Early the next morning, Utaha was awakened from her sleep by a tantalizing aroma of food.
It wasn't the noisy clamor of an alarm clock, nor the usual dizziness after staying up all night to meet a deadline. Instead, it was a warm, rich scent, wafting into her nose, gently prying open her heavy eyelids.
She sat up dizzily and rubbed her eyes, her gaze still clouded with sleep.
This scent... was coming from the kitchen?
She had been so exhausted last night that she'd passed out immediately. She hadn't even had a sip of water, let alone thought about making breakfast.
Could it be...
A ridiculous thought flashed through her mind, instantly making her more alert.
Slipping on her nightgown, she cautiously pushed open the bedroom door and peeked toward the kitchen.
The scene before her left her frozen in place, her sleepiness completely vanished.
In her modest but well-organized kitchen, a surreal scene was unfolding. The flames on the stove burned at just the right intensity, and bacon sizzled pleasantly in the frying pan, its edges curling into an inviting golden brown. Beside it, miso soup bubbled softly in a pot, releasing the unique savory aroma of fermented soybean paste.
However, the most jaw-dropping thing was that there was no "person" operating in the kitchen.
There was no figure holding a spatula, no busy footsteps. Instead, several faint, translucent hands made of shadows and weak Cursed Energy—invisible hands—were busily working in an orderly fashion.
As Sukuna's vessel, Utaha could also see the Miasma of Captivating Foulness that theoretically only Sukuna should be able to see.
One "hand" nimbly tossed the frying pan to ensure the bacon cooked evenly.
Another "hand" stirred raw eggs in a bowl with chopsticks.
Another "hand" controlled the heat of the miso soup.
There was even a hand using a kitchen knife to slice fresh green onions into perfectly uniform bits, its precision almost frightening.
These invisible hands moved smoothly and in coordination, as if an experienced chef were managing multiple tasks simultaneously with high efficiency and a strange sense of rhythm.
The entire kitchen was filled with a mouth-watering aroma, yet it remained silent except for the sounds of ingredients hitting the cookware.
"Awake?"
Sukuna's lazy voice rang out in Utaha's mind, carrying a hint of morning hoarseness and... some indescribable sense of satisfaction?
"Go wash up, then come eat. I am hungry."
Only then did Utaha realize that these invisible hands were Sukuna's ability.
She froze, watching the invisible hand stirring the eggs. It was hard not to associate it with yesterday in the domain, when Sukuna had sliced the Ghost Devil into pieces. An extremely absurd feeling welled up within her.
"What are you standing there for?" Sukuna's voice carried a trace of impatience.
"Or would you prefer to go to school on an empty stomach?"
Utaha gulped, forcing herself to accept this bizarre reality. She silently walked to the bathroom to wash up, the cold water on her face finally making things feel real.
When she returned to the dining room, Utaha found the table set for two, even though Sukuna didn't need physical utensils.
There was a bowl of steaming, clear miso soup, a plate of perfectly fried bacon and sunny-side-up eggs, a small bowl of white rice, and even a small dish of pickled plums.
The invisible hands had disappeared, as if they had never been there.
Utaha hesitated for a moment but sat down anyway. The aroma of the food had piqued her appetite, and after yesterday's ordeal, she was hungry.
She picked up her chopsticks and put a piece of bacon in her mouth. It was crispy, perfectly seasoned, and the cooking time was flawless.
"How is it?" Sukuna's voice rang out again, this time with a faint... anticipation?
"It's delicious." Utaha answered honestly.
The taste far exceeded her own culinary skills, it was even better than what many restaurants served.
Although it wasn't a major plot point, Sukuna was actually quite the foodie.
His Cursed Technique, whether it was the slashing or the flames, was closely related to cooking.
Even Uraume, who had always stayed by his side, was only there because of his freezing technique, which could perfectly preserve ingredients, and because he himself could prepare decent meals.
Utaha remembered the bizarre legends she had read, which included terrifying accounts of Ryomen Sukuna's penchant for eating humans, especially raw brains.
Her hand tightened slightly around her fork, and she couldn't help but probe with her thoughts. "Sukuna-san, the legends say you like to eat people, especially... eating monkey brains alive. Is that true?"
The sinister eye on her face turned toward Utaha, its pupil gleaming with an inscrutable mix of playfulness and mischief.
Sukuna didn't answer yes or no directly. Instead, he asked back in a tone of lazy cruelty, "Why? Worried that I will get hungry one day and have your little body as a snack?"
Utaha's heart skipped a beat.
Sukuna watched her body instantly tense and her face pale slightly, appearing very satisfied with the effect.
He let out a low chuckle, controlled an invisible hand to pick up a piece of fruit and put it in his mouth, and then spoke slowly in his typical, infuriating Sukuna-esque tone.
"Monkey brain soup... I've had it before. A thousand years ago in the deep mountains, I'd catch those screeching macaques, crack open their skulls while they were still warm, and stew them with some mountain delicacies until they were boiling hot. Tender and smooth—it truly was a rare delicacy."
He seemed to be reminiscing, his tone as flat as if he were critiquing today's toast.
Then, his tone shifted as that eye stared intently at Utaha, and his lips curled into a malicious arc. "As for eating humans? Heh... what do you think?"
He paused deliberately, savoring Utaha's tension as she nearly stopped breathing, before continuing leisurely, "However, back then, there were many self-proclaimed righteous Jujutsu Sorcerers who would charge at me with talismans, shouting for my head. What they yelled wasn't just about 'eating monkey brains,' but that I ate raw human flesh and drank human blood, calling me a man-eating demon that brought chaos to the world."
"Did you explain?" Utaha asked subconsciously.
"Explain?" Sukuna acted as if he'd heard the funniest joke in the world, making Utaha's face break into an extremely exaggerated, mocking expression.
"Why on earth would I explain anything to those idiots who were about to become corpses?"
His voice suddenly became dark and oppressive, mimicking his tone from back then. "That's right, I ate them. So what? The taste wasn't bad, especially those with vigorous energy. I imagine you'd be particularly chewy. Got an opinion?"
A cold chill instantly swept through Utaha's entire body. She could almost see the four-armed Demon King standing amidst a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood a thousand years ago, facing accusations and using the most arrogant and terrifying words to confirm everything, relishing in the fear and despair of others.
***
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