We were currently in the kitchen making brownies together.
Well… "together" might be generous.
It was mostly Mai and me doing the actual work, while Gojo provided emotional support and questionable decisions.
The counter was covered in bowls, cracked eggshells, flour dust, and chocolate smears. The smell of cocoa was already filling the room, rich and sweet.
I glanced at Gojo, who was leaning against the counter like he owned the place, doing absolutely nothing useful.
"Gojo-sensei," I said flatly, "since you're so useless, why don't you mix this?"
I handed him the mixer and pointed at the bowl of wet ingredients.
He took it confidently.
And then immediately failed.
The batter somehow splashed in the wrong direction, half of it landing on the counter instead of inside the bowl.
Mai paused mid-stir and just stared at him.
I sighed.
"…Gojo-sensei," I muttered, "have you ever cooked in your life?"
"I don't," he replied casually, still holding the mixer as it had betrayed him.
I blinked.
"…How do you fail at mixing eggs?"
I gently took the mixer back before he caused structural damage to the kitchen.
Gojo leaned closer, watching me work with exaggerated interest. Even with the blindfold, I could feel his attention locked in.
"Gojo-sensei," I said again while whisking, "you're the head of the Gojo clan, right?"
He nodded proudly.
"So you must be rich."
"Oh yeah," he said immediately. "Very rich. Why? You poor or something, my poor student? Need pocket money?"
I really would love the free money. I am like Ryo after all, a money goblin. But no way I am asking it from him.
He was making some ridiculous hand gesture like he was about to throw imaginary bills at me.
That much wealth explains why this guy is like that.
Why would someone like him ever learn to cook when he can just summon chefs on command?
"…Yeah, that makes sense," I muttered.
Mai snorted quietly from the side. "You two are unbelievable."
We continued mixing and measuring. Mai actually knew what she was doing, which saved the entire operation from disaster more than once.
After a while, the batter finally looked decent.
We poured it into a tray and slid it into the oven.
A warm silence settled for a moment.
We had made a lot of brownie batter—enough to share with the others.
Or at least that was the plan.
Because the moment I turned my head—
Gojo was already eating raw batter straight from the bowl.
I stared at him.
"…You're eating it raw."
He nodded while chewing.
I looked around.
Mai had disappeared for a second to clean up some utensils.
And somehow, I found myself standing next to Gojo, also eating raw batter.
Don't ask how it happened.
It just did.
A few minutes passed like that.
Chocolate on our lips. Silence. Peace.
Then a small cough behind us.
"Ehem."
We both froze.
Slowly, we turned our heads.
Mai was standing there, arms crossed, staring at both of us.
We both had chocolate smeared around our mouths like criminals caught mid-crime.
"…Damn," I muttered. "We're caught."
Gojo nodded solemnly. "Caught in 4K."
Mai sighed deeply.
"You know it's dangerous to eat raw dough, right?"
"Nah," I replied immediately.
She blinked. "How?"
I shrugged. "We both can use the reverse cursed technique. Worst case scenario, we fix it."
Mai stared at us for a moment, then shook her head like she had given up on humanity.
"…You two are hopeless."
I silently held out a spoon toward her.
"You want some?"
She looked at it.
Then at us.
Then sighed again.
"…Just a little."
And just like that, Mai joined in.
A while later.
I was washing my hands at the sink, wiping off the last bits of chocolate from my fingers.
The kitchen was calmer now. The oven softly hummed in the background.
Gojo and I sat at the table, both staring at it like it was a battlefield we had just conquered.
"Yo, Gojo-sensei," I said.
"What is it?" he replied lazily.
"Wanna arm wrestle?"
He tilted his head.
"…Sure."
We locked hands.
And I lost. Immediately.
Again, again, and again...
Sixth time today.
I leaned back in my chair, defeated.
I even used cursed energy a little to cheat, but his raw strength was still stronger than me even when I cheated with cursed energy reinforcement.
Gojo grinned proudly. "I am the strongest after all."
I squinted at him.
"Can you play guitar?"
He paused.
"…No."
I pointed at him instantly.
"I win. You're soulless."
He clicked his tongue.
Then—
ping.
The oven timer went off.
We both froze.
At the exact same time, we stood up.
A silent understanding passed between us.
Race.
Gojo vanished.
I didn't even see him move properly—just a blur, and suddenly he was in front of the oven.
"Hey!" I shouted.
He opened it dramatically and pulled out the tray with his bare hands like heat didn't exist.
Then he looked at me while taking a bite straight from the tray.
Slow chewing. Smug grin.
Challenge accepted.
I walked over and took a bite from the same piece.
Gojo blinked.
"…You're not even reacting?"
"Why should I? You are Gojo, Satoru. An indirect kiss is alright." I thought, but dispelled the thought immediately the moment it formed in my mind
"It's brownie," I said. "What do you expect me to do, cry?" I replied a little flushed.
He looked mildly disappointed that his plan didn't work.
Still, he kept eating anyway.
So did I.
Eventually, we called the kitchen staff back in to handle the rest of the batch.
Honestly, I didn't have the energy to bake another tray of anything.
I stepped outside into the school grounds.
The air felt fresh after the kitchen heat.
That's when I saw them.
Under a tree.
Choso and Todo were locked in a silent staring contest.
Neither of them was blinking.
Yuji stood nearby, looking like a man watching two disasters unfold in real time.
He really looked done with life.
I walked over to Yuji.
"…What is going on?"
Yuji looked at me like I was his only escape route.
"I—Todo heard Choso call me brother," he said quickly. "Then they started arguing. Now it's a contest about who is the better brother."
I stared at them.
"…How long have they been doing this for?"
"Almost two hours," Yuji muttered.
I looked closer.
Both of them were reinforcing their eyes with cursed energy.
Choso had the advantage of blood manipulation, as he kept his eyes from drying out.
Todo, meanwhile, looked like he had seen the truth of the universe and regretted it.
I sighed.
"…Choso wins this; he is a biological brother as well," I said.
Instant silence.
Todo didn't want to speak or accept, but then he broke the stare.
"…Fine," he said dramatically. "I accept defeat."
He turned to Choso.
"You are a worthy opponent."
Choso nodded calmly. "You were strong."
Then, Todo suddenly snapped his fingers as he pointed at Choso.
"Tell me your type in women."
Choso paused.
I immediately closed my eyes.
Oh no. Not this...
Choso thought for a moment.
The figure of Yuki passed through his mind. Then he spoke.
"…Tall. Big… ass." He replied with.
There was a beat of silence.
Then Todo's entire soul left his body.
He fell to his knees as he had just witnessed enlightenment.
"I HAVE FOUND ANOTHER BESTO FRIENDO…" he shouted tearfully.
Yuji sighed. I just rubbed my forehead.
"…This is going to be a long recovery arc."
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End of chapter