I'm a really good person."

Sukuna smiled and waved a hand, then put some of the perishables in the refrigerator.

Then he prepared to show off his culinary skills.