"Looks like I'm the first one home tonight!"
Akiko Himenokoji hung onto Kuzeha as she spoke. After they returned home, she realized that the other younger sisters who, like her, attended school outside hadn't come back yet.
"Where's Yuki?"
"Is she not coming today?"
Akiko began scanning each room with a searching gaze.
"She's not coming over today..."
As soon as she heard Kuzeha's words, a flash of joy lit up in Akiko's heart.
If Yuki wasn't around, didn't that mean no one could keep her in check?
Tonight was bound to be perfect!
Akiko thought to herself with a hint of mischief.
Meanwhile, at the orphanage gate, Kanao and Suguha were gathered around Pochita, the dog that had followed Kuzeha home, curiously examining him.
"Look at this chainsaw puppy—cool, right?"
"What's its name?"
"Onii-chan named him Pochita!"
"Pochita... the lonely little pup?"
"No, Onii-chan said he's a Chainsaw Devil!"
"A devil? Does it have any special powers?"
"Woof!"
Pochita let out a soft bark as he looked at the circle of curious girls. Then, he suddenly sprinted over to Kuzeha, sat by his feet, and wagged his tail.
It seemed like he wanted Kuzeha to pull his tail and show the girls what he could do.
His curiosity piqued, Kuzeha picked up Pochita.
With one hand gripping the handle on his back and the other holding the tail-like starter cord, he gave it a tug.
Vroom!
A sound like a revving engine rang out.
The next moment, a spinning saw blade emerged from Pochita's head.
The girls gasped, their eyes wide.
"It really turned into a chainsaw!"
Feeling the vibration in his hand, Kuzeha recalled the image of Chainsaw Man from the original work. Glancing down at the chainsaw pup in his grip, he was overwhelmed by a swirl of complicated emotions.
"The Chainsaw Devil that slaughtered its way through hell, huh… Until you feel like returning to hell, stay by my side in peace."
He patted Pochita's back.
"Woof!"
Pochita barked back cheerfully.
To Kuzeha's surprise, only Kotori Itsuka and Nao Tomori had returned home apart from Akiko.
"Where's your sister?" Kuzeha asked Kotori.
"Shiori said she had other stuff to take care of. She'll be back tomorrow."
Kotori replied lazily from the couch, munching on a lollipop.
Kotori and Shiori Itsuka were sisters that Kuzeha had taken in years ago.
Their parents had died in a disaster, and Kuzeha had happened to be passing by and brought them to the orphanage.
Since their parents had left behind an inheritance, the two moved out after living in the orphanage for a few years.
Because of that, Kotori's sibling bond with Kuzeha wasn't quite as strong as the other girls'.
But... other kinds of feelings? There were more of those.
Kuzeha glanced at Akiko and Sora.
The two girls were secretly giving each other hostile glances.
With Yuki absent, the only real rival either had was the other.
To them, stirring up trouble for each other was a way to seize the upper hand.
To significantly increase their chances of a successful nighttime attack.
Kuzeha could only shake his head in exasperation.
He was already starting to miss the days when Yuki was around.
When she was home, both girls were obedient and well-behaved.
It made things peaceful.
But with Yuki gone, the two had to start proving who was boss.
Like tigers fighting for dominance in a forest with no king.
"Kuzeha-niii, we're low on oil. Should we borrow some from Aunt Izumi's place?"
"She doesn't have much either. I'll go buy some."
Kuzeha replied softly and stepped outside.
Behind him, Pochita quickly followed, tail wagging.
Kuzeha glanced down at him and didn't think much of it.
Given the Chainsaw Devil's nature, there was a chance certain beings might try to target him.
So Kuzeha had no plans to leave him alone with the girls.
It was safer this way.
He might even trigger a new trait from the system.
The orphanage was in a rather remote area.
The nearest convenience store was about three kilometers away.
Fortunately, Madam Yukinoshita was planning to personally oversee the development of the area.
This time, it wasn't for any previous projects.
It was to create a truly comfortable living environment for Kuzeha.
More than ten minutes later, Kuzeha returned home.
To his surprise, Akiko and Sora were nowhere to be seen, and the living room was quiet.
"Where did those two go?"
He asked Sakura curiously.
Sakura looked puzzled too.
Right after Kuzeha had left, the two were still arguing fiercely.
But then someone mentioned Yuki... and the two of them suddenly went quiet.
"I think they went to Sora's room to play games... said they were going to team up to fight against Yuki?"
Sakura said, still a little amazed.
"What kind of game has strategies for dealing with Yuki?"
Read advance chapters on: patre on.com/Bored_Mortal