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A bunch of starving people were lying in the living room, and students were slumped on the sofas and chairs like noodles, too lazy to even move a finger. In stark contrast, Gojo Satoru, the teacher, was being ordered around.
The one who gave the order was Hipper who was preparing dinner in the kitchen.
I had to set up the barbecue grill and prepare the hot pot. As soon as I set out the dishes, I was asked to prepare the dipping sauce.
"You're angry, Hipper."
Before he could finish his words, a garlic clove flew towards him with great precision.
"Hurry up and don't be lazy, Gojo-sensei."
Even when cooking, she could still multitask and free up her hands to take care of him. They were very restrained with each other.
"Yeah, don't put weird things in my hot pot." Gojo Satoru threw the garlic clove back into the kitchen, aiming it at Geto Suguru's head. The man, unable to free his hands, was hit on the back of the head and was emitting black energy, but he didn't attack. He just covered his head, frowned, and stopped what he was doing.
Noticing the kitchen helper's movements, Hipper put down her knife and came over to ask, and Xia Yujie lowered his head to let her examine. As soon as her fingers touched her scalp, she let out a soft cry of pain, and her voice was gentle and aggrieved.
"It's okay, it doesn't hurt much, it won't affect me."
Gojo Satoru: ...She actually lost to a green tea girl. Hateful, despicable tactics. Could she not see such obvious attempts to sow discord?
Hipper's gaze swept over, and his calm eyes made people's backs tense instantly.
"Go and have some rest, Jay." The voice was so soft that it was hard to tell whether he was angry or not.
"It's really okay." Xia Yujie subconsciously touched the place where he felt a dull pain, "It's just a little..."
Before he finished speaking, Hipper turned his eyes back to look at him, and Geto Suguru immediately knew what was best for him and obediently left the kitchen.
Do you really think she can't see through Geto Suguru's little self-torture trick?
He slammed the kitchen knife down on the chopping board. One or two of them, always looking to disrupt the cooking process—the blade flashed coldly, snapping the carrot in two. Were these two three-year-olds?
Outside the kitchen, Geto Suguru and Gojo Satoru looked at each other, and fell silent as they listened to the sound of the kitchen knife hitting the chopping board.
"Come on, teacher..." The students cheered weakly, staring at the kitchen eagerly, like a group of baby birds waiting to be fed.
Angry Hipper, disruptive friends, hungry students...
"well."
Things started to get complicated once we met Gojo Satoru.
“Knock, knock—”
The regular knocks on the door broke the silence in the room. Yuji Itadori jumped up from the ground with a somersault, his movements so smooth that it seemed as if he was not the one who had just collapsed like a paper.
"It must be Miss Ieiri! I'll go open it!"
He rushed to the entrance in two steps. He looked so energetic that it was hard to tell that he was lying on the floor, unwilling to move, just a few minutes ago.
"welcome--!"
With the sound of a door hinge turning, a smile as bright as the summer sun suddenly burst into view. A light bead of sweat still stained the boy's forehead, but it didn't diminish the infectiousness of his smile. Ieiri Naoko subconsciously narrowed her eyes, as if truly dazzled by that overly bright smile.
It's already the end of October, but seeing this smile at this moment seems like we're back in midsummer.
Young people, so enthusiastic.
The boy's gaze naturally slid down, settling on the bulging shopping bag in her arms. Through the open bag's opening, he could glimpse the sharp outlines of several bottles, the glass gleaming in the light, the whiskey swaying slightly within.
Miss Jiarui, are you...bringing your own drinks?
His eyes flickered between the bag and her face. Knowing these people, he knew that only Miss Jiaru would touch these alcoholic beverages tonight.
Yuji Itadori stepped aside to make way, scratching his head sheepishly: "I'm sorry, Miss Ieiri, I'm usually alone here, so I don't have that many slippers prepared." He glanced at the entrance and explained: "Occasionally, Nobara and Fushiguro come to eat, and they always bring their own slippers. Today is the first time so many people have suddenly come."
"Yeah, it's okay, I guessed it."
