Chapter 44: The Family That Nobody Ever Had
"There's a lot of movement upstairs!" Nanami had heard the noise in the building and knew that they had probably already engaged in combat against the cursed spirits.
Gojo stood up, sighed, and said, "It's over. Everyone did a great job; Hisagi never ceases to surprise me."
"What do you mean?" Nanami asked, not understanding.
Gojo looked up at the sky and smiled, saying, "That boy is incredibly strong; his potential is vast."
Nanami looked at Gojo and stood up. It wasn't easy to receive praise from the current Sensei Gojo. It seemed that Hisagi was not only skilled but also recognized by the most powerful sorcerer of the time.
However, he had not seen for himself just how far Hisagi's strength could reach at this point.
Yuta and Panda also hadn't witnessed the powerful blow Hisagi had used at that moment; they didn't see him eliminate that cursed spirit with a single finger, but they felt his energy.
After the last cursed spirit was eliminated, the building returned to its normal appearance. From the outside, there was no longer a strong aura of cursed energy.
"Has anyone seen a magical cat?" asked a voice coming from below the stairs where they had climbed.
"A kid?" Maki asked, slightly surprised.
The next step was to return the child home, even if the task had already been completed. Today, it couldn't really be considered a mission, but as it was their duty, they put Yuta to work.
However, Hisagi was very satisfied with these achievements—not for the soul points, but because his spell had been a success. Additionally, he had joined this Jujutsu school to make finding strong cursed spirits much easier. Though there were far more cursed spirits than before, finding them was an exorbitant task.
As the sun set, Hisagi sat with the others on the stairs facing the setting sun, while Yuta and Toge, who had volunteered at the last minute, escorted the child back to his parents.
"You know I get violent when I'm hungry?" Maki said bluntly, sitting on the stairs, resting her chin in one hand.
Panda said weakly, "Is there ever a time when you're not violent?"
"That question was on point, but I still like her." Hisagi nodded as a black figure curled up on his legs. This was the magical cat that supposedly belonged to the child, but it turned out to be a stray and was given to him to take care of.
"Hisagi! Am I being too nice to you?" Maki's voice rose slightly, but she showed no intention of getting up.
"Oh, I'm hungry too. If you want, I can make some instant soup for everyone when we get back." Hisagi said casually as the cat, which he had decided to name Snowflake, nibbled on his fingers.
"Don't even say it! Who would want to eat that chemical-filled stuff? I like eating out at restaurants!" Maki scoffed at Hisagi's food, though she would certainly try it if it were something else.
Panda, who was sitting nearby, looked at Hisagi with bright eyes. "Since you have hundreds of those soups, you can cook for us. I'm happy to eat that!"
"Yes, my food is everyone's food, but you'll have to take care of feeding my cat, Snowflake." Hisagi looked at his cat and smiled affectionately.
Maki blushed slightly at Hisagi's unusual smile and, in a reproachful tone, said to Panda, "Hey, don't you think it's odd to name a black-furred cat Snowflake?"
"Well, it's not a bad name. I recommended calling it Night Fury, but Hisagi refused. Besides, eating instant noodles is normal for students our age." Panda was carefree about life.
"Now that you mention it, Night Fury is a terrible name." Maki didn't know what to think anymore.
"Let's go!" Yuta returned with Toge at that moment, saying, "The child has been taken home; let's go eat now."
"Ha ha ha, if that's the case, I don't need to cook from my stash of instant soups for anyone." Hisagi leaned over to Panda and whispered, "Once in a while, it's good to eat out. The one with the most money has to pay the bill."
"Instant soup." Toge had suggested that restaurant because they served the exact food that his favorite character in comics frequently ate.
But he obviously didn't tell anyone that.
He feared that if he told his friends, they wouldn't stop teasing him until they got back to school.
"Well, I could also make extra-spicy chicken wings if you want." Hisagi wanted to spend some time alone for research purposes.
Panda thought it over and said, "Well, those spicy wings Hisagi made last night were really good. You're the only one who didn't eat that night. Besides, eating at home as a group can significantly increase our bond."
Maki hadn't expected that even Panda, who usually didn't eat, would praise the food Hisagi had supposedly prepared the night before, but she was certainly curious.
However, she felt a bit annoyed thinking about it. After all, she always felt strange whenever she watched Hisagi in deep concentration.
"Then let's go." Hisagi, a bit impatient, took all four of them to the restaurant directly.
…
"Don't forget to help me with the bags of groceries we bought. Everyone wants to eat snacks, but no one spends their own money buying them each time we return to the city." Hisagi realized that his food stash had been raided.
"Come on, Yuta, you go help with that." Hisagi looked at Yuta with different eyes; now there was no watchfulness but indifference.
At the end of the day, if Yuta doesn't control that cursed spirit, it would be taken care of regardless.
The five of them spoke with much more ease; now their friendship could be considered much closer. After that, they strolled through Tokyo's most famous areas.
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone