"GIMMIE A SHOYU!"
"S-Sir! P-Please wait a minute! I'll get to your table soon!
"HEY! Waitress! You gave me the wrong drink!"
"S-Sorry!"
"Hey! Idiot! I've got a tonkatsu that should've been with the customer ten minutes ago!"
"I-I'm moving as fast as I can!"
Kobeni Higashiyama tried, and failed, not to cry as she ran to and fro within the ramen restaurant.
While one would think that working at a ramen shop was a step up from working at a fast-food restaurant… they were dead wrong. The pay sucked, her boss sucked, her coworkers sucked, the customers sucked, and the ramen itself sucked.
But that wasn't any different from her other previous job as a Public Safety Devil Hunter.
While the pay as a Devil Hunter was great, it was not worth the stress and close shaves with death that Kobeni had to face on a daily basis. Not only that, but her parents took out most of her pay to fund her brother's college education. An education they thought she didn't deserve.
But considering the other choice was prostitution in terms of career options, she had thought that being a Devil Hunter was better.
She had been wrong.
Dead wrong!
Kobeni never got overtime, most of her lunches were eaten by someone else with the most likely suspect being Power, what few friends she made all died, and she had gone to Hell!
Literal Hell!
So she had quit, and began working at a family restaurant. And she had thought that was a step up until she found out why people hated working in the industry.
Then, because God thought she had been getting off too easy, she had gone on a date out of Hell with most of her asshole coworkers dying around her. She even had to get a perfect score on Dance-Dance Revolution or her 'date' would kill her.
After which her old boss, who turned out to be a Devil, tried to kill her!
Kobeni let out a long suffering sigh as she put some dirty dishes she had gathered into a sink and stretched.
To be honest, being on the run from Makima had to have been the best thing that had happened to her. She had finally gotten away from her parents and no one expected her to do anything. It was… liberating, to say the least.
But like all the good moments in her life, it was fleeting. Her old co-workers Denji and Kishibe went off to 'take care' of Makima and left her.
For two whole months.
Without saying a damn thing!
She had to live out like a homeless bum for two whole damn months before she found out on her own that Makima wasn't gunning after her anymore and she didn't have to hide!
"Those jerks forgot about me!"
Kobeni could do little more than just chalk it up to the universe fucking with her some more and just picked up where she left off. She didn't return to her apartment out of fear for her parents scoping the place out to ask for money. While her younger sister was okay and she didn't dislike her brother, she couldn't afford calling them because they would likely tell Mom and Dad. So she used what little funds she had gotten begging on the streets to rent a place before looking around in the local dump to find the stuff from her old place that the landlord threw out.
"HIGASHIYAMA! Get your head out of your ass and get back to work!"
She winced. "Right, sir!" She picked up two bowls of ramen and tried not to cry from the stress.
Kobeni had gotten this job mostly because the boss paid her under the table and didn't ask for any identification papers or work history.
And honestly? Compared to her old jobs? This was marginally better.
She had noticed a pattern. On certain days when a brown-haired boy entered and got ramen she got a bit extra from her boss, the men wouldn't leer at her or anything, and she'd even get complimented for being a hard worker!
Unfortunately, today was not one of those days.
"BECAUSE CHAINSAW MAN'S TAKING YOU DOWN!"
That familiar voice made Kobeni freeze up, then trip over her own feet, and come crashing down face-first while the ramen flew forward and hit one of the customers square in the face.
"GAAH! YOU STUPID BITCH!"
"S-Sorry!" She wailed and looked up to the television to see… "Denji?!"
Her old co-worker Denji, Chainsaw Man, was on the television. She knew why, because she had been listening to the news. He had been chosen as the opponent against the Oni race in a game of tag with the fate of the world on the line.
But never in a million years had she imagined he would…
"I wan't fIve, no, TEN girlfriends! I WANT TO HAVE TONS OF SEX!"
…Okay, no she could imagine in. It sounded stupid enough.
Her boss' disparaging comments and shouts went through one ear and out the other as she stated at the TV.
"God, Denji. You really haven't changed."
The entire stadium went completely quiet when they heard Denji's declaration from the various microphones placed inside the field.
What the boy had said was shocking.
Why wouldn't it be?
He had just declared himself to be Chainsaw Man. The mysterious and hyperviolent hero that fought against the Devils!
No one knew who Chainsaw Man was. There were only certain facts that floated up the grapevine. One was that he was a member of the Bureau of Public Safety, a government sanctioned Devil Hunter. But there were also reports that Chainsaw Man had fought Devil Hunters from Public Safety. Some said that he was a former soldier that found himself in Hell, until hell spat him out and he was now taking his bloody revenge on all Devil kind. Some said he was an alien, but when the Oni came around that rumor started to die off.
One rumor that had gained some traction was that Chainsaw Man was a high school student.
Kishibe stared down at Denji, not saying a thing. Slowly and deliberately, he reached into his jacket pocket and took out a flask. Uncapping it, he took a sip of its contents before he muttered, "I'm going to kill that kid."
It came out as easily as if the man had observed that it was going to rain.
The two government workers that were sitting on both sides of him slowly got up and decided that now was a good time to take a leak.
Sitting in a small section of the stadium reserved for students and faculty of Fourth East High School, one Ryuunosuke Fujinami noticed that her classmate Yoshida's face was frozen in a toothy grin. "Uh… Yoshida-san?" She asked and glanced down to see the boy's hands were gripping the armrests of his seat hard. "Are you okay?"
She tried not to flinch when she saw cracks begin to form in the cheap plastic.
Slowly, almost robotically, Yoshida's grinning face turned to her. And Ryuunosuke saw the fires of pure rage burning in his pupils. "I'm going to kill that idiot." He hissed out through his clenched teeth.
And if those two men had known they were on the same mental wavelength as one Shinobu Miyake and vice-versa, they all would've agreed to take turns.
"Uh, Shinobu-chan?" Ataru was shivering as he turned to his girlfriend, who was staring calmly at the television. "A-Are you alright?"
He knew that when Shinobu got angry, vengence was swift and terrible. The girl was more than willing to throw down with anyone that pissed her off, especially if they tried her patience. Ataru learned that the hard way when she decided 'screw it' after the fifth polite but firm request for him to stop chasing other women.
He was damn lucky his skull didn't crack open from the desk.
So seeing Shinobu not getting up and screaming terrified the fuck out of him.
"I'm going to kill him." The brown-haired girl said simply before picking up her chair and walking to the door.
"No you won't." Nayuta shot back while continuing to watch the TV, where Lum was blinking in confusion at Denji's declaration.
Shinobu gave the girl a beatific smile. "I can try."
"Shinobu-chan, come on! Please calm down! K-Kishibe-san already said that we wouldn't get in trouble if Denji…!" He let out a yelp when the black pits that were now Shinobu's eyes turned to him.
His girlfriend smiled, went through the door, and shut it behind her.
Ataru's knees were still shaking and his heart was thumping rapidly in his chest.
