Tom Jacker casually walked through the now-normal corridor, the blue marble containing Katana Man's sword in his pocket. He could hear explosions and devil shrieks from the upper floors. "Looks like the other kids are still having fun," he mumbled.
He teleported to the floor where Aki and Himeno had been separated. He arrived just in time to see the end of their fight. Aki, panting, had just ordered his Fox Devil to swallow the last minor snake devil sent by Akane. Beside him, Himeno used one of the Ghost Devil's invisible hands to pin another villain to the wall. They were an effective team, wounded and tired, but victorious.
Suddenly, Tom appeared between them. "Done already? I'm getting hungry."
Aki and Himeno jumped in surprise. "Tom-kun!" Himeno exclaimed with relief. "Where have you been?"
"Oh, just tidying up a bit in the lobby," Tom replied with a shrug. "The sword guy and the snake lady weren't very friendly."
Aki looked at him, then at the now quiet surroundings. He understood. The main fight had ended even before they finished their part. He simply nodded slowly, sheathing his katana. "Good job." It was the highest acknowledgment he could give Tom at the moment.
The next step was to pick up the most chaotic duo. Tom didn't need to search. He just followed the source of loud noises and the smell of blood. He found Denji and Power in a vast basement. The room was utterly destroyed. Several giant earthworm-like monsters were shredded by chainsaws, and others were frozen in strange blood sculptures. Denji and Power stood in the midst of it all, cheering over their victory.
"Look! We defeated them all!" Power shrieked proudly.
"So easy!" Denji added.
Tom merely smiled. "Good work, kids. Now, let's go. I have a ramen promise to collect."
When Special Division 4's team reassembled in the lobby, the sight was surreal. On one side, there were Katana Man and Akane Sawatari tied up helplessly (Tom had "returned" Katana Man's sword, but bound to his own back). On the other side, there was a tired and wounded team of heroes. And in the middle of them all, there was Tom Jacker, looking as if he had just finished a stroll in the park.
Calls to headquarters were made, and cleanup and containment teams arrived. As they were all briefly interrogated, the same story kept emerging: Tom Jacker had dealt with the main threat alone, swiftly and absolutely.
This incident solidified a strange new normalcy within the team. Aki no longer viewed Tom with pure hostility, but rather with the wariness of a soldier who knew he had a nuclear weapon by his side, useful, but incredibly dangerous and unpredictable. Denji and Power now viewed Tom as the strongest upperclassman who could solve any problem (and perhaps give them food).
And Himeno... Himeno looked at Tom in a different way. In her eyes, Tom was no longer just an interesting anomaly or an impromptu savior. He was a constant. A force of nature who, somehow, had chosen to be on their side for now. And he had kept his promise to treat her to ramen.
An hour later, at another, quieter ramen shop, far from the battle site, they sat together again. This time the atmosphere was different. There was no pre-battle tension. Just post-battle exhaustion.
Himeno placed the largest, most complete bowl of ramen in front of Tom. "As I promised," she said with a genuine smile. "The best ramen in town."
Tom looked at the ramen, then at Himeno. "Now this is what I call a victory," he said. He began to eat heartily.
Aki, his wounds tended to, ate in silence, but his silence this time felt more comfortable. Denji and Power had already ordered their third bowls.
For a moment, in the warm, steamy ramen shop, they looked like an ordinary group of coworkers having dinner after a long day. A fragile illusion of normalcy, made possible by the presence of one entirely abnormal person.
Tom finished his bowl to the last drop. "The ramen was good," he told Himeno. "You can treat me again sometime."
Himeno laughed. "Of course, Tom-kun."
The threat of Katana Man might have ended for now, but for Special Division 4, life with Tom Jacker had just begun. And no one knew what game he would play next.
Several weeks passed in an unnatural calm. Special Division 4 handled several minor devil hunting cases, and for the first time, they moved as a cohesive unit. Aki, Himeno, Denji, and Power, though their personalities often clashed, had learned to fight together. They were no longer just a chaotic collection of individuals, but a chaotic yet effective team.
Tom Jacker often just watched from the sidelines. He would join missions, but more often he would just sit on a nearby rooftop, offering sarcastic comments over a radio that only Himeno and Aki could hear.
"Aki-kun, your fox movement is not dramatic enough. Try adding a little spin," or "Power, your blood hammer is good, but the color is a bit dull. Maybe you need more iron in your diet."
Despite his annoying presence, his calm, watchful presence gave the team a strange sense of security. They knew that if the situation became truly out of control, their "nuclear weapon" would intervene.
In the midst of this calm, Denji began to feel a different kind of emptiness. He had a place to live, enough food (though he often had to fight Power for it), and a job. But he wanted something more. He wanted a girlfriend. He wanted to know what it felt like to go on dates, take walks, and do the normal things he always saw in magazines.
His wish seemed to be answered one soaking wet night. Heavy rain poured over the city. Denji, taking shelter in an old phone booth, bemoaned his fate. That's when a girl approached, seeking the same shelter.
She was beautiful, with dark purple hair and a gentle smile. Her name was Reze. She seemed friendly, a little naive, and somehow, she seemed genuinely interested in the awkward Denji, who didn't know what to say.
Far across the street, sitting in a cafe with a cup of untouched coffee, Tom Jacker observed the encounter through the foggy window. He wasn't there intentionally; he was just bored. But now, he had found a new, interesting "drama" to watch.
He could sense something strange about the girl named Reze. Beneath her sweet smile and innocent demeanor, there was something else. Something hidden, locked away. Not a pure devil aura like he sensed from Power or the others, but something else, something... explosive.
"Aha," Tom mumbled with a faint smile. "A pretty time bomb. This game is going to be exciting."
