Chapter 136: The Magic City Devil Hunter Association (Bonus Chapter)
Otonashi Chiya was slightly surprised.
He had originally thought Shingetsu would mind others knowing her true gender, given that she had been cross-dressing as a man for so long. He hadn't expected her to take the initiative and expose herself like this.
However, Chiya vaguely sensed that Shingetsu had an ulterior motive; she had very pointedly removed her military cap while facing Himeno.
Don't tell me she's jealous of this too? Even toward Himeno-senpai, whom she just met?
"Whoa! She really is a top-tier beauty!" Himeno exclaimed in wonder.
Beauties of this caliber were rare. One Reze was already stunning enough, and now a Shingetsu had appeared—and both seemed to share an unusual bond with Chiya.
"Otonashi has always been popular with women," Hayakawa Aki pointed out, cutting straight to the heart of the matter.
Reze, having also caught onto Shingetsu's intentions, teased: "Miss Shingetsu is a bit sensitive. She doesn't want people to mistakenly think her relationship with my Master is a... 'passionate brotherhood' between men."
"Ah...?" Himeno blinked, then burst into laughter as she understood the implication. "I see! Otonashi-kun truly is popular. You've only been in the Soviet Union for a short time, and you already have two beautiful girls devoted to you."
"That's exactly what I meant about his luck with women," Aki said flatly.
"...I already told you, Reze is just teasing me," Chiya said, feeling helpless.
"Even if Miss Reze is just acting, Miss Shingetsu clearly isn't, right? Her move just now was quite cool—it looked exactly like she was marking her territory~" Himeno pressed Chiya for an answer.
"..."
Chiya was speechless. With Reze, he felt every word and action was likely a performance, making it impossible to be certain. But with Shingetsu... he had seen through her long ago. He knew for a fact she harbored special feelings for him.
Because of this, he couldn't deny Himeno's questioning. Seeing him fail to refute her, Himeno knew she had hit the mark. "So I was right after all?"
"It's a shame Miss Shingetsu doesn't seem to speak Japanese. If she only knows Russian, we can't communicate. Otherwise, I'd love to ask her exactly what she likes about Otonashi-kun," Himeno said with a hint of regret.
"Alright, that's enough..." Chiya, unable to defend himself further, could only change the subject.
"Himeno-senpai, please don't be so rude to others," Aki began lecturing Himeno again, though this time he was partially speaking up for Chiya.
"Fine, fine, I'll stop talking about that," Himeno said. "Looking at it this way, Otonashi-kun is living quite happily in the Soviet Union. Aki-kun, you don't need to worry about him all the time—you should worry more about yourself."
Aki could tell that Himeno was about to pivot back to his revenge against the Gun Devil. He said firmly, "My decision will not waver."
"I knew you wouldn't listen, but I'll never give up either—not until the day I die," Himeno replied with equal determination.
"I suggest you both go and relax a bit. Don't always bring up such heavy topics," Chiya interrupted, breaking the tension between them. "Well, it's about time for me to head back. Bye."
Otonashi Chiya then departed alongside Reze and Shingetsu.
Himeno let out a long sigh. "Otonashi-kun is right. While our paid leave hasn't ended yet, we should go and relax a bit."
"..." Hayakawa Aki remained silent, but his silence was a clear sign that he wasn't refusing.
On the way home.
Shingetsu had not put her military cap back on; she spent the entire walk with her long hair flowing freely. Having realized that Chiya seemed to be a magnet for women—with new strangers popping up the moment she looked away—she decided that from now on, she would no longer appear in disguise whenever she was by his side.
Though passing girls were still occasionally drawn to Chiya's looks and his Mangekyo Sharingan, they quickly abandoned any ideas the moment they saw Reze and the aura-heavy Shingetsu beside him. Shingetsu noted the significant effectiveness of this approach and became even more determined.
Previously, she felt that cross-dressing was practical for combat and prevented people from looking down on her. Now, however, she felt being herself was far more useful.
"By the way... did you two just go grocery shopping?" Chiya asked casually, looking at the bags Shingetsu and Reze were carrying.
"Yes. Since we didn't know exactly when you'd be back today and we were running low on ingredients, Reze dragged me out to shop," Shingetsu explained.
Although she had initially been quite repulsed by Reze, their relationship had gradually improved after living together for a while.
"Given your appetites, you really do have to buy a mountain of food every day," Chiya teased.
If he weren't wealthy enough—with his total assets now totaling tens of millions of yen—the appetites of people like Reze would have bankrupted an average family in no time.
"That's just Reze and the others. Don't include me," Shingetsu said flatly.
"What does it matter? I don't want a salary anyway; I just want Master to make delicious food for me," Reze chimed in.
"Oh, right, Master. There's been a new development regarding the International Transfer," Reze pivoted to serious business. "The President of the Devil Hunter Association in the Magic City said he hopes you can head over there in two days as a guest. What do you think?"
"The Devil Hunter Association? Is that the organization in China responsible for the transfer?" Chiya asked.
"Mhm. But the functions of the Association there are very broad. They don't just handle transfers; simply put, almost all Devil Hunters in the country are managed by the local Devil Hunter Associations," Reze explained briefly.
Note: Because the setting of China in the Chainsaw Man worldview is a sensitive topic, I will avoid using specific sensitive terms. The "Devil Hunter Association" will serve as the primary power structure for Chinese Devil Hunters in this story.
"I see." Chiya understood now.
This Devil Hunter Association was similar to the various Public Safety bureaus in Japan, but its authority was likely even greater, given it could oversee a major event like the International Transfer.
"Since the President personally invited me, it's only right to show some respect. Let's set off in two days," Chiya replied. He had no reason to refuse.
When choosing a new destination, he looked for attitude, sincerity, and whether the place appealed to him. The President's proactive invitation showed both attitude and sincerity—and China was undoubtedly his top choice!
AN-
I've uploaded 3 new fanfics on my account.Its called Percy Jackson:The Names of Leo Valdez,Percy Jackson Fanfiction Compalition and Percy Jackson:Sunburn.Would be really grateful if you can give it a shot.
Links in paragraph comments
🥲
Enjoyyyyyy!