Chainsaw Man, starting contract to cut down the Demon Line

That's interesting.

She was afraid, but she did not back down.

Yan Liang was thinking quickly.

Is Ji Ye afraid of him?

No. Someone like her, who has seen life and death so often, is indifferent to most things.

There's only one possibility that could frighten her—

Hayakawa Akira.

The name immediately conjured up a clear picture in Yan Liang's mind.

This investigation in Shuijing Township was quite dangerous. But I had said before that I would go again later.

Hayakawa Aki agreed on the spot, but Himeno's behavior at the time made him feel that something was wrong.

Now I'm starting to appreciate the taste, and since I'm drinking now, I can talