Chapter 7

Kobeni wasn't an early riser; even on workdays, she would have to drag herself out of bed. The monotony of her routine weighed heavy on her. Every morning was a hurried ritual—brushing her teeth, a quick shower. It was a cycle she had become all too familiar with. The cacophony of her mother's shouts from the kitchen, urging her to get moving, was a constant backdrop to her days.

On this particular morning, from her small, dimly lit apartment in the heart of Tokyo, far removed from the lush greenery of Tsushima where she had grown up, Kobeni's tired form rose from bed. She rubbed the sleep from her eyes, her hand absentmindedly adjusting the straps of a faded baby blue nightgown that barely stretched past her knees. After Denji had shared about Pochita and Makima, she had retreated to her room, giving him the space he seemed to need.

Then, a cracking noise at the window startled her. She was on the 30th floor, and while birds sometimes collided with the window, this felt different, sending shivers down her spine. The air suddenly seemed colder, and her teeth began to chatter involuntarily, an unsettling feeling settling in her gut.

"Kobeni-Chan!" a voice called from the window. The elongated, dark silhouette of a nearby building cast its shadow over the room. It remained still, yet Kobeni observed the form gradually shift from a mere flat darkness into a human figure rising slowly from the floor. It took on a striking resemblance to Kobeni herself—a doppelganger. This figure sported paper-white skin and silky, adorned with a white flower which stayed steadfast in her hair like a corsage, Kobeni shivered as she gazed at this replica.

"Hello?" she stammered. "It's been a while, hasn't it?" the figure replied. "I'm not sure why I took on your appearance." The doppleganger began strolling towards the door of Kobeni's room, a teasing tone in her voice. "Is there someone else here? Did my little Beni bring a boy home?" she playfully inquired. "N-n-no, it's for my job!" Kobeni stuttered. Death turned her attention toward the door, and Kobeni's senses sharpened, catching a shuffling noise emanating from behind it.

Denji was grappling with the intense sensation of a buzzing migraine and urgency, his instincts surging within him, prompting him to grab at his ripcord. The danger in Kobeni's room seemed to escalate, intensifying as if a battle was just a breath away. With a swift motion, he pulled open the door, his left hand clutching the cord, the chainsaws teetering on the edge of revealing themselves. Kobeni stood in the room, visibly shaken, her gaze shifting between Denji and a specific point in the shadowy room.

"Kobeni, are you okay?" Denji asked, scanning the room for any signs of danger. "Denji! Yes, everything is f-f-fine!" Kobeni stammered, trembling, her attention locked on a particular spot. "Can he see her?" Kobeni pondered nervously. "I don't think he can," The copy replied cryptically. "He can't see unless I show him."

Kobeni's copy extended her hand towards Denji. A jolt ran through Kobeni's mind, realizing her precarious situation. Makima had explicitly instructed her to keep her devil contract a secret, and she couldn't reveal who was there now, or Denji might put the pieces together. Her head spun as she contemplated the potential consequences of failing to maintain this secrecy.

"Oi!" Denji's voice echoed in the room, directed at the seemingly empty spot before him. "I know there's someone here!" Kobeni looked at him, perplexed. "What?" she asked, confusion etched on her face. "I can tell there's someone else here. Someone stinks!" Denji bluffed, he swung his arm around, trying to swat an invisible presence. "It smells like some dog or something up and died in here!"

Kobeni struggled to read her copy's expression, unsure of what was going through the its mind. Despite its negative reputation, she believed it deserved some respect.

Denji spun around frantically, his open hand swinging through the air. "Kobeni, what's wrong with him?" she pointed her thumb at Denji and glanced at Kobeni. "What's with this guy?" Kobeni winced, feeling increasingly overwhelmed.

Denji abruptly stopped, his eyes fixated on a specific spot. Kobeni's heart raced, her senses heightened. Denji's fiery agitation seemed to calm, and he leaned closer to the copy, as if addressing the unseen entity. "There you are!" Denji reached for his rip chord.

Kobeni acted swiftly, seizing Denji's wrist and twisting it unnaturally, preventing him from pulling his ripcord. With a deft move, she brought her leg down on his calf, forcing him to kneel. Kobeni locked his empty hand above her head, her elbow securing his neck in a wrestler-like hold. Fear flickered in her eyes as she stared at the devil, who wore a deadpan expression while rubbing their cheek. "Denji-kun! You shouldn't do that!" Her voice wavered.

"Kobeni-Chan, what the heck!" Denji struggled to speak, the pressure on his windpipe making it difficult. "What the heck is even happening?!" he yelled, his vision blurring due to the lack of oxygen. Kobeni released her grip, and the unseen copy slumped to the ground, seemingly lifeless.

Denji's gaze shifted from the crumpled form to Kobeni, genuine confusion etched across his features. Kobeni, equally perplexed, didn't realize that Death was now completely visible to Denji. She also wondered how Denji managed to seemingly knock out the literal embodiment of a primordial fear with just one hit.

pointing at the inert form on the floor. Denji said "Creepy Emo bitch" Kobeni heard him say watching him steal the white flower from its head "dibs!" He said placing it on his own head before crumpling to the ground unconscious just like the copy

Kobeni started crying