Wakana and Marin just finished watching the entire first season of Jujutsu Kaisen in one marathon sitting.
The credits rolled, followed by the silent, glowing 'Next Episode' prompt on the screen.
Marin stretched her arms high above her head, a long, satisfied groan escaping her lips. "Ughhh, that was so good! The action, the characters, the lore! Total perfection! You liked it, right, Gojo-kun?"
Wakana, blinking a little to adjust to the sudden return to reality, smiled. "It was very good. Very engaging and interesting. And the character designs are indeed excellent."
He looked at his phone for the time, and his eyes widened slightly. "Wow, time really flew by, huh? It's already past eight P.M."
Marin giggled, already reaching for a discarded bag of chips. "Imagine if you get stranded here for the night, that would be pretty funny."
She commented jokingly, not looking up from her search for the remaining crumbs.
Wakana laughed and casually checked his phone for the train schedule, the laughter stopping abruptly as he saw the notification.
His mouth widened open in genuine surprise.
Marin saw his frozen expression and immediately asked, "What's wrong, Gojo-kun? Did something happen?"
Wakana slowly raised the phone, showing her the contents.
The train is currently under maintenance. Please check again later.
"No way... Did I jinx it?!" Marin squeaked, clutching the chip bag to her chest.
Wakana shook his head, though he couldn't hide his bemused expression. "Well, never mind. I didn't plan on leaving right away, anyway. It will probably be fixed in an hour or so."
"You aren't?" Marin tilted her head in confusion.
"I wanted to make dinner here for us both. You've been eating with us lately, and if I didn't come here, you'd usually be at my place right now for dinner," Wakana explained.
Since Marin met his grandfather, Kaoru, and noticed her unhealthy, sporadic meals, he had made it a point to invite her for proper, home-cooked dinners whenever her dad was not home.
It had become a new routine that brought them even closer.
Marin pouted and argued, "You may be really good at cooking, but I can cook my own food too, you know!"
Hearing what she said, Wakana remembered their lunchtime meal earlier, where she had proudly served the omurice she had cooked for both of them.
Although the appearance of the dish was questionable, the taste was neither bad nor good, just extremely average.
Thinking of this, Wakana nodded, and a teasing smile appeared on his lips. "Alright, I'll leave the cooking to the master of the house then."
However, Marin quickly shouted, "No way!"
Wakana got confused. "Huh? I thought you wanted to cook?"
Marin rolled her eyes playfully, placing a dramatic hand on her hip. "I never said that! Why would I want to cook when I have you, a pro, who can make food taste ten times better?"
"Well... Alright."
Feeling a little confused but accepting the situation, Wakana could only laugh dryly.
"Let's see what you have in the fridge, then I can see what we can cook up."
Marin whistled and looked away, avoiding eye contact. "Uhh... about that..."
"Huh?"
Staring at the nearly empty fridge, Wakana's eyes couldn't help but twitch.
There was half a carton of milk, some sad-looking soy sauce, and a single, lonely packet of instant ramen.
The rest was bare plastic and light.
"Kitagawa-san... when was the last time you restocked your fridge...?"
"Hmm... Let's see... My dad also forgot to restock it because of work last week, so I'd say... three weeks?"
"Three weeks..." Wakana Gojo looked at the girl in front of him, who was trying to avoid eye contact due to embarrassment.
The confirmation of her poor eating habits hit him hard.
"Do you want to go eat at the convenience store instead?" Marin suggested, hoping to take the easy way out.
However, Wakana shook his head immediately. "No. It's unhealthy to always eat processed food. I'm sure that's what you've always been eating before you even met me."
"Hey!" Marin wanted to argue, but his words were spot-on. "I still cook sometimes, you know," she muttered.
"It can't be helped then. Please take me to the nearest supermarket."
"Okay~ Let's go, Gojo-kun!"
...
Arriving at the nearest supermarket, the two immediately started to look around, the bright fluorescent lights a stark contrast to the cozy atmosphere of Marin's living room.
Wakana turned to her and asked, "What do you wanna eat for dinner, Marin?"
Gojo immediately used his ultimate: "First Name Usage."
Having been somewhat used to the sudden usage of her first name before, Marin immediately countered with her own ultimate: "Shoot Back Counter."
