Denji Hayakawa has a dream!
I want to eat my fill of delicious food and have 10 girlfriends!
I want to have lots of sex!!
Desire burned fiercely within Denji's heart, but the means to achieve it remained a mystery.
How can I afford to eat high-end sushi in Ginza?
What do I need to do to have fun and be able to hang out with multiple beautiful and kind women?
Hmm.
Hmmmmmm?
Hmm, hmmmmmm...!
I don't know.
I put it on hold for the time being. I thought that a clever solution would come to me with time, but without any hints, there was no way to find an answer. I spent more and more time suppressing my feelings while focusing on my daily life, and before I knew it, I had no choice but to accept it.
Maybe I'll never get to eat a fancy meal in my entire life...
Women don't go near poor men in the first place.
Just look around and you'll see the same thing. The police officers and the guys who live nearby...they're usually accompanied by at most one woman. I've never seen a guy with more than one.
Is this what reality is like? Is this the limit of my life?
But just the other day, my devilish sister-in-law whispered this to me.
"I'm going to start a company. A private company for devil hunters."
"—Why don't you become the president? You can do anything then."
"Anything... Anything?"
"Anything"
"So, then... how about hiring a beautiful secretary...?"
"can"
"Are all the employees women...?"
"Can...can I do it? Hmm..."
Can I do it... Can I really do it!?
If I eat my fill of delicious food, will I also get lots of girlfriends?!
Nayuta said, "I can do it," clearly.
Yes, I definitely said that.
After all, it's coming from Nayuta-chan, a super genius who is incredibly intelligent and has already adapted to human society even though she's just been born. It must be true.
Nayuta continued:
"We'll hire people for the tedious paperwork. I'll handle things like applications to government offices and negotiations with other parties. Denji is the one who fights. He's the face, symbol, and representative of the company. 'A devil hunter company led by Chainsaw Man'...it's sure to generate a lot of buzz."
...I don't really understand it!
In short, Nayuta will handle all the complicated and difficult tasks, right?!
All I have to do is fight. I'm the best at defeating evil demons, and even that old guy on the shore said something like, "You'd be perfect as a devil hunter."
So that means I can make my dream come true, right?!
Even Denji, who hadn't given much thought to the future, felt his heart race when presented with a concrete vision. Dreams aren't something you wish for, they're something you make come true. Hope welled up inside him. The president is rich. He can eat lots of delicious food. Because he's important, lots of beautiful and kind women will flock to him.
"Let's start a company!"
I'm going to start a private devil hunter company and become its president!
That was Denji's dream at the time.
I strolled around the station square, grinning to myself.
On his way home from school, Denji walked through the streets with a light step.
(I see...! If I'm suited to being a devil hunter, that means I can become a CEO!)
I turned the corner feeling cheerful.
The start of a new journey is a mix of hope for the unknown and a little anxiety, making me feel refreshed. The people I pass seem to be congratulating me. There are touts shouting for customers in front of electronics stores, bar owners preparing yakitori with fans in hand, and young people volunteering along the walls with donation boxes.
"Please donate to help the children who have been victims of evil! Please!"
Oh wow, this is something else.
The poster held by the young man depicts a terrifying monster and children fleeing in panic.
Denji thought, "I should definitely try to portray myself as a good person here."
"As the CEO, I can also donate money!"
I splurged and donated 500 yen! When I put it in the donation box, I was given a small flower as a gift.
"Hmm... It's beautiful!"
If you do good things, good things will come back to you.
I realized that this is how the world works. The CEO is the one who does the best things first, and that's why everyone is grateful to him. He gets help and money. And when he uses that money to do good things again, he's appreciated even more. He keeps getting more and more important. ...That's why he's popular!
Wow, so that's what it means to be a CEO!
"The reason the CEO is so popular with women is because he's a great guy."
I thought, "That's Nayuta for you."
It so accurately showed me the path to realizing my fantasies.
I'm the president. ...President!
If I become president... I'll probably be super popular with the ladies, but even then, I want Nayuta to be the closest to me. The same goes for Reze. We had to fight before, but that's not the case anymore. I'd be incredibly happy if Reze joined my company. I've been thinking that ever since we reunited. Whenever I have free time, her face pops into my mind. We've been through a lot, but I want Reze to be by my side too.