God, he was actually happy that Shinobu never got that angry with him.
"Can you get me some popcorn, please?" The black-haired girl asked, and Ataru gave a half-mad laugh.
"G-Give me a minute…"
"Sorry, bro." The Moroboshi heir looked up and could almost see Denji's stupid grinning face. "I promise to give a touching eulogy at your funeral!"
He wiped away a tear for his soon-to-be fallen comrade.
Denji felt smug.
It was a deep feeling that rose up from his chest, something that made his face muscles lock into a self-satisfied smile while he closed his eyes. He was still in his awesome pose, pointing at the alien chick who was struck dumb by the revelation.
Why wouldn't she be?
He had said it!
He had finally told the world that he was Chainsaw Man!
There was no better stage for it. All eyes were on him. Everyone was listening to him, hanging on each and every word of the Hero of Humanity.
Now they knew that Denji, the Chainsaw Man fanboy, was actually Chainsaw Man!
"That makes me double the hero I already am!"
Sure, Master was probably pissed, he'd have to deal with that Yoshida guy, and Ataru's bitch of a girlfriend was probably going to try to beat the snot out of him, but that was a problem for later! He'd always been more of a 'now' guy. And right now, everyone was still reeling from the revelation. Soon, just like in his dreams, one person would begin clapping. Then, more people would clap and everyone would erupt into applause!
He could hear them now…
"CHAINSAW! DENJI! CHAINSAW! DENJI! CHAINSAW DENJI MAN!!"
"God, Denji! I never knew! Please be my friend and take all my money!"
"We cannot thank you enough, Denji!"
"We love you Denji!"
"Monsiuer Denji! Let us reward you with this hearty non-meat meal prepared by ze finest chiefs in ze world!"
"Kiss me, you sexy devil you!"
"ARE YOU SERIOUS?!"
Okay, that last one didn't come from his head. Opening his eyes Denji looked around and saw that everyone wasn't happy. There were no tears or smiles.
There were just the faces of people who were either exasperated, like the face he'd seen Aki make more than a few times, or completely pissed like Aki was even more times. A couple were even laughing and pointing at him.
He heard their screams.
"What the hell are you talking about?!"
"Chainsaw Man?! You?! Get real kid!"
"GODDAMN LIAR!"
"Chainsaw Man wouldn't be an idiot and blurt out his secret identity!"
"What?! Was being the Savior of Humanity not enough for you?!"
"I bet you were trying to score points with some chicks!"
"Oh lay off him, maybe he'd doing a bet!"
"LOSER!"
"What… WHAT THE HELL?!" Denji screamed and looked around. "I'm not lying! I am Chainsaw Man!"
He didn't understand! He had no reason to lie! What was so unbelievable about him revealing his identity when facing off against the alien menace? Wasn't that, like, superhero 101?
Did the movies lie?!
"As you can see…" His ears picked up the voice of the reporter lady from yesterday. "It appears that Denji's mind has snapped from the stress! He is now babbling nonsense out of fear when facing off against the Alien Princess and…"
"HEY! Fuck you!" Denji flipped the reporter off and she waved her hand, possibly to block the gesture from view. "I'm not crazy! I am Chainsaw Man!"
But despite his declaration, he couldn't help but feel his cheeks burn from embarrassment. "Damn it… this isn't supposed to be how it goes!"
In his head,, he'd thought over how this would play out. He'd reveal his identity, everyone would be shocked, and then they would fall over themselves to thank him. He'd never lie about something like this, so they wouldn't doubt him even for a second. They'd accept him with open arms and… and…!
"Why'd you do it?" Denji looked over to Lum, who was raising an eyebrow at him quizzically. "Just shout how you are Chainsaw Man and whatever?"
He didn't even try to hide his sulking. He put his hands into his pockets and kicked the ground. "What the hell do you care? You don't even know who Chainsaw Man is, right? I heard it from your dad."
The alien girl shrugged and nodded. "Yeah, you're right. I don't. But it looked like you cared, so…"
Despite himself, Denji let out a sigh. "I dunno. I guessed that they'd see how awesome it was for their hero to be here…" God, now he felt like an idiot. He didn't even transform! Of course no one would believe him if he didn't transform! But this was supposed to be a game of tag, and killing the princess was probably a no-go. "It was a stupid idea."
"Yeah, kind of." Lum giggled when he glared at her. "I mean, I don't care! Denji… Chainsaw Man… it doesn't matter if you're two different people or one and the same! You're my opponent in this game." The alien Oni smiled at him. "And all that matters is if you can make this fun or not, and so far you're off to a great start!"
"Okay. This is… kind of weird." A part of him still felt insulted that the Onis didn't seem to get the awesomeness that was Chainsaw Man, but this cute alien girl all but said she found him fun. Him! "She sees me as me… isn't that kind of what I wanted? Maybe? God, this is confusing…" Still, despite his confusion, a part of him felt happy. Coughing and ignoring the food and crap that was being thrown in the arena, Denji stood tall. "Alright… but don't expect me to go easy on you just because this is a game of tag!" He grinned and opened and closed his palms. "I'm gonna grab those horns… I'm going to win this! I, Chainsaw Man…"
"YOU'RE NOT CHAINSAW MAN!"
He flipped that guy off.
"NEVER LOSE!" He finished, and Lum grinned back at him.
She stuck out her tongue and said, "Then just try and cat-!"
"DENJI!" Shinobu's voice rang out, and with a groan the blond turned his head just in time for a small section of the stadium to explore in a cloud of debris and human body parts. People were screaming and crawling over each other to flee as a massive shadow was outlined by the slowly disappearing smoke.
"You Oni… are a disgrace!"
That rough, inhuman voice could only belong to one thing.
A Devil.
Denji blinked and then grinned.
An awesome idea had just popped into his head!
"What is going on?!" The blond Devil Hunter looked up and his mouth dropped.
Floating over him, looking more annoyed than anything, was Lum Invader.
Gliding through the air like a bird. Like Superman in that old movie, except without it looking like she was lying on an invisible table or hanging from wires.
"WHAT THE FUCK?! SHE CAN FLY?!"
Shinobu had a very simple plan when it came to murdering Denji for his stupidity.
She would take this chair, jump into the arena, run up to him, and crack it over his head while he was grinning like an idiot to that barely dressed alien princess.
Very quick. Very efficient. And it would likely result in her getting a reduced sentence since she did Kishibe's work for him.
"He said he wouldn't do anything if Denji revealed his identity… yeah, like I would believe that!"
Kishibe was a scary government man who seemed to be the only person that Denji, who killed horrible Devils as Chainsaw Man, respected and who even the Oni were wary of. His expressions never changed and nothing seemed to phase him. He had promised to kill her and Ataru if they blabbed as if they were just another thing to add to his todo list!
He could easily lie just to give them a false sense of security!
"Would probably just wait a few days and give us a false sense of security before nabbing us on the way to school to finish us!" Shinobu grit her teeth in anger. "God damn it, Denji! Couldn't you have kept your mouth shut?!"
