>>4687420
>Write-In.
>Stick her hand in a glass of warm water! A CLASSIC!

>>4687420
>Gently rouse her from her sleep.
>Listen to her mutterings. Surmise what her nightmare’s about.

>>4687420
gnaw on her mushroom cap head, I have always wanted to know what substance it is made of. Is it mushroom? Is it cartilage? is it hair? I MUST know.

>>4687420
>Gently rouse her from her sleep.
>Listen to her mutterings. Surmise what her nightmare’s about.

Aaand, we are back baby.

>>4687473
Considering she was able to kill devils with those mushrooms, i don't think that's a good idea.

>>4687420
>Listen to her mutterings. Surmise what her nightmare’s about.
>Pinch her tummy fat to wake her up

>>4687420
>>Write-In.
Blow a raspberry on her belly.

>>4687570
Adding this

>>4687420
>Gently rouse her from her sleep.
>Listen to her mutterings. Surmise what her nightmare’s about.

>>4687420
>>Gently rouse her from her sleep.
When that won't work
>Slap her face, gently of course.

File: 141.png (2.19 MB, 1832x2510)

2.19 MB PNG

>>4687425
>>4687469
>>4687473
>>4687522
>>4687570
>>4687657
>>4687688

>Gently rouse her from her sleep.
>Listen to her mutterings. Surmise what her nightmare’s about.

You turn to the bedside futon where the fiend sleeps, letting your arm dangle from the side and over her. You weren’t even aware that devils could dream, much less have a nightmare. Maybe she’s dreaming of some giant cheese burger just out of her reach. You listen in to her ramblings.
“Gggh-.. m-mouth.. get out-.!.” The mushroom whimpers, turning over yet again. Her expression has tightened and flushed, her lips curled in fear. “Mmm.. W-watching.. Darkness.. N-not ready to go back..”
You reach over and rest your hand on her shoulder, gently shaking the mushroom. She doesn’t respond, groaning and swiping at your hand. You grab a pillow from your side and slap it down on top of her head. That seems to rouse her as she jumps up with a bounce, panting for breath and sweating.
“G-gyah..! What was that for, Onishima..?!” She hisses, her eyes narrowing. She rubs her face, flushed, memories of that strange dream seemingly already dissipated. “Stupid human..”
You get up from your bed to rub the sleep from your eyes as you step past your buddy. You don’t have any work lined up for right now, so you might as well take a brief breather before coming after that strange devil tomorrow at the school. You’ve got a bad feeling in your gut about it, so you might as well enjoy today.

>Make breakfast.
>Ask about her dream.
>Ask what she’d like to do today.
>Ask if you can bite her cap. Just once.
>Write-In.

>>4687720
>Make breakfast.
>Ask about her dream.
>Ask what she’d like to do today.
Just, all of them, in that order. Ask about her dream while making breakfast, and then ask what she'd like to do.

>>4687723
+1
Good to see you returned

>>4687723
+1
Also neat to see you back here.

>>4687723
+1

File: 142.png (1.66 MB, 1832x2510)

1.66 MB PNG

>>4687723
>>4687732
>>4687735
>>4687750

>Make breakfast.
>Ask about her dream.
>Ask what she’d like to do today.

“Hey, Meta. Get up.” You tap the annoyed fiend with your foot. “I’m making breakfast.”
“Hmph. If we’re not working today, then why do I have to get up?” She huffs, picking herself up from off the ground and following along after you.
The clatter of ceramic and the crackle of your stove light up your quiet kitchen.
You steal glances at the fiend. She sits quietly at your dining table, resting a palm against her cheek as you take to cooking breakfast. She doesn’t seem the least bit bothered by the dream now. “It seemed like you were having a nightmare this morning.” You pass it off absentmindedly, turning the batter along over the cast iron. “You okay? What was it about?”
“Gah. ‘Twasn’t a nightmare! Just a dream.” Meta scoffs, brushing off your concern. Her brow furrows in recollection. “It was about.. a-ah.. hmm.. I don’t remember. But it was definitely because of that awful chicken. He smelled like somewhere bad. It reminded me of something..”
You don’t understand it much yourself. You set the plate down in front of her. The fiend waits for you to sit before messily tearing into the heap of steaming syrup and batter. Her dining manners are a bit better than when you first met her at least--and she’s stopped sending errant flecks of crumbs everywhere. “You want to do anything today for your day off?”

“Hmhpf?” She looks up from a mouthful of pancake, swallowing it in one go. “..What do humans do on their days off? Let’s do that.”

>Spend some quiet time at home with her.
>Take her out to see a movie.
>Take her out for a meal.
>Write-In.

>>4687788
>Spend some quiet time at home with her.
Nutflix 'n' chill

>>4687788
>Spend some quiet time at home with her.
Let's watch some comfy movie.

>>4687788
>Take her out to see a movie.

>>4687788
Rest at home. Talk about whatever comes to mind.

>>4687788
>>Spend some quiet time at home with her.
Watch something she would like, an american action movie, she liked those right?

>>4687908
She thought they were history movies.

We should watch something classic.

File: 143.png (1.66 MB, 1832x2510)

1.66 MB PNG

>>4687796
>>4687798
>>4687881
>>4687908
>>4687879

>Spend some quiet time at home with her.

“We’ll just rest here.” You place a hand on her head--or, cap. The weather outside is stark and dreary and perfect for lazing about. “You’ve worked hard enough.”
“Ghhhg..! Don’t touch me.” Meta squirms beneath your touch, her face flushed. She pulls her cap away from you. “How boring. You humans are strange..”
After finishing up breakfast and cleaning up her mess, you take to the living room. The mushroom leaps onto your couch, splaying herself out flat over it like a cat in a move of defiance.
“Hey, Onishima. What’re we gonna do?” Meta tilts her head back to you. “Watch a movie? Play that game? Or you wanna play house? I can be the wife and you can be the husband. I hear some humans do that.”
“You’re more like a fat house cat.” You scoff. She pouts.

>Put on a movie for her. She seems to like those well enough. [Write-In.]
>Play the game with her. You might find a clue as to the true whereabouts of the Heart Devil.
>Write-In.

>>4687964
>>Play the game with her. You might find a clue as to the true whereabouts of the Heart Devil.
#gamerzz

>>4687964
>>Play the game with her. You might find a clue as to the true whereabouts of the Heart Devil.
Oh yeah I forgot about that, let's play FF7.
>Name the main character Funguy

>>4687964
>Put on a movie for her. She seems to like those well enough. [Write-In.]
Let's watch, i don't know, The Truman Show. That sounds like something she'd find interesting.

>>4687997
supporting

>>4687964
>Put on a movie for her. She seems to like those well enough. [Write-In.]
Suppin' The Truman Show, an enjoyable time-killer.

>>4687964
>Play the game with her. You might find a clue as to the true whereabouts of the Heart Devil.

>>4687964
>mating press

>>4687964
>Play the game with her. You might find a clue as to the true whereabouts of the Heart Devil.

>>4688311
Horny and we need to play husband and wife first, silly man

>>4688320
Sounds like a good line if i've ever heard one.

File: 144.png (1.66 MB, 1832x2510)

1.66 MB PNG

>>4688317
>>4688071
>>4687974
>>4687970

>Play the game with her. You might find a clue as to the true whereabouts of the Heart Devil.

