Disclaimer: Chainsaw Man does not belong to me; it belongs solely to its creator and artist, Tatsuki Fujimoto. My work merely involves creating this fanfic to entertain fellow fans like myself.

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Chapter 4: Living with a hunter

Although Mr. Kishibe was an imposing man, and he was, Hiro didn't think he could be the fatherly figure to replace his dad. It wasn't just the lingering love he had for his deceased father, but also because Kishibe seemed uninterested in trying at all.

Kishibe was cold, distant, and somewhat sharp. Hiro realized that the most he had heard him talk was back at that restaurant when he was explaining everything. He wondered what kind of life had shaped Kishibe into the person he was now.

During his first week, Hiro had also discovered that Kishibe's cooking was... decent, but there was always something missing. Sometimes, he cooked the same meals his mother used to make, but his versions felt... melancholic.

Furthermore, Kishibe often ordered food occasionally junk food like pizza, various meat dishes with different sauces, or burgers. While Hiro enjoyed them, having burgers twice a week for breakfast wasn't an excuse. There was also hotel food which was better than consuming high-fat junk, but Kishibe rarely ordered from the staff, perhaps because it was more expensive for the high-quality, elegant food. Yet there was still a touch missing, something Hiro couldn't put his finger on.

"So... What are you going to do today?" Hiro asked, holding a metal spoon dripping with milk in his right hand.

They were having cereal for breakfast, an uncommon choice in Japan that Hiro had found in the kitchen drawers. He suspected it had been there for months, but it was better than having pizza for breakfast twice in a row. How did Kishibe manage to not gain weight?

Kishibe was also having cereal, he was more coerced into it to stop hearing the boy's complaints. Nevertheless, he answered.

"The usual, devil hunting or trying to pick up some pretty girls, or just drinking until my body crumbles..." he said.

"I've never seen a devil" Hiro said, ignoring the regret in Kishibe's voice. "Well, there was the one at home, but... I hardly remember much about it. Just that Mom was screaming and Dad looked scared, then... everything became blurry. I don't remember anything else." Hiro stared intently at the bowl of milk and cereal, lost in his thoughts.

Kishibe also overlooked the sadness in Hiro's voice. "Well, you might see one someday. Many attack the city regularly."

"But even though we live here, I've never seen one."

"That's because Japan's security is good these days. Some devils tend to hide before launching surprise attacks, involving the city. But in recent months, there haven't been any major sightings of building-sized demons, just regular human-sized ones or weak ones like fruit devils," Kishibe replied as he slurped his cereal.

Hiro swallowed. Even if the city was safe for now, knowing that demons could hide and strike anywhere made him nervous. What if there was a devil beneath the house? Maybe the neighbors were devils? What if he himself was a devil?

"Stop trembling and eat; time will slip away from you" Kishibe advised with a grumble. Hiro was easily frightened, his hand trembling with the spoon he held.

Hiro nodded and decided it was best to stop dwelling on his theories that kept him on edge and focus on eating instead.

Now, they both lapsed into silence. This was how their mornings went Hiro initiated conversations, and Kishibe responded briefly. They didn't know each other well enough for casual breakfast talk, especially since Kishibe always seemed to prefer silence, something Hiro agreed with.

Hiro gazed out the window. The sky was as usual, cloudy, and there were droplets of water from condensation on the windows. This was the view almost every day. What was the point of living in a luxury apartment this high up if the view was so dreary?

"It's sad, isn't it?" Kishibe's voice broke Hiro's thoughts. Still, he kept staring at the enormous windows that were level with the dining table.

"It's as if the sky mimics people's emotions, in this case, the emotions of the devil hunters" Kishibe said, and that was all he said during breakfast.

That left Hiro pondering. Was a devil hunter's life truly as sad and stressful as that? He gave a quick glance at Kishibe, and that seemed to answer his questions.

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Now, a month had passed since Kishibe had taken him in. Throughout that month, Hiro had been sleeping in Kishibe's room, using his large bed for rest.

Kishibe had assured him that it was okay to use his bed. He often returned tired or drunk from outside and didn't have the energy to make it to his own room, seeing the nearest couch as his bed. It was at least considerate.

However, Hiro began to feel uneasy about using someone else's bed, even though he had been given permission. So, he managed to convince Kishibe to buy an extra bed for him.

