"A woman's body was found on the beach this morning," announced the news anchorwoman.
Nayuta sat transfixed in front of the television. Meowy lay in her lap happily receiving the absentminded pets. The opening line of the breaking news caught Mari's attention whether she wanted to give it or not to the morbid story.
"The woman appears to have been attacked by a sea creature and drowned."
"Ew," Mari muttered, picking up the remote and turning off the TV. "Nayuta don't watch the morning news. It's too depressing. All right everybody. To the door. We need to go. We still need to walk Nayuta to school, Denji."
"Oh, yeah. Today's your first day of school isn't it?" Denji remarked with a grin.
"Yes. And neither one of us can be late. Let's go!" she declared, picking up her purse from the counter.
For her first day of school and work, Mari had chosen to wear a demure 50's style dress with a wide A line skirt that flared out to hide her curves. The top of the dress was black and faded into the light pink skirt where the solid black color broke apart into silhouettes of butterflies in flight.
"Maybe you should grab a sweater," Denji suggested after looking her over.
"You think?" she asked, looking down self-consciously to assess her outfit while turning in circles. "I thought this looked presentable."
Despite not showing any cleavage and covering her chest up to her neck, the form fitting top of the modest dress only accentuated the size of her breasts. The thought of all the horny guys at his high school gawking at her boobs made him nauseated with jealousy. Those fabulous tits belonged to him alone.
"It does but..." He took a big bite of his toast while trying to formulate an excuse for her to cover up. "You should take a sweater. It gets cold in some of the classrooms."
"In that case, I'll be right back."
Good one, he thought, giving himself a mental high five.
Moments later she returned with a pink cardigan draped over her arm.
"Okay. Let's go," Mari announced, tapping him on the back. She snatched the plain piece of the toast he had not yet covered with jam from the plate. "I don't want to be late."
"Don't worry. We'll make it on time," he assured her, taking the piece of toast coated thickly with strawberry and blackberry jam for the road.
Nayuta was already in the hall with her backpack on waiting for them. She had eaten her breakfast, cereal and toast, earlier while the other two were getting their showers - in separate apartments of course.
When Mari and Denji flanked Nayuta, she took each of their hands.
"Any ideas for dinner?" Mari asked as they walked.
"Steak," Denji requested.
"Ice cream," Nayuta said quite seriously.
"Okay. How about hamburger steaks because they fit our budget? Maybe an ice cream cone after school?" Mari suggested in an attempt to make everyone happy.
"Sounds good to me," Denji returned.
"We can drop by the grocery store on the way home. There's one down from the ice cream shop. I'll cook while you two take the dogs for a walk. Dinner, homework, and maybe a movie," Mari went on to lay out their entire evening.
"Do I get to pick the movie?" Nayuta inquired, swinging their hands.
Denji glanced over at Mari. She shrugged. He was her official guardian. He should decide.
"If you finish your homework first, you get to decide what we watch. If I finish my homework first, I choose. Fair enough?" he asked, looking down at the girl who had started to skip.
"Fair enough," she agreed. "Don't forget I have my first club meeting this afternoon."
"The Game Club?" Mari knew she was signing up for three.
"Yes. Game Club today. Conversational English tomorrow and calligraphy the day after."
"Are you sure you're not taking on too much?" Denji asked, growing concerned over her heavy after school schedule.
"It's only Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday."
They continued to discuss her clubs and her two new friends while walking. Nayuta was looking forward to seeing Melanie and Himari again. Denji appeared relieved and pleased when she mentioned them. Mari could not be more happy she had made friend so quickly.
The two girls were waiting outside the front entrance of the school. They waved to Denji and Mari while Nayuta ran to meet them. The girl was quickly beginning to act like any 'normal' child her age.
"Hey, is it okay if I run into the coffee shop real quick?" Mari asked Denji when the scent of coffee reached her on the sidewalk.
"Weren't you worried about us being late?" he inquired, peeking inside the store.
There was no line out the door this morning. The person at the counter was receiving their coffee, and there was only one other person waiting.
"It won't take long," she assured him.
"Fine," he sighed, rolling his eyes and shifting the strap of his book bag. "You're such an addict."
"Coffee isn't the only thing I'm addicted to," she said, giving him a wink.