You suppose that it’ll be a waste to let the console rot after you spent nearly two hours trying to set up the damn thing, and the devil that it belongs to has gotten pushy about its return. You approach the console and with a tentative reach-around turn it on. The screen flickers as you shove the fiend’s legs aside and set back onto the couch next to her.
“Oh, oh. I see.” Meta nods, watching you flicker through menus. “Are video games historical too?”
“Eh..” You trail off. You’ll leave that to her own discretion.
You spend the next few hours “playing” the game with the mushroom--well, playing is a generous term, actually. You spend most of it running into walls, talking to NPCs, and dying at battles with no clue of what to do. You’re not really one to play videogames. You think you’re playing on her “save file.”
“Hey, hey, Onishima.” Meta nudges you. “Read that for me. Do it in the girl voice, too.”
In addition to “playing,” you’re forced to narrate all the dialogue for her since she can’t read--and she insists that you need to give each character a different voice. It’s an exhausting procedure and you’re unsure of why you give in to her demands, but for some reason, you find yourself laughing at yourself right alongside the devil. It’s not an entirely unpleasant way to spend your time.

“Mmm..” A few hours have passed. The fiend snores next to you on the couch.

By the time that the stark, cloudy morning outside had turned to dim afternoon rain, you found that you’d quickly forgotten that the entire point of your time here was to track down clues on a devil’s presence. You just had fun--and with a devil, no less. You shake the idea from your head. You’ve got to focus--what information can you draw from that devil’s own playthrough? You’ve got a pretty good glimpse of the way that the game functions now.
The only real distinction you can draw is that certain characters seem to have different names than what should be standard according to the box. It seems there’s a function that allows players to name their party members--and the devil’s main character was named “Saki,” while a party member was named “Heart.” The rest kept their default names. That’s a strange distinction.

You recall what the Divination Devil said of the Heart Devil--that she beats “somewhere warm” and with “a friend she’s come to mourn.” You’re unsure of what to take from that, but you can add the name “Saki” to that list.

>Attempt to divinate the names from the console.
>Phone the Heart Devil. Bring up the name Saki.
>Pat Meta’s head.
>Write-In.

>>4688411
>Pat Meta’s head.
Pat the mush
Do it with rush

>>4688411
>>Attempt to divinate the names from the console.
Heart Devil might not take it well if we bring Saki up--let's divinate FIRST

>>4688411
>Phone the Heart Devil. Bring up the name Saki.
I have the feeling Saki is the name of the Heart Devil's main host.
>Pat Meta's head.

>>4688411
>>Pat Meta’s head.

>>4688411
>Attempt to divinate the names from the console.
>>4688435
+1

>>4688411
>Pat Meta’s head.
Meta's a big cutie.

>>4688435
+2


>>4688411
Gotta wonder, but why doesn't Meta wear a stylized rice farmer's hat? It could be roughly the same size as her mushroom cap while covering it or something/.

>>4688537
not cute enough s m h

>>4688563
Your definition of cute is trash. It's better than nothing and would draw less attention.

>>4688411
>>Pat Meta’s head.
>Attempt to divinate the names from the console.

File: 145.png (2.43 MB, 5223x3401)

2.43 MB PNG

>>4688778
>>4688537
>>4688529
>>4688445
>>4688442
>>4688440
>>4688439
>>4688435

>Pat Meta’s head.
>Attempt to divinate the names from the console.

You take your opportunity to pat the mush’s head while she’s asleep. The cap is soft and springy with a gentle bounce, like an actual mushroom cap. The fiend doesn’t protest or ruffle like usual at her touch--instead, she turns over in her sleep with a small, rare smile. It’s times like these that she blurs the line between human and devil.
You turn your attention back to the television. You focus your gaze at the flickering, hazy party menu on your CRT and whisper under your breath. “Divinate.” The shimmering image of the multi-thronged, sewn up beast appears before you in your living room, it’s central jaw lolling open to unveil a single eye in its maw.

LONG BEFORE THE FAMILY’S PART,
IT WAS JUST A GIRL AND HER HEART.

The shimmering image of the devil dissipates, leaving you alone with your fiend again. Your fiend stirs, her nose twitching as she rises from the couch. “Gah.. smells like a devil in here.” She murmurs, brushing at her face. She yawns, stretching out. “Hey, hey. Onishima. What do human males and females usually do when they’re alone?”

>Call the Heart Devil. Bring up what you’ve learned.
>Check the internet. Look up information related to your findings.
>Explain to Meta..
>Write-In.

>>4689083
>Explain to Meta..
>Pat her head again.

File: YES.jpg (80 KB, 600x663)

80 KB JPG

>>4689083
>Explain to Meta..
Gentlemen, the time has come

>>4689090
Oh yeah, adding this

>>4689083
>Explain to Meta..
They give each other "headpats."

>>4689083
>Explain to Meta..
It’s all about the bunnies and the wolves

File: 146.png (1.66 MB, 1832x2510)

1.66 MB PNG

>>4689090
>>4689091
>>4689129
>>4689141

>Explain to Meta..
>Pat her head again.

You pat her head. She bats away your hand.

"When a human male and a human female are alone, they go to a nice, big movie theater first thing in the morning." You recount. "And they spend the entire day watching movies. They watch all kinds of movies, like comedies and tragedies. In between the film showings, they go to a little coffee shop by the theater and talk about them after. And at the end, long after the sun has gone down and it's dark outside, they watch a real good movie that they both understand. Then they go outside, hug each other, and go back home. That’s what they do."

“Mmmmm..” Meta thinks. She tilts her head at you. “That sounds nice. I wouldn’t mind seeing some movies with you.”

>What do you do?

>>4689293
you disappoint me
but yes, let's go watch movies with meta

>>4689293
>You want action or comedy? What do you think is funny?

>>4689323
+1

>>4689293
lets watch harcore incest porn but with the sound turned off so its not weird

>>4689293
Is there time to go watch movies?

also nice reference

>>4689293
B R E E D

>>4689534
Anon, fiends are possessed corpses, they're barren. I don't even think Devils can breed in general unless they are based around a very specific fear, such as the fear of missing a birth control pill or the condom breaking or something like that. I'm not even sure fear sources that specific and obscure even have Devils for them.

File: 147.gif (728 KB, 1460x2000)

728 KB GIF

>>4689323
>>4689448
>>4689485
>>4689533
>>4689534

>but yes, let's go watch movies with meta
>You want action or comedy? What do you think is funny?
>Is there time to go watch movies?

"Fine, then." You did promise a visit to a cinema back when you first met last week. You might as well reward her efforts. “We’ll go see something in the theater. Put your shoes on.”
“Wait, really?!” She perks up at the mention of it. The fiend wraps her arms around you. “Great!”

You peel yourself free of the mushroom and take to the rainy streets with her. The walk out to the cinema is quiet and dim--you offer to share your umbrella with her, but she grows bored with it and begins to play in the vast puddles littering the streets, forcing you to drench yourself to drag her out of them. After thoroughly scolding her for several minutes, you end up at the theater down the road a half hour later than you should’ve and sopping wet. The fiend walks the long, empty halls of the theater, looking around in awe.

“Wow..” Meta whispers, casting a glance across a row of posters. “Hey, Onishima! I recognize some of these movies!