She hadn't really known Denji until yesterday. Before then he was the weird pervert in their class who would do anything for money. One of his favorite little 'operations' was to have girls and only girls sit on him for ten minutes for a hundred yen. She had seen him do it too! Just letting one of the girls sit on him and talk about the day with their friends as if he wasn't there! She couldn't even call him a negative influence on Ataru, since he had always been a womanizer way before Denji was enrolled.
The only thing Ataru got from his relationship with Denji was someone to trade porn with. Porn which she made sure to rip up if it was discovered in Ataru's room because he hadn't closed his closet properly or he tripped and ripped up a piece of the rug to reveal his hiding spot.
Shinobu hadn't even had much of a positive feelings about Chainsaw Man either. She could at least admire Devil Hunters, and even the members of the Devil Hunter Club in her school. They fought tooth and nail to kill the monsters that attacked innocent people and saved lives. Chainsaw Man did that… but only kind of. His battles with Devils were extremely violent, resulting in destroyed buildings and tons of civilians being killed in the crossfire, and only seemed to go out of his way to save women! But only those that someone like Ataru would call hot or cute.
She had expected Chainsaw Man to be this cold but secretly perverted superhero who didn't give a damn about anything other than killing Devils and getting laid.
"What I didn't expect was… Denji!"
The light of the stadium was growing in brightness and she could already hear the boos and denials from the other attendees. But those wouldn't last long. She may not have know Denji for long, but that idiot was probably already planning to transform to prove that he was Chainsaw Man!
Which meant she didn't have time, and she began to jog with the chair still held in her hands.
Denji, by his own admission, was doing this for fame and attention. That was all there was to it. He thought he had it all figured out, that his grand reveal wouldn't hurt anyone, but that was only because he was an idiot! Didn't he realize that if he revealed his identity to the world, Nayuta along with them and the rest of the school would be thrust into danger?!
"No! He probably doesn't even care!"
And with that the hot anger bust from her heart just as she ran into the grassy stadium. She could already see the blond idiot talking with Lum Invader about something, and thankfully leaving the back of his head completely exposed. "DENJI!"
That was as far as she got before the section of the stadium to her right exploded.
Shinobu cried out as she dove to her left and rolled on the ground. She could already hear the pelting of concrete and something wet smack against the ground to her right. Opening her eyes she tried not to scream when a hazel human eye stared at her.
"You Oni… are a disgrace!"
She looked up and gaped at the thing that was in front of her.
It looked like a human male, but with blood red skin and an eight foot height that was in no way human. He had a bushy unkempt beard and wild black hair that had bits of twigs and dust stuck in it, but it was matted with something wet. His teeth were bare with canine teeth on the upper jaw that stretched and curled as if they were scythes. Its nails were long and sharp, blackened from dirt and some other substance she couldn't recognize…
…No, no she could. She could guess just from the things it was holding.
In its left hand was a jug of alcohol, that it lazily lifted over its head and crushed. Shinobu could faintly hear a scream and a gurgle and she watched as sake mixed with blood was emptied into the gaping maw.
In its left hand was a Kanobo made of bone. A bunch of different bones bound together with string and bits of metal, forming a club that had pieces of rib from men and small ones she could only assume were from children making the spikes. The pommel itself was the upper half of a skull.
It wore no clothes save for a loincloth, but it was one made of human faces. Men and women, all eyeless and toothless of varying ages all seeming to let out wordless screams as it flapped in the wind.
Finally, just like the Oni aliens that had descended to the Earth just yesterday, two massive horns sprung from the sides of its skull. Yellow with a white substance leaking out from the flesh they protrude out of.
A name came to Shinobu's head at that moment.
"Oni Devil."
"To think this is what an Oni is reduced to… playing games with humans rather than inspiring fear! Making humans think of Oni as mere overgrown children rather than the beings that made their ancestors quiver in their beds!" The Devil grunted and threw away the can, the top popping off and allowing the wretched thing that was once a human tumble out onto the ground.
She could not help it.
She let out a scream.
The Oni Devil turned its head and its golden eyes glittered in amusement and hunger. It lumbered towards her and reached out.
"I will remind them…" The red-skinned Devil grinned as it reached out. "…What a true Oni is! Right after I have a little sna-!"
Shinobu's instincts kicked in at that moment. She did not stay alive for so long by freezing up at the sight of danger. In a world of Devils, one either wised up or ended up dead. So she looked back, saw the chair she had dropped, and reached out. Then with a twist of her body she cried out and flung it.
The piece of furniture, as desks did with Ataru, landed true and crashed against the Oni Devil's face.
The monster staggered back, clutching at its head with its massive meaty palm. It shook it twice and what little joy of victory that was in her heart vanished when it lowered its hand.
"I'm going to make sure I have fun with you before I eat your heart in front of you, girl!" The beast roared and lumbered forward. Shinobu screamed and shielded her face with her hands.
"SHINOBU!"
She felt two arms scoop her up and felt the wind in her face. She lowered her arms and saw Ataru carrying her, a look of pure panic stricken on his face. "A-Ataru!"
With a cry, he bent down and threw her up. Instinctively, Shinobu reached up and grasped the edge of the stadium wall. Her feet scrambled against the concrete as her arm muscles bulged, lifting her up and depositing her onto the ground in front of some chairs.
"I'm safe! I'm…!" No, no Ataru was still there! Running back to the edge and ignoring the bodies slamming into her as they ran to the exits she returned and looked down to see her boyfriend quivering in front of the Oni Devil. "Ataru! Get up here!"
"Easier said than done!" He shot back and yelped. The speed he had gained from avoiding collisions with trucks and desks she had thrown saved him as the Devil's ghastly weapon slammed into where he once stood. "That was close!"
An explosion of dirt and grass erupted as the Oni Devil brought back its arm. "Hold still so I can turn you into a pulp!"
"No thanks!" Ataru let out a half mad laugh as he ran to the wall as well. The Devil screamed in anger and ran after him. Shinobu's heart was beating hard and fast. Her mind was screaming at her to get out while she still could.
"But I can't! I can't leave Ataru behind!"
"Ohcrapohcrapohcrap!" She could hear her boyfriend's mantra as he grew closer. The Oni Devil swung its arm in a circle twice before it let go of the Kanobo. "SHIT!"
"ATARU! JUMP!"
Maybe it was her scream. Maybe it was his survival instincts. Maybe it was fate. Maybe it was pure dumb luck, but Ataru jumped at the exact moment that he would've been torn in half by the bone weapon and stretched out his leg. The Kanobo embedded itself into the wall, making the section Shinobu was clinging too, making it shake and having her hold onto the railing for dear life. At the same time, Ataru's foot hit the skull pommel of the weapon and he used it as a springboard to jump towards her.
Without thinking, she shot out her hand and grabbed Ataru's. Placing her feet on the railing and with a mighty heave, she flung the brunette over her body and heard something crash behind her.
"Ataru, are you okay?!" She knew it was stupid to ask, especially when he was upside down and sprawled over the remnants of a broken seat with some blood dripping down his forehead. But she still had to ask!
Coughing, the perverted boy brought up and arm to give her a thumbs up.
Sighing, she helped her boyfriend up and slung his arm over her shoulder. "Come on, we have to go! We need to…!"
Too late.
The Oni Devil's hand came down at the edge of the stadium seats and lifted its massive form up. It growled as it crouched down, gritting its teeth in frustration. "You cannot run! I have lived for centuries, whore! I have feasted on and raped your ancestors! I can hunt you down until you're old and wor-!"
"Running!" She and Ataru both shouted as they hoofed it. The Oni Devil let out a cry of frustration as it began crawling and trampling on the ground chasing after them. The chairs and whatever people, mostly schoolmates of theirs, got in its way were swatted aside. Chairs and humans alike were twisted and broken as the Devil continued to chase after them.
"Oh god, we're going to die! We're going to die!" Her mind screamed, and if she were in any other position she would be breaking down crying.
She wasn't like Denji.
She wasn't a Devil Hunter.
Shinobu and Ataru were ordinary people. They weren't heroes by any stretch of the imagination.
If they saw a Devil they would run in the opposite direction.
And a part of her hated herself for it.
"Someone! Please save us…!"
"Furio! FIRE!"
Something whizzed over her head, and she looked behind to see something hit the Oni Devil in its right eye. It screamed as viscous liquid and blood poured out, ending its advance as it clutched at the stick jutting out of it.
And behind her were three schoolmates of hers, one of them a classmate.
One was a boy, tall and broad-shouldered with muscles that could be seen even through his uniform. His cap was brought down low and seemed to accentuate his sharp features. In each of his hands were spiked knuckle dusters which he pointed down in clenched fists. Shinobu vaguely remembered his name to be Seigi Akoku.
The girl to his left had short strawberry red hair and a cap so low that it hid her eyes. She wore a pink hoodie over her uniform and held a sword in her hands, drawn and ready for action. She had only saw the girl in the hallways once or twice. "I think her last name's Matoi?"
The boy to the apparent leader's left was the 'Prince' of Fourth East High School. Rather than wearing the school uniform, he wore an all white uniform with no discerning features, but it was obviously tailor made for him and crafted from rich material. His black hair was well combed and she could see from the hands gripping his traditional Japanese sword that his nails were manicured. Everything about him was prim and proper. He did not shake as he confidently stood by his fellow club members, eying the Devil with determination.
Shutaro Mendo, the object of many girls' fantasies in the school and certainly the star of some steamier ones for her.
"DEVIL HUNTERS CLUB! Protect the students of Fourth East until the professional Devil Hunters intervene!" Seigi shouted as he brought his arms up in a boxer's stance. "Mendo!"
"On it!" Mendo ran forward and brought his sword back. "I'll finish this in one strike!"
"So cool!" A corner of Shinobu's mind squealed.
"Oi." She glanced over to Ataru, who was glaring at her. "Wipe the drool from your mouth, cheater!"
A spike of anger flared in her but before she could shout at her boyfriend for his hypocrisy she heard Mendo let out a cry. Turning back she saw him jumping over the Oni Devi's swinging arm and slicing some of its flesh. Blood spewed from the shallow wound as the girl member of the club ran from her position and swung her sword. The beast's left pinky was sliced completely off as it thrust the Kanobo forward.
"RIP YOU APART!" It screamed in anger as it used its free hand to swipe at its left and fling seats and pieces of concrete at them. Shinobu let out a cry as she and Ataru ducked.
"Stay behind me!" Seigi shouted as he used his fists to bat away the chairs heading for them. A part of her mind wondered just what the hell Devil Hunters ate to do crap like that! "Fall back!"
"I told you before! You shouldn't rush into battle!" Mendo shouted at his female clubmate as they leapt back and used their swords to slice debris before it reached them. "You should allow me to…"
"Oh shut up with your white knight bullshit." The girl muttered. "It doesn't work on me."
"How can you say such…"
"You humans are pissing me off!" The Oni Devil rose to its feet and glanced to its left. In a flash, its hand grasped one of their schoolmates. A boy she did not recognize who was sobbing in fear. "I'll actually have to take this seriously!"
Wait, it wasn't before?!
"Furio!" Seigi ordered and another arrow was fired. But the Oni Devil blocked it by merely moving its hand. The arrow pierced the shoulder of the boy.
"GGGGYAAAAH!"
"Shit!" The boy behind her, Furio, cursed. "I can't get a clear shot!"
"Such foolish toys. Trying to even the playing field?" The Devil mocked. "You cannot. Not when you hold such weakness in your hearts. You hesitate when a waste of air is held between you and your opponent." It stretched out its palm and held the whimpering student in it. "Well, not a complete waste…"
Before any members of the club could do anything, the Devil clenched its fist. Its massive thumb dug into the boy's back while the four remaining fingers curled on his bit and the back of his legs. Shinobu heard the terrible snap that sounded like a pretzel breaking followed by even more as bones were crushed and the schoolmate whose name she didn't know let out pained choking gurgles. He was folded, again and again in the Devil's hand, his skin busting from protruding bones and torn skin. Blood rained down as the Devil brought the now meatball-shaped boy to his mouth and took a bite.
Shinobu couldn't help it, and apparently neither could Ataru.
Both of them fell to their knees and threw up.
"Run." She looked up at Mendo, who hadn't taken his eyes off of the Devil. "We'll hold it off as long as we can. But you have to run."
"Run… Right…" But run where? That Devil was gunning for them! It would chase them because she had humiliated it! It would…!
The Devil's body was changing. Her eyes, hyperfocused from the adrenaline and stress, picked it up instantly. It seemed to be growing. Its muscled getting thicker and a new pinky shooting out from the stump. The arrow itself was spat out of the eye, the organ repairing itself and inflating right before their eyes.
"That's better!" It laughed as it ate the last of its meal. Organs and pieces of uniform were stuck in its teeth and beard as it looked at them. "Now, Cowardly Children! Strike at me! Strike at me now!"
Furio compiled and fired another arrow.
It hit the Oni Devil square in the chest… and bounced off the flesh.
Only a small dot of blood confirmed that the arrow was even pointy.
"Oh shit." Furio muttered. "Guys? I think we're screwed!"
"Yes! And quite literally as well!" The Oni Devil laughed as it now confidently strides forward. "But I shall take my time with that little thing that dared to throw a chair at me! I shall make her squeal like a pig as I tear her in twine! Ah, it warms my blood to be having such fun again!"
"Shinobu!" Ataru's hands were around her and he threw her back. She rolled on the ground and looked up. "Get out of here!"
"He's going to die! He's going if he stays here!" Tears were welling up in her eyes. As the Oni Devil grew closer. "Why, Ataru?! Why can't you run too?"
She already knew the answer.
Because for all his faults… Ataru Moroboshi wasn't that type of man.
"But I don't want you to die! Even if you are not the perfect boy… even if you're a womanizer… even if you're an idiot… you're still… you're still…!"
Shinobu let out a sob of fewar.
"Centuries lying in wait for this… it's all worth it! I shall thank those aliens for this opportunity before I feast on them as well!"
"SAVE US!" She screamed. "CHAINSAW MAN!"
A bright light answered her prayer right before the sound of thunder.
Lum Invader stared down at the stupid Devil ruining her game with narrowed eyes. The air around her crackled with electricity and she felt her hair's heat from the energy she had just expelled.
Her left hand was on her hip while her right was out. Her index finger pointed at the cocky Devil who was approaching the humans giving it a struggle just a few seconds ago.
"Zap."
Three hundred million volts of electricity shot forward and struck the Devil. It screamed as it stood in place, its muscles twitching with the unknown energy striking at it. Pieces of skin blackened and hair began to burn for the split second until the electricity died down.
Onis had varying powers, most of which were passed down family lines. Some were so weak, however, that they had to rely on technology to fight. Onis even developed fighting styles around their abilities. Daddy had immense strength and durability, so when he fought he tore things apart with his hands. Rei could transform into his stupid massive form, and he used the size and strength to his advantage. Ten could burp out fire and with enough training would probably be able to summon it at will.
Lum, however, had control over electricity itself.
And she was the most powerful user on her whole planet!
Unless Mom decided to step in and put her foot down, of course.
So she was confident as she floated in front of the Devil and crossed her arms. "What do you think you're doing?!" She screamed at it. "You're ruining the game!"
Lum had been happy that the game was tag. She was never a fan of fighting or killing, and tag would be a relatively harmless sport where she could lead her opponent on a merry chase where she would fly just out of his reach or zap him if he got too close.
But then the Devil had to come in and wreck everything! She watched how he killed that human, and that wasn't fun in the slightest! The guy didn't even have a chance to fight back!
It made her sick.
To Lum's surprise the Oni grinned and swiped out with its hand. She yelped and flew out of the way just in time but the Oni leapt after her.
"Ah! The Whore Princess has come!" It laughed as it landed and turned around, swiping at the air with its disgusting weapon. She tucked her knees close to her chest and rolled in the air, avoiding the strike completely. "I'm glad! I can finally get my hands on one of you!"
"Sweetie!" Came the voice of Daddy from the loudspeakers. "Are you alright?"
"I'm fine! Nothing I can't handle!" She righted herself in the air and glared at the Oni. "Especially not against small fry!"
"Okay! Have fun!"
"I'll make you regret saying that!"
Lum stuck out her tongue and flew away as the Oni Devil chased her. The stadium was mostly cleared, so she wouldn't have to worry about the humans getting caught in the crossfire. The last thing she wanted was to feel sick over some humans dying. "Are all Devils as stupid as you?!" She turned around and thrust out her hands. "Zapzapzap!"
Electricity shot out from her body, but the Oni Devil leapt to its right and crushed stairs underneath its massive form as it scrambled up.
"Not stupid, child! In fact…" It didn't follow after her. To her horror, it was continuing to move up and craned its neck to bite into a human woman's side. "…This was all calculated!"
"You… You damn brute!" Lum screamed as she turned her hands to it. "I'll fry you!"
The Devil merely grabbed the dying human and, to the alien's shock, threw the body at her. She instantly opened her arms and grabbed the woman. She looked at the faces and saw that the human was dying. She felt the blood and organs slip out of the wound, staining her right leg. Looking up she barely had time to register the Kanobo slamming into her.
The human female's body was crushed instantly. Lum could feel the meat and bones ripple and tear. She had enough time to push off before the bones could pierce her, but the force sent her flying into the stairs. She let out a gasp and her body bounced against the concrete.
"Crap!"
The Devil was on her. Its hand wrapped around her head and jaw as it lifted her up. The Oni Devil sneered at her as it spoke. "To think that this is the best you aliens could do. I almost feel insulted that my kin fell so easily to you!" It laughed. "Oh well. At least my plan will be a success if the rest of your kind are as weak!"
"Oh great." A tired part of her mind groaned. "It's going to monologue."
And like a bunch of comic book and super spy villains had done in movies over the years, that was indeed what the Oni Devil proceeded to do. "I could sense my power rise when you Oni Aliens first arise. Your presence and name brought the Fear of Onis back into the hearts of human. That fear grew even more when you began to slaughter Devils for sport! I would've thanked you for such a boon!"
"Blah, blah, blah." A woman would never like a man who talked all about himself. But Lum was grateful because it gave her the opportunity to reach into her bra and take out a small pill. "Keep talking, buddy."
"I would've… if I could not see what would happen after your stupid little game of tag!" It raged, dropping its weapon to shake the other fist into the air. "If you lost, humanity would lose its fear! I would be weakened even more than I was before, as humanity would know that Onis are silly little things that can be beaten in tag! So, I had to strike! I had to show them that Onis… no, that I, the Oni Devil, am to be feared! That I can kill the beings that kill Devils as if they were mere flies! They would fear me, ME! And as a result…!"
Lum popped the pill in her mouth, chewed, and swallowed.
The Oni Devil blinked in confusion. "What… What are you doing?"
Power surged through the alien's body and she grabbed onto the Devil's thumb, bent it forward, and grinned evilly. "THIS!"
An Oni's teeth were sharp. As sharp as knives. And could, if they wanted, tear through steel.
Add that natural ability to the strength-enhancing pill she swallowed, and the result was one Lum Invader biting the thumb of the Oni Devil before tearing it off with a twist of her head.
The Devil screamed in pain as it let go of her, allowing Lum to fly away. She turned her head and flung off the appendage before spitting out the flesh still in her mouth. "YUCK! When was the last time you bathed?!"
"Damn you! DAMN YOU!" It thrust out its hand and Lum watched as tiny nerve endings burst out of the fingertips with splurges of blood. "You're not the only one with tricks, WHORE!"
"It really needs to come up with better insul-." Lum's thought ended in a shriek of pain as electricity hit her. Her entire body froze up in the air as the foreign energy coursed through her, rippling through her own body and interfering with her own electricity.
The voltage was enough to lock her body into place and she lost her control of gravity. She came crashing down to the ground, twitching and still.
"Damn it… Damn it…!" She couldn't get up!
"You lead me on a merry chase…" The Oni Devil stomped forward with a grin on its face. "But now its come to an end."
"S-Shut up…" Lum hissed. A thought popped into her head and she decided to voice it. "You're motivation's stupid."
To her satisfaction, the Devil paused and glared at her. "I'm going to make you live long enough to regret that."
She wanted to move. She wanted to fight, but her body wasn't complying. "I'm going to die to a Devil…"
She didn't want to.
Lum wanted to live. She wanted to have fun. To fly freely and play games with Ten and her friends. She wanted to be with Mom and Daddy, having fun with her clan and seeing new places. She wanted to visit new and strange worlds, eat interesting food, and… and…
"…And not be lonely anymore."
"H-Hey!"