He blushed darkly, studying the swing of her hips while she walked inside. Biting his lower lip, he thought of all the lovely ways those hips could move.
Mari noticed the barista behind the counter was different today. The one who usually worked had very short, neatly styled black hair. This man had much longer, shaggy light brown hair. Oddly though, he had those same mesmerizing green eyes.
"Hi," she greeted him, unable to take her eyes away from his. There was a weird familiarity about him despite the change in his hair and face. How can two men so different have those same unique eyes?
"Hi," he returned, smiling broadly at her. "What can I get for you?"
"Uhm..." Her eyes shifted to the menu board. "A butterscotch latte?"
"Butterscotch?" His smiled widened showing two rows of perfect white teeth.
"Is that weird?" she asked with a raised eyebrow.
"No. It's not weird at all."
"Dare to be different is my motto." Mari sniffed and raised her nose into the air.
"Dare to be different," he repeated with a chuckle. "I like your motto. More people should have it. One butterscotch latte coming right up." He turned toward the hulking machine with shiny brass and copper tubes galore. "Size?" He glanced back at her. "Do you like them large?"
Her mouth dropped open. What the hell is it with the flirty baristas at this place? She snapped her jaw shut, her teeth clicking together. She forced a smile to her lips.
"Large is fine." She backed up to look inside the display cases at the day's offerings of treats. "Where is the other guy?"
"It's his day off. Should I tell him you were asking about him?" the man inquired, casting a glimpse at her over his shoulder. "He'll be flattered."
"Oh, no, no, that's not necessary," she quickly replied, waving her hands frantically. "I just wanted to thank him for helping me out of a tough spot the other day."
"Oh, yeah, he told me about that."
"He did?"
Well, that's mortifying, Mari thought, feeling her face burning with embarrassment.
"He wanted me to be on the lookout for that guy if he ever shows up here again. Whipped cream?" he asked, his back still turned to her.
"Yes. A lot please," she requested.
"Sure thing. Sooo," he began, the hissing of the whipped cream canister interrupting him. "Was that guy an ex-boyfriend?"
"Oh, hell no," she replied acerbically. "He was...he was more of an ex manager."
"Here ya go, Miss..." He slid the drink across the counter, his eyes meeting hers with the question his hanging pause hinted at.
"Mari," she supplied. "And you are?"
"Kenji. The other guy, my brother, his name is Ichiro."
"Oh, your brother," she murmured, sliding her card into the scanner to pay. That explains the eyes. Heredity can be a beautiful thing.
"I'll tell him you stopped by and asked about him," he insisted, giving her a toothy grin.
"But - "
The door chimed upon opening, halting their conversation.
"Hey, Mari, come on, we're going to be late," Denji said, glaring at the man behind the counter.
Kenji looked past her at the man standing in the doorway. The pleasant smile faded from his face. His jaw tightened and she could hear his teeth grinding together. His entire face hardened into a stony scowl. The color of his eyes seemed to darken to an emerald green.
"Your boyfriend I take it," he said, his flashing eyes remaining on Denji.
Mari studied the man's scary face, backing up with he coffee cup tightly gripped between her hands.
"Not that it's any of your business but, yes," she said, continuing to slowly retreat to the door.
"I see that extends to your taste in men," Kenji said, his eyes flicking to her then back to Denji.
"What are you talking about?" she asked angrily, feeling Denji's fingers gripping her upper arm.
"You're motto. Dare to be different," he reminded her, his eyes meeting hers and literally lighting up. "So you have a thing for devils?"
Mari inhaled sharply. She had a 'thing' for the human, not the devil inside of him, but they came as a package. As she stared into his verdant eyes, there was an odd sensation of something bursting in her chest then warmth spreading throughout her body all the way through to her fingers and toes leaving behind a stinging feeling as if electricity had run through her.
"Let's go," Denji growled, jerking her out of the coffee shop and onto the street. He knocked the cup of coffee from her hand. "Don't drink that."
"Wh-what's wrong?" she asked, staring longingly at the dollop of whipped cream splattered on the pavement. She had really wanted that coffee.
"Something's just not right here. I got a weird feeling about that guy."
"Jealous?"
"No!"
"You sure?"
"Yes, I'm jealous, okay," he admitted, sliding his hand down her arm to grasp her hand. "But it's not just that. There's something weird about him. Don't go back in there," he gruffly commanded her.
