The atmosphere in Yui's squad shifted the moment Mrs. Yukinoshita joined. None of the other members knew this elegant woman in her expensive kimono, all poise and frost.
Still, they'd picked up on the quiet tension between mother and daughter, and guessed something must have happened.
The group hadn't gotten far when Mrs. Yukinoshita stopped. A slight bow. "I just remembered something I forgot to grab. Would you mind waiting a moment?"
Mrs. Yuigahama offered a gentle smile. "Of course. Would you like some company?"
A flicker of unease crossed Mrs. Yukinoshita's face. She shook her head, said nothing more, and walked briskly back the way they'd come.
Meanwhile, Makoto was lounging nearby, enjoying the Nakiri sisters' attentions while watching the final act of Tomoya Aki's downfall. The corner of his mouth curled.
I've been wanting to see you like this since my last life.
He was having a grand time. The Nakiri sisters, less so.
Nobody had changed Tomoya's bandages. The wound between his legs had festered into an oozing mess, the stench of rot spreading through the air. Flies swarmed the site in thick, buzzing clouds.
"If you can't stomach it, head back." Makoto waved them off.
Neither sister argued. They nodded and left at a brisk pace.
It was, frankly, revolting.
"Makoto!"
They'd barely gone when a familiar voice rang out.
He turned instinctively. A slender figure was sprinting toward him at full tilt, and before he could react, she'd thrown herself into his arms.
Tomoya, now serving as a living buffet for rats, stared in disbelief.
He recognized her instantly. The untouchable Mrs. Yukinoshita, mother of the Yukinoshita sisters, the woman who radiated an aura of ice-cold authority wherever she went.
Watching this paragon of elegance hurl herself into Makoto's embrace sent his emotions spiraling, but the searing agony in his throat choked off any sound. All that escaped was a thin, rasping wheeze.
Mrs. Yukinoshita rose on her tiptoes, lips drifting toward Makoto's. And then...
"Makoto!"
Another voice cut through the air. Both of them turned to find Kayoko Akizuki standing a short distance away, face caught somewhere between embarrassment and panic, eyes locked on the two of them.
"Well..."
The two mothers locked gazes. An exquisite awkwardness settled over the scene like fog.
"Auntie Kayoko, what brings you back?" Makoto put on his best innocent expression.
"I, well... it's..." Kayoko was cringing so hard she could have dug a hole with her toes and crawled into it.
She'd spent ages distracting Airi and Marina before sneaking away, only to run smack into Mrs. Yukinoshita doing the exact same thing.
Her eyes lingered on the other woman. Unbelievable. She walks around acting like she's above it all, but she got here faster than me?
Mrs. Yukinoshita, meanwhile, had shed every last trace of the ruthless businesswoman. Her cheeks flushed pink, she burrowed deeper into Makoto's chest like a schoolgirl caught passing notes.
"Alright, settle down." Makoto smiled, his tone carrying a thread of indulgence. "Airi and Marina are probably still waiting for you. Don't keep them."
He nodded toward the ruined factory they'd been using as a temporary base.
Called out so directly, Kayoko's face went scarlet. But she couldn't deny he was right. Time was precious.
Under Tomoya's hollow, dead-eyed stare, Makoto draped an arm around each woman and walked them into the abandoned factory.
It was a shame, though. Their physical constitutions were still perfectly ordinary.
Even with the slight boost the Reincarnation Game had given them, they couldn't exactly make the building shake the way Megumi Kato or Utaha Kasumigaoka could.
Two hours later, Kayoko finally returned to her group.
"Mom, that was the longest bathroom break in history," Airi said flatly.
"I... I just couldn't find one..." Kayoko stammered.
Honestly, she needed one for real now.
Unlike the time-pressed Kayoko, Mrs. Yukinoshita felt no such urgency. She barely knew Mrs. Yuigahama and the others anyway. Let them wait.
It wasn't until the Nakiri sisters came calling from outside that she reluctantly slipped out through the back door.
Makoto emerged from the front. Alice immediately trotted over, bending slightly at the waist with a mix of playful reproach and concern. "Honestly, Nishikado-kun, where did you disappear to? We've been looking everywhere."
"Took a walk around the area."
He glanced over at Tomoya, still splayed out like discarded refuse.
"Somehow he's even more disgusting than before." Erina wrinkled her nose.
