Chapter Text
"Holy shit."
"What happened?"
"There's no bread."
Just what he needed. The idiot who had his apartment taken away had absolutely nothing for breakfast, and he had to act fast... a hungry Nayuta was ten times harder to handle. For now, the little devil was only half-awake, hugging one of her dogs like a sleeping plushie.
Maybe... if he scammed some sucker... but he didn't know a lick of English. In fact, he was about to fail that class; honestly, he was pretty screwed in almost all his grades.
A knock on the door echoed. Who could it be? The landlord? Nope, Nayuta had already made him believe they were the new tenants. Other thieves? Ugh, he wished. He needed money and new stuff, plus he'd been itching to kick someone's ass anyway.
He opened the door slowly, and his surprise was disappointing. It was just two men in weird costumes. First, there was the guy who looked like he came out of a cliché American movie—a tough, muscular dude wearing the colors of his flag, not to mention the strange plate he had on his back. Then, the other guy wearing armor with weird little lights. Pff, big deal. There was also the small detail that both of them towered over him by a head or more.
"Hey, the costume party isn't here."
The two looked at each other for a moment, then looked back at him.
"Denji, what's all the noi—oh, crap..." Those were the sweet words of his little sister, who had just woken up, her face looking like a startled kitten.
"Denji, is that your name? I was looking for you." A voice came from behind him.
What a morning. Now there was a man with a weird mustache, a red cape with gold details, a strange gold ornament, yellow gloves, and visible gray hair. He was in their kitchen with a teacup in hand while petting Nyako with the other. He had absolutely no idea where the guy had gotten the tea. And he spoke their language...
From Denji’s incredible brain, only a few carefully chosen words came out:
"What the fuck?"
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
Honestly, his whole life had always been strange. From his first and best friend being a devil that became his heart, to every single girl he ever had a thing with turning out to be a complete psycho. He was even the older brother of a kid devil who happened to be the reincarnation of the person who gave him the worst and best things in his life.
So, being taken to a mansion by muscular, middle-aged men who were a head taller than him and dressed up like weirdos didn't sound too bad. Maybe that was just how weird Americans always were. How did they convince him? Well, they offered food, and he was hungry. Now he was on a couch, bored out of his mind, waiting while Nayuta flipped non-stop through channels on a TV he had never seen before. Since when were they so flat?
"Hey, do you think they're Devil Hunters?" the blonde asked, picking his nose.
"Nah, I would've felt something strange from them... but the cape guy is suspicious."
"At least they know Japanese. It would be a pain if they didn't."
"Speaking of which... Denji, you don't know a word of English. I figured out how to fix it," the girl said as she put a cartoon on the TV. "First of all, I need you to give me your consent."
"First tell me what you're gonna do. Cut the drama."
"I'm going to brainwash you."
"What?"
"Nah, just kidding. I'm just going to transfer everything I know about English to you, and that way you can talk to anyone around here."
"You knew how to do that and didn't tell me before?! Damn it, Nayuta, I was about to fail English a little while ago!"
"Because you'd just get lazy and take advantage of my supreme intellect."
"Supreme? You still wet the bed."
"That only happened once!"
The little Control Devil started attacking the hybrid, giving him tiny, rapid punches like a rabid rabbit. Denji just lightly covered himself with his arms; those blows did little to nothing to him.
"Take that, take that, take that!" the girl shouted, her face red with anger and embarrassment.
After a couple of minutes, Nayuta stopped hitting him to take a break. Now both were watching *Tom and Jerry*. Denji felt a bit strange watching the mouse, as if an old, bizarre story was coming back to his mind.
"Hey, are you gonna do it now?"
"Ah, the English thing. Fine, but your brain might explode."
"What?!"
"Just kidding. Just say you give me permission."
"I give you permission... as long as you don't mess up my brain."
*I don't think it can get any worse,* Nayuta thought.
And without further ado, the devil's chain pierced the hybrid's forehead. It was curious how the Horseman of Control, just as she could take away and manipulate memories, could also give them. It was only a couple of seconds where the blonde felt his brain throb and his mouth salivate until it ended.
"Alright, how do you feel?"
"额，我觉得完全没什么变化。"
"Damn it, I gave you Chinese."
The chain dug in again, and the process repeated.
"How about now?"
"Сколько языков вы знаете?"
"Ugh, Russian. And well, I know six languages."
"Столько всего?! Откуда ты столько знаешь?!"
"Child labor exploitation."
Finally, the third try was the charm. Nayuta had to wipe everything Denji had just learned about Spanish and Russian. Why? Simple—she didn't want to overheat the blonde's brain with too much information.
Oh, and Denji gave her a chop to the head...
Then both went back to watching the TV until they were on the verge of falling asleep. The blonde was practically drooling, while Nayuta was snoring like a bear.
But what definitely kept him awake was the news. It showed a guy dressed up with a spider on his chest saving people from an accident. The second report was about a protest against mutants—what were mutants? He had no idea... The last piece of news was undoubtedly the one that impacted him the most. It featured the same guys who had knocked on his door: the guy with the weird plate and Robocop with hepatitis. They were being cheered by everyone; kids wanted their autographs, photographers were snapping tons of pictures, and best of all... a lot of hot-as-hell women wanted their attention. Their names were chanted with admiration: "Captain America and Iron Man."
Man, what he would give for that... He remembered being famous... the fans and the attention. And how, like almost everything good in his life, it didn't last long... In the end, it was always either pulling the cord or leaving Nayuta... Why did there always have to be a choice?
"I see your little sister fell asleep."
It was the cape guy again. Somehow, he managed to keep him on edge. His instincts warned him; hybrid, devil, or hunter, he didn't know what he was, but just from his gaze, he understood this man carried some dangerous shit.
"You can come in now," the older man said.
"About time, old man."
The older man was surprised, blinking several times.
"You can speak English?"
"Obviously," Denji lied as best as he could.
"Can you wake the girl up?"
Denji's response was a heavy blow to Nayuta with a couch pillow. She shrieked like a squirrel and jumped up in a fright. Of course, the result was earning himself some furious attacks from the little girl, who luckily had the strength of someone her age.
Then they followed the strange gentleman. He felt more and more confused as he ventured deeper into the mansion. How big was this place? They were definitely rich. *Would they give me money? I want money,* the hybrid thought. He knew he didn't know much about the world, but everything his eyes saw looked like it was taken out of a sci-fi movie or a comic book. Besides, who has an underground base this massive?
He turned to look at Nayuta. To his surprise, she was just as confused as he was. It was one of the few times he noticed his little sister didn't know what to do or what was going to happen.
"Have you ever seen anything like this?"
"I... I don't know... I just don't know what's going on..." the girl replied with uncertainty.
Unconsciously, he scratched his chest with one hand and took Nayuta's hand with the other.
Finally, they reached the bottom floor. There they were: the iron man and Captain America, sitting at a table just as strange as the rest of the mansion.
"Denji, I am mostly known as Doctor Strange... let me introduce you to..."
"Captain America and Iron Man. Aren't those a bit unoriginal?" the blonde said, tilting his head. "And what kind of name is Doctor Strange? Do you only operate on weirdos or what?"
*How rude,* Strange thought, letting out a long sigh.
"The squirt here is Nayuta. She's... my sister. We don't look alike because she's adopted," Denji said, keeping his usual open mouth and tired eyes.
He received a stomp from the devil for that.
"Yes, I'm the smart one in the family, as you can see," the younger girl bragged.
"It's a pleasure to meet you," Captain America spoke.
"Hey," Iron Man said.
"Now can we skip the introductions? You didn't bring us here for that. You want something from us, so it'd be great if you just say it so we can leave," Nayuta spoke in a monotonous, serious voice, still clinging to Denji's hand.
The three adults looked at each other, thrown off by the little girl's behavior.
"To start with, we need to ask you a couple of questions and run some tests."
Before the blonde could speak, the black-haired girl cut him off.
"Sure, as long as we get to ask you questions too."
With a snap of fingers, two cups of tea appeared. Denji had to be honest, the devil he had made a contract with was probably cool, but on the other hand, Nayuta, though impressed, kept her confident posture.
"Do we look like old people to you? Give me a Coke and Denji an orange juice, or there are no answers."
The iron man couldn't help but let out a slight chuckle, which for some reason he tried to cover with his hand. The Captain, on the other hand, let out a long sigh. The wizard rubbed his forehead while praying for patience from forces beyond human understanding.
"You're not from around here, are you?"
"No," both said.
"What's the last thing you remember before arriving here?"
"Someone knocked on the door, I opened it, and a piece-of-shit devil brought me here." Answering this, the blonde felt a shiver just remembering the surprises that awaited him whenever he opened doors. "I woke up and I was with my sister and my pets in a alleyway covered in piss."
The iron man pointed with his finger, and several holograms popped up from the table showing different types of information, mostly focused on energy signatures.
"Kid, do you know anything about an alternate reality?" Iron Man asked.
"No."
"Alternate dimension?" the Cap asked.
"Multiverse?" Strange asked.
"Not at all."
The three adults just looked at each other.
"I do know," Nayuta said with a smug smile toward Denji.
What followed was a long talk that only made the blonde's brain burn a few neurons trying to understand something as stupid as an alternate reality, a dimension, or whatever that crap was.
"All of this is just to tell you one thing: you are not from here."
"Duh, we already told you," Denji replied. "We're Japanese."
"It's much more than you just being in another country. You are in another dimension."
The two siblings looked at each other; neither had any idea how to react.
"By the way, why was the first thing you did commit robbery?" Iron Man asked.
"It was self-defense," the girl replied without an ounce of regret.
"I was half-naked."
"Like I said, self-defense." She paused to take a sip of her soda. "Let's say we believe you and you're not just losers dressed up in pajamas. It's our turn to ask questions."
Denji's brain kicked into gear like a motor. He was confused; a big part of him still believed this was all a dream, maybe a consequence of playing with a fever, but he already had his question ready. He needed an answer.
"Hey, wizard, I've seen a bunch of weird guys on TV. Why does everyone love you guys so much?"
"Well, you see, in our world, there are many who chose to do good and help others, with powers or without them, though that doesn't mean many of them..."
"But you're famous."
"Well, yes, several of us are."
"And loved."
"Kid, it's not everyone..." Captain America tried to speak.
"And you have fans..."
"Uh... are you even listening to us?"
He was lost in his thoughts. He could faintly hear them continuing to talk about their world, about how magic and science were present at ridiculous levels, and honestly, he didn't give a shit.
A new world... there were no longer two choices. He could have fame all over again, the public's appreciation. What did it matter if it was another world? He could be Chainsaw Man again—with zero consequences! He could already feel it again... the adrenaline, the cheers, his face all over the media...
A tug on his arm snapped him out of his trance.
"Denji, did you hear? Were you thinking about girls in bikinis again?"
"No."
"Whatever. Hepatitis guy told us he's going to scan us, just in case."
"...Fine."
It was at that exact moment that the three Avengers saw right in front of them that this blonde kid was no normal human. The scanner had cleared the path to perfectly reveal the devil residing inside the boy.
"I think it's our turn to ask the questions again..." Strange said.
Even under the scanner, they could see Pochita starting to wag and move around, all thanks to the hybrid’s sheer happiness.
*A new world, without limits, without choices, waiting for him out there.*