You purchase two tickets for some random, middle-of-the-row movie--some dim-looking comedy that you figure she might like. In spite of her protests that it has to be a foreign film, the only foreign films shown are captioned and she can’t read. After buying her two buckets of popcorn and reassuring the ticket taker that her headgear is “religious,” you come to the nice, empty theater and position yourself at the top row. The fiend remains uncharacteristically quiet the entire time-it’s almost unnerving. You settle into your seat and let the film play.

“Hey, Onishima.” Meta nudges you, reclining back into her seat. “This is my first time in a movie theater, you know. I’ve always wanted to visit one.”
“Is that so?” You glance back at her. She pauses.
“..Why’re you still a devil hunter, Onishima? It can’t be worth it.” Meta stares at you. “You can just quit and run away, y’know. The money can’t be worth sticking your neck out every day..”

>The money really is that good.
>You want to protect people.
>You want to quit.
>Write-In.

>>4689293
Movies

>>4689608
>''I guess it's just hard to stop old ways, I'm too stubborn you would say.''

>>4689617
+1

>>4689608
Someones gotta do it, else we wont have nice things, like movies or cigarettes.

>>4689617
Suporting

>>4689617
+1

>>4689608
>"Well, it's not like I can back out now. It's either this or going into the military at this point, and at least I get to watch movies and stuff with hunting."

(How old are we again? I'm like 90% sure we are pushing middle age right?)

File: 148.gif (728 KB, 1460x2000)

728 KB GIF

>>4689617
>>4689630
>>4689655
>>4689659

>''I guess it's just hard to stop old ways, I'm too stubborn you would say.''

“I guess it’s just hard to stop old ways.” You respond earnestly.
“That’s an awful answer.” Meta mutters. She rests a hand against her cheek. “You humans can do whatever you want, y’know. You could spend all day sleeping or eating or going out to the movies--even if you don’t kill devils, someone else will. So why does it have to be you? You can just quit whenever you want.”
“You could say I’m too stubborn.” You shrug it off.
“This is why I hate you devil hunters.” She rolls her eyes, leaning back into the headrest. “You were lucky enough to be born a human. You can do whatever you want. ‘Tis not a matter of choice for us. When I die, I’m going to forget all of this and slaughter humans like cattle. And I’ll get killed again and it’ll keep going on like that until the end of time.”
“Meta..?” You frown.
“I’d do anything to reincarnate as a human. I want to live a normal life and die a normal death.” Meta keeps her gaze straight ahead. “It’s why I bound myself to this corpse. When I eat food and watch movies and look in the mirror, I really do feel like a human. But in the end, that’s just a dream. I’ll have to come back to Makima sooner or later. Do you have any dreams, Onishima?”

>You don’t dream much.
>You’d like to earn enough money to live comfortably.
>Write-In.

>>4689710
No way, devil hunters aren't that old.

>>4689724
>You’d like to earn enough money to live comfortably.
man, i'm sad.

>>4689731
does anyone know a way to cheer up mushy girl

>>4689724
>"I'd like to find something, or someone, to live for. Something that isn't my next pay for killing devils."

>>4689754
changing to this

>>4689724
>Write-In.
>"Two girls at the same time."

>>4689754
+1

>>4689724
>You’d like to earn enough money to live comfortably.
Me sad

>>4689754
Cheers to that +1

>>4689754
+1

File: 149.gif (728 KB, 1460x2000)

728 KB GIF

>>4689816
>>4689800
>>4689787
>>4689758
>>4689757
>>4689754
>>4689822

>"I'd like to find something, or someone, to live for. Something that isn't my next pay for killing devils."

"I'd like to find something, or someone, to live for.” You respond. “Something that isn't my next pay for killing devils."

“Well.. I wish I could be the one to help you with that.” Meta averts her eyes. “It’s nice to imagine though, isn’t it? I think that tonight.. I’ll dream about being a human with you. We wouldn’t have to worry about devils or the bureau anymore. We could play a video game together at your apartment in the morning. Then we could go out and eat some food at a decent restaurant, but your cooking would still be better. And then, when it’s darker, we could go to a movie theater and watch something good. And after that we’ll hug each other and go our separate ways. Yeah. That’s a good dream.”

The movie passes quickly. You leave the theater to return to your apartment with the fiend.

[...]

You awaken to a thin, stark white morning light from your window--it’s set to be a cold, bright day today. You’re over the halfway point now with just six set days left with your fiend now. She snores gently on the futon right next to your bedside. You’ve no work lined up, but today’s still set to be a busy on--you plan to confront a mysterious and powerful devil being wreaking havoc on other local devils. It’s apparently in hiding at a local high school, and with the help of another tentative ally, you might find out a bit more about it. It’s still too early to head out, however.

>What do you do?

>>4689829
>Wake the shroom and make a quick breakfast

>>4689829
Pat the midriff. Carefully.

>>4689829
Set the pot and a thermos for coffee for later, fix bed, make breakfast, wake "not girlfriend" up.
Get our work uniforms since apparently they afford us a bit of attention. Does Meta have any winter wear long coats she can wear over her own dress suit?

>>4689829
>>4689860
>Wake the shroom and make a quick breakfast
>>4689886
also what he said.

>>4689886
yes

File: 150.png (1.66 MB, 1832x2510)

1.66 MB PNG

>>4689860
>>4689886
>>4689981
>>4690221
>>4690262

>Wake the shroom and make a quick breakfast
>Pat the midriff. Carefully.

You reach around and over the bed and pat her midriff--carefully. She groans, turning over in her futon. You got away with it.

[...]

You tilt the omelette along the pan, the smell of egg and cheese wafting through the kitchen. The fiend sits at your dinner table, patting away at the top rhythmically. “Hey. Onishima. What’re we doing today? Going back to that dumb high school to stand in a parking lot again, right?” Meta asks, tilting her head at you. It seems she’s back to normal. “Is the creepy one going to be there?”
“We’re going to confront the Axe Devil with the Heart Devil. The one that’s been killing devils in the area. We’ll use you to sniff him out.” You stir the eggs along with a wooden spoon. “It seems that he’s in hiding as a student, so confronting him at the school might prevent him from showing his real power.”
“You’re gonna use me to sniff him out? I’m a devil, y’know.” Meta pouts, hands on her cheek. “What if he tries to kill me? You’ll get paid way less. And can you even really trust that devil brat? What if she uses the Axe Devil to kill both of us? What's your plan?”

>You'll confront the Axe Devil in a public area of the school.
>You'll pull the Axe Devil aside into a more private area to talk to him.
>Once you find him, you'll use the Heart Devil to bring the Axe Devil to you.
>Write-In.

>>4690362
>You'll pull the Axe Devil aside into a more private area to talk to him.
>We'll confront him like it's a plot out of a vigilante manga, with him as the dual-life-living protagonist. That'll... probably win his trust

>>4690402
Sounds fair enough...IF, It's a dumb teen. We should be careful though, in case it's just some creep masquerading as a teen.

>>4690362
Suppin' >>4690402

>>4690402
+1

>>4690362
Can we get a gun?

