Half an hour later.
A small restaurant near Tokyo Jujutsu High was packed with people.
"Boss! Another order, no, wait, make it three more servings of daifuku!"
It was just an ordinary little place, known for simple ramen and snacks, nothing fancy.
But for some reason, their desserts had completely captivated Satoru, who was acting like he'd just fallen in love for the first time, shouting without a care for the stares around him.
"Satoru, please, could you not be so loud? This is a public place…"
Suguru sighed, covering his face in embarrassment as the whole restaurant turned to look at them. Several young girls at nearby tables were sneaking glances, whispering among themselves.
"Is he a kid or something?"
Even Megumi couldn't help frowning, muttering words that didn't match his age at all.
"You'll get used to it," Mukuro said calmly. That's why he always called him the "white-haired idiot."
He was long used to Satoru's eccentric behavior. Setting that aside, at least the man was still human.
"Here you go, sir! Your daifuku!"
Faced with such a lively customer, the delighted owner personally brought out the dessert from the kitchen with a proud smile.
"Don't even think about it! No matter how much you stare, I'm not sharing any of this!" Satoru declared, hunching over his plate protectively and glaring at the others as if guarding treasure from thieves.
"No one wants your—"
"What are you doing here?!"
Suguru had just opened his mouth to tease his friend when a harsh voice shouted from the entrance, cutting him off.
They all turned toward the sound. It was one of the cooks. In front of him stood a small girl with a school bag on her back. Her face looked tired, yet she stayed quiet, taking the scolding in silence.
"I'm not even married to your mother. What are you doing here?"
Though he tried to lower his voice since there were customers in the restaurant, Mukuro and the others heard every word clearly.
"Mom hasn't come home for a long time… Grandpa and Grandma don't want me anymore either…" the girl finally said after a moment, forcing out the words with trembling lips.
She'd known this might happen. She'd known he might reject her. Still, with nowhere else to go, she had traveled over thirty kilometers from Saitama just to find the man who was supposed to be her father.
"That's your problem, not mine. If you've got nowhere to go, find an orphanage, or go beg on the street for all I care. Just don't come here and bother me while I'm working!"
The man's face twisted with irritation as he turned away, not caring that she was his daughter.
His relationship with the girl's mother had only been a fling, something casual and fleeting. Once he got bored, he left. To him, the girl was nothing more than an unwanted burden from a mistake he'd already forgotten.
"Please! I'll do anything, wash dishes, clean tables, just let me stay here. I don't want money, I just… I just want to eat!"
Desperate, her voice cracked as she clung to his leg.
She didn't want to go to an orphanage, nor did she want to die on the streets one day as if she didn't exist. Even if staying by this man's side meant being treated like a nuisance, even if it meant being hated, it didn't matter.
At least she could still tell herself that she had a home, that she wasn't completely alone.
"I told you not to follow me! Useless brats like you are only good at causing trouble, that's why no one wants you!"
As the restaurant owner kept calling for him to hurry back to work, the man freed his leg and raised his hand in anger.
"Hm?"
Inside, Mukuro and the others had heard everything. Both he and Suguru frowned, their faces showing displeasure.
"Hey. You call yourself a man? Taking out your frustrations on a little girl?"
Just as the girl squeezed her eyes shut, ready to take the hit in silence, Megumi suddenly stepped in front of her.
He didn't even know why he did it. He just remembered his mother once saying that if you have the ability to help someone, sometimes you should.
And something about this little girl… felt stranglely familiar.
"Who the hell are you? This has nothing to do with you!"
The man's hand was still raised, but he hesitated, unwilling to strike with the boy standing in his way.
"Sorry about that," Mukuro said, walking up beside Megumi. "The kid just really hates monkeys. Can't help himself sometimes."
At one meter ninety, Mukuro's presence alone made the man tremble. Even though his words were laced with mockery, the man didn't dare talk back. He could only glare at his daughter, eyes full of spite.
"T-thank you," the girl whispered. "But I should go. Staying here will only bother everyone more…"
She already understood her fate. Forcing a weak smile, she thanked them and turned, ready to return to that place she called home that might become her grave someday.
"Hey," Mukuro called out, lowering his head slightly to meet her eyes as she turned back. "Since you don't have anywhere to go, how about working for me instead? You'd just have to look after this annoying little brat."
If he had never appeared, if Toji's fate hadn't changed, Megumi would likely have grown up alongside this girl, relying on each other to survive.
Regardless of whether that event actually happened or no matter which timeline that might have been, Mukuro wanted to help her.
"Huh?" Both kids spoke in unison, confusion written on their faces.
"Uh… can I ask why?" the girl said nervously.
She knew she probably shouldn't trust strangers. But the boy in front of her had tried to protect her. And she really had nowhere else to go. Maybe it was worth taking a chance.
"Why?" Mukuro shrugged. "I don't need a reason. I do what I want, that's enough for me."
"I… see…"
The girl bit her lip, torn between doubt and hope.
"Um?"
Then suddenly, all three special grade sorcerers froze. Mukuro turned his head toward the sky outside.
From above the street, a curtain began to descend, spreading outward from where they stood.
"Who is it? Who'd dare drop a barrier in such a crowded area?!" Suguru shot to his feet, a bad feeling rising in his chest.
"To hurt your own child… humans really are filthy, disgusting creatures."
A chill swept through the air.
Along with the cold wind, a humanoid cursed spirit, its body covered entirely in frost, appeared silently at the restaurant door.
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