Love, War, And 02

"W-what is this place!? W-who are you!?"

Considering the last thing he remembered was being attacked by a massive devil, Ayumu was understandably confused at suddenly being in a completely new location. Had he died!? Was this the afterlife!?

The man chuckled. "This is the heavenly library, the place of mine work. Here I record everything that has happened in the universe thus far." He smiled. "And as for who I am... My name is Metatron, I am known as the Scribe of God."

Ayumu's jaw his the floor. "What... what the hell!? Isn't that name drop way too crazy to dump it on me like that!?"

Metatron tilted his head. "Well, you were the one who asked. It is my duty to lend you mine aid, at least right now."

Ayumu. "Okay... so can I just read whatever I want in this... super mega library of yours?"

The angel nodded. "Of course. Having someone enjoy my work actually makes me quite happy. Although I must warn you of something, I have written about everything in this universe, from the smallest atom, to the mightiest devil."

He cleared his throat. "That is to say, this library is quite immense, and to be honest, it is also completely disorganized. It will take quite some time to find something specific."

Ayumu sighed. "I see..." Well, he actually didn't have anything in mind. It's just that he felt like not using this mega library in some way would be a waste of opportunity. "Wait, can't I ask you about the contents of the books? You did write them, right?"

Metatron blushed in embarrassment. "Yes, but... my memory does have a tendency to fail me. That is why I must record everything in the first place." How did he even do that with a bad memory in the first place though!?

He continued. "But let's move on for now. There is something I must tell you with the utmost urgency." His smile disappeared, replaced by a stern frown. "You are about to die, Ayumu Sanada."

Ayumu looked down. "But I feel fine..."

The man sighed. "Yes, here you are fine, but you will eventually be dragged out from this place. And I am afraid that is not something I can stop, when that happens you—."

"Will get devoured by the Bat Devil." He finished for the angel.

Ayumu had been prepared to die. Or at least that's what he thought at the moment he sacrificed himself. Now, however, with more clarity in his mind, he knew he... would do the same actually. There wasn't much he could have done back then anyway.

It's just that he now knew the whole prepared to die was bullshit. Of course he wasn't ready for something like that!

"That is incorrect." Huh!? "It seems you and your companions were saved by the one called Chainsaw Man. The Bat Devil has been killed."

Ayumu's eyes widened. "Chainsaw—!? Wait, forget that! If that guy saved me, then why am I still apparently dying!?"

"Because you were still injured." Ah, that's right. The monster did pounce on him. "Currently you are undergoing surgery, so an effort to save your life is being made... but the chances of success are fairly low."

"I cannot see the future however, so perhaps you will live. It is up to fate." He grabbed a document of some kind and put it on the table. "However, if you wish to guarantee your survival, you only need to sign this."

Ayumu cautiously moved closer so he could read the thing... and he realized he couldn't. At least not most of it. There was one exception, a name signed below.

Gabriel.

Ayumu squinted his eyes. "Hey, someone already signed this..." Did that mean this wasn't the first person who had been offered this strange deal? 

Or this was something else. Gabriel was the name of an angel as well, right? Just like Metatron. And he was arguably more famous as well.

Metatron nodded. "Indeed, the Messenger who slumbers within you signed this many years ago." 

Ayumu gasped. "Hey! That's the thing you called me before!" He put a hand on his chest. "The Messenger... that's the angel Gabriel, right? Does he mean he's inside of me!?" Wasn't that way too protagonistic!?

"Yes. Although he has awakened somewhat... and that awakening only became more evident as the Bat Devil attacked you." Metatron began tapping his finger against the table. "Tell me, have you noticed any strange happenings recently?"

Ayumu put a hand on his chin. "Not really, I don't think..." And then he remembered something. "Actually, when the Bat Devil showed up, I started to hear a voice. Was that Gabriel?"

Metatron hummed. "I doubt it. The Messenger will most likely never sing again, that is the price he paid for coveting the heavenly throne... It is more plausible that the voice you heard was not Gabriel's but something that you could only hear because of Gabriel."