When she snatched her hand away from his, speeding up to walk away from him.
"Hey, wait! Mari!" he yelled when she started running, her high heels clicking on the sidewalk.
Denji was both annoyed and awed she could run in the tall pencil thin heels. He jogged to catch up with her, calling her name occasionally as she outpaced him while weaving through other pedestrians.
"Mari, dammit, wait!" he yelled breaking into a full run when she continued to stubbornly distance herself from him.
Once he caught up to her, he took hold of her arm, spinning her around, and pulling her into his chest to hug her. Embracing her when she was angry was like hugging an iron pole in winter: cold, stiff, and unrelenting - and extremely uncomfortable.
"You can't order me around like that, Denji," she said, punching him in the shoulder with her fist. "I won't take orders from a man ever again."
"I didn't mean it like that. Something's just...off about that guy," he added as if to clarify.
Mari honestly couldn't say she disagreed. There was something extraordinary, and not in a good way, about Kenji and Ichiro, the exceptionally flirty baristas.
"I'll buy one of those fancy ass machines. I'll get up early and make your coffee every morning," he promised. "Just please, don't go back there."
"You'll make my coffee every morning?" she questioned him, backing up to look at his face.
"Every morning," he swore, smiling down at her.
"I'll hold you to that."
"I keep my promises." He held up two of his fingers. At first she thought he was making a peace symbol then he said, "Twice. I made you come twice. I owed you one after all."
Apparently he hinted at victory in addition to meaning the number two.
"Oh, my god, shut up," she muttered. She smiled and shoved him away playfully. "That was last night's performance. What are you going to do for me tonight?"
"Guess you'll just to have to wait and see," he said, waggling his eyebrows at her. He walked past her, brushing his arm against her shoulder as if issuing a challenge.
"Hah," she scoffed, pivoting on her heel to catch up with him. She slapped him on the ass after falling into step beside him. "Tease."
"Hey, lady. It's not right to sexually assault a kid in front of the high school," he joked.
"Oh, shit," she gasped realizing the were indeed in front of the high school. She exhaled a deep breath. "I need to go check in at the faculty room. See ya later."
"See ya," he returned, raising his hand in a stationary wave.
Denji watched as heads, both male and female began to turn to watch her sashay toward the building. Some of the guys preened like birds, smoothing back their hair or flipping up their collars. The girl's reactions ranged from curiosity to obvious jealousy. The envious girls were also the same ones who rejected him and looked down on him. How dare they do that to Mari.
"What's your girlfriend doing here?" Yoshida asked seeming to appear out of thin air at his side. In actuality, he had walked up beside him while Denji was watching Mari.
"She's going to be the substitute for the English teacher who got knocked up."
"Really?" Hirofumi Yoshida practically purred, stroking his chin pensively. "Your hot girlfriend is going to be our teacher. Damn. It's like a premise for a porno."
"So you believe me?" Denji returned ignoring the crack about a porn flick. "About her being my girlfriend?"
"Of course I do." He slapped his companion on the back so forcefully Denji stumbled forward. They started walking toward the entrance doors. "I'm happy for you, man. You finally got the first member of your harem."
"I don't think I want that anymore. I think I've become a one woman man. At least for now."
Denji knew he didn't like the way that jerk off barista was hitting on Mari. He was so angry and jealous he wanted to throw up then go kill that guy. How would she feel if he were having sex with another woman or several other women? He couldn't imagine her picking a number to wait her turn or scheduling an appointment to fuck him.
"Huh?" Yoshida cupped his hand around his ear as if he were hearing impaired. "I don't think I heard you correctly. What did you just say?"
"You heard me," Denji growled, opening the door and almost smacking Yoshida in the face with it.
"Has Kishibe called or texted you this morning?" he asked, pulling his phone out of his pocket.
"No. Why?"
"There's a fiend we need to find and kill." He handed the phone to Denji. "It's targeting women."
"What's make him think it's a fiend."
"Because it's being stealthy, trying to blend in to avoid capture while making targeted attacks against women one at a time. You know most devils kill indiscriminately, freaking out and killing whenever, wherever, and whoever they want."
Denji looked at the picture on the phone. The dead woman was naked, her body halfway buried in the sand. Teeth marks covered the visible parts of her body like a strange red rash. Bruises surrounded many of the bite patterns which looked suspiciously human. That meant she had been bitten and chewed on while she was still alive. Some chunks of flesh had been completely torn away to be eaten.
There was a gaping hole in her chest where her heart had been, no doubt eaten too. Her eyelids were wide open but there were no lifeless eyes staring blankly into nothing because her eyeballs had been removed.
"What else was taken and eaten?" Denji asked, handing the phone back.
"Blood rich organs. Liver. Kidneys. Even more strange, the ovaries were eaten. I wonder if that's like caviar for devils."
"That's gross, asshole. I wonder why the eyes though."
"Mmmm...who knows? What I do know is this is not the first woman killed like this. She's the fifth actually. They were tortured and sexually assaulted before they were killed too which is highly unusual. These are special cases for sure." Yoshida pushed his phone back at Denji. "Look at this autopsy photo of the last woman."
"Yeah, yeah, I saw, and I don't want to see it again," he muttered, pushing it away.
"Look more closely. Who does she remind you of?"
This picture was of the victim at the morgue lying on a shiny silver autopsy table. She had been cleaned up and covered with a sheet up to her neck. Her eyelids were closed to cover the raw bloody holes. Her wavy, almost curly, dark brown hair had been combed and washed after being thoroughly checked for trace evidence. Then Denji saw what Yoshida meant and almost dropped the phone. The dead woman resembled Mari to a frightening and stomach churning degree.
"Well then," Denji said, giving back the phone. "This gives me an idea of who the fiend might be. And I know right where to find him."
Denji spent the entire day distracted and antsy. He could not stop thinking about those damned pictures and that barista. He smiled. This would give him a chance to not only be a hero, but HER hero specifically. He would protect Mari, and a lot of other women, from that asshole.
"Class, I would like to introduce you to the interim English teacher. This is Miss Varriano," declared the male teacher who had been ogling her along with most of the class yesterday.
"Hello everyone," she greeted them, bowing.
Some of the students stood up from their desks and bowed in return. One of them was Hirofumi Yoshida. Denji was still too lost in his thoughts to notice her entrance.
He presently pictured himself as a dashing leading man like those on a romance novel cover. Sans the long flowing locks and in his Chainsaw Devil form, he stood atop a pile of body parts, the torso swathed in the green apron of the coffee shop. Mari, her clothes ripped to shreds, the tattered pieces barely covering her breasts and hips, knelt at his feet while clinging to him with her arms around his waist and her cheek pressed against his blood splattered rock hard abs.
"Denji, you moron," Yoshida hissed, slapping him across the back of the head.
"What the fuck, man?!" he bellowed, rubbing his throbbing head.
"Is there a problem, gentleman?" Mari inquired.
It was then Denji realized she was standing beside his desk. Mari glared down at him, her arms crossed under her breasts which unintentionally drew his attention to them first. She wasn't wearing her sweater. That old familiar ache began between his thighs.
His eyes traveled further up, seeing her glowering at him with disapproval. But there was a slightly crooked smirk on her face he couldn't ignore. The disciplinarian teacher and the naughty student. Oh, hell yeah. He blushed so intensely he started to sweat.
"N-no, m-ma'am," he stuttered, massaging the back of his neck self-consciously. "There's no problem at all."
"Good. One more outburst like that, and you'll have to stay after class," she said, her eyebrow flicking impishly. She dropped one of the small reading books onto his desk she had been passing out to the class.
"Damn. Wish I could get into trouble," muttered one of the guys an aisle over. He tapped the back of his classmate sitting in front him. "Hey, dude. Can I punch you in the face?"
"No, dumbass."
"Hey, shut up, chucklefucks!" Denji shouted at them both.
"I'd like to begin if that's okay with you, Denji," Mari announced from the front of the classroom.
He stood up and bowed in apology.
"I'm sorry, ma'am. It won't happen again."
Mari requested the student in the first desk in the first row read the first paragraph from the the reader she had been given them. The readings continued down the rows and across the classroom. She assisted when a student struggled with a word without even having to look at the book. By now she had it memorized. This was the sixth time she had endure the same stupid paragraphs.