"Is he still alive?" Alice asked quietly.
"For now. Not for much longer." Makoto gave a dismissive wave. "Let's go."
Come to think of it, he'd seen some creative torment methods in Sea Tiger back in his previous life. Pity he never got a chance to use them here. No matter. The world of anime had no shortage of characters who deserved a lesson. Plenty of time for that later.
Tomoya watched him leave, a beautiful girl on each arm, their figures shrinking into the distance. Then he looked down at his own body, where rats and flies were feasting on exposed flesh.
Maggot.
"Help... me..."
At last, Tomoya Aki spoke his final words.
He'd lowered his head. Bowed to the one person he hated most in all the world.
Save me. I'll do anything. Just let me live.
But Makoto was already out of earshot. And even if he'd heard, Tomoya would have gotten nothing but laughter and contempt.
If you'd stayed stubborn to the end, I might've at least respected you for having a spine.
But begging at the last second? Pathetic.
Apart from Ishigami's squad, which was singularly focused on getting stronger, every other group followed Makoto's advice and left Japan entirely. Other countries weren't perfectly safe either; the original story featured Devils and Devil Hunters from all over the world. But putting distance between themselves and Makima's sphere of influence would dramatically improve their survival odds.
Makoto, of course, chose to stay. He'd set up camp in the outskirts of Tokyo, dangerously close to Makima's territory.
By all logic, he should have fled abroad too, biding his time while searching for a way to deal with her.
But there was no need. He knew exactly what awaited him here.
The Chainsaw Man.
That evening, Makoto brought the five members of the Nakiri family to a clearing beside a highway. "This is our base of operations for the time being."
"Huh? But... Nishikado-kun, there's nothing here!" Erina stared around in bewilderment.
Before she could say another word, dense grayish-black Chakra erupted from Makoto's body, condensing into a massive skeletal arm of Susano'o.
The spectral limb swept outward. Entire rows of trees split cleanly in half and crashed to the ground in a chorus of splintering wood.
"We're building a house," he said.
The Nakiri family exchanged baffled looks.
They'd assumed he would use Genjutsu to control some wealthy mark and commandeer a mansion. At minimum, he'd hypnotize someone and rob them blind, then check into a luxury hotel.
Instead, he wanted to build a cabin in the middle of nowhere?
"But... why?" Erina couldn't help asking.
Makoto's eyebrow twitched upward. "Did I bring you along just so you could second-guess my every decision?"
Erina's stomach dropped. She'd overstepped, and she knew it. She had no standing to second-guess him.
Alice rushed in before things could escalate, bowing rapidly and waving her hands. "Sorry, sorry! Erina's always been a little slow on the uptake. Dad, get over here and help!"
She beckoned frantically for her father.
Makoto let out a short laugh. "You've got a lot more sense than your cousin."
Seeing that he wasn't genuinely angry, Alice exhaled with relief and stuck her tongue out. "Well, you know how it was. When we were kids, Grandpa always favored Erina. Best of everything went to her first."
Because of Azami, Senzaemon Nakiri had always carried guilt over what Erina endured. Whenever the two girls clashed, he instinctively sided with her.
As a result, Alice had learned early to read a room. She carried her own share of pride, but she was sharper and far more tactful than Erina had ever been.
"Oh, and one more thing," Alice added. "I'm actually the older cousin."
Makoto blinked.
Wait. I had that wrong in my last life?
On the other side of the clearing, Erina looked ready to cry.
What do I do, what do I do, what do I do? Does he actually hate me now?"
It wasn't that she'd fallen for Makoto. It was that he was the lifeline keeping her entire family alive.
"It's okay, Erina. Don't be scared." Mana Nakiri moved to comfort her daughter, though she wasn't exactly brimming with confidence herself. Surely he wouldn't be that petty... right?
Soe Nakiri leaned in and murmured, "Let Alice sound him out later. She's the one with the best rapport."
Alice planted her hands on her hips. "See? You all need me in the end."
Most of the other players had followed Makoto's instructions and boarded flights to various countries around the world. None of them had any money, but for squads with superpowered members, the Transformation Technique made that a non-issue. It helped that this was the 1980s, when airport security was a fraction of what it would become.
But that trick only worked for groups that had someone with abilities. Players in squads without a single superpowered member had no choice but to stay in Japan.
"Darling, what are we going to do?" Yukiko Kudo's voice cracked as she clung to her husband's arm.
