74 Boy

[Word Count: 3110]

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The cheerful melodies of chirping birds intertwined with the distant symphony of city sounds, flooding Leo's ears as he peered through the aperture he had carved into the wall. The once chaotic grasp of the Eternity Devil over the eighth floor had now relinquished its hold, transforming the previously endless corridor of replicated rooms into a place of tangible reality once more.

Amidst this newfound clarity, Leo's thoughts meandered as he contemplated the implications of his unorthodox arrangement. "I wonder... if the Eternity Devil replacing my stomach, will that have any impact on my standing as a War Hybrid," he mused.

Shrugging off his momentary contemplation, Leo turned on his heels and began striding down the hallway, retracing his path back toward the group. With a nonchalant grin, he muttered to himself, "Well, whatever, either one works in the end," bringing his musings to a decisive close.

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The weight of exhaustion had laid claim to Denji, its grasp tight as his mind replayed the haunting memories he had long kept locked away.

"Denji."

A voice, a voice he hadn't heard in what felt like an eternity, pierced through the haze of his thoughts. It was a voice that once echoed in his heart, a constant presence that had now become a distant memory since Pochita had merged with him.

"Denji."

Slowly, as if emerging from the depths of a deep slumber, Denji's eyelids fluttered open. The world around him came into focus, and amidst the blur, a small orange figure perched on his lap, its eyes fixed on him with an urgency that Denji couldn't ignore.

"Hey, Denji, time to wake up," Pochita prodded, its tiny paws pressing against Denji's chest in an attempt to rouse him.

"Pochita?" Denji's voice was laced with surprise, his grogginess giving way to a mixture of confusion and realization.

"Denji, wake up!"

In an instant, Denji snapped to full wakefulness, a sharp intake of breath filling his lungs. He glanced down, half-expecting to find Pochita, but his lap was empty. Slowly, he lifted his gaze, and there, standing over him was a figure he hadn't seen in a while.

"Mornin'," Leo's casual voice reached his ears, grounding him in the present moment.

Denji's hands moved to his eyes, his fingers gently massaging his eyelids as if trying to erase the haunting images that had played out on the canvas of his closed eyes – a painful reel of memories akin to a somber movie.

"Looks like you're finally up," Leo's casual voice, once again found its way to Denji's ears. "Everyone else has already moved on, but I thought I'd stick around. Nothing better to do, really."

Denji's eyes gradually cleared as he continued to rub them, his mind slowly transitioning from the chaos of his memories to the present moment. Leo's words hung in the air, creating a bridge between the past and the now.

The two of them sat there, Denji on the ground, Leo standing over him, a peculiar quietness enveloping them. Denji's lips remained sealed, caught in the struggle to find the right words to break the silence that had settled around them, to bridge the gap between his thoughts and Leo's presence.

Denji's gaze remained stubbornly fixed on the ground, his internal battle reflected in the furrow of his brows and the distant, pained expression that clouded his eyes. It was almost as if he wished he could will his past traumas away, shove them back into the depths of his mind where they couldn't claw at his consciousness.

In that charged silence, Leo's voice cut through like a blade, a single sentence that held a weight Denji couldn't evade.

"So... You killed your father." The words lingered, the truth they carried hanging heavy in the air. Leo's delivery was devoid of condemnation or accusation – just a simple, unvarnished recognition of the undeniable reality Denji had been grappling with.

Denji's shoulders slumped slightly under the weight of that blunt statement, as if it had physically pushed him downward, further into the pit of his own remorseful thoughts. The memories he had been trying to suppress surged back with a vengeance.

Breaking the cycle of Denji's spiraling thoughts, Leo's voice resounded again, cutting through the heaviness. "Seems we have more in common than I thought," he stated matter-of-factly, momentarily jolting Denji out of his mental labyrinth. 

Denji's eyes widened slightly, his attention fully pulled from the mire of his memories to the man before him.

Leo's posture relaxed, a faint hint of a wry smile touching his lips as he continued, "Life has a strange way of fucking with us, ya know."

Denji's voice, though soft, carried a touch of curiosity. "You... you went through something like this too?"

A subtle nod from Leo confirmed Denji's question. "Maybe not the exact same circumstances, but similar enough to know the taste."

As Leo's words reached him, Denji found a renewed focus. The isolation he had felt, the weight of his guilt, seemed to lessen in the presence of this unexpected ally. It was as though their shared experiences had forged a connection that defied the boundaries of their worlds.

Leo leaned back against the wall, his expression a mixture of contemplation and resolve. "That's life, ya know. It kicks us when we're down so we kick it right back twice as hard."

Denji's brows knitted together, his mind working to untangle Leo's unfathomable wisdom. "How do you manage to keep going?"

Leo's eyes met Denji's. "Just live, Denji. There's no intrinsic meaning to our existence, but there are always ways for people to vibe and have a good time anyway. What's something that makes you get out of bed in the morning?"

Denji's face contorted in thought, his lips parting as he pondered. "Tits!" he declared, a surprising earnestness in his voice.

Leo blinked, momentarily caught off guard by the response. "Alright... Anything else?" he chuckled.

"Bread with jam!" Denji exclaimed with genuine enthusiasm.

"Perfect!" Leo encouraged, holding an imaginary piece of toast in one hand. "And what's on the other hand?"

Denji's enthusiasm grew as he envisioned the scenario. "Tits!" he exclaimed once again

"Yeah! Bread and jam in one hand, tits in the other," Leo playfully prompted.

Denji's grin widened. "Yeah, that's something!"

"Yeah!?" Leo questioned.

"Yeah!" Denji echoed.

"Yeah!!?"

"Yeah!!"

The two of them launched into an impromptu chant of "Yeah!" that reverberated through the room and out into the hallway.

"Excuse me, gentlemen, I must insist that you -" a hotel staff member began to interject, only to be promptly silenced by Leo's assertive command.

"Shut it!" Leo ordered, momentarily lost in their chant before snapping back to reality. "Oh shit, my bad. C'mon Denji, let's bounce, it seems we overstayed our welcome."

Leo offered a quick, half-hearted apology to the staff member before guiding a laughing Denji out of the hotel and back onto the bustling streets of Tokyo.

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"Friends?" Leo echoed, a hint of wistfulness touching his voice. "Not many, to be honest. There's Himeno, of course, but it's been years since we had a real conversation. The rest... well, they're mostly family or co-workers, people I know by circumstance more than choice."

As Leo and Denji continued their patrol through Tokyo's streets, the morning sun cast long shadows that were beginning to fade under the increasing warmth of the afternoon.

Denji's curiosity got the better of him. "So, you don't really have friends?"

"Seems that way," Leo replied, nonchalantly slipping his hands into his pockets.

A thoughtful silence hung between them as Denji seemed to be mulling over something.

Finally gathering his resolve, Denji turned toward Leo. "I was thinking, maybe we could..."

Before Denji could finish his sentence, Leo interjected firmly. "No."

Denji blinked, caught off guard by the unexpected refusal. "Wait, why not?"

"Denji, I'm pushing 30, no respectable adult is friends with a teenager," Leo explained, watching Denji's shoulders slump slightly.

A glint of disappointment shadowed Denji's expression, his shoulders slumping ever so slightly. But his resolve wasn't easily quashed.

"Maybe... you could be my mentor?" Denji's words were a blend of hope and hesitation, his gaze intently fixed on Leo.

"Me? A mentor?" Leo echoed with a touch of surprise. At Denji's nod, a small chuckle escaped him. "Well, I doubt Makima would be thrilled about making me a devil hunter again, let alone a mentor."

Denji's brows furrowed in confusion. "Wait, you're not a devil hunter?"

"I'm a private devil hunter," Leo clarified.

"Oh," Denji responded with a hint of realization.

"Isn't Aki meant to be your mentor?" Leo asked.

Denji's nose wrinkled in discontent. "He's just... too pricky."

"What do you want a mentor for anyways?" Leo asked watching a kid down the street trip and eat concrete. "What can I teach you that Aki can't?"

Denji's gaze shifted, his cheeks faintly tinged with embarrassment. "Um, I guess... I want advice on... getting a girlfriend?"

"What was that?" Leo leaned in closer, his arm playfully draped around Denji.

Squirming slightly, Denji mumbled, "I said... getting a girlfriend."

A mischievous grin curled Leo's lips. "What was that? Speak up I can't hear you."

Denji's face flushed a deeper shade of red, his embarrassment palpable. "Yeah, you know... getting bitches?"

Leo's laughter rippled through the air at Denji's candid admission, his amusement proving contagious. "Getting bitches, huh?"

Denji offered a sheepish grin, his hand rubbing the back of his head in embarrassment. "Yeah, I mean... you strike me as someone who's, you know, experienced in that area. Being a high-level girlfriend and stuff."

Leo's laughter faded, his expression shifting to a more thoughtful one. "Actually, no, not really. I haven't been all that experienced, to be honest."

"What!?" Denji's eyes widened in disbelief. "But you're like, really cool and stuff. How did you manage to land a high-level girlfriend?"