File: 151.png (1.96 MB, 1832x2510)

1.96 MB PNG

>>4690402
>>4690424
>>4690509
>>4690527
>>4690540

>You'll pull the Axe Devil aside into a more private area to talk to him.
>We'll confront him like it's a plot out of a vigilante manga, with him as the dual-life-living protagonist. That'll... probably win his trust

“We’ll pull him into a private area to talk with him.” You look up from a mouthful of omelette. It might be safe to bring a gun, but it’s unimaginably difficult to get your hands on one for certain reasons. “Then we’ll confront him like it's a plot out of a vigilante manga, with him as the dual-life-living protagonist. If he’s an actual teenager, that'll... probably win his trust.”
“What the hell’s a vigilante manga? A pro-tag-on-ist? I don’t like it--sounds like a pain” Meta sighs, looking down at her plate. She picks at the meal absentmindedly. “Well, if I have to save your life again, so be it. You humans are so needy. Just buy me a cheeseburger after.”

[...]

“--and these are my cousins, like I said. The hat is for religious reasons. I scheduled a visit for both of them today..?” Heart bows her head, facing off with an older, nasally teacher. It’s lunchtime, with having scattered out all across the school and classes paused. You met up with the devil at the gate and she snuck you inside. “Mr. Hiiragi, you can just check the log..
“Mmmm..” The teacher adjusts his glasses, his nose tightening at the sight of you. He looks you both up and down--neither you nor the mushroom can really pass off as highschool age. Your eyes are a bit too worn and your fiend is a bit too big, but.. “..Alright. I’ll check you in at the faculty office and grab a tour guide. Just stay right here, all of you.”

With that, the teacher walks off and down into the busy hall.

“Okay, well, he was a stupid jackass.” Heart releases a sigh of relief. She looks the two of you up and down. “But.. your fiend won’t pass off as a human to everyone. You’ll have to make our little investigation here quick. Just keep out of busy corridors. I’ll tag along to back you up, but I’m running at the first sign of danger. I’d prefer to keep this girl alive, thanks.”
“I understand.” You nod. “Meta..?”
“Mmmmm.. I’m picking up something, yeah. It smells like..--” Meta perks her head up, her cap bouncing in recognition. “Oh, yeah. I’ve smelled this before. Back when you stuck your head in that locker, remember..? Smells like.. pine and blood. But the scent is getting all mixed up with everything. Feels like it’s coming out of a few different places..”

>Pursue the smell from the cafeteria.
>Pursue the smell from the back of the school.
>Pursue the smell from a classroom.
>Write-In.

>>4690566
It's probably not the cafeteria...normal kids don't murder demons. It's either the classroom or the back of the school, but i don't know which.

>>4690566
>See if we can DIVINE the location
If not,
>Pursue the smell from the back of the school.

>>4690566
>>Pursue the smell from the back of the school.

File: 152.png (841 KB, 1832x2510)

841 KB PNG

>>4690581
>>4690609
>>4690624

>Pursue the smell from the back of the school.

"The one at the back of the school. It’ll keep us away from other students.” You nod.
“Fine, fine. Just follow me.” Meta shrugs, tilting her nose up in the air. It twitches. “Hmm.. yeah. It’s getting strong in that direction..”
“Just make it quick.” Heart murmurs. “..People are staring.”

You follow the fiend’s trail with the schoolgirl devil--weaving in between corridors, ducking over and behind corners, looking out from pillars--the school makes for a formidable labyrinth. Although passing a few students is unavoidable and you’re met with a few passing glances of shock and fear, for the most part, the process is smooth. You make it to a small set of double doors leading out to a grassy field behind the school. The fiend smirks, pointing at them.

“Yeah. Whatever it is.. It smells strongest here. It doesn’t really smell like a devil, but.. it’s distinct.” She seems satisfied with herself.
“Whatever it is, we need to be careful.” Heart grimaces. “It could kill us all easily.”
“We’ll be careful, then.” You grimace, opening the doors. The devils stand behind you as you walk out into the back.

The “devil” stands atop a shed at the back, imposing a broad shadow across the three of you. It’s head is composed of a strange, black material--fleshy and mettalic all at once, rife with veins made out of steel. It wears a highschool uniform, it’s undone tie swaying gently in the breeze. Its jaws open.

"Why have you brought a devil into my school?"

>[Write-In.]

>>4690892
>"She's a fiend, we work together."

>>4690892
>Try to put a bit of theatrical flair into our voice
>"So you're the so-called Axe Devil, huh?"

>>4690892
>"I have a few questions to axe you first--we've come to talk."

>>4690892
>"...If you're concerned about safety, don't worry, I'm fairly sure more people are scared than axes than mushrooms anyways."

How specific was the whole fear thing anyways? I mean, when you really think about it, most people aren't scared of chainsaws and just think it's cool.

>>4690988
I'm guessing that most people would be afraid of extremely pointy edges.

File: 153.png (855 KB, 1832x2510)

855 KB PNG

>>4690917
>>4690964
>>4690982
>>4690988

>"She's a fiend, we work together."
>Try to put a bit of theatrical flair into our voice
>"So you're the so-called Axe Devil, huh?"
>"I have a few questions to axe you first--we've come to talk."
>"...If you're concerned about safety, don't worry, I'm fairly sure more people are scared than axes than mushrooms anyways."

“So.. you’re the so-called Axe Devil, huh?” You look up to the figure, a bit of theatrics creeping into your voice. “She’s a fiend. We work together. I’m a devil hunter. But we don’t plan on fighting you--we’ve come to talk. I just have a few questions to axe you first.”
“You’re a devil hunter partnered with a devil?” It's impossible to read his expression behind that wedge of black steel, but a hint of incredulity and bitterness creeps into his tone. You feel a chill when staring at him--you can recognize the danger by his appearance alone. “Ask your questions.”

>[Write-In.]

>>4691012
>"So, you're the one who's been killing the devils around this place, right?"
Anybody got a better question?

>>4691012
>"Why have you been killing devils around here? Sounds like you've got a reason for it."

He seems sane enough so far--let's hear his side first and go from there.

>>4691012
Alright kid what's your motivation. You killing devils is great and all, but why? Have you considered joining the Devil Hunter's? (can we get a sweet bonus for bringing this kid in?)

>>4691043
+1
>>4691432
let's not bring the kid right into the Devil Hunters.

>>4691432
Why would we do that?

Do you WANNA kill him?

File: 154.png (856 KB, 1832x2510)

856 KB PNG

>>4691024
>>4691043
>>4691432
>>4691716
>>4691734

>"So, you're the one who's been killing the devils around this place, right?"
>"Why have you been killing devils around here? Sounds like you've got a reason for it."

"So, you're the one who's been killing the devils around this place, right?" You ask tentatively. “Why, though? It seems like you’ve got a reason for it, right..?”
“Do I need a reason to kill devils?” He responds to your question with his own.

“I’m sure of it now. That girl you’ve brought along with you reeks of a devil. You should be ashamed of yourself.” He scoffs.The Axe Devil crouches down on the top of his shed. You feel a chill--is this really just some kid..? “What would you do if I told you that I was going to kill all of you right now?”

“Wait.!” Heart takes a step back, her face going pale. “This body’s just a host. I can relinquish it right now. Don’t involve her with this.”
“Onishima..” Meta murmurs.

>[Write-In.]

>>4691940
>''I'd tell you are near sighted, just killing demons willy nilly makes you closer to them then human.''

