"Why did I have to transmigrate to an era with no smartphones, no computers?"
"As a 21st century guy, no phone is basically a death sentence."
"But at least this world has one good thing going for it."
"It's a world where demons and humans coexist. Demons pop up in the human world all the time, and there are Devil Hunters to fight them. If you've got power, you can satisfy any desire—human or demon."
Saying this, the teenager lying on the wooden planks grinned. A goal was forming in his mind.
His name was Arata.
A transmigrator who'd come from the 21st century to the 19th century. Right after arriving, he made a permanent contract with the Dream Devil, Freddy. Since then, he'd become a Devilman who could use the Dream Devil's powers freely.
Fresh off the boat with no family, no friends, and no real skills, his only option was to work as an unaffiliated Devil Hunter, killing devils for cash just to fill his stomach.
But then he overheard that a little boy named Denji lived nearby. Also a Devil Hunter.
So he made a special trip to the wooden shack where Denji lived and waited.
Before long, outside the shack, a sixteen-year-old blonde kid missing one testicle, one right eye, and with only one kidney left came striding up. In his arms he carried a dog with a saw blade sticking out of its head.
The dog was orange, roughly oval-shaped, with a pull-cord tail like a chainsaw starter. If you ignored the face and limbs, it looked exactly like a chibi version of a chainsaw.
Hanging off the dog's body was a bag of sliced bread. Despite its fierce appearance, the way it looked at Denji was incredibly gentle.
"The money from logging today means we can eat bread for a whole week. Pochita, this is all thanks to you. I definitely couldn't have done it alone."
Chatting and laughing, the two pushed open the door to the shack.
But the next second, Denji's expression froze. He stood there completely still.
"You're back."
Arata stretched lazily, speaking first. Then he yawned.
"You..."
"Don't just stand there. Come in and sit down."
Arata's gaze intentionally flicked to the toast bread hanging on Pochita. And Pochita, being a devil, was extremely sensitive. He immediately noticed Arata's look and let out a low growl.
"Grrrr..."
"Who are you? How did you get in?"
"Forget about that. I've been waiting for you a long time. Sit down and let's happily eat some toast together."
"Eat bread?! Hey, who the hell are you? If you're a debt collector from the yakuza, I already made a deal with your boss. I kill devils for him to pay off what I owe. So don't come to our home and mess with our lives."
Denji's voice was pissed. And don't even think about going after his bread.
"Don't be mad. I'm not yakuza. Just a passing unaffiliated Devil Hunter."
Arata patted his pants and stood up, walking warmly toward Denji. Something about his smile made Denji let his guard down.
"You're a Devil Hunter too?" Denji looked him up and down.
"Too? Are you saying you're one as well?"
"Yeah, we're Devil Hunters."
"Then we're in the same line of work."
Arata warmly patted Denji on the shoulder. One second he was all smiles. The next, his expression twisted.
He yanked the bag of bread hanging off Pochita.
Denji and Pochita were shocked. But before they could react, Arata kicked them both—dog and boy—straight out the door.
As he hit the ground, Denji's mind went blank. But he snapped back fast and jumped into fighting stance.
"Pochita."
He called out.
Vzzzz...
The screech of a chainsaw tore through the air. Pochita's chainsaw, sticking out of his head, spun at full speed.
First his bread got stolen. Then he got kicked out the door.
Denji was instantly pissed. He charged back inside, gripping Pochita, ready to fight this Arata guy to the death—winner takes all, no rules.
But the result was obvious. Arata casually kicked him right back outside with zero effort.
"Too weak. You call yourself a Devil Hunter?"
Arata took a huge bite of toast and walked to the doorway, looking down at Denji's burning rage with a sneer. "If you ever see a stranger in your house, don't hesitate for a second. He's not a good guy."
Then he finished off all the bread Denji had for the whole week and tossed the empty bag on the doorstep. For Denji, this was easily the worst day of his life.
"You... that was me and Pochita's food for the whole week. You ate all of it!"
Denji gripped Pochita tighter and roared. The chainsaw on Pochita's head spun even faster.
"A whole week's worth? You're telling me you two only eat six slices of bread in a week?"
Arata put on a deliberately shocked expression.
"That's right!"
"Man. The Chainsaw Devil who once terrorized Hell and swallowed the Nuclear Bomb Devil and the Four Horsemen... following you around like this is just pathetic. I say Pochita should come with me instead. I'll buy you dog food."
"Shut up! I suck now, yeah, but I'm gonna give Pochita a good life someday. You? Get the hell out of here and don't come back."
Burning with fury, Denji swung Pochita and charged. This time Arata didn't even move. Hands in his pockets, totally relaxed.
Just as Denji got close, he twisted sideways and stuck out a leg. Denji tripped and slammed face-first into the ground. Pochita went flying out of his hands.
"Pochita!"
Even though his face hurt like hell, Denji scrambled up and ran to Pochita's side. And he finally understood just how strong Arata really was. They weren't even in the same league.
"What do you even want?"
"My goal here is simple. I want you to be afraid of me." Arata said it like it was nothing.
"Afraid of you?"
Denji gritted his teeth. But deep down, fear was already creeping in. He was scared. Scared Arata would take Pochita away. Scared he'd keep stealing his food. Scared he'd destroy the fragile, ordinary life Denji had barely managed to hold together.
Feeling Denji's fear, Arata closed his eyes and let out a long, satisfied breath. Like he'd just sucked something out of the air.
When he opened his eyes again, he smiled. "Denji, to be honest, I was just messing with you."
"Messing with me?" Denji was completely lost. Arata's tone a second ago didn't sound like a joke. It sounded like a death sentence.
"Don't overthink it. If I really wanted to hurt you, you'd already be dead. I came here because I want to give you the life you've always wanted."
"What the hell are you talking about? I don't even know you."
"We're going to know each other for a long time. But before that, I'm going to turn you into a hero."
"A hero?" Denji laughed. Sure, he'd dreamed about it. But he wasn't stupid. There was no way he could ever be a hero.
"Don't laugh. What if I told you there's a chance to make you a hero and solve your debt problem at the same time? Would you want it?"
Denji froze. Then, cautiously, he asked, "What kind of chance?"
Arata's lips curled upward as he stepped closer. Standing right next to Denji, he said slowly, "I'm going to help you slaughter the yakuza."