Jialiu Xiaozi squatted down and pulled a pair of unopened disposable slippers from the shopping bag. The crisp sound of the plastic wrapping being torn open was particularly clear in the entrance hall - it was obvious that she had already made sufficient preparations for any possible unexpected situations.
"After all..." Her fingers paused as she tied her shoelaces, her eyes scanning the bustling living room. "This is my first time attending such a large gathering." Since she entered the technical college ten years ago, each class had only a handful of students. Now, to her surprise, two classes of teachers and students were together—all alive, able to eat, and able to play. This scene was truly a novelty in her decade-plus career at the technical college.
As soon as I stepped into the living room, I was blocked by students lying all over the place - people were lying on the floor, chairs and sofas, and there was not even a place to stand.
"Ms. Glass! Come here, come here!" Wild Rose pushed Panda off the sofa without any hesitation, making a small space and waved at her vigorously.
He stuffed the whiskey into the refrigerator and turned around, glancing across the dining table—his two classmates were huddled together, whispering something. The corners of Jia Ru's lips curled up unconsciously, a flicker of nostalgia in his eyes.
Jie and Wu.
I sat on the sofa, quietly gazing at the two figures, my fingertips unconsciously caressing the edge of my sleeve. How many years had it been? This was the first time I'd seen them sitting side by side like this since Jay left. The scene in my memory overlapped with reality, and a long-lost sourness suddenly welled up in my chest.
But... Jie is no longer the same Jie, and neither is Wu.
"Glass~The salted edamame is ready. Do you want to add anything else?" Hipper poked his head out from the kitchen, his hair still messy.
"No need, edamame is just fine. Don't we have barbecue prepared? It's already sumptuous enough." Glass shook her head slightly. She had to prepare dinner for so many people, and Jay was kicked out of the kitchen. If she continued preparing, she didn't know when she would be able to eat.
"Well, okay." Hipper smiled and turned back to the kitchen humming a tune.
She seemed to particularly enjoy cooking, and was in a better mood when she was alone than when she had help. At this moment, her cheerful singing voice could be heard from the kitchen.
"Hey, Geto-senpai—" Itadori Yuji sat backwards on the chair, his arms folded on the backrest, his chin resting on them, his eyes sparkling with curiosity, "Is Hipper always like this when she's with you guys?"
Like this? Which way?
The eyes of the others also quietly gathered over, with a hint of inquiry, as if silently urging him to continue.
"Cooking?" Xia Yujie tapped the tabletop with his fingertips, recalling Hipper's usual appearance. A smile unconsciously curled up at the corner of his lips. He pondered for a moment before slowly speaking, "She's really in a good mood when she cooks... At times like this, even if you make some willful requests, she'll probably agree."
Before he could finish his words, Gojo Satoru turned towards the kitchen and shouted, "Hippo—I want strawberry ice cream!"
The humming in the kitchen suddenly stopped, and the door was flung open. The girl leaned out halfway, clutching a soup spoon, and stared at him sinisterly, "Go buy it yourself, and don't make trouble."
The person who was rejected outright immediately turned to look at Geto Suguru. Even with a blindfold, one could imagine that his eyes must be filled with accusations of "Are you kidding me?"
The narrow-eyed black fox glanced back calmly, a sly smile curling the corners of his lips. "Oh, I forgot to mention—Hippo's tolerance for orders excludes Gojo Satoru." He deliberately dragged out the last word, adding, "After all, nine out of ten requests someone makes are ridiculously excessive."
What I mean is, whatever you think is what you say, it's normal to be rejected.
Gojo Satoru: ...oo!
"against!"
He was particularly unhappy with the protests.
"Then go protest to Hipper. If you succeed, you'll get ice cream." Geto was already well versed in fanning the flames. Every time he said this lightly, Satoru was like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, immediately going to Hipper to demand an explanation.
The results were predictable—either a spatula hitting his head or flour slapping his face, leaving him feeling defeated and dejected. After so many times, Geto didn't even bother to raise his eyelids, treating it like a regular performance.
"Hippo——"
There are some children in this world whose troubles always have only two outcomes - either they get a severe beating, or they get what they want.
The noise in the kitchen suddenly disappeared, and the next second, Hipper appeared in the living room, holding two boxes of ice cream dripping with water.
