Looks like I'm about to be sold out.
Wearing sunglasses and a hat, Shoko sat in a burger joint, silently sipping her cola and watching the people come and go on the street.
Just like a gecko shedding its tail to survive, the main body's current plan was clearly similar. Since visitors from other worlds would inevitably search for them, the Units, then it was best to just pull them out and find a way to throw them out there... Ultimately, it was the workhorse Units who bore the brunt of everything.
Ha, thankfully I haven't done anything too crazy. Even if Denji and Makima find me, they probably won't react too wildly. Compared to me, the situations my juniors face will be much more troublesome.
Units three and four went way too hard farming their targets, almost driving the sheep mad. It'd be perfectly normal if they ended up getting rammed by those sheep later...
The task now was to subtly let Makima and the others discover her and the [conspiracy] behind her, and finally have them successfully resolve the problem, receiving her as the reward.
Sigh, what a hassle... But compared to Unit-01, the work I have to do isn't quite as much.
Finishing her cola, Shoko casually tossed the cup into a nearby trash bin and walked straight out of the burger joint. According to the system map, the person she was waiting for was already nearby. It was time to start the operation.
...
Denji walked down the street, swaying slightly, a dead look in his eyes.
Skyscrapers towered around him, most signs bearing Chinese characters he couldn't read... which was normal, considering he wasn't in familiar Tokyo anymore.
Suddenly crossing over from his own world had initially surprised Denji, but after quickly discovering that Aki Hayakawa and others had also arrived, he didn't feel particularly panicked.
People from his world weren't the only ones here; many others from different worlds had arrived too. Denji had seen some of them around Makima before... but honestly, he wasn't very interested.
His life in Tokyo was dull, and it was the same here.
The only difference, perhaps, was discovering he seemed to be the protagonist of a manga in this world. He just didn't remember the heroine depicted in the story.
It was an annoying feeling. Flipping through the manga always gave him a sense of déjà vu, but trying to grasp that memory always resulted in emptiness... It left Denji feeling hollow inside.
Back when he lived with Aki and the others in Tokyo, although life was reasonably happy, he always felt something was missing. Was this the reason?
Makima seemed to know more, but when he asked, she completely ignored him. Makima always seemed to be searching for something in this world, leaving Denji to wander the city aimlessly out of boredom.
After all, devils occasionally popped up in this world. When he encountered them while wandering, he could still transform into Chainsaw Man, fight, and receive cheers and praise from the surroundings.
But why couldn't he feel happy?
Denji walked aimlessly with the crowd, brushing past a petite figure.
...?
Suddenly, Denji stopped.
He seemed to catch a familiar scent, like some kind of flower, but he couldn't recall where he had smelled it before, no matter how hard he tried.
Night, high altitude, a light kiss... Fragmented memories flashed through his mind. The scent was like a cool night breeze stirring his thoughts, making it difficult to move his feet.
Denji whipped his head around, trying to find the figure carrying the scent, only to see them almost disappearing into the sea of people.
Without thinking, he pushed his way towards that figure. Even though his rough actions earned him annoyed glares from the surrounding crowd, he continued straight ahead, following the scent.
As he moved, the crowd thinned, and Denji's pace quickened into a run. He followed the remembered scent through street after street, finally stopping in front of a small alley.
"Lost her..."
Denji stood frozen, muttering. The floral scent stopped here, and before him was just an empty dead end.
"...Guess I'll head back."
Dejected, Denji turned to leave, but the moment he turned, his body froze. The reason was simple: a girl wearing a hat and sunglasses stood at the alley entrance, smiling at him. "What, looking for me?"
Sunlight spilled in from outside the alley, reflecting off the sheen of her ebony hair. As she took off her sunglasses, ruby-red eyes gazed at him with playful amusement. "I wonder, what can I do for you?"
"I—"
Denji tried to speak, but his tongue felt like it didn't belong to him at that moment. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't form complete words. Only memories burst forth in his mind, irrepressible, like the tears welling up in the corners of his eyes.
"Sigh, I know I'm cute, but you're the first one to be moved to tears just by looking at me... Looks like being too beautiful is a sin too~"
A familiar voice, a familiar smile. In that instant, everything previously forgotten finally resurfaced from the blocked-off memories!
"So... Shoko? It's Shoko, right?!"
Denji cautiously reached out a hand. He wanted to move closer but feared it was just his own hallucination, doomed to vanish like a bubble upon contact.
"Well, such a cute name could only belong to someone as perfect as me~" Shoko grinned, playfully twirling a strand of her hair. Then, looking at Denji, confusion appeared on her face. "But... who are you? Do we know each other?"
"...Huh?"
The excitement that had filled his heart moments ago plunged into an icy abyss. Denji stared at Shoko's gaze, which seemed to regard him as a stranger, and panic suddenly seized him.
"I... We, no—I'm Denji!"
Unable to even organize his words properly, Denji's hands began to tremble uncontrollably. His heart, which had never known fear even when facing powerful devils, was scared at this moment.
In the face of his frantic eyes, Shoko frowned deeply, and then...
"Just kidding, Denji! How could I possibly forget you~"
Shoko waved her hand dismissively with a cheerful grin, feeling a little reflective inside.
Uh oh, seems like reaping energy has become an instinct.
Saw a good opportunity and subconsciously started messing with him, even though there's no need for it right now... Or maybe, my personality is just inherently this rotten?
Whatever, I'm a devil anyway—
Seeing Denji, who had somehow already rushed over and was hugging her tightly, saying nothing, only tears soaking her shoulder, Shoko paused for a second, then her expression softened into a somewhat resigned smile as she gently patted his back.
"You're so tall now, still acting like a big baby. I really don't know what to do with you..."