In the real world, she was a celebrated actress and he was a famous novelist. Here, they had nothing.
Eri Kisaki had already severed ties with their family. She was probably on a plane by now.
And Yukino, the one person who knew Medical Ninjutsu, was gone too. Without treatment soon, their son might not make it.
Yusaku Kudo pinched his chin, thinking hard.
If this were a murder case, he'd be in his element. But in a situation like this, options were scarce.
First priority: money. Get their son to a hospital.
Find a job? By the time a paycheck arrived, Shinichi would be dead.
That left only fast money. And as everyone knew, the fastest ways to make money were the kind written into criminal statutes.
Conveniently, Yusaku had studied those in considerable depth.
Without connections, it boiled down to two options: steal or rob.
Unfortunately, he was terrible at both.
Stealing, though... his friend Toichi Kuroba was an expert.
A light went on behind his eyes. "Yukiko, didn't Toichi teach you disguise techniques?"
Understanding hit her instantly. "Use disguises to steal?"
Talk about a blind spot. How did I not think of that?
It was shameful. But for her son, she'd do anything.
Even so, there was nothing left to steal here. The Gun Devil had all but depopulated Hokkaido. Yukiko spent an entire night working and managed to lift only a handful of bills from the pockets of arriving rescue workers.
Worse, not a single hospital in Hokkaido was still operational.
After deliberating, the couple decided to head for the nearest major city with functioning medical facilities.
The obvious choice was the capital: Tokyo.
In the original story, Pochita and Denji met on the outskirts of Tokyo. That encounter was still years away, but if Makoto camped here long enough, it would come.
By the time Makoto returned to the clearing, Soe Nakiri had spent hours laboring and produced exactly one rickety table and a few chairs.
"Ah, Nishikado-kun, you're back!"
Alice looked up from the makeshift cooking station and hurried over, beaming. "Tonight's dinner is curry rice."
Watching Alice fuss over him so eagerly, Erina felt a sharp, sour pang in her chest.
During their journey from Hokkaido, Makoto had procured a substantial amount of money and handed it all to Alice for safekeeping. The message was obvious to everyone: among the five Nakiris, Alice held the highest place in his regard.
How did this happen? Erina bit her lip, frustration and jealousy churning inside her.
She was the one who'd done that with him. They'd even agreed that tonight they would finish what they'd started.
Yet he clearly trusted Alice more.
Losing out to Megumi Kato and Airi Akizuki was one thing. They'd known him longer. But losing to Alice?
Alice, meanwhile, was doing everything in her power to keep the conversation going, fishing for laughs, reading his mood. Only when she caught the faintest upturn at the corner of his mouth did she venture the real question. "So... you're not angry, right?"
"Angry about what?" Makoto looked genuinely puzzled.
"About Erina earlier... she didn't mean to be rude..."
"I'm not that petty."
He paused, sensing the weight behind the question. These anime girls had some wild misconceptions about him.
Do I really come across as that kind of person?
The entire Nakiri family shared a single unspoken thought: Yes. Yes, you do.
But since he'd said it himself, they collectively breathed a sigh of relief.
Even so, watching Alice sit beside him like she belonged there, Erina couldn't shake the sourness. Her cheeks puffed out in a silent pout.
"Soe, head into the city tomorrow and find a construction crew." Makoto shoveled curry into his mouth, tone casual as if ordering takeout.
At Soe's rate, this house wouldn't be finished until the next ice age.
If only I had Wood Release. But there was no way he was implanting Hashirama cells. He didn't need a man's face sprouting from his chest.
"Y-yes, of course!" Soe straightened up immediately.
Makoto turned to Erina. "That other thing... let's push it back a few days."
Sleeping outdoors tonight meant zero privacy, and he had no interest in performing for an audience. Especially when the audience included her mother.
Besides, he was out of ammunition after today. The motivation wasn't there.
"Mm..." Erina's cheeks flushed a deep pink, her reply barely louder than a mosquito's hum.
If he still wanted to do that with her, he didn't hate her. That was enough.
"What 'thing' are you two talking about?" Leonora asked, curiosity sparkling in her eyes.
"Mom, don't worry about it." Alice kicked her mother's thigh under the table.
Leonora pouted.
Her daughter was growing up and becoming so rebellious.
To think she was keeping secrets from her own mother
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