"No helping it. Since I have business deals with all these big stars, I naturally got to know them," Arata said slowly, spreading his hands.
"You have business deals with big stars? What kind of deals?" Himeno immediately showed deep interest.
"That's a secret. I can't just go around talking about it."
"Another secret added to the pile," Aki Hayakawa muttered to himself, standing a short distance away.
"Tch, always with the secrets. When we get back, I'm absolutely finding someone to thoroughly investigate you."
"Hurry up and eat. We're playing cards after we finish." Arata pulled four unopened decks of playing cards out of his pocket.
"Playing cards? We haven't even escaped yet, who has the free time to play cards?" Himeno looked at the decks tossed on the floor, not showing the slightest inclination to join in.
"Escaping is easy. As long as I want to, you guys can get out of here in no time."
"Then hurry up and let us out."
"What's the rush? It's rare for us to break free from the shackles of work, we should properly enjoy it. Once we get out, we won't have this kind of freedom anymore."
"That's true." Himeno rubbed her chin. "So, Arata-kun, what are we playing?"
"Does anyone know how to play Gouji?"
"Gouji?"
Everyone exchanged bewildered glances, completely lost. Himeno had played a lot of card games, but this was the first time she had ever heard of Gouji.
"What's Gouji? Even I don't know it, they definitely don't," Himeno spoke on everyone's behalf.
"Gouji is no simple game. You have to learn how to 'burn' and 'smother'."
"Tell us about it." Himeno's interest was piqued, though the others clearly didn't look like they wanted to play. Compared to playing Gouji, they much preferred going outside to breathe some fresh air.
"The great me doesn't know how to play cards, but it sounds interesting."
"You want to learn? I'll teach you."
"Why are we playing cards? Just let us out first." Aki tossed a cigarette butt onto the floor. He was clearly craving a smoke.
"As long as you play cards with me, I can let you guys out." As he spoke, Arata had already torn open the card boxes. He sorted out the extra 3s and 4s, gathered the remaining cards into a pile, and began shuffling them back and forth.
"Alright then. As long as we can get out, I'll do anything." Arai was the first to sit down and help Arata shuffle. Kobeni sat down next to Arai. As long as they could escape, she was willing to do whatever it took.
"Hurry up and sit down. I'll teach you guys how to play."
Arata explained the rules as he went. Himeno and Power sat on either side of him. The two women unconsciously leaned their bodies against his.
Once everyone grasped the rules, they sat cross-legged on the floor, ready to play a few rounds.
"Oh right, Denji, you don't need to sit down." Denji was just about to crouch down when Arata stopped him.
"Am I supposed to play standing up?"
"Gouji only needs six people. While we play cards, you go kill the monster. Your master specifically let the Eternity Devil escape so you could use it for practice. You should know that a successful boxer can only win the championship belt through relentless hard work."
"He seems impossible to kill."
"A devil that can't be killed makes for an even more qualified punching bag for you. Besides, the Eternity Devil isn't even that strong. As long as you transform into Chainsaw Man, there's absolutely no pressure."
Listening to Arata's non-stop analysis, Denji nodded seriously. He looked exactly like a rookie boxer receiving guidance from his coach.
After getting pumped up, Denji waved goodbye to the group.
He walked out the door, pulled the cord on his chest, and chased after the Eternity Devil in the direction it fled. Gradually, the roar of chainsaws faded further and further away from the room.
"Is it really okay to let him fight the Eternity Devil all by himself?" Himeno asked worriedly.
"Just focus on your cards. I believe Denji can handle it. I play a pair of 5s, anyone want it?"
"Pair of 7s." Himeno pulled two cards and tossed them over the 5s. "You really are a devilish master. Sending your apprentice off to kill a devil while you entertain yourself playing cards with everyone else."
"Pair of Jokers." Power took one look at her hand; aside from the two Jokers, she had no other pairs.
"...."
"Power, are you sure you learned how to play?" As Power's teammate, Aki Hayakawa instantly felt a headache coming on.
"Of course the great me learned it. It's not your place to teach me how to play."
Power's absolute insistence on doing whatever she wanted made Aki sigh helplessly.
"Six 6s. So many 6s, I bet no one wants them, so I'll just keep playing." Saying that, Power immediately threw down her next card.
"Hold on, I haven't even spoken yet." As her opposing player, Arai was fully prepared to suppress Power at any moment.
Vrrrrrrrrr...
On the other side of the hotel, the chainsaws were relentlessly grinding away.
After winning a hand, Arata didn't forget to take a moment to check on Denji's training progress. Arata's appearance acted like a buff for Denji; his chainsaw swings grew noticeably faster.
"How's it going? Figured out any new moves yourself?"
"No moves, I'm just hacking away randomly."
"Random hacking is fine against noobs, but against elites, you'll just get your ass handed to you."
"Then Master, what should I do?" Denji stopped his assault and looked at Arata.
"Let me give you a pointer. When you fight, you basically rely entirely on the two chainsaws on your arms. As for the chainsaw on your head, you rarely use it. If you coordinate all three chainsaws simultaneously, I guarantee your combat flow will be much smoother."
Denji stared at his three chainsaw blades, unable to think of any ideas, so Arata continued.
"Because you haven't fully adapted to the Chainsaw Man body yet, you don't swing the arm chainsaws fluidly enough. This forces you into a long recovery animation after every swing. If you use your head chainsaw to attack during that recovery window, it'll make your combos significantly silkier."
Denji followed the instructions as Arata spoke.
Leaving only the Eternity Devil completely bewildered. It felt like it had literally just been brought here to act as Denji's training dummy.
"Master, it really works! But when I thrust my head forward, my center of gravity gets unstable."
"The moment your head attack finishes, quickly weave in an arm motion. That will let your body rapidly recover its balance."
"It really does work!!!" Denji exclaimed in shock.
"Ah!! It hurts!! What the hell are you doing??"
"I'm teaching Denji a combo, you'd better not speak."
"What! You're beating me to a pulp, why can't I speak?!"
"Yeah, Master, why can't he speak?"
"Arata, come back and play cards! Power got smothered!" Himeno's shout echoed from the room.
"I'm going back to play cards. You two keep at it."
Saying that, Arata darted back to the card game without looking back.
Leaving only Denji and the Eternity Devil in place.
"Did you memorize what my master just told me?"
"Why would I memorize what he said?!"
"True enough. I'll just keep practicing on my own then."
Vrrrrrrrrr!!!
The chainsaws roared to life again. This time, Denji employed the techniques Arata had just taught him as he swung his blades.
"Wait, it hurts too much! Stop!"
"No way. If I stop, I'll be letting down my master's expectations."
"Wait, I'll offer my heart! Just cut my heart, and you can all be saved!"
Even though the Eternity Devil was immortal, it could still feel pain. This kind of endless, continuous torture was simply worse than death.
"Where's the heart?"
"Right here!!"
The Eternity Devil intentionally moved its heart closer, desperately hoping Denji would just end its life quickly.
But Denji looked completely reluctant. "Master said you're the best punching bag I've ever had. I can't kill you. Practice with me a bit longer."
"Practice my ass! I'm a devil, not a f***ing punching bag!!" the Eternity Devil roared furiously.
But Denji was far too immersed in his training to care about the Eternity Devil's screams. His three chainsaws continued to relentlessly carve through the Eternity Devil's limbs.