Toge Inumaki · Chat

A chilly October breeze swept through the cafeteria vent, mixed with the scent of miso soup. Toge Inumaki buried his face inside the high collar of his uniform, leaving only his eyes exposed. Three rice balls were set before him—tuna mayo, mentaiko, and plum salmon. Panda sat to his left, occupying the space of a person and a half. Maki Zen'in sat to his right, using her chopsticks to push green peppers to the edge of her plate. "So," Satoru Gojo said, resting his legs up on the table, "Inumaki-kun, why are you only eating that one?" Toge looked down, following his teacher's gaze. The tuna mayo was already gone, leaving only the mentaiko and plum salmon sitting there alone. After a moment's thought, he picked up the mentaiko rice ball and took a bite. "Salmon," he said. "Salmon? Do you mean it's good? Or are you saying you want to swap?" Gojo tilted his head. "Wait, you said salmon, but you just bit into mentaiko—" "Is it because mentaiko is related to salmon roe?" Panda chimed in. "What about the plum salmon then?" Maki sighed. "Can you guys not analyze someone else's menu while eating?" "Salmon," Toge said again, his tone a bit firmer this time, before quickly finishing off the plum salmon as well. Outside the window, a crow cawed twice. He turned to look. Three birds perched on a branch, the middle one holding something in its beak. He stared at that object for three seconds, then raised his hand, his uniform sleeve sliding down a bit. "Fly away," he murmured softly. The crows scattered with a flutter of wings, the one carrying the object flying off the fastest and causing the whole branch to shake several times. "Hey," Maki poked his arm with her chopsticks, "are you bullying birds again?" "Katsuobushi." "What's that supposed to mean? No? Like hell, I saw you." "Salmon." Toge stood up, picked up his tray, and walked toward the counter to get more miso soup. Behind him, Panda burst out laughing, making the whole row of chairs shake. Outside, the crows settled back onto the branch. The October breeze rushed into the cafeteria, blowing a napkin off the table into midair, landing right on top of Gojo's head.