>>4691940
>"I'd say you're pretty impulsive...You should know that this 'career' is not like one of these action games you highschoolers play."
>"And speaking of highschoolers...Why's someone like you, with an axe for a head, a highschooler anyway? Last time i checked, demon-hunting is not an very popular trend between you students."

>>4691960
+1

>>4691940
I'd call you a liar. For one we work for the Public Safety Devil Hunter organization so yo uh could get into a lot of beef if I dont call back. You know it's kind of ironic that a fiend and whatever you are hunt devils.
Two, girly over there is still mostly human with a bad case of parasites so you'd more or less be killing a kid.
Three, why the axe of all things?

>>4691940
Oh yeah and be prepared to use the arms devil contract if need be.

File: 155.png (855 KB, 1832x2510)

855 KB PNG

>>4691954
>>4691960
>>4691973
>>4692051
>>4692055

>''I'd tell you are near sighted, just killing demons willy nilly makes you closer to them then human.''
>"I'd say you're pretty impulsive...You should know that this 'career' is not like one of these action games you highschoolers play."
>"And speaking of highschoolers...Why's someone like you, with an axe for a head, a highschooler anyway? Last time i checked, demon-hunting is not an very popular trend between you students."
>I'd call you a liar. For one we work for the Public Safety Devil Hunter organization so yo uh could get into a lot of beef if I dont call back. You know it's kind of ironic that a fiend and whatever you are hunt devils.
>Two, girly over there is still mostly human with a bad case of parasites so you'd more or less be killing a kid.
>Three, why the axe of all things?

“First, we work for the Public Safety Devil Hunter organization. You could get into a lot of trouble if I don’t get back to them.” It’s not entirely true, but better safe than sorry. “For another, the girl over there is more or less a human with a devil parasite, so you’d be killing a kid more than a devil.”
The Axe Man stares at you.
“Second, you should know that this ‘career’ isn’t like one of those action games you kids play.” You attempt to level with him. “Why's someone like you, with an axe for a head, a highschooler anyway? Last time I checked, devil-hunting isn’t a very popular trend between you students. It’s a bit ironic, isn’t it..? A fiend hunting devils?"
“Believe it or not, I don’t look like this all the time. And I’m not a fiend or a devil. You don’t know a thing about me, do you?” The entity responds calmly. “That makes this easier.”
The devil seems to think on it for a moment. And then, with all the same nonchalance, he calmly lifts his arm above and behind his head. You barely have time to react as he swings it down with shocking quickness--the cut seems to ripple through the air invisibly as it courses toward the highschool student next to you. You just barely have time to blink as the human body bursts, leaving a pile of viscera where she just stood. You raise your hand to call up a contract.
“Y-you..” Meta seems visibly shaken, some blood splatters daubing her shirt. She looks back up to the axe, who seems utterly unconcerned. “That was a human, not a devil. You’d kill one of your own kind..?”
“What do you mean? She was possessed by a devil” The axe responds nonchalantly. “And I wasn’t the one who killed her. You did. The fiend that a Public Safety devil hunter brought into a high school just went crazy and slaughtered a human. She’ll probably have to be put down for this. I guess that’s just the nature of devils.”

>Flee.
>Come after the devil with a contract.
>Write-In.

>>4692184
>Sigh ''Then you are too far gone, sorry kiddo, but it's time for me to do my job.''
>Use one of your contacts
Axe boy is getting expelled.

>>4692184
>Come after the devil with a contract.
Now I really want this fucker dead. It's time to burry the hatchet.

>>4692184
>"You axed for it, buddy."
>Throw a CONTRACT at this clown

Oh man, poor Heart. Guess we really ought to take responsibility for this.
>>4692184
>Flee
Taking him here and now is a really bad move.
We need to run.
If he chases us, we can lead him to a better place for us to fight.
If he doesn't, we can regroup, make a plan, get back up, ect.

>>4692184
Do we have any chance of surviving against an hybrid?

File: 156.png (855 KB, 1832x2510)

855 KB PNG

>>4692197
>>4692201
>>4692205
>>4692240
>>4692210

>Come after the devil with a contract.

The devil took it too far. You raise an arm. The hybrid looks back down at you, his steel lips curling back. "Oh? You'd better kill me in one shot, then."
Although you could call a contract right now, you have a bad feeling in your stomach--a kind of growing pit that you might be asking too much from them--and if you ask for too much, there's always a chance you could lose it.

>"Kon."
>"Ghost."
>"Thirteen."
>Flee from the scene. It's not worth it.
>[Write-In.]

>>4692266
>"Kon."
We don't use it that often anyway, and it's too perfect for the chance of a one shot kill.

>>4692266
>>Flee from the scene. It's not worth it.
A dubious devil indeed

>>4692266
>"Kon."
>Have Meta spore him!

Running would put other students in danger--If we get the chance we oughta let the Bureau know what's going on via text or something while Fox Devil's doin' its thing.

>>4692266
>"Kon."
And you're gone.

>>4692266
>Kon
>''If you insist.''

>>4692266
>"Kon."
>"Ghost."
>Meta Spores
>Flee from the scene and call for back-up a out the hybrid. This is a fight we can't win, but we can run away from. Live to fight another day.

File: 157.png (2.67 MB, 5223x3401)

2.67 MB PNG

>>4692271
>>4692292
>>4692293
>>4692309

>"Kon."

You place the devil between the crosshairs of your fingers, curling your hand into a crude wolf's head. "Kon!"
A fox's head bursts forth from thin air, steam trailing along its fur and teeth as its vast maw opens to snare the axe. It shaves off a bit of the top of the shed, but the devil is gone, lost in the fox’s gullet--you’ve taken care of the threat at hand, but you’ve still got a human corpse to deal with. You turn back to your fiend. “We need to get out of here, n-..”
“Sato Onishima. You’ve put something monstrous in my mouth..” Kon’s low, growly snarl echoes in your mind and interrupts your train of thought--its voice is heavy with disgust. “It is not human or devi-
The Fox Devil’s forehead splits open, a spatter of blood and entrails exploding forth from the mound of fur. The Axe Devil lurches forth from its head as, with another burst of steam and a snarl of pain and disgust, the Fox Devil dissipates back into thin air. The black wedged head slowly turns back to face you.

>Flee.
>[Write-In.]

>>4692326
Use the spores as a distraction and leave. We can't beat a hybrid, like i said, before.

>>4692326
Ghost probably could prevent us from getting butchered if we use all six arms to hold him down and make a run for it. 15 meters of distance should allow us to escape somewhat

>>4692326
>Call upon thirteen.
>Have meta create a quick shroom wall and high tail it with us.
>FUCKING RUN

>>4692393
Would ghost do anything but annoy him? We definitely don't need SIX arms. At best, two, to take him by surprise and then gtfo.

>>4692326
>Grab Meta in a princess carry
then
>Flee
>Abscond
>Fucking Run

>>4692467
This

File: 158.png (2.13 MB, 1832x2510)

2.13 MB PNG

>>4692349
>>4692393
>>4692401
>>4692438
>>4692467

>Grab Meta in a princess carry
>Flee
>Abscond
>Fucking Run

You swing the fiend up in your arms to carry her--it's.. not easy. You're sure that she can work on it later. You turn, pulling away from the entrance in the school and up along the side away--no use in calling forth a contract if it can split one of your strongest in half. You glance over your shoulder--the devil isn’t bothering to chase you. It’s watching you.
“I’ve got your smell now.” It imparts a final farewell. “That devil is dead.”
You break away from the back and out to the front of the school--once you’ve broken away from the line of sight of windows and positioned yourself by the main road, you set the fiend back down and take a moment to breathe--that might’ve been one of the strongest devils you’ve met. He looked entirely unconcerned the entire time, as if you were a bug. But besides him, you’re facing another problem..
“Onishima..” Meta rubs her shirt of the blood, her face pale. “What are we going to do? I didn’t kill that human..!”