A brief pause hung in the air as Leo recalled the unusual circumstances of how he ended up in a relationship. "Well uh, she... asked me, in her own unique way."

"Seriously?" Denji's jaw dropped.

"Yep, believe it or not," Leo confirmed with a small nod.

"Aw, come on!" Denji's shoulders slumped in mock frustration.

"Why the sudden interest in having a girlfriend anyway?" Leo playfully quipped, giving Denji a friendly nudge.

Denji's response came in a mumbled reply, "To, you know, kiss and stuff."

Leo raised an eyebrow, a mischievous glint in his eyes. "Hmm, what about tits? Did you give up on those?" 

  "They weren't as mind-blowing as I thought," Denji confessed with a hint of disappointment.

Leo's surprise was palpable. "Hold on a second, you've actually felt breasts?"

Denji nodded nonchalantly.

"And now you're all about the kissing?" Leo pressed, his curiosity piqued.

Another nod.

Leo's confusion deepened. "Wait, wait, wait. Let me get this straight. You've moved from second base back to first?"

"Yeah, what's wrong with that?" Denji frowned, slightly puzzled.

Leo's eyes gleamed with amusement. "Denji, buddy, you've got your bases mixed up. It's first base for a kiss, then second base for the boobs."

"Eh?" Denji's eyes widened in realization.

"Speaking of breasts..." Leo leaned in, his voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper. The ambient street sounds provided the perfect cover for their conversation.

"Want to get some hands-on experience?" Leo leaned in even closer, glancing over his shoulder as if checking for eavesdroppers.

Denji's eyes widened in shock as he mimicked Leo's glance over his shoulder.

Swallowing hard, he cautiously surveyed their surroundings. "Wait, you mean there's a place where you can actually... touch them?"

"Yeah..." Leo confirmed with a sly grin. "For the right price, you can buy just about anything."

"But I don't have any money," Denji deflated, his hopes sinking.

"It's fine, I got plenty," Leo reassured.

Denji's eyes sparkled with newfound enthusiasm. "Leo-sensei."

"Now, let's get going," Leo's smirk widened. "But guess what? We're already here."

Denji's gaze followed Leo's gesture, landing on a set of illuminated stairs with a crimson hue at the top. He hadn't even realized they had started moving; he was under the impression they were still outside the hotel.

"Up there," Leo announced dramatically, "is a realm of unlimited bosom, just waiting for your eager hands."

Reaching into his jacket, Leo smoothly retrieved a pristine punch card, presenting it as though unveiling a treasure. "Behold, the key to boob town," he announced with a devilish grin, relishing the greediness in Denji's eyes. "And now, it's a gift, from me... to you."

Denji cautiously accepted the card, his fingers curling around the corner as if cradling something precious. He held it aloft, almost as if it were a sacred relic bathed in a celestial glow.

Examining the card more closely, Denji's curiosity got the better of him. "Hey, why aren't any of the holes punched?" he inquired, glancing up at Leo with a quizzical look.

Leo's response was nonchalant. "Well, I ended up snagging a girlfriend before I got the chance to dive into places like these. But you, however..." he gave Denji a playful nudge. "You can truly appreciate this place."

Denji stumbled slightly but regained his footing, his eyes shifting between the punch card and the alluring red-lit staircase. Nervously swallowing, he embarked on the climb, his steps cautious but purposeful.

Back at street level, Leo watched with a mixture of amusement and pride as Denji disappeared into the depths of the crimson-lit stairwell, the glow seeming to envelop him in a world of possibilities.

Turning to his right, Leo addressed Kishibe. "What about you, Kishibe? You want in?"

Kishibe approached leo, stowing away his flask. "I'll pass. I'm too old to be going to places like these," he responded wearily, his gaze trailing up the stairs. "How did you even stumble upon a place like this?"

Leo offered a casual explanation. "My cousin brought me here when I turned 20."

As they stood side by side, a comfortable silence enveloped them before Leo broke it, pointing to a nearby bar. "Care for a drink?"

Kishibe followed Leo's gesture, spotting the quaint bar. "Sure," he agreed readily. Nothing like a bit of daytime drinking to spice up the rest of the day.

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"I want to call it quits," Leo confessed, his head meeting the cool surface of the table with a sigh.

The drinks had just been served, but Leo wasted no time baring his thoughts to Kishibe.

Kishibe, his expression as impassive as ever, met Leo's gaze. "Why?"