Metatron took out a pen. "But back to the contract, since time is of the essence right now. Should you sign this, more of the Messenger's power will be granted to you, and your survival will be guaranteed."

Ayumu immediately went out to take the pen. "Sounds good!" He would get awesome powers and live to fight another day!?

Why would he ever pass up on that!?

Metatron didn't resist giving him the pen, but he did send him a warning look. "Before you sign, there is something you must know... if you do this, you shall become part of a war. A war for the heavenly throne."

Ayumu was already pressing the pen against the paper, but he stopped himself. "That talk about the heavenly throne again... well, it's whatever. If I don't sign, I will die, right?" So in the end it didn't matter.

Metatron shrugged. "As I've said before, I do not know. The only thing I can confirm is that should you not sign this document, the Messenger shall cease to exist entirely."

Ayumu paused for a moment but... eventually made his decision. "Well, I don't want to gamble with my life. I can handle this war stuff later." He moved the pen with zero hesitation and signed his name.

Ayumu Sanada.

His name was now written below Gabriel's own name.

Metatron took a look at it and, with a sad expression, nodded. "Very well, you have come to your decision. Even if it is regretful that you were forced to do so in such dire circumstances."

Just as he finished talking, Ayumu began feeling dizzy. 

"Ugh...?" He dropped the pen to the ground and then almost followed it. Instead of doing that, however, he put his hands on the table and steadied himself.

Metatron squinted his eyes. "But it seems you were fortuitous to come to a decision so quickly. Our time here is over... May we meet once again, Ayumu. And you too, Messenger."

"We'd better. I still have..." His vision darkened. "Tons of questions..." He couldn't see anything. "For you..." He fell.

 

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And then he woke up. 

"A hospital..." He should have expected to wake up in such a place.

Apparently he had just undergone a surgery to save his life. Just as he apparently had awoken some weird angelic powers. At least he had done so if that library thing wasn't just some fever dream his mind had cooked up.

He slowly sat up. "I don't really feel any different than before." So maybe that really had been just some silly dream—.

"You're awake already!?" The arrival of a nurse kind of put a stop to all these thoughts.

Ayumu Sanada quickly learned that he was predicted to stay in a coma for around a week at minimum. And yet, he had woken up on the night of the Bat Devil's attack.

That was definitely angelic powers at work.

 

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Suffering a super gruesome attack apparently meant you got to miss out on school for a few days.

Ayumu decided to go however. Which, while it meant he wouldn't get much time to test out his new angelic prowess, also meant that he wouldn't miss out on getting recruited into the Devil Hunter Club.

Getting almost killed by a devil hadn't messed with his resolve at all. In fact, he was now even more motivated to succeed and become super popular! Especially now that he had a trump card up his sleeve.

Even if he didn't know what that card did yet.

Another reason why he went to school was due to his desire to find out if Asa and Yuko were okay or not.

Which is why once he arrived at the entrance and saw a familiar-looking raven-haired girl, he excitedly waved at her. "Yo, Asa!"

She almost jumped into place as she noticed his arrival. "Ayumu!? You're up already!?" He noticed that she didn't seem all that hurt. 

The same didn't go for the girl right next to her, who had some pretty gruesome scars on her face. However, there was no way those scars were caused by the Bat Devil, because she would definitely still be recovering.

The girl also looked exactly the same as Asa, which sure was... something.

Instead of being surprised by his arrival like Asa had been, she simply pinched her nose and frowned. That smell thing again, huh? At this point Ayumu was certain it had something to do with Gabriel, though that might just be himself looking to excuse his bad habits.

He grinned and pointed at himself. "Of course I am! I'm made of tough stuff." 

Asa's lookalike squinted her eyes. "Suspiciously tough stuff." She was also still pinching her nose.

Ugh, if he smelled that damned bad, then maybe it was better to stay at home resting instead! He didn't want to embarrass himself and become known as the smelly guy! That would basically kill his chances of getting a girlfriend!

Asa let out a sigh of relief, apparently ignoring her lookalike. "That's good to hear. I went to check on you, but the hospital didn't tell me much."

Ayumu chuckled and shook his head. "That's pretty weird, but I guess they're just looking out for my privacy. About Yuko, though, is she alright?"

Asa nodded. "Yeah... to a certain extent at least. Some debris got inside of her leg, so she's not coming to school for a while."

Ayumu frowned. "At least she isn't hurt, I suppose. Maybe we should check on her?" This was troublesome.

Not only because Yuko being hurt was obviously bad, but also because it meant they were down one partner. Would the Devil Hunter Club assign a new one if they asked for it, or would they just have to make it due? If that was the case, then it sucked.

Asa now had a shy smile on her face. "I was actually already thinking of checking on her after school, actually. A-and trying to check on you again, but you're up now, so I guess that won't be happening, but I was going to do it. I'm not some—."

"Asa, move along." The scarred lookalike interjected.

With a blush, Asa stopped herself. "A-anyways, wanna come with, Ayumu?"

He sent her a thumbs up. "Count me in!" Maybe they could discuss there what would happen to their hunt.

Or would bringing that up be wrong when Yuko had been hurt and possibly traumatized? Welp, he would just have to read the room and come to a decision once the time came.

He lowered his hands. "Anyways, I gotta go. I can't start missing class at the beginning of the year, I'm the type that never managed to catch up if he's being left behind."

Asa's lookalike scowled. "That doesn't surprise me..." Geez, wasn't she mean...

Seriously, what the hell was her? Or who...? Did Asa know about it? Should he tell her? Maybe the scarred Asa was some kind of devil work at power after all... No, Asa had to know about it. She acknowledged her before, when her rant was stopped by her.

Asa hummed. "That doesn't really surprise me." Huh...

With an attitude like that, maybe they were twins.

 

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"For real...?" 

"For real." 

Denji's jaw had dropped as Ayumu told what happened yesterday. Well, he left out any talk about angels and heavenly thrones. That wasn't the kind of thing he should go spreading around, even to his friends.

Also... because there was definitely something up with Denji. The delinquent-looking boy had apparently not noticed... nor had anyone else, but there was some kind of chainsaw dog on top of his head.

Ayumu stared at it.

The dog stared back and waved.

The hell?

Denji began chuckling. "So let me get this straight: Chainsaw Man saved you?"

Ayumu hesitantly nodded. "Apparently. I was passed out, so I can't confirm it... According to the hospital, he was actually fighting the Cockroach Devil, and the Bat Devil just got caught in the crossfire."

Somehow Denji's grin became even wider. "Man, that guy really is amazing, ain't he?" He was emitting an incredible aura of smugness. "Might be the greatest hero to ever do it if he's savin' people even by accident. By the way, he saved those two girls too, right?"

"Yeah..." Was Denji... Chainsaw Man? 

His friend didn't really have the classic superhero trope of constantly leaving class to save the world, though. Nor did he act all that heroic. He was a big Chainsaw Man fan though, which normally wouldn't mean anything, but considering the dog on top of his head...

"Denji, are you... um..." How was he supposed to come out with this?

He raised an eyebrow. "What's up? Just come out with it."

Ayumu backed down and changed the topic. "Can you have a talk with those girls who are always sitting on top of you? I need help with something." He wasn't ready for such a serious talk.

And should he even talk about it in the first place? If Denji was Chainsaw Man, then maybe that was his own business. Ayumu didn't care much for it. Oh, he was jealous of Denji's popularity, he supposed.

His friend pouted. "I dunno, can I? You haven't even introduced me to one of those girls yet..."

Ayumu sighed. "At this point I have been pretty much rejected by both of them, so I actually wouldn't mind, but this is not about me in the first place. This is about them."

