"We are back."
Shun led Megumi into the apartment.
Megumi kept throwing him strange looks.
On the way over, Shun had given a rough explanation of Tokisaki Kurumi's situation.
Even though Shun kept denying there was anything special between them, from those bits and pieces alone, Megumi could only draw one conclusion.
They were basically a couple.
"Shun, you are back."
Kurumi still had an apron on, having just finished setting the table.
From the way she moved, though, Shun could tell something was off. It felt like she was forcing herself.
"..."
He frowned slightly.
He could not have said why, but something about Kurumi right now did not sit right in his chest.
Megumi, of course, felt nothing strange at all.
When he saw her, his view of his senior shifted again.
So this was the level of a true upperclassman.
In just one day he had gotten this close to a girl like that.
Anyone seeing them would assume they were some kind of married high school couple.
Shun nodded. "Is dinner ready?"
Kurumi nodded, stepped up, and tugged him over to the table. With a little flourish of her hand she presented it.
"Well? Looks pretty good, right?"
Shun leaned in and sniffed. "The look and smell definitely make you want to eat."
Kurumi smiled proudly. "Hehe, thanks for the compliment."
Shun added, "I just do not know if it is a disguise, and it actually sends people straight to the ICU."
"Whack."
Still smiling, Kurumi drove her elbow into his stomach as hard as she could.
"Hss..."
The one who hissed was not Shun, but Kurumi.
She grabbed her elbow, eyes welling up as she stared at him. "Did you put a steel plate in there or something?!"
Shun looked smug. "This is the benefit of working out every day."
"That's too much!"
She smacked his arm in irritation.
"Uh..."
Watching them bicker like no one else existed, Megumi wondered if he should even be here.
Maybe he should have stayed at the plaza.
Once they had messed around enough, Kurumi finally noticed the extra person standing awkwardly by the door.
"Is he your junior, Shun?"
Shun nodded and gestured. "This is Fushiguro Megumi, first year at Tokyo Jujutsu High. He is here on an assignment."
The moment Shun introduced him, Megumi stepped forward and bowed slightly. "Nice to meet you."
"Nice to meet you, I am Tokisaki Kurumi."
Her demeanor shifted in an instant into that of a proper young lady.
Compared to the way she had been rough-housing with Shun, it was like two different people.
Once introductions were out of the way, Kurumi ushered them both to sit.
"Eat up."
"After we finish, Megumi and I need to head out," Shun said as he took the bowl she handed him. "Will you be alright here alone?"
"Absolutely."
Kurumi put on a face that clearly said: "you do not have to worry about me, just do your job."
Megumi took a bite of the food in silence.
It really was good.
But the more he watched the two across from him, the stranger he felt.
Something about this delicious meal suddenly tasted off.
Sigh...
Shun nodded and fell quiet again, his gaze drifting to Kurumi.
She blinked. "What is it?"
He shook his head. "Nothing."
But there was a suspicious glint in his eyes.
This girl was hiding something from him.
Had something happened to her?
He was paying a lot more attention to Kurumi these days, especially after his run-ins with the cursed spirit Kurumi.
Maybe to reassure him, Kurumi kept reaching over to pile food into his bowl.
"Try this, it is really good."
"Is it?"
He questioned it, but still ate it.
"Mm... it is pretty good."
"Hehe, I told you so."
Her mood was easy to read.
Just that one casual bit of praise lit her up like the sun.
She laced her fingers under her chin and watched Shun eat with a bright, satisfied smile.
This dinner is getting hard to swallow...
Megumi sighed inwardly.
Coming here with his senior had clearly been a mistake. The atmosphere of the table was getting awkward.
He really did come here to suffer.
In that atmosphere, the three of them eventually finished eating.
"Thank you for the meal," Megumi said sincerely.
"It was good. You did well. Do better next time," Shun commented.
Kurumi hummed happily. "Do not forget you are doing the dishes later."
"OK, OK."
Shun waved it off.
From the side, their interaction looked more and more like a married couple's.
Megumi only wanted to leave as fast as possible.
"Senpai, shall we go?"
Shun nodded.
The two of them stood and got ready to head for Sugisawa High.
Kurumi watched them, lips pressed together, then said softly, "Come back safe, alright?"
Shun waved over his shoulder, telling her without words not to worry.
When the two of them disappeared into the night, Kurumi sagged into her chair.
She pressed her palm over her left eye, expression complicated.
"What on earth was that just now?"
That power earlier, was it the curse who looked like her?
Or did she have it too?
Was she... actually a cursed spirit herself?