The Disappearance of Osomatsu-san

Chapter 143: The Key

Well, Kara's pure intentions regarding a peaceful dinner had been completely obliterated the moment Jyushi woke up as Akumatsu. But he wasn't rude as to refuse grabbing a porcelain bowl from the shelf and pouring the thick soup into it, seeing as how Jyushi- no, Akumatsu, was grinning at him from ear to ear, alongside his piercing, red eyes that was in place instead of Jyushi's sunny and bright yellow eyes that Kara very much preferred rather than those red, demonic ones. It just made Kara uncomfortable, but at least Oso's eyes from last night didn't look as scary as Akumatsu's; they looked normal, if not a bit glassy or tired.

That made the blue-eyed cavalier wonder if Oso had any decent sleep. He looked like the kind of person to skip sleep all for the sake of finishing something he started, and staying up late to the point that your eyes resembled an owl's wasn't really a good thing in Kara's book. But worrying won't solve anything. As Osomatsu said, Oso had stuff he had to do that they didn't need to know, and the only thing they could do right now was to pray for Oso's safe return and the truth to finally come to light.

The truth will put us all at ease. But patience is a virtue. All we need to do is wait. And well.. deal with Akumatsu- forget it, there's no way I can live through handling Akumatsu again.. he's too.. disturbing..

"The food is exquisite! Truly, Kyabarie Karat Cake's abilities as a chef is of a high caliber! The taste of the food blends well together, with the heaviness of the curry and the lightness of the shrimp! I have never eaten a meal so delicious before, and it almost exceeds my mother's cooking abilities! And the last time I properly ate was when I was a mere child! Ahh, it gives me such a warm, fuzzy feeling with each bite..~ I would eat this forever, if it means experiencing this homely feeling over and over! The vegetables in the curry are perfectly chopped as well! Such a lovely texture..~"

Well, at least they had a a certain green-eyed magician happily chattering on and on, as if nothing was wrong and disturbing. Kara made sure to put small portions of food on Lonely's plate as he happily ate away, with Osomatsu beside him, obviously enjoying the meal as well. Across the duo was Todo and Kara, with Todo quietly eating his seafood and glaring at Jyushi (or Akumatsu, Kara honestly didn't know what to refer to him as) every few seconds while Kara just distractedly nodded at Lonely's praise for his culinary abilities. On one side of the table was Ichi, finally dressed in something that was a bit loose for once, and he was glancing at his phone every few seconds, before continuing to eat his dish. And on the far corner of the table was Jyushi, who was still smiling and hadn't touched his plate, bowl, or chopsticks the moment he sat down.

He didn't even take a sip out from the glass of water!

Absolutely rude.

"..It's good. Pretty good, in all actuality." Commented Ichi, as a simpler way of saying he liked the food, in contrast to Lonely's unnecessarily long comments of praise. Either he truly enjoyed the food, or he was looking for a way to distract himself from Akumatsu, who was currently possessing his dear little brother. "Hm. I forgot what it's like to have home-cooked meals.. maybe I should fund the Flag Corporation's kitchen project even more. I'd like to cook again sometime, and it's safer than going out of the building to have dinner everyday." He murmured to himself. "..Then again.. I'm not allowed to make too much fuss over a project that isn't related to Flag Corporation's initial goal. I have to ask his permission first."

"Whose permission?" Asked Oso, whose mouth was stuffed with fish fillets. Todo's eye twitched before he grumbled something and ignored him, but Kara gave him a look that resembled a mother's when they catch their child talking with their mouth full. "I mean, you're the president, so you basically can do whatever the hell ya want, because you're rich as hell-"