Ma'am, Please Restrain Yourself-Your Husband Just Died!!

"Forget it."

"I can only count on myself."

Denji glanced at the tightly shut door, shook out his hands, and stood his ground.

One zombie came, and he killed it.

Two came, and he killed them both.

The zombies charging at the front died on the spot.

But as the Zombies grew thicker,

quite a few zombies lunged right up to Denji.

One, two, three...

Their sheer numbers gave them the advantage, and they pinned Denji to the ground.

Then they began biting and tearing at Denji like mad.

Denji twisted violently in pain.

But zombies were still zombies.

They had nothing but a primitive appetite, without a shred of intelligence.

The tide soon turned.

Denji sawed through the zombies' heads one after another.

Their bodies gradually piled into a small hill.

Standing atop the heap, Denji let out a long breath. "Whew... I've never had such a thrilling fight."

Just then, the door behind him slowly opened. Meng Fan stepped out with a Mona Lisa smile. "Not bad, Denji. You've already gotten used to Chainsaw Man's body."

"I guess. It's all thanks to the power Pochita gave me."

Denji looked down at the pull cord on his chest.

Once again, he pictured Pochita, who used to circle around his feet.

Pochita was gone now.

But Pochita's barking and laughter still lived on in Denji's dreams, in his heart, and deep within his mind.

That rush of memories didn't leave Denji dejected.

Instead, it lifted his spirits.

He had made a contract with Pochita.

He would let Pochita witness the moment he truly fulfilled his dreams.

"I thought he was just a kid, but he's actually got some skills. He cut down every zombie by himself."

"And he's your apprentice, so you must be even stronger."

Nanako spoke excitedly, turning an adoring gaze on Meng Fan.

Having just witnessed the zombie horde, Nanako now relied on Meng Fan even more.

The woman who had once called all the shots had become remarkably docile.

She quickly linked her arm through Meng Fan's.

But a second later, Meng Fan pulled his arm free. "Ma'am, please restrain yourself. Your husband just died. It hasn't even been seven days yet. I'm afraid he'll turn into the Green Hat Devil and come back for revenge."

"Tch, quit pretending to be a gentleman. Back in the room, you weren't paying any attention to your apprentice's fight. You just kept sneaking looks at my clothes."

"Even if he found out, someone like him couldn't find a devil willing to make a contract with him." Nanako looked disdainful, as though she despised the Yakuza Boss from the bottom of her heart.

Clearly, a couple's sex life really could affect their relationship.

"What should we do now?" Denji asked.

"Look closely at the zombies' clothes. They were probably villagers from nearby, which means the Zombie Devil has already attacked the village. Why don't we go there and save the survivors? That'll give you another heroic deed to your name."

"Okay! I can't wait."

Denji clenched his fists, eager to get going.

Transforming for the first time was like driving for the first time after getting his license.

He was thrilled and excited.

Every moment, he wanted to keep going until he'd had his fill.

"Go kill zombies in the village? Don't you want to stay alive?" Nanako suddenly asked.

"They're just zombies. Killing a hundred or even a thousand would be no problem."

"Besides, this is a rare chance to farm experience in the starter village. Why waste it?" Meng Fan wasn't worried about the zombies in the slightest. He walked over to Denji and said, "Let's go, big hero. There are plenty of girls in the village waiting for you to save them."

"There are girls?! I'm going to save them!"

At the mention of saving girls, Denji's excitement instantly shot up to 200%.

He even started imagining how they would treat him after he rescued them.

Seeing that the two really were going to kill zombies, Nanako couldn't stay still. "Wait! Can't one of you stay behind to protect me?"

"Sorry, we need to fight side by side. If you need help, call the police."

With those parting words, the two left without looking back.

Nanako immediately retreated into the house and shut the door.

Without the two of them protecting her, her sense of danger instantly doubled.

She hurriedly took out her phone and called the Public Safety Devil Hunters.

As she spoke, she deliberately lowered her voice and kept glancing around.

Before long, the Public Safety Devil Hunters in the city received a report about the Zombie Devil.

The assignment went to Special Division 4, where Aki Hayakawa worked.

"Himeno, we've got another assignment."

Carrying the assignment Makima had issued, Aki Hayakawa found Himeno, who had been smoking outside.

"What is it?" Himeno casually blew a smoke ring.

"We're going to the countryside to kill the Zombie Devil."

"The Zombie Devil? Doesn't sound very strong."

"Strong or not, we need to leave now."

"All right, let's go." Himeno took a deep drag, stubbed out her cigarette, and tossed it into the trash.

Just as the two reached the police car,

they discovered a familiar face already sitting inside.

"Miss Makima, you're coming too?" Aki Hayakawa asked in surprise.

"Yes." Makima sat upright in the back seat, looking straight ahead.

"What's so surprising about that? With Miss Makima here, this operation will be a lot less risky."

Himeno's mood suddenly brightened, and she gave Aki Hayakawa a hearty slap on the back.

Then she got into the front passenger seat.

Aki Hayakawa pretended to be calm as he sat down beside Makima.

It was his first time sitting so close to Makima, and Aki Hayakawa didn't even dare look in her direction.

He awkwardly tugged at his collar so he could catch his breath.

He kept his head turned toward the scenery on the other side.

The three of them had little to talk about along the way.

Only after they left the city and entered the countryside did Himeno break the silence. "Aki, take a look at the scenery outside."

"The scenery?" Aki Hayakawa had been watching it all along, but it stirred nothing in him.

"Isn't it much nicer than the hustle and bustle of the city? I hear a lot of independent devil hunters live out here."

"Oh, really?" Aki Hayakawa replied halfheartedly. "Sounds like you really want to live in the countryside, Himeno."

"Yeah. I'm definitely settling down out here when I retire. You'd better come with me."

"Me and you, Himeno?" Aki Hayakawa paused, then smiled. "Sure. If I live long enough to retire, I'll definitely move to the countryside with you."

Beside him, Makima remained composed, gazing out the window as though she were anticipating something.

Silence fell over the car again.

Then the car reached the village entrance.

Heaps of beheaded villagers lay on the ground before them.

Everyone except Makima scrambled out of the car.

"Aki, be careful. The dead villagers might turn into zombies and attack us too. Stay as far away from the bodies as you can."

"Thanks for the warning, Himeno."

Aki Hayakawa gripped his katana tightly and carefully walked past the bodies.

But just then, a zombie with only half a head charged at them.

"Aki, cut off its head. That's the only way to kill a zombie."

"Yes, Himeno."

"You don't need to remind him. Aki knows what to do."

Makima stood behind them.

By the time she spoke, Aki had already sent the zombie's head tumbling to the ground.

BZZZZ!!!

Just then, the roar of a chainsaw rang out nearby.

The familiar sound made the corner of Makima's eye twitch slightly.

"Let's go take a look."

Following the sound of the chainsaw, they reached a clearing.

What they saw shocked them all.

Even Makima froze for a moment.

Two devils drenched in blood were playing catch with severed heads.