Chapter 10: Killing the Creditor
Hearing the system notification, Otonashi Chiya gathered that he hadn't truly earned Pochita's trust before. It was only because he kept his promise to return and brought a bounty of food that the little devil finally started to warm up to him.
As he held Pochita in his arms, Chiya felt even more moved.
Pochita's true strength was so immense that, aside from the Primal Fears, almost no devil could suppress his full "Black Chainsaw" form. Devils bearing the names of primal terrors are the ceiling of existence—the "Transcendent Ones" who have never experienced death.
Yet, the Hero of Hell remains a mystery with an unknown upper limit. For instance, in Hell, the four Horsemen—Control, War, Famine, and Death—led a massive army of devils against him, yet they could never truly kill him. He would always return, and he even came close to killing the War Devil during their clash.
But despite being such a terrifyingly powerful devil, his simple, long-held dream was merely "to be hugged."
Because he was too powerful, his Black Chainsaw form had saws protruding from his head and arms... Anyone, human or devil, who tried to get close would be shredded to pieces. That simple dream had become an impossible luxury.
Perhaps that was why Pochita, even after recovering from his wounds, refused to revert to his true form. Only in this small dog form could he share a hug with Denji.
Chiya carried Pochita into the house. Looking at the dilapidated, tiny wooden shack, he felt certain about his next move: he would take Denji back to the apartment suite he had rented.
"Denji, when will that yakuza creditor come looking for you again?" Chiya asked.
"He should be coming tonight," Denji answered between wolfing down food, mumbling "so good" through a full mouth. "Tomorrow is the last day of the month to pay the debt, so he'll show up to pressure me."
Even though the Denji in this world was a girl, she didn't show a hint of ladylike restraint when it came to delicious food.
"Then we'll wait until tonight before we leave," Chiya said. He set Pochita down so the little dog could eat his fill as well.
"Mhm, mhm!" Denji was too busy eating to ponder the deeper meaning behind Chiya's words.
"By the way, I'm going to release a scary-looking devil in a moment. Steel yourself so you don't get a fright," Chiya warned her.
"Okay, I won't be scared." If Denji had one thing in spades, it was guts.
Chiya then used his Right Eye Kamui to teleport the Zombie Devil out. "You can open your eyes now," he commanded.
"Finally! I can see again!" the Zombie Devil shrieked. Being forced to keep its eyes shut had been pure torture.
The shack was cramped, and the Zombie Devil nearly hit the ceiling the moment it appeared. It immediately complained, "What kind of dump is this? Why is it so small?"
Hearing the commotion behind her, Denji spun around. The moment she saw the Zombie Devil, she blurted out, "Whoa! So ugly!"
However, there was almost no fear in her eyes—only pure disgust.
"You little brat!" The Zombie Devil was annoyed, but it had to admit it couldn't argue with her assessment. It didn't dare do anything to Denji, though, since Chiya was standing right there.
Not knowing the situation, Pochita immediately bared his teeth at the Zombie Devil, growling fiercely. "Grrr—Woof! Woof woof!"
"Where did this small-fry devil come from? Shoo! Get lost," the Zombie Devil sneered, not taking Pochita seriously at all. To its eyes, this little dog looked incredibly weak.
"Behave yourself," Chiya said flatly.
The Zombie Devil's expression changed instantly. It shut its mouth and didn't dare utter another word.
"This guy is the Zombie Devil. It's going to deal with your yakuza creditor. We just have to wait for him to show up tonight," Chiya explained the situation briefly to Denji and Pochita.
Only then did Pochita lower his guard.
Chapter 10: Killing the Creditor (Continued)
"Big brother, you're amazing! You can actually boss around such a strong devil!"
Hearing this, Denji immediately assumed the Zombie Devil was powerful, and her admiration for Otonashi Chiya grew even deeper.
"That's right, I'm a big deal!" the Zombie Devil bragged, puffing out its chest.
"Shut up," Chiya said flatly, glancing at the devil. Its boisterous voice was far too loud; he didn't want any outsiders discovering the Zombie Devil's presence here and ruining tonight's plan.
"Yes, sir!" The Zombie Devil immediately clamped its mouth shut.
"Want a taste?" Denji, being surprisingly bold, tossed a potato chip into the Zombie Devil's mouth.
The Zombie Devil crunched on it. "Not bad... it's just too small to even get stuck in my teeth."
Chiya felt a bit helpless at the sight but quickly pivoted to business. "Zombie, let's have a rehearsal. Tonight, you do exactly as I told you."
It was now early evening.
Denji and Pochita were so stuffed from snacks that they didn't even need dinner. The Zombie Devil was fully briefed on exactly what to do. Now, all they had to do was wait for the yakuza creditor to walk right into their trap.
"By the way, besides that yakuza guy, do you have any other creditors?" Chiya asked, wanting to be certain.
"No, I've paid off everyone else. Only the yakuza debt is so big," Denji replied. "Oh, wait—there are the utility bills, but I don't have a single yen on me right now..."
"Don't worry about the utilities. As for the yakuza's high-interest debt, it will cease to exist after tonight," Chiya said calmly.
"Mhm!" Denji nodded vigorously, placing her complete trust in him.
"Um... Big brother, what's your name? Can you tell me?" Denji realized she still didn't know his name, and she cared about it deeply.
Chiya realized he had forgotten to introduce himself. "Oh right, I forgot to tell you. My name is Otonashi Chiya."
"Then I'll call you Chiya-niichan!" Denji said immediately.
Chiya gave a warm smile. "Sure."
As the night deepened, the surroundings became deathly quiet.
Suddenly, the sound of tires rolling over the ground approached from the distance. There was no need to guess—it was definitely the yakuza creditor. Sure enough, a moment later, a heavy pounding echoed on the door.
"Denji, tomorrow is the last day. Time to pay up."
The door swung open quickly, but it wasn't Denji who greeted him. It was a devil. Chiya had even taught the Zombie Devil how to open the door, which it did using one of the intestines hanging from its torso.
The old man—covered in white facial hair and wearing a hat and glasses—was instantly terrified by the sight of the Zombie Devil.
"Human, do you wish to make a contract with me? I can grant you powerful devil strength!" the Zombie Devil intoned.
Faced with the temptation of devil power, the old man instantly threw all thoughts of Denji to the back of his mind. Without a hint of hesitation, he blurted out:
"I do!"