Chapter 9

Angel sat on a pillow in Kobeni's room, the very anxious girl placing a cup of juice on the table. Her gaze was fixed on the leather gloves the young boy wore. Himeno and Makima had debriefed her about the particular fiend's ability to sap the life from those he touched, earning the moniker "An overgrown leech" from Aki. He picked up the glass with two hands, seemingly dazed, his glassy eyes fixed on the yellow contents swirling around as he slowly rocked the glass in a circular motion.

Denji had finally ceased wrestling, He sat on the other side of the table, munching on a slice of toast with an outrageous amount of butter. The two fiends made eye contact, Denji's gaze transfixed on the angel's halo.

"Oi, Kobeni?" Denji asked, his eyes still locked on the angel's presence. Kobeni, now seated at the small table for breakfast, was anxiously twisting a bracelet on her left wrist. "Y-yes?" she replied.

"Who's the cosplayer?" Denji inquired, his sharp teeth sinking into the buttered toast.

"I'm the new C-12 squad member," Angel answered, tilting his head towards Denji. "You, Kobeni, and Kishibe sensei have been reassigned, so the three of us will be working and living together for a while until a fifth member is recruited."

"W-why 5?" stammered Kobeni.

"According to Kishibe Sensei, every special squad is comprised of 5 members to ensure what's called a 'triple precautionary.' We are all special, but we need to work and understand each other's abilities for better cohesion."

"So why is it called a triple precautionary?" Denji inquired.

"In the event that two members get too close for whatever reason, there are 3 members left to eliminate the two," Angel explained, raising his hand and pointing a finger at both Kobeni and Denji. "Whenever you point a finger, 3 point back at you."

"What if someone just kills the other 3?" Denji pressed.

"Then I suppose Makima would come and execute them, if they are so willing to betray and slaughter their comrades," Angel replied.

"What if someone managed to befriend and turn the whole squad?" Kobeni asked, her stutter momentarily absent. Angel put his hand to his chin, pondering the question. "Well then, I guess Makima-San would execute all of them," the angel guessed.

If you asked any of the other divisions what they thought about Kishibe, you'd likely get a range of speculations about his motivations. Denji and Kobeni found themselves in a field of white crosses, with Angel hovering overhead. Kishibe, facing away from them, initiated a sort of quiz.

"Question one. How would you feel about your comrades dying?" Kishibe raised a finger, prompting Denji to respond first. "I have a contract with one of them, so tough luck, I guess. It would hit me hard."

"Most of them already have, so what's a few more," Angel stated matter-of-factly.

Kobeni began to sweat nervously as both her teammates awaited her response. "I-I'm in this for the m-money. I-I-take it as an o-o-occupational h-hazard. Happens all the time."

Kishibe turned to look at her. "What do you think about revenge?"

"It sounds like a waste of time, to be honest," Denji replied.

"I gave up on silly ideas like that a long time ago." Angel stated grimly

"S-s-ounds too dangerous for me," Kobeni stuttered, feeling like she was answering the questions incorrectly.

"Last question. What side are you on: humans or devils?"

"Whichever side pays better," Kobeni responded automatically, making Kishibe chuckle.

"Whichever side Kobeni's on," Denji chimed in, recalling his contract.

"Whichever side's less of a pain in the ass to deal with," Angel added solemnly.

Kishibe chuckled heartily, tossing his flask at Denji, who caught it after it made a soft thud against his chest. "Drink up." Denji lifted the flask to his lips, smelling the foul liquid for a moment before taking a gulp, his face contorting momentarily in discomfort.

He opened his eyes, and the normally white color of his scalera was now pinkish as his blood began to boil. He passed the flask to Kobeni. "Devil blood. High-quality stuff," the chainsaw boy said with a hoarse throat. "It's the blood of the devil the one you killed a day ago. If a fiend drinks it to augment their activated abilities, it will boost your abilities. For you, it will allow you to rev your chainsaws faster, making it easier to slide through materials. When you're in human form, it will naturally augment your body's strength."

"So why do you drink it?" Kobeni asked Kishibe.

"It makes humans stronger, almost on par with fiends," Denji explained. "I used to gather this stuff all the time back when I was a hunter. People would sell it on the black market. It heals wounds, keeps you young, virile, whatever that means. It's a cure-all."

Denji could have sworn he saw steam burst from Kobeni's ears after just a sip. Her hair stood on end, and she felt like she was going to throw up. Angel descended from the sky, his hand outstretched, wanting to grab the flask. Kishibe grabbed it from Kobeni's hand before Angel could reach it. "Your powers do not depend on your physical ability; you don't need this," he stated, placing it back in his jacket pocket. "For now, I want you all to face me unarmed. This begins lesson one."

Denji stepped back, confused about what he was told. "Wait, we're fighting now?" He could only manage to say this before Kishibe vanished from his sight and reappeared in front of him, punching Denji in the nose, breaking it instantly. Kobeni began sweating and making a small chattering noise. She looked at Denji's body and then back at Kishibe, who slowly turned toward her and pulled a knife from his jacket.