Goto opened her eyes to see an unfamiliar ceiling.
Where… am I? How did I end up here?
Oh right… I must have fallen asleep leaning on Kobeni…
"Bochi-chan, you're awake."
A familiar female voice reached her ears, but it wasn't Kobeni.
Goto quickly turned her head only to find Makima's face just inches away, crouched by the bedside and staring at her.
"Eh? M-Makima-san?!" Goto blurted out in surprise.
"Did you sleep well?" Makima asked.
"Y-yeah… I guess. Wait, so this place is…?"
Makima smiled warmly. "Yes, this is my place. Well, it's not really a home. Just an apartment the Public Safety Bureau assigned to me."
"I saw you asleep, so I brought you here."
"Oh… thank you," Goto replied.
The words had barely left her mouth when her whole body tensed, cold sweat prickling down her back.
If Makima brought me here… that means the backpack with Pochita in it… she must have brought that too.
Could she have already seen Pochita?
If that happened, wouldn't my whole cover be blown?!
Keeping up this misunderstanding is exhausting enough… but without it, things would only get more dangerous.
Her teeth chattering slightly, Goto spoke up. "Um… Makima-san, my bag…"
"Of course I brought it," Makima said. "I also brought your guitar. After all, those are things you cherish."
"A-and the stuff inside my bag… did you… did you see…"
Makima tilted her head slightly. "Hm?"
"Bochi-chan, you're not suspecting that I secretly looked inside your bag, are you?"
"That would never happen. I may be your devoted fan, but I know enough to respect my idol's privacy."
"So don't worry, I haven't opened it once."
Goto finally let out a sigh of relief.
If Makima had actually seen Pochita, things would have been a nightmare.
"You've had a hard day," Makima continued. "From what the others in Division 4 said, that devil was quite strong. But in your presence, I suppose it was nothing."
"Y-yeah… I guess so," Goto said, fiddling nervously with her hair.
Makima stood up and turned her back to her.
The sudden movement caught Goto off guard then she heard Makima speaking as if to herself.
"But still… the Chainsaw Devil in my mind is someone far stronger. An invincible being."
"Someone who could finish off a devil like that in minutes."
"Yet you took so long. You were trapped with the others for three days and nights, then spent more than two hours finishing it off, and afterward you were so exhausted you fell asleep."
"I have to admit… I'm a little disappointed."
Her tone carried a faint chill, a hint of distance that made the air feel colder.
Goto's eyes widened. A shiver ran through her whole body.
Makima let out a long sigh. "I really… used to like you, Bochi-chan."
Am I about to be killed?
A surge of dread gripped her. She could feel the oppressive weight emanating from Makima.
From the very start, Makima had acted like a starstruck fangirl. But the truth was, the person she admired was the legendary, all-powerful Chainsaw Devil.
Goto Ichiri, she never admired you. Don't get ahead of yourself.
If she's truly disappointed in me and decides to kill me… then I'll have to strike first.
Where's Pochita?
Goto sat up quickly, scanning the room until she spotted her backpack in the corner of the living room.
From this distance… would it come if I called it?
No… the more important question is, could Pochita even take Makima?
Even though Makima had always acted like just another high-ranking Public Safety officer, Goto had an unshakable gut feeling this woman was dangerous.
The next moment, Makima turned around.
Goto's heart nearly leapt into her throat. She braced herself for the worst.
Instead, Makima beamed at her and said, "Now I like you even more."
Goto stared blankly as Makima approached and, without warning, wrapped her in a tight embrace.
"M-Makima-san?" Goto asked, confused.
"The invincible Chainsaw Devil… also has a softer side," Makima said gently.
"At first I found it hard to accept, but once I thought about it, it's actually nice."
"It feels like the distance between me and my idol just shrank. I'm so happy."
So my whole persona just collapsed, huh?
Goto thought with a trace of irony.
Fortunately, Makima while clearly an intense fan was still a rational one.
Otherwise, who knows what disaster might have happened.
They stayed like that for a long moment, until Goto felt like she could barely breathe and squirmed a little.
Makima, sensitive to her discomfort, released her.
"I heard from Kobeni and the others that this devil wanted to eat you," Makima said, changing the subject. "Bochi-chan, can you tell me what happened?"
"Ah, sure," Goto replied. "That thing… it called itself the Eternity Devil, and it mentioned the Gun Devil."
"The Gun Devil?" Makima frowned.
"Yeah… it seemed like it was sent by the Gun Devil to kill me…"
Goto hesitated, but decided to be honest. "Actually… I met the Gun Devil once in Hell."
"He tried to kill me back then too, but I don't know why… and now a devil connected to him has come after me. What's going on?"
"It's probably a grudge he can't let go of," Makima said.
"Eh?" Goto blinked.
Makima's eyes narrowed, her tone turning cold. "If he dares to do something like this, then we can't just let him have his way."
"Hmph. Gun Devil… I'll remember this."
Goto pressed her lips together. She had no idea what Makima was thinking and didn't dare ask.
She rummaged through the pocket of her tracksuit and pulled out something shaped like a bullet. "This… I found it on the Eternity Devil."
"Oh, that's a piece of the Gun Devil's flesh," Makima said. "That guy's body is always shedding bits like this. The Eternity Devil probably ate it, which is why it got stronger."
"So that's what it was…"
Knock, knock, knock.
Before Goto could ask more, someone suddenly knocked on the door.
Makima smiled. "Ah, they're here."
Goto's heart skipped. An uneasy feeling crept over her.
Who's here?