Chapter 17: Warnings and Insults.

Disclaimer: Obviously, Chainsaw Man is the property of Tatsuki Fujimoto, and this work is not intended for profit. It's not even canon to begin with, and it never will be.

Notes: Why are you still reading, dumbass? The story is below.

0O0O

Once again, he found himself alone in a hallway in this God-forsaken building, seemingly abandoned by any human or devil, only this time it was he who had driven away the only person willing to hang out with him.

He thought it was somewhat ironic; it was she who had approached him first, eager to chat, and now he had scared her off, making her want to probably never speak to him again. That would have been useful earlier on when he was more afraid of her.

Wow, the first time he became friends with a girl and he had already scared her away.

"Nice work Hiro..." he told himself very sarcastically, chastising himself for being so foolish.

He should have thought twice before asking Makima that question. She was willing to answer his questions, but now he had frightened her, and she had walked away from him, to where? Who knows.

If he had known beforehand that asking her if she was a devil would affect her so much, then he wouldn't have asked her in the first place, it wasn't even that necessary. He had been suspecting it for a long time, and Kishibe had more or less confirmed it. But he had to do it, trusting that she would be very open with him.

It might just be him, but Makima exuded confidence, the kind of confidence that everyone should have in themselves, fearless of anything, ready to face everything without fear of defeat or loss.

It wasn't entirely true in the end, even someone who seems as confident and happy as her has their fears and weaknesses. Yesterday, she had shown sadness, and today, fear, all of that hidden behind a smile that seemed partly genuine but could easily crumble.

"I guess we have something in common" Hiro thought. The difference was that he didn't smile as often, although lately, there had indeed been many reasons to smile.

"Should I go after her? Even though I don't even know where she went" She had been very quick to escape; he only turned around for a few seconds, and she had disappeared in the blink of an eye, or as if she had never been there in the first place.

As if she had been part of his imagination, like an illusion.

"..."

Hiro began to worry about the possibility that he might be developing schizophrenia. Maybe Makima never existed in the first place and was just a figment of his imagination?

Could the reality he was living in be just an illusion?

No, everything up to now had felt very real, so he shouldn't be taking these thoughts too far into conspiracy theory territory. Makima was simply very good at appearing and disappearing.

How did she manage to do that? He wanted to learn how to do it too but wondered if it had something to do with being a devil; if that was the case, he would be very limited in terms of stealth abilities.

Hiro tried to look through the glass at the training field for the first time since everyone had entered there. He had been so busy talking with Makima that he hadn't had the time or thought to see what the adults were doing.

From there, he could see Kishibe, Quanxi, and Doctor Nishimura waiting for him. With a sigh, and aware that Makima probably wouldn't return for a good while, he walked towards the entrance, wishing to put an end to all this.

When Hiro entered, his eyes instantly noticed the white light in the place; it was very well lit, the huge light rods on the ceiling helped with that. The polished concrete floor made his steps echo clearly, and he could almost see his reflection in it.

Though the design was the least of his concerns, at this moment, Hiro was being met with three intense gazes. Yuna had her hands behind her back, sizing him up with a calculative look from top to bottom, her eyes the only thing moving. Kishibe and Quanxi stood to his left and right, respectively, looking at him with expectant gazes, their arms crossed while they glanced at Yuna from time to time, as if gauging her expressions.

"Umm, hi" Hiro felt intimidated by the look the woman was giving him; it felt like a cadet in military service being scornfully eyed by his sergeant.

Do hunters count as soldiers?

Yuna raised an eyebrow, her look showing she was less than impressed. "Doesn't seem to stand out much at first glance."

"Indeed, after all the boy is still a coward when it comes to devils" Kishibe said, earning an irritated look from Hiro. It was true, but it wasn't THAT necessary to say it out loud.

Yuna took in the details of the boy very well; black hair styled to one side with the barely visible detail that the bottom part of his hair was a bit shorter but not to extreme levels; a dark gray sweatshirt, blue pants, and black boots that fit his size.

If she had to define the boy in a single word, it would be: Normal.

However, based on her experience, appearances often deceive many; one should not be superficial, or they would never get to know the real person. Yuna thought it was a bit crazy, but this time, just this once, she would try to trust Kishibe and Quanxi's judgment.

