Chapter 257: Do You Want to Be Makima's Dog?
Ren's incident caused a great stir. After the original's identity was confirmed and after it made headlines, more netizens were surprised to confirm that this was Ren's past.
This was witnessed by Takashi and other staff members of the manga company, who were unaware of the tragedy that had befallen Ren...
"So there's a reason for Mr. Ren's madness..." Takashi sighed as he reviewed the news online.
Chainsaw Man fans even imagined all sorts of reasons why Ren created the manga.
Aki Hayakawa's distant and serious demeanor reflected Ren's past as the youngest doctor in the Republic and a child of destiny.
Now, after the death of his parents, he has become the erratic Denji.
The Gun Devil that took his brother, parents, and three other family members in the manga is a reference to the gun his brother used to kill his parents.
Denji was forced to kill Aki Hayakawa himself, and Aki's subsequent reunion with his brother and parents is the scene Ren longed for most.
Although he had gradually overcome the past, he still hoped... to have been reunited with his brother, parents, and family, but now he carried the weight of his past.
This analysis made everyone think it made perfect sense.
But Takashi panicked at this explanation.
Could it be possible that Mr. Ren still had suicidal thoughts? He immediately called Ren and said, "Hello, is this Mr. Ren?".
"It's me. Oh... Chief Editor Takashi, what's wrong?".
Ren, on the other end of the line, detected nothing unusual.
"Mr. Ren... how are you?".
Takashi felt a sudden relief. Ren seemed the same as before, nothing wrong.
Or rather, Ren had always been like this, but the fact that he was always wrong meant he was normal.
"Huh? Why are you asking that all of a sudden?"
Ren was perplexed for a moment, but suddenly understood, "Ah, you mean those things about me that came to light on the internet? It's okay, it was just a coincidence. I didn't even know... Alas, my past was terrible."
"Huh?"
Takashi realized that Ren had never had memories of the past and had only found out now, after reading all the news on the internet.
"Oh, don't worry, I'm fine," said Ren with a smile. "And it really is a coincidence. Don't give it too much thought. I don't care. Don't worry!"
Takashi's face was a little stiff, but he still said, "Sensei, would you like to see a doctor...?".
"No need. In fact, I've been receiving psychological treatment lately," Ren muttered. "Actually, I'm not sick at all. Why don't you believe me?"
Takashi was speechless. He thought, 'People with mental illnesses usually say they're not sick.'.
Sensei Ren, look at yourself now. Do you look healthy?. "Then... sensei, would you like to take a break from publishing for a while?" asked Takashi with concern. "Going out and relaxing, traveling, is very effective for relieving stress. Many masters say it's very effective."
"Oh, no need," repeated Ren, somewhat doubtfully. "And it's very effective for relieving stress; not just for relaxing, but also for not having to work, right?".
Takashi twisted his mouth, but had to admit that Ren was right.
For those masters who use travel as an excuse to relax, gather material, or get inspired, there is only one real way to relieve stress: not having to work, not having to submit manuscripts.
"Then... sensei, please take care of yourself physically and mentally," concluded Takashi. "I won't bother you anymore."
"Chief Editor, same to you~~" said Ren with a laugh, and hung up.
After hanging up, Takashi felt an inexplicable relief.
For Sensei Ren to behave like this... is incredibly normal.
...
And Yusuke Sato, who proclaimed himself Ren's rival, had naturally read his biography on the internet.
"I never expected... Mr. Ren really is..." exclaimed his assistant, Tang Wei. "He was a true genius. My God, at 23, he was the youngest person in the Republic to obtain a double doctorate. It's a shame something like that happened, and now he's gone mad."
"But, by the way, Mr. Sato, does Mr. Ren really seem crazy?" he asked with curiosity, looking at Yusuke Sato.
Tang Wei had never met Ren in person, but from the fans' comments and the few videos in which he appeared, he knew he was a rather eccentric and free-spirited mangaka.
"I've only seen him a couple of times," said Yusuke Sato after a moment's hesitation. "But it's true, as you said, he's a bit of a lunatic."
"I never thought my competitor would be a combination of genius and madness," he sighed again.
Although he felt some sympathy for Ren, his enthusiasm returned upon discovering his true identity.
If he could surpass such a competitor, wouldn't that prove he was the best mangaka of our time? After defeating Ren and proving he is the best mangaka of his generation, Yusuke Sato will continue to prove that he can surpass the best mangakas in the history of manga... and become the strongest! ...
The revelation of Ren's identity continues to be a topic of conversation on the internet, but Ren and the official Akatsuki website remain silent.
Mainly due to lack of time.
However, Akatsuki has arranged a special interview for Ren about Chainsaw Man later that same day.
The main objective is for Ren to talk about the creative philosophy of Chainsaw Man and his response to these issues.
And now, the serialization of Chainsaw Man continues.
The fans of Chainsaw Man had calmed down a bit due to Ren's past, but the most important thing... they wanted to see Makima die!
The story of Chainsaw Man then entered the final climax of the first part: the "Chainsaw Devil + Control Devil Arc."
But the first line of episode 80 of Chainsaw Man made the fans cry:
"Aki is dead."