He continued. "One of the girls, Asa Mitaka, is being bullied. If one of those super hot friends of yours said a good word about her, though, I bet the bullying would stop." Or at least slow down somewhat.

People who got bullied were typically people with no connections. If Asa was shown to have those, then her situation should change. Maybe. Possibly. Ayumu wasn't exactly a master of social situations, as shown by the fact that he had yet to accomplish his goal of getting a girlfriend. 

Denji let out a groan of annoyance. "Sorry, can't do that... It ain't like I want the girl to keep bein' bullied, but if you think those girls are my friends, then you're super wrong."

Ayumu crossed his arms. "I'm not saying they are super close to you or anything, but if they aren't your friends, then what the hell are they?"

"My clients, duh." 

Ayumu's eye twitched. "Dumbass, you aren't popular enough to make girls pay to sit on you for the experience. They think you're entertaining."

"They do!?" A sudden bolt of happiness had hit his friend.

Alas, Ayumu had to crush his hopes. "That doesn't mean they like you all that much, by the way, but they might be willing to do a simple favor or two for you."

And as expected, Denji now looked super disappointed. "Hah... Guess it's better than nothing." It definitely was! Those girls wouldn't even look at Ayumu! "I'll try talkin' to them. No guarantees though."

Ayumu sent him a peace sign. "Thanks. Worst-case scenario, mention to them that I would be willing to drop some cash in this."

Denji's eyes widened. "You would!? You already got that close to that girl!?"

And now it was Ayumu's turn to let out an annoyed groan. "I wish... but even if we aren't super close, I can't ignore something once I know about it." Naturally, he said all of that while looking at the chainsaw dog.

Which was part of where his true motivations lay. Asa had her own weird... ghost thing, so he wanted to keep being close to her. It might be important in the future.

Denji looked away. "I guess I can understand that..." After that, their conversation came to a pause.

At least it did until Ayumu's mind began wondering about something. "By the way, Denji, do I smell right now?" 

Denji clicked his tongue. "Yeah, and it's even stronger than usual. I fuckin' hate that cologne of yours." Hmm...

So Denji was presumably some weird chainsaw devil guy, and he could smell strong cologne on him. And clearly the Bat Devil had been attracted to Ayumu as well. But everybody else in class didn't seem to care about this supposed smell.

Asa Mitaka did, however.

Was Asa a devil!?

Ayumu blushed and muttered. "Some devils are kind of cute, huh..." And her butt was big too. Was that some trap to attract humans and eat them!? What a devious plan!

Denji glared at him. "What are you mutterin' about now?"

He waved Denji off. "Nothing important. By the way, I'm gonna go to your place. There's a movie I wanna watch with you, but I don't own a VCR." There was no such movie.

It's just that Detective Ayumu was on the case! The Chainsaw Man case!

"Hah? No way." Or maybe Detective Ayumu was without a job. "I guess I'm fine with watching a movie, but let's go to the cinema instead."

Ayumu shook his head. "Nah, the one I want to watch isn't in cinemas anymore, dude. So I gotta go to your house." He was actually incredibly curious.

Ayumu had known Denji ever since the beginning of high school, and yet he had never visited the teen's apartment. The reverse had happened in the past, however.

Denji sighed. "Look... you know my little sister?"

Ayumu put a hand on his chin. "Her name is Nayuta, right...? Don't worry, I'm not a lolicon. So your sister won't be a problem." Though her existence was another reason to visit Denji.

Was she a Chainsaw Woman!?

"I don't even know what a lolicon is." What a pure soul. "The problem is that my sister is kind of a brat, and she has some dumb rules that can cause trouble. And I mean it, worst case scenario you might even die."

Ayumu waved him off. "It's fine. She's a kid, so I'll just bring her some snacks and she will let me be in peace." Ayumu didn't have any younger siblings, but he imagine that's how things worked.

Denji squinted his eyes. "That's... Suit yourself. It's whatever." Heh, Ayumu could tell what was going on.

Denji wanted those snacks too.