Date?

The restaurant was small, tucked away on a side street that most people would walk past without noticing.

Its unassuming exterior gave no hint of the culinary treasures within - precisely why Megumi had suggested it when Eve had proposed dinner as her form of apology.

"How did you even find this place?" Eve asked as they were seated at a corner table, the soft lighting casting gentle shadows across the pristine white tablecloth.

"Research," Megumi replied simply. "I make it a point to locate exceptional food wherever I go."

Eve smiled, a genuine warmth in her expression that momentarily masked the intensity that had concerned him during their last encounter. "I should have guessed. You always seem to know where the best meals are hiding."

It was true. Since arriving in this world, Megumi had methodically cataloged every noteworthy restaurant within a fifty-mile radius.

Food had always been one of his great pleasures - a constant across all his lives. As a young man in his first life, as the King of Curses, and now in this new existence, his appreciation for exquisite flavors remained unchanged.

The waiter approached, a middle-aged man with the quiet confidence of someone who knew his craft well. "May I recommend the chef's tasting menu this evening? Seven courses, each highlighting seasonal ingredients."

"Perfect," Megumi nodded, not bothering to look at the menu. "And a bottle of the Yamazaki single malt."

"Excellent choice, sir," the waiter said, clearly approving. "And for the lady?"

"I'll have the same," Eve replied, watching Megumi with that familiar studying gaze. "I trust his judgment."

Once the waiter departed, Eve leaned forward slightly. "So, whiskey instead of wine? Didn't peg you for a hard liquor guy."

"Japanese whiskey pairs surprisingly well with a variety of cuisines," Megumi explained. "It has complexity without overwhelming the palate."

Eve nodded, absorbing this information with focused attention. "Look, I'm really sorry about the other day," she said, changing subjects with practiced casualness.

"I totally crossed a line. Your past is your business, and I had no right to dig into it like that."

Megumi studied her for a moment. The apology seemed sincere, though he could detect the undercurrent beneath it - her curiosity remained undiminished, merely redirected.

"Apology accepted," he said simply. "We all have boundaries that should be respected."

"Yeah," Eve agreed, her fingers absently tracing patterns on the tablecloth - molecular structures, he realized, watching the subtle pink glow that briefly outlined her fingertips. "Though I hope you know my interest comes from a place of... genuine care."

"I understand," Megumi replied neutrally. "And I appreciate your insights into my abilities. Your perspective has been valuable."

The waiter returned with the whiskey, pouring two glasses with practiced precision. Eve waited until he had departed again before continuing.

"It's more than just science stuff," she admitted, lifting her glass. "Though that's definitely part of it. You're... different, Megumi. In ways that go beyond your powers."

Megumi took a sip of his whiskey, savoring the complex notes of oak and fruit that bloomed across his palate. "We're all unique in our own ways," he deflected gently. "Your molecular manipulation is just as remarkable."

"That's different," Eve countered. "My powers make sense - they follow rules, physics, all that so called boring stuff. Yours..."

She paused, her eyes briefly glowing pink as she studied him at a level beyond normal perception. "Yours break all the rules. They shouldn't even be possible."

The first course arrived - a delicate arrangement of raw fish, each slice treated differently: one lightly seared, another cured, a third marinated in citrus.

Megumi's attention shifted immediately, his appreciation for culinary artistry momentarily overriding all other concerns.

He took a bite of the seared fish, closing his eyes briefly as the flavors registered. "Perfect temperature," he murmured, almost to himself. "The searing enhances the natural oils without cooking the flesh."

Eve watched him with fascination, her own food momentarily forgotten. "You really do love food, don't you? It's one of the few times I see you totally in the moment."

Megumi opened his eyes, realizing he had let his guard down in his appreciation of the dish. "It's a pleasure worth savoring," he acknowledged. "Few things in life are as consistently rewarding as a well-prepared meal."

"What other pleasures do you enjoy?" Eve asked, her tone casual but her eyes intent as she finally tasted her own portion. Her expression shifted to surprise, then appreciation. "Oh wow, that is crazy good."

Megumi considered the question, weighing his usual caution against a more direct approach.

For a moment, the integrated aspects of his nature - the strategic restraint of Megumi, the hedonistic honesty of Sukuna - seemed to reach an unusual consensus.

"Food, certainly," he replied with unexpected directness. "Control. Sex." He paused, then added with a hint of self-reflection, "And more recently, emotional connections."

Eve's fork paused halfway to her mouth, her cheeks flushing visibly in the restaurant's soft lighting.

The blush spread rapidly across her face as she processed his uncharacteristically blunt response. For several seconds, she seemed unable to formulate a reply.

Then, almost imperceptibly, her expression shifted. The embarrassment remained, but it was joined by something else - a possessive, almost dangerous look that darkened her eyes.

