The Vixen's Gambit: Tonight We Hunt

"What did you do to her...?"

Looking at Power, trembling as she laid out a futon in the corner, practically with the word "terrified" written on her face, a genuine question arose in Aki's mind.

"I was worried you two would fight and tear down my house..."

"Well, the best way to deal with unruly children is to tell on them~"

Shoko leaned back on the bed with her legs crossed. "So, what can I do for you?"

After a moment of silence, Aki turned to Power, who was still setting up her makeshift bed. "Go find Denji and have him take you to buy a mattress... or a folding bed. Anything is better than sleeping on the floor."

Once an elated Power dragged Denji out of the house, Aki turned back to Shoko, his expression serious.

"Escaping prison, attacking Denji, and now joining Public Safety... what are you planning?"

Aki was on guard, as if ready to retaliate at any suspicious move from Shoko.

But Shoko simply smiled noncommittally.

"I'm not planning anything? I attacked you guys because it seemed fun. Just wanted to scare you a little~"

"Do you think I'd believe that?!"

"Aki, I'm the Desire Devil. Desires themselves don't have desires."

Standing up, Shoko slowly walked towards Aki, her gaze ambiguous. "I merely fulfill the desires of certain people, and certain devils. But those beings in Hell don't need my help. My business is limited to the human world."

"I know you're worried about what I said before, about the big shots in Hell wanting Denji's heart... unfortunately, that part is true~"

"But I don't think you need to worry. Chainsaw Man is very strong."

Reaching the door, Shoko turned back to Aki with a smile. "After all, he's the hero of Hell, who'll come running whenever someone calls for help."

"As for joining Public Safety, you'll have to ask Makima. She's the one who caught me and arranged this. How would I know what she's thinking~?"

...

Shoko left, saying since she wasn't planning on paying back the money she borrowed, she might as well treat Denji and Power.

Leaving Aki standing alone in the room, speechless.

Hell, Chainsaw, Hero... Too many unrelated words piled together, making it hard for him to grasp the situation.

But at least, she didn't seem to have any ill intentions towards Denji?

"Tch..."

He had wanted to ask her why she hadn't broken their contract, and about her reasons for attacking him all those years ago…

Running a hand through his hair in frustration, Aki felt like he'd had more stressful moments today than in the past year.

What do you do when you achieve your ultimate life goal only to find it's nothing like you imagined, leaving you with nothing but emptiness?

Denji, sitting listlessly on a bench at the mall, watching Power rampage through the supermarket, was facing this very predicament.

Empty. Life feels meaningless.

Power had wanted to save her cat, and in exchange, promised to let Denji touch her breasts if he succeeded.

As a pure yet perpetually horny virgin, Denji couldn't resist such an offer. Even when beaten to near-death by the Bat Devil and Leech Devil, the desire for boobs had kept him going.

Now, Denji had not only saved the cat but also Power herself, so Power, true to her word, fulfilled her promise.

Good news: He got to cop a feel, three times!

Bad news: They were padded.

Chest pads, created for the sole purpose of deception… who invented such an evil thing? Do they have any purpose other than toying with pure-hearted young men's feelings and shattering their fantasies?

His life's goal, fought for with his life, dignity, and soul…

Denji stared blankly at his hand.

This is it?

He had so much he wanted to say, but when he tried to speak, he found himself speechless.

This is my life's goal? Just this?

...Still, it's too much that they were padded.

Even if she was going to toy with his feelings, she could at least let him touch big boobs before making him feel empty — wait, maybe the emptiness is because they were small?

Looking at the taut fabric of the clothes in front of him, then recalling Power's loose-fitting attire, Denji suddenly thought it was a real possibility.

Yeah, if he had just groped big boobs like Shoko's…

Denji subconsciously reached out his hands —

Thwack!

"Ow!" The familiar impact jolted Denji awake. Clutching his head, he cried out, "What was that for?!"

"That's my line, Denji."

The girl with the angelic face before him gave a teasing smile. "A year apart, and you've gotten even more perverted? Back then it was just talk, now you're getting handsy?"

"Sho-Shoko?!"

Denji was shocked. So the boobs in front of him weren't a hallucination? They're real?!

"You look like you're pondering the mysteries of the universe. What's troubling you?"

Shoko placed the large bag she was carrying to the side, sat down next to Denji, and looked at him with a smile. "Tell me."

A familiar person, a familiar smile, just separated by too long a time. Denji felt a momentary disorientation, struggling to discern the present.

"I was thinking, if the end of life is destined to be nothingness, then does the pursuit of that end have any meaning? Or is life itself nothingness?"

"Hmm, so what are you specifically worried about?"

"...I touched some boobs, but it wasn't as good as I imagined."

Heh, knew this kid couldn't be thinking about any real philosophical problems.

Shoko knew Denji inside and out, so she wasn't surprised that he was in an existential crisis over boobs.

Denji seemed to be trying to justify his actions. "Maybe it's because Power's chest is too small..."

"Oh, you want to touch bigger ones?"

Shoko pondered, her chin resting on her hand, her ample bosom, distorted by her arm, inevitably attracting Denji's attention.

"I might be able to let you touch some. Big ones."

Denji: ?!

"Really?!"

"Yeah, it's not like it affects me." Shoko nodded matter-of-factly. "Do you want to?"