Ginger Pork Stir-Fry Style Freakouts are Also a Specialty, You Must Try It

"I..."

Denji was about to speak, but a rumbling from his stomach interrupted him.

Even in this situation, his stomach was growling, demanding food. The awkwardness of it made even the thick-skinned Denji blush. "I… I'm hungry..."

It wasn't his fault. He'd slept through the entire day without eating anything.

"...I see."

Shoko's expression flickered, then she lowered her gaze, a faint smile playing on her lips, a mix of exasperation and something akin to sadness. "Well, you've come to the right person."

Denji watched as Shoko produced an apple from seemingly nowhere, sat down at the small table in the room, and began peeling it with practiced ease. He obediently sat beside her.

"We have a little time. If you have something on your mind, best to speak now."

"I..."

After much hesitation, Denji finally voiced his complex feelings about Aki Hayakawa and his uncertainty about what to do next.

Shoko continued peeling the apple, occasionally nodding or murmuring in acknowledgement. When Denji finished, she let out a soft chuckle.

"There's more to it than that, isn't there, Denji?"

Cutting the peeled apple into slices, she speared a piece with the tip of the knife and offered it to Denji. "Let me guess—you're wondering if all the kindness I've shown you was just an act."

"—!"

Shoko had hit the nail on the head.

Indeed, the restored memories included not only Shoko's death and his patricide, but another forgotten incident.

Three years ago, beaten half to death in an alley, delirious and barely conscious, he'd made a wish to a passing devil.

To have a family, to live happily with them.

That devil had answered him, formed a contract, and ever since, had cared for him with a tenderness he'd never known, giving him a life he'd never imagined.

The devil's kindness had filled him with a sense of love and happiness, but now, knowing it was all based on a contract, he couldn't help but wonder if that love and happiness were genuine, or just a devil's elaborate performance.

While Denji was lost in thought, Shoko popped the apple slice into his mouth. He instinctively chewed. The soft flesh was incredibly sweet, a flavor he'd never tasted before.

"What do you think, Denji?"

As she continued feeding him, Shoko asked calmly, "Was it all real, or just a pretense?"

"Of course it was real!" Denji blurted out, as if the force of his words could make them true.

But Shoko only smiled, a mocking glint in her eyes. "Wrong answer."

"There's no such thing as unprovoked hatred, nor unprovoked love. I was kind to you back then only to fulfill the contract."

"..." Denji's expression fell, but he wasn't surprised. It was as if he'd already expected this. "Shoko, you… you don't like me?"

"Like you?"

Shoko scoffed. "Quite the opposite, Denji. Back then, I absolutely loathed you. I wished for nothing more than your utter misery."

[Energy +50,000]

As Denji remained silent, Shoko calmly recounted her past. "I was a lot like you back then, Denji. Except you were at the bottom of human society, while I was at the bottom of devil society. The Desire Devil is feared by no one, making me one of the weakest devils, destined only to be eaten."

"Eaten on Earth, return to Hell. Eaten in Hell, return to Earth. That was my endless cycle. I couldn't fight back, couldn't even run. At first, I had my own wish, a wish for someone to save me. But my power couldn't grant such a grand wish. So I gave up—let them eat me, I thought. My life would just repeat endlessly anyway."

"It's ironic, isn't it? The Desire Devil, having no desires of her own."

"I thought it was inevitable. Anyone living in such despair couldn't possibly have dreams or wishes—until I saw you."

"Living like a stray dog, beaten and abused, no one caring whether you lived or died. Scavenging for scraps, never knowing where your next meal would come from. Trampled underfoot, with no hope for a better life..."

"Just like me, living in utter despair, yet you still had dreams."

"I thought—why?"

"So when I heard your wish, I didn't hesitate to form a contract. Because wishes granted by the Desire Devil always come with a far crueler price. Since you dreamed of a happy life, I'd give it to you, then watch you fall into despair, never to know happiness again."

"So of course, all the kindness I showed you was just an act."

Shoko waved her hand, revealing the scene outside to Denji.

Blood and gore, severed limbs.

Denji recognized each piece, each one belonging to a friend. The gruesome sight silenced him.

"You did this, Denji." The apple was almost gone. Shoko stopped feeding him. "This is the price of happiness. Every friend, every family member who brought you joy, killed by your own hand. And even after killing them all, you probably won't stop, will you? You'll keep killing until you destroy yourself."

"And the one responsible for all of this is—me."

"So you were agonizing over whether to kill Aki Hayakawa for my sake… it's laughable."

[Energy +200,000]

Shoko watched as Denji clenched his fists.

Would he lash out at her?

She doubted it. This 200,000 energy burst meant the shock hadn't completely broken him.

As expected, Denji spoke.

"Even so… I still like you, Shoko..."

Hah, this is the equivalent of Makima lovingly turning him into ginger pork stir-fry and eating him in the original manga!

Though Shoko sashimi wasn't much better…

This proved that relying on Denji's hatred to harvest energy was a dead end.

So, facing this level of simping, Shoko could only offer a wry smile.

"Even now, you can still say that… It's this optimism of yours that I hate, Denji."

"But… it's also what I love most about you."