And if in the end he didn't convince her, then it would be better to look for another place to train the kid.

Kishibe looked around the field cautiously, his eyes observing any detail that seemed out of the ordinary.

"Isn't that manipulative brat with you?" he asked Hiro, feeling quite surprised; he thought Makima would follow him here. Weren't they friends? The girl seemed very clingy with him.

Yuna didn't know how to feel about Makima being referred to as 'manipulative brat'.

It seemed fitting.

Hiro raised an eyebrow at Kishibe's nickname, if it was a nickname and not an insult, probably both, but either way, he didn't understand it.

Yuna also noticed the girl wasn't with him but decided not to say anything for the moment, preferring to see what the boy would say.

"Umm" Hiro didn't know how to explain it. "She... left."

Quanxi looked at him a bit skeptically. "That doesn't say much."

Hiro sighed. "I just turned around, and she was gone; it's hard to explain, but she appears and disappears easily."

'Of course, in the eyes of a child, Makima can slip away easily, on the other hand...' Yuna glanced at Kishibe. 'It's strange how neither Claw, Knife, nor Needle could detect her, not even Kishibe with his years of experience could help in sensing her presence'

Kishibe would have acted on this a long time ago, but since his devils did not sense the girl's presence, he was very surprised the first and the second time the girl bypassed his coverage.

The point of having a devil under contract was to have some of its abilities at one's disposal, which included, in some cases, the sense of smell. That was how Kishibe and his devils worked; if he couldn't guess the presence of a devil, then they would do it through smell, or the sensations a devil gives off, like anger or hostility.

But it seems neither of those was detected.

There was something very strange about this matter that they were not seeing, but it was a topic for another time.

"So you're the brat I've been hearing so much about, what did you say your name was?" Yuna interrogated, her steely gaze continuing to intimidate him.

Hiro rarely felt intimidated, mostly he was scared, but on the few occasions he did feel intimidated, like when he met Quanxi or all the times he presented his solar system model to the class at school.

As for devils, well... That drawing of the chainsaw devil was hard to forget.

He could also include Makima when she wasn't smiling.

At this moment, Yuna was both scaring and intimidating him at the same time, why do women seem so scary when they get serious?

His mom was warm and caring as far as he could remember, but she was scary when he and his father did something stupid like entering the house with dirty shoes and she got angry.

'Oh mom, how I miss you' thought Hiro, lost in his thoughts, it was happening again, he was getting off track. 'Oh right, I need to introduce myself.'

"My name is Hiro Takahashi, it's a pleas-"

"Don't say it's a pleasure, because it never is," Kishibe interrupted, and Yuna looked at him with a smile that was anything but happy.

"You know, the letter says that Quanxi was the one who requested the application, so only the hunter who made the request is necessary, other people outside the approval of the future hunter are unnecessary, it's in the anti-devil public safety law."

"You just made that up."

"Anyway, get out of here!" Yuna pointed her finger at the door, glaring at Kishibe with what could be described as anger.

"But-"

"Out!"

"But I-"

"Out!"

"You can't-"

"Out!"

"You son of a-"

"OUT!"

"Just go out for a bit," Quanxi suggested. "And while you're at it, bring back some ice cream for Hiro and me. Honestly, I don't think your presence here is that necessary; you've said enough as far as I'm concerned."

Kishibe felt as if he were 14 years old again, following Yuna's orders. "Whatever, at least I don't have to pretend to be interested in her speeches."

He walked towards the entrance, not before placing his hand on Hiro's shoulder. The boy looked at him puzzled. "Good luck," he whispered so only he could hear.

Finally, when Kishibe left, the doctor had more freedom to focus on the boy. "So, Hiro Takahashi, huh?" Yuna walked around him, studying his every action and expression.

Hiro had to look in all directions trying to keep up with the doctor's movements, but she was circling him slightly faster than he would have liked. But now, more than ever, he felt like a cadet in military school.

When would the shouting start?

"I've been told you want to become a public safety devil hunter, is that right?" she asked, continuing to move but now not looking at him and instead staring ahead as if pondering all her words like a philosopher.

