"Pochita!!"Denji screamed, sticking his head out the car window.
He didn't wait for the car to stop. He threw the door open and jumped out. He hit the ground rolling, tumbling over the pavement. Ignoring the pain, he scrambled to his feet and sprinted toward Pochita.
"Pochita!"
Honk!!
A speeding car swerved hard to avoid Denji. The driver's years of road rage instantly exploded. "You got a death wish? Don't run around in the middle of the road!"
But Denji's eyes were set. He only cared about Pochita's safety and didn't even hear the driver's insults. Sliding to his knees, he quickly stopped beside Pochita and crouched down. "Pochita, are you okay?"
"Ugh..." Pochita let out a weak sound. He didn't blame Denji for failing to hold onto a dog.
"Quick, bite me. Just drink my blood." Denji offered his hand to Pochita's mouth.
Pochita used the last of his strength to take a fierce bite. Once the fresh blood flowed into his body, the dying dog was instantly resurrected to full health. This was the so-called immortality of devils. As long as they drank blood, no matter how heavy the injuries, they would heal completely.
Right then, Arata parked his car by the side of the road and walked over with a black messenger bag slung across his chest. He didn't look the least bit concerned that Pochita had just been crushed by traffic.
"I'm here to take you guys out for good food, not to the hospital."
"You did that on purpose, didn't you?!"
"On purpose? That's a ridiculous accusation to throw around."
"Alright, cut the crap. Since we're parked, let's just find a restaurant around here to eat."
Glancing at their surroundings, Denji initially wanted to refuse and have Arata just drive them back. But he accidentally noticed quite a few women in sexy school uniforms walking down the street. Suddenly, Arata's suggestion seemed fantastic.
"Fine, but I want to sit at a table with hot girls."
"I've got money now. I can even let you sleep with one in each arm tonight, it's no problem."
"For real?!" Hearing this, Denji was instantly fired up.
"Of course for real, but that comes after we eat."
Arata led Denji to a high-end looking restaurant nearby. The moment he walked through the doors, Denji looked like a total country bumpkin. His jaw hit the floor, his expression wildly exaggerated. His gaping, speechless mouth seemed to be offering silent praise. High-end, elegant, top-tier.
"Hello, pets are not allowed in here." A polite waitress approached to greet them.
"Have you ever seen a pet with a chainsaw sticking out of its head?"
Prompted by Arata, the waitress took a closer look at Pochita. A second later, her face twisted with surprise, panic, and sheer loss for words.
"Ah!!" the waitress shrieked, then immediately clapped a hand over her mouth, terrified of disturbing the guests. "W-what's wrong with this dog?"
"It's not a dog. It's a devil."
"A devil!!!"
"Exactly. Your restaurant only says no pets, it didn't say no devils. So stop trying to block our way."
What's wrong?" The manager rushed over after hearing the commotion. When he saw Pochita in Denji's arms, he remained relatively calm. "Are you..."
"No need to ask. We are actually Devil Hunters. This is a devil we just caught, and since we got too hungry on the road, we decided to get a bite to eat before heading back."
"Ah, so you're Devil Hunters." The manager breathed a sigh of relief. He clearly held a lot of respect for the profession. "Then please, come in. So as not to disturb the other guests, you can take a private room."
"You're pretty good at your job, kid. I'll definitely make sure you have a wet dream tonight."
Arata fully approved of the manager's attitude. The group then headed into a private dining room, with the manager personally coming in to take their order.
"Here is our menu, please take a look and see what you'd like."
Denji had never been to school and couldn't read a single word. He glanced at the menu once and slapped it down on the table. "I want a slice of toast with jam."
"Woof!!"
"Get one for Pochita too."
"A slice of bread with jam?" The manager looked deeply awkward. It was his first time hearing a customer order jam toast at a high-end restaurant.
"What, you don't have it?" Arata asked, his tone flat.
"We do, we do!"
"Bring the bread first to pad my apprentice's stomach. Once that's served, I'll tell you what else to order."
"Very well." The manager forced a fake smile and backed out of the room.
After the manager left, Arata suddenly looked at Denji. "I said we're spending 2.49 million tonight, but what you just did makes you sound like a beggar walking into an inn holding a pile of gold, only to demand a chicken's ass."
"In my mind, bread smeared with jam is the most delicious thing in the world," Denji laughed, rubbing the back of his head.
It didn't take long for the manager to return to the room, carrying a plate of perfectly jam-smeared toast.
"Whoa!!" Denji marveled. "Pochita, look how evenly they spread the jam."
"Woof!!"
"Have you decided on the rest of your order?"
"Not really, but start by bringing out the best, most expensive beef you have in the store. Beef is my absolute favorite. And grab ten bottles of your best, highest-end red wine."
"Ten bottles? Will you be able to finish all that?"
"If I can't finish it, I'll use it to rinse my mouth and wash my feet."
Hearing this, the manager's smile instantly froze. He slammed down his pen and paper and roared, "Are you guys just here to pick a fight?!"
"Watch your tone."
Arata casually tossed his black messenger bag onto the table. He unzipped it, revealing bundles of cash that instantly blinded the manager.
"I am so sorry, that's my fault, I was completely blind. I will have the servers bring your order immediately. I'll also assign dedicated waitstaff to serve you."
"Make it two waitresses," Arata instructed.
"No problem." The manager, beaming again, left the room.
Before long, the food arrived along with the beautiful waitresses. The moment they walked in, Denji couldn't stop his eyes from locking onto a very specific area.
The two waitresses worked in tandem, bringing the beef and a massive beef thigh to the table, then popping the corks to pour the wine.
"He can't drink, don't pour him any."
"Yes, sir."
Once the wine was poured and the food served, the two gorgeous waitresses stood by on either side.
"Don't just stand there, sit down and eat with us."
"I'm sorry sir, but the restaurant doesn't allow that."
"Just sit and eat, I already cleared it with your manager."
The two waitresses looked troubled. They exchanged a glance but didn't sit down.
"Sit!!" Arata tossed a thick stack of cash onto the table.
Seeing that much money, one of the waitresses immediately sat down. The look on her face was no longer a standard, professional customer-service smile, but one brimming with desire.
"Denji, wanna experience what it feels like to be hand-fed by a woman?"
"Hand-fed by a woman!!" Denji's face instantly went beet red, looking like he'd been steamed.
Because he'd lacked motherly love since childhood, and his father had died leaving behind nothing but a mountain of debt, Denji, currently in his awkward, hormonal teenage years, had always been hopelessly desperate for women. Even just a simple hug would have been enough to satisfy him.
"T-that..." The sudden offer of being hand-fed made Denji too embarrassed to speak up. But his subconscious had already accepted the proposal.
"Just feed him one bite, and all the money on this table is yours." Arata told the waitress.
"Okay, no problem." The waitress was ecstatic.
Her rent was due, she needed new appliances, and she hadn't bought a new piece of clothing in months. The crushing weight of life meant she'd seize any opportunity to solve her financial crises. She wasn't bowing her head to Arata. She was bowing her head to life.
"Just feeding me a piece of bread is fine." Denji wasn't greedy, he just wanted a slice of bread.
The waitress happily and elegantly skewered a piece of bread with a fork, bringing it right to Denji's mouth. "Ahhh, open up."
"Ahhh!!" Denji opened his mouth wide and squeezed his eyes shut tight, ready to welcome the happiest moment of his life.
But right then, a sudden scream echoed from outside. It was followed by the chaotic crashing of tables and chairs being overturned.
The noise completely shattered what should have been a beautiful moment inside the private room.