"What idea?"
Hearing Izanagi mention a way to solve the problem at its root, Denji's curiosity quickly pushed aside her earlier doubts.
"Kill your debt," Izanagi said bluntly. "Under Japanese law, if children refuse to inherit their parents' estate, they are not responsible for their parents' debts. Your debt is illegal, especially the loan shark side of things. But gangsters don't care about laws. They'll keep bleeding you dry until there's nothing left. The only solution... is to eliminate the people forcing you to pay."
Even if Denji had inherited her father's estate, she wouldn't have been responsible for the remainder once the estate's value was exhausted. But criminals didn't play fair. They didn't care about rules — only power.
"Whoa... I didn't know that..."
Denji was stunned.
With no proper education, she barely knew anything about laws or rights. Ever since her father died, she believed her debt was an unavoidable curse, something she had no choice but to carry.
"But I'm too weak... there's no way I can beat them. There's too many."
Denji clenched her fists. She knew her own limits.
"Don't worry, I'll help you. Those scumbags are nothing to be afraid of."
Izanagi had already made up his mind to help Denji.
In the original timeline, Denji would merge with Pochita four years later and become Chainsaw Man, changing his fate. But until then, Denji's life had been nothing but misery — starvation, abuse, and constant humiliation. Worse, as a girl in this world, her suffering could end up far worse than in the original.
The gang had tried to exploit Denji before. It wasn't hard to imagine they'd force her into even darker situations this time.
There was no way Izanagi could ignore that.
"Really?"
Denji's voice trembled with disbelief.
Apart from her mother, who had passed away long ago, no one had ever treated her with kindness. She'd been rejected, mocked, and used her entire life. The thought of someone stepping in to help felt unreal.
"Of course."
Izanagi nodded firmly.
"Awesome!"
Denji's face lit up with a wide, childlike smile. For the first time in a long while, she felt genuinely happy.
[Ding! Achievement Unlocked: "Denji's Intimacy (Lv1)" — Attribute points +2!]
Izanagi paused, a little surprised by the unexpected system notification. The (Lv1) tag suggested there were multiple stages to this achievement.
"But... how did you know about my debt?" Denji suddenly remembered her earlier suspicion.
"You know how devil contracts can grant abilities, right? One of my powers lets me see fragments of other people's memories."
Izanagi spoke calmly. "But this is my secret. Don't tell anyone."
Denji's eyes widened. If he was willing to share something like that, it meant he trusted her.
"Yeah! I promise I won't tell anyone!"
Denji didn't even stop to question if Izanagi was lying. She believed him without hesitation.
Izanagi knew Denji's naivety, but he didn't plan to deceive her. Explaining his powers as a devil contract was the safest cover story. His true identity as a time traveler couldn't be shared with anyone.
"And besides..." Izanagi continued, "I have my own reason for wanting that gang gone. The enemy of my enemy is my friend, right?"
This wasn't just an excuse. In the original timeline, many Public Safety devil hunters, including Himeno, had been killed because of the gang's involvement. Their leader, Katana Man's grandfather, was deeply connected to the underworld.
Izanagi despised those criminals and was determined to crush them.
"Oh... yeah, that makes sense."
Denji accepted the explanation without question.
"By the way... are your eyes okay?"
Denji's gaze lingered on the blood trail beneath Izanagi's left eye. The dried streak of crimson hadn't been wiped away yet.
"It's fine. Just the cost of using my devil's power."
Izanagi wiped away the remaining blood and continued.
"Once we deal with those scumbags, you won't owe anyone anything."
"That sounds great...!"
Denji's excitement faded as doubt crept back in.
"But... can we really pull this off?"
Denji's face tightened with worry. Even after seeing Izanagi's strength, the thought of facing an entire gang felt overwhelming.
She knew how powerless she was. In her mind, Izanagi was throwing himself into danger for her sake.
"No problem," Izanagi replied confidently.
Before Denji could answer, her stomach growled loudly.
Denji winced, placing a hand on her gut.
"I only had a piece of bread this morning... I guess I'm still hungry."
"Woof!"
Pochita rubbed affectionately against Denji's leg, wagging his tail.
Denji smiled and hugged Pochita tightly.
"Don't worry, Pochita. We've still got two slices of bread at home. Let's head back and eat."
"Go home, pack whatever you want to take with you, and then come with me," Izanagi said.
"...Eh?"
Denji stared at him blankly, confused.
"Unless," Izanagi added, "you still want to live in that filthy shack."
Denji shook her head furiously.
"No way! I hate that place!"
"Good. Go home first. I've got something important to take care of. I'll find you once I'm done."
Denji grinned.
"Alright!"
She turned and ran off with Pochita in her arms, her face beaming with excitement.
For the first time in a long while, Denji felt hope.
Halfway down the path, she stopped and turned back.
"Bye! Don't forget to come find me later, okay? We've got a deal!"
"I will," Izanagi said with a smile.
Denji turned back again, jogging away with a joyful bounce in her step.
"Pochita... I think I've fallen in love with that man who saved us..."
[Ding! Achievement Unlocked: "Denji's Intimacy (Lv2)" — Attribute points +4!]
####
Support & Read 10+ Advance Chapters On patreon.com/Zexxxxy