Aside from the brief interlude between Akane and Aoyama sparked by Chainsaw Man, the plot continued to advance.
Shuu Fumiya turned to the latest chapter and began reading.
Following Denji's agreement to help Makima kill the Gun Devil, Makima recounted a horrific incident that took place 13 years ago.
Through the eyes of a young boy's family, who had never appeared before, the Gun Devil's arrival brought a lifetime of unforgettable pain.
On an ordinary day, the boy went out into the snow with his younger brother for a snowball fight.
When he sent his brother back home to fetch gloves for a game of catch, the Gun Devil made its first landing in Japan. He witnessed his entire house blasted away by the resulting shockwave, and his entire family died in an instant.
During that landing, the Gun Devil killed over 1.2 million people in just five minutes before vanishing without a trace.
Reading this, Shuu Fumiya couldn't help but mutter. "The Gun Devil is truly terrifying. If there were a Nuclear Bomb Devil, I wonder how strong it would be."
But that was just a passing thought.
In reality, everyone knew that nuclear weapons were dangerous, but they couldn't just appear out of nowhere like guns do.
Thus, people didn't fear nuclear weapons as much as they feared firearms.
The scariest thing about guns was that they were portable and easy to hide, yet packed incredible lethal power.
After the Bat Devil and Leech Devil incidents, Denji went out on another mission with Aki.
And this time, it was related to the Gun Devil.
Because the Gun Devil was unique, it produced bullet-like flesh fragments that many other devils consumed.
Eating these fragments amplified a devil's power. Furthermore, the fragments pulled toward one another. Devil hunters like Aki used their gathered fragments to track other devils carrying them.
By gathering enough fragments into a larger mass, they could potentially locate the Gun Devil's main body!
This mission took place in a hotel where staff reported devil sightings.
Aki's fragment sensed another fragment inside the hotel.
To handle this, Makima dispatched a six-man team from Public Safety's Special Division 4, directly led by Aki.
This included the three hunters who worked with Aki before, along with Denji, Power, and two others.
Fans finally learned the names of the remaining two: Kobeni Higashiyama and Hirokazu Arai.
They were juniors working directly under Himeno.
Himeno held higher seniority and was once responsible for training Aki.
Despite being his senior, Himeno was far more lighthearted and humorous than Aki.
Facing Denji and the recruits, she smiled and announced, "Whoever defeats the devil this time gets a kiss on the cheek from me!"
"What?"
"What!?"
This immediately excited both Denji and Arai.
Denji tried to act casual. "I've already decided who gets my first kiss. To save it for that person, I'll find any fragment, no matter what."
"Until the Gun Devil is dead, my first kiss is locked."
"You want to kill the Gun Devil?" Aki immediately took notice of that statement.
Readers at this point assumed Aki merely wanted to kill the Gun Devil himself because he liked Makima.
Shuu Fumiya thought the same. 'Even though Aki is a rival, he and Denji get along pretty well. He isn't annoying at all.'
But Denji ignored him and continued, "Also, I've realized something very important."
"Ecchi things only feel good when done with someone you understand."
"I don't even know your name, so I'm not interested in your lips," Denji said to Himeno.
Himeno smiled slyly upon hearing this and whispered into his ear, "Is that so? ~~~~"
"Then, if Denji defeats the devil this time, I'll give you a passionate French kiss."
On those words, Denji's pupils shook. He stuck out his tongue, clearly imagining the moment.
Arai nearby was also highly anticipating the prize.
Shuu Fumiya watched the scene play out, not entirely sure what to make of this plot development.
Wait... wasn't the protagonist supposed to save his first kiss for the main heroine, Makima?
With Himeno making such an enticing offer, and Denji being the powerhouse of the team with his Chainsaw Devil forms, he was almost certain to be the one to kill the devil.
'Could it be... Himeno is actually the second female lead, and Chainsaw Man is a harem manga?' Shuu Fumiya wondered, theorizing as he turned the page.
In truth, the trajectory of Chainsaw Man was never something anyone could easily predict.
Shuu Fumiya continued reading, blissfully unaware of what was to come.
However, after entering the hotel, things weren't that simple...
They seemed trapped on a single floor, completely unable to escape.
Going up took them right back to the same floor, and going down did the same. It had turned into a labyrinth.
Just then, Himeno and Aki spoke quietly in the background.
"Do you think these four rookies will survive?" Himeno asked with a smile.
Aki was silent for a moment before replying, "Whether they have talent or not..."
"In a year, they'll either be dead or working as private devil hunters."
"That doesn't answer my question at all..."
Himeno whispered one last thing to Aki. "Aki, don't you dare die on me..."
Suddenly, a flashback played. Himeno stood silently before a grave, wrapped in heavy medical bandages.
The camera zoomed out, revealing an endless field of crosses.
A somewhat immature-looking boy was led to Himeno.
"Himeno, this is your new partner."
"I'm Aki. Nice to meet you," the boy said.
'Is that... young Aki?' Shuu Fumiya was stunned.
The Aki in the memory looked entirely different from his current self.
"Are you strong?" Himeno asked in the flashback.
"I don't know... maybe," the young Aki replied.
Himeno looked at the grave. "You're my sixth partner. The rest are dead."
"They died because they weren't good enough."
Himeno finally looked at Aki and said softly, "Aki, don't you dare die..."
[Translated and Rewritten by Shika_Kagura]