Chapter 57
"Den… Denji-kun?"
"Yeah, I'm here."
"Can… can I come out now?"
"Not the best time—you woke up at a bad moment. We're in Aki's car right now. Just wait a little longer—we'll be home soon."
"Home…?"
"Yeah, our home. Counting you, the family now has three people and one cat~
You've already met me and Power. Now all that's left is Nya-ko. She's a super cute little cat~ You'll definitely like her!"
"…Do I get a new name too?"
"Huh?"
"For pets… when you pick them up and bring them home, don't you… usually give them a cute nickname?"
"Uh… no need… right? Wait, you're making my head spin. In my place, you just be yourself.
Everything from the past—you can forget it all now."
"…That's really nice."
After confirming once more, Higashiyama Koharu finally felt as though the heavy shackles that had bound her soul were shattered.
That blood-bound fate of relatives that had squeezed her living space and nearly driven her into despair completely collapsed in this moment.
She could finally "breathe"…
She curled up, pressing her cheek against her knees, burying her eyes deep into the circle of her arms.
Her voice came muffled through the fabric and her arms, carrying a dull, heavy tone—as though stating the most natural thing in the world.
But as those plain words left her mouth, she was clearly holding her newly freed heart in her palms, offering it carefully yet unhesitatingly—
She quietly made her vow:
"Thank you, Denji. As long as the day you don't get tired of me never comes, I will serve you well every single day—clean the house, cook for you, work and earn money to support the family, warm your bed and—"
"Stop stop stop! You—
You, you really are…"
Higashiyama Koharu waited quietly, listening to Denji's judgment of her.
"…a complete idiot who makes people want to bully you so badly."
"Okay."
"Hah?"
"If it's Denji bullying me, I think I could see it as a different kind of affection."
"…Sorry, I take back what I just said. Right now I think you're an extremely rare, wonderful woman. Hehe~"
"That's just what I should do. Making Denji-kun happy, being needed by Denji-kun—that's my entire dream. I will spend my whole life chasing that dream."
Those words were Higashiyama Koharu's self-imposed contract and curse—the beneficiary, however, was Denji.
And Denji didn't even have the room to refuse—because all the price had already been swallowed alone by this foolish girl…
Denji felt a little regret for teaching Higashiyama Koharu how to use her devil power.
But at the same time, his heart was uncontrollably filled with boundless joy and delight because of it.
"…"
Denji was momentarily speechless. He stared blankly at the air ahead, his mind even conjuring the image of the girl currently confessing her life to him.
He was moved.
No grand reason—he just loved this feeling of being loved. What's more, she was so pretty, her personality was excellent, and her figure/style was exactly one of his favorite types.
But would he be satisfied with just this?
Feeling the soft warmth pressed against his chest, Denji gently stroked Power and called softly:
"Power."
"Mmm~"
Power, enjoying Denji's petting, had her eyes and mouth squinted into slits—only able to respond with contented nasal hums~
"Will you ever hate me one day?"
"? …How could I possibly!!"
Before her brain even processed it, her body instinctively denied first!
Realizing what Denji asked, Power immediately puffed up, raising her head to stare at the strange-looking Denji in front of her.
She had never seen such a dazed, wooden expression on Denji's face.
Though it looked strangely cute, she was more worried—so she actively pulled herself out of his warm embrace, turned around, and hugged him tightly instead, pressing his head firmly against her soft, all-embracing chest.
"No matter how the world changes—even if one day Denji doesn't like this great one anymore—this great one will like Denji forever~"
Power's tone was very serious. Denji never expected to hear such gentleness from Power's mouth?! (Outside of "intimate" moments)
Then Power's tone shifted again, becoming playful and cute:
"After all, this great one has long since…"
Her slender hand covered Denji's heart. Through their special connection, she spoke the unfinished words directly into his soul:
"…long since given you full ownership of my entire being~"
After whispering to Denji's soul, Power lightly sniffed his scent and softly parted her cherry lips:
"Now let Denji hear this great one's too~"
Power pulled Denji's head close, pressing him tightly against her heart.
Without reservation, she showed Denji everything deep in her soul.
Through the heartbeat and their special link, Denji glimpsed Power's inner world—
Aside from the surface layer of "self" and "Nya-ko," almost the entire visible space was filled with Denji's figure—packed so densely there was no room left.
And at the core—the part Power named "like."
That emotion, due to its overwhelming concentration, had already crystallized into extremely pure, dazzling pink gems.
These crystals were growing madly, like blood vessels bursting through every inch of her inner world, forcibly expanding the original space more than tenfold—just to hold even more "like" for Denji.
And beneath that space lay something bottomless—even Power herself, the idiot, hadn't yet noticed:
The love and desire to be eternally entangled with Denji…
Power continued whispering endless "likes" into Denji's ear.
But by now Denji could barely hear anymore.
Because he was moved again.
The already infinite joy and delight in his heart now stacked with a new layer of infinite joy and delight.
No matter how many times, no matter how many more—
It felt like he could always take it…
…
In this way, Denji seemed to enter a special flow state.
Commonly known as—high on bliss.
Right now his brain was in a state of "pleasurable vacuum."
Every nerve ending repeatedly savored the joy of being loved, so his mind was basically fully occupied by inner euphoria for the moment.
Naturally, his attention to the outside world decreased.
The moment the car stopped and the door opened, Denji naturally stepped out.
Holding Power's hand neither too tight nor too loose, he hurried forward—completely filtering out even the act of saying goodbye to Aki and the others.
Watching those two figures whose backs radiated urgency rush into the building without looking back, Himeno—already beside the car—couldn't help clicking her tongue.
"Tsk tsk~"
A knowing, naughty smile curled at her lips.
"As expected of young people—they can't hide anything at all."
Himeno instinctively reached for a cigarette in her pocket, but halfway there she suddenly remembered her bet with Aki.
She wrinkled her face in mild frustration—just as Aki walked up beside her and casually gave her a light punch.
The fist was soft and floaty—like a spoiled tantrum.
Aki looked at her in confusion, thought for a moment, then pulled out the half-pack of cigarettes from that morning.
His fingertips tapped the bottom of the pack. With a soft click, two cigarettes slid out perfectly into the gaps between his fingers.
He skillfully bit one between his teeth, held the other between his fingers, flicked his wrist almost imperceptibly—and it stopped casually yet steadily right in front of Himeno's lips.
The slight confusion in his heart vanished the instant their eyes met—leaving only wordless understanding.
…
Upstairs, open the door.
BANG!
Who fired a gun?
Oh—it's just Denji closing the door.
Back in this familiar space, Power's cheeks instantly flushed bright red—scorching heat as though her blood was boiling.
She stared fixedly at Denji's back, heart pounding wildly in her chest. Her mind involuntarily began replaying those shameful scenes she had only ever fantasized about—
Denji didn't pause at all—not even turning to check if she was following—just walked straight toward the bedroom.
Power—wrist tightly gripped—stumbled and was forced to trot to keep up. The tiny disbelief in her heart was instantly strangled by wild joy—now only shame and triumph intertwined in full delight:
"Fin… finally it's happening? Hehe~ Stupid Denji really couldn't resist this great one's peerless charm after all!
Daring to refuse this great one before—as punishment, let's just go all the way until dawn!"
--------------------------
Support us on Patreon and gain access to 100 chapters in advance!
patreon.com/inkshield
Special Offer: Badass Tier – 20% OFF
Use code: STAR20