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Curse Yoshida for bailing on her.
Admittedly, she didn’t really like his company. But more importantly, being alone while devil hunting felt wrong, not that she ever truly was these days, she supposed.
"Don’t be ungrateful." Yoru chimed in. Asa was starting to be skilled at ignoring her.
So, she supposed that was why she allowed Denji—out of anyone it could have been- " You know so few people, that doesn’t reduce the selection much" - Shut up, Yoru!— to tag along, just this once.
He was the one who asked, so she was just being graceful by accepting. She didn’t know why he asked, but he seemed content enough following her around and giving her glances she couldn’t read, so she preferred ignoring it.
Just like she ignored whatever he talked about. He babbled behind her at intervals as they walked through the city looking for devils.
She would never admit to it, but she always made sure to say something when he fell quiet to get him going again. Asa disliked the silence more than he annoyed her. If she unfocused on his voice enough, the way he spoke felt comfortingly familiar.
She honestly didn’t want to be devil hunting, but now that she was officially in the devil hunting club she apparently had scheduled scouting to do.
"Hey you said it yourself, you’ll never be alone with me around. Stop thinking about Yuko already-"
Her grip around her sheathed katana tightened into white-knuckled. Shut up.
Yoru did, and that’s when she noticed things were suddenly silent. She opened her mouth to say anything to get Denji talking just as he spoke again.
His voice was strangely wistful. "A katana doesn’t suit you."
She frowned and looked back at him.
"Ah? And what kind of person does a katana suit, then?" She asked with an edge to her voice.
"An uptight guy." She didn’t notice the uncharacteristic lack of tone in his reply. Maybe it was the casual way he said it.
"Oh, so it’s about me being a girl, is it?!"
"Huh?! No way! Women are the best!"
"Ugh, you’re so gross."
"Well it’s still the truth!"
They fell into silence again, but this time Asa seethed too much to care.
He muttered loud enough for her to hear, angrily. "At least you got the uptight part down."
Asa saw red.
"It’s not like you can talk, what with the weapon you chose. I bet you’ve never even used a chainsaw before!" Denji had requested a chainsaw to be his weapon from the club for his try-out, she really shouldn’t have been surprised. What a dumb Chainsaw Man fan thing to do.
"I- Am I using a chainsaw if I am the chainsaw?" He stood still for a second, pondering the important philosophical question. "Anyways, that’s just a-uh, technicalty. I did too! I wish I hadn’t needed to, though."
" Ooh, tragic lumberjack backstory? " Yoru snickered.
Asa rolled her eyes. "Whatever, just don’t hurt yourself with it. Or get in the way. I allowed you to tag along but that doesn’t mean I want to babysit you, alright? I’m the seasoned devil hunter club member here so just- stay back if anything happens."
Denji crinkled his nose. "No way! Hey, I’ve fought plenty of devils before, too! Like, don’t you remember the whole aquarium thing?! You can’t possibly deny that one!"
"Ugh, we’ve gone over this, it was a group effort! You basically did nothing!"
"Oh, like you did so much more! You found some weird fish-shaped hammer, big deal." He said, before muttering. "Only an aquarium would have something so weirdly specific and freaky."
Asa felt cold sweat roll down her neck at the turn of the discussion. "That’s not the point!"
"Hah?! So what’s the point, then!" He challenged.
She was going to answer something very intelligent and composed to make him regret ever doubting her word, just when something came crashing through a wall near them.
Boom! Bricks and concrete went flying, revealing…
"Mwahahaha! I’m the Spoon Devil, and I’ll scoop your eyes right out!"
Asa didn’t know how to describe hideous thing that called itself a devil. It was rather small, but man, it made for some food for thought that’ll definitely be haunting her next time she looked at a spoon. Could they really scoop eyes out…?
"Ah, a weak, overconfident devil. Even you should be able to do it, this will be perfect for your first kill! " Yoru’s words shook her out of her shock.
She unsheathed her katana and pushed Denji back.
"The point is: Stay behind me, you weak baby. I’ll take care of it."
Her words may have sounded childish, her hands may be slightly trembling around her weapon, but she was dead serious.
"Whatever, sure. It’s even weaker than you, you should be able to manage it." The fact that Denji had just said something eerily close as Yoru made her gape at him. Wow, to think those two would agree on anything.
"I second your surprise. Maybe he does have an eye for devils."
"Yeah yeah, keep your angry comeback for after you beat the devil. I’ll be just over here!" He snickered. "But when I have to come rescue your ass you better be grateful." He told her, with a very punchable shit-eating grin targeted at her.
Her cheeks warmed and puffed with outrage, but after a second she remember she should be pointing her katana at the devil instead of Denji, so she turned and rushed towards the horrific thing.
Only then did the devil seemingly notice her. "Oh, girlie! Cute knife you got there, too bad that spoons are superior!" He attacked with a limb, but even through shaky knees and adrenaline she managed to dodge it quickly.
There, an opening…! She swung her katana at the devil…
Only to have it slip from her sweaty palms and bounce off his skin.
Ah. Weak.
The Spoon Devil broke into laughter and she could also hear- Denji?!
She snapped her head to him and saw that indeed, Denji was doubled over, wracked with laughter. Asa’s rage rose dangerously.
"Hey, eyes in front!" Yoru quickly ordered. Asa looked back just in time to dodge another attack from the devil. This time, it followed by lunging at her, making her have to move around. "This is good for us, use his distraction to make a weapon!"
She was right, Asa realized. As her and the devil circled each other, her form became momentarily hidden from the laughing teen behind it. She frantically looked around for anything that could make a decent weapon and her eyes fell on… A street sign? Yoru agreed with the choice.
Asa hesitated. "But it’s public property! Taking away such instructions can be a serious hazard-!"
"Yeah whatever, so you better feel guilty about it!"
Looking at the hideous devil ready to attack her convinced her easily. Asa steeled herself then called out as she grabbed the road sign’s pole. "Super-strong stop sign axe!"
The sign molded to her wants and fit perfectly in her hands. The length of the pole made it almost more polearm-like, the triangular shape of the sign at its top having become razor sharp.
The devil faltered. "Uh, could humans always do that-?"
Asa didn’t wait a second to start hacking away at the devil. Her arm strength may have been ridiculous, but the weapon was made for and by her and it became perfectly murderous in her grasp. The devil attempted to defend itself and attack, but Asa had him retreating easily, hacking off some of its limbs and breaking its weak metal body.
Before either of them knew it she pushed him into a brick wall with heavy hits and momentum. The devil thrashed around and screamed. Asa didn’t stop, even as the wall crumbled and fell atop it, and sharp rubble went flying once again.
The devil’s corpse wailed. The blood on the stop sign made its red deeper.
Asa breathed heavily, catching her breath after the straining fight. Looking down at the blood and gore at her shoes, her steady breathing hitched. Its eyes were popped out-
She turned away from it sharply and gagged, but successfully kept her lunch down. Thank the gods-
Yoru cheered loudly next to her. "Your first real devil kill!" She clapped her on her back, but it’s not like Asa felt it. "Adrenaline really does wonders, doesn’t it? You’ll be a real warrior worthy of me soon." Her smile was wide and true. "Did your boyfriend see that? He should be smitten right about now!"
Asa immediately flushed, and babbled aloud through her fluster. "Oh my god, that was not why we-"
That quickly made her remember that Denji was in fact very there. She quickly turned around and saw him, still waiting in the same spot. She ran up to him, still sweating and heaving. He looked at her with… Something like awe?
The expression vanished as she arrived at his side. She took time to catch her breath again, but that didn’t stop him from running his mouth.
"See? Ya ain’t a katana girl. You’re, uh-" He glanced at the street sign axe still clenched in her hand, which only made him grin wider. "A rules’ girl, alright! Probably could knock someone out with a book, looks like. Certainly felt like it on our first date, hah!" He giggled maniacally as she gaped at him, the ungrateful little-!
"I just protected you from a devil!"
The comment only made him snicker harder. "Sure. You ain’t too bad in a fight. Pfft, if I ignore your first attack-!"
He rambled off but she had no desire to listen to him razzing her. She just had to accept that he’d never appreciate her efforts, ugh!
She was considering walking off and leaving him when she saw a bleeding cut on his cheek.
What- Oh no, did some of the flying rubble reach him?! It could get infected-
She automatically dropped her axe so her hand could go to it. "Denji, you’ve got a wound! See what I meant?! You just sat behind and still managed to find a way to hurt yourself!"
It was her turn to babble as she told him he’d need to disinfect it and put a bandaid on it and-
She noticed too late that she was practically fussing over him with worry, and noticed extra late that she had put her hand on his cheek and that said cheek was blushing.
She snapped her gaze back to his eyes and saw how… Frozen his expression was, his face absolutely red.
Her voice died in her throat, and after a beat of silence he managed to find his. It was both rough and strangely quiet.
"Uh. Oh yeah Asa, you were super right. I’m defenseless, I’m basically a baby. Please nurse me- and also walk me home! I can’t do it alone-"
Asa snatched her hand away in disbelief. Her face dropped into annoyance once again.
She quickly spun around, feeling heat crawl up her face. "Ugh, fine… I’ll- I-I’ll walk you home, but only if you shut up."
Denji agreed without a peep more, eagerly following behind her as they started walking.
It was an excruciatingly awkward few minutes of utter silence as they walked. Asa’s resolve finally crumbled.
"… Please stop shutting up."
Denji didn’t wait any second to open his mouth and start rambling her head off, talking about everything and anything. She slowed a bit so she could walk next to him.
She let out the breath she didn’t know she was holding, already feeling lighter without knowing why, this time.
Her nose crinkled at that realization. She was losing her mind. Yoru agreed.
She then suddenly froze, stopped walking. She turned to him, sheepish.
"So, um, I don’t actually know your address…?"
They arrived at his apartment complex after a dozen of minutes. She wished she could say it had been an unpleasant walk, but just like before, Asa strangely liked his company.
All that was left was letting him go, home that is. She found herself searching for words. Mechanically, Asa reminded him of club rules. "Don’t forget to give your report. Don’t forget the schedule for your next devil hunting."
Denji pouted, ready to go through the door. "Yeah, yeah."
Asa went on without falter. "It’s only lended to you, so don’t forget to go give the chainsaw back-"
She completely froze.
Denji looked at her in confusion, then down at his hands. His very empty, chainsaw-free hands. "Uhhh-"
Asa wailed. " Oh no we forgot our weapons -"
"Hey it’s fine-"
"No! They are the club’s! We can’t just lose them! We have to go back-" Asa frantically looked around and fidgeted, trying to solve the logistics. Her head hung down with defeat.
Denji, though, suddenly smiled, gaining a light blush. "We can just go get them back tomorrow… Us two. Like, a date!"
Asa stilled, panic suddenly leaving her though her voice still came out quiet and saddened as she muttered. "That’s a dumb date"
"Not dumber than your sea anemone shit date." He said, but not without a teasing tone.
She pouted and frowned, but didn’t argue it.
Still, they lingered at the doorway.
She eyed the cut on his cheek. Yoru blinked and smiled in surprise at her thoughts. "Yes! Great idea, Asa! Do it! Do it! Do it!"
"So, uh…" He muttered, rubbing his neck while he looked down at her timidly.
Asa stopped herself from thinking further about it- She darted forward, planting a soft kiss to his cheek. She missed the cut by a bit due to his height, even if she went on her tiptoes and he did slouch an awful lot, but it would have to be good enough.
Denji’s hand immediately shot up to it, his jaw going slack as he gaped at her.
Asa’s throat felt impossibly tight, but she still managed to talk. "There… Some people say a kiss helps wounds heal better." She knew her face was flushing.
His face wasn’t any better. He muttered. "That’s dumb."
Asa’s embarrassment and irritation ignited. "You’re dumb."
"Huh?! No you are!"
"No you!"
"No you!"
"No you!"
"No you, ugh!"
Denji was going to close the door, but then quickly spun around to kiss her cheek for a millisecond before he darted away again.
He shut the door almost closed, but looked back long enough to mutter firmly. "Date tomorrow. Be there. Goodnight."
The door closed with a small slam.
Asa was too stunned to even blink.
Her heart started beating into a frenzy. She touched her cheek, in the same stupid delayed-reflex way Denji had.
Her touch confirmed what she already knew. Her cheek was intact. She had no cut, not any blemish.
Her face warmed even more, and she let out a wail that sounded like a dying goose. She felt weak in the knees, and everywhere.
She could almost hear his stupid voice and his stupid laughter. Her blush and heart rate only intensified for it.
Already, she couldn’t wait for the next day.