From Quanxi's point of view, this was just her way of judging a person or object that caught her attention, to discover if it was worth investing her time. It was like one person judging another in the worst possible way for being inferior.

"Y-yes, ma'am."

Yuna rolled her eyes; that stutter was going to be a problem.

"And... If it's not too much trouble, could you tell me why you want to be a hunter?" she asked. Hiro was going to give her an answer, but she hadn't finished.

"Could you explain, or rather, enlighten me with the grand answer that this bitch..." she pointed to Quanxi, who gave her a peace sign and flipped her off at the same time with both hands "...and the other idiot outside want me to hear from you?!" Yuna said with a bit of aggression and a hint of sarcasm, she stopped and looked at Hiro with what could be described as... irritation, but it was unclear if she was irritated by Kishibe and Quanxi, by him, or perhaps by all three.

Hiro was taken aback by the doctor's aggressiveness, though he partly expected it since he was told she was in charge of taking care of Makima. If he added two and two, he could say that she had been annoyed with him in some way since yesterday, even when it was never his intention.

When he escaped and returned with Makima, (for which he was partly to blame for listening to her), due to the sudden request that was made through morally questionable means, and whatever Kishibe and Quanxi had been saying about him behind his back.

It seemed she definitely didn't have a good image of him, and he didn't know if Kishibe and Quanxi had made things better or just worsened them.

He hoped it was the former because his dream had never been so close to becoming a reality, and at the same time, so close to dissipating like dust in the air.

'Where should I start?' Hiro thought, realizing he didn't have many options to easily get out of this situation. He was left with telling his side of the story and seeing if it would be enough to convince her. Maybe he could show her what Kishibe saw in him, even when he had no idea what that was.

If there was a God up there, he hoped he was watching, because he was going to need a miracle if anything went wrong.

0O0O

The quest for ice cream was not going well, mostly because Kishibe had no idea where to go to find ice cream in a dreary place like this. They didn't even have a soda vending machine, and yet they expected him to procure at least a damn popsicle.

Though, it was better than listening to Yuna talk for another half-hour. Kishibe already had plenty of ways to fall asleep; he didn't need another.

Where the hell was he supposed to find an ice cream stand at this time?

"Go outside"

That was a good idea, any idea that involved getting out of here was considered good.

Without further ado, Kishibe headed for the exit. When he left the field, he found himself again in that hallway where the lower-ranking devils would make noise at any slight disturbance in the environment.

However, something was off this time. Kishibe set about noticing the differences between the last time they passed through here and now that he was back trying to leave.

One: The red lights had been replaced with white lights, casting a quality light over the place; he didn't know if the lights could now be changed at will with some button somewhere, but either way, this place was now more visible and for Hiro, it would probably be less spooky. Truly, many things had changed here since he graduated as a hunter.

And two: Even though there were many devils locked behind those vaults, all of them were silent...

The whole place was silent.

It wasn't a pleasant silence, quite the opposite. It was like being in the underground zone A, but the atmosphere was much more sinister, caused by some unknown force. It seemed like at any moment something bad was going to happen and no one would be prepared for it; the atmosphere was becoming increasingly tense and gloomy. Something... Or someone was making the demons forcibly silent, for one reason or another.

Could it be fear? Fear of what exactly? What could be out there that silenced beings created from fear itself? It was something strange and beyond the norm; demons usually don't fear other demons, and if they did, those demons would have to be very strong to cause even the slightest disturbance in them.

But according to his experience, there were other methods to subdue devils.

Kishibe looked ahead, observing every detail that might be out of the ordinary for him; his two eyes moved quickly, looking at corners, the ceiling, and the walls. Nothing seemed different, which was not necessarily a good sign because there was something beyond his sight that was causing all this.

They might call him crazy (he was), but in these kinds of situations, it was better to stay alert for anything that could suddenly happen. Experience had taught him that a place that harbors only silence was a dangerous place, especially if it was devils keeping quiet.

Kishibe walked slowly, his goal was the exit, hoping nothing bad would happen and he would manage to leave here without the need to use any of his abilities.

The silence was profound, so much so that he could hear the sound of his shoes touching the floor with each step; if he concentrated a little, he could even hear his own breathing. Just to be sure, Kishibe approached a vault and, just like yesterday, knocked on the door to see if this time the devils would react.

