Chapter 113 – The Color Gray
Life is just crap; you never know whether the surprises or accidents come first.
…
“Yuuji-kun, try this.”
Yoshino Nao picked up a slice of fatty beef and put it in Itadori Yuuji’s bowl.
“Thanks, Auntie!” Itadori Yuuji thanked her before dipping the perfectly cooked, light gray fatty beef strips into the sesame sauce and putting them in his mouth.
The deliciousness of the beef was fully presented after being dipped in the hot pot and with the sesame fragrance bursting on his tongue, the tender yet chewy texture lingered in his mouth.
“It’s so good! Auntie, your cooking is really great!” Itadori Yuuji said contentedly.
“Hmm, even though it’s just hot pot, the technique for slicing meat is quite an art,” Yoshino Nao said proudly with a smile.
They chatted animatedly, and in high spirits, Yoshino Nao opened several cans of beer. The beautiful face on her, influenced by alcohol and the atmosphere, revealed two streaks of red clouds.
Yoshino Junpei sat by watching Itadori Yuuji make his mother laugh joyfully while he drank his cola.
Classmate Itadori has such strong social skills!
He had always thought so, but now Yoshino Junpei couldn’t help but admire him from the bottom of his heart.
It felt like such a long time since he last saw his mother so happy.
“Mom, don’t drink too much,” he advised, although he knew it was futile.
“No worries, I’m happy today!”
Yoshino Nao waved her hand offhandedly, but her actions to pour more alcohol did not slow down.
Steam continuously rose from the hot pot, blurring their vision in the lights. Yoshino Junpei blinked, and a faint smile involuntarily appeared on his lips, mixing in with their laughter.
After dinner, Yoshino Nao fell asleep heavily, lying on the table.
Yoshino Junpei took out a thin blanket from the room and gently draped it over his mother’s shoulders.
“Junpei… made friends… Mom is happy…” A barely audible murmur entered his ear, subtly tugging at his heartstrings.
“It’s really nice that Junpei’s mom is so kind,” Itadori Yuuji remarked.
“Hmm.” Yoshino Junpei nodded gently. “When I bullied him and told my mom that I didn’t want to go to school, she didn’t hesitate and said school is just a sink, and outside lies another, bigger world. Just do what you like.”
“I’m very grateful to her,” Yoshino Junpei said with a smile. “What kind of person is Itadori’s mom?”
“Well, I haven’t met my own mother, but I’ve seen my dad… I’ve grown up under my grandpa’s care,” replied Itadori Yuuji, scratching his cheek.
“Oh, I’m sorry, bringing up hard times.”
“No, no, it doesn’t matter anymore.”
“What movie do you want to watch?”
“All kinds, I’ve already seen the worst.”
…
The school bully disappeared, and the Yaga Club he and his comrades set up could start anew. He would be back to his daily routine, and to top it all, he made a rare friend like Itadori Yuuji.
Long dark days started regaining color once more; even the sunrise seemed to taste with happiness.
Deciding to head back to school next week, Yoshino Junpei planned to use the remaining days this week to find his lost happiness.
He woke up early, took a bath, dressed in sportswear, and hit the streets to jog around the area.
This was his first morning run; occasionally, change wouldn’t be bad.
Yesterday, hearing about his friend Yuuji beating a school student harasser, he grew envious of Yuuji’s strong physique and intended to work towards becoming stronger.
“There’s Yoshino Junpei, isn’t this the lad from the neighboring house? Looks like you’ve taken up exercising as well,” an elderly neighbor greeted him warmly.
He was encountering kindness he had never experienced before.
Seeming that when one decided to change, everything around them changed to good.
After finishing his morning jog, home, he took a shower and got ready, prepared breakfast for himself and his still-sleeping mother, then ate while watching a favorite film.
He enjoyed悠闲的生活直到中午，但依旧不见吉野凪起来。即使是喝多了，平时这个时候早就醒了。
吉野顺平瞥了一眼餐桌上没动的早餐，放下书本，起身走进吉野凪的房间，准备叫她起来。
他推开房门，发现短发的女人平静地躺在床上，被子叠得整整齐齐。吉野顺平轻声嘀咕：“是不是睡得太沉了？连被子都没踢掉，真少见。”
他走到床边，无奈地喊道：“妈妈，都已经中午了，该起床了。”
“妈妈？”
几声呼唤没有回应，他皱起眉头，伸手掀开了被子。
紧接着，整个人呆立在那里。
“……妈妈？”
颤抖的声音从他口中吐出，他的瞳孔里映射出吉野凪平静的面容，她仿佛只是因为宿醉而晚起。
如果忽略她惨白的脸色以及下半身原本的位置上铺满的冰袋的话。
疑虑、无助、恐惧、绝望，各种负面情绪如潮水般涌来，一下子将他笼罩，卷入深海之中，光线褪去，压力与窒息随之袭来。
“为什么……”
双腿无力，身躯瘫坐在地上。
“……发生了什么？”
为什么……妈妈会死？
然而，没有任何人能解答这些问题，只能听到自己心脏的砰砰声在耳畔回响。
慢慢的，甚至连心跳声也渐渐消失。
不知道过了多久，心跳声终归平静，吉野顺平发现母亲的手上似乎还抱着什么东西，爬过去看到是一截已经变成死灰的手指。
“……这什么意思？”
他拿着手指，猛然想起昨天雪之下雪乃的叮嘱，立刻冲到客厅，拿手机拨通了伊地知洁高的电话。
挂断电话，吉野顺平茫然地放下手机，想再去看吉野凪一眼，整个人却软弱无力瘫坐在沙发上，连起身都困难起来。
“呀，顺平，我来瞧瞧你了。”
这时，耳边传来熟悉温柔的声音。
吉野顺平下意识顺着声音看去，映入眼帘的是一张有着几条缝合线的脸庞。
这一刹那脑海里响起无数声音。
“顺平，开饭了。”
“顺平！你脸上的伤是怎么回事！？”
“好啦好啦，妈妈答应你以后不再在你面前抽烟了。”
“顺平……”
母亲的脸孔在他脑中不断闪过，最后定格在下水道的一幕。
“顺平，你是不是对死人习以为常了？”真人好奇地问道。
“不知道。”吉野顺平把手中最小化的尸块递回给他。
“要是那个人是我妈妈，我可能会惶恐混乱，甚至憎恨你……然而，我明白人性的丑陋，所以不对他人有太多期望，面对别人的死亡也无动于衷，冷漠才是应有的态度。”
……
他的瞳孔逐渐缩小，映照客厅真人的温和笑容，犹如针刺般的目光直射向他。
“怎么了，顺平？”真人眉带着关切的微笑，“你的脸色不太好，发生什么事了？”
“是你干的，对吗？”吉野顺平声音嘶哑地质问。
“哦？”
真人脸上温和的笑容消失了，取而代之的是一脸意味深长且带着嘲讽的轻笑。
…
After school, then become a Jujutsu sorcerer:
