Chapter 23

The airfield where the conversation was taking place reminded Denji of the forest where he had lived. In every direction, there were lush green trees and rolling hills. He couldn't help but imagine how out of place the gray airstrip must look, like a foreign intrusion in the midst of nature, with only a single gated road leading in or out. Denji figured it might be a while before Aki returned. He hadn't seen Kishibe since their earlier conversation, so Denji started to make his way down the airstrip, heading for the medical wing.

As Denji entered the dark, crowded room, he expected to find Angel lying in a hospital bed, perhaps eating pudding like people in comas do in movies. However, Angel was still lying on his back, barely conscious. Kobeni was by his side, engaged in small talk and gently feeding him sliced apples from a can. The scene was oddly calming for Denji. Kobeni, who usually fidgeted with her hands or bounced her knee, seemed composed, although she was still sweating profusely. Denji couldn't help but wonder why it was taking so long for Angel to heal, despite the numerous blood bags being pumped into him through an IV.

Turning away to give Kobeni and Angel some space to relax, Denji reflected on the situation. He understood that Kobeni might be uncomfortable around him. After the initial battle, when he came to, the entire area was in ruins, Dieter was missing, and the city block resembled a warzone. He had apologized for all of it and he had justified some of it as just being apart of his mission. he knew that he would keep his promise to Kobeni so he hoped it would help her keep calm about the situation.

He scrubbed his hand over his face, trying to make sense of it all. He knew he wasn't in control of himself during the fight, but it wasn't as if he was completely unaware of what had happened. Denji attempted to push the memory of cutting Reze in half out of his mind, but the image of her innards scattered across the icy landscape and his own reflection in the crimson aftermath haunted him. He couldn't shake the feeling that he could have killed her—no, that he would have killed her if she hadn't exploded.

Something about the entire fight felt off. When he came to in his normal form, Reze had the opportunity to blast his limbs off with her finger blasts. If she truly wanted to kill him while he was going berserk, couldn't she have done so? Would she have been able to shoot him in the chest or tackle him and keep pulling the pin until he was blown to smithereens?

"She was buying time," echoed in his mind, a voice that sounded like Pochita. Denji wasn't asleep yet, but it made perfect sense. Why else would Reze waste so much time watching him fight Dieter and the helicopters? Why hadn't she gone for lethal blows? She knew he wasn't himself. That's when Denji squeezed his eyes shut and thought, "I should have realized that before!" He slammed his fist against a concrete wall in frustration. "She risked her life to buy time so she wouldn't have to kill me, and I wake her up and ask her if she ever really cared like some idiot? Stupid! Stupid! Stupid!"

He made his way out of the medical ward, not wanting Angel or Kobeni to see him in this state. "They already saw me slaughter those soldiers. They saw me destroy part of a city!" he muttered, running his hands through his disheveled hair. "Damn!"

A voice suddenly interrupted his thoughts. Denji looked up from the ground and saw a teenager about his age standing nearby. The stranger appeared almost out of nowhere, with well-kept black hair that covered his eyes and a creepy, small smile on his face.

"Hard day?" the newcomer asked.

Denji clenched his teeth. "It was a damn terrible day."

The stranger seemed unfazed. "I bet. It sounds like you should have thought things through more."

Denji's patience was running thin. "I didn't have a lot of options."

Noticing that the boy wasn't wearing the standard devil hunters uniform but instead a high school one with the devil hunters badge pinned to the right side of his chest, Denji demanded, "Who the hell even are you?"

The boy walked closer and bowed slightly. "I am Hirofumi Yoshida. Makima assigned me as your bodyguard."

Denji's frustration grew, and he snapped, "I don't need a damn bodyguard. I need to be left alone!" He raised his hand as if to swat the boy away, but Yoshida moved nimbly, dodging it with ease, then vanished into thin air in a burst of black smoke. "I'll stick around in case you need me," was all he said before disappearing without a trace.

Denji stood up, shaking his head and trying to slow his breath to regain composure. "I'm okay," he whispered to himself, making an effort to stop his hands from trembling. He knew he had to control his anger and find a way to fix things. Slowly, he walked toward the door of the medical wing, wiping the sweat from his face with his shirt sleeve. With a somewhat loud entrance, he slipped inside.

Kobeni took notice of his entrance, her expression shifting from shock and terror to a smile. Denji couldn't help but notice the sweat and a few tears on her face. Meanwhile, Angel smiled weakly, attempting to raise himself to a sitting position. Kobeni's hand gently supported him.

"I got dinged pretty badly, huh?" Angel remarked nonchalantly. "You should have seen the other guys!" Denji said, his voice shaky as he tried to muster confidence. "I wish I could have helped more. Kobeni told you fought really hard and saved all of us back there."

Denji glanced at Kobeni, his mouth slightly agape. She averted her gaze and fidgeted with her coat. Denji's smile slowly spread across his face. "Kobeni is just hyping me up. I didn't do that great," he said modestly. Denji then moved to sit down on the hospital bed and began to recount the story of what had happened to Angel. He made a mental note to thank Kobeni. Although she appeared worried after the earlier ordeal, she smiled at him sweetly. Denji felt a surge of gratitude, realizing that she was indeed an angel.

A little while later, Kishibe arrived, discovering the other three members of his squad engaged in conversation about the battle. Denji was striking poses and cracking jokes, and the old man couldn't help but chuckle to himself. He decided to leave them be for the moment and focused on the task at hand.

Kishibe retrieved a scrap of paper he had received hastily from one of his contacts earlier that day. It contained information he needed to follow up on, but his thoughts couldn't stray too far from the regrets he had shared with Denji earlier.

"Quanxi is coming." The message read.