4.) Spending the night over
Her brain temporality froze as she processed her boss' words. "Miss Makima I-I don't think Denji-" "Denji what?" The pink-haired woman's response was calm, simple, yet confrontational or at least direct enough to make Kobeni think so. She swallowed the lump that had once again formed in her throat. "He h-h-has to go home, it's ver-ry late." But Makima didn't think so, not by a long shot. "And you basically stated yourself you are not capable of taking her home alone. I myself have to attend a very important meeting in Kyoto so Denji here even without his status as a hybrid while be invaluable assistance, don't you think?"
She did have a point there, plus Kobeni didn't have the heart to actually confront Makima. "Also," She said, "It would be unwise to argue with the woman that makes sure you receive your checks." That sealed the fate of any doubts still lingering in her mind, she absolutely didn't want to risk a cut in pay or worse, getting fired so she kept her mouth shut tight. 'Looks like I'm not winning this' She thought as she looked over to the teen who still looked rather pale despite what had happened to him earlier.
"I understand." Her voice had become quieter as she chose the path of least resistance that was obedience to her boss' offer. Makima turned back to Denji who watched the small conversation quietly unlike his usual bombastic and outgoing personality. "Yeah, I can do that!" He answered cheerfully before he raced to Himeno's side, supporting the intoxicated woman. "Good night everyone, I'll see you when I get back."
With that she turned and walked away, leaving the trio to head home. 'Oh dear...' The shy devil hunter looked to Denji and Himeno who for the time being were behaving themselves but she rightfully feared what trouble they could land themselves into at this hour, for Kobeni really wouldn't be able to rescue them if the need arose. 'There's no need to worry though.' She suddenly thought to herself, 'Your Kobeni Higashiyama! If you could live with ten siblings, then you can surely deal with them.' Armed with this new sense of confidence she asked Himeno, "Miss Himeno, w-where do you live" But her voice betrayed her as it cracked slightly, unable to brush off her meek nature.
Himeno on the other hand took a second to respond. "Like...ten...blocks away...or was it four?" 'Nevermind.' This was 'Drunk Himeno' she was dealing with, as the eyepatch wearing devil hunter sometimes called herself who now was giggling like a little girl after mumbling some gibberish. "Um..Himeno-" "Twelve blocks!" She shouted, startling Kobeni so badly that she jumped almost like a cat. "My apartment is twelve blocks away." Her superior then slumped to the side and would face planted into the cold concrete had it not been for Denji. "Let's go." Says Denji as the three finally make the journey to Himeno's place.
Kobeni over time became more grateful that Denji was there to reel Himeno in as she occasionally wanted to walk into a store or shout at passing cars or make out with a streetlight one time. Kobeni on her part tried to talk with her and this had mixed results, surprising the brunette as she wasn't build for speaking nor did have the confidence or voice or charisma to do so. But after a while the bright neon lights of the city were replaced with lonely street lamps as they entered the less noisy part of town.
"Your pretty cute Denhi.." Said Himeno before she hiccuped, "Cute boy..." Kobeni senses tingled instantly, the sisterly instinct she had somewhat developed after being a third parent to several kids kicked in. 'Oh god, she's THAT drunk." She knew that Himeno was in no way in hell a kid toucher but tongue kissing a sixteen year old going through puberty when she herself was in her mid twenties was already a very,very big flag but she absolutely didn't want to know the possibility if the two were alone. When the reached the apartment complex where Himeno lived, Kobeni though incredibly anxious and awkward decided to speak up.
"D-D-D-Denji, please...wait o-out here." She stuttered as she nimbly when under Himeno's other arm and almost feel over when her full weight was put against her but she managed to stumble into the reception room where an old lady sat at the front desk. "Hello there, young lady. I see you have miss sake here." "Hi!!" Greets Himeno in the loudest possible voice she could, scaring Kobeni which caused her to let go and the woman feel to the floor like a puppet cut from its string.
"Im s-sorry!" Kobeni raced to help her up though this was quiet the challenge as Himeno basically refused to do literally anything to get on her feet, forcing her after a few failed attempts to just drag her by her feet into the elevator. "Ho ho ho! I remember when I was young and stupid." Laughed the receptionist, "Sorry you have to deal with her shenanigans." Kobeni was extremely embarrassed and fought tears that now threatened to escape. "I-I'm ok. Could y-you tell me w-what room she lives in?"
But unfortunately she spoke too quietly for the old woman to hear. "What?" She asked, "I didn't quite hear that." 'Stupid! Stupid! Stupid! Stupid! Stupid!' She wanted to die at that moment but she needed to make sure her coworker was safe to leave without the fear of her wander off somewhere. "I asked where her-her room was." She said louder and began to visibly shake like someone turned the thermostat. "Oh, she resides on room three-seventeen on the sixth floor. If she lost her damn key again, I have a spare for you to use."
"Thanks." She replied meekly as she pressed the button to called the elevator and waited impatiently as Himeno started talking about climbing a tree. "Miss Himeno, please get up." She didn't have the energy to deal with her nonsense and just wanted to return to her nice, warm, comfy, safe-Ding! She gasped quietly as the doors opened and its bland and aged white interior was revealed. With a hefty heave she tugged Himeno inside and set her sitting up in the corner before pressed the numbered button that would take her to her desired destination.
Calm music began to play which help ease her nerves a bit. She took a deep breath and then exhaled, finally a moment of tranquility as Shihana wasn't present, to devils trying to kill her, and Himeno was quiet in her corner. But the music ended as they reached the sixth floor. "Come on, let's go." But she wouldn't budge. "No! Ug-uh!" She said like a child, a grown woman acting like a child. "Miss Himeno please get up." She said again, get down to her level and shaking her without no effect then the later crossing her arms and sticking out her tongue.
She didn't even try to agrue with and grabbed her ankles and dragged her out of the elevator. Kobeni was very, very thankful that nobody was roaming the halls as dragging her like she was a dead bodies wasn't a good look and she wanted no trouble with the people there anyway. Finally, after some considerable effort, she managed to get Himeno in front of her apartment. "Sorry, just give me a second." She says as she checks her coat pockets but finds nothing but a pack of cigarettes.
Kobeni then starts to sweat bullets hard when she checks the pants pockets are still was still no sigh of the key. "Oh crap!" Sure she could go back down and ask for the spare key but for one, she couldn't leave Himeno alone to wonder off, second, Denji was still outside, and she didn't want to have to deal with speaking with the old woman again no matter how sweet she was. Then an idea popped into her head before she exhaled, "I guess it can't be helped." Kobeni said to herself as she put her hand deep into her own pocket and pulled out two bobby pins, straighten them out and went to work at the lock.
Now Kobeni in normal conditions wouldn't know how to unlock doors like a home invader or any other common criminal but considering that her parents never gave her a house key and the...unpleasant house environment she grew up in, it was a necessity she had learned and mastered. Carefully she moved the pins in a slow and precise dance until a clicking sound could be heard. "Yes!" It had worked and now she could get Himeno to sleep on anything other then the hard ground.
With her remaining strength she dragged her already sleeping superior inside, shut the door, took off her shoes out of curtesy, and basically plopped her on the couch as she wanted to go back to sleep herself. With that finished she could finally try to get Denji home but a terrible thought began to buzz. 'What if he left already?' Her heart rate increase twice fold just by that and she began to fear the worse. She twiddling her fingers furiously as the more anxious part of her personality began to dominate her mind.
She made no attempt to look let alone speak to the receptionist as she with a shaky hand reached for the door, opening it to find Denji leaning on a lamppost with an annoyed expression. "Is miss vomit asleep." He says before yawning himself. "Y-yeah, I had to drag her to her apartment." He raised a eyebrow. "Why didn't you just let me take her inside?"
With the amount of sweat dripped off her skin you'd think she'd be dying for water but nope, she was dying to leave the awkward question. Does she tell the truth or risk making Himeno look bad? Or does she lie and he calls her out on her lie? "I was f-f-f-fine, I didn't need your help." Denji shrugged and stretched his arms into the air. "Oki-doki then! Let's get home, I want to sleep." But there like always a problem, "Denji, where do you live?" The blonde rookie shook his head. "Don't know miss Kobeni." 'Of course he doesn't.' She thought defeatedly. 'Looks like I'll have to have him for the night.' She didn't want him to but it had to be done.
"Well I...I-I guess you can s-stay at my place." Denji then smiled and with a hardy laugh said, "Heck yeah! No more Power stealing my bed!" Kobeni was at least glad he wasn't angry with her and the two set off for her apartment. The journey was quiet as the two devil hunters remained silent, Kobeni not feeling like starting a conversation and Denji looking around at the urban landscape. She unfortunately had no watch on her person so she was unable to tell what time it was but what she did know was that she was exhausted. Though Shihana had been quiet, she would wipe up a hell of a storm when she took long breaks like this.
Then they reached the part of town where she lived, which wasn't all to bad with the crime levels being very low, but even in her tired state was silently vigilant for any danger. "Kobeni." Says Denji before the aforementioned women looks up at the taller boy. "Hmm?" "You look sick." Sick? What did he mean by that? "How?" Denji took a second to respond, who by the looks was it was on the verge of passing out. "Your sweating a lots, but you better not vomit on me." She already knew she was, she was always nervous anyways. "I not sick Denji." She replied, "The restaurant must've had the thermostat up."
Denji scoffed, "Naw it wasn't, it's just you I guess. But your always a scaredy-cat so maybe that's why." It though absolutely abjectly true it still hurt a little. "I-I know that it just..." She tried to think about she would end the sentence but couldn't so the conversation whittled to just awkward silence. But at least she could have peace and quiet. Finally after a long night of alcohol and devil shenanigans they climbed the stairs leading to the second floor where Kobeni had rented put an apartment.
Once she opened the door and turned on the hallway light, revealing her bare home for Denji to see. Her cheeks went slightly red in embarrassment as she feared that he'd laugh at her or mock about the empty state of things. "Ok, where's my bedroom." Asked Denji while he took off his shoes and walking around inspecting the apartment. It only small one bedroom, an even smaller bathroom, a living room that took up much of the space, and then a claustrophobic section in the left corner for the kitchen.
"I-is there a-anything you need?" She stuttered while she took off her shoes. "W-water please." He muttered in a now raspy before he coughed. "I'm super fucking thirsty." "D-don't worry Denji, I'll get you a glass." She suddenly felt lightheaded and had to place her head on her counter while it span round and round. "Ah shoot, already?" Now having to content with a knife weilding robber, drunk Himeno, Denji, and now the nasty effects of alcohol were now taking effect. She sincerely hoped this was all the sideffects and that she would start vomiting but for now she didn't seem nauseous at least for now. "Yeah, what did I say about getting sick?! I had to deal with her, I ain't gonna do the sane with you."
She groaned and instead said nothing as instead of the usual nervousness she was known for, she felt irritated, something that was quite rare for her to experience. "No..I...will not." She replied slowly while she opened the old fridge and found two cold bottles of water, at least it could help make her feel better. Kobeni heard the shuffling of Denji's feet as he make his way into the kitchen with barely open eyes and a hand out. "Thanks." He says as he opened it and wolfed it down. The 20 year old then turned with water bottle in hand and swiftly headed her bedroom, flipping the light switch on, and too tired to bother closing the door or turning off the lights before collapsing onto her bed and drifted off the sleep.
When she woke up her headache was gone and she felt much better then last night. She turned her eyes to her alarm clock that read 6:30 realizing that she didn't even set her alarm before falling asleep. 'At least I woke up on time.' Then her brain when to the blonde teen and how she invited him into her home. 'Crap! I didn't even give him a blanket or a pillow! His neck must be quite sore sleeping on that think.' Heck, she didn't think he would even fit on her little couch that despite being well taken care off was beginning to show its age. "Well, off to work I guess..."
Then her eyes shot wide open and the hairs on her body stood up as she heard a long yawn right behind her. Her body froze in place while it shook violently, sweat droplets running down her face. Kobeni slowly forces her head to turn the other way to see Denji still sleeping face her. She screamed bloody murder as she fell out of the bed and crawled as far back as possible away from him until she hit the hall. It had scared Denji too as he shot upright. "Huh?! What the fuck?!" He yelled as the poor woman had tears, sweat, and snot falling from her face.
"W-W-W-WHAT DID YOU DO?!!" She screamed as she cupped her head into her knees while cried as hard as one could realistically do. "What you mean what I do?!" He shouted, seeming confused on the situation. "Wh-hat t-yple o-o-of l-l-l-lewd things di-id you do i-in my sleep?!!!" Her words were barely understandable she continued sobbing in the fact that she had unknowingly let a pervert into her home who did god know's what with her.
"What the hell lady?!! I-I didn't do anything 'lewd' with you at all?! If I did then why the hell your clothes are still on?" She cried for a moment before she turned her teary eyes to herself and found that yeah, she was still fully clothed and her dress that she realized had kept on was not ripped anywhere whatsoever. Though beyond words grateful that she hadn't been assulted, tears still formed and fell down not because of terror but rather shame, soul-eating shame. First she had tried to kill him and now she had accused him of being a sexual deviant, though he had slept in the same bed as hers, it in itself was most likely due to him not exactly knowing social norms.
