"Daddy, daddy, I want this."
"That's enough from you."
"I want it, I want it!"
In front of an air rifle stall, a purple-haired girl who looked to be high school age was tugging at an adult man who appeared to be around thirty, crying and making a scene.
Everyone's first reaction upon seeing this pair was… this dad looks really young.
Their second reaction was… this father and daughter pair are incredibly good-looking.
That purple-haired girl was so cute that the surrounding boys couldn't help but feel a twinge of sympathy.
"Hey~ beautiful, how about I play with the gun with you?"
A man with dyed blonde hair and a lip piercing leaned in to say, not forgetting to lick his lip piercing with his tongue.
No one knew if the 'gun' he was talking about was the proper kind.
Reze stared at him for a few seconds, then suddenly turned her head away: "No, you're too ugly. My daddy has money, he'll buy it for me."
As she spoke, Reze looked at Makoto with sparkling eyes:
"Right, Daddy~"
Makoto: "…"
A few hours passed, and the two walked hand in hand, preparing to climb the mountain to find the best spot to watch the 9 p.m. fireworks display.
"Don't go around calling just anyone daddy from now on, got it?"
Makoto said, holding Reze's hand as they walked along the mountain path.
Reze held Makoto's hand with her left and an ice cream with her right, constantly licking it.
"Don't worry, I've only ever called you that."
Licking her ice cream, Reze's eyes squinted into slits with a smile, "Hey hey, did it make you happy?"
Makoto: "...A little, I guess."
Reze immediately showed a look of disdain, "Getting happy because a girl calls you daddy, you really are a pervert."
Smack!
Makoto slapped her on the rear.
Finally, the two arrived at a viewing platform halfway up the mountain.
Just as they stopped, accompanied by a whoosh, a shooting star-like firework soared into the night sky, bursting open with a 'bang', painting the darkness.
"You don't need to wear glasses at a time like this, right?"
Reze took off the sunglasses from Makoto's face.
The fireworks reflected on the faces of the man and the girl, adding a touch of ambiguity to the already intimate atmosphere.
"Hey~ Uncle, which would you rather be, a city rat or a country rat?"
Reze suddenly asked.
Makoto glanced sideways at her, and before he could answer, Reze continued: "City rats can have lots of delicious things, but they are chased by cats and humans, and could die at any moment. Country rats can live carefree, but they have to face cold and hunger..."
Having said this, Reze put her hands behind her back and looked straight up at Makoto, "Which one do you like, Uncle?"
Makoto turned sideways to meet the girl's gaze: "We are humans, not rats. We can normally live in the city, enjoying its convenience and prosperity. When we are tired, we can also return to the countryside, feeling its tranquility and simplicity."
"Ha... haha... hahahaha!"
Reze opened her mouth slightly, stunned for a long time, then suddenly burst out laughing, the laughter becoming increasingly exaggerated and uncontrollable.
"As, as expected, Uncle is really interesting... Bu, but a rat is always a rat, it can never become a human..."
Makoto was about to speak, but Reze had already taken a step forward and hugged him tightly.
Seeing this, Makoto raised his hand and gently patted her on the back.
"Uncle, let's run away together?"
After a while, Reze looked up at Makoto again.
"Run away? Why?" Makoto asked.
"Because being a Devil Hunter is dangerous, isn't it? Even though you're strong now, Uncle, you'll definitely encounter stronger and stronger Devils in the future. And besides, for some reason, aren't there always people coming to kill you, Uncle, to get the Chainsaw Devil's heart?" Reze said worriedly, a hint of fear she couldn't hide in her voice. "Let's run away together, to a place where no one knows us, and then live an ordinary life, 'ordinarily welcoming death'."
Makoto was silent for two seconds, then slowly lowered his head and pressed his forehead against Reze's: "Reze, do you like me?"
Bang, bang, bang, bang.
The brilliant fireworks continued to explode. Illuminated by the vivid lights, the two faces became flushed, making it hard to tell if it was the red of the fireworks or the blush of the girl.
And finally, the girl gave her response.
"Yeah, I like you, Uncle. So, let's run away toge—"
"Reze."
This time, Reze's words were interrupted by Makoto.
"We are humans, not rats."
Makoto repeated his earlier answer, lowering his head a little more, his lips touching something soft.
Beneath the sky full of fireworks.
A man and a woman kissed.
The man was mature and handsome, the woman delicate and lovely. Apart from the slight age difference, there was no flaw to be found.
Yet, puzzlingly, even in this very sweet moment, the girl quietly raised her right hand and hooked her finger around the ring on the collar around her neck.
"Reze."
Makoto spoke again, causing Reze's movement to halt.
"In this world, I have been protecting many people. They have always lived well because they trust me, and I love them very much, just as I love you."
Makoto held Reze's face in both hands. "Are you willing to be like them, and entrust everything to me?"
Reze looked blankly at this face that was so close to hers, the hand hooked on the ring suddenly stopped by Makoto.
"We will leave this place, but not by running away. It will be on our own initiative."
Makoto showed a faint smile of absolute confidence. "I will make you happy. I'll let you go to school, let you have many friends, let you go to clubs after school like a regular high school girl, go shopping with your female classmates, and finally come home to have dinner with me. Then we can watch movies together, play games, take a bath..."
Reze had been listening, becoming more and more captivated, but when she heard the end, she couldn't help but spit at Makoto, sticking out her tongue: "Tch, you big pervert."
After a long silence, Reze said quietly, "Re, really?"
"Say it, do it. That's my Ninja Way." Makoto replied.
Although she didn't know what a Ninja way was, feeling the warmth radiating from Makoto's body, Reze felt her own body gradually soften, and the hand hooked on the ring slowly lowered.
After a while, Reze said in a low voice: "Have me! Right here!"
Makoto's expression changed slightly, and he immediately signaled to Beam and the Four Gay Bros hiding in the shadows.
The five animal-type Devils quickly appeared and started patrolling the area.
When they saw other couples trying to come up the mountain to watch the fireworks, there was no need for Beam to act, the four brothers swarmed them—
"Who said you could come here for a date?"
"Don't scream! Scream again, and I'll kill your boyfriend first, then come for you!"
The passing couples were terrified. The man quickly pulled out his wallet: "Spare, spare us. I'll give you all my money."
Teddy Devil: "With this little money, you dare to go on a date?"
Man: "Yes, yes, sorry. We're leaving now."
Gorilla Devil: "What time is it? Aren't you going home? Don't you have school tomorrow?"
Man said meekly: "We've already graduated..."
Dolphin Devil: "Just because you graduated doesn't mean you don't have work? Aren't your parents worried?"