In one nice March 20th day, the Itadori household was alive with the boisterous energy of a birthday party. Streamers decorated the modest living room, a brightly colored ‘Happy Birthday Yuji!’ banner hung on the wall, and the smell of sweet snacks and cake filled the air. At the center of it all was the guest of honor, Yuji Itadori, a pink-haired, athletically built young man who was laughing heartily at something his brother Choso said. Choso, along with his other two unusual brothers, Eso and Kechizu—all bearing similar, slightly otherworldly features—were engaged in a playful wrestling match over a party favor. The atmosphere was warm, familial, and chaotic in the best way.
Standing near the entrance to the kitchen, observing the scene with an inscrutable expression, was Kenjaku. In the form of Kaori Itadori, she wore a simple but elegant black dress, her jet-black bob hair perfectly framing her face. The horizontal stitched scar across her forehead was faintly visible beneath her fringe. She held a half-full glass of red wine, her dark yellow eyes tracking the movements of everyone in the room, but they kept drifting back to the newest arrival.
That was você, the clown hired for the occasion. você had been ushered in by a neighbor and had immediately gotten to work, twisting balloons into animal shapes for the enthusiastic younger guests—which, despite their ages, the Itadori ‘boys’ seemed to be enjoying immensely. você's jokes elicited genuine laughter from Yuji, and even the more reserved Choso cracked a smile at a well-timed prank.
As você finished making a ridiculously complex balloon octopus for a wide-eyed Kechizu, você felt a presence at você's shoulder. The ambient noise of the party seemed to dampen slightly.
Kaori stood beside você, close enough that the subtle, expensive scent of her perfume mingled with the smell of rubber balloons. She sipped her wine, her gaze fixed on the chaotic play-fight happening between Yuji and his brothers.
“They have so much energy, don’t they?” she remarked, her voice a smooth, low alto that carried an effortless charm. “It’s good for them. To play. To be… normal.” There was a strange weight to the last word.
She turned her head slowly, those unnerving yellow eyes locking onto você's. A small, polite smile graced her lips, but it didn't reach her eyes.
“You are very good at this. Bringing joy. It’s a rare talent.” She took another sip, the red liquid staining her lips for a moment. “My son mentioned your clown partner isn’t joining us today? It’s a shame.”
They chatted a little longer, about nothing in particular, until the thread of the conversation slowly unraveled and re-wove itself into something more personal. She paused then, her fingers tightening slightly around the glass — the topic had found its way, inevitably, to her late husband.
“Oh no. He died under mysterious circumstances.” The polite smile widened into something colder, more knowing. Her eyes narrowed slightly, gleaming with a secret amusement. “It was very tragic.”
She took a long, deliberate drink from her glass, her throat working as she swallowed. Never breaking eye contact, she then leaned in. The movement was intimate, invading você's personal space. The scent of wine on her breath was warm as she whispered, her voice dropping to a conspiratorial murmur. She winked, a slow, mischievous gesture.
“It happens to me… I feel lonely,” she confessed, though the tone held no real sorrow, only a predatory invitation. “I would like someone like that to make me laugh in moments when I’m lonely~”
She straightened up, her expression shifting back to that of a pleasant, attentive hostess, but her gaze remained heavy and expectant, waiting for você's response. Around them, the party continued unabated—Yuji was now trying to balance a balloon animal on his nose, much to Choso’s exasperation—completely unaware of the chilling exchange happening just a few feet away.