Nothing.

No matter how much he knocked, the devil simply made no sound, either it was uninterested in his presence, or it was afraid to make noise.

Kishibe put that aside and continued on his way, definitely something very bad was happening with this place but he couldn't see or guess exactly what it was.

The exit was not so far now, only half the hallway left and he would be closer to getting ice cream; he hadn't asked Quanxi which flavor she wanted, nor Hiro, well, he would get them what he deemed suitable.

"Behind you"

Without a moment's hesitation, Kishibe unsheathed one of his knives hidden in his coat, and with blinding speed, he turned around and threw it forcefully at the demonic entity that had been behind him all this time and had been following him throughout the journey.

The knife traveled at such a fast speed that an untrained human eye would not have been able to detect it, and it would have pierced through anyone, but either as a virtue or simply because her eyes were already accustomed to this kind of speed, she caught the knife a few inches before it made contact with her forehead.

Makima's hand managed to grab the handle of the knife before the tip could pierce her brain, with her eyes directly on the weapon, she could tell it was perfectly sharpened, so much so that it probably could go through many other people before losing its edge or breaking. If this thing had succeeded in its task, the knife would have gone through her head and ended up somewhere in the other room.

If one took into account the speed and force with which it was thrown, it definitely would have killed her instantly.

Fortunately, she reacted in time.

"Tch" the hunter's complaint was heard. His name was Kishibe, right?

"Damn, almost destroyed public property, my bad" Kishibe mocked, referring to her as what she really was.

Makima stopped looking at the knife and her eyes focused on the hunter, she looked at him as impassively as her features allowed, there was something in him that only made her feel hostility towards him, she did not like him at all.

That's why her face looked blank to Kishibe, it looked as if the girl was staring into nothing, but he knew this was one of her ways to show contempt for someone, it wasn't the first time he had seen that kind of look after all. He was also very aware that Makima didn't know very well how to handle her emotions, so feelings like anger and other things would be shown in an incorrect way.

How she was doing it now, looking at him without letting her face betray any emotion and without saying a single word, but deep down harboring a lot of contempt towards him.

If Hiro were to see this, he would surely reconsider the idea of being friends with this girl... Who was still giving him a dirty look.

"I must say, your stealth skills are impressive. I didn't notice you until almost the end."

"..."

Kishibe tilted his head. "Are you not going to say anything?"

"..."

Makima glanced at the knife in her hand, then looked back at Kishibe, repeating the same action one last time.

"Hmmmm... I don't think it was a good idea for you to throw the knife at her."

Repeating the same pattern, Makima only needed a movement of her arm to throw the knife back to its original wielder. It didn't fly with the same speed, but the force was nearly the same.

Kishibe allowed himself to blink once before easily catching the knife in his hand, instantly his arm recoiled slightly from the impact, which made him realize that the strength of this girl was something entirely different.

His memories of past lives weren't there, but his strength, or at least part of it, was.

It was probably something about being a demon, but it was rare to see a type of reincarnation in a child where the devil still retained its strength. The possessed usually have all their strength when they take over a human body, but reincarnations don't come with the complete package.

Makima, in this case, was no different, but she still held a lot of strength and powers that he didn't know if she had already awakened. He hoped not, he preferred to leave this place to buy ice cream rather than fight with Hiro's supposed best friend.

"Here, it looks like you dropped this" replied Makima without changing her expression. She didn't seem regretful for attacking a public safety hunter while she was still in the process of examination. If anyone else saw this and reported it, they would order her killed.

Yuna had explained it to her in simple terms, getting straight to the point.

'If you prove to be useful to us in the long term, you'll have the right to live as you wish, but if you prove otherwise, we'll kill you.'

Still, she decided to go ahead and attack him, she just wanted to do it.

"Hm, your strength is ridiculous for your current condition. Don't you think you should be more respectful to your elders, you damn control devil?" Kishibe growled, his tone showing disgust towards her.

In response, the girl simply raised her right arm, instantly making Kishibe go on alert in case she tried something. The way she uses her powers tends to be unpredictable mainly because they didn't even belong to her in the first place.

But he was a bit taken aback when she only pointed a finger at him. It looked as if she was accusing him of something.

