The Vixen's Gambit: Tonight We Hunt

"This happy life I created… it was meant to make you suffer, to crush all your hopes..."

Shoko looked at the apple core in her hand, a wry smile on her face. "But somewhere along the way, I… I started to enjoy it. I even thought it wouldn't be so bad if it lasted forever."

"But that's impossible now. The moment I made that contract with you, filled with malice, it sealed this fate. Whether I agree or not, even if I regret it, it's too late."

"Miserable myself, I couldn't stand to see others happy. I wanted to drag everyone down with me, but halfway through, I regretted it. I wanted to live happily with everyone, but from the very beginning, I destroyed any chance of that happening..."

"I'm so sorry, Denji. I'm a useless devil, I can't do anything right. Even in the end, I couldn't even make you hate me."

"Hate you, Shoko?" Denji blinked, bewildered, unsure what she meant.

Seeing Denji's confused expression, Shoko didn't explain. Instead, she changed the subject.

"What will you do now, Denji?"

"I don't know." Denji shook his head honestly.

He still couldn't comprehend how things had escalated to this. One moment, he was enjoying a surprise birthday party, the next, he was in this… mindscape, being told he'd massacred everyone he cared about. The information overload was too much to process, let alone contemplate his future.

"Didn't you say I'd keep killing until I die?"

"Yes, if things continue this way, that'll likely be the outcome." Shoko nodded. "But I think… that's a bit too sad, don't you?"

"No friends, no family, not even happiness, only endless fighting until you die—do you like that, Denji?"

"Will you… be gone too, Shoko?" Denji asked instinctively.

"I'll probably die too." Without hesitation, Shoko gave her answer. "If you don't hate me, Denji, then I'm also part of your happy life. To destroy all possibility of your happiness, I'll have to be killed too."

"...Then I could hate you, Shoko." Denji mumbled.

"Unfortunately, I don't hate you now, Denji." Shoko's smile faltered. "If it were like before, things might have been simpler."

"If everyone dies, and you're left alone, rampaging across the world… I hate that."

"So, I have one more way to resolve this, a way for everyone to be happy. Don't worry, I've rehearsed this almost every night in my head. There won't be any problems."

"What is it?"

Shoko didn't answer his question, instead smiling and opening her arms. "One last hug, Denji?"

A hug, with the person he loved most.

Even if Shoko said she'd ruined everything, for Denji, hugging her was still a happy thing, something he wouldn't hesitate to accept—or so it should have been.

But seeing Shoko's gentle smile, a wave of fear washed over him.

It was as if she would leave him after this, as if this hug would trigger a scene he desperately wanted to avoid.

"I… I don't—"

His hesitant refusal was cut short. As he wavered, Shoko stepped forward and gently embraced him.

It was strange. This wasn't the real world, yet he could feel her warmth.

"Denji, things might get tough from now on, but as long as you're all together, there's nothing to worry about. Power can be a bit much sometimes, don't spoil her, but don't always argue with her either. She's actually a kind girl. Don't always leave everything to Aki, he's already busy taking care of you and Power. Don't make things harder for him."

"Himeno might have done some… questionable things to you, but she's a reliable senior. You can go to her if you need help. Reze is a good girl, a bit dangerous maybe, but you're similar, I'm sure you'll get along. Makima seems gentle, but she might be a bit dangerous for you. Remember, you're not inferior to her, treat her as an equal. Beam and the other Fiends, some might seem loyal, but be careful, discern whether they truly care about you, or simply fear you..."

"And don't be fooled by those bad women out there."

Having given so many instructions in one breath, Shoko chuckled self-deprecatingly. "I sound like a nagging mom, so much to say even at the end..."

"W-Wait, Shoko! Why are you saying things like this?! It sounds like you're leaving a—"

"Not a last will and testament."

Shoko's soft laughter interrupted Denji's panicked outburst. She didn't release him from her embrace. Only then did Denji realize he couldn't break free.

"I don't have a last will and testament. I only have a wish."

"This is the Desire Devil's final, and only wish—"

The Desire Devil's power: with sufficient payment, she could grant almost any wish.

Theoretically, stopping the rampaging Chainsaw Man should be easy—but that was just theory.

To influence Chainsaw Man, the world's strongest being, with a wish, the price would be unimaginable. Even with the Desire Devil's privilege of equivalent exchange, without inflated costs, it was beyond her reach.

The Desire Devil could offer her entire existence as payment, her complete annihilation, in exchange for one exorbitant wish, but even that wasn't enough to stop a being capable of single-handedly destroying the world.

So, she had to wait—wait for Chainsaw Man to briefly stop his rampage.

Such an opportunity would arise. If Denji was completely unaware of his actions, he wouldn't suffer, and that wouldn't be enough to fulfill the contract's price.

Therefore, Denji would inevitably have a moment of clarity, a moment to fully comprehend the situation before resuming his uncontrolled destruction. And the most opportune moment for this was undoubtedly when he killed the person he least wanted to harm.

The moment he killed the Desire Devil.

And at that moment, Shoko had ten out of ten certainty she could stop everything.