"Woof woof!"
Pochita barked twice, clearly telling Cael it wanted out.
"Alright, alright, I get it," Cael said with a sigh and finally listened to Pochita. The little orange devil knew this world better than he did. If Pochita hadn't literally saved his ass by using its own blood to fix his broken body, Cael would be nothing but a corpse in some trash can right now.
Katana Man had schooled him the hard way. Devil power was way too fucked up to take lightly. Even with the Dark-Dark Fruit backing him, it wasn't something to sleep on. At this stage, Cael could feel it — being Chainsaw Man was way more useful than whatever the Dark-Dark Fruit had been giving him. Infinite revives from drinking blood, a huge strength boost, agility for days… it was almost absurd.
With a thought, Cael let Pochita leap out of his body.
He'd expected Makima to be curious about his abilities, but he didn't expect this.
Makima's full attention was on Pochita. She stared without blinking, eyes wide and almost innocent — like a fangirl seeing her favorite idol.
"What made you so eager to come out?" she asked gently.
"Woof," Pochita responded, wagging its tail and glancing between Cael and Makima.
Then it did something stupid adorable — it started licking up the coffee Cael had dumped on the floor.
That one move triggered both Cael and Makima to snap at the same time.
Cael yelled, "Pochita, don't pick up Denji's bad habits!"
Makima gasped, "You can't drink that, it's full of sugar!"
Without missing a beat, they both stood, leaned down, and of course…
Bang.
Their heads smacked together.
It didn't break anything, but damn it was awkward.
What was weird, though, was how Makima reacted the instant she touched Pochita. She jerked her hand back like she'd been shocked, acting all nervous and restless. Totally not the same composed "I Control Everything" vibe she'd had earlier.
Honestly? It looked like the kind of person who watches everyone having fun together but always ends up alone — the last one not picked for a group.
Cael noticed that.
So he offered Pochita to her.
"Looks like Pochita doesn't mind you. Wanna hold him?"
Makima blinked, taken off guard, half-stepping back. "Uh… really?"
Cael shrugged. "Pochita's cool with it. See?"
"Woof," Pochita poked its tongue out and wagged at her.
"Okay," Makima said softly. She reached out carefully, cradled Pochita, and began petting him like he was a rare little treasure.
"Pochita, that's a very nice name," she said with a small smile.
Watching that, Cael took a breath.
Okay, she could smile genuinely. From the first time he'd seen her, most of her smiles had been those professional, "I'm smiling because I have to" faces.
A genuine smile was a hell of a thing.
With Pochita in her arms, the vibe in the room softened.
They went back to negotiating.
"Cael, I just thought of a compromise," Makima said, still holding Pochita but looking more normal.
"Go on."
"I won't force you to join Public Safety as a Devil Hunter. You can keep your Undertaker gig, but it'd be a waste to leave your power sitting," she explained.
Cael nodded. So far, Makima sounded reasonable.
Makima continued, "I'm going to make a position for you in Special Division. It's like being a temporary worker with lots of freedom. When there's a devil job that needs someone like you, Public Safety will notify you. You don't have to take it, you can choose. And if you do, we'll pay you better than regular Devil Hunters."
Cael weighed it. It actually sounded like she was trying to look after him. And damn if devil hunting didn't pay better than making funeral arrangements.
Still, he wasn't ready to give up his old job. He liked what he did.
"If I agree, is that 50 million yen still coming?" he asked.
Makima nodded. "You earned it. It's yours."
Relief washed over Cael. If she'd said that earlier, everyone could have avoided awkward coffee and head-butts.
"I can agree, but I've got one condition," Cael said, holding up one finger.
"A condition? As long as it's not too crazy," Makima said, sounding curious.
Cael yawned dramatically before answering seriously, "I want you to help Denji get a registered household. A kid his age shouldn't be handling corpses all the time. He should go to school, try to make friends, shit like that."
Makima didn't hesitate. "That's fine."
"Pleasure doing business with you," Cael said with a grin.
They shook hands and sealed the deal.
Cael wasn't quite sure why Makima's attitude had softened so much, but he guessed Pochita had something to do with it.
What he didn't know yet was the deeper truth.
Makima wasn't just some Public Safety Hunter — she was the Control Devil, obsessed with dominating Chainsaw Man to remake the world. This obsession twisted how she connected with others, because she never knew how to build normal relationships. The only way she knew was through control and fear.