"Sex?" she repeated, her voice dropping to ensure the neighboring tables couldn't overhear. "Have you... I mean, have you ever been with anyone? Before I've known you?"

The question carried a weight beyond mere curiosity. Megumi could sense the tension beneath it, the barely restrained intensity of her interest.

He considered his response. He has indeed been with many women - Yorozu certainly being one despite her obsession.

Many times actually, he may not have reciprocated her love, but he was quite possessive of her when he took her.

The Emperor's daughter was one as well - she offered herself in request for him to spare her father after he foolishly declared war on him with the Void generals and the Fujiwara clan.

He remembers in fact taking her with the daughter of the Fujiwara clan head as well at the same time - though if he remembers correctly as well, she tried to assassinate him to which he killed her.

He gave her enough respect for her courage by not eating her body. He burned her with the Sacred Flame as she was quite the decently strong sorcerer.

Though despite what one might believe, he didn't sleep with just any women that caught his fancy because of their beauty.

They needed to at least be worth something to be able to touch his flesh. He had quite the high standards.

He of course knew that he couldn't state all this, but he wasn't one ashamed of his hedonistic life style. He maintained eye contact, his expression neutral despite the intimate nature of the conversation.

"Yes," he said simply. "With a couple of women."

Eve's fingers tightened around her fork, the metal subtly bending as her molecular powers responded unconsciously to her emotional state.

The dangerous look in her eyes intensified briefly before she seemed to remember their public setting. With visible effort, she relaxed her grip and took a careful sip of her whiskey.

"I see," she said, her voice carefully controlled. "That's... interesting."

Megumi noticed the slight tremor in her hand as she returned her glass to the table, the way her eyes darted briefly to the other diners before returning to him with renewed focus.

She was jealous - intensely, possessively jealous - but maintaining her composure through sheer force of will.

"Isn't it?" Megumi replied, deliberately redirecting the conversation back to safer territory. "The chef understands balance - acidity, fat, texture, temperature. All in perfect harmony."

Eve blinked, momentarily disoriented by the shift before realizing he was referring to the food. "Right," she said, her voice steadying as she followed his lead.

"You talk about food the way I talk about molecules. Like it's the most fascinating thing ever."

"Food is honest," Megumi said after a moment. "It either satisfies or it doesn't. There's a purity to that simplicity."

They continued through the early courses in companionable conversation, discussing the dishes, the restaurant's design, the other diners - safe topics that maintained a comfortable distance between personal revelation and casual exchange.

Yet occasionally, Megumi would catch Eve's gaze lingering on him with that same possessive intensity, quickly masked whenever he met her eyes directly.

By the fourth course - a perfectly cooked piece of wagyu beef with a sauce that made

Megumi pause in genuine appreciation - the whiskey had created a pleasant warmth between them, and Eve's posture had relaxed noticeably, though a certain tension remained in her movements.

"You know," she said, cutting a small piece of the beef, "I've been thinking about that quantum destabilizer.

The targeting is extremely tricky. Viltrumite DNA has these weird markers, but making a weapon that only hits those specific bits without messing up everything else is..."

"Complicated," Megumi finished for her.

"Exactly." She took a bite, her eyes briefly closing in appreciation before continuing. "Plus there's Mark to worry about. His mixed-up DNA makes the targeting even harder."

Megumi nodded, pleased by the shift to strategic matters. This was Eve at her best - brilliant, focused, applying her unique perspective to their shared challenge.

"Have you considered a dual-phase approach?" he suggested. "Rather than targeting Viltrumite DNA directly, perhaps focus on the unique way their cells process energy.

Create a weapon that disrupts that process specifically."

Eve's eyes widened slightly. "That's... actually brilliant. Their cellular metabolism is what gives them their super-strength and other capabilities.

If we could mess with that specific pathway..." Her fingers began tracing molecular structures on the tablecloth again, her mind clearly racing with new possibilities.

Megumi allowed himself a small smile. This was the collaboration he valued - her scientific genius complementing his strategic thinking, creating solutions neither would have developed alone.

The fifth course arrived - a palate cleanser of sorbet infused with herbs that made Megumi nod in approval. "The chef understands progression," he commented. "Clearing the palate before the richness to come."

Eve took a spoonful, then paused, studying him again with that penetrating gaze. "You talk like you've been eating fancy meals for decades," she observed. "There's something... old about how you appreciate food. Not like old-fashioned, but... ancient."

The comment was too perceptive for comfort. Megumi took another sip of whiskey, considering his response carefully.

"Some sensibilities transcend time," he said finally. "The appreciation of flavor is one of humanity's oldest pleasures."

Eve's gaze remained fixed on him, her mind clearly cataloging his response against some internal theory. "You know what I find most fascinating about you?" she asked, not waiting for an answer. "It's not just your abilities, fascinating as they are. It's the contradiction you've got going on."