Leo let out a sigh, a mix of frustration and exhaustion evident in his voice. "I'm reaching a breaking point, Kishibe. I've been pushing myself to keep up with this whole devil-hunting charade, but it's no longer working for me."

"Not finding it thrilling anymore?" Kishibe's question was tinged with his usual disinterest as he took a sip from his mug.

"It's not that it's not exciting," Leo replied, his tone tinged with self-doubt. "It's more like it's become suffocating. I've been living a lie, Kishibe. Pretending to enjoy this devil-hunting life, but deep down, I'm just drained by it."

Kishibe's response was measured silence as he continued to assess Leo, his expression unreadable behind his steady gaze. He took another sip, seemingly nonchalant.

"I'm running on fumes, Kishibe," Leo continued, his voice a mix of weariness and self-reflection. "I'm a country mouse at heart, I've just been forcing myself to live like a city mouse," he confessed, his gaze now fixed on the ceiling, lost in his thoughts.

"Have you made up your mind yet?" Leo's gaze shifted from the ceiling to Kishibe, his hand reaching for his mug as he awaited a response.

Kishibe's eyes, deep and contemplative, met Leo's. "The puzzle pieces are assembled, yet the final one remains elusive," he responded, his focus returning to the depths of his drink.

"Fuck..." Leo exhaled with a mixture of frustration and resignation, his eyes returning to their distant contemplation of the ceiling.

"Why the sudden interest?" Kishibe inquired, his tone almost casual. "You've remained uninterested since you first introduced the idea."

Leo took a moment before responding, his eyes still fixed on the ceiling as he wrestled with his thoughts.

"I have a family, Kishibe," Leo finally revealed, the weight of his words hanging in the air. Kishibe's normally impassive expression betrayed a hint of surprise at the unexpected admission. "I want to confront Makima while I still have some fight left in me. But judging by my current pace, I doubt I'll make it to the end of August."

The gravity of Leo's words hung in the air, the weight of his responsibilities and his urgency laid bare in that moment of raw honesty.

Kishibe's gaze remained unwavering, offering Leo a space of contemplation. Leo took a deliberate sip from his drink, his mind clearly engaged in a deep introspection.

"That leaves us a month and a half," Kishibe finally broke the silence, his tone calm and calculated. "Do you think you can hold on until then?"

Leo let out an exaggerated groan, allowing himself to slump slightly in his seat. "You're such a slave driver, you know that?" he playfully retorted.

"Can you?" Kishibe repeated, his question direct.

"Of course," Leo responded earnestly, his demeanor shifting to seriousness.

Kishibe was on the verge of continuing the conversation when a sudden ringing erupted from Leo's pocket, causing him to pause. While Leo conversed on the phone, Kishibe took the opportunity to sip his own drink, only catching a few snippets of the conversation, notably the word "Hoarde."

"Yeah, sure, got it," Leo's dismissive tone came through as he hung up.

Leo stretched his back as he finished off his drink, a satisfied sigh escaping his lips. "Well, as much as I'd love to keep talking, duty calls."

Kishibe arched an eyebrow, his expression unchanging. "You're actually taking the calls seriously now?"

"Matter of fact, I am," Leo confirmed, motioning for the bill.

"Money's been on my mind as of recently. So I've been answering more calls than usual," Leo added, his demeanor matter-of-fact.

"I see," Kishibe murmured, taking a slow sip from his own mug.

"Yep, got these nagging thoughts about financial security," Leo quipped as he stood up from the table, preparing to leave.

Settling the tab for their drinks, Leo stood up, stretching his back as he prepared to leave.

Kishibe observed Leo's departure, taking his time to finish his own drink. As he set the empty mug down, he briefly closed his eyes, and when he opened them again, Leo was already gone.

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June 18th (Father's Day), 1997 

The early morning rays cast a warm, golden hue over the Japanese coastline as the sun gracefully ascended above the horizon. Tokyo's streets, typically bustling with activity, now held an eerie stillness. A handful of individuals stood in a daze, their attention ensnared by the luminous electronic billboards that loomed above, displaying urgent updates.

The news anchor, his demeanor a mix of urgency and sorrow, held his hand pressed to his earpiece as he absorbed the incoming information. With a heavy exhale, he lowered his hand, his eyes glistening with unshed emotion, and addressed the camera.

"It is with a heavy heart that I convey the solemn news: Public Safety has officially confirmed the passing of Japan's renowned devil hunter, Leo Tsukumo. As the sun rises on this day, we collectively mourn the loss of a valiant guardian. On behalf of Tokyo Public Broadcasting, we extend our gratitude for his unwavering dedication and service."