Curse Return: Demon Void Girl Doesn't Want to Be a Weakling

“Mr. Sotomura, you should investigate the relationship between Yoshino Junpei and the deceased, instead of assuming that they had a good relationship.”

After saying this, Mashiro turned and left.

……

Yoshino Junpei was pulled to the riverbank by Itadori and sat down on the steps.

"Um, what do you need me for?" Shunping asked cautiously.

"Ah! This?" Itajimaru said, then paused, not knowing why Mashiro had called him over. "Um, wait a minute, let me ask."

He picked up his phone, just about to send a message to Mashiro, when he saw Mashiro walking towards him from the main road.

"Mashiro-nee, over here!" Itari waved to Mashiro, his voice so loud that it could be heard from the other side of the river.

Mashiro walked over and sat down on the steps next to Junpei.

She sat casually, her hands behind her back, looking up at the sky that was beginning to darken.

"You can see it, right?" Mashiro said.

Shunping was taken aback. "What?"

"The ring on my head."

Shunping remained silent for a moment, presumably considering how to respond.

“You hesitated; you can definitely see that.”

Shunping glanced at her, then lowered his head again: "Yes, I can see."

"Okay, I understand." Mashiro paused for a moment, unsure of what to say next.

But! She had the foresight to call Tiger over.

She decided to play a movie-themed deck: "What movies do you usually like to watch?"

Itachi sat down on the other side of Mashiro, cross-legged, and immediately leaned over when he heard the question.

"Oh, a movie! I've been wanting to see that new action movie that came out recently, the one with the poster showing a motorcycle flying over an exploding fireball, what's it called again?"

“…《Explosive Pursuit》” Shunping said softly.

"Yes, yes, yes! You know that!" Hadji's eyes lit up. "Is it good-looking?"

"I haven't seen it yet. I don't usually go to the movies alone." Shunping lowered his head, his fingers rubbing the knee of his school uniform pants. "Lately, I've been watching old movies at home on my computer. Last month I watched 'Seven Samurai,' the one by Akira Kurosawa."

"Black and white film?" Itachi scratched his head. "I've never seen a black and white film."

"It looks great." Shunping said this a little louder than usual, but then lowered his voice again.

Mashiro listened silently without interrupting, nodding and secretly praising her own cleverness.

Huzhang got excited and said that when he was a child, he read Akira Kurosawa's "Ran" with his grandfather, but he didn't understand it. He only remembered that there was a large group of people running around on the grassland.

Shunping smiled slightly after hearing this: "That scene is the most classic part of the movie."

Itadori scratched the back of his head and said sheepishly, "Then let's rent a videotape from the store another day and watch it again. Junpei, do you want to come along?"

Shunping didn't agree immediately. He looked at Huzhang as if to confirm whether the man was serious.

Itachi's expression was anything but polite. He glanced at Mashiro again, who was still looking at the clouds.

So you're really leaving it to him? A smirk played on Huzhang's lips.

“…Okay,” Shunping said.

Itsuji grinned and asked Shunpei what he liked to do besides watching movies.

Shunping hesitated for a moment, then said, "I'm learning to cook, and I want to cook for my mom."

"I can only make curry," he added.

“Curry is great! I can make sukiyaki.” Itadori patted his chest. “I’ve mastered all the pots and pans in Mashiro’s kitchen. Let me tell you, the secret to curry is to sauté the onions until they’re caramelized, and you can’t rush it.”

Shunping blinked. "You can cook too?"

“When Grandpa was in the hospital, I cooked all the meals at home.” After saying that, Huzhang paused for a moment, “Grandpa was a better cook than me, but he only taught me how to make sauces, not anything else. He said that boys don’t need to learn to cook all the dishes, just one or two that they are good at.”

Mashiro hummed softly beside her.

Shunping looked at the smile still on Huzhang's face after he finished speaking, and remained silent for a moment, "Your grandfather is now..."

“He’s gone,” said Huzhang. “It happened last month. I was the one who bought the flowers. He doesn’t like flowers, but he always looks at them for a long time.”

Shunping lowered his head, his fingers pausing on his knee. "My dad passed away when I was in elementary school. He didn't die, he left."

He said, "He left me and my mother behind. Maybe he thought I was too boring."

Huzhang didn't comfort him; he just sat there and listened quietly.

Mashiro remained in the same pose, looking up at the sky. A breeze blew across the river, causing a few strands of her silver hair to flutter.

“…I don’t think you’re boring,” said Huzhang.