Nayuta and Reze. I like them both.
No matter what other women come along, I firmly swear to myself that my heart belongs only to the two of us.
I'm absolutely never going to fall in love with anyone else!
Zaaa...
Raindrops are falling from the sky.
"Aaaah! Run!"
It splattered and crackled against my skin. I ran around looking for shelter and took refuge in a phone booth. I took a breath and wiped my face. My clothes were sticking to me and it felt a little gross.
The outside world was gray, and everyone was fleeing in search of safety.
"I should have brought my umbrella."
Then, a high school girl came running straight towards me.
"Wow! Ahh!"
A company president should help people.
As I opened the phone booth door, a girl in a blazer and a cloche headscarf stepped inside, seemingly pleased with the opportunity.
"Wow, thank you very much. Wow, it's really raining hard, isn't it?"
"Ah... ahh"
Her skin was so pale it was almost translucent, and her black hair rippled through the gaps in her bell-shaped hat. Water droplets were dripping from her skin. Her face was hidden by the brim and not clearly visible, but I had a feeling she was beautiful.
"The weather forecast was correct... Huh?! Ahahahahahahaha!"
The girl suddenly bursts into laughter.
"Huh? What?"
"Oh, sorry, I'm so sorry... hahaha!"
"What the hell do you think you are..."
What a weirdo.
Soaked to the bone, the two of us took shelter in a phone booth. The girl's bangs, plastered to her face, stirred up memories of the past.
What's going on...? This feels like something that's happened before...
The girl's shoulders were trembling as she wiped her eyes. Occasionally, she would sniffle.
"What?! Why are you crying?!"
"Oh, I'm sorry... Your face... it looks like my classmate's dead dog..."
"What?! Am I a dog...?!"
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry!"
Ah, I understand.
I remember now.
This is just like when I first met Reze.
Reze was crying back then too, and I wanted to do something to comfort her, so I gave her flowers.
I remember Reze's smile from that time.
That smile, with its flushed cheeks and beaming joy... Looking back, I think I might have fallen in love at that moment.
That was definitely, no, absolutely a memory I'll never forget.
So, I decided I would somehow make it work this time too.
"Tararirararara..."
He held up his palm suggestively, showing it to the girl. He gave the impression that he had nothing, then turned his wrist and took a flower from his sleeve, out of the girl's sight.
"Ta-da!"
He handed me the flower with a soft tap.
"What?! Wow, a magic trick! Amazing!"
The girl's chin lifts, and her bangs flutter to the sides behind her saliva.
I could see their expressions clearly.
"...This is the first time I've ever received flowers. I'm so happy. Thank you..."
Her innocent smile and sparkling, large eyes are captivating.
She was a beautiful girl, like a work of art.
Her facial features and nose are unlike those of most Japanese people. A meticulously crafted, finished product. A sense of gratitude and relief permeates her, filling my vision with happiness. I couldn't move. I wanted to gaze at her forever.
"Ah! The rain has stopped!"
I skipped out the door.
The girl turned around just before the puddle. Her movements were graceful.
It made my heart flutter.
terrible.
I'm falling in love with this girl.
The girl simply smiled, her face beaming with complete confidence.
"My name is Yukiko. Hayami Yukiko. You know that drama, 'Dangerous Liaisons'?"
"Uh, oh, I don't know..."
"What?! You don't know it?! You know, the one where an ordinary person pretends to be the CEO of a major company and uses their common-sense ideas to achieve great things!"
"The president...? No, I don't know."
"Hmm, so you don't watch much TV?"
"It's alright, I guess."
"What's that?! Oh well, what's your name?"
"Denji"
"Denji. Denji--"
He nodded, as if to confirm the sound of the word.
Her cheeks flushed, and she radiated joy.
"This is the first time I've met someone as interesting as Denji."
...Whoa whoa whoa. What is this a recreation of?!
No way!
Because, because... this girl definitely likes me!
What should I do?
I like people who like me.
"Hey, there's a great cafe in that building over there. Want to come along? I'll give you this as a thank you."
