a touch | inumaki x reader

five

Do You Like Onigiri?

"Maki's so admirable," You sighed, patting dust away as you sat down on the stairs next to Inumaki.

Your legs already felt a bit cramped, and beads of sweat dripped down your forehead. It was late summer with the crisp breeze feeling more frigid than usual. The scent of rain from the last dusk still lingered, making the scene seem a bit evocative. As you glanced around, the sight of Maki sparring Fushiguro was luminous from the setting sunset.

Somehow, you wished this moment would last forever. Pushing back your hair, you turned to sneak a glimpse at the quiet senior. Despite his quiet demeanor, a warm aura surrounded him, making it seem as if he wasn't someone you should be wary of.

"Is it fine if I ask you something?" You asked curiously.

Inumaki nodded his head, looking at your worn out form.

"What's your cursed technique?"

Inumaki seemed a bit startled at the question. He thought about how to explain it to you. However, Panda overheard you and came over.

"Inumaki's words have cursed energy, forcing those who hear it to listen to him," Panda described, continuing.

"He limits his vocabulary to onigiri ingredients to protect others and himself since it requires a lot of energy."

Once you finished listening, you asked Inumaki,

"Do you like onigiri?"

Inumaki gave you a thumbs-up, and Panda left you both as he heard Maki calling him. To you, onigiri was something you enjoyed a lot.

It reminded you of the days where you were an ordinary student. When hanging out with your few friends, you would buy one of them to snack on. Your mother also made them regularly for your breakfast.

You liked how simple it was to make, along with how tasty it was. Suddenly, a thought came to mind.

"I'll prepare a surprise for you," You grinned, making Inumaki wonder what it was.

You abruptly heard Kugisaki call out your name. You realized you'd rested enough and stood up.

"Look forward to it!" You chuckled, jogging over to where she was.

Despite the loud chattering across the training area, you heard Inumaki softly utter to himself,

"Salmon."

* * * *

Fortunately for you, there was a kitchen at Jujutsu High. You had asked Gojo about it, and he decided to let you use it for the night. The kitchen was spacious though you figured there were probably not many chefs. Cleaning up the tables, you made sure to close the door as to hopefully not disturb anyone.

Right after training for the exchange event, you had gone to a few shops to buy the ingredients for onigiri. After all, you knew best that self-made food usually tasted the best. It had been a while since you had last made onigiri. The last time you remembered was during Spring break. You had to wake up early for your excursion, so you brought some with you along.

Placing all the bought ingredients onto the table, you got to work. You took off your gloves and set them down somewhere clean. After washing the rice, you placed it into the rice cooker.

As soon as you opened the lid, you could feel steam in your face. It was hot, unlike the chilly air that surged the kitchen.

You searched the cabinets for two bowls. Once you found them, you moved the lukewarm rice into it, letting it cool for a while. You set it aside, filling the next bowl with water after you washed your hands.

You dipped the bonito flakes with a bit of soy sauce, careful not to add too much. Afterwards, you salted the salmon cod roe and simmered the kombu seaweed.

Carefully setting the bowl of water next to the rice, you sprinkled rice seasoning onto the warm rice, mixing it evenly. Once you had finished separating the rice equally, you wet your hands and rubbed them with a bit of salt.

For you, this was your favorite part. You could add in any of the ingredients you wanted. During kindergarten, you and your friends had a great time experimenting with this.

Sneaking a glimpse at the portions of rice, you picked one up. Once you made an indent in it, you added in everything you'd prepared along with a bit of pickled plum and tuna mayo. Folding the warm rice over, you continued lightly pressing it into a ball. You let it rest on your palm, squeezing and shaping it into a triangular shape. You occasionally turned it around, making sure it was even.

You took a slice of nori nearby and laid it at the bottom of the onigiri. Next, you folded it upwards to the middle of it. Once you were satisfied, you proceeded to the next portion. At the end of it all, you had made two onigiri's, enough for both you and Inumaki.

You finished cleaning up, leaving nothing dirty. Making onigiri had always been delightful, and this was no different. The sense of joy you'd get from making something you were proud of was incomparable to anything else.

Suddenly, Inumaki's face flashed across your mind, followed by his peculiar language. I should learn his language. You chortled to yourself, imagining him talking to a cashier with "Kombu" or "Salmon".

Placing your work into a container, you brought the leftovers along. As you turned off the kitchen lights, you felt the bright room blink once you locked the kitchen behind you.

You glanced upwards, taking in the refreshing scent of the night. The moon was lucent, surrounded by scattered stars across the sky. They were like salt against the sky as if someone sprinkled them across the dark cloth.

A mellow feeling enveloped you, creeping inside you.

Being a Jujutsu Sorcerer was something you never expected. You never believed in destiny either. Being pulled by strings of fate made you feel inferior to the universe.

But now, you didn't care about such thoughts. You wanted to live in the moment, to let go. What came before didn't matter anymore.

You met new people and friends. You used to overcomplicate problems and tried to solve them alone. But now, it was different. They understood you.

Itadori's face flashed across your mind. That's right.

He wouldn't want you forever mourning over him. His last words were to live long, after all. A smile grew on your face. Maybe being a Jujutsu Sorcerer wasn't too bad either.