The woman in the car couldn't help but burst into laughter when she saw Denji actually swallow the cigarette.
In the back seat, a hunched, ancient woman sat silently, her cloudy eyes fixed intently on Denji through the car window.
Denji noticed her and met her gaze.
"Your foster mother still hasn't paid back all the money she owes us. Don't forget that," the old woman said, her voice cold and sharp. "If another devil shows up, I'll be calling you to handle it. Try running, and I'll feed you to the pigs."
The woman in the front tossed Denji a hundred-yen coin and drove off without another word.
Denji paid no attention to the old woman's threat. Only when the car disappeared down the street did she finally spit out the soggy cigarette butt she'd kept deep in her throat.
Then her face lit up. Grinning widely, Denji twirled around on tiptoes, lifting the small dog that had been following her high into the air.
"That's awesome, Pochita! With this hundred yen, we're set for food and drinks for three whole days!"
Her voice overflowed with joy. She hugged Pochita tightly, rubbing her cheek against his orange fur with all her strength.
"Woof!" Pochita barked excitedly, licking Denji's slightly flushed face with his warm, wet tongue. Despite the cold, that simple gesture brought her a flicker of warmth.
That night, though rain poured down in torrents, hammering the rotting roof like a relentless drumbeat, Denji slept peacefully in her crumbling house, clinging tightly to her beloved Pochita.
"I really... really wanna touch a guy's chest muscles…" she murmured in her sleep, a silly smile playing on her lips as she clutched her cold belly.
To pay off her debts, she had already sold one of her eyes and even her uterus. Every time the weather turned cold, a dull pain would radiate through her stomach—but Denji had long grown used to it. Even so, she could still manage to fall asleep.
—Thump thump thump!—Thump thump thump!...—Thump thump thump!
Suddenly, a rapid knocking broke through the night.
Renji Kuroda yawned, sat up groggily, and rubbed his eyes. Outside, the rain was pouring down, thunder rolling through the sky.
"Wh-what's going on? Ugh… thunder?" he muttered.
He grabbed his phone and checked the time—just past 5 a.m.—then dropped back into bed.
But barely two minutes later, the knocking resumed, sharper and more insistent this time.
That was no thunder. Someone was at his door.
"Senior Renji! Renji Kuroda! Emergency! The Zombie Devil has appeared in an abandoned factory in the countryside!"
Renji jolted out of bed, quickly threw on some clothes, and opened the door.
There stood Hayakawa Aki, her usually composed face now pale and flustered, panic etched in her wide eyes.
[Ding~ Detected Hayakawa Aki's anxious emotions. System rewards: 5 points.]
"Follow me," Aki said with crisp urgency. Without waiting for a reply, she turned on her heel and rushed off. Renji followed immediately.
They descended in the elevator. Aki had already prepared an umbrella, and they both dashed through the rain to the car from the Public Safety Devil Extermination Special Division.
Aki took the wheel, flicked on the high beams, and floored the gas. The car surged forward like a bullet from a gun.
Renji, sitting in the passenger seat, looked back over his shoulder, puzzled.
"Is it just the two of us?"
A shadow passed over Aki's expression as she nodded. "Yes. Only the Special Division Against Devils has the capability to face devils directly. But it's always been short-staffed—less than fifteen people. The others are still out on assignments in different counties. No one else can get here in time."
"I see," Renji replied.
He wasn't worried about going in with only the two of them—he was just surprised. In most stories, missions like this always involved large teams. His question came more from curiosity than concern.
The car raced through the dim, rain-soaked streets. Outside the windows, the world was smeared in shadows and mist—gray, blurred, and lifeless.
After half an hour, they finally pulled up near a dilapidated factory.
Aki handed Renji an umbrella, and they stepped into the downpour. Rain battered their umbrellas as they stared into the distance.
"The abandoned factory is up ahead," Aki said. "According to the report, zombie sightings occurred nearby. There's a high probability the Zombie Devil's main body is hiding inside."
Hayakawa Aki's voice rang out sharply through the rain, clear and edged with vigilance.
Renji Kuroda nodded, eyes constantly scanning the surroundings. He was genuinely curious about the Tokyo countryside. After all, Tokyo was considered the number one city in Asia—and he wanted to see what its rural outskirts looked like.
But as he looked around, he found it surprisingly ordinary. Just like back home—cornfields everywhere. The nearest one was only two meters away, the rain falling in sheets and drumming rhythmically against the cornstalk leaves.
"Renji, aren't you nervous?" Hayakawa Aki asked, noting his strangely relaxed demeanor. Her voice carried a tinge of curiosity.
[Ding~ Detected Hayakawa Aki's curious emotion. System rewards: 5 points.]
Renji turned toward her, but the rain striking the cornfields was loud—too loud. He couldn't make out what she had just said.
"Huh?" he asked, leaning in slightly.
At that moment—suddenly!—the cornfield beside Renji rustled violently.
A grotesque head burst forth.
The creature's eye sockets were empty; its eyeballs hung like pendulums on sinewy strands. Maggots writhed across its decaying face, its lips were half-rotted away, and its foul mouth, full of jagged, broken teeth, lunged directly for Renji's neck.
In Aki's pupils, the charging zombie was clearly reflected. It happened so fast that for her, time seemed to freeze.
Her eyes widened. Slowly, her hand reached toward the blade strapped to her back.
Her lips parted, about to cry out.
But before she could say a word, Renji reached out—seemingly from thin air—and gripped his laundry pole.
Without even looking, he gave a casual swipe in the zombie's direction.
A flash of blade light sliced through the downpour.
The zombie's head flew off, bounced twice on the ground, and the rest of its body, still driven by momentum, slammed into the mud with a sickening thud.
[Ding~ Detected Hayakawa Aki's anxious emotion. System rewards: 10 points.]
Only then did the system's voice echo in Renji's mind.
He paid no attention to the corpse crumpled in the mud. Something else had begun.
His clothing started to shift.
[System confirmed: Host begins character transformation.][Ding~ Character Transformation System Activated.][Character: Fate: Assassin Sasaki Kojiro][Weapon: Laundry Pole][Skill: Zong He's Insights]
Renji's hair rapidly lengthened, changing from its natural black to a deep, shimmering blue. A long ponytail flowed behind him, tied with a pale purple ribbon. Strands of hair fell beside his face, brushing his collarbone—soft, wild, and elegant all at once.
His outfit transformed as well.
A dark purple, sleeveless vest fit snugly over his body. Beneath it, a flowing purple kimono shifted with his every movement. His wrists were wrapped in purple guards, and simple straw sandals adorned his feet.
The entire ensemble radiated the aesthetic of a wandering swordsman—equal parts grace and madness.
"Huh? What did you say just now, Hayakawa Aki?" Renji asked, as if nothing had happened.
Aki stared at him in silence for two or three long seconds. Then she glanced at the headless corpse in the mud and gave a helpless smile.
"…Nothing. Forget it."
Seriously… why was I even worried about him?He's a mercenary—and a ridiculously powerful one at that.
She couldn't help but think back. Wasn't this just like the time he faced the Bat Devil?
Now that she thought about it… what kind of devil had Renji Kuroda formed a contract with?
A Disguise Devil…?