The expression on his face was almost reaching his limit.
Gojo Satoru instantly became quiet, shamelessly spreading out his palms, waiting for her to give him the ice cream.
It looks so familiar. Geto's gaze fixed on the ice cream packaging—it was the limited edition that Satoru always stocked up on.
There's no way Hipper would go out and buy it for him now, unless...
He glanced at the refrigerator and raised an eyebrow as if he suddenly realized something.
Now this is going to be interesting.
If Wu found out that two ice creams were missing from the refrigerator, he would probably call me directly.
After all, Hipper never eats this. Ice cream is specially for Satoru. If he were to be found out using this to appease his other self, he would be furious.
The phone suddenly rang. Hipper glanced at the caller ID, sneered, and didn't answer immediately. "If you make trouble again, tonight's hot pot soup base will be changed to extra spicy."
"Wow, what a terrifying threat~" The man said this, but he had already swiftly torn open the ice cream wrapper, with cream on the corners of his mouth and a heartless smile.
Now we should focus more on the incoming calls, right?
His eyes flickered between the phone and the two men. The timing was too coincidental. Could it really be that guy Wu calling? Was he there when Hipper returned just now?
"Where's my ice cream?! The limited edition one that's super hard to buy!" As soon as the call was connected, a heart-wrenching accusation burst out from the receiver, like a miser who had lost billions of dollars.
"Don't tell me you ate it! You never eat it, and you took two! Boxes! I saved them for today!"
Even without the speakerphone on, the voice on the other end of the line still pierced the entire living room. Hipper rubbed his temples and lowered his voice, like coaxing a livid feline. "Sorry, I took it to comfort the kids. I'll give you more next time I go back. There are still three boxes left in the fridge..."
As she spoke, she retreated to the kitchen, and the wooden door slammed shut, cutting off the subsequent conversation. But they could vaguely hear Hipper still trying to comfort the boy on the other end of the phone.
"...That's Gojo Satoru, right? The one calling." Ieiri Naoko's fingertips hovered in mid-air, her eyelashes trembling slightly. That voice was so familiar—so familiar it was ingrained in her bones, instantly recognizable even through the electrical hum. Yet, she hesitated, a rare moment, even wondering if she was hallucinating.
It can't be wrong, but how could it be...
How could there possibly be another Gojo Satoru? Or the same voice from ten years ago in high school?!
That’s right! Jay! He must know!
But Geto leaned lazily against the back of his chair, his eyes half-closed, and remained silent amidst the inquiring gazes of the crowd. A faint smile played at the corner of his lips, but he remained silent throughout—some answers should never have come from his mouth.
"I got it from the other Six-Eyes..." Gojo Satoru drawled out the last line of his words, slowly licking the cream from the corner of his lips. Staring at the half-melted ice cream in his hand, his smile deepened: "Such a precious trophy, I must enjoy it well~"
To coax a child?
No matter what adjective is placed before it - "coax patiently" or "coax perfunctorily", as long as the person being coaxed is him, who cares about those insignificant modifiers?
After all, the only one who can be treated like this is Rokugan.
But can we narrow it down a bit? More specifically, to a specific person? For example, Gojo-sensei~
After coaxing her once, there will be a second time, and a third time. This time, next time, and every time, the one coaxing her will be Gojo-sensei, right?
"Wash your hands and eat." The announcement of dinner was like heavenly music, instantly perking up the listless students. The living room was already set with plenty of tableware, and each chair was spaced just the right distance apart.
Geto rolled up his sleeves and walked into the kitchen to help bring out the food. Hipper took off his apron, pulled out the main chair, and squatted on it like a tired cat. But at this moment, the original celestial body also completed its mission and returned.
Everyone is here.
"I'm starting!"
Hipper held her chin with one hand, squinting her eyes to carefully depict the scene before her - the young men puffed out their cheeks to grab food, their shiny mouths almost stretched to their ears, and everyone let go of everything they were burdened with, smiling easily and comfortably.
The sweet and sour smell of orange juice spread between her lips and teeth, and she closed her eyes.
That's good.
Everything should have a perfect ending, so let’s end it with this last supper.
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