>Call the Heart Devil. Try to meet with her again.
>Call Akari. Maybe she can lend a hand.
>Call Makima. If she can get here, she’ll take care of it.
>Write-In.

>>4692575
>>Call the Heart Devil. Try to meet with her again.

>>4692575
>Call the Heart Devil. Try to meet with her again.
Gotta warn her about just how powerful that thing is, seeing as we have some sort of truce. Plus, if she dies, then we'll never be able to say we beat her at the vidya gaems.

Anybody got an idea of what to do?

Our contracts are fucking useless, and we don't have anything that could give us an contract powerful enough to take out an hybrid

I don't know about calling Makima either, she's trouble...though again, she might want to get rid of an hybrid too, especially one who just kills any devil he meets willy nilly without any order or reason

Any ideas? We can't protect Meta on our own,so we need to do something.

>>4692575
First of all,
>Get to a safe enough distance
>Hug Meta, tell her it'll be okay

Don't know about what to do later.

>>4692575
>Call Makima. If she can get here, she’ll take care of it.
She's bad news bears, but at least we know she'll take care of it. One way or another

>>4692626
Do we really want to get indebted to her like that...I don't know, do remember that literally every single member of the special devil division died, with the exception of the dancing girl

>>4692630
If we die, we die with Meta

>>4692634
We can't get killed, anon. Meta doesn't want to die like that because she doesn't want to go back to being a devil.

By damn she deserves to get her happy ending.

>>4692638
I want to believe. I want to believe we can do something to get her to reincarnate as a human. Even if it means taking her place as a fiend

>>4692595
I mean, Denji was the only one with the insane regeneration hax as far as I can remember, and he still took damage from "normal" attacks. We should get a shotgun after this by the way.

>Call Makima

>>4692598
also + to this

>>4692640
Devils already reincarnate as humans, but the problem here is that like she said, she's stuck in a cycle. She dies, she loses memories. And so on and on and on.

Also, I'm pretty sure finding a way to turn her into a perma-tru human with no reincarnation is easier than switching places. But yeah, I do hope that too.

>>4692598
This might be the best option. +1

>>4692575
>Call the Heart Devil. Try to meet with her again.

File: 160.png (1.66 MB, 1832x2510)

1.66 MB PNG

>>4692591
>>4692594
>>4692595
>>4692626
>>4692643
>>4692644
>>4692953
>>4692975

>Get to a safe enough distance
>Hug Meta, tell her it'll be okay
>Call the Heart Devil. Try to meet with her again.

“Come on. We should go.” You grab the fiend’s hand, pulling her along. It’s for the best that you get away from the scene as quickly as possible--it won’t be too long before they find the body.
The walk out back to your apartment is quiet. A few police cars pass you by; you’d presume that the body was found just moments after you left the scene. If that axe really can turn into a human, you’d imagine they’re going to testify to a devil hunter’s fiend going wild. It’ll likely be another day or two before they trace it back to you. Then the Hokkaido Public Safety Bureau is going to come knocking. As you enter your apartment and lock the door, you pull the mushroom along into a close hug. She jumps in surprise, but doesn’t protest.
“It’ll be okay.” You reassure her. She remains quiet.
You consider your options--you’re going to be met by two forces now. This Public Safety Bureau will likely come down on your head like a hammer and you doubt that the Axe Man’s threat to track you down and kill her was hollow. Akari was looking into joining the Public Safety Bureau--she might be able to buy you some time. Heart has a wide net of associates which might afford you some brief level of safety from the Axe Devil. Makima-.. you have a feeling that she could take care of all your problems by herself, but you feel a strange sense of trepidation at the idea.

“Heart Devil..?” You speak hesitantly into the speaker. “Are you there?”
“Sato?! Are you alive?!” A younger feminine voice speaks out. “I.. Where are you..? What happened?!”
You explain what followed after the devil split her host in two,
“A-Alright. This is a big mess.” Heart’s voice shifts. “I can’t believe I got a human killed..”
“Is there any way I can meet with you?” You ask.
“Try to get back to the arcade. I’ll talk to you there.” She murmurs. “You should get out of your apartment. If that hybrid really can smell you, it’s over as soon as he gets out of school. I’ll see you there.”

She hangs up.

>Go to the arcade.
>Call Makima.
>Call Akari.
>Write-In.

>>4693027
>Go to the arcade
>Call Makima (?)
If we call Akari, she's going to be dead.

Now, i know, calling Makima would put us in debt, it's real dangerous, but...at the same time, we were already considering joining the special divison, deadly as it is, weren't we? After all, we can't just leave Meta alone.

I think that we might just have to bite the bullet and call Makima.

>>4693027
>>Go to the arcade.
I say we just go to the arcade, Makima should be the absolute last choice.

>>4693027
>Go to the arcade.
>Call Makima.
Time to make a deal with the human devil.
Also we can't leave meta alone now can we? Someones gotta keep that fat fuck alive and in check.

>>4693274
What other choice do we have? Heart is just heart. She's nowhere near the power necessary to kill a hybrid.

>>4693319
Then again, she could have a plan. In fact, i think we're better off just going there first.

>>4693027
>Go to the arcade
Forgot to add.

>>4693027
If the human testifies, then we'll know exactly who to look for. Considering that this is apparently an edgy as fuck high school with no qualms killing humans, it should be pretty fucking easy to find his real identity. Him testify is a non-issue.

Pack some clothes, provisions, etc, all your money and head on out.

File: 161.png (2.2 MB, 1832x2510)

2.2 MB PNG

>>4693119
>>4693274
>>4693297
>>4693329
>>4693349

>Go to the arcade

You decide to forgo calling you-know-who for now. Even if you did get a hold of her, there’s no telling how if she’d even believe you, nor if she’d offer her help right now. You’ll leave that for later consideration. Instead, you pack some provisions, clothing, money, and all the money you have at hand into a pack and step out into the brisk, sunny afternoon. Your fiend follows along close behind. The arcade is quite the distance--maybe an hour’s walk out--but you still have a few hours until school breaks for the axe. After stopping several times for your terribly out-of-shape buddy, you come to the arcade a half hour later than you should’ve. You take a breath and enter.

The arcade is familarly musty and empty. The few player inside keep to themselves. You spot the familiar dark seifuku-wearing devil in the corner. She turns back to see you.
“Okay. You made it.” Heart glances back to you, releasing a quiet sigh. She’s biting the nail of her thumb. “Surprised your fat fiend walked the entire way.”
“...There’s a reason you called me here, right..?” You grimace, pulling up a seat at the cabinet next to her. You explain what took place after her host was split.


“If you stayed at your apartment, you would’ve been split in two in seconds. It reeks of your fiend’s scent. It should take a little while for him to track you here, but I doubt you’re ever going to be really safe as long as he’s alive.” She looks bitter. “And believe it or not, I’d prefer you not die right now. I’d really like to kill that axe but I exactly can’t do it myself.”