The next few days, Tom became a loyal spectator of the developing "love story" between Denji and Reze. He would invisibly follow them from afar as they spent time together. He saw them visit a school at night, where Reze taught Denji how to read and swim. He saw Denji's eyes sparkling, filled with the genuine happiness of a boy experiencing affection for the first time.
Tom found it all very entertaining, like watching a poorly written soap opera with incredibly committed actors.
He would occasionally tease Denji at headquarters. "So, how was your date with Miss Mysterious Flower, Denji-kun? Did you manage to hold her hand yet?"
"N-none of your business!" Denji retorted, his face flushing.
Tom never warned anyone. He didn't tell Aki or Makima about his suspicions. Why should he? It would ruin all the fun. He was an audience, and a good audience never spoils the ending of a show. He just sat back and waited. He knew that sooner or later, the fuse of this beautiful time bomb would ignite.
And he couldn't wait to witness the explosion.
One evening, after another date, Reze took Denji to a deserted school festival. Under the glow of paper lanterns, the atmosphere felt romantic. Reze asked Denji about his dreams. Denji, innocently, replied that his dream was to live a normal life, maybe date a girl like Reze.
Reze smiled, a smile that this time felt slightly different. A little sad, a little cold. "Denji-kun," she whispered. "How about we run away together? Leave all this. Leave your job as a Devil Hunter. We can go somewhere far away and live a normal life together."
On the school rooftop, Tom Jacker, observing them using one of AFO's long-range vision Quirks, grinned.
"And... the curtain rises," he whispered to the quiet night. "Time for Act Two."
Reze's offer hung in the cool night air, full of the promise of the normal life Denji had always dreamed of. For a moment, Denji wavered. Running away, leaving all the fighting and devils behind, living peacefully with the girl he liked... it was an incredible temptation.
"I..." Denji hesitated. "I can't. Makima-san... she gave me a job, food, a place to live. I can't betray her."
Hearing Makima's name, the smile on Reze's face faded, replaced by a piercing cold expression. She had failed. Makima's dog was too loyal.
"I see," Reze said, her voice now devoid of any warmth. "What a shame. And here I was starting to truly like you." She extended her hand, as if to touch Denji's face. "In that case, Denji-kun... just die."
She snapped her fingers. A small but powerful explosion occurred at Denji's neck, where Reze had previously "kissed" him and left a mark. Denji's head detached from his body.
From the rooftop, Tom Jacker merely whistled softly. "And there's the plot twist. Totally predictable, but decent execution."
Reze didn't stop. Her body began to transform. Her skin ripped, replaced by grenades and bomb heads. She had transformed into her Hybrid form, the Bomb Devil. With a roar that was a mix of machine and fury, she began to destroy everything around her.
Of course, Denji didn't die. His headless body began to move, blood spurting as he searched for the cord on his chest, then with one pull, chainsaws roared and Chainsaw Man's head appeared, replacing his missing one.
The battle between the Chainsaw Devil and the Bomb Devil erupted across the city. They slammed into each other with building-leveling force, creating giant craters, and illuminating the night sky with relentless explosions. It was a brutal and emotional dance of destruction, at least from Denji's side, who fought with a broken heart.
Tom observed it all with the interest of a connoisseur. "Good explosive power. Decent mobility. But too much unnecessary property damage. Inefficient."
After a long and exhausting battle, Reze managed to gain the upper hand. She incapacitated Denji, tearing him to pieces. She stood over the remains of Chainsaw Man, ready to take his heart.
"Sorry, Denji-kun," she said, her tone now genuinely sad. "If only we had met differently."
"I disagree," a casual voice sounded from behind her. "The way you two met has been very entertaining."
Reze turned and saw Tom Jacker standing there, completely unfazed by the destruction around them.
"Who are you?" Reze asked, instantly wary.
"Just a spectator who feels this show has gone on for too long," Tom replied. "And honestly, I want your new toy."
Reze wasted no time. She fired a barrage of explosions at Tom. Tom didn't dodge. He simply raised one hand. Using the Shock Absorption Quirk from AFO, all the shockwaves from the explosions were absorbed without a trace. Tom didn't even budge an inch.
"That's it?" Tom asked, looking disappointed. "Good offensive capability, but no defense at all."
Reze, startled that her attack had no effect, tried to transform herself into a torpedo and shot towards Tom with jet speed. Tom merely sighed. He teleported, appearing behind the accelerating Reze, then casually patted her back.
With that one touch, Tom used a combination of Telekinesis and Compress. All the explosive mechanisms in Reze's body suddenly jammed. Her ability to explode vanished, as if her main fuse had been "pulled." She fell to the ground, reverting to her human form, helpless and confused.
"How...?" she whispered, not understanding why her powers suddenly weren't working.
Tom knelt in front of her. "Your power is too noisy. I prefer a more... elegant approach." He touched Reze's forehead.
[System Panel]
-Condition 'target defeated' has been met.
-System Notification: Ability 'Bomb Transformation (Hybrid)' has been copied. Slots filled: 6/7.
-Description: Allows the user to transform body parts into various types of explosives (bombs, grenades, torpedoes) and detonate them at will. Grants enhanced resistance to explosions.
"Now, this is a fun toy," Tom said, satisfied. He could feel the explosive potential within himself.
He looked at Reze, who now stared at him in defeat, then at Denji's body parts, which were starting to move, trying to reassemble themselves.
"Good fireworks show," Tom told Reze. "But it's over now."
He extended his hand, and before Reze could react, Tom teleported, taking the helpless Bomb Devil with him, vanishing from the ruined battlefield. He left Denji alone amidst the rubble, with a broken heart and the realization that he had just lost his "first love" in the most brutal way. And somewhere, Tom Jacker now had a new, very explosive toy.