❤︎ 1345 𝚠𝚘𝚛𝚍𝚜, 5 𝚖𝚒𝚗 𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚍𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚝𝚒𝚖𝚎

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***

I changed into a fresh pair of loungewear after Geto left my room. We're having dinner with his family today. Not all of them, only Suda Manami and Larue. I know Suda as the pink-haired woman who came to talk to Geto the day that I moved in. Sometimes I see her in passing, always donning immaculate makeup and bodycon dresses. Meanwhile, Larue is the eccentric man with the heart shapes on his pecs and apparently is a bit of a germaphobe. 

I haven't interacted much with Geto's chosen family apart from these two. Outside of work, commuting, sleeping, writing and training, I barely have much time left; let alone for roaming about in his temple where they do who-knows-what. 

Downstairs, Geto's in the kitchen, barefoot in his usual black sweats.

"Curry?" I ask, sniffing the air.

"With tofu. Larue is vegetarian." He answers without looking up from his stirring ladle. "Can you set the table for me? Cutlery's in the top-right drawer."

"And you're not?" I pull open the drawer; all the utensils are wooden.

"Hmm?"

"Vegetarian." I lay out four sets of chopsticks and spoons on the dining table–also wooden. His house is a luxurious Muji commercial. "You're the Buddhist priest, no?"

"Check if it's spicy enough," he holds up a piece of tofu.

I take the tofu with my mouth. I puff and squeeze my eyes closed.

"Sorry, should've warned you it's hot."

"It's good, though"

"Spicy enough?

"Might need a bit more soy sauce. Where are the place mats?"

"In the drawer below." He turns off the stove. "You know I'm not actually one, right?"

I smooth over the wrinkles on the linen mats.

"I'm not actually a Buddhist priest. The temple, my uniform, the religious foundation, it's all a–" The doorbell cuts him off. "I'll get the door. Can you please serve the rice for me? In the cooker."

I turn my back towards the door. 

I do not like meeting new people. Neither do I enjoy making first impressions, especially not with my small talk skills that peaked in kindergarten. Why do talks have to be small? I detest these bite-sized talks. I like my talks the way I like my Starbucks orders, deep, dark, and tall–though I've been to Starbucks only a handful of times in my life.

I open the rice cooker's lid. Steam rises into my face as I hear Geto exchange hugs with tonight's guests. I take a while to scoop rice into the bowls as I inhale the steam. I love the smell of fresh rice.

I place my and Geto's bowl on the table, right next to each other. I then shake Larue's hand and notice his palms are twice the size of mine. Larue is wearing a plain, yellow button-up–the first time I've seen him with all his buttons properly fastened. I extend my hand towards Suda but she goes straight for a hug.

"Y/n! We finally get to talk properly!" She sings.

What's there to properly talk about? But I sense Geto observing me and reply: "Likewise. Ms. Suda."

"Call me Mana! That's what Mr. Geto calls me, too!"

She speaks with too many exclamation marks. We sit down, Suda across from me and the seat next to me waiting for Geto while he returns to the counter for the pot of curry.

"Thank you for always bringing me food for lunch on workdays, Ms.--Mana."

"Don't mention it. They're leftovers from dinner the day before anyways, so no biggie. You prefer them left at the front door, yes? That's what Mr. Geto instructed me."

Almost every day, before I leave for work, a Tupperware of food would have been placed at the front entrance of Geto's house by Suda. I knew that Geto ordered her to save food for my lunches, but I never knew why they were left at the door till now.

"Mr. Geto says you're shy and don't like to interact with strangers. Is that true?" Suda smiles at me.

"Strangers? I don't think we're strangers, are we?" Larue remarked.

"To me, maybe not. But to y/n, you all still are. She's been here for less than a month," Geto is back with the pot.

"I'll go get you both your rice," I stand up.

"No, no, I can do it," Suda stands up, too.

Geto doesn't stop her so she walks straight into his kitchen. She doesn't ask where things are stored. She seems to know her way around Geto's house.

The dinner feels like a family get-together my parents forced me into. I answer questions from both Larue and Suda. Did I go to TJH? Yes. What do I do now? I write plays. Do I like my job? Yes. What kind of Jujutsu do I use?

I pause.

"Now, I think that's enough Mana-"

I place a hand on Geto's forearm. Only briefly.

"Curse reversal," I stir the last bite of my rice. "I specialize--specialized in curse reversal. That was my Jujutsu."

"Impressive," Suda says. Genuine or not, I cannot tell from her overly mascaraed eyes.

Geto clears his throat. "Now, I've baked a cake for dessert."

"I didn't know you baked, Mr. Geto!" She says. "You should've asked me to help you, sir!"

Geto smiles. "Larue, can you come help me?

"Right away, sir," replies Larue.

With only the two of us at the table, I'm a child at the principal's office. "I'll clear away the dishes."

"You're avoiding me? Why?" Suda pulls back her bowl as I attempt to lift it away from her. "You barely said anything all night. Why is that? You're threatened by me?"

My right thumb collected a smear of curry. "No." I wipe it away with the corner of a napkin. "It's not that. You know that I am shy. It takes time for me. And... I don't know how to interact with chipper people is all."

She raises her glass to her lips but her throat doesn't move. "Are you jealous of me?" She casts her glance from above her rim.

I gather the rest of the three bowls into a stack. "Why?"

"Well. Because I've been next to Mr. Geto longer than you have been. Because I'm part of his family. Because I'm pretty. Because I admire him. Because he trusts me... with everything." She places her bowl on top of my stack.

I look at the pot and think about the amount of dishwashing to be done later. It is indeed a very good thing that Geto can afford a dishwasher. "I don't believe in it."

Suda raises her brows. She is intimidatingly pretty and feminine with her heavily hooded eyes. It's as if she hasn't fully woken up and doesn't care to. 

"I don't believe in jealousy, Mana. Nor do I hate people because they're girls--sorry: women. Or maybe I just don't believe in female rivalry, being catty–literally whatever you wanna call it. You don't have to feel like you're pitted against me only cuz I also don't have a dick. There's no competition between us whatsoever, unless, I don't know, say, one day you decide to start writing plays or some shit like that; I can't think of what else I'm also good at. If Master Geto trusts you and likes you, then I think I will, too," I say. "Plus, I don't think I have a choice. Plus plus, jealousy didn't bode well for me when I was younger. I don't want to make the same mistakes again."

Her eyes widen. I'm about to move the clutter into the kitchen when she bursts out into a bright laugh.

I stutter and drop a spoon.

"Mr. Geto! You can come back now! Y/n passed the test!" Suda picks up the spoon for me. It was wooden and therefore unshatterable.

Geto and Larue come back with a small pound cake. I don't know what's in the cake but it smells suspiciously good and familiar.

"Welcome to the family, y/n," says Geto, placing a palm in my hair. "We should take a selfie together!"

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Author's note!

bruh how come no one remember my boi larue and his iconic nipples ( ╥ ᴗ ╥)

fyi seems to be that season now dont get a cold plz                                                   

take care & b safe
ikari
2024, sep 1