𝐖𝐇𝐄𝐑𝐄'𝐒 𝐌𝐘 𝐋𝐎𝐕𝐄? (𝗵. 𝗮𝗸𝗶) ✓

21

Denji had been sleeping surprisingly soundly, judging by the fact he was tucked into a bed situated on a floor that logically shouldn't exist. 'Surprisingly' for everyone else, but not for the man himself — he prided himself on being able to catch forty winks practically anywhere, including universal loopholes.

Unfortunately, though, he happened to be rudely awakened all of a sudden by a finger prodding his cheek and a sing-song, teasing tone.

"Denji. Denji! Wakey, wakey..."

Groaning, he batted the finger away and sprawled out his arms in an unashamed, obnoxious stretch. Once he'd yawned a sufficient number of times, he peered upwards to see one long-lashed, pale-blue eye staring right back at him.

The expectant line of Himeno's mouth broke into a wide, beaming grin once he met her gaze, and she rose from her leaning position.

"Can we leave the eighth floor now?" he asked after another yawn that was so frighteningly large one couldn't help but wonder if his jaw would snap.

A momentary falter in her too-bright smile gave a hint to what the answer would be. "Hate to disappoint, but it looks like we're still stuck."

Denji blinked a few times, but didn't object.

"While you were sleeping, we learned we can use the water and the electricity," she added, taking his silence as a sign to continue. "As far as food goes, there was a little bit in the luggage the hotel guests left behind when they ran. To be honest with you, everybody's getting pretty worn down."

At the mention of his fellow teammates, Denji noticed that the room was uncharacteristically quiet. In fact, the only face he had seen since waking up was Himeno's. He was about to look around to investigate before she explained further.

She tilted her head to the side, her expression suddenly melancholy. "Aki and Hanasaki-san have been hunting for the Devil nonstop. They don't seem to be keen on taking a break. Arai tried to tag along and help them at first, but now he's freaking out. He shut himself up in another room and won't come out."

Her eye flickered to the door, as if she was hoping he'd come shuffling in, wrapped tightly in a duvet which still couldn't quite restrict his trembling. But nothing happened.

"Kobeni lost it and tried to drink from a toilet. So I knocked her out."

Denji didn't have much to say to this. He had a hunch the chick was crazy, anyways.

Himeno paused. "And then there's the Fiend..."

"Power? What about her?"

"I'm bored, so I was thinking up a Nobel Prize-winning invention!"

The immediate sound of her shrill voice made both of them jump, and Denji could now see that they were in fact not the only two in the room. She lay on her side on the bed next to him, propped up on one elbow, her head rested on the heel of her palm. She had apparently ditched her jacket and the end of her oversized tie curled on the mattress like a black snake-skin.

Power cleared her throat, mistaking their distaste for awe-struck surprise. "If I win a Nobel Prize, humans will grovel before me! And then I'll use my Nobel Prize as a stepping-stone to become prime minister!"

Elaborating on her mastermind plan only seemed to invigorate her, as she used the arm she was leaning on to raise her into an almost-sitting position. The other one clenched its hand into a righteous fist which she drove into the air, a crude parody of a political leader rallying their followers to victory.

"I want to watch humans suffer... so my first act as prime minister will be to implement a 100-percent sales tax!"

Speechless, Denji and Himeno watched with a mix of amusement, disdain and mild concern. The latter of these was wholly felt by Himeno, who was not as well acquainted with the Fiend to know this was anything but unusual.