After what felt like hours of lessons about Reiki, Ketsugojin, and a bunch of other stuff... one insatiable feeling filled Daiki's entire mind and body.
Hunger.
Daiki was starving. He rubbed the back of his neck, still thinking about how Yui had saved them in the Hollow District. He owed her big time.
He had to do something nice.
Not just for her, for everybody!
He decided that he had to track down Jin, and he began his search for his roommate all around campus.
After what felt like an eternity, he found Jin sprawled on a bench near the courtyard.
"Yo," Daiki said, plopping next to him. "Got an idea."
Jin gave him a side-eye. "What is it?"
"It involves food."
Jin sat up immediately. "Go on."
"I'm gonna cook. Like.. for real. Something good, not just instant ramen. But... cafeteria's off-limits after hours."
Daiki's grin widened.
"Which means we gotta sneak in."
Jin chuckled, shaking his head. "Of course we do. What are you making?"
"Curry. Classic, simple, can't mess it up. Probably."
And so their stealth mission began.
After returning to their dorm and getting out of their uniforms, the two slipped into the cafeteria like thieves in the night.
Daiki tiptoed like a ninja, his eyes darting at anything that seemed to move.
"Why are you doing that?" Jin whispered. "You know there's literally no one here."
"It's for the vibe," Daiki whispered back. "Adds tension."
Jin rolled his eyes but followed him in.
"It's time," Daiki said, as he immediately plunged his grimy hands into just about every crevice of the kitchen.
Eventually, he found everything and spread the ingredients on the kitchen counter: onions, carrots, potatoes, rice, and curry cubes. He tied a dishcloth around his head like a headband and began chopping onions with shocking precision.
Jin lounged at a table nearby, feet propped up, a relaxed expression on his face. "You look way too confident for someone who's about to make poison."
"Relax. I helped my one caretaker, Junpei, make curry a hundred times back home. I can do this."
As the curry simmered, the smell began drifting down the hall. Daiki leaned on the counter, grinning mischievously. "Alright. Time to make this a real dinner."
Jin raised an eyebrow, suspicious. "What do you mean by 'real dinner'?"
"Well," Daiki smirked, tapping his chin thoughtfully, "we could make this a little bit more... lively. Invite a couple of my partners in chaos over. Share the fun."
Jin tilted his head, skeptical. "A couple? How many people are you trying to kill with your poisonous food?"
Daiki laughed. "You'll see."
Once the curry was nearly ready, Daiki sought out the two people he wanted:
Ren and Yui.
"Alright... time to invite Ren and Yui," Daiki whispered.
Jin raised an eyebrow. "And you know EXACTLY where their rooms are, right?"
Daiki froze. "Huh. I didn't think about that..."
Jin snorted. "You didn't think about that. Well, this'll be fun."
They started down the hall, knocking on doors one by one.
"Ren? Anybody here?" Daiki called into a dorm with a hesitant grin. A muffled groan answered an annoyed "no" from inside. "Maybe not," Daiki whispered.
Jin rolled his eyes. "For someone cooking a 'real dinner', you really don't know anything, huh?"
"Shut up, I'll find them," Daiki muttered, knocking on the next door.
A student groaned, "Who....?"
Door after door, the two wandered the halls, with Jin shooting teases and backhanded comments every step of the way.
"You're terrible at this. Just give up now," Jin hissed.
Finally, after what felt like forever, they found Ren's dorm. Daiki knocked, and the door opened.
"Yo! What's up?" Ren asked, eyes lighting up.
Daiki sighed in relief. "Finally. You're coming to dinner with us."
Ren grinned without asking any questions. "Oh, now we're talking! I was starving anyway!"
Next, they had to find Yui.
In the girls' dorm.
This could end VERY badly.
"Okay... she's probably in one of these rooms," Daiki muttered nervously.
Jin hit him with a strong elbow to the side. "....We're in the girls' dorm. If we get caught, I'm not getting blamed for it."
Ren shrugged. "Relax! Worst case, we knock on every door and hope no one snitches on us."
Daiki groaned. "Worst case? We're basically criminals already!"
And so the "mission" began.
Step one: tiptoe.
Ren's tiptoeing looked more like an awkward waddle, knees bending in weird ways, and arms looking for balance.
Less like a ninja and more like a drunk flamingo.
Step two: knock.
Daiki knocked on the first door. A sleepy voice that was NOT Yui's muttered: "Who...?"
Daiki froze.
"Oh... wrong room! Sorry!" he whispered, trying his best to imitate a girl's voice before retreating quickly to avoid getting spotted when they opened the door.
Jin muttered a couple of curse words under his breath, facepalming simultaneously.
Ren peeked around the corner, crouching low. "This is like an actual spy movie! Or... like a very bad one."
Step three: hide.
The next door opened unexpectedly before they could even knock. Daiki yepled and stumbled backward, tripping over his own foot. Before his entire body could hit the wall, Jin grabbed him by his collar, and they hid behind a plant.
"Holy shit," Jin whispered dryly. "If we almost get caught again, I'm leaving you pervs behind."
Ren, unfazed, rolled on the floor like he was in an action movie stunt and entered a prone position behind a giant vase, keeping him hidden. "We live to try again!"
Step four: improvise.
Daiki knocked on door after door. Each time, a sleepy or suspicious voice answered from inside, and each time Daiki waved his arms wildly and imitated the voice of a girl.
It was a shocker that it was actually working.
Jin whispered sarcastically, "Yeah, you're never beating the 'princess' allegations."
Step five: distraction.
