"Shoko, I..."
The words caught in Denji's throat. He had so many questions for Shoko, but in the end, none of them seemed important anymore. "Anyway, come back with me first! Aki misses you too... And when Power gets here, she'll definitely want to see you too!"
But unlike the excited Denji, Shoko remained silent. She simply took a couple of steps back, smiling and shaking her head at him.
"...Huh?"
The completely unexpected answer left Denji blankly standing there, letting out a meaningless sound of confusion. What Shoko said next was even harder for him to understand or accept.
"Actually, the reason I met you this time was to tell you this... Stop looking for me. And don't let Makima look for me anymore." The smile on Shoko's face faded slightly, replaced by a rare seriousness. "This is for your own good."
"What are you talking about? I don't get it, Shoko! I mean, I started going to school like you said, but my grades are still bad... But I-I am going to school! You told me to go, and I went! So, um... did I do something wrong...?"
If the people from another world knew that the rampaging, infamous Chainsaw Man now looked like a stray dog kicked out of its home, eyes filled with confusion and fear, their jaws would probably drop.
But for Denji, finding the family he thought he'd never see again, only to be told not only that he couldn't go back with them but that they couldn't meet anymore... The fact he hadn't completely lost it already counted as remarkably calm. He simply couldn't comprehend why things had turned out this way.
Damn it, if only Aki were here right now. He'd definitely be better with words than me, he could convince Shoko to stay...
"Denji, you guys didn't do anything wrong, it's just..." A rare hint of helplessness touched Shoko's smile. "Some things aren't up to me to decide. Sneaking out to see you this time was already the limit."
"All I can tell you is, the less you know, the safer you'll be. If you keep searching like Makima is, you might encounter danger."
"What threat... Is someone threatening you?!" Denji froze for a second, then fury surged within him, as if Pochita inside him felt the same way.
If there were moments in his life that filled him with the most rage and despair, aside from the instant Shoko finally disappeared, it was the day Shoko was taken away by the Public Safety Devil Hunters to save him...
If not for the high turnover rate among Public Safety Devil Hunters, meaning most of those involved back then were already dead, Denji would have personally shown them what karma truly means.
And after coming to Blue Earth and learning from the manga what kind of things Shoko endured in the Devil Hunters' prison... the current Denji had gained a profound understanding that Tokyo's population was still too large, and he was already prepared to contribute to Japan's environmental protection [Euphemism for reducing the population violently].
So now, Denji absolutely couldn't accept someone threatening Shoko again, enslaving and torturing her like a tool—especially using his safety to threaten her! What happened before would absolutely not happen a second time.
But Shoko didn't answer Denji. She just shook her head, then glanced towards a rat that had appeared in the corner of the wall, watching them. "It really has to stop here. Don't continue, okay?"
"Denji, remember to take care of yourself. Don't tell Aki or Power about what happened today."
"Wait, Shoko, where are you going—"
A sudden intuition struck Denji. He subconsciously reached forward, trying to grab Shoko's hand, but ultimately grasped only air.
He looked up. The empty alley held no one but himself.
Just like that time—no, it was different! He still remembered Shoko, and Shoko was here, in this world right now! It was just some unknown bastard threatening her, preventing her from meeting him!
Damn it, where can I find Shoko? Where can I find that bastard and tear him limb from limb?! He couldn't think of any answers... Should've studied harder, maybe if I'd read more books, I'd know what to do!
While Denji was still fuming helplessly, a figure silently appeared beside the alley. It was Makima.
Still too late... But at least I saw Shoko through the rat's eyes and even spoke with her.
Makima silently manipulated the surrounding animals, attempting to track Shoko's whereabouts. But as expected, the results were fruitless. She didn't feel frustrated, however. Confirming that Shoko was still in this world and alright was enough to calm her down for now.
That Otto's guess was correct. Shoko, like Lihua, had a connection to this world. But something was directly influencing Shoko, which seemed like a greater restriction than Lihua faced.
After all, the latter hadn't shown any signs of her actions being directly interfered with—no, perhaps that Lihua was also being directly controlled just like Shoko, but it was all concealed by her acting?
Makima pondered on the spot.
She wasn't like Otto and his group; she had no feelings whatsoever for Lihua and didn't hesitate to assume the worst about her.
From Makima's current perspective, if Lihua and Shoko were both affected by the same thing, then Shoko was willing to appear before her and offer a thoughtful warning, while that Lihua hadn't said anything to Otto and the others from beginning to end—looking at it this way, wasn't Shoko ten thousand times better than that so-called Schicksal Saint?!
My Shoko really is the best!
Therefore, anyone who dares to lay a hand on my Shoko is unforgivable...
Killing intent flickered in her eyes as Makima considered her next move.
If she directly told Otto that Lihua was being controlled and all the kindness she showed them was an act, not only would Otto and his group absolutely refuse to believe it, but it would likely shatter the hard-won cooperation.
After all, although that man seemed intelligent, he always became extremely irrational when it involved Lihua.
Makima wasn't planning to give up as Shoko suggested, but she wouldn't ignore the warning either.
Since Shoko believed continued searching could lead to danger, even risking appearing before her to give a warning, it meant Shoko thought the entity behind the scenes was stronger than both herself and Chainsaw Man.
Makima wouldn't waste the reminder Shoko had delivered.
Right now, Otto and his group weren't very reliable, but powerful allies were necessary—so, what about finding another group strong enough, one that could also force Otto and the others to remain calm?
After all, since Lihua is affected, it would be quite normal for Lee, who looks exactly like her, to have the same problem, right?