Lum lifted her head and saw her opponent, Denji, skid to a stop in front of her. The Oni Devil blinked in surprise as the human leaned down with his hands on his knees and let out gasps of exhaustion. "Fuck… Couldn't you guys… have stayed in one place…?!"
"Who the hell are you?" The Oni Devil asked, scratching the side of its head. "A crazy human?"
"G-Get out of here…" She hissed out, propping herself on her elbows. "Y-You need to run!"
Letting out a wheeze, Denji stood up and pointed at himself. "What, and let a cute girl die?!" He grinned at her over his shoulder. "We may be enemies, but you're a cute girl who is helpless against a scary Devil like this!"
What the hell was he doing?
Still Lum couldn't help but feel her cheeks flush from being called cute. Sure, she knew it, but to hear this human just outright say it in a situation like this…!
"Man, in a situation like this…" Denji drawled as he took off his shirt and flung it back. It fluttered in the wind and landed on Lum's lap. "…I guess a superhero has no choice but to reveal himself to save the damsel in distress!"
"You really are crazy!" The Oni Devil picked up its weapon and swung it at Denji. "Fine then! I shall help you with your suicide!"
Denji let out a laugh as he pulled on something.
Lum saw the end of a cord in his finger.
What happened next shocked even her.
A chainsaw burst out of Denji's forehead, extending and roaring as the blades whirled. The flesh around Denji's neck and head burst in a showed of flesh and blood, being replaced with metal. Black metal and coils formed the neck, extending to a head that looked as if it were a black and orange chainsaw. A handle was on the top of Denji's new head and on the back, while the top portion had exhaust slits that acted as eyes. The mouth was now a mess of jagged and sharp teeth, completely white as bone and stained with Denji's blood.
Two chainsaws were now jutting out of the arms, the thumb, index, and middle finger on one side and the ring and pinky on the other as the chainsaws also revved up.
Lum couldn't help but gape in awe. "So this is Chainsaw Man…"
Denji raised his arms and made contact with the Kanobo, the blades meeting the bone and sparks flying before her opponent pushed it off. A mad laugh came from his throat as he rushed forward.
"LETS GO, FUCKER!"
Denji was a genius.
He knew that fact already, but this just confirmed it!
A Devil was attacking, and that had presented an opportunity. A totally natural way for him to reveal his identity to the world. A superhero had to save innocents from being killed by a Devil. Denji would have to be heartless to let such a thing happen, so he would reluctantly reveal his identity to save the helpless people who would doubt him!
Preferably it would be a cute chick.
Sure, he hadn't expected Lum to actually throw down with the Devil and be that chick, but he was nothing if not adaptable!
"Probably should've grabbed her horns." Denji brought down his chainsaws on the Devil's wrists. "Oh well! Maybe it'll look good to the human babes watching!"
Man, he hoped that the news cameras were rolling!
Annoyingly, the meat and bone weren't being torn by his blades. They were rippling but there was no ripping and tearing! "Goddamn! What the hell are you made of?!"
"TAITOR!" The Oni Devil thrust its hand out, trying to swat him aside. "You're a Devil! But you're helping humans and aliens?!"
Denji's eye caught on the stump where its thumb used to be and a genius idea went through his head.
He couldn't pierce its skin, so he can cut through the meat that was already torn!
"ALL HUMAN, BABY!" Denji retracted his right Chainsaw and kicked with his right leg. His pants and shoe were torn as the chainsaw burst out from the limb and made contact with the stump. The blade revved as it tore into the raw meat and blood flowed out. The Devil screamed as a new cut was formed from the thumb stump to its elbow, exposing muscle and bone. "Chainsaw Man's a Devil Hero with a human heart!"
"YOU SHIT!" The Devil swung its club again, but Denji ducked as he ran to take advantage of the new opening. Retracting the leg chainsaw and having it come out of his right arm again, he thrust forward and cut into the elbow. He laughed as the bone and muscle parted, making the limb hang limply. "I'LL EAT YOUR HEART! I'LL SHIT OUT YOUR SKULL!"
Before Denji could come up with a clever retort about using the Devil's skull as a toilet, the Oni Devil swung its limp arm and hit Denji square in the chest. He went flying and crashed into a bunch of chairs. It hurt like a bitch and he could see that his right arm was broken and something was digging into his back. Lifting his right arm he could see his fingers were all but torn off. Only hanging on with chains coming out of the stumps. "That can't be good…"
"Meat! I need meat!" The Oni Devil reached out for Lum. "One more meal! I'll be invincible with one more…!"
A blur passed over the Oni Devil's head. A yellow bow was wrapped around the Devil's horns and the small monk that ate Denji and Nayuta's ramen was now in front of Lum.
"It is done." The monk clapped its hands in prayer. "Now, let the cleansing begin!"
"What are you…?" The Devil's cheeks bulged and a stream of puke and blood came out. It was like a fountain! Guts and bone were mixed with the blood, along with half digested clothes and other shit. The stream stopped before the monk's feet as the Devil staggered back. "W-WHAT DID YOU DO TO ME?!"
"Is it… shrinking?" Denji could see the muscles were losing its mass and the Devil was actually getting smaller. That meant it was weaker, probably! "Well, I ain't complaining!" Getting onto his feet, he ran forward and had his chainsaws rev up.
"Y-You…!" It raised its working hand, the nerve endings poking out again. However, no sparks were coming out. "W-What…?!"
"ZAP!" The Devil screamed as Lum's own electricity hit him. She was now floating in the air, grinning evilly at the Devil as Denji got closer. "KILL THE BASTARD!"
"With pleasure!" Denji laughed as he got closer.
The Devil was on his butt, crawling away as more puke came out of his mouth. "S-Stay back! You can't do this to me!"
"Aw, you come out of your little cave spewing a bunch of shit but you can't handle it when the going gets tough?!" He laughed while jumping up, bringing his left arm back. "Well, screw you! Hope you have a fun time in Hell, asshole!"
As he came down, Denji swung his arm and cut the Oni Devil's head off.
It flew in the air, spinning round and around as Denji got to his feet. "THAT'S HOW CHAINSAW MAN DOES THINGS!"
"Fool!"
Fuck! The stupid Devil couldn't stay dead after that awesome finisher?!
He turned his head to see the Oni Devil's head grinning while thin strings of nerves came out from the neck. It reached the chairs and began to pull. They acted like a octopus' arms and brought the head up and away from the three of them.
"I'll live! The Oni Devil can live so long as his head's intact!" It cackled and Denji's eyes caught onto its target: a cowering boy clutching onto his mother's body. "As soon as I have a meal, I can reform and escape! I will grow in strength and…"
That was when Denji stopped listening and looked to his hand.
Specifically, to the chains keeping his fingers self-attached to his body.
An idea, a totally awesome one at that, popped into his head!
Flinging his broken arm out, he had the chains of his fingers extend out. They wrapped themselves around the Oni Devil's head, squeezing and piercing the skin.
"Eh?"
