I Have a Score to Settle with the Gun Devil

"Denji, go defeat the Gun Devil."

The next day, Makima smiled at Denji. "If you can kill the Gun Devil, I'll grant you any wish."

"Well, even if you say that…"

Denji scratched his head listlessly, seemingly uninterested. He glanced at Shoko, swinging her legs on Makima's desk, then quickly looked away.

This woman is definitely trying to use me to kill that super strong devil! I'm not stupid. I'm not going to agree to something like that just because she says she'll grant my wish—

"If you succeed, I'll even give you the Desire Devil under Public Safety's jurisdiction."

"Gun Devil! Gun Devil!! How dare it massacre humans, taking so many lives! Unforgivable!!!"

Denji gnashed his teeth and furiously punched the air, as if eager to pull his cord and transform into Chainsaw Man to fight the Gun Devil. "I'm going to kill that bastard! Nobody stop me!"

Neither Shoko nor Makima were surprised by Denji's reaction. He was always like this.

"In that case, first go collect the Gun Devil's flesh pieces with Hayakawa and the others. Once we gather enough, we can pinpoint its location."

Picking up the documents on her desk, Makima flipped through a few pages, then looked up at Denji. "Intel suggests a devil possessing a Gun Devil flesh piece is hiding in a hotel. Since you're so eager, go eliminate the devil and retrieve the flesh piece today. I've already notified Hayakawa and the others. Go meet up with them."

"This time, not only Power but other squads will be mobilized. Cooperate with everyone."

After a brief explanation, Makima dismissed Denji. However, minutes later, he was still standing there.

"Is there something else?"

"Um..." Denji scratched his head sheepishly, glancing at Shoko. "Is Shoko going on this mission too?"

"Me?"

This question gave Shoko pause. Judging from Makima's information, this mission should be against the Eternity Devil, the first elite enemy in the Chainsaw Man manga, one that gave Denji and the others a lot of trouble.

Participating would be a good opportunity to raise her affection levels with Kobeni and Himeno.

But Shoko's current priority was Makima, so she had intended to stay by Makima's side. Besides, she wasn't much of a fighter.

Now that Denji had brought it up, should she go?

"...She's currently a member of Hayakawa's squad. According to regulations, she needs to participate in Desire Devil subjugations." Makima glanced impassively at Shoko, then addressed Denji. "You can go meet up with Hayakawa and the others now."

"No! I mean..."

Denji looked flustered, then stammered, "She's not good at fighting, right? There's no point in bringing her along... Could she… sit this one out?"

Unexpectedly, Denji actually cares. He was trying to keep her out of harm's way.

Shoko had assumed he just wanted to stick with her and fight together.

Makima seemed indifferent, letting Shoko go or stay. But now that Denji had asked, Makima certainly wouldn't let this opportunity slip.

As expected, Makima feigned distress, mentioning regulations. Finally, after Denji swore to complete the mission and pledged his loyalty, she seemingly relented. "Alright, since you insist, Denji, the Desire Devil will sit this one out."

"Alright!"

Denji practically jumped for joy, then gave Shoko a confident thumbs-up. "Wait for me, Shoko! I'll go kill that devil, grab those… thingy… flesh pieces, and then take down that… thingy… devil too!"

"Be safe~"

Shoko smiled, watching Denji dash out, then turned to Makima.

"So, what do I do now?"

"Whatever you want." Makima picked up her pen and resumed working.

"Okay~"

…

Three hours later, Makima finally set down her pen and looked up at Shoko. "What are you doing?"

"Watching you." Shoko replied matter-of-factly.

"I know that. So why have you been staring at me for three hours?"

"You're pretty." Shoko stated boldly.

…So that's it. She's not right in the head.

Seeing the disdain creeping into Makima's eyes, Shoko chuckled. "Just curious about how you spend your days~"

"I'm very interested in your daily life."

"My life?" Makima frowned slightly. "That doesn't seem to concern you."

"But I want to know. Wanting to know what my friend's daily life is like, wanting to understand her better, isn't that normal?"

Friend. She used that word again.

Was she serious? Wanting to befriend the Control Devil?

"You don't seem afraid of me at all."

Makima leaned back in her chair, her gaze intense. "I'm curious. Other devils avoid me. Most, like Power, can barely speak in my presence. You're much weaker than them, so why aren't you afraid?"

"Why should I be afraid? We're both devils. There's no hierarchy between us. The only difference is perhaps the degree to which humans fear the concepts we represent, in other words, power."

"But to me, whether power is strong or weak doesn't matter—everyone's stronger than me anyway."

"And who would be afraid of their friend just because they're powerful?" Shoko smiled, her expression as playful as ever. "I want to understand you better, Makima."