Poor Aki, Manipulated

"Wait!" Aki, clearly the most distressed, stepped in front of Shoko and his colleagues.

"Fighting isn't necessary! We have other options! Perhaps we can—"

Aki didn't want Shoko to be harmed, but he also didn't want to see his colleagues hurt.

He believed she was powerless. He'd come tonight to help her escape.

But the situation had escalated. Shoko was threatening a gas explosion!

Whether she could win or not, a fight would result in casualties. She might be immortal, but his colleagues weren't.

He didn't want anyone hurt. But he was powerless.

"You're so kind, Aki-kun. But things don't always go our way." Shoko smiled. "It's easier to survive as a Devil Hunter if you're heartless."

Aki, at the start of the Chainsaw Man timeline, was a hardened Devil Hunter, hiding his vulnerabilities behind a cold facade.

But this Aki was still the rookie, more akin to the young man willing to stick chewing gum to other people's clothes to avenge Himeno.

Was this because it was still a year before the main story? Had her interference reduced his suffering, preserving his innocence?

She didn't know. But Aki's feelings for her weren't as strong as Denji's. She was family to Denji, but just a friend to Aki.

[Aki Favorability: 9]

[Energy Charge Efficiency: 810%]

Aki, a man with intense hatred for Devils, was incredibly trusting, even knowing her true nature.

But she was about to be captured. A long imprisonment awaited. She needed to milk this situation.

It would benefit both her and Aki.

Shoko pulled out a longsword from the system shop and pointed it at Aki, a cruel smile on her lips. "Stand aside, or I won't guarantee your safety."

...

Seeing the blade pointed at him, Aki felt his blood run cold. Her voice, once so warm, was now a discordant screech.

Despite her denials, he'd considered Shoko his friend.

His heart wasn't made of stone. Watching someone share his burden, while carrying a smile, had made him care.

He didn't have many friends. He was close to Himeno, but she was a mentor. Shoko was his only equal.

He often wondered if she was different from other Devils. She was human-like, and her actions and words were kind. She was raising an orphan.

Devils didn't have to be evil, right? Maybe Shoko was different. She wouldn't harm anyone. She could live among humans.

But Shoko's words revealed the harsh reality.

She was willing to kill him if he stood in her way.

"...No... that's not right...?" Aki smiled weakly. "We're… friends, aren't we?"

"...Do you think so?" Shoko raised an eyebrow, unreadable.

Suddenly, Aki was yanked back. A blade sliced through the air, leaving a gash on the ground where he'd stood.

"Pathetic, Hayakawa. You were manipulated by a Devil."

"Captain…?" Aki sat on the ground, shocked.

The man who saved him was the same one who'd been standing beside him moments before.

"I was concerned that you'd be blinded by that Devil. But it seems that we were saved that trouble," the man said.

"I..." Aki stared at the gash in the ground. If not for his captain, he'd be dead.

She'd been serious.

Why? Were her kindness, warmth, and humor all an act?

Was Shoko no different from other Devils? Willing to kill anyone, friend or foe, who stood in her way?

Was their friendship just a game to her?

[Energy +72000]

[Target Aki's Favorability Decreased. Current Favorability: 6]

[Current Target Energy Charge Efficiency: 540%]

I harvested the energy, but my favorability decreased.

It goes down, too? This is a first.

Only three levels, though. He's too nice.

Shoko glanced at the heartbroken Aki, feeling no remorse.

Aki's impulsive behavior had been dangerous. He might have gotten himself captured or killed. She needed to get him back on the right side of the lines.

This was the best way to push him back towards the other Devil Hunters, so he could keep contributing to the main storyline. He might be punished for the unauthorized contact, but he'd survive.

And her interference ensured he'd be safe and on track to meet his canonical end.

He should thank me.

He will, once he understands my good intentions, he'll be back on the wagon.