Shunpei turned to look at him. Itachi's expression was very serious, completely different from when they were discussing the movie earlier.

This person is a good person.

Shunping thought silently.

Chapter 40 Yoshino Nagi

Just a moment ago, Itadori had a deep and serious expression, but the next second he was back to his usual optimistic smile.

He turned his head to look at Shunping and said, "Do you have any interesting experiences at school? Like in PE class or something?"

"I'm not very good at physical education. I'm slow at running, and I'm even worse at ball games."

“Then I can teach you to run. I’m not bragging, I’m pretty fast.” Itarō gave himself a thumbs up. “Fifty meters in three seconds.”

"Three seconds?" Shunpei looked at Itajō with surprise, sizing him up. "Are you a sports student? Or Superman?"

"I don't think so, it's just that I've been running a lot since I was little."

Just as Shunping was about to say something, a woman's voice came from behind him.

"Shunping?"

The three of them turned around at the same time. A woman with her hair tied up stood on the riverbank, carrying a bag from a convenience store.

She was wearing a light blue shirt, and her eyebrows and eyes resembled Shunping's; she had a gentle demeanor.

Yoshino Nagi, Yoshino Junpei’s mother.

She glanced at Shunping, then at the silver-haired girl and the pink-haired boy sitting next to him.

"Your friend?" Yoshino Nagi asked, her tone tinged with surprise.

Shunping stood up, somewhat at a loss, "Mom...who are they..."

“I am Itadori Yuujin.” Itadori stood up and bowed. “This is my older sister, Mashiro. We are friends of Junpei.”

"Friend?" Shunpei looked at Itajō in surprise.

But after glancing at his mother, he nodded and did not deny it.

Kujo Mashiro stood up and nodded to Yoshino Nagi. "Excuse me."

Yoshino Nagi walked down the steps, her gaze lingering on the two visitors for a few seconds.

One had a bright smile that didn't seem malicious, while the other had a calm expression but a maturity in his eyes that seemed beyond his years.

My older sister is actually shorter, she's so cute.

She smiled slightly and looked at her son again.

Shunping stood next to Huzhang. Although he still had that slightly hunched posture, his expression was more relaxed than usual.

"You haven't had dinner yet, have you?" Yoshino Nagi picked up the convenience store bag and shook it. "I bought too much. Junpei, invite your friends over for dinner."

"No need, Auntie, we—"

"Stay, Junpei hasn't brought any friends home in a long time," Yoshino Nagi said with a smile. "Although you two just met, uh, how did you meet?"

Mashiro spoke before Itadori could say anything. "At the movie theater entrance. He recommended 'Seven Samurai' to us."

Yoshino Nagi's eyes lit up. "Akira Kurosawa? Junpei's favorite director."

She patted Shunping on the shoulder, her voice tinged with pride, "This kid has a good eye for movies, but he just doesn't like going out. You should encourage him to go out more often."

"Mom." Shunping's ears turned a little red.

"Alright, alright, I won't say anymore." Yoshino Nagi smiled and turned to walk towards home. "Let's go, the curry will be ready soon."

Yoshinoya's apartment isn't big, but it's very clean.

Three pairs of slippers were placed in the entryway, and a movie magazine that was half-open lay open on the coffee table in the living room.

There were several rented DVDs piled up next to the TV cabinet, most of which had foreign movie covers.

Yoshino Nagi was heating curry in the kitchen, the sound of the spatula clattering and the aroma of curry wafting into the living room.

Shunpei tidied up the magazines on the coffee table and poured water for Itari and Mashiro.

"Your home is quite comfortable." Huzhang sat cross-legged on the floor and took the water glass.

"……Thanks."

"Can I borrow a movie magazine?" Mashiro pointed to the magazine on the coffee table that hadn't been put away yet.

Shunping handed it to her.

Mashiro opened the book and found a long article about bizarre movies, with several corners folded off the page.

She turned to one of the pages, paused, and asked, "How many times have you read this?"

"...Four or five times, I guess." Shunping sat down and scratched his face. "How did you know?"

"The creases at the corners are different."

Shunping nodded and said, "I'll be more careful next time."

Dinner was curry rice with miso soup and fried chicken. Yoshino Nagi said that she usually cooks very bland food and was worried that the guests would not be used to it, so she specially made extra fried chicken.

After taking his first bite, Itajimaru exclaimed that it was delicious, and Yoshino Nagi smiled and served him another bowl of rice.