He grinned. "DIE!"
The chains began to retract, and in a flurry of motion they cut through skin, muscle, and bone. The once whole head was torn into meaty chunks, spewing blood everywhere and especially on the kid as the fingers returned to Denji's body.
The Oni Devil was finally dead.
"YES!" He lifted his unbroken arm and pumped it into the air. "I won! I won! I'm the best! Around!" He turned around and pointed at Lum. Time to put to bed any doubt! "That's what Chainsaw Man can do, Oni! But don't worry, because beneath this Devil form…"
The chains were revving down and he felt them begin to melt off.
Soon, the world will see! They will see that he wasn't a liar!
He could even see on the big screen that the cameras were filming every second of it.
"…Is the body of one De-!"
Denji felt something wet and slimy wrap around his midsection before pulling him down.
In the blink of an eye, he found himself in a barely lit hallway and dropped onto a cold, concrete floor. Looking up he saw the tentacled of an octopus twisting and slithering against one another.
"The fuck?"
"Denji, I'll be lying if I said I wasn't going to enjoy this."
He turned his head just in time to see that Yoshida guy raising his foot.
The Hero known as Chainsaw Man only had time to shout, "OH COME O-!"
Denji had his neck snapped more than once.
But having his windpipe crushed from a boot to his throat was certainly a new and unappealing experience.
When Denji came too, his old teacher was standing next to Yoshida and smoking a cigarette.
Sitting up he shouted, "Ma-!"
A quick and brutal kick to the face was the only reply he got from his teacher.
It was strong enough to snap his neck.
Again.
While he gurgled from the broken neck and spine, Kishibe was leaning down. His left hand held Denji's hair while his right had a blood pack in it. He opened over Denji's gaping out and said, "Swallow."
He snapped the blond's head back into place and the teenager instinctively swallowed, feeling the blood doing its healing work. Denji groaned and massaged the back of his neck.
"Damn it, Master! Did ya have to do that?!"
"Yes."
Denji gulped as he looked into Kishibe's eyes. While the man wasn't emoting, he could see how utterly pissed the older man was.
"I warned you." Kishibe muttered. "That if you tried to pull that shit I would make you regret it."
"Come on!" He shot back with a glare. "What's done is done, right? Everyone now knows I am Chainsaw Man, so…!"
In the blink of an eye, Kishibe took out a knife and stabbed Denji four times in the back. The teenager flopped to the ground, gasping as he bled out while the older Devil Hunter got to his feet and poured more blood into the blond's mouth.
Yoshida whistled appreciatively. "Aren't you going to give me a turn? He made my job difficult too."
"I'm tempted, but do me a favor and shut up." Kishibe's eyes flicked up. "We've got company."
Denji's eyes opened and he glanced to see Lum floating towards them. The alien's eyes were flicking from Denji to Kishibe and Yoshida before narrowing.
"What do you think you're doing to my opponent?" She growled. The blood she had on her before was now completely gone save for some stains on her panties. "Are you trying to kill him?! After he helped save the other humans?!"
"Denji's not completely human, as you saw. Hard to kill too." While Kishibe spoke, Denji got up and rubbed his back. Damn stabs hurt, even if he could heal from them. "Give him blood and he'll come back."
"It doesn't mean you should be hurting him!" Lum argued, shaking her fist which was already sparkling with electricity. "He killed that brute of a Devil!"
"After trying to reveal his identity as Chainsaw Man to the world." Yoshida shook his head. "Like an idiot."
"Hey! Screw you! I'm not an idiot!" He blinked when Yoshida's words reached him. "Wait, tried to?!"
"Yup." The pretty boy thumbed over to his teacher. "You have him to thank for that."
Kishibe blew out some smoke. "Our people reached the news crews before you could transform. Cut out the feed before they could see it happening. They saw you run into the fray and stand in front of the princess to shield her from the Devil, but nothing else."
"Some people saw. But my organization is in the process of tracking them down and making them set for life to get them to shut up." Yoshida chuckled. "And reminding them that if they say anything we'll kill them. We won't, but it's a pretty good way to get people to keep their mouths shut."
"B-But…!" Then, that means that nobody saw shit! Nobody saw him transform into Chainsaw Man! Nobody saw him fight the Devil after giving his awesome speech!
Nobody knew that Chainsaw Man was Denji!
He fell to his knees, raised his fists into the heavens, and shouted, "GOD DAMN IT!"
It was a perfect and natural opportunity too!
While Denji sobbed in anguish, Lum turned her attention back to the two. "Is it really that important?"
"Yes." Kishibe flicked away his cigarette. "Don't tell."
"I won't, but n-not because I'm s-scared…" Even Denji could tell that the alien was lying since she wasn't meeting his teacher's eyes. "I-I just don't see what the big deal is! A-Anyways, we're done for the day."
"What?" Denji got to his feet but staggered a bit. Shit, was he woozy? From the blood loss? "I can still get ya! I-I just need…"
"No. You're done for the day." Yoshida turned on his heel and walked away. "You're just going to go home and think about what you did, okay? Okay."
He growled. That Yoshida guy was starting to seriously piss him off.
"You need some rest." Lum then paused when some sort of ringing came from her and reached into bra. To Denji's disappointment he didn't see any nipple when she pulled some sort of clamshell thing and opened it before putting it to her ear. "What, no Daddy I'm fine. Yes! I think… Okay, okay I'll go up." Sighing she closed it and smiled. "I'll talk to you later, okay?"
"Yeah, sure." With a wave, Lum flew off and left Denji alone with Kishibe. Sighing, he turned to his teacher. "Look, it was a good ide-."
That was when his teacher turned his head a hundred and eighty degrees.
A part of Denji's brain was proud for learning that from school before he blacked out from the pain.
Denji gasped and sat up, clutching at his throat and coughing.
"Fuck. He hasn't lost his touch."
"You're awake." He turned his head and saw that it was Nayuta with the dogs beside her and Meowy in her arms. A quick scan told him that they were back in the apartment, and a part of him was grateful for that. "You did a good job."
"Could've done better." He sighed and laid down back on his bed. "I beat the Devil, sure…"
"He wasn't a nice Devil."
The blond chuckled. "No he wasn't. He was an asshole." He looked at Nayuta. "Did you eat?"
The Control Devil hummed and nodded while petting Meowy. "Cherry helped me cook some more ramen."
"Cherry?"
"The monk. He's in the apartment again."
"And you didn't chase him out?" Denji glared at the dogs. "You guys had one job."
The oldest of them whined and their ears flattened.
Nayuta raised an eyebrow. "He helped you."
Ah, now he got it.
The monk did a good job and deserved a reward, which meant that the guy earned himself their food.
"Just for tonight. Then he's out in the morning." He sighed. "Shit… nothing went right today."
"I thought you did a good job."
He scrambled in his bed and reached for the cord, but paused when he saw Lum was floating through it. Half of her body was inside the room as if she was laying down on the floor, with her legs kicking up in the air.