“Do you have a plan?” You raise a brow.
“Do you..?! You’re the devil hunter here, right?!” Her voice grows panicked. She takes a breath. “Okay.. okay. I.. don’t have a plan to kill him myself. I’ve never even heard of his kind before. Even if you still had bureau connections--.. I’m not even sure if they could handle something on that level.. You have any ideas..?”

>You can lure the hybrid into a trap.
>You can try to learn his true identity and get the jump on him.
>You can call Makima.
>[Write-In.]

>>4693529
>You can call Makima.
This guy is way out of our league

>>4693529
>>You can lure the hybrid into a trap.
we're going to need to call in some back-up, this guy is going to be a real handful.

>>4693529
>You can call Makima.
He's a murder machine. No matter what we do, we don't stand a chance without THE murder machine

>>4693529
>"Well, luring him into a trap sounds good, but I imagine we'd get some pretty serious shit if we didn't let the public safety guys try to study them."
>Call Makima

Again, reminder yourself to look into getting a shotgun.

>>4693529
>You can call Makima
She's literally the only one who has even the slightest chance of killing this dude

>>4693529
>>You can call Makima.
>''Hey, Maki, can I call you Maki? Oh I was just wondering if you could get me out of a jam... Join Public Safety Demon Hunter's? Well of course, I have thought about it long and hard and I don't mind joining... so help me out all right?''

>>4693529
>You can call Makima.
This has gone way over our heads and it interests the bureau as well. Metagaming-wise we're no Denji.

>>4693579
That's not a good way of putting it.

Instead of saying "if you save us we'll join you", let's just tell makima that there's some rogue hybrid guy called the axe devil who's trying to murder us and meta and, you know, is generally being bad.

Meta might not really give a shit about it, but she probably won't like that there's an violent hybrid going around murdering any devils he comes across.

>>4693609
>Meta
Makima*

Meta does give a shit, since she's the one close to be murdered. Man, we really have to protect that smile.

File: 162.png (1.61 MB, 1832x2510)

1.61 MB PNG

>>4693548
>>4693557
>>4693569
>>4693575
>>4693579
>>4693596

>You can call Makima.

"I could call Makima." You suggest.
"Her..?" A look of fear crosses the girl’s face.
“Makima..?” Meta echoes, similarly sweating. “You’re going to call her, Onishima..?”

“Is something wrong with that?” You frown.
“No, no. You’re right.” Heart averts her eyes. “Makima’s our best shot. If anyone could help us, it’d be her. Just.. remember not to bring me up. Just the axe, alright..?”
“Yes, I get it.” You sigh. “Is there a phone in here?”

After speaking to the clerk at the front and paying him to make a call, you dial her number and wait for a response. The fiend and the devil watch from a safe distance away. The receiver clicks after several rings. You take a deep breath.
“Hello..?” A familiar voice speaks out from the mic. “Who is this?”

>[Write-In.]

>>4693619
>"Makima, its me. Me and Meta have found the axe devil... fiend... i don't fucking know what, its nothing I've ever seen before. We confronted them since we saw them killing demons and thought it was worth a shot, but the bastard killed the schoolgirl we bribed to get into the school it was at. I figure you'd be interested in this?"

Feel free to modify/add to this lads, just wanna get the ball rolling.

>>4693627
Oh yeah, wont modify it now since i forgot, but we should mention it managed to one shot our contract, Kon. Thing is we want to get her help, without looking TOO much like we're desperate.

>>4693619
>>4693627
>>4693631
This is pretty solid.
Side note let's also tell Heart to go into hiding. We don't want Makima anywhere near her or knowing she's at all involved with this.
As far as Makima should know, it's between us and Axe.

>>4693627
Just be vague about the schoolgirl

>>4693627
We should add that he one-shotted Kon AFTER being eaten. Also that the guy was a highschooler that claimed that he could turn his 'demon form' on and off.

He said that his 'axe head' form wasn't his real form, right? So we can tell by that that he's an actual highschooler who somehow has some kind of devil trigger.

>>4693670
Oh yeah, should we add that he specifically said he was going to blame Meta for the murder of the girl.

File: 163.png (1.61 MB, 1832x2510)

1.61 MB PNG

>>4693627
>>4693631
>>4693636
>>4693658
>>4693670
>>4693672

>"Makima, its me. Me and Meta have found the axe devil... fiend... i don't fucking know what, its nothing I've ever seen before. We confronted them since we saw them killing demons and thought it was worth a shot, but the bastard killed the schoolgirl we bribed to get into the school it was at. I figure you'd be interested in this?"
>Oh yeah, wont modify it now since i forgot, but we should mention it managed to one shot our contract, Kon. Thing is we want to get her help, without looking TOO much like we're desperate.
>We should add that he one-shotted Kon AFTER being eaten. Also that the guy was a highschooler that claimed that he could turn his 'demon form' on and off.
>Oh yeah, should we add that he specifically said he was going to blame Meta for the murder of the girl.

“Makima. It’s Sato.” You speak clearly into the mic--you want to make sure that she gets all of this. You make sure to balance your tone. You’d rather not owe her for this. “Meta and I have found this Axe Devil-.. Fiend.. I don’t know what--some kind of highschooler that can turn into a devil..? It’s nothing I’ve seen before. We confronted it when we saw it killing devils and bribed a schoolgirl to get into the highschool it was hiding at. It killed the girl, sliced open Kon, and planned to blame Meta. I suppose you’d be interested in this..?”
She takes a moment to process your spiel. A few seconds pass.
“Well, to begin, might I remind you that you’re no longer a government sanctioned devil hunter? Investigating a highschool on a hunch isn’t within your jurisdiction. If you suspected devil activity, you should’ve phoned the bureau and alerted them, not played detective.” Her voice grows cold. “I’ll believe you. A hybrid between a devil and a human isn’t unheard of. But I can’t quite swing in to save you right now. I can arrive--at best--in a day or two. And I can’t do much to get the bureau hunters there off your back without proper evidence of your innocence. I have superiors to answer to. I presume that you can hold out until then?”

“Uh--..” You glance back to your backup. They’re playing Street Fighter II. “..I might.”
“Consider my belief in your claims as a favor, Onishima.” Makima’s voice is low.

>[Write-In.]

>>4693846
>"Thank you."
No sense in getting huffy about it--this is what we should have expected from not joining the bureau. At the very least we have a slightly better chance of not dying horribly now.

>>4693846
That's fair, i suppose.

The part about proving our 'innocence' is easier, we were investigating an demon that was killing all around and had no choice but to act quick.

I mean, we were basically able to tell that he was an highschooler before, right? It's as easy as saying we were able to determine that and boom, no longer 'going to a highschool on a hunch'

>>4693875
We're probably going to have to join the bureau to stay with meta anyway

might as well get a favor out of it

Also, one day...hm...we can't stay in our home, we can't stay here...we need a plan of how to throw that dude off our trail. I suppose we could basically just kite him around the town, stay only long enough that he's able to get the scent and then go to the next place.

>>4693902
plane trip to another country

>>4693902
>>4693846
Oh, a plane or boat to china perhaps. Well a boat to china, a plane ticket to anywhere else.
Does Heart think she and her various hosts will be in danger?