It was crap - dry and bland. The literary equivalent of eating stale toast with no butter or jelly. BORING. On par with the oversimplified Dick and Jane basic readers from the 1930s. Whoever chose this drivel was insulting the intelligence of these students. She would do a little research and find her own material. Something more engaging for her and the kids. If she could find texts for them to translate that gained their interest, they might actually learn something.
At the end of class, students gathered around the desk to return the books. Some introduced themselves since she had not gone around the room to get everyone's name. A few students began asking personal questions about her like where she was from, why she came to Japan, how long she had been here, etc. She gave noncommittal answers without adding a lot of details such as Southeast US, to be a teacher (which had in fact been her reason for coming), a little over a year, and so on.
When they finally cleared out, Yoshida sidled up to her where she stood beside the desk straightening the stacks of books. Denji stayed put in his seat to watch. He had warned her about him.
When Yoshida extended his hand, Mari glanced down at it without attempting to shake it. Then her eyes moved up to his face. Her face remained passive and emotionless. It was obvious she was done with this day and flirtatious males.
Undaunted, Yoshida reached out for her hand, bringing it to his lips to kiss the back of it.
"My name is Yoshida Hirofumi," he said, lowering her hand. "I'm Denji's best friend."
"Oh? Best friend? It's funny he's never mentioned you."
Denji snickered. He actually had mentioned Hirofumi Yoshida several times.
Mari did not like Hirofumi's smug, arrogant grin. The boy was handsome no doubt, and he knew it. He even had a beauty mark under the lower right corner of his mouth. Men like him relied on their looks to manipulate people and get what they wanted, no matter how big or how small their desire. She had seen many men like that at the club and developed a distinct dislike for them.
Mari could see six black cuff earrings along the outer curve of his left ear. She wondered if there were more piercings hiding under his longish ink black hair. His eyes were the silvery gray black color of graphite and twinkled mischievously. He took a step closer to her, leaning toward her.
Jealousy flared inside of Denji so hotly he thought the top of his head might blow off.
"Did your boyfriend mention he'd like to have a harem some day?" he asked in a dramatic and ridiculously loud whisper. "A plethora of hot, horny girls at his beck and call, all willing to do whatever he wanted."
"Hirofumi, was it?" she asked, placing her hand on his chest below his neck.
"Uh huh." His eyes traveled up and down her face which was moving closer to his.
"Isn't that the fondest wet dream of every boy your age?" She pressed her hand to his chest and shoved him backwards to distance him from her. "Nice try, kid. You'll have to do better than that to try to make me jealous."
Yoshida chuckled and glanced over his shoulder at Denji who had stood up from his desk seat at this time.
"She's feisty, Denji. I like her." He turned his attention back to Mari. "What are your fantasies, Miss Mari? Do any of them involve tentacled monsters?"
Her face collapsed into an expression of repulsion, her mouth hanging open slightly in dismay.
"Ew, no. Why?"
"Shut the fuck up, Yoshida," Denji snarled, stomping toward the front of the classroom.
"All right, all right," he said, raising his hands in a surrender gesture when the irate Denji grabbed him by the back of his collar. When he was released, he straightened his jacket and his already straight hair that was not out of place. "Now I have a serious question. Mari, since the fiend seems to be interested in you, will you help us draw him out?"
"No, she won't," Denji answered for her, taking her by the hand. "I won't allow her to be put in that kind of position."
"What the hell are you talking about?" she demanded, snatching her hand out of Denji's and turning toward Yoshida to face him head on. "What do you mean allow me, Denji? What the fuck is going on?"
"Yoshida, don't you dare," he warned his friend when he saw the phone in his hand.
"She should know, Denji. It's only fair. Especially since she is the next target."
He was right. There was no doubt she had been chosen her to be this Fiend's next victim.
Mari's gaze shifted back and forth between the two young men standing in front of her. Her eyebrows drew together in annoyance while impatiently waiting for one of them to explain.
"Well?" she prompted them. "Go ahead. Tell me."
Yoshida told her the whole story, even showing her the pictures but not without warning her first.
"This is the woman they were talking about on the news this morning. They definitely didn't say all of that. Oh, my god," she gasped, staring at the woman's face which was eerily familiar. "She really does look like me."
"We think it's that guy at the coffee shop," Denji said, noticing the trembling of her hands.
