His feet were back on the ground and the fire-qi had ebbed; Su Tang felt like his clever intellect had seized the high ground again.
So when he heard the sudden screech of brakes outside the factory, he wasn't surprised.
If his guess was right, this should be the Public Safety people.
Sure enough, through the floor-to-ceiling window at the side, he saw three people get out of the car. The two behind, clearly subordinates, were all in Public Safety uniforms.
But the one in front…
Not Aki Hayakawa? It was actually a woman?
A fishtail braid of pale orange hair hung down to the upper middle of her black trench coat, swaying lightly against her back in the night wind.
Her height was around one meter sixty-five, but when she walked, with the trench coat's boost, she somehow projected the presence of one-seventy.
As if noticing Su Tang's gaze, the woman suddenly turned her head to look this way.
Those eyes!
Su Tang's vision was naturally excellent; though they were separated by a pane of glass and over ten meters, to him it was like being face-to-face. He immediately saw the woman's golden irises.
Inside were ring upon ring of golden striations.
They instantly made him think of Power's eyes from daytime—also unlike an ordinary person's. Only, Power's were a bright red cross, and… if Power's eyes were like light constantly radiating outward, then the light in this woman's eyes seemed to be constantly swallowing the light outside.
From just one exchange of looks, Su Tang felt uncomfortable. The fire-qi in his body circled his eyes once, and he felt much better.
Only then did he have the leisure to observe other parts of this woman—such as that exquisite face and graceful figure.
Not as exaggerated and visually impactful as Reze, but under the white shirt and black tie there was a kind of restrained, full-bloom beauty.
You could call it both sultry and imperious.
Thinking of it, the girls he'd run into today—Power, Denji-ko, Reze… it seemed all scored quite high on looks, though one was dumb, one smelled, one was too starved for affection…
Truly, life doesn't lack beauty—one only needs eyes that notice it.
The woman outside glanced at Su Tang, didn't interfere, and turned her head to continue walking toward the main door.
Su Tang took a few steps forward.
Though he knew she was Public Safety, if they came in and saw Denji-ko like this, they would definitely take her for a devil.
And Denji-ko was currently forcing herself to stay upright; clearly she'd overextended herself just now. If they grabbed her, it would be a huge misunderstanding.
Fortunately, they didn't act rashly.
He saw the leading woman raise her right arm to hold back the two following her at the door, then enter alone.
She first swept her gaze around the interior of the factory without lingering, then went straight toward Denji-ko.
Su Tang followed at a safe distance behind.
At this distance, she wouldn't mistake his intentions, and he could still save Denji-ko in time.
"You're giving off… a strange smell—not a devil's, and unlike a human's."
The woman leaned in and took a light breath at Denji-ko, speaking slowly.
Denji-ko didn't answer; she felt she was at her limit.
"I'm from Public Safety. We came on a report to clear devils, but it looks like I'm late."
The woman wasn't bothered by Denji-ko's silence; she continued warmly: "My name is Makima. Did you do all this?"
Makima?!
Hearing the name, Su Tang lifted an eyebrow.
Wasn't this the direct superior Aki Hayakawa had spoken of with great respect?
Seemed to be the chief of Division 4?
She had actually come in person.
Facing Makima's question, Denji-ko could no longer hold on.
Her body seemed to lose its balance and toppled backward; with a murmur at her lips:
"Let me… hold you."
Su Tang blinked.
What did he just see? This chief of Division 4 didn't hesitate at all—she went straight in for the hug!
And she even nestled her head against Denji-ko's wrapped chest with an air of attachment!
So open?
Rubbing his chin, Su Tang watched with interest.
Whether Makima had some special kink had nothing to do with him, and he didn't care.
As someone from San Francisco, his tolerance for this sort of thing was high.
What was that line again—respect, understanding, blessings.
But Denji-ko seemed to want to say something.
Her lips moved, and Makima considerately bent her ear close.
Then came a single word:
"Scram."
—
The scene went quiet for a moment.
Standing behind, even Su Tang couldn't help but feel secondhand embarrassment for Makima.
He was just thinking whether to pretend he hadn't heard, when he saw Makima straighten, calmly turn her head toward Su Tang, and say evenly, "She said, 'Smelly woman, get away from me,' and that she wants you to hold her."
"Huh?"
Su Tang froze for a second—he'd been a spectator and the fire suddenly licked his own feet.
But with Makima stepping aside, he could clearly see Denji-ko's eyes.
Eyes looking at him, full of expectation and a hint of inferiority and fear.
This kid…
Su Tang smiled, then took a big step forward and pulled Denji-ko into his arms.
By her ear, he murmured:
"You've done enough. Rest."
The moment the words fell, he felt the body in his arms go slack.
She was already asleep.
He gently set Denji-ko down. Worried the floor would be too cold at night, he dragged over a corpse to serve as a mat beneath her.
"Huh."
Standing up, Su Tang was surprised to find all those bizarre changes on Denji-ko's body had vanished.
The chainsaws… the metal head… the iron teeth…
All gone.
"Pretty amazing, isn't it." A woman's voice came from the side.
Su Tang turned and, looking at the woman with pale orange hair, asked curiously, "Miss Makima, do you know what's going on with her?"
"I don't, but…" Makima shook her head. "Like this on the street, she would definitely be taken as a devil and killed by civilian devil hunters."
Su Tang nodded in agreement.
"Right, by the way—was this devil killed by you?"
"Ah-ha, I did make some tiny contribution." Killing devils was a good deed, and Su Tang saw no need to hide anything. He smiled. "Is Public Safety going to award me a certificate? Or perhaps a bonus?"
Makima didn't answer that.
Tilting her head slightly, she propped her chin in one hand and studied Su Tang, then suddenly said:
"Mr. Su Tang, right? I heard Hayakawa mention you in his reports. This may be a bit presumptuous, but I still want to know: what devil did you contract with?"
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Thank you so much for reading until the end.
If you'd like to read more, you can Joining to my Patreon.
My Patreon: p*treon*com/Hydran_Tea
Chainsaw Man: The Covenant of Flame Demon [ 100 Chapter ]
Uma Musume: Wait—you want me to pop my Christmas Hat Ultimate? [ 89 Chapter ]