>>4693938
We have to stay in the city because of makima though, can't we?

If we leave, that guy will just find us and leave the city.

>>4693944
What did Makima say?
Can he really leave the city? If the Axe Devil is a student then people might wonder why he left. He probably has human responsibilities, unless you have a better plan?

>>4693846
Ask Meta and heart how a devils capacity to sense smells work. Is this something weirdly spiritual, or is this using the old sniffer?

>>4693952
He didn't seem to really give a shit and constantly went out to kill demons, so i don't think he really cares about that sort of stuff

Point is, i don't think fleeing the city *is* an option.

>>4693955
It seems like fleeing the city is the only option, since you can't think of any better ideas.

>>4693846
kiss meta?

>>4694032
that's too early and too random for that anon

also, fleeing the city is a stupid idea, it's not an option. we HAVE to stay because otherwise Makima can't come beat his ass.

>>4694032
We don't have to be out of the city to escape the guy. He seems to be the type of person who wouldn't want to be seen killing so if we just loiter in areas with a lot of people then its unlikely that he would try to do anything that would be suspicious even if he sees us.

>>4693875
support

>>4693875

I agree. This a bad situation so any help that we can get is needed.

support

File: 164.png (1.61 MB, 1832x2510)

1.61 MB PNG

>>4693875
>>4693902
>>4694757
>>4694805

>"Thank you."

"...Thank you, Makima." You respond. You might stand a chance now.

"You're asking quite a bit from me, Onishima. I hope you understand what this means." With that, she hangs up.
"Done with your call..?" Heart tugs at your jacket. "..You convinced her, right? And she doesn't know about me?"
"Yeah. She's coming in a day or two." You sigh. "I didn't mention you."

"..Good. Keep quiet." Heart grimaces. "Well, all you need to do is hold out for a couple of days, right? You're gonna need to stay on the move. You might be able to stay at the arcade overnight, but there's no way we can keep this up through tomorrow-you'll have to move. You have any ideas?"

>[Write-In.]

>>4694944
>"We might be able to stay with Akari for a day. Though, I'm not sure I want to get her involved, put her in harm's way."

>>4694944
"Well...It might be wise to stay on the move. This city's big, and he doesn't seem like the type who can immediately track down someone, or else we'd already be dead. Staying near public would be wise too, since he probably won't slaughter us where everyone can see it."
>>4694967
Bad idea, she'll just die. She already said that she was too old to be a devil hunter, that's a major death flag. Don't trigger it.

>>4694984

I agree on that notion, Staying near populated areas will might help, also not staying in one place too long and possibly switching outfits/clothes might reduce the chance of being spotted.

>>4694984
Yeah, time to start a trip around japan for a day or two

>>4695033
No, not Japan, just this town

We cannot leave, we're STALLING here.

>>4695028
>changing clothes
Useless, he's not tracking us by sight he's tracking us by Meta's smell.

Wait, could we maybe leave "red herrings"? As in, have meta place mushrooms on random places, this making it hard to pinpoint where we are?

File: 165.png (2.13 MB, 1832x2510)

2.13 MB PNG

>>4694967
>>4694984
>>4695028
>>4695033

>"Well...It might be wise to stay on the move. This city's big, and he doesn't seem like the type who can immediately track down someone, or else we'd already be dead. Staying near public would be wise too, since he probably won't slaughter us where everyone can see it."
>I agree on that notion, Staying near populated areas will might help, also not staying in one place too long and possibly switching outfits/clothes might reduce the chance of being spotted.

"Well.. it might be wise to stay on the move." You respond. "This city's big, and he doesn't seem like the type who can immediately track down someone, or else we'd already be dead. Staying near the public would be wise too, since he probably won't slaughter us where everyone can see it."
"Well.. we don't know that for certain. He didn't seem to care much for that human girl. If it means a devil's death, I don't know what he can do for certain." Heart murmurs. "But staying on the move is the right choice. As long as we can keep on our feet, she should arrive in time to kill him. And we should try to avoid public transport unless its necessary."
"Just.. how does a devil's scent of smell work..?" You frown.
"We can pick out scents well--blood's the easiest, and we can distinguish between humans and devils through that." Heart responds. “But his sense of smell is strangely potent. To be able to track us down from a scent.. If it's not a bluff, it's probably his unique distinction as a hybrid.."
“So we’re staying here for the night, right..?” You examine the musty, neon room.
“Yeah. It’s a 24 hour place. I checked with the clerk. He’ll let us.” Heart sighs, resting her back against the cabinet. She lumps down into a sitting position on the patterned neon carpet. “What is it.. Monday? She said one or two days, so.. Tuesday or Wednesday. We’ll stay on the move for the next two days. And when she comes, we can clear this all up.”

The next few hours pass quickly. You watch the devil and the fiend play arcade games, for the most part, but every new entrant into the arcade catches your eye. You doubt you’ll be getting much sleep for the next couple of days. As the clock creeps into midnight, the three of you lie at a quiet corner of the arcade, splayed out on the carpet with your packings beneath you.

“Hey, Onishima.” Meta tilts her head up. “When Makima comes to help out.. it might end up being the end of our time together. She might decide I’ve done enough work for a decent report and bring me back to Tokyo early. I asked you after our first real mission together, right? How would you write about my performance now?”

>[Write-In.]

>>4695088
>"Oh, I guess you did fine."
>Shrug your shoulders
>"But no, really....It was pretty good. You eat a lot, but you're pretty useful. And i liked spending time with you too, i suppose."

>>4695126
By the way, your're suppose to speak the first line in an sarcastic tone, obviously, just thought that should be added

>>4695088
Big cutie, bad table manners and okay in a fight. That fungus she's got is pretty nasty.

>>4695088
>>4695126
Head pattableness: 4/5
Midriff pattableness: 6/5

>>4695088
>>4695126
+1
We should also change her out of that bloody shirt sooner rather than later

>>4695255
Changing shirts is probably a real challenge with that big mushroom head, how does she even do it?

File: 166.png (900 KB, 1388x1029)

900 KB PNG

>>4695126
>>4695128
>>4695132
>>4695141
>>4695255

>"Oh, I guess you did fine."
>Shrug your shoulders
>"But no, really....It was pretty good. You eat a lot, but you're pretty useful. And i liked spending time with you too, i suppose."

“I guess you did fine?” You offer with a shrug.
“Fine?” Meta echoes your sentiment, pouting.
"But no, really.. it was pretty good. You eat a lot, but you're pretty useful.” You relax back against the carpeted floor of the arcade. “And I liked spending time with you too, I suppose."
“Well.. I did, too.” Meta smiles, reclining back into her chair. “..I’ll be sad when this is over, Onishima. Good night.”

[Gonna call the thread here! Sorry for the short thread!]

>>4695321
Thanks for running! I hope we can give meta the good end she deserves

>>4695572
No good ends in ChainsawMan land.

>>4697520
Only if you continue doing stuff

You can probably get a good ending if you stay away from the main plot. Personally, i think there's a chance such as, for example, working with the bureau until makima dies and then gtfoing to some random place far away from japan with meta

>>4697520
Just hug Makima every time she shows up.

>>4695321
mating press

>>4699122
soon

once we're not in mortal danger, that is.

>>4695321
I'm hungry for mushroom soup