Chapter 174: The Scent of the Chainsaw Man
Following the abrupt raid by the Devil Church, Modu Qingfeng Middle School was granted a few days of extended holiday per official directives, with psychological counseling and supplementary support programs slated to roll out once classes resumed.
Such protocols were standard whenever a major devil incident occurred, though the duration of this specific break was notably longer than usual.
Ordinary students remained largely in the dark regarding the true nature of the Devil Church, attributing the shutdown to the sudden emergence of an exceptionally powerful devil.
Security patrols across the entire Modu district were ramped up significantly, with local police, private contractors, and official devil hunters operating in tandem to track down and report any individuals suspected of having ties to the cult.
Yet, given how catastrophic their failure had been, the Devil Church was unlikely to show its face anywhere near the surface for quite some time.
Consequently, patrols yielded virtually zero suspicious sightings.
......
With the cult crisis temporarily winding down, and the school out of session alongside the Devil Hunter Association's standard paid leave policies, Otonashi Chiya, Reze, and the others were enjoying some downtime at home.
They had already relocated into one of the detached luxury villas within the state guesthouse compound.
Just as midday approached, however, Kiga arrived unannounced at their doorstep.
Denji was the one who opened the door, blinking in confusion at the unfamiliar, gorgeous young woman standing outside. "You... um... who might you be?"
Having only recently started learning Mandarin, Denji's vocabulary remained basic, and his pronunciation was noticeably halting and unnatural.
Recognizing the thick, unmistakable Japanese accent instantly, Kiga switched to fluent Japanese, replying, "I'm a friend of Otonashi Chiya. I'm here to see him about something."
At the same time, a familiar scent drifted into Kiga's senses from Denji.
If she wasn't mistaken, this was the distinct fragrance of the "Chainsaw Man"...
While she had previously caught faint traces of that same scent lingering around Otonashi Chiya, it had been far too diluted for her to state with absolute certainty.
"Ah, so you're Chiya-brother's friend, and you speak Japanese too."
Denji nodded immediately. "Let me go tell Chiya-brother, please wait a moment, Miss."
With that, she scurried off into the living room.
"Chiya-brother, there's a strange big sister at the door who says she's your friend."
A strange big sister who says she's my friend?
Hearing that description, Otonashi Chiya instantly ran through a mental checklist including Kiga, Quanxi, and Pingtsi, figuring Kiga was the most probable candidate by far.
Neither Quanxi nor Pingtsi had any reason to drop by unannounced like this, whereas Kiga... well, Kiga definitely had a motive.
He had promised to treat her to meals long-term, after all.
"Does that strange big sister tilt her head when she looks at people?"
Reze chimed in, turning to ask Denji.
Shingetsu immediately perked up at that as well, wondering if that humanoid devil had actually tracked them down to their doorstep.
"Yeah, I think so, and she's wearing a hat."
Denji replied without hesitation.
The brim of the hat and that signature, slightly cocked head posture had left quite an impression on her.
"Sure enough, sounds like Miss Kiga... or rather, Little Famine."
As she spoke, Reze cast a deliberate, sideways glance at Shingetsu.
Noticing Shingetsu's expression falter ever so slightly.
By this point, Otonashi Chiya had already walked out to the entrance to greet Kiga.
"Kiga... Little Famine, you actually tracked down my home address?"
Otonashi Chiya couldn't help raising an eyebrow.
"Naturally. How else do you expect me to collect on my meals?"
Kiga stated it as if it were the most natural law in the universe.
No sooner had those words left her mouth than a long, rumbling growl echoed audibly from her stomach.
"You ate so much back then, and you're already starved like this?"
Hearing that sound, Otonashi Chiya wondered just how empty her stomach must be.
"Mainly because there are limits to how I summon devils. Not only is a summoned devil much weaker than its original full-bodied self, but it also drains a massive amount of my energy and satiety," Kiga explained.
"The stronger the devil summoned, the heavier the drain. When you used my power to summon the Falling Devil, it essentially wiped out everything I ate last time."
"If I hadn't drunk your blood yesterday, I probably wouldn't have even made it to today. Humans in a state of extreme starvation suffer until they lose their minds, and as a devil, I'm not much better off."
Listening to this, Otonashi Chiya realized that this, once again, traced right back to his own actions.
At the same time, he picked up on a vital piece of information: the devils summoned by Kiga were considerably weaker than their actual originals.
In other words, a fully realized, unrestrained Falling Devil would be even more terrifying than the one he had witnessed.
Granted, the Falling Devil he had summoned last time was still the true entity, just heavily throttled by restrictions. Even so, as a Primal Devil, her capabilities still possessed the terrifying weight of dimensional supremacy.
"So that's how it is. Well, grab a few things here to stave off the worst of the hunger for a moment, and we'll head out for a proper meal soon."
The ingredients currently sitting in Otonashi Chiya's kitchen were nowhere near enough to fill Kiga's bottomless appetite, meaning a restaurant trip was unavoidable.
"By the way, that little girl who opened the door—she knows the Chainsaw Man, doesn't she?"
As Kiga stepped into the villa behind Otonashi Chiya, she suddenly posed the question.
"You caught that? Or rather, I suppose you smelled it out?"
Otonashi Chiya wasn't particularly surprised.
Devils possessed exceptionally sharp senses of smell, especially someone of Kiga's caliber as one of the Four Horsemen. It was only a matter of time before she crossed paths with Denji and picked up on Pochita's presence.
In fact, he had half-assumed Kiga might have already caught a trace of Pochita's scent on him earlier, though it must have been too faint since his direct contact with Pochita was quite minimal.
"Mmh," Kiga nodded slightly.
"So, what's your game plan? Didn't you say before that you had no interest in the Chainsaw Man?" Otonashi Chiya asked flatly.
"I really don't have any interest in it. I'm just surprised to find it living right here with you. At this rate, the Control Devil is bound to track you down here on her own doorstep," Kiga stated frankly.
If she had any malicious intentions toward the Chainsaw Man, she certainly wouldn't have brought the topic up so casually in front of Otonashi Chiya.
Well, she's not wrong...
Otonashi Chiya mused that Pochita practically served as Makima's ultimate "magnet."
He hadn't previously considered using Pochita as bait to draw Makima out, mostly because he preferred to respect Pochita's own autonomy and wishes. Yet, following Kiga's logic, active baiting might not even be necessary; Makima would likely sniff out the location herself eventually.
Entering the living room, Kiga made herself right at home, settling onto the sofa with casual familiarity.
Otonashi Chiya pulled out a massive pile of snacks and fruit, placing them on the table right in front of her.
It took Kiga all of a few seconds to clear out the entire spread, leaving both Denji and Kobeni Higashiyama staring in absolute disbelief.
"That big sister... she just ate a ridiculous amount..." Denji blurted out in amazement.
"And she still looks like she hasn't had nearly enough...?" Kobeni added, her eyes wide with shock.
"Is there more? This tiny bit isn't even close to enough to eat."
Barely finishing the final bag of chips, Kiga immediately looked up at Otonashi Chiya to demand seconds.
Shingetsu's gaze turned slightly peculiar. Wasn't this girl supposed to be a humanoid devil?
How on earth was she this enthusiastic about random human junk food?
"Little Famine is so cute~"
Reze's reaction was entirely different, a bright, cheerful smile spreading across her face as she watched Kiga.