Ren found a broom and flicked it down the hall like a javelin. It clattered against a wall, waking at least twenty people.
Daiki buried his face in his hands. "Why do you ALWAYS make everything worse?"
"Better, not worse!" Ren whispered. It's a tactical diversion!"
Jin grabbed both of them with surprising strength and ran into a different hall before they were inevitably caught.
"Move. Now."
Step six: confirmation.
After what felt like hours, actually twenty minutes (surprisingly), they spotted a door at the end of a hallway. Daiki froze.
"Yui! Door! Open now!" he whispered aggressively.
The door creaked, revealing Yui blinking sleepily. "Um... hi?"
That was a blessing.
Daiki grinned, relief washing over him. "Yui! Dinner! In the cafeteria! You in?"
Ren nudged him. "See? The distraction worked after all."
Jin muttered from behind them, "This is officially the dumbest and most illegal thing I've done in my life."
Yui turned, whispering and muttering things among the lines of:
"Is that even allowed?"
"Why are they in the girls' dorm?"
"Am I getting kidnapped?"
"No, Daiki would never."
Eventually, she turned hesitantly but nodded. "Okay... I'll come."
Daiki grinned. "Great! Let's go before we get caught."
The quadrant carefully made their way back to the cafeteria, the smell of the curry hitting them like a warm, comforting tide.
Daiki froze. "Wait... it's... still warm?"
Jin's jaw dropped. "Wow. After all that? Impressive."
Ren scratched the back of his head. "Magic curry? Is your cooking that good, Fushino?"
Daiki laughed, bouncing slightly on his heels. "Yep! For sure!"
He scooped generous portions into bowls and set them onto a table.
Yui's eyes flickered between the curry and the group. She hesitated, then nodded. "It... smells really good."
Jin smirked, stepping forward. "I almost forgot, I'm Jin. Jin Narukami. Haven't properly said that yet."
Ren chuckled, holding out a hand. "Ren Takagi. Nice to meet you, Narukami!"
Yui gave a small smile. "I'm Yui Tsukiko. Nice to meet you, Jin."
Daiki clapped his hands together. "Alright! Everyone's here, introductions done, let's eat!"
The four dug in, the aroma filling the room. For a moment, it felt like all the chaos and stress from the last couple of days melted away, with a fulfilling and savory feeling filling in its stead.
Ren took a big spoonful, nearly choking on the steam. "Okay... that's amazing. Fushino, you might be a miracle chef."
Daiki grinned. "See, Jin? Told you."
Jin took a bite. "Alright... fine. But I'm still judging you for dragging me into this."
Yui smiled softly. "It tastes amazing."
Daiki leaned back, satisfied. "Mission accomplished. Just another day of me being great."
Jin shook his head. "You? Great? Never."
The table emptied quickly, bowls clean. Quiet laughter bounced off the walls.
Suddenly, the cafeteria door banged open. "What the hell is going on in here!"
Daiki froze mid-laugh. "Oh shit!"
Ren whispered, "Do we... hide?"
"Obviously," Jin hissed. He grabbed Daiki's arm.
The four scattered in seconds. Ren dove behind the counter and into the kitchen, Jin dragged under a table, and Yui crouched behind the table next to Daiki and Jin.
Instructor Ito's footsteps echoed. "I know someone's here. The smell is everywhere!"
Daiki whispered, thinking quickly. "Plan?"
Yui whispered back, "The doors are open. If we time it right..."
Before anyone could even finish, Ren threw a spoon he probably found in the kitchen across the room. Ito's head snapped in that direction.
"Go." Jin hissed.
They bolted and ran out of the cafeteria like wild animals. In what felt like seconds, they left the main building and spilled into the night air, panting and laughing.
Actually, the only one laughing was Ren.
Back at the dorms, they leaned against the walls, catching their breath.
"That was... incredible," Ren said, hands on his knees.
Yui smiled faintly. "I can't believe that worked."
Daiki grinned, giving Ren a thumbs-up. "I think that's the smartest thing I've seen Ren do."
Jin shook his head. "I officially regret coming with you. At least the food was good."
Daiki laughed. "See? Totally worth it."
The four of them shared a tired but warm laugh before sneaking back toward their dorms, the smell of curry still clinging to them.
By the time Daiki and Jin made it back to their dorm, the halls were quiet, and the cool night air flowed through the slightly open windows. Both of them collapsed onto their beds, still laughing under their breath.
Daiki kicked his slippers off and sprawled out. "Man... that was the most fun I've had here so far. Totally worth almost getting chewed out."
Jin sat up, stretching his arms. "Almost? You know they could just check the hall cameras, right?"
Daiki snorted. "Then I'll just say it was your idea. Easy."
Jin gave him a deadpan look. "...Do that, and I'll make sure you regret it." But then, his expression softened a bit. "Still... it wasn't bad. Ren's a dumbass, but he's funny. Yui seems nice. A bit shy, but actually smart, unlike two idiots I know."
Daiki frowned. "Don't rope me in with him," he muttered, before cracking a small grin. "But you're right. I like them. They remind me this place isn't so bad."
For a moment, the room was quiet, the weight of the day finally sinking in.
Then, Daiki stretched with a loud groan, ruining the moment of silence.
"Alright, I'm passing out. If Ito kills me tomorrow, tell the world I was the Great Curry King."
Jin tossed a pillow at him. "Go to sleep, idiot."
Daiki caught it against his chest, already half-asleep, a faint grin still on his face.
Maybe this place was starting to finally feel like home.