"Uhm...there's two of them actually. Brothers. Shit," she mumbled, pressing her fingertips to her head. Her fingers were ice cold and they felt good on her overheated face. She felt like she might faint. "No wonder he wasn't at work this morning."
"There's two of them huh?" he murmured aloud to himself. No big deal. He could handle them. He would chop them both into itty bitty pieces.
"I kinda had a feeling there was something weird about that one barista for sure. I would swear he has the ability to hypnotize me. It was like he was trying to lure me into the shop yesterday."
"Why didn't you tell me?" Denji asked, inserting himself between her and Yoshida.
"Because I wasn't sure about what I was seeing...or feeling," she sighed, leaning to the side and reaching around Denji to return Yoshida's phone.
"What did you see?" Yoshida asked, slipping his phone back into the pocket of his uniform jacket.
"His eyes would do this weird, glowy thing." She paused, hugging herself and visibly shuddering. "Then I felt like he was calling me, drawing me to him. There were these other feelings too. I'm honestly not sure what I was feeling, but I knew it wasn't real so I didn't mention it."
"Feeling what kind of things? What the hell did he do to you?" Denji grasped her shoulders, shaking her lightly as if to break her out of her head and clarify what the hell she meant.
"Denji, stop. I can't explain what I don't understand. Nothing happened anyway," she assured him, patting his hand gripping her left shoulder.
"But it could have. You were lucky," Yoshida remarked.
"Did that asshole touch you?" Denji asked, looking her over as if there might be physical proof.
"No! Of course not! You were right there anyway!"
Physically: no - Kenji had not in fact laid a hand on her. Neither one of them had. But psychologically, Ichiro had taken liberties first. He had used hypnotic powers to pull her toward him, almost making her walk into the coffee shop yesterday afternoon. He found and killed that woman last night possibly due to being frustrated and angry at having failed to bring her in. It was no coincidence he chose someone who resembled her so closely. Her throat spastically gulped to push down the rising bile.
Handsome and flirtatious, using those mesmerizing green, eyes, Ichiro and Kenji both had stroked her emotions. They created the illusion of being in love, implanting false feelings manifesting in hot flashes and a racing heart. Thankfully that emotional hallucination had not been particularly strong and easily quashed. Most likely because her heart lie elsewhere.
Mari glanced at Denji who was talking to Yoshida, but she was too lost in her own thoughts to hear the words being spoken between them. Without even knowing it, he had already saved her. If he had not come into her life, if she had not fallen in love with him, in her lonely, fearful, and desperate state she would have easily fallen prey to the siren-like powers of the seductive devils, or fiends, or whatever they called them. She would be dead right now instead of that other woman.
"I'll do it," Mari said, interrupting their argument.
Both men ceased speaking and looked at her.
"You'll do what?" Denji asked, his eyebrows forming a single crooked unibrow of confusion.
"I'll be bait," she replied, glimpsing at him then at Yoshida. "I'll lure out those guys. Whatever they are. I don't want anyone else to die."
"They're fiends according to Kishibe. Devils who have taken over a human body to use it as they wish. It helps them incorporate themselves into human society," Hirofumi explained to her.
"Mari, I won't let you do this," Denji said, attempting to put his arm around her but she backed away.
"This isn't your choice. Good or bad, it's my choice. And I choose to help kill these Fiends. Besides, you'll be there to protect me. I have complete faith in you."
"Hmm," he hummed thoughtfully.
"Dude, don't forget I'll be there to help. Even though I'm sure you won't need me. One of you is more than enough especially since you'll be so highly motivated to protect what you love."
Protect what I love, Denji thought. Good or bad, it's her choice. I can't tell her what to do. Their words chased each other in his head, intermingling and bringing up his own bad choices where love was concerned in the past. First Makima. Then Reze.
He had actually forgotten about Reze because honestly, once he got over her, she wasn't worth remembering. She was just one in a long line of women who tried to kill him and steal his heart, in the most literal sense. Like Makima, she pretended to care about him and only used him for selfish reasons. Ironically, he had viewed Makima as his fallback from the heartbreak wreaked upon him by Reze. How stupid could he be?