In the middle of a completely black screen, only the title of the work, the author's name, and the episode title appeared, and then those words.
But those same words brought back memories of deceased fans like Yuka.
Remembering the end of the previous episode, Yuka couldn't help but burst into tears again, drying her tears with a tissue.
"It's really... too cruel, Mr. Amamiya," said Yuka. Although she had "discovered" on the internet that Aki Hayakawa was based on Ren himself, and she felt some compassion for him, she couldn't help but cry.
Then, Denji and Power looked at Aki Hayakawa's savings book, and Denji's voice echoed on the screen.
"Aki seems to have saved quite a bit of money."
"According to his will, half was given to me and the other half to Senior Himeno's family."
These words once again brought tears to the fans' eyes.
Aki Hayakawa had already planned the distribution of his estate after his death, and he gave half of his savings to Denji and the other half to... Himeno's family.
The reappearance of Himeno's name made everyone cry.
Due to Makima's manipulation, Aki Hayakawa and Himeno could never be married, which showed that Aki Hayakawa's former love was actually Himeno.
After Denji and Power received Aki Hayakawa's substantial inheritance, they immediately rented a new house.
After all, their previous house had been completely destroyed in their previous battle.
Aki Hayakawa's legacy was enough for Denji and Power to squander. They ate all kinds of delicious food and bought countless games. When they weren't working, they played, and when they got bored, they watched movies...
This life seemed beautiful, the kind of life Denji had once longed for, but it was also a bit... unpleasant.
Without Aki Hayakawa, Denji and Power's lives were completely ruined.
No one helped them cook, no one took care of their trash.
Eating junk food, he kept repeating his life, completely unchanged...
Then Denji went to the store to buy ice cream. He carried his purchases through the night streets, finally sitting on a bench.
He took out a popsicle with a serene, even dejected face, as he licked it whole like a dog.
He felt no joy in tasting the food; instead, he acted like a puppet.
But then he saw the words "Congratulations on winning the Autumn Prize" written on the popsicle stick. Upon seeing the word "Autumn," Denji suddenly crouched down...
"I killed Aki."
He remembered killing Aki Hayakawa and, with a cold sweat on his face, he vomited the popsicle he had just swallowed.
The scene was incredibly heartbreaking.
"It wasn't you, Denji, who killed Aki's mother. No!".
Yuka cried again and spoke to Denji with pity. "It's Makima's fault! The situation is urgent, go kill Makima!".
Seeing his own vomit, Denji said with regret, "What a waste!".
The guilt for having killed a loved one led him to vomit food uncontrollably.
This was terrible for Denji.
"Every time I wake up, my mind is a mess."
"Everything I see and think turns to shit."
"Everything delicious tastes like chewing wax."
"There must be something wrong with my brain. It's become a mess."
Denji lay helpless on the bench, unaware that he was sad about Aki Hayakawa's death.
"Pochita...".
He even shouted Pochita's name.
But just then...
"Denji, what are you doing?" asked Makima suddenly in casual clothes.
Makima's appearance in the manga immediately ignited the fans' anger.
"Quick! Denji! Kill this evil woman! Kill her!" roared Fan Siwei. "She killed Aki, it was her!"
However, the Denji of the manga lacks a general perspective and is unaware that Makima is responsible for Aki Hayakawa's death.
Instead, under Makima's devoted care, he accepts her request and goes to her house.
Upon entering, Denji is surprised to see Makima's numerous dogs.
Real dogs, they enthusiastically lick Denji and Makima's faces.
Makima even tells them their names and affectionately strokes their bellies.
Seeing Makima and the dogs coexist in harmony, Denji can't help but think: "This place is a pure paradise.".
However, the anime fans disagree.
"Ahhhhhhhhh!" exclaimed Kenji Tanaka, a little impatient. "Denji! This is all a lie! It's just a performance by an evil woman!".
He just wants to see Denji transform into a chainsaw man and see Makima, the evil woman, die, to appease his hatred.
Logic wasn't even necessary; just by doing this, Denji felt the refreshing sensation of his first iced cola of the summer.
However, little by little, Denji succumbed to Makima's sweetness.
"Makima, thank you," said Denji, blushing. "Thanks to you, Makima, I feel much better."
Makima cradled Denji's head, soothing him like a dog, saying, "Even after such a horrible experience, you've been so strong...".
"Denji is a good boy."
Hearing Makima's words, Denji couldn't help but laugh, "Hehe...". But as he laughed, he cried again.
After all, he had killed Aki; he was not a good boy. Suddenly, Makima's dogs licked Denji's face.
"Ah... If he defeats the Gun Devil, Makima will promise him one thing." After thinking for a long time, Denji looked at Makima's dogs and said, "I want... to become... Makima's dog...".
"End of episode."
"Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!".
All the anime fans were stunned. They had just seen Denji being deceived by Makima, but Denji said something like that. That left them completely unbearable! "What does this mean?" asked Makima, surprised. "I...". Denji lowered his head, looked at Makima's dogs, and said, "I don't want to think about anything anymore."
"Before, I only thought about living, but now, it seems I have a thousand and ten thousand things to think about...".
"I'm tired... tired."
- - - - - - -
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