"What contradiction is that?" Megumi asked, genuinely curious about her perception.

"You're here but not here at the same time," she explained, leaning forward slightly. "You're totally present when you taste something amazing - but there's always a part of you that seems... elsewhere. Watching, calculating, remembering."

The accuracy of her observation was unsettling. Megumi maintained his neutral expression, but internally, he reassessed Eve's perceptiveness yet again.

"We all contain multitudes," he replied, deliberately echoing a phrase he'd used before.

"Yeah, but yours seem more... literal," Eve pressed, her curiosity momentarily overriding her earlier promise not to pry. "Like you're not just one person with different sides, but multiple people somehow squished into a single body."

Megumi felt a cold that had nothing to do with the temperature in the restaurant. She was too close to a truth she shouldn't be able to perceive - the reality of his existence as a composite of multiple lives.

"An interesting analysis," he said, keeping his tone light. "But maybe a bit overthinking it. I'm just a man with incredible abilities and a delight for good food."

Eve smiled, but it didn't reach her eyes. "Right. Just like I'm just a science nerd who can play with molecules."

The sixth course arrived - a duck preparation with a sauce so complex that Megumi temporarily forgot his concern over Eve's probing questions.

The first bite drew an involuntary sound of appreciation from him.

"This," he said with unusual emphasis, "is exceptional."

Eve's smile became genuine as she watched his reaction. "I've never seen anyone enjoy food the way you do," she said softly. "It's beautiful to watch. Like seeing someone experience their first sunset or hear their favorite song."

Megumi realized she was studying him again, but this time with a different quality to her attention - less analytical, more... appreciative. Almost reverential.

"Food is one of life's most accessible pleasures," he said after savoring another bite. "Available to everyone, regardless of circumstance. Even in the darkest times, a good meal can remind us of what makes life worth living."

"Is that what it does for you?" Eve asked quietly. "Reminds you why life is worth living?"

The question carried weight beyond its simple phrasing. Megumi looked up from his plate to find Eve watching him with an expression of such intense focus that it momentarily startled him.

"Among other things," he acknowledged carefully.

"What are the other things?" she pressed, her voice still soft but insistent. "What else makes life worth living for you, Megumi Fushiguro? Or should I say... Sukuna?"

He refrained from reiterating what he told her earlier. About the earlier pleasures he mentioned.

"My hero name is a separate identity," he explained smoothly. "A persona I adopt when working with the team."

"Is it?" Eve's head tilted slightly, her eyes never leaving his face. "Sometimes I wonder if it's the other way around. If Megumi is the mask, and Sukuna is who you really are."

"We all wear different faces in different contexts," Megumi replied, deliberately keeping his tone philosophical rather than defensive. "With friends, with colleagues, with enemies. It doesn't make any one of them less real."

Eve considered this, taking a sip of her whiskey. "Fair enough," she conceded, though her expression suggested she wasn't entirely convinced. "But I hope someday you'll trust me enough to show me all your faces. Not just the ones you think I should see."

The statement carried that now-familiar undercurrent of possessive fascination that continued to concern him.

Before he could formulate a response that would neither encourage nor offend, the final course arrived - a dessert of such artistic presentation that even Eve's attention was momentarily diverted.

"Whoa, this is gorgeous," she said, examining the intricate construction of chocolate, fruit, and delicate sugar work. "It's like someone built a tiny edible sculpture."

"The chef understands that we eat first with our eyes," Megumi noted, grateful for the interruption. "Visual appeal enhances flavor perception."

They ate in silence for a few moments, the exceptional quality of the dessert providing a natural focus for their attention.

When Eve spoke again, her tone had shifted back to something more casual.

"Thanks for suggesting this place," she said. "It's been... eye-opening."

"The food is exceptional," Megumi agreed, deliberately focusing on the culinary aspect rather than any deeper meanings she might be implying.

"Not just the food," Eve clarified. "The company. The conversation. I feel like I get you a little better now."

Sukuna doubted that very much. What she understood was a carefully curated version of himself - enough truth to seem authentic, enough omission to protect his deeper secrets.

"I'm glad you enjoyed it," he said simply.

As they finished their meal and waited for the check, Eve's expression grew more serious. "I meant what I said earlier - about my apology. I won't bug you about your past again.

At least, not directly." A small smile played at the corners of her mouth. "But I can't help watching and wondering. It's who I am."

"Meaning?" Megumi asked, though he suspected he already knew.

"Meaning I'll keep studying you, Megumi Fushiguro. Not by asking nosy questions, but by paying attention." She leaned forward slightly. "Like how your eyes light up when you taste something amazing.

Or how you stand differently when you're using your powers. Or how sometimes, just sometimes, you talk like someone who's used to giving orders and having them obeyed."

The check arrived before Megumi could respond. He reached for it automatically, but Eve's hand covered his, her touch light but deliberate.

