"Ohhhhh! The pizza's finally here!"
Denji stumbled over his own foot when he suddenly took off running from the low table the both of us were sitting at, and almost face-planted right there on the wooden floor-
"Oh, he fell."
"He really did, didn't he?"
I stifled a laugh as he utterly ignored his bleeding nose and ran past the tiny kitchenette to the door. Apparently, even something as common as some pepperoni pizza was a delicacy to him. He gripped the door with one hand, and the hinges creaked when he ripped it open.
Resting my chin atop my hand, I wondered if I should have just cooked the two a meal.
What?
Godly cooking was one of the core abilities of anyone in a situation like myself. When the grind became less and less rewarding, I'd turned my attention to other skills, mostly useless ones like writing with my feet, but some that came in pretty handy from time to time.
The only guinea pig for my earlier dishes was dad though, and I was positive he'd acquired some kind of poison resistance by the end.
Denji stuck his head out of the tiny corridor.
"Masao-"
Dammit, I shouldn't have got caught up and given my government name.
"-Money. The delivery guy wants cash."
With a sigh, I retrieved my wallet from my pants and sifted through the bills.
"Master-sir, the year is 1998. Those bills are not in circulation yet, they are not."
The realisation hit like a bolt of lightning.
No wait, I had a plan B just for this kind of situation.
I whipped around, pulling my bag to my lap. There were a few plates of gold in there from my rainy day fund! Those could work-
"You can't pay for pizza with gold." Alice mercilessly poured cold water over my plan. "It would be suspicious, not to mention, he won't have change. It is a significant loss for you, very significant."
But, I couldn't just send the delivery guy back empty-handed. Life was tough enough as it was if you weren't a cheater like me. Even if he was a kind soul, willing to overlook the bill, he'd probably get chewed up by his boss.
With blazing resolve, I rose to my feet. The walk to the door was a speedy one. I knew my decision was right when I spotted a clearly sleep-deprived teenager around my own age holding three pizzas in his hands.
I offered the gold to him.
"Here."
"I...Is that gold?"
"Yes. The rest is a tip."
I even gave him a thumbs up.
"Is this some kind of scam?"
His incredulity was not unfounded.
"Take it to a pawn shop."
I quickly pushed the gold into his hands, handing the pizzas to a wide-eyed Denji, and slammed the door shut. I didn't know if he believed me, but there were no further knocks on the door. A moment later, I heard the distinct thud of hasty footsteps running down the corridor of the apartment complex.
"D-Did you just pay him with gold?"
I turned to Denji, "It looked that way cause the Sun shone on it from an angle."
Surprisingly, he seemed to accept that explanation.
"Makes sense," He scratched the back of his head, laughing awkwardly, "No one would be crazy enough to give away free gold."
"Exactly."
We eyed each other in silence.
"Don't think you can have extra slices just cause you paid for it." He held the boxes close to his chest, giving me a frown as he went away. "We'll be dividing them equally, and we gotta leave some for Aki too. Makima-san told me to get along with him."
This Makima person, they were supposed to take me to meet her. I'd even entered this apartment expecting to find her inside. The safest conclusion was that the food came first for them. Power even ran straight into the bath.
Shaking my head, I sat down with my back to the balcony.
They were an amusing bunch to be around.
From what I'd put together, Power was capable of manipulating her blood. Denji just... became a chainsaw man. That was pretty metal in itself. Not as cool as Ghost Rider though.
"Hey Alice," I rubbed my chin, "You think we could go to Marvel?"
The talking rabbit jerked, ears and paws all.
"M-Master-sir, you'd be noticed instantly!" She crossed her tiny arms and shook her head furiously, "What if some being like the Living Tribunal takes notice? Y-You can't possibly fight them, can you?"
I hummed thoughtfully.
"I don't think so. But, I'd definitely try. Might be fun. No, will definitely be fun."
"Uh uh, I wish my eyes would start working already."
Her ears drooped pitifully.
Before I could console my companion, the door to the bathroom on the far end slammed open. Power stepped out, clad only in the tiniest cotton shorts in the world and a white tank top that left her mostly flat belly entirely exposed. Her wet hair clung to her back and shoulders.
Rank as she'd been when we first met, I couldn't help but take note of the exposed thighs. My gaze slowly wandered up to her midriff.
"Haha!" She caught me looking and grinned, "Are you taken with Power's body? I should've expected as much!"
Where was all the fear from before?
"Maybe, if you didn't stink worse than a dog's ass."
"How do you know what a dog's ass smells like?" She tilted her head, "Do you go sniffing dog butts, Masao?"
Denji let out a snort, then began cackling. The problem was, he was carrying the pizza out of the kitchen. When he laughed, he tripped. The three boxes went flying into the air.
"Noooo-"
I grabbed all three out of the air, stacking them neatly on the table.
"Pizza may be cheap but, don't you dare disrespect it."
"Woahhh."
Power and Denji clapped like a pair of idiots.
Fortunately, I wasn't particularly a genius either.
-
She couldn't see faces.
Not the faces of the people that followed her, adored her, and she used.
She never even tried.
No human ever tried to remember the minute distinctions in the body structure of ants. They just knew that those insects posed no threat to them, that they could be steered away as needed.
She was at least kind enough to elevate those inferior creatures to the status of dogs, as long as they listened to her every word and obeyed her as befit that station. A dog did not question why their master was sicc'ing them on someone, they just chased, hunted, bit and tore the moment that command was gone.
Like any houndmaster, she did have those she paid more attention to.
Say, like the human joined with her hero, the legendary Chainsaw Man.
He was the same as the rest of the humans though, content to bark and bite at her leisure. Still, for Chainsaw Man's sake, she always kept an eye on him. That was why she knew long before they ever went to face the Bat Devil that they were headed there.
Someone new appeared on the path there.
Another human, one she did not know.
But, he was strong.
If he was strong then he could be useful for her plans.
That was the sole reason she joined Aki Hayakawa on the way back to his apartment. He was happy to follow along, and keep watch over her. He tried to talk to her, but she wasn't very interested.
He quieted down like a good little boy, only greeting the security guard of the apartment complex as they passed by, up the stairs, and then down the corridor to his apartment. He fumbled around with the keys a moment, trying to hide his elevated heartbeat and disturbed breathing.
"Thank you."
Ah, she could smell Chainsaw Man inside.
"I'm sorry if it's in a bad state, Makima-san."
"I don't really mind."
She stepped inside with a faint smile.
They were gathered around a table, gorging themselves with not a care in the world. She looked at the discarded boxes dirtying the floor.
"M-Makima-"
The Blood Fiend stammered over her words. Her attention flickered between her and the stranger.
Denji became happy and wagged his tail. "Oh, it's good you're here. This guy really wanted to meet you."
Another dog to be controlled.
Her eyes narrowed a tad.
Something was off-
The stranger suddenly hit the side of his head with a fist.
"What did you just try to do, lady?"
He had unkempt black hair.
She tried again.
He rose to his feet.
"Stop."
His blank face wavered.
There was the sleaziest of grins forming across his face.
"Oy Masao, that's Makima! She can give you a job with us!"
When she tried again, he began closing the distance, intentions clear. She raised a hand. An immense weight descended on his shoulders. The floor underneath his feet cracked from the sudden pressure.
He took another step.
"Are you one of them?"
Cold fingers wrapped around her throat, cutting off her breath. Then, she was taken off her feet.
"A Devil, master-sir! Most certainly, she is!"
It was becoming difficult to focus.
"God, I love... you so much."
If her control worked, then why-
"Thank you so much, Makima."
-
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