The atmosphere in the Dumpling Squad had become somewhat subtle after Mrs. Yukinoshita joined them.
After all, the other members of the squad were not familiar with this beautiful woman in her elegant kimono, who exuded a cool, aloof temperament.
However, they had vaguely sensed a sense of distance between the Yukinoshita mother and daughters before, so they figured something was going on.
They hadn't gone far when Mrs. Yukinoshita suddenly stopped, giving a slight nod. "I just remembered I forgot something. Please wait a moment."
Mrs. Yuigahama smiled gently. "Of course. Do you need me to come with you?"
A flicker of discomfort crossed Mrs. Yukinoshita's face. She shook her head without another word, turned, and quickly walked away.
On the other side, Makoto was enjoying the service from the Nakiri sisters, his gaze fixed intently on Tomoya's end not far away, a playful smile curling at the corner of his mouth.
'I wanted to see you in this state in my past life.'
Makoto was certainly enjoying the show, but the Nakiri sisters were having a hard time taking it.
No one was changing his dressings. The wound in his groin had long since festered and become infected. The stench was spreading, attracting swarms of flies buzzing around the wound.
"If you don't want to watch, go back," Makoto said.
The Nakiri sisters didn't pretend otherwise. They nodded lightly and quickly left.
There was no helping it. It was just too disgusting.
But no sooner had they left than a familiar voice suddenly called out.
Makoto instinctively turned to look, only to see a graceful, slender figure rushing towards him. The next moment, she threw herself into his arms.
Tomoya, already covered in crawling rats, stared with eyes full of disbelief.
He immediately recognized the newcomer: the mother of the Yukinoshita sisters, the woman known for her aloof, untouchable demeanor.
When he saw this elegant, high-born beauty throw herself into Makoto's arms, Tomoya's agitation grew. But the burning pain in his throat made it impossible to speak. All he could manage was a hoarse "Uh... uh..." from his throat.
However, just as Mrs. Yukinoshita was rising on her tiptoes, about to offer a kiss, another clear voice suddenly rang out: "Makoto!"
Makoto and Mrs. Yukinoshita turned simultaneously to see Kayoko standing not far away, her face a mixture of embarrassment and awkwardness, her eyes fixed on them.
"Oh dear..."
The two mothers instantly locked eyes. An awkward tension filled the air.
"Kayoko-san, what brought you back?" Makoto feigned ignorance.
"Th-This..." Kayoko was so embarrassed she could have dug a hole with her foot.
She had finally managed to appease her two daughters and snuck back, only to run into Mrs. Yukinoshita.
Kayoko couldn't help but glance at Mrs. Yukinoshita a few more times, thinking to herself.
'Wow. This woman usually acts like she wants nothing to do with anyone, but she moved faster than me!'
Mrs. Yukinoshita, for her part, had completely shed her usual strong-willed businesswoman persona. Her cheeks were slightly flushed, and she looked as if she wanted to bury her face in Makoto's chest, displaying the shy demeanor of a young girl.
"Don't fuss."
Makoto smiled, a hint of affection in his voice. "Airi and Marina are probably waiting for you. Don't waste time."
As he spoke, he pointed towards the abandoned factory building they were using as a temporary base.
With her thoughts exposed by Makoto, Kayoko's face turned bright red, but she had to admit he was right.
Time was precious right now.
Under Tomoya's dead-eyed stare, Makoto put an arm around each woman and walked into the abandoned factory.
It was a shame that these two women were only ordinary in constitution. Even with the slight enhancement from the Reincarnation Game, they couldn't make the whole building shake like Megumi and Utaha had.
Two hours later, Kayoko finally returned.
"Mom, you took way too long in the bathroom," Airi commented.
"B-Because I couldn't find it..." Kayoko stammered an explanation.
Truth be told, she felt more like going to the bathroom now.
Unlike Kayoko, who was pressed for time, Mrs. Yukinoshita had no worries at all. She wasn't close to Mrs. Yuigahama and the others anyway… they could wait a little longer.
It wasn't until she heard the Nakiri sisters calling from outside the factory that Mrs. Yukinoshita reluctantly slipped out the back door.
When Makoto walked out the front, Alice immediately ran up to him, bending slightly, a hint of playful complaint in her voice: "Honestly, Nishikawa-kun, where did you go? We looked everywhere for you."
"I was looking around nearby."
Makoto chuckled lightly, then glanced at Tomoya, who was lying nearby like a pile of mud.
"He looks even more disgusting," Erina said with a frown of disgust.
"Is he still alive?" Alice asked softly.
"Yeah, but it won't be long. Let's go."
Makoto waved his hand and turned to leave.
Come to think of it, in his past life, while reading, he had come across many interesting torture methods. Unfortunately, he hadn't had a chance to use them yet.
But that was fine. There were plenty of characters in the anime world who deserved punishment. He could use them slowly in the future.
Tomoya watched Makoto walk away, a top-tier beauty on each arm, then looked down at his own body being eaten by rats and flies.
"He... help..."
Finally, Tomoya uttered the last word of his life.
He had lowered his head to the person he hated most in this world.
'Help me. I'll do anything if you let me live.'
Unfortunately, Makoto could no longer hear him. And even if he could, his response would only be ridicule and contempt.
If you had refused to give in until the end, I might at least have respected your stubbornness.
But begging for mercy at the final moment? That's just pathetic.
Except for Yu, who were focused solely on getting stronger, all the other teams followed Makoto's advice and chose to leave Japan.
While other countries weren't exactly safe, after all, Devils and Devil hunters from other nations appeared in the original work… at least being far from Makima's sphere of influence would greatly increase everyone's chances of survival.
Makoto, naturally, chose to stay in Japan, even deliberately selecting an area on the outskirts of Tokyo, very close to Makima's territory.
Logically, he should have fled abroad as well to conserve his strength and slowly formulate a plan against Makima.
But there was no need. He knew there was a major exploit here.
Chainsaw Man!