"This was my apology dinner," she reminded him. "I'm paying."

He acquiesced with a slight nod, withdrawing his hand. Eve handled the payment efficiently, and soon they were stepping out into the cool evening air.

"Need a lift home?" Eve offered, molecular energy already beginning to form a platform beneath her feet.

"I prefer to walk," Megumi declined politely. "The evening air helps clear my mind."

Eve studied him for a moment, then nodded. "Sure thing. Thanks again for tonight." She hesitated, then added, "Maybe we could do this again sometime?

There's this crazy molecular gastronomy place that just opened downtown. I bet you'd love their weird science approach to food."

The invitation was casual on the surface, but Megumi could detect the underlying eagerness in her voice. He considered his response carefully.

Refusing outright might damage their working relationship, which remained essential to their preparations against the Viltrumite threat.

Accepting too enthusiastically might encourage her growing fixation.

"Perhaps," he said noncommittally. "When our schedules allow."

Eve's smile dimmed slightly at his lack of enthusiasm, but she maintained her composure. "Of course. We've all got stuff to do." She rose a few inches on her energy platform, preparing to depart. "Night, Megumi."

"Goodnight, Eve."

He watched as she ascended into the night sky, a pink streak against the darkness. Only when she had disappeared from view did he allow his shoulders to relax slightly.

The evening had been... complicated. Eve's apology seemed genuine, and their collaboration on the quantum destabilizer project had been productive.

But beneath the scientific exchange and culinary appreciation, her fascination with him had remained palpable -redirected, perhaps, but not diminished.

He's begun to notice that she has begun to speak far more informally to him - no longer the complicated word use, he himself uses, or the scientific way of speaking she normally does.

He did not know if that was simply a personal choice moving forward, or whether it has to do with her believing they are closer than they are in reality.

Besides this, his candid admission about his pleasures, particularly regarding his past relationships, had clearly intensified something within her - something possessive and potentially dangerous.

As he began walking toward his apartment, Megumi reflected on the meal itself. The food had been exceptional - among the best he'd found in this new world.

For brief moments, while savoring particularly outstanding dishes, he had allowed himself to be fully present, to experience the simple pleasure of exquisite flavors without strategic calculation or constant vigilance.

Those moments of culinary appreciation had been genuine - a connection to the hedonistic aspects of his nature that had defined him for as his name for centuries. The love of fine food, of sensory pleasure, remained a constant across all his lives.

Perhaps that was why Eve had noticed it so acutely - because in those moments, the integration of his various selves was most complete.

When appreciating exceptional food, he wasn't Megumi pretending to be someone else, or Sukuna hiding behind a facade. He was simply himself, in all his complexity.

The realization was both comforting and concerning. Such moments of authentic presence were rare and valuable, but they also created vulnerabilities - openings through which perceptive observers like Eve could glimpse deeper truths.

Perhaps not the actual truth, as it is too far-fetched for anyone to simply guess, but it may lead to unfavorable theories.

As he continued his walk home through the quiet streets, Megumi made a mental note to be more guarded in the future, even during moments of culinary appreciation.

The stakes were too high, the coming conflict too important, to risk exposing his true nature because of something as simple as an exceptional duck sauce.

Yet even as he resolved to be more careful, a small voice in the back of his mind whispered a contradictory thought: perhaps it was precisely those moments of authentic pleasure, of genuine presence, that made this new life worth living.

Perhaps denying them entirely would be its own form of defeat.

Balancing strategic necessity against the pursuit of pleasure had always been his challenge, across all his incarnations.

Now, with the integration of his various lives, that balance had become even more complex.

But complexity, like the layers of flavor in a well-prepared dish, could be appreciated for its own sake.

And as he walked through the night, Megumi Fushiguro - once Sukuna, once someone else entirely - found himself smiling slightly at the thought of the next exceptional meal he might discover.

Some pleasures, after all, transcended even the greatest of efforts.

--------------------------------

(Author note: Hello everyone! I hope you all liked the chapter!

Do tell me how you found it.

Yeah, Eve as a yandere is perceptive - doesn't mean she'll ever find out the complete truth, but it does mean she'll notice the inconsistencies.

So, do tell what you thought about another snippet of Sukuna's backstory? I kinda hinted at this, since I stated he made the Emperor submit - never stated he killed him, and well, Sukuna is all for killing unless for a particular reason.

A binding vow being one.

Now one may ask then, why didn't Sukuna force himself on them and kill the Emperor instead of well, making the deal with the princess?

Amusement and interest. As stated, he likes them to have capability, to be worthy to be with him in such a meaningful way, and well, to do so, they need to interest him, and show cunning and strategy, power and the like.

These things being broken away with mere force is... tasteless. And Sukuna likes his experiences tasteful.

So yeah, do tell me how you found it and I hope to see you all later,

Bye!)