Slowly, lowered his arm from the cord and glared at the girl. "The fuck are you doing here? Don't you have a spaceship to sleep in?"
The alien stuck out her tongue. "Come on! I'm allowed to party at night! I'm not completely helpless, as you should know!"
A part of his mouth curled up. "Yeah, and I saw that Devil kick your butt!"
The way her cheeks turned red was pretty cute. "S-Shut up! I was just unprepared is all! Daddy and the other Onis may be armed to the gills, but I don't like doing that kind of thing!" She sighed and shook her head. "Anyways, I just wanted to see how you were doing and ask a question."
He sat down and looked up at the alien. "Okay, sure. What do you want?"
"Why are you so desperate for fame?"
Denji opened his mouth and then paused. That was a pretty loaded question. How could he put this? Scratching the back of his head he said, "Because… people will finally be able to see me for me."
"They already see you as you." She pointed out. "You're famous, y'know."
"Denji's famous. Chainsaw Man's famous." He nodded his head but frowned. "They're two different kinds of famous. I want them to be one kind of famous."
Lum's lips pursed in thought. After a few seconds she said, "You want people to know that you're the same so that they stop thinking you're two different people… and focus just on you?" When he nodded she frowned. "Okay, so then why is being famous so important? Why do you want everyone to pay attention just to you?"
Denji's shoulders sagged and he looked down. "Because nobody did before."
Nobody paid attention to Denji.
Aki did. Power did. And they're both dead.
Makima only looked at Pochita, Chainsaw Man, and not him.
She never saw him. She didn't even recognize his scent. She never bothered to.
That was how little he mattered in her eyes.
"Everyone loves Chainsaw Man… and the only reason they don't love Denji is because they think we're two different people."
And now they think Denji is a crazy liar who shouts that he's Chainsaw Man for attention.
It sucked. It really sucked.
"Well, I do."
He looked over to Lum, who smiled down at him. "You're kinda dumb… but you also got in the way of that brute and fought him to help protect me. It wasn't Chainsaw Man who fought the Devil to me… it was always just you." She winked and said, "Thank you."
Denji had always been thanked second hand by people who saved Chainsaw Man through TV reports or articles in the newspaper… at least, according to Nayuta who actually read the damn things.
But while he always felt smug satisfaction from it, it always felt a bit hollow. It felt good, but not all the way good.
Now, though?
It felt just good.
"T-Thanks…"
"Doesn't mean I'm going to go easy on you tomorrow, though." She grinned at him. "I'm going to make sure you never catch me!"
He grinned back. "Yeah, you say that but I'm gonna grab those horns! Count on it!"
Lum chuckled and glanced at Nayuta. "You've got a great dad!" Floating out of the window she waved over her shoulder while flying off. "Bye-bye!"
Denji blinked and looked at Nayuta. "Am I you dad?"
The Control Devil looked up in thought before shrugging her tiny shoulders.
"Yeah. Sounds about right."
"Okay, so then why is being famous so important? Why do you want everyone to pay attention just to you?"
"Because nobody did before."
Shinobu's fist was frozen over the door, prepared to knock just a few minutes ago. But her keen ears picked up the conversation Denji was having by the visiting Lum and now she felt like an asshole.
"Because nobody did before." That statement, one that sounded just so sad, rang through her head. It sounded selfish, but was it really? She wasn't stupid. She could guess that Denji and Nayuta were orphans from their lack of a family name alone. "Does this mean that nobody was looking out for them before?"
If that was the case, then was Denji wanting to be famous still a terrible thing?
She thought about her and Ataru's situation.
"Kind of."
Shinobu sighed. This was so much easier when she thought that Denji was just a selfish and perverted asshole.
"So…" She looked back at Ataru, who was balancing himself on the balls of his feet. "Are we going to go in or…?"
"I can hear you, ya know!" Came Denji's shout, causing both teens to jump up in fright. "If you want to come in, then get in already!"
She flinched. "P-Pardon the intrusion." She opened the door and let out a small squeak as eight pairs of canine eyes looked up at her and their snouts dug into her legs. "H-Hey! Come on, don't be like that! You just saw me!"
"Sit." Nayuta's tiny voice ordered, and at once the eight huskies sat down and stared at her with wagging tails. "Good doggies."
She smiled at the girl. "You've got them well trained, Nayuta-chan! Good job!" At least Denji's sister was a responsible girl!
"If they were well trained they would've gotten rid of the monk." Ataru muttered and she couldn't help but agree mentally. The diminutive man was already raiding the cupboards for more food, saying something about how he would pay Denji back for his generosity eventually.
She didn't think she would like the man all that much.
"What are you guys doing here? Don't you have families and stuff?" The blond asked. "Aren't they worried about you?"
She blushed. "Y-Yeah, but…" She looked at her boyfriend who seemed just as uncomfortable as she was.
They didn't want to say it.
How they were too scared to walk home after what happened.
How they felt safer with Denji around.
"…But we figured you could use some moral support!" Ataru flashed her a thumbs up, which she quickly brought down before Denji could see. "So… That was Lum, right?"
"Yeah." The idiot that was Chainsaw Man looked up at his window, grinning slightly. "Wanted to brag about how she wasn't going to get caught tomorrow."
"Well, I don't blame her." The brown-haired boy muttered as he scratched his cheek. "I mean, she can fly and shoot electricity out of her hot ass…"
Shinobu glared at Ataru, who shut his mouth instantly.
"Yeah, I know she can do that." Denji nodded his head and scowled. "And Master's probably going to say that I can only use my Chainsaws in certain areas or something."
That caught her by surprise. "He told you?"
The boy snorted. "Fuck no. I can just kinda guess how he thinks."
Shinobu had no idea if she should be concerned about that or not.
"You'll have to chase after Lum-san, but be smart about it." Nayuta pointed out. "You're strong, but Lum can fly."
"Right… gotta be smart…" Denji trailed off. He looked at the closet and grinned. "I can do that!" He got up from his bed and confidently strolled over to the closet. Opening it he began rummaging through its contents cackling. "Can't believe I didn't think of that before! I gotta catch her with my brain!"
Okay, now she was really concerned. He went into this game without a plan?!
"Does that mean you thought of something?" Ataru asked, a giant smile on his face. "Something like taking her bra off?"
She punched him in the side for that.
But whatever satisfaction Shinobu had for the act drained away when she saw Denji emerge from his closet.
Wearing a pair of glasses.
"Hell yeah I do! I call it… Operation Super-Smart 2: Super-Smarter!"
To Be Continued…
Notes: Well… that turned out pretty damn long!
Fighting's never been my strong suit, but I tried to make sure it was as exciting and bloody as any Chainsaw Man fight while giving some Urusei Yatsura characters time to shine!
Yeah, the Oni Devil wasn't that impressive but he was never meant to be. He was an old Devil, but only old because he was a coward until he got his power boost. Still I'm glad I was able to sneak in a Miracleman reference there.
Anyways, hope you enjoyed it! Please let me know what you think in a review!
[/SPOILER]