"How about we have some Japanese curry today and karaage, Wakana?"
Hearing the immediate answer, Wakana side-eyed her and smiled. 'Looks like she's getting used to it more now,' he thought.
Similarly, Marin also gave him a quick side-eye glance. 'I'm always ready for your tricks, Wakana-kun!'
Having gotten her answer, they moved to gather the ingredients.
Wakana methodically selected the freshest vegetables.
Potatoes, carrots, and onions, he examined the texture and color with the same scrutiny he used for fabric.
Marin, meanwhile, was in charge of the fun stuff: the curry roux blocks and the ingredients for the karaage.
She excitedly tossed bags of potato starch and packets of flavor into the basket, occasionally pointing out a snack they 'needed' for later.
"Gojo-kun, look! We need this for karaage marinade!" Marin held up a bottle of sake near the liquor section, then quickly lowered it when she remembered they were still junior high school students. "Wait, can we even buy this?"
Wakana, holding two different brands of high-quality vegetable oil, just smiled gently. "Don't worry, they have cooking sake in the condiments aisle. It's usually lower alcohol."
He immediately led her away, rescuing the basket from her impulsive additions.
At the checkout, Marin watched, amazed, as Wakana meticulously organized the groceries on the conveyor belt.
Everything was sorted: soft items away from hard items, meats separate from vegetables.
The two of them paid, with her insisting on paying for half the food since she was the one with the empty fridge, and they quickly walked back to her apartment, laden with bags.
Back at home, the clean, minimalist kitchen was soon filled with the sounds of cooking.
Wakana started the stove, melting butter in a large pot for the roux base of the curry.
Marin, the not-too-good cook, helped prepare the ingredients and spices needed.
Wakana handed her the carrots and potatoes.
"Kitagawa-san, could you peel these? You don't need to cut them yet," Wakana instructed, already focused on thinly slicing the onion on a cutting board near the sink.
"Roger that! I'm a peeling expert!" Marin declared, grabbing a peeler with enthusiasm.
She worked quickly, though a little haphazardly, leaving a few rough patches.
Wakana, catching a glimpse, chuckled. "That's good, Kitagawa, but you missed a few spots here."
He gently placed his hand over hers, guiding the peeler to show her the correct angle to get the last bit of skin off the potato.
The casual, brief physical contact sent a small jolt through Marin, reminding her of the measurement and laundry room incident, but her focus was immediately pulled back to the food.
"Ah, like this? Wow, you make it look so easy!" Marin murmured, amazed at his technique.
Wakana nodded. "Precision in preparation is everything, Marin. For the curry, we want the vegetables to be roughly the same size so they cook evenly."
While Marin finished the peeling, Wakana moved on to the karaage.
He combined soy sauce, ginger, garlic, and a touch of sesame oil in a bowl with the chicken pieces.
"See this," he explained simply, "the flavor comes from the marinade, so we just let it sit. Now, for the curry, we're building the flavor base."
He stirred the onions he had already caramelized until they were translucent and fragrant.
"The key to good curry is taking your time with the onions. It brings out the sweetness." He added the peeled and chopped vegetables, letting them soften before adding the stock and the roux blocks. "Once the roux dissolves, all we do is simmer it gently."
Marin watched him, leaning her elbows on the counter.
She was utterly mesmerized by his competence.
He moved with great efficiency and focus that he always held whenever he took something in regard.
His serious look just absolutely mesmerized the blonde girl.
"You're like a professional chef, Wakana," she whispered. "My cooking is just 'dump things in a pan and hope for the best.'"
Wakana smiled, stirring the pot slowly. "I just follow the steps, Marin. Like pattern making, cooking is about sequence and patience. If you follow the steps, the outcome will be good."
He pointed to the bowl of flour and potato starch mixed for the karaage coating. "Now, why don't you try coating the chicken pieces? Just toss them until they're fully covered."
Marin eagerly jumped to the task, focused on achieving the perfect, flaky coating.
The sounds of the simmering curry and the light, happy chatter filled the usually quiet apartment, making it feel warm, domestic, and perfectly comfortable.
If someone saw the two of them right now, the first thought that would come to mind is that they looked like a couple cooking together.