The Ludicrous Escapade Pt.2

Tummy Ache

Okuyasu started to try and scratch his shoulder through the uniform, "S-Suddenly..." He shrugged his left sleeve off to keep scratching, "I-I'm getting really itchy!" He looked at his hand again, "S-Something slimy is stuck to my fingers!"

You took a good look at his somewhat torn up shoulder and then down at his hand, "I-I think that's skin."

Tonio nodded, "Correct. It's all dead skin. That's proof that your metabolism has improved and blood is circulating well. The calcium, vitamins, and minerals in the antipasto that you just ate have stimulated the thyroid gland in your throat that controls your metabolism. All of your bad cells are coming out as dead skin. Keep scratching, and get all of the dead skin off."

You took a step away from the scene for a moment as dead skin was being flung everywhere. Josuke decided to gather it all up for some reason, "Okuyasu! Stop scratching! It's as big as a softball now! You're starting to dig at the muscle in your shoulder!"

"N-No! You're wrong, Josuke!" He flung his uniform jacket off entirely as he stretched his arms behind his back, "It's light! My shoulder feels so stupidly light! Like there's a balloon there now!" He had his elbows point in different directions as his hands met around his shoulder blades, "It's made me more flexible, too! I've never been able to do this before!"

Tonio took the ball of dead skin and placed it on his now empty tray, "Now, if you'll excuse me for a bit. I have to make sure the pasta boils properly." With that he headed back to the kitchen.

Okuyasu watched him leave in awe, "Holy crap! That Chef Tonio guy is a genius!"

Josuke whispered to you as you sat back down, "Hey, don't you think there's something suspicious about him?"

You thought for a moment, "Sure, the things that have happened to Okuyasu are a bit odd, but so far they've only had beneficial affects on him. So stop being so paranoid, I'm sure it's all fine."

Tonio walked back in with two new dishes in hand that he placed in front of Okuyasu and you, "Let's continue with the meal. Next is the primo piatto. This will be your pasta course. I call yours, Signore, Harlot Spaghetti!"

The Nijimura twirled a few pieces around the prongs of his fork, "Are there red peppers in this spaghetti?"

"Yes, there are. The harlot's use a sauce that is one of the oldest in Italian cuisine. It was born in my hometown of Naples. That is why I recommend this dish. And your dish, Signorina, is Spaghetti al Nero de Sepia."

Okuyasu stared at his fork with a scared expression, "Oh, well... I can't eat spicy things. I can't even eat curry rice unless its Vermont Curry's mild flavor with the honey and apples. I can't eat sushi with wasabi in it either." His tongue barely touched the pasta before he recoiled in pain, "I can't! It's super spicy!" He quickly grabbed his glass of water and gulped it down.

Josuke just glared at the forkful of food, "If you can't eat spicy food, Okuyasu, then don't eat it."

You scooted your plate a bit closer to his, "If the spiciness is too much for you we can switch dishes, if you'd like."

Okuyasu shook his head in disgust, "No thanks, yours looks like it was dipped in oil or something."

You laughed as you twirled some around your fork, "No, it's actually really good. It's just black because of the squid ink. You know, I actually had this Italian friend named Caesar. I was eating this same dish when I saw him the first time. He was pretty rash back then and now he's..." Your smile faded and you went silent, a lump forming in your throat. You tried to distract yourself by eating a bite of the pasta. Sure, it tasted amazing, but it really didn't seem to help.