"I said I didn't do nothing! I want my first time to be with Miss Makima and only her!" He proclaimed as she watched her get out of bed and watch over to her, squatting an arm's length away from her small shivering body. "I-I'm sorry, it's just..." She didn't know how to continue, well she sure as hell did but she didn't want him to get the wrong idea. "I meant t-to get you a pillow and blanket for to sleep on the couch b-but I fell asleep." Denji looked rightfully annoyed but bit his tongue, "It's fine, though you took up most of the bed, I rearranged you and put you under the blanket so you wouldn't be cold."
She sighed a little before hiccuping, "No, no, no not that. Y-you aren't supposed to sleep in the same bed as other people unless t-their a couple." His face lit up as his mistake finally seemed to hit him, before his face fell. "Sorry Kobeni, I didn't know that..." Now she felt bad the she made him fell bad, why couldn't she go a day without some emotional damage being inflicted? "But I have an idea to make it up for scaring you." He says now with a smile on his face while standing up. "I'll take you out to eat!"
Suddenly her tears stopped and her mind went blank, nothing but the word food being repeated over and over again like a broken record in her mind. "I-I'd love to, but how would you pay? At your age you need permission from your parents or school to work." He chuckled, "I'm a public devil-hunter, you think they'd give a shit when I cut up the baddies?" She realized that point she over looked and giggled a little at her mistake which was very much needed.
"So, what we eating?" Asks Denji and Kobeni looks away from the teen in embarrassment, "I-I don't have much but I c-can make some ramen noodles with the microwave." She says as she is helped up by Denji who lifts her with ease. "Well, that ain't super jam but sounds good." She had still no gotten over how simple things cheered up the chainsaw wielding blonde but was admittedly getting better at it the past two weeks they had been colleagues.
The walnut-haired woman without haste grabbed two packages of insta-ramen from the cabinet and poured them in separate bowls folled by ramen, being placed in the microwave individually as it unfortunately wasn't large enough to house two bowls instead of one. Once the food was done she carefully placed the food on her small table and prepared the utensils for them.
She looked over to Denji who licked his lips with smile that went from ear to ear. "It looks delicious!" He said before he put the ramen in his mouth, his eyes widened. In a moment of panic she thought that he was revolted by the dish served to him. "I-I-I-" "It's better then I expected!"
The Higashiyama woman sat there as the blonde hybrid preceded to gobble up the noodles in secord time, who gulped quite loudly before grinning at her. "Thanks! Do you have more?" Kobeni unfortunately for him couldn't. "I'm sorry, but If we don't get ready soon then we'll be late." He seemed a little upset but didn't make a fuss about it.
After quickly putting on her uniform in privacy of course, the two were ready to head off to work. Kobeni locked the door and she along with the taller boy walked towards the stairs to get to the ground floor, only to bump into two other people who were walking down from the third floor. The four devil-hunters were all shocked when their eyes met.
"Denji!" Yelled Aki, "Where the hell where you last night?! Had Miss Makima not notify me that you were helping Himeno I would've been outside all night looking for your ass!" Kobeni couldn't help but flinch a little, her superior somewhat acting like an angry older brother of sorts. "But I did." Denji responded nonchalantly, unfazed by the Hayakawa's anger nor that fact he had gotten pretty close to his face.
"Himeno called me and said you weren't at her apartment." Aki then rubbed the bridge and looked at Kobeni. "I'm sorry about that, was he any trouble." "No actually." He seemed surprised by that. "He behaved himself quite well." Upon hearing this his mood changed a bit. "That's nice, I'm glad you brought him home but...how did you know we lived here?"
"Aha! I know 'tis answer! The little human is our below neighbor!" Said Power who crossed her arms with a smug look on her face. "Oh, I didn't even know you lived above me Mr. Hayakawa." "I'm usually just cooking and making sure these two brats don't destroy the apartment." So that explained the recent commotion upstairs lately, which Shihana had 'politely' suggesting murdering the tenants upstairs.
"Kobeni, would you like me to drive you to HQ? I'll make sure these two behave." She thought about fir a second. "Sure, beats taking the metro." Aki then turned to the blonde pair with a less serious but still cold glaze before like magic, pulling out two pieces of gum. If you are good then I'll give you this." Their answer was immediate. "Yeah." "Affirmative."
Oh shit, things are about to go down in the next chapter as Katana man and Akana Sawatari raise hell for Special division 4. I'll be the first to say that I'd love for Katana man to return in part 2 as he makes for a very great antagonist to Denji and hasn't been actually confirmed dead so there's that. The story will continue on a similar but overall a divergent path with our dear Kobeni playing a key role later on. That's all and adios.