There was a spare room in the apartment that could be converted into Hiro's bedroom. Kishibe mentioned using it to store trinkets that didn't fit elsewhere.

After clearing everything out and taking all the items away, Hiro could see what his new room would look like. It was the same size as Kishibe's, with two windows through which the building's entrance was visible, and a completely white ceiling. Only the furnishings were left to be placed.

He positioned his bed near the windows, so the sun's rays would wake him up naturally. Next to it was a nightstand with a lamp that illuminated most of the room at night.

Hiro didn't have enough clothes to fill a wardrobe, so his limited attire would go into the drawers of his nightstand.

By the time everything was set up, it was already night, and Hiro was ready to sleep in his new room for the first time.

As he lay on his bed, ready to turn off the lamp, a knock on his door caught his attention. Kishibe stood at the door, holding something in his hands that Hiro couldn't quite make out.

The older man sat on the bed, and it was then that Hiro realized what Kishibe was holding.

"Today, after work, I stopped by your old house. I brought you some clothes, but... I thought this might mean more to you." Kishibe handed Hiro a picture frame, which he accepted carefully.

Hiro stared at the photo for several moments. It depicted two adults smiling at the camera. His father had a calm smile; Hiro realized he had inherited his blue eyes and his black hair, though he hoped not to inherit his nearsightedness. His mother wore a joyful smile, her light green eyes sparkling beautifully in the light, her short hair reaching her shoulders. And in between the two adults, there was a little 6-year-old boy, smiling happily at the camera, just like his mother, with his father's eyes and hair.

"This..." Hiro struggled to find the words. "Thank you for bringing me this, Mr. Kishibe." He forced a smile, expressing his gratitude.

Kishibe simply nodded. "You're welcome. Now, get some sleep." With that, Kishibe got up from the bed, didn't look back, and left the room, leaving Hiro alone.

Hiro placed the photo on his nightstand, turned off the light to immerse himself in darkness. He missed his parents a lot. Nightmares of that day still plagued him, but to avoid them, he tried not to think about it. There was always something reminding him of his parents, and now this photo.

Taking a shaky breath, he wrapped himself in his blanket. He hoped all this sadness would vanish overnight, but a month had passed, and he still felt incredibly alone. He wished he could see his parents once more, hold them one last time, and tell them how much he loved them. But that was impossible.

He was left with dreams in which he had no control, where he could recreate his parents and talk to them. He just wanted happiness again.

Was that too much to ask for?

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She looked at the television in front of her with amazement. It was large, and beneath it lay a DVD player. On the floor were scattered many boxes of movies she had been forced to watch. Some were interesting, others dull, and a few had the same ideas as others, making it easy to predict how everything would end.

But something about all these movies amazed her in many of them, when there was a large group of people, they tended to end with everyone forming close connections. Especially in the so-called romance or tragic movies, the man and the woman often ended up together due to the events they had experienced in their lives.

They lived happily ever after, as they said, and happiness seemed to be abundant for them.

They did many things, kissing... hugging... and then building a complete family.

For some reason, whenever she saw that in these movies, it made her yearn for it... She didn't know why, but she wanted it, more than anything at those moments. However, there was no one with whom to experience those things. Or rather, no one who wanted to experience them with her.

"Can you see it, Makima?" That was the voice of the doctor who had been with her during this month. She was always nearby when Makima watched these movies. Her voice seemed to come from all directions. "This is human behavior, something widespread among all human beings. This behavior won't serve you, it won't work for you, it won't take you to the top, and it won't help you achieve your goals."

Was that true? Would having these things hinder her from achieving great things? But those people had achieved their goal of living happily. What was that if not an achievement?

"Believe my words, Makima. This won't serve you. Only power will take you to great things your power." The doctor's voice faded away.

Makima continued watching the TV, whispering to herself, "My power?"

Was this all so futile? Yet there was something within her that thought maybe it wasn't entirely wrong to have something like that in her life. She just hoped this feeling wouldn't be fleeting.

She truly wanted something like that, even if she didn't shout it out. She wanted a family, someone to live with like those people did. She wanted someone who would be just like her.

And above all, right now, she wanted a hug. That looked really nice.

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Notes: I hope you enjoyed the chapter. We're back to the minimum word count, with 1940 words written. I hope to write more in the future.

There might be a small time skip in the next chapter, but first, I need to write some important things. But don't worry, Hiro and Makima will meet very soon ;) though that might take two or three more chapters.

See you!