Whoosh!
At this time, it started raining.
The two went into the rundown shack. Denji opened the boxed lunch and, as always, began devouring it heartily.
Makoto asked, feigning ignorance, "Is that grave your father's?"
Denji paused in his eating for a moment. A few seconds later, he replied, "Yeah. He killed himself."
Makoto stared at the kid for a while.
He remembered from the original work that Denji's father hadn't actually committed suicide. Rather, Denji, driven to a mental breakdown by abuse, had accidentally killed him, and then his brain's protective mechanisms had made him forget the event.
"Um, I-I'm done eating, B-Big Brother God..."
Looking at the empty lunch box and then at Makoto, who was silently looking down, Denji felt a bit awkward.
It was the first time Makoto had entered his home, and he had no idea how to entertain him.
Fortunately, Makoto didn't stay long. He stood up and placed a bank card on the table.
"The money in here should be enough to support you until you become an adult."
Under Denji's surprised gaze, Makoto said, "Go find a school. When you enroll, just use my name. Study hard. With luck, you might even meet a girl who likes you and experience what it's like to be with a woman."
With that, Makoto turned to leave.
"B-Big Brother God, I-I don't want your money! I-I want to..."
Denji grabbed the bank card and tried to chase after him.
"Don't say you want to follow me, kid."
Makoto interrupted him without mercy.
"Remember what I'm about to tell you. For the rest of your life, never get involved with Devils. Study hard, at least until you graduate high school, then find a regular job and live out your life peacefully."
"We might not see each other again. The path you take from here is up to you."
Denji stood frozen, staring at Makoto's retreating back, lost in silence.
On the other side, Makoto soon received a call from Yu.
"Senpai, I've investigated. That yakuza group is called the Honda-gumi, a second-rate gang operating on the outskirts of Tokyo. Their main business is exploiting kids whose parents were killed by Devils and who are left homeless."
"Can you handle it?"
Makoto asked.
Hearing this, Yu perked up. "Absolutely."
That night, a knock came at the door.
Makoto bent down to kiss the satisfied Yukiko on the forehead, then got up to answer the door.
As soon as he opened it, he saw Yu covered in blood.
"S-Senpai, it's done."
With that, Yu stumbled and was about to collapse.
Fortunately, Makoto reached out and caught him in time.
"Who is it?"
Just then, Yukiko had also changed into a robe and came out of the bedroom.
Seeing Yu in this state, she was startled.
Makoto gestured for her to go back inside. The half-dead Yu barely lifted his eyes, noticed Yukiko, but said nothing.
In his view, someone as great as Makoto should leave behind plenty of offspring.
Makoto helped Yu to the sofa and got out the first aid kit to treat his wounds. "Why didn't you go to the hospital instead of coming here?"
"I-I made a major discovery..."
Ishigami Yu reached a trembling hand into his shirt and pulled out a still-thumping object.
"It's the heart of the Katana Devil."
Pochita's voice suddenly sounded in Makoto's mind.
Yu explained, panting heavily, "I-I heard that the Honda-gumi, because they've been suppressed by the Bureau, have been desperate to get their hands on demonic power to take their organization to the next level."
"S-So they spent a fortune to get this thing. They were planning to transplant it into the old boss's grandson, I think. B-But those idiots never imagined that we'd get our hands on it before they could transplant it..."
As he finished, Yu couldn't help but laugh.
"The Katana Devil, huh? Not bad. Do you want this power?"
Makoto took the heart and asked.
Superpowered individuals in this world generally fell into three categories.
The first were pure Devils like the Four Gay Bros under Makoto.
The second were contractors like Aki and Himeno, who paid a certain price to gain a portion of a Devil's power.
The third were weapon humans who, by transplanting a Devil's heart, entered a symbiotic relationship with the Devil.
Among these, weapon humans were arguably the most cost-effective.
Because in their bodies, only the Devil's heart remained… the Devil itself had no consciousness, so they had complete control over their bodies and abilities.
They also possessed the Devil's ability to revive by drinking blood, granting them a form of immortality.
However, obtaining a Devil's heart was extremely difficult. Many Devils, when facing death, preferred suicide to letting their hearts fall into human hands.
Thus, weapon humans were quite rare.
Yu was somewhat tempted, but after thinking it over, he ultimately declined.
Because a Devil's heart could only be transplanted once. If he transplanted the Katana Devil's heart, he would be tied to that ability.
And Yu felt that if he was going to choose, he should pick a stronger ability.
Like the Gun Devil's heart, for instance.
Seeing that Yu was set on this, Makoto didn't insist. He quietly stored the Devil's heart in his inventory, planning to find a suitable person to transplant it into later.
Thus, the Honda-gumi, which had exploited Denji in the original work, was wiped out.
A few days later, a junior high school called Daiyon Higashi Middle School in Tokyo welcomed a transfer student.
Under the gaze of the teacher and the entire class, the nervous transfer student picked up a piece of chalk and wrote on the blackboard the only words he had learned in the past few days—
Nishikawa Denji.
…
Three years passed in the blink of an eye. Unknowingly, the world had reached 1997.
The endless metropolis of Tokyo was recognized worldwide as the safest city.
As for the reason...
"Chainsaw! I'll kill you! Chainsaw!"
On the street, a Devil with no other organs besides a giant face, fanged maw, and a visage filled with horrific zombies charged furiously at Makoto.
It was the Eternity Devil, which had consumed fragments of the Gun Devil.
It had chosen to attack out of fear of being eaten by the Chainsaw Devil.
Makoto smirked at this idiot.
'If you're afraid, you should hide, not come running right up to me.'
"Foreign Teacher."
Makoto called out softly.
Instantly, the little evil teddy bear at his feet swelled dramatically, transforming into a bizarre four-legged standing form. It spread its arms wide, acting as a meat shield to block the attack for Makoto.
The next instant, bizarre Devils with muscular, bodybuilder-like physiques but sporting the heads of dolphins, gorillas, and lions emerged from nowhere. They tightly embraced the Eternity Devil's body from all sides.
"Y-You guys, even though you're Devils, you've become the Chainsaw's dogs?"
"Hee hee hee~ I've always been a dog."
The Teddy Bear Devil laughed eerily and thrust its hips in a lewd motion, a sight too obscene to behold.
Many fleeing citizens who saw this couldn't help but vomit.
"Foreign Teacher, finish him off quickly."
Makoto couldn't bear to watch anymore.
The Teddy Bear Devil chuckled and shouted, "Brothers, together!"
The four bodybuilder Devils, one on each side, suddenly exerted force, crushing the Eternity Devil's body between them.
"Let us give you a nice, big hug!"
The four bodybuilder Devils grinned menacingly.
Feeling the suffocating pressure, the Eternity Devil screamed in panic, "Let me go! Let me go! Waaah! Let me go! I don't want a hug!"
But the outcome was inevitable.
Under the pressure exerted by Makoto's Four Gay Bros, the Eternity Devil burst like an overripe pimple, its blood splattering all over the street.
"Tsk~"
Makoto couldn't help but purse his lips, 'These four's fighting style was still just as disgusting.'
"Oh my! That was amazing! Thank you, Uncle~"
While other citizens were avoiding the scene, a graceful figure came up to Makoto, hands clasped behind her back, bending at the waist to look up at him from below, her eyes smiling.
"As expected of the strongest Devil Hunter. You don't even need to lift a finger against low-level Devils."
Makoto looked over the slender young woman before him… shoulder-length purple hair, emerald eyes, and fair skin, all marking her as a true beauty.
Her smile was sweet, tinged with a hint of shy blush, and her playful tone perfectly embodied the image of the 'sweet girl next door'.