Despite Reze's attempt to murder him, he could not find it within himself to kill her. He had even asked her to meet him at the café where she had worked if she still wanted to run away with him. Like a fool, he sat for hours, drinking the coffee he hated so much and waiting for her. The owner of that café took pity on him and tried to encourage him by saying one day a perfect girl who would truly love him would find him.
Now his perfect girl had arrived and was willing to allow herself to be used as human bait to entice a devil out into the open where they could attack it.
Denji reached out for Mari, crushing her to his chest. She was the first woman who genuinely loved him and wanted his heart to stay in his chest. For the first time in his pathetic life, a woman wanted him and not Pochita living inside of him. Although it had disappointed him at first she couldn't possibly care less about him being Chainsaw man, it was better that way because she loved him for being Denji.
"I won't let you die," he promised her.
"I know," she sighed contentedly, hugging him back. "Otherwise I would never agree to this." She inhaled deeply, holding back the tears gathered in her eyes. "Right now I need your help returning these books to the faculty room. We also need to be on our way to pick up Nayuta." She picked up a stack of the books and shoved them into Yoshida's chest leaving him no choice but to take them from her. "You can help too, Hirofumi."
"Yes, ma'am," he replied, giving her a playful lopsided grin. He adored the way she assumed familiarity and called him by his first name.
"We're going to pass by that coffee shop on the way to Nayuta's school. You should come with us," Denji suggested to Yoshida, following Mari out of the classroom with a pile of books in his arms. "Just in case."
"Just in case," repeated Yoshida. "Shouldn't we have a plan?"
"It's easy. We kill them," Denji stated matter of factly with his direct logic and brimming with confidence.
"You know what I mean."
Yoshida could not say the confidence was misplaced. Denji had indeed become an almost invincible hybrid between his training with Kishibe and eating several of the devils he killed. He glanced at Mari. He wondered how Denji's princess would feel is she knew about his cannibalism. He would leave that line of questioning for another day.
As his protector and friend, he wanted to be sure she was truly sincere in her devotion, and if she could handle everything that came along with loving Denji. She really had no clue what she had gotten herself into, but she was about to learn an important fact of life that came along with him. Killing Devils and Fiends were a normal part of his life and when they were serial killers like these two, they would be exterminated with extreme prejudice.
"What are we going to do?" he insisted on knowing.
"We let them see Mari and when they come out to get her, we get them instead."
"It's that simple huh?"
"Of course it won't be. You act like we can predict their moves beforehand and take out a devil with a lot of planning," Denji said with spiteful tone.
"We're not even sure what kind of devil we're dealing with here," Yoshida reminded him.
"Exactly. What we do know is they're two fiends who are killing beautiful women. They deserve to die for that alone. It's obvious they enjoy hiding in plain sight and getting away with murdering women. Or so they think they're getting away with it."
"We have to be careful. If they find out we know about them, they might disappear entirely only to continue killing somewhere else," Yoshida warned him. Being patient and subtle were not in Denji's list of attributes.
"I'm counting on them being obsessive fucks who won't let go once they find a woman they want. Since one failed and the other saw me this morning, they will probably view Mari as a challenge and go after her even harder."
"You sound like you're talking about yourself," Yoshida chuckled.
"Actually, I asked him to be boyfriend," Mari quickly corrected him.
"Really? Well, I am shocked as shit. You are a definitely different kind of woman aren't you, Mari? I'm absolutely fascinated."
"I bet," Denji muttered, moving to walk between her and Yoshida rather than behind Mari.
"Since we have to pick up Nayuta anyway, why don't we just see what happens when we go by the coffee shop?" Mari suggested. "Hirofumi you should stay back and watch so they won't see you. The fiends might not even engage separately and only Kenji was at the coffee shop this morning."
"Your brilliance makes you even more sexy," he complimented her in a sycophantic manner which made his words sound hollow and insincere.
Mari ignored him. She was not sure what to think of Hirofumi Yoshida yet. Perhaps he was testing her. Denji was friends with him so he must have redeeming qualities. She would have to be patient and find them for herself.
"Besides, like you said, Denji, if they're trying to stay hidden, they most likely won't come out in the open to start a fight because they don't want to ruin their hunting ground. With their jobs, they are in the a prime position to make contact with a lot of women. If either of them attacks, I'll pull your damn cord myself so you can shred them up."
Denji smiled broadly. For some reason, hearing her say that made him happy.