"Denji-kun, wake up."
"Ahh—"
I opened my eyes to Reze's voice.
The sun was already up, and Reze looked like she was ready for work.
She was wearing a thin long-sleeve shirt, comfortable jeans, and sneakers.
She could change at the cafe, but it was a comfortable yet tidy outfit for getting there.
Her hair was natural, accessories were minimal—just put on an apron and she was ready for her part-time job.
Reze smiled slightly, seeing I was still asleep, and woke me.
"Yawn— I wanted to sleep more."
"Then you'd be late, wouldn't you? It's a good thing I'm going first. If you had to go before me, you'd be late every day—"
On the small table—almost embarrassing to call it a dining table—were toast, fried eggs, and freshly brewed coffee that Reze had prepared.
It was a breakfast I couldn't have dreamed of before starting my life as a Devil Hunter, but living with Reze made me realize something.
Even without doing Devil Hunter work, eating wasn't a big problem.
"Ah— It's already past 8. Denji-kun~ I'll head out first, so just leave everything after you eat! I'll clean up when I get back from work."
Reze said while wearing her sneakers.
It seemed she was running a bit late, as her footsteps felt slightly hurried.
"I'll clean up."
"Ah! No! If Denji-kun cleans, you'll just break the dishes again! I'll do it, so just leave it!"
Reze shouted, covering the table with her hands.
Thanks to me breaking precious dishes a number of times, Reze no longer allowed me to clean.
"I'll teach you slowly later, Denji-kun, but until then, I'll do it! Okay?"
"Yeah."
"Eheh— Well then, I'm off. Denji-kun, be careful on your way too!"
Looking at Reze's smiling eyes, I was filled with happiness.
She went out the door, and I stayed behind, blankly watching her go for a moment.
"Ah— I should get going too…"
ㅡ I wonder if Denji-kun made it to work safely?
Even as I stepped outside, my worry for Denji didn't fade.
Public Safety Devil Hunters had been making frequent moves to secure the Chainsaw Man.
Since the day I first ran away with Denji, we had left the city to evade their pursuit, coming down to this small town, and were now barely enjoying this peaceful life.
This place felt more like a small provincial city than the countryside.
A quiet place with no devils and no surveillance from Public Safety.
Here, we had gained a moment of freedom, but there was no knowing how long this peace would last.
For Public Safety—no, for Makima—the Chainsaw Man was a being she absolutely had to secure.
So it was clear she wouldn't give up.
However, there was a reason the pursuit had temporarily eased recently.
While trying to secure the Chainsaw Man in the city center, Makima also had to focus on devil hunting and managing Devil Hunters, so she couldn't devote herself solely to chasing Denji.
With the pursuit priorities divided, the frequency of them searching for us had decreased for a while, which is how this peace came to be.
"Hello, Manager~"
"Welcome, Reze."
As I entered the cafe with slightly nervous steps, the fragrant scent of coffee and freshly baked bread brushed past my nose.
It was a small, cozy cafe. Wooden tables and chairs were arranged neatly, creating a warm atmosphere, and the walls were decorated carefully with small potted plants and menu boards.
"I'll go change then."
"I prepared breakfast too, so eat after you change."
"Yes~"
After changing and tying on my apron, I started moving busily.
First, sweep the floor, wipe the tables, arrange the chairs, and prepare to welcome customers.
I hand a menu to a customer sitting by the window and take their order.
Sometimes I exchange brief chats with customers, and I also catch bits of news from the city center.
"They say devils are still running rampant in the city center?"
"That's right. It's lucky there are no devils here, but if they ever come here…"
I brought the coffee the manager made to the customer and took a brief breather.
There were especially many devils in the city center, and it seemed their frequency had increased lately.
Listening to the stories, I wondered if it was because Makima had gradually neglected devil extermination while pursuing Denji.
Thanks to that, our pursuit seemed to have paused for a moment.
"If that's the case, then it's fortunate…"
"What's fortunate?"
"Ah, nothing. Should I take this coffee to that customer over there?"
Before the manager could think anything strange, I changed the subject.
I didn't know how long this peace would last, but I could at least enjoy the time I had now.
Placing down the coffee cup and serving the ordered dessert, Reze gave a small smile.
Sometimes, if a customer cracked a joke, she would laugh lightly and reply, and she would greet passing children warmly.
Although it was a small cafe, in the way Reze worked her part-time job, one could sense both her meticulousness in caring for customers and her ability to focus on the work.
But…
"I guess I can spend a little more time with Denji-kun…"
She muttered to herself, words no one else could hear.
At first, she had only approached him aiming for the Chainsaw's heart, but now she had grown fond of him.
When he suggested running away together, she was truly happy, but she wasn't confident she could maintain a life like this.
Still, for reasons she couldn't explain, she chose him and followed.
"Denji, let's try not to cause any trouble today."
"Yessir—"
The day labor market in this small city seems to be very narrow.
Although it's the same office, I often see the same faces because most of the people working together are the same.
Matsuda Ryo, uncle. I keep working with this guy, stuck together.
It's a bit awkward to keep sticking with a man like this, but what can I do?
The job I was assigned this time was road maintenance.
I heard we had to fix places where the blocks were a mess and also plant trees nearby.
This time, it didn't seem like there was anything particularly difficult.
"Alright, if I do well like this, I might get to do naughty stuff with Reze—!"
"We won't know if that'll happen until the work is done, will we!"
"Whoa—! You scared me!"
I don't know since when he was there, but it really startled me.
I thought, is this guy a pro at scaring people?
"For a young brat to already be thinking about doing that stuff with his girlfriend… The state of this country, I tell you…"
"Mister, what business is it of yours what I do with Reze?"
Meeeeh—rong
Sticking out my tongue to express my annoyance, Matsuda uncle put his hand on my shoulder and whispered so only I could hear.
"Hmm, I was going to teach you something good, but you don't want it?"
"...What is it?"
It was a statement that piqued my curiosity.
Matsuda uncle said he'd teach me something, and I felt an irresistible urge and asked.
"Well, you see…"
"Heeeh—"