"Old man, you can't be such a pervert." Denji tried to dissuade the driver, driven by the mindset that if he couldn't have it, nobody else should either. The driver just looked completely bewildered. He didn't understand why petting a cat would make him a pervert.
"Then I won't pet it," the old man said immediately.
"No, the great me grants you permission to grope right now." Power looked at Denji with a provocative smirk, seemingly having found the perfect way to piss him off.
"Uh, grope right now? Didn't you say the cat hasn't been rescued yet?"
"Who said anything about groping a cat? The great me is talking about right here." Power pointed to her chest, nearly making the driver spit out a mouthful of blood.
"Ah, this..."
Perhaps the happiness came too suddenly. The next second, the driver immediately clamped a hand over his nose to stop the bleeding.
"What's wrong, you don't like it?"
"I don't think that's a good idea, we've only just met." The driver stared straight ahead, a blush spreading across his face. His mouth said no, but his mind was already filling in the visuals.
"Old man, think about your wife and kids! You can't do this kind of thing." Denji resorted to straight-up moral kidnapping, hoping to guilt the driver into dropping the idea.
But the driver just smiled and replied, "I've been single my whole life, I've never even dated."
Seeing that the moral high ground wasn't working, Denji switched to scare tactics. "Old man, she's a Fiend! Don't fall for her trap."
"Even if she is a Fiend, running all this way just to save a cat makes me feel like she's a very loving Fiend."
"Whatever, it's just not allowed!" Denji, completely out of counterarguments against the driver's relentless comebacks, could only throw a tantrum in the back seat.
"Alright, I can tell you like her. I won't do that kind of thing," the driver said.
"Old man, you're the best."
"Excuse me, I don't like him. Plus, we've only known each other for a day, so you don't need to feel guilty," Power immediately shot back. Saying that, she purposefully leaned closer to the driver.
Staring at the dream so close to his face, the driver took a sharp breath. He actually shared the exact same dream as Denji. He had hoped to achieve it before he died. And now, the dream was right in front of him, practically forcing itself to come true. If he backed down now, his dream really would be delayed indefinitely.
"In that case, please excuse my intrusion." The driver spoke with restraint, but his heart was already pounding with wild excitement. Even his hand started to tremble. He slowly raised his hand, inching closer and closer to the dream.
But right then, a breaking news alert suddenly blared from the car radio. "We interrupt this broadcast for an emergency alert. The Charm Devil has been frequently committing crimes recently. It can transform into any woman and often lures men to the suburbs before brutally murdering them. Most of the current victims are taxi drivers. We urge all drivers to exercise caution when picking up passengers. If you encounter danger, please immediately call 10-086xxxxx."
The moment the broadcast aired, the terrified driver instantly yanked his hand back.
"What's wrong?" Power asked.
"Let's just forget it. By the way, I saw someone following us behind the car. Do you guys know them?"
The three of them simultaneously turned their heads, looking out the rear window. There was nothing but an endless, narrow country road lined with grass and trees. They didn't see anyone at all.
"There's no one there, are you seeing things?" Power asked, turning back around.
But when they turned back, the driver's side door was already wide open. The driver himself was completely gone.
"Where did he go?!?!" Power gasped in shock.
"He jumped out," Arata said, glancing behind them. The old man had already tumbled into the bushes by the side of the road.
"Haha, he actually chose to jump out of a moving car just so he wouldn't have to get near you!" Denji, completely changing his tune from a moment ago, burst out laughing.
With no one holding the wheel, the car lost control. Everyone's bodies swayed and tilted as the car swerved left and right.
"Power, the steering wheel!!" Arata quickly shouted, not wanting the out-of-control car to cause a crash. First, he felt bad for the car, and second, if the car was wrecked, they'd have to walk the rest of the way.
"Steering wheel? Which one is the steering wheel? The great me doesn't know!" Power yelled frantically, her eyes scanning the dashboard.
"That round thing!" Arata pointed at the steering wheel in the driver's seat.
"Oh, this is the steering wheel." Power leaned over and grabbed it, instantly steadying the car.
But the very next second, Power ripped the entire steering wheel right off the console. She turned around and handed it to Arata. "Here's the steering wheel."
"Holy shit, I don't want it! I just needed you to hold onto the steering wheel!" Staring at the detached steering wheel right in front of his face, Arata screamed in pure anger.
"You should've said so earlier. I heard you yelling 'steering wheel', so I thought you wanted it."
"Ah!!!"
Completely disabled, the car plowed straight into a massive tree by the side of the road. The three of them were violently thrown forward by the inertia.
"My head is spinning." Denji clutched his head, his face scrunching up in pain. "Power, this is all your fault."
"Don't blame the great me, it's Arata's fault for not explaining it clearly." Power argued, waving the detached steering wheel in her hand. When it came to passing the buck, she was a true professional.
"Just get out of the car. Let's see where we are." Arata pushed the door open and looked out. They were still quite a distance away from the wooden shack where the Bat Devil was hiding.
"Master, are we there yet?"
"Looks like we're going to have to walk for at least an hour."
"An hour of walking!!" Denji complained.
"Then we walk. The great me used to rely solely on these two legs to get anywhere."
"I don't wanna walk that far. It's not like you're gonna satisfy me anyway." Denji grumbled.
"In consideration of the car crash, the great me will allow you to do it once."
"Master, let's go! We can't keep the kitty waiting too long!" Denji enthusiastically took a massive stride forward.
"Denji, you really are a dreamer." Arata shook his head helplessly. If Denji could swap his dream of groping for studying, he'd definitely get into an Ivy League university.
The three of them continued on foot. Compared to the oppressive concrete jungle of the city, the suburban dirt road felt exceptionally comfortable. The distant mountains gave off a feeling of released pressure.
The air here was fresh, and both sides of the road were bursting with vibrant greenery. Every now and then, they could see birds flying past them. The scenery made the group subconsciously slow their pace.
Honk honk honk!!
Suddenly, the frantic honking of a car horn echoed from behind them. The three quickly turned around and saw a red car speeding toward them.
"Hey, stop the car and give the great me a ride!" Power stood in the middle of the road and waved.
But the red car showed absolutely zero signs of slowing down. Realizing something was wrong, Arata immediately lunged at Power, tackling her off the road.
Whoosh!!
The two of them narrowly brushed past the speeding red car. If Power had kept standing on the side of the road, she absolutely would have been sent flying.
Denji hurriedly ran over to check on them. The scene before him left him completely dumbfounded.
Arata's face was buried directly between Denji's dreams.
"Master, what are you guys doing!! Doing it in broad daylight!"
"Thank you for saving the great me." Power was actually quite rational about it, understanding exactly why Arata had tackled her.
The two of them got up and dusted the dirt off their clothes.
"What was up with that car just now? Were they trying to run me over because the great me is a Fiend?"
"Probably not. I smelled a devil's aura on that car. Plus, there was a man and a woman inside. The woman was extremely seductive, and the man in the driver's seat had dead eyes, just like a puppet."