Shoko's current identity, thanks to the 100,000 energy points, wasn't just any human. She was a Devil with supernatural abilities.
Not just any Devil, but a conceptual Devil, representing a concept arguably as potent as Control or War.
She was the Desire Devil.
Desire, a universal constant. As long as humanity existed, so would desire.
Even at the end of the world, with only one human left, Control and War might be irrelevant, but Desire would remain.
And Shoko, the Desire Devil, could grant wishes.
Have you heard of the all-powerful wish-granting machine?
Shoko had nothing to do with such a machine.
Sadly, despite being a conceptual Devil, she was laughably weak. She wasn't being modest, but a stray husky from Makima's pack could probably take her five times over.
A Devil's power stemmed from fear. The more fear associated with its name, the stronger the Devil. Conversely, the more loved the concept, the weaker the Devil.
Who feared desire? In this world, devoid of monkey's paws or corrupted Holy Grails, everyone craved it.
So, not only was Shoko weak, her special ability was practically useless. She could grant wishes, but…
If Denji wished for a burger, she couldn't conjure one. She could only buy him a Happy Meal with her own money.
Attempting to manifest a burger would be like Power overusing her blood manipulation—she'd be half-dead. Granting wishes seemed to involve an exchange, using something of the Desire Devil's essence.
The stronger she was, the more she could exchange, the greater the wishes she could grant. Conjuring a burger was probably her limit. Anything more substantial was unthinkable; she'd likely expire before the wish manifested.
But her ability wasn't entirely useless. Despite the positive connotations of desire, she was still a Devil. She could still exploit humans.
The nature of her power was exchange.
The grander the wish, the steeper the price.
If the wisher paid a price, Shoko could fulfill the wish with minimal effort. Using the burger example, creating one from nothing might cost 100 energy units. Exchanging a burger for one of Denji's fingers might cost only 1.
In that sense, she was half a wish-granting machine, with exorbitant fees.
And she got to decide the fee…
Unless the Desire Devil chose to shoulder the burden, the wisher would always pay more than the wish was worth.
Unfortunately, this ability was useless in combat. Who would wish upon their enemy?
Damn it, 100,000 points for this weakling? Did the system scam me?!
Despite her frustration, Shoko had to work with what she had.
The one upside: everyone loved the concept of desire, so she was ridiculously attractive.
Sadly, beauty wasn't an asset in the crime-ridden world of Chainsaw Man, unless you had the combat prowess of Makima or Reze.
In just two days, relying on her enhanced perception, Shoko had evaded five groups of thugs trying to recruit her for shady establishments, seven attempted kidnappings, and countless catcalls from greasy-haired creeps.
Too bad her persona prevented her from using brute force…
Being a Devil, she had no place to stay, making her vulnerable to harassment.
She needed a place to live, preferably with close proximity to the main cast.
Makima? Despite her weakness, Makima, currently working for the government, wouldn't refuse a Devil's allegiance. Public Safety Devil Hunters needed all the help they could get.
But considering Makima's personality and the powerlessness of weak Devils, Shoko decided against it. She didn't want to become Makima's pawn before becoming the heroine. The risk of becoming a government lab rat was too high.
Aki Hayakawa? He was reliable, but currently harbored intense hatred towards Devils. What if his Fox Devil ate her? Even if she looked human, what if he found out?
Himeno? Pretending to be her deceased partner's younger sister might work, but if her deception was exposed…
Power? The Blood Fiend was probably still living like a wild animal in the forest.
After considering her options, Shoko settled on Denji.
Denji was an orphan forced by the yakuza to repay his deceased parents' massive debt. His life was bleak until he met Pochita, his Devil partner. Together, they killed Devils, proving Denji's worth as a Devil Hunter.
He was dirt poor, having sold an eye, a testicle, and a kidney to repay his debt. Exploited by the yakuza, he barely had enough to eat.
He lived in a dilapidated shack in the suburbs. It was so run-down that nobody bothered him there, not even the yakuza when assigning him jobs. It would be a safe haven.
With Pochita, he had some fighting ability, enough to deter minor Devils. Living with him would offer some protection.
Most importantly, living together would allow her to cultivate his favorability by acting like a caring older sister or mother figure. She could rake in the energy points.
Denji was starved for affection.
Someone as perfect as me can easily win him over.
Then she'd enact her plan. Make him fall for her, then...
Hee hee hee~ Shoko twirled her hair. Unlike the somewhat saintly and meddlesome Lihua, Shoko's flaw was narcissism.
Li Bei could adjust her personality, but it seemed unnecessary.
This kid's life really is pathetic. Shoko propped her chin on her hand, watching Denji scarf down his food. His face was bruised and swollen from the beating. His clothes were worn and muddy.
He looked every bit the stereotypical street urchin.
He has a congenital heart condition, too. Even if the yakuza don't kill him, he won't live long.
He looks barely fifteen. Still a child…
But for the sake of my energy farming plan, I need to raise his favorability. I'll make his life a bit easier.
For now.
"What? Why are you staring at me?" Denji, having finished his meal and licked every last crumb from his fingers, noticed Shoko's amused gaze. He reached out warily. "I'm done. Give me back Pochita."
"Finished?" Shoko smiled, looking at the spotless burger wrapper. "Want another one?"
"Hell yeah!"