At 7 o'clock in the evening, Geto Suguru returned to the apartment building from Teitan High School. As he stepped out of the elevator, he spotted Gojo Satoru standing near the trash bins, tossing a garbage bag into the designated area.
"Yo, Geto! You're back late." Gojo dusted off his hands and turned toward him. "Did you eat yet?"
Geto shook his head. "Not yet. You?"
"Nope. Let's grab some ramen. There's a new Ichiraku branch nearby." Gojo stretched, already heading toward the entrance.
"Ichiraku? That's from some ninja anime, isn't it?" Geto raised an eyebrow but followed anyway.
"Exactly! That's how you know it's good." Gojo grinned. "Besides, I heard they have great pork broth."
The two walked through the quiet streets of Tokyo, the evening air crisp but not too cold. It wasn't long before they arrived at the small but bustling ramen shop. The inviting aroma of simmering broth and fresh noodles filled the air.
Sliding into a booth, they skimmed the menu briefly before ordering.
"Extra chashu for me," Gojo declared. "And add a soft-boiled egg."
"Just a regular miso ramen for me," Geto said, handing his menu back to the server.
As they waited for their food, they overheard a group of middle school students chatting at a nearby table.
"We should go to downtown Tokyo this weekend for sushi!" one of them said excitedly.
Among them, a short-haired girl had a small, barely noticeable worm-like cursed spirit clinging to her shoulder. It was weak—hardly worth concern—but what caught Geto's attention was the subtle connection it had with her.
He nudged Gojo lightly. "Do you see that?"
Gojo followed his gaze, adjusting his sunglasses slightly. "Yeah. There's definitely a bond."
"It's the same type we saw before," Geto muttered.
Without making a scene, he casually extended his hand under the table. With a quiet pull of his cursed energy, the worm-like spirit was absorbed into a small orb. The moment it vanished, the short-haired girl yawned and stretched.
"Huh… I felt kind of sleepy earlier, but now I'm fine." she murmured, rubbing her eyes.
Gojo leaned back. "So it really was affecting her."
Geto nodded. "This confirms the pattern. We need to look into this more."
Their conversation paused as the ramen bowls were placed in front of them. Gojo immediately picked up his chopsticks. "Well, first things first—let's eat. Investigations go better on a full stomach."
Geto sighed but picked up his own chopsticks. "You just wanted an excuse to eat, didn't you?"
Gojo slurped up a mouthful of noodles and gave a thumbs-up. "Maybe. But hey, good food is good food."
Shaking his head, Geto turned his attention to his own bowl. They still had work to do, but for now, a quiet dinner wasn't such a bad idea.