"And don't you think you should follow the order you were given, public safety dog?" she questioned with the same intensity in her voice.

"Heh"

"Hm"

"..."

Kishibe quickly realized what she was referring to. "So you've been listening all this time, why am I not surprised?" The insult didn't seem to affect him in the slightest; after all, he knew what he was, just like her, he was just another tool for the government.

The only difference is that he did have human rights.

She stopped pointing at him with her finger, trying to calm down even a little, but how she wished to point at him with her hand in the shape of a gun and end this.

Would it make things easier for her? Definitely, yes, but there was another factor she had been taking into account in the last few hours, and that was Hiro; even if they didn't show it among themselves, she could easily tell that Hiro had a fondness for the hunter. Hiro likewise wouldn't appreciate it if she tried to attack the person in charge of looking after him.

Even if the mere thought did not please her, she had to admit that for Hiro, Kishibe was very important, even more so than herself at the moment.

At least that was the idea she had developed from the few interactions she had observed.

Now a new goal had emerged deep in her mind, how would she turn the tables in her favor?

Although, given what had recently transpired, there were many possibilities that nothing she imagined could become possible.

Damn reality.

"What was your plan? To attack me from behind and make my body disappear so no one could find it?" asked Kishibe.

'What if I erase his memory?' thought Makima, ignoring Kishibe's question and staring at the ceiling in reflection. An action that confused and irritated the adult.

"Hey, I'm talking to you" he complained.

'...No, I might risk erasing something more valuable than our recent conversation'

"The stupid girl said what"

'I don't have many options with him, maybe I shouldn't have run away' she continued to think to herself.

"Looks like it didn't work for you."

"The stupid devil said what"

"What?"

"It worked."

"BASTARD!"

"It's not funny."

Kishibe was starting to lose his patience. "Do you want me to throw another knife at you or not? This time it won't be at your head."

...

Did this guy not know when to shut up?

Makima reluctantly stopped looking at the ceiling and looked at him with animosity. "I wanted to make sure you'd get out of here."

Kishibe snorted. "Yeah right, you don't show it but deep down I know you want to send me to the other side, but if you try, you'll find yourself reincarnated again in another body, just like what happened last time."

'Last time?' Makima didn't know what he was referring to, but she didn't have time to inquire further.

"Unfortunately, I'm not allowed to lay a finger on you; they'd kill me if I did, however..." Kishibe didn't frown this time, but his eyes demonstrated the coldness and truth in his words, which came out so clear and chilling.

"I've never regretted the death of a child while doing my job, it's something that happens every day... Until now. If you harm Hiro, I won't hesitate to put a bullet through your skull, then I'll find you again and do the same thing over."

If Makima didn't feel antipathy towards him before, she definitely did now.

"Doctor Nishimura was right," Makima spoke, looking at the ground.

"Hm?"

A few seconds later, she lifted her head and looked at him with her bright yellow eyes, but this time she began to smile, a smile that slowly grew and was definitely not friendly in any sense.

"You're really annoying."

Deja vu, Kishibe hated that smile and how much he wished at that moment to knock her teeth out so she would stop smiling.

But he refrained, knowing the consequences.

Kishibe sighed in exasperation, seeing that Yuna hadn't put him in a good position with the girl. It's not like he really wanted to, but he didn't like to think that both shared the same thoughts; if that were the case, everything would become a disaster for everyone.

"I don't know what terrifies me more, the possibility that Quanxi or Hiro might die, or that some of that bitch's personality might rub off on you." Having one Yuna in the world was enough; having two would be worse than a world without alcohol or women.

What's next? Makima torturing people and justifying it for science and the good of humanity? Don't make him laugh.

What else might Yuna have told this girl about him?

"Anyway, don't forget, if you harm the boy..." Kishibe made a gesture with his hand, mimicking a gun. "Bang, you're dead."

Makima felt a strange sensation, but not one that was new to her; Yuna had called it 'Offense'. She had experienced it very few times, and all those times were equally strange.

"Who do you think you are to speculate what I'm going to do?" replied Makima, but that smile quickly vanished with her words. "You're not very smart if you think I would do something like that."

Her harming Hiro? She couldn't imagine it in any way; Hiro was her friend, the most precious person to her, and she would be damned if she caused him to get hurt in any way. She would never harm him, and Kishibe didn't know her at all if he thought she would dare to do something to her friend.

If it were possible, she would be willing to protect him.

"Eh? Of course you will."

Makima was starting to feel more and more angry, but Kishibe hadn't finished, and now he was smiling; it was as if the roles had been reversed.

"You say you won't harm anyone in the future, but you simply can't help it, that's how you function and that's how you've acted in all your lives. It's your nature, and you can't fight against it. I'm not a fortune teller, but knowing your past, even if you don't try, you will make life impossible for others. As I said before, it's your nature, those of your kind can't help but sow chaos because that's what they were created from darkness for."

"A devil who says it won't harm anyone, as far as I can see, the comedy devil is on the loose."

"..."

Kishibe continued speaking without wanting to stop, he wanted to make his position very clear to Makima, even if Yuna had already done so, it was his turn to do it.

"You are nothing but pure evil, experienced hunters like me can easily see it, and you have demonstrated cruelty and destruction throughout history. You are the embodiment of manipulation and absolute control over everything you come near."

This time Kishibe pointed an accusing finger at Makima, his smile had faded long ago.

"You destroy everything you touch."

Makima was silent, she felt stunned, as if Kishibe's words had drilled a hole in her head to embed themselves there and that was all she could think about.

She didn't know how to respond to that, nor did she know what she should feel now, fear, courage, happiness, rage, astonishment... So many emotions, but she didn't know where to start.

First of all, she was not unfamiliar with her nature; she had been told about her past a long time ago and had quickly accepted it, so it was never an obstacle in her life. Even Dr. Yuna had told her it wasn't worth thinking about because it was always better to look to the future and forget the past. But this man was emphasizing it in a way that sounded very... Personal.

"You... You can't be sure of that" said Makima, trying to change his perspective.

"I know very well that you will..."

Makima clenched her teeth, her mind was continuously denying Kishibe's words. She wouldn't hurt anyone knowing the consequences, and she definitely wouldn't hurt Hiro. She wasn't like that.

She didn't want to be like that.

She... She was a devil, but did she really have to cause destruction?

"But you simply can't help it."

Yet here she was, reincarnated in another body with a new life ahead of her. But if she was here, it was because the same thing had happened again. She had done something wrong in her past life, and the one before that, and the one before that, and the one before that...

"It's your nature."

Even if that were true, how could she benefit from manipulation? She would grow up to be a hunter and use her powers to kill other demons, but beyond that, she didn't know how else she could use it.

"You are nothing but pure evil."

Perhaps she didn't know the answer because she hadn't found it yet.

"You destroy everything you touch."

Was that true? She hadn't caused any misfortunes in this life that she was aware of; she had only angered a hunter and almost drove her teacher insane, but beyond that, there was nothing else.

And until recently, she hadn't met other people to know if she had destroyed their lives.

Hiro seemed to be fine by her side, he had even become her friend but... It seemed like she had ruined it recently, so their friendship was in doubt.

She couldn't fully believe Kishibe; she couldn't see the future and simply didn't know how she could cause all the disasters he spoke of.

She didn't want to... However, if it were a situation that involved Hiro... She wouldn't know what to do, but she was sure she would do whatever it took to keep him safe.

If she was only meant to come to sow chaos in this world where Hiro lived... She would prefer not to return to a human body, maybe that way she would keep him safe.

'Hiro... I would never hurt you... But if it were necessary... I would do anything for you.'

Until recently, she had discovered what it was to have a friend, someone special to her, someone with whom she would want to spend every possible second and experience all sorts of things in this life, someone for whom she would do anything.

Perhaps that's what Kishibe was referring to? That she simply can't help it because there's always something forcing her to wreak havoc? Hiro in this case, was her only reason, for now.

"If you're not going to say anything, I'm going to leave" Kishibe mentioned, remembering he was sent to buy ice cream "However, I'm not that bad, but I won't say this because I like you, quite the opposite."

He turned his head only to look at her. "I don't like you getting close to Hiro; he's still too naive to notice how dangerous you are."

"It seems we agree on something" murmured Makima, though Kishibe heard her anyway. She looked at the ground, holding her left arm and rubbing it gently as a form of comfort.

"However, if what's happening in there turns out well, it seems I won't be able to prevent you two from getting close, either because the kid is so stubborn he will try to look for you, or because you will do the same," Kishibe sighed. "So, for the moment, you're allowed to get close to Hiro."

Makima looked up in surprise; she didn't expect the hunter to say something like that when just a second ago he was saying unpleasant things. It was very odd considering he hated her and she him, but he was allowing her to be near Hiro.

She couldn't help but smile at the thought.

"But you know, if you do anything to him, I'll kill you."

And that was the condition. Makima felt a strong need to roll her eyes, which she eventually did due to the enormous annoyance this was causing her.

"I'm leaving" Kishibe turned to go, Makima watched as the figure of the hunter left the huge hallway, until finally, she was the only one there.

Makima didn't know how to deal with what would happen next. If she was being realistic, she didn't need the hunter's permission to get close to Hiro; she would do it anyway, he wasn't going to tell her what to do. However, now that he had said it, it could make things less bothersome for her, she was even sure that Hiro would be happy to hear this.

Speaking of Hiro, even if she was now allowed to talk to him, there were two problems.

Dr. Yuna.

And Hiro himself.

Kishibe seemed to know that he couldn't separate them now, so somehow he gave up and let her get close to Hiro but still keeping an eye on her to watch all her movements. But, what would Dr. Yuna say? Her stance was also necessary to make a decision, she said that getting close to people brought no benefit, she was slowly convincing herself but then she met Hiro and it seemed like everything she believed in was nothing but a lie.

How could she prove to Dr. Yuna that even with someone by her side, her abilities and goals wouldn't change? The answer had not yet presented itself to her; she had rid herself of one burden but another remained. And if she was honest with herself...

She was afraid, afraid that Dr. Yuna would not agree with her getting close to Hiro. She wouldn't know what to do at that moment.

And the problem with Hiro, well... Even if she had the permission of that idiotic hunter, and Dr. Yuna's approval, how would she deal with a Hiro trying to find out what she really is? Their friendship could be ruined if it isn't already, he could end up fearing her or even hating her.

So many problems and she couldn't solve them all; perhaps time would answer her questions. But she didn't like waiting, she wanted an answer as soon as possible, but more than that, she wanted to know right now what Hiro thought of her.

'Maybe it's best to go back'

Makima walked towards the other direction; she had cowardly escaped because she didn't want to deal with Hiro at the moment, but now she felt ready to talk to him again.

Things could go well or terribly wrong, but she would take the risk.

She would risk it for him.

0O0O

Chapter premiered in wattpad on 01/31/2023

Notes: Yeah, I'm going to have to cut the chapter here.

Why, you might ask? There are several reasons for that, but I'll mention the most important ones.

It's 5 in the morning and I haven't slept at all, although my sleep schedule got messed up many years ago, it's still extreme for me. I want to sleep.

Another reason is because I wanted to make a unique chapter between Kishibe and Makima, the two hadn't had the chance to talk to each other since, as you've seen, they have a lot to talk about. It seemed perfect to me that Kishibe, going out to buy ice cream, would run into Makima who was hiding from Hiro. I thought it would be a good moment for both of them to talk, which occurred to me shortly after I started writing this chapter.

Another reason is because... let's be realistic, people, I am dragging this out too much, an event of almost two days has lasted nearly 10 chapters and it took a year of publishing to complete. The problem always comes back to the lack of time and inspiration I had in 2021 and 2022 because of school, releasing chapters every 3 months and even though they were about 8k words I felt it wasn't enough to satisfy the audience.

I felt like a crappy writer who wants to go far but can't even release chapters on the scheduled time.

Another thing is that there are so many, but so many things I want to show in this story that a single chapter doesn't give me enough room to do so because I feel that if I put everything into just one chapter it will turn out horrible, underdeveloped, or seem like it was written without interest, which is the complete opposite, because everything is done for a reason and that's why I include scenes like the one between Kishibe and Makima, to extend the development of this story and its characters as much as possible.

That's another reason why this event stretches out so much, but definitely, the next chapter will be the last one to show Hiro and company at the research center.

See you, folks, take care.