Chapter 7: Denji's Favor
"What kind of approach?"
As soon as she heard there was a way to solve the problem at its root, Denji immediately tossed her previous confusion to the back of her mind.
"Kill the creditor."
Otonashi Chiya spoke plainly: "Under Japanese law, as long as you do not inherit your father's estate, the children are not required to repay the father's debts. Therefore, your debt is illegal. High-interest loans are also illegal. But the yakuza won't care about that; they will simply squeeze you until you die. So, the only way is to kill your creditor."
Even if one were to inherit an estate, one would only need to use the assets of that estate to settle what is possible; there is no legal obligation to pay the remainder out of pocket. But loan sharks aren't exactly known for listening to reason...
"That's amazing... I had no idea about any of that..."
Denji listened, stunned. She had never attended school; how could she possibly understand the law? From the day her father died, she had been constantly pressured to pay back the money. She simply assumed it was something she had to do—and if she didn't, she would be killed!
"But I'm too weak. There are so many of them, I can't possibly win." Denji knew her own limits.
"Don't worry, I will help you. That rabble is nothing to fear."
Chiya had already decided to save her. Although four years from now, Denji would merge with Pochita to become Chainsaw Man and change her life forever, these next four years would otherwise be filled with agonizing suffering. Starvation and abuse were daily occurrences, and since the Denji in this world was a girl, she would likely be forced into sex work. In the original story, the yakuza had even considered forcing the male Denji into such a life; as long as it made them money, they were capable of anything.
Since he had transmigrated here, he couldn't just stand by and watch. Furthermore, it seemed Denji had only recently contracted with Pochita. Though malnourished, her body didn't seem to have any permanent damage yet; she appeared to be physically "whole."
"Re... really?"
Denji could hardly believe it. Aside from her mother, who had passed away early, she had been a target of contempt and abuse her entire life. Being treated like a normal person was a luxury she didn't dare ask for, let alone having someone help and care for her.
"Of course it's true," Chiya nodded.
"That's great!" A look of pure joy spread across Denji's face. She couldn't remember the last time she had felt this happy.
[Ding! Host has activated the achievement "Denji's Sense of Closeness (Lv.1)." Gained 2 Attribute Points!]
Hearing the system notification, Chiya was a bit surprised. There's an achievement for this? And looking at the suffix "(Lv.1)," it seemed there were multiple stages to it.
"But why do you know about my debt? This should be the first time we've met, right?" Denji finally remembered her earlier doubt.
"You know that contracting with a devil grants you devil powers. This is one of my abilities—I can see a portion of a person's memories." Chiya bluffed with a straight face. "But this is my secret. Don't tell anyone."
Denji froze. He's willing to tell me a secret like that... doesn't that mean he already sees me as someone he can trust?
She nodded vigorously. "Mhm! I definitely won't say a word!"
She didn't even stop to consider if he was lying. Chiya knew Denji was naive and pure, but he wasn't tricking her out of malice—he simply couldn't tell anyone he was a transmigrator.
He continued, "Besides, I have a grudge against that yakuza gang. Isn't the enemy of my enemy a friend?"
This wasn't entirely a lie. In the original story, many Public Safety Devil Hunters—especially Himeno—died at the hands of the yakuza. The mastermind was a certain Weapon Human, also known as "Katana Man," though the true puppet master behind the scenes was actually Makima.
As it turned out, Katana Man's grandfather was Denji's primary creditor—that old bastard who would eventually be turned into a zombie—so it was indeed the same yakuza group. Otonashi Chiya naturally found this gang utterly loathsome and was determined to wipe them out.
"Oh, I see." Denji nodded without a shred of doubt. "By the way... are your eyes okay?"
She had been staring at Chiya's left eye for a while. She had noticed the blood beneath it earlier, and seeing that he hadn't wiped it away, she couldn't help but speak up.
"It's fine. This is just the price for using devil powers."
Chiya realized he had forgotten to clean off the blood, which had already begun to dry. He casually wiped the stain away and continued, "Once we eliminate that gang, you won't have to worry about the debt ever again."
"That really is a great idea!" But Denji's expression quickly shifted back to worry. "But... is it really okay with just the two of us?"
Even though she had witnessed this big brother's strength with her own eyes, the yakuza had numbers on their side. She knew she had almost no combat power, which meant it was strictly just him—one person taking on an entire gang for her sake...
"It's no problem," Chiya began, but he was interrupted by a loud growl coming from Denji's stomach.
Denji looked down and rubbed her belly. She didn't act like a typical girl who might get embarrassed by such a thing. "I clearly ate a slice of bread before I left... how am I hungry again already?"
"Woof, woof~"
Pochita nuzzled against Denji's calf, letting out a soft whimper as if trying to comfort her. Denji knelt down and hugged him. "Pochita, you must be hungry too. There are two slices left at home; let's go back and eat them."
"Go home and pack whatever you want to take with you, then come with me," Chiya said.
"Eh...?" Denji didn't process it at first.
"Of course, if you want to keep living in that shack, I'll respect your wishes," Chiya added.
Denji snapped out of it and shook her head frantically. "No, no, no! Who would want to stay in that broken shack?"
"Then it's settled. You and Pochita head home first. I have something important to take care of, but I'll come find you at your place as soon as I'm done." Chiya already had a plan in mind.
"Okay!" Denji beamed, hugging Pochita as she started running toward home.
She still couldn't believe her luck. To think she had met such a wonderful person today—someone willing to stand alone against the entire yakuza for her. After running a few paces, she turned back and waved at Chiya.
"Goodbye, big brother! You have to come find me, okay? We have a promise!"
"I will," Chiya smiled.
Seeing that gentle, handsome smile, Denji's face flushed. She hugged Pochita tight and sprinted away. "What do I do, Pochita?! I think I really like that big brother!"
[Ding! Host has activated the achievement "Denji's Sense of Closeness (Lv.2)." Gained 4 Attribute Points!]