Creak~
Hayashi's door opened, and Fushiguro Megumi walked in, still wearing his pajamas and looking half-asleep. He glanced at Hayashi and asked, "Why are you shouting so early in the morning? Are you having a breakdown?"
Hayashi stared wide-eyed at Fushiguro in his striped pajamas and asked curiously, "Wait, Fushiguro, this is my room. You just walked in without knocking? What if I was doing something else?"
Fushiguro paused, slightly surprised. After spending time with Hayashi, he had grown more casual around him. Also, after helping Hayashi with his zipper once, he felt less awkward about things like this.
When Yuji Itadori was still around, he would often barge into Fushiguro's room unannounced, leading Fushiguro to frequently scold him.
But now, Fushiguro realized he had done the same thing. Maybe it was because he was still half-asleep or because he was curious about what Hayashi was doing to cause such a racket so early.
Only after Hayashi pointed it out did Fushiguro realize that what he did wasn't entirely appropriate.
Not that he would admit it, of course.
"I just thought you've been acting strange lately. Don't get the wrong idea," Fushiguro muttered as he turned to leave. "And remember to make breakfast. Dumplings today." He casually walked out without any hint of embarrassment and went to freshen up.
These days, whenever Hayashi was at school, he was the designated cook, and everyone had grown increasingly picky about their meals.
At first, they'd eat whatever Hayashi made. But over time, they began to make specific requests, like what type of breakfast they wanted.
Hayashi adapted to everyone's preferences but decided to let them vote on the breakfast menu. For example, he'd offer two options—dumplings or buns for the next morning—and whichever had more votes would win.
Hayashi's presence had become essential. The school cafeteria's food no longer appealed to them—they only wanted Hayashi's cooking.
As a result, the cafeteria staff had even started bringing ingredients to Hayashi's kitchen. The school didn't mind, especially since Gojo Satoru had approved of the arrangement.
Fushiguro was brushing his teeth, staring at himself in the mirror, wondering why he had walked into Hayashi's room so naturally. Unable to figure it out, he decided to stop thinking about it, rinsing his mouth and spitting into the sink.
Hayashi, after dressing and freshening up, headed to the kitchen to prepare breakfast.
Half an hour later.
Everyone began gathering for breakfast. Today's menu was dumplings with a variety of sauces to suit different tastes.
"Thanks for the hard work, Hayashi," Maki said politely. She, like everyone else, had gotten used to Hayashi's cooking and felt it was only right to be courteous.
"Everyone, please sit," Hayashi gestured.
Once everyone was seated and ready to eat, the door suddenly swung open with a force, and a tall figure blocked the morning sunlight.
When they saw who it was, everyone's expressions shifted.
"Todo... what are you doing here?" Maki turned her head, looking at Todo with confusion. Why would he show up at the Tokyo school so early in the morning? Was he here to cause trouble?
Everyone else had similar thoughts. Todo wasn't exactly known for being easy to get along with. He was the type to start fights over the smallest things.
Fushiguro raised an eyebrow, though he didn't think Todo was here to stir up trouble. There was something strange about the way Todo and Hayashi interacted. Ever since that day Todo had escorted Hayashi back to school, Fushiguro had noticed that Todo seemed to care a lot about Hayashi—not in a hostile way, but more like... a friend?
Kugisaki Nobara stood up, glaring at Todo. "You here to cause problems?"
She was blunt, but it was what everyone was wondering.
Panda and Inumaki sat quietly, observing Todo's movements.
"Perfect timing," Todo said, flashing a rare smile at everyone. "I'm not here for you all. I'm only here for Hayashi."
"Looking for Hayashi?"
Some of the group were still in the dark about Hayashi and Todo's relationship and assumed this was some kind of challenge. After all, the exchange event was coming up soon, and challenging Hayashi would fit Toudou's style.
Hayashi glanced at Todo and thought, This guy sure moves fast. He got here from Kyoto in just half an hour. How did he even manage that?
"Why don't you join us?" Hayashi said casually. With so many people around, he didn't want to show too much familiarity with Todo, as it might lead to misunderstandings.
Especially some strange thoughts that could start surfacing in people's minds.
"Don't mind if I do." Todo stepped inside, a subtle pressure radiating from him. The others frowned.
Hayashi had actually invited Todo to sit with them? What was going on? Currently, Tokyo and Kyoto schools were rivals, almost like enemies.
But the way Hayashi and Todo interacted seemed oddly... friendly. And now Todo was actually sitting down for breakfast with them.
With the final dish set on the table, they were ready to start eating.
The first to reach for food was Todo. His large arm reached past Kugisaki, grabbing a dumpling and dipping it in sauce before popping it into his mouth.
Kugisaki glanced at Todo's arm, then at her own thigh. A comparison immediately formed in her mind: Todo's arm was thicker than her thigh.
Though she'd gained some weight recently from eating Hayashi's cooking, she'd been diligently running and working out to keep her weight in check. If her thighs were as thick as Todo's arm, she'd be seriously frustrated.
But at the same time, she couldn't refuse Hayashi's cooking—it was too good to pass up.
After chewing a few bites, Todo suddenly closed his eyes, and two streams of tears flowed from his eyes, dripping onto the table.
He tilted his head back, eyes shut, as an overwhelming feeling washed over him.
"Could it be... Is this the embodiment of my best friend's 'love'? All of it infused into these seemingly ordinary dumplings, with that rich, flavorful sauce perfectly expressing Hayashi's feelings toward me!"
A surge of emotion filled Todo's heart. It was his first time eating Hayashi's cooking, and it felt like his soul had ascended. It was simply too delicious!
Maki took off her glasses, wiped them with a cloth, and put them back on.
Even after cleaning her glasses, she still saw Todo's tears flowing. It wasn't her imagination—Toudou really was crying.
"Is he... crying?" Kugisaki, sitting closest to Todo, stared at him in disbelief. What kind of person cried over eating dumplings? Wasn't Todo supposed to be tough and mean? This behavior didn't match his reputation at all.
"Yes."
"He's crying."
"That's correct."
"Tuna mayo."
Panda and Inumaki nodded in agreement. Initially, they had been wary of Todo, thinking he was here to cause trouble. But now, seeing him in tears, they were genuinely surprised.
No one knew what was going on inside Todo's head at that moment.