From Power's perspective, how did she see it?
Let's break it into two angles.
First: What's the benefit of being Hayashi's watchdog?
[Unlimited food, no charge]
[Light workload, chill vibe]
[Employee dignity and pride]
[Promotion comes with benefits and power]
And more…
Second: What's Power's current life like?
[Decent pay, but bonuses only from hunting devils]
[Makima's job pressure is crushing]
[High risk, might die any day]
[Lives in a tiny dorm, no meals included]
[No transport, has to commute daily]
And so on…
Looking at the data…
Being Hayashi's dog is objectively better than her job.
Power suddenly felt like she saw the truth!
Why work for Makima at all?
It's just forced obedience through fear!
High pressure, average pay, bad housing, high risk, no meals…
Yikes…
For a moment—
Power's brain actually worked.
She had an epiphany.
This can't go on.
She had to find a way to bail!
As long as Makima didn't kill her, she could run anywhere!
"Alright, you can take Pochita now," Hayashi said, having finished prepping him and opening the gate. "Treat him well, or I'll string you up and beat you."
He meant that literally.
He hadn't tested his String-String Fruit on people yet…
If Power misbehaved, she'd be the first guinea pig for his bondage—er, weaving techniques.
Snapping back to reality, Power stiffened up.
She stood at attention, suddenly looking like a brave soldier marching to war.
"This… this great me has memorized everything!"
"I'll stand firm at Hayashi's side! I'll kill the Bat Devil and bring back the cat!"
"Good, strong spirit." Hayashi nodded in satisfaction. "Now go. The sooner you leave, the sooner you'll be back."
Power nodded. "Aye!"
To show her sincerity—
She refused to let Pochita walk and instead scooped him up in her arms.
"Let's go. I'll carry you there myself."
Hayashi chuckled and waved her off.
Power, cradling Pochita, left the house.
After seeing her off—
Tohru asked curiously, "So Pochita's helping fight a devil?"
"Yeah," Hayashi nodded. "To rescue a cat. That cat is the devil's only animal friend, and it got kidnapped."
Hayashi explained the whole story to Tohru.
When she heard it, she clenched her fists tightly.
"That's awful! Using someone's friend to manipulate them—Hayashi-san, you did the right thing!"
"Oh, it's nothing," Hayashi waved it off.
Of course, he wasn't doing it for free.
He'd given Power two options.
She refused to work and offered… other compensation.
Which made Hayashi's face twitch a bit—but hey, that's what she wanted.
And… well, he didn't exactly mind either. Ahem.
After Pochita left—
Hayashi returned to the dining area and looked at Kanna.
"Rested up? We're about to head out."
"All rested." Kanna hopped off the chair.
She wagged her little tail contentedly and walked over to Tohru.
Tohru finished cleaning the table and raised a fist energetically.
"Alright! Let's go~!"
Kanna looked at her and mimicked her pose.
"Let's go~!"
Hayashi grabbed the car keys and headed out.
He got in the driver's seat.
Tohru sat in the passenger seat with Kanna on her lap—it was a perfect fit.
Of course, this wasn't exactly safe driving… don't try this at home.
But that said…
They were both dragons. Even if they got into a car accident, the car would probably be reduced to scrap while the two of them would come out completely unscathed.
Inside the car.
Hayashi twisted the key in the ignition.
Vroom vroom vroom~~~
The little van started up and rolled out of the alley.
As they cruised through the city…
Tohru looked out at the sparse crowds. "There are definitely fewer people today. A lot of stores aren't even open."
Kanna sat on Tohru's lap, glancing left and right. "What happened?"
"Devils, ghouls, that kind of thing," Hayashi said casually as he drove one-handed. "Tohru and I just want to live peacefully, but when trouble comes knocking… what else can we do?"
"Exterminate!" Tohru answered without hesitation.
Hayashi nodded. Correct answer.
"Ooh~" Kanna nodded in understanding.
Since both Tohru and Hayashi said so—
Then extermination must be the right thing to do.
All along the way…
The little van rattled along.
Tohru held Kanna and pointed out the surrounding scenery.
When they passed a signal tower, Kanna pointed. "What's that?"
Hayashi took a glance. "Signal tower. It transmits signals."
"What's a signal tower?"
"It's like an energy transmitter. Without it, magic tools wouldn't be very effective."
"Ooh~ I get it now!"
Tohru blinked—she hadn't even thought of explaining it like that.
Then, when they drove past a car repair shop—
Kanna pointed again. "What's that?"
Hayashi looked. "Auto repair shop."
"What's an auto repair shop?"
"When a mid-level magic machine breaks down and you don't know how to fix it, you bring it to a specialist."
"Ooh~ I get it!"
And so it went—
Kanna kept asking, and Hayashi patiently answered every question.
He wasn't annoyed at all—in fact, he enjoyed chatting like this in the car.
Seeing a cute little dragon laugh and chatter happily? What could be better?
Tohru smiled as she watched them.
She chimed in from time to time with explanations of her own.
The three of them were full of joy.
They happily arrived at the market and parked the car.
Tohru carried Kanna out of the passenger seat.
"Ooh~" Kanna looked around at the bustling marketplace, wide-eyed with curiosity.
Hayashi shut the door with a click.
He reminded both Tohru and Kanna, "Tohru, keep an eye on Kanna. And Kanna, stay close to us. If you're curious about anything, just ask—but don't wander off, got it?"
Kanna nodded. "Got it."
"Alright, let's go."
The trio headed into the market.
First stop: meat and seafood.
They bought beef, ribeye by the pound, pork belly, lamb, and more.
Tohru was a bit surprised. "Why are we buying so much today?"
"Hotpot tonight," Hayashi said. "It's Kanna's welcome dinner. How about it, Kanna?"
Tohru's eyes widened.
Kanna's mouth opened slightly in surprise.
They exchanged a glance, then nodded in unison. "Mm!"
Tohru was so happy she jumped into Hayashi's arms and kissed his cheek with a big mua~.
Kanna saw that—
She felt a little jealous, a little pouty, and let out a hmph to protest.
People nearby all turned to look at Hayashi and Tohru.
The older folks smiled knowingly.
"Ah, young people these days…"
"They're so in love. I wish them happiness."
"Such a handsome man and beautiful woman—what a perfect match."
Tohru blushed furiously.
She bowed repeatedly to thank those giving them their blessings.
Afterward, she quickly dragged Hayashi and Kanna away.
Hayashi chuckled and rubbed Tohru's head.
Kanna grumbled beside them.
"Tohru-sama, you can't do that in front of me. It makes Kanna too sad…"
Tohru scratched her head, flustered. "Sorry, Kanna."
Hayashi reached into his pocket and pulled out a lollipop.
He handed it to Kanna, whose attention immediately shifted.
"Here. This is an apology on Tohru's behalf. Still mad?"
Kanna licked the lollipop—
Her eyes squinted with happiness, and her tail wagged contentedly.
"Not mad anymore."
"Good." Hayashi nodded. "Let's go—we still have to buy the veggies."
After the meat, they headed to the vegetable section.
What veggies are best for hotpot?
Great question. Obviously: radish, chrysanthemum greens, mushrooms, tofu, bamboo shoots, kelp, lotus root, tripe, and more.
Hayashi and the girls bought bag after bag.
Soon—
Hayashi and Tohru each had both arms full of grocery bags.
Only Kanna followed along obediently with nothing to carry.
"There's too much stuff. Let's take it back first."
So they returned home to drop everything off—
Then came back out to buy seafood.
Squid, crabs, sea fish, and more.
While Hayashi and Tohru were shopping—
Kanna crouched beside a crab tank with oxygen bubbling, watching the crabs swim around.
"Ooh~" Kanna stared with fascination.
Then she stuck her finger into the water.
"Hey! Little girl!" A nearby worker panicked. "Don't put your hand in there! Those crabs will pinch you!"
But it was too late.
Kanna had already dipped her finger in and poked at a crab.
The crab snapped—and clamped onto her finger.
Kanna's face didn't even flinch.
She calmly lifted her hand—crab still dangling in the air.
"!!" The worker freaked out.
She already pictured a screaming child, panicked parents, and blood everywhere.
But nothing happened.
Kanna showed no reaction.
She simply used her other hand to pull the crab off—
Then gently tossed it back into the tank.
Finally, she stood up and saw that Tohru and Hayashi were finished shopping.
She trotted back to them.
"???" The worker stared in disbelief.
She rubbed her eyes to make sure she wasn't imagining it.
That little girl got pinched by a crab—and just walked off like it was nothing?!
She watched the child disappear into the distance.
She opened her mouth, but didn't call out to stop them.
Back on the other side—
After buying seafood, the day's shopping was pretty much done.
Hayashi suddenly remembered. "Oh right, I still need to buy a weaving book."
So they headed for the bookstore.
Just then, Kanna ran over and held up her pinched finger.
"Tohru, Hayashi—just now, I got pinched by a claw bug. Am I going to die?"
"?"
"?"
Hayashi looked at Kanna's finger.
"If you'd said something earlier, it would've been fine. You didn't even get hurt, Kanna."
Kanna looked at her finger. "You're right, I guess."
Didn't even break skin—what's there to worry about?
The three of them headed to the bookstore.
Hayashi bought three books about weaving.
Titles included How to Knit Sweaters and Scarves, Weaving Techniques, and Modern Apparel Cordage and Mechanical Weaving Technology.
He picked up everything from beginner-level to advanced—he'd study them at his own pace later.
Tohru also picked out a book: The Self-Cultivation of a Housewife.
Kanna picked one too—a picture book.
Yes, the kind with illustrations. She mostly picked it because the pictures were pretty.
After they paid for everything…
Hayashi realized that books in Japan were quite expensive.
Each one ranged from ¥2,000 to ¥4,000—roughly €15 to €30—and even the cheaper ones cost thousands.
They carried their seafood.
Kanna hugged her book.
Then they returned to the van.
Today's shopping trip was complete.
After putting everything away, the three got into the car and started heading home.
Along the way—
There were noticeably more CCG investigators.
Most were pairings of Rank-3 and Rank-2 agents—senior officers mentoring juniors.
Some were Rank-1s guiding Rank-2s—those were usually patrolling the high-risk zones.
Such as the places near where ghouls had rioted or devils had appeared the other night.
And in rare cases—
There was a combination like Senior Investigator Kureo Mado and Rank-1 Amon Koutarou.
These kinds of pairs were usually dispatched with specific missions.
In other words, they had intel and were sent to follow up on it.
"So many Rank-2s today," Hayashi muttered.
And not just the CCG—there were also lots of Anti-Devil Public Safety officers.
Those wore either police uniforms or formal suits.
Tohru grew curious. "Hayashi-san, what are the ranks for investigators? How can you tell?"
Hayashi explained in one go:
"They're split into two main categories—Upper Three Ranks: Special Class, Associate Special Class, and First Class; and Lower Three Ranks: Rank-1, Rank-2, and Rank-3."
Then he explained how to identify them:
"You can mostly tell by their weapons. Lower-rank investigators wear uniforms and use standard-issue weapons—nothing too fancy."
"Upper-rank investigators wear nicer suits, white uniforms, or combat gear. They carry briefcases made of kakuhou materials—capable of damaging S-class ghouls and above."
Tohru and Kanna nodded, enlightened.
The car continued down the road.
Hayashi leaned back in his seat, driving with one hand and enjoying the breeze through the window.
But just then, a sudden ping triggered in his mind.
His domination ability informed him: The devil under your control, Pochita, has reached the destination and is preparing for combat.
Hayashi focused, opening the system and checking on his staff.
Locating…
Pochita's health bar was full.
The location was a remote countryside area outside Tokyo.
No idea how many trains Power had taken to get Pochita all the way out there.
Within the domination interface—
Hayashi could now share Pochita's vision or even possess him remotely to control him in battle—or control anything he wanted.
This was full domination.
"I'll just share vision," Hayashi thought. No way he'd possess a barking devil and fight on its behalf.
Just watching was enough.
After connecting their vision—
Two screens appeared in Hayashi's mind.
His own first-person view driving was the main display.
Pochita's perspective was layered faintly on top, like a picture-in-picture feed.
He continued driving normally.
Multitasking? No problem.
Meanwhile, far away—
Power was under a lot of pressure.
She'd brought Pochita to a rural hillside where there was an abandoned shack.
She put Pochita down and pointed at the shack.
"Pochita, the Bat Devil is in there. My cat must be trapped too. It's all up to you—please save the kitty!"
"Woof." Pochita barked softly.
He meant something like, "Sure, I'll wrap this up and get back to napping in the sun."
Next—
Pochita sniffed out the devil nearby.
From his devil senses, he caught a whiff of blood—coming from that rundown shack.
Confirmed: the target was still wounded.
Pochita got serious.
He shook himself, then yanked the pull cord on his back—on his own!
VRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRMMMM!!!
Instantly, the roar of the chainsaw—humanity's primal fear engine—screamed to life!
The once-cute Pochita—
Transformed into a beast wrapped in black armor, shaped like a hybrid of lion and tiger, with massive black chainsaws protruding from his head and spine!
Transformation complete, Pochita stomped the ground, blasting dirt and grass into the air!
Then—
In Power's stunned gaze—
He lunged at the shack like a cannonball!
Two words: All-out assault!!
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