Nayuta, Reze, help me.
I'm falling in love with this girl.
"Look, look~"
I was led away by the hand.
Wow! So soft!
The moist texture was too much. My legs wobbled unsteadily.
Two girls came to mind, but unfortunately, they couldn't resist the temptation. This is bad, this is really bad. Another voice in the back of my head was frantically shouting, "Hey, stop it! You'll regret it later!" But even if you know that, there are some things a boy can't help.
"Hey, aren't you going?"
"Ah, ah"
The hand that pulled me closer was soft and warm.
The girl, who introduced herself as Yukiko, nimbly moved behind Denji and pushed him hard with her palm. The feeling of a female hand tickled him. He couldn't resist.
I was gradually being pushed towards the entrance of the multi-tenant building.
What should I do?
Is it okay if I go...?
As Denji pondered with his head all fuzzy, the girl, perhaps impatient, suddenly clung to his back. It seemed she intended to push him back with her whole body. Her slender arms wrapped tightly around his stomach, and two soft sensations pressed against his back. "Oh no, that's not good!" he cried out.
The girl let out a knowing chuckle and whispered softly, still pressed close to him.
"Hey, how's Reze doing?"
"...oh?"
"You're living with Denji, right? I'm worried about you. He was my classmate."
"Oh, right... Um, do you know them? Huh?"
They are giggling.
"I'm from the Soviet Union too. My name is Yukiko, but that's a lie. My real name is Veronica. Don't forget that."
A burning sensation pierced deep into my stomach.
"--a,"
The impact exceeded the nerves' capacity to handle. For a while, a heat so intense that it was difficult to perceive as pain ran through me.
"H-Guh...!?"
"Okay, let me reintroduce myself. I'm Veronica, a Soviet agent. Right now, I'm a scissor demon. I can slice through anything I get my hands on. So right now, about half of your torso is cut off. Be careful not to move carelessly, or you'll fall off."
I can't breathe.
Pores open up in emergencies.
If the girl hadn't been holding him from behind, he would surely have collapsed.
"Does it hurt? It must hurt, right? But you mustn't scream. If you draw attention to yourself, the mission will fail. So, Denji, let's just quietly go inside the building, okay?"
The girl's voice was flat. She shuffled along, supporting Denji as they moved. To an outsider, it might just look like a couple flirting.
Denji finally realized.
This girl—Veronica—is an assassin.
He coughed up blood with a gurgling sound. He was probably bleeding heavily from his abdomen as well.
Splat.
A sticky sound. Something fell. From the stomach, something soft and solid, not liquid...
I'm going to die. I'm going to die soon.
If I don't transform into Chainsaw Man, I'll be killed.
"ingredient...!"
He raises his right arm to pull the starter on his chest—but,
"a,"
That wrist was gone.
It was cut off.
"Jockin"
I stared blankly at the cross-section of the arm.
You can even see the white bones.
"U, uuu!"
It was a life-threatening situation. This time, he desperately stretched his left arm towards his chest. However,
"Jockin"
His left wrist was flying through the air.
"Hahaha"
The girl let out a voice like the tinkling of bells.
"You can't become Chainsaw Man, you know?"
"Ah, ga,"
"It's okay, it's okay. I'm fine."
Sliding,
Sliding along.
I was slowly led into a multi-tenant building.
The entrance was dark. Darkness oozed out. I was certain that if I were dragged in like this, I would truly lose my life. But the strength to resist had already been taken away. The wounds on my torso were too deep. I couldn't tell how far they went.
My vision flickers.
I can't maintain consciousness.
Sliding,
Sliding, sliding --
"Veronica!!"
The city after the rain --
I stopped in a deserted street and stared, breathless.
Denji was being hugged from behind by a high school girl wearing a hat.
A girl with black hair and a face I'd never seen before.ILeze
That's why I thought it was strange. If I didn't know this girl, Denji shouldn't know her either. Hayakawa Denji isn't the kind of guy who can suddenly become intimately involved with a girl he's just met.
The girl in the hat shifted her position while still clinging to Denji. She turned her head to the side, and her eyes met mine, drenched in the rain.
"Hey, Reze. How's Japan? Are you having fun?"
also.
That girl is Veronica.
I glanced down at their feet. There was a large amount of blood, and Denji's stomach was hanging down like an electrical cable that couldn't fit inside.
"..."
Take a deep breath,
It was a long, thin stream that he spat out.
Switch your mindset. Switch on your work mode.
I took a step forward carelessly.
"You've had work done on your face? You've dyed your hair too, right? Are those eye colors from contact lenses?"
First, we need to understand the situation. Veronica's condition. Denji's state. The terrain and environment. The possibility of ambushes.
One more step forward.
Don't run. Don't wait and see.
I approached confidently at a perfectly normal walking pace. 25 meters to go.
Veronica effortlessly shifts her body position.
Move Denji forward, as if to use him as a wall of flesh.
"I have two tasks. The first is to clean up your mess. The second one will be decided later, depending on your answer."
"Wasn't her original face prettier? Besides, her body type doesn't suit her Asian features. She could pass for half-Japanese, but..."
Further forward.
The soles of my shoes crunch as they bite down on small pebbles.
20 meters to go.
"Reze, is it true that you betrayed your homeland? Or are you just pretending to betray it to gather information?"
"I was the only one who knew what you originally looked like. So why did you go to the trouble of having your picture taken and get plastic surgery just to deceive me?"
One step at a time.
15 meters to go.
I put my fingers on the pin at my neck.
Veronica leaned her cheek against Denji's back and tilted her head slightly, her eyes shining like a lion's.
"This boy... Hayakawa Denji? He's an amateur. Hey, why did you fail the mission? I can't believe it, but you weren't swayed by him, were you?"
One step at a time.
Ten meters to go.
"Didn't you know? Weaponized humans can be revived by pulling the trigger. They're not suitable as hostages. Wouldn't it be disadvantageous to hold onto them like that?"
"In that case, I'll just kill him."
Zoburi.
I saw it.
Veronica's arms sank into Denji's torso like wooden spatulas cutting through clay.
Thud.
They cut it off so easily.
The lower half of the body rolled around lifelessly, just like a Lego figure. Blood gushed from the cut surface, scattering pink intestines onto the asphalt.
The remaining upper body, and the boy's face above it, was filled with agony.
"Oh, did that hurt, Hayakawa Denji?"
Veronica feigned surprise.
"Sorry, but that woman said it would be better to kill her."
Saying that, he dropped the upper body he had been holding into the pool of blood.
Chatter.
Veronica stared at me intently and shrugged, a smirk playing on one corner of her lips as if to say, "It's all your fault."
The rational part of my mind—
They have an idea of Veronica's abilities, and their well-trained mental fortitude is searching for a way to defeat her.
At the same time, he was whispering:
"It'll be fine, right? I was mentally prepared for it," she said.
That's right. You're absolutely correct.
From the moment they met and their eyes met, it was decided that they would kill each other. Therefore, all subsequent conversations were intimidation and a struggle for dominance to gain psychological advantage; neither of them had any intention of communicating their true intentions from the start.
Therefore, I had anticipated the possibility that Veronica might injure the half-dead Denji in order to unsettle me.
but,
nevertheless,
Even though I know,
If you're shown something like this—
"Veronica!!"
A dazzling passion rushed through me,
I pulled the pin out of my neck.
Veronica grinned, her eyes twisting into a crescent shape.
"Heh, heh heh. This is good. No, I'm really happy. That you're a traitor."
Passion explodes.
Boom
Covered in a cloud of blood—
Silently, a humanoid powder magazine is being constructed.
The fuse travels through the body, and explosives fill the cells.
With a bladed weapon, you can control the force you use.
With firearms, you can avoid hitting vital organs.
But there's no room for leniency when it comes to bombs.
The perfect procedure for death. A monstrous embodiment of destruction appears, showing no mercy to men or women, young or old, or even inanimate objects.
Veronica knew.
That transformation has a fatal flaw before it's complete.
Because the head is temporarily lost, consciousness cannot be maintained.
Seizing that opportune moment, the Soviet assassin sprinted across the land.
The double-edged sword of separation is closing in on Reze.
but.
Reze knows better than anyone that such a weakness exists.
Being unable to move because one is unconscious—such a lax attitude was never tolerated by a warrior who was always expected to achieve the best possible results. They underwent repeated training again and again. They memorized prescribed movements as tasks in advance, so that they could act even without their minds.
This mission is "interception"—
Head, repaired.
As a bomb girl, my vision returns. I assess the situation.
My left arm was blocking the attack.
My right arm was already raised.
Before me was Veronica's astonished face.
Just as expected. His flank is wide open.
Perfect timing.
Explode.
He grips the asphalt with his toes, transferring kinetic energy from his ankles to his knees, and then from his waist to his upper body. Furthermore, by concentrating the reactive substances created by the devil's chemical equation in the metacarpal bones of his right hand, he achieves a destructive force that unites man and demon.
Bo Bo Bo
A flash of light illuminates the narrow street.
A deafening explosion. The humid air is blown away, and the vibrations cause the manhole cover to lift.
A thin wisp of smoke spread out.
On the other side... directly in front, about 5 meters away, I spotted the target.
Survival confirmed.
"H i..."еужелSeriously?
Veronica, who had stumbled, was clutching her left arm, which had nearly been torn off by the blast pressure.
"Soaked in the rain, and yet still this powerful... Isn't it a little too enthusiastic?"
"Did you want me to cut corners?"
"Just kidding. ...Hey, how did you know I was here?"
"It's raining. I wouldn't miss this opportunity. I'd target someone."
As he said this, he checked his own injuries.
His left arm, which he had tried to protect, was slashed open and hanging there by a thin layer of skin.
The wound is a perfectly straight line.
I'm certain of it. Veronica's ability is slashing.
"Can you cut anything you touch?"
"Correct answer. Your intuition hasn't dulled."
Veronica took a flask from her pocket. Skillfully, she removed the lid with just her fingers and gulped down the contents. She then sprayed some onto the wound. Immediately, her severed left arm began to heal.
(So that's the blood used for recovery.)
Pull the pin around the neck to restart it. This will revive the left arm.
"I think you understand... but I'm not letting you go home anymore."
"Heh, hehehe"
Veronica throws off her hat.
Something strange was stuck in his head. Two metal rods crossing diagonally, each with a hole in it. Its blatant shape reminded me of the handle of a cutting tool.
"I've become a scissor demon."
Veronica stared at me intently, then her lips curled into a grin.
He places his newly regenerated left arm against his chest, places his right hand behind his back, and bows like a butler.
"—I have a name. I'm Veronica. A Soviet agent."
The self-introductions began abruptly.
I recall the girl's nickname, which had been buried deep in my memory.
"Chatty" Veronica.
She had a habit of occasionally disclosing information about herself to her targets in this way.
"There are two tasks. The first is to seize or destroy Chainsaw's heart."
...Guinea pigs are not something that can be made public.
No one must ever find out.
If this information ever becomes known, the target must be eliminated without fail.
"The second part of the mission is to eliminate the traitor and bring back Bom's heart."
Therefore, Veronica's self-disclosure was her way of expressing her will.
No matter where you run, no matter where you hide,
I will definitely corner them and definitely find them.
And I'm definitely going to kill you.
"Hey, 'model student'—"
Splat.
Veronica took a step forward without thinking.
I know.
Veronica has never broken this vow, not even once in the past.
"Have you ever wanted to ruin everything? Shitty people, shitty society, shitty life..."
He smoothly extended his right arm upwards and to the right. He was pointing towards the towering apartment building in front of the station.
The apartment building where the Hayakawa family lives. It's precisely the 10th floor.
I know.
Veronica is vengeful.
Veronica is well-prepared.
She would do anything unless it was forbidden by order, and more than necessary.
"You're saying you won't let them go home alive? I agree."
Veronica snaps her fingers.
Hayakawa Nayuta is in that room right now.
Explosions dance and dance.
With a deafening roar, rubble flew everywhere, and as smoke trails rose from the sky, it rained down like shooting stars.
Veronica spread her arms wide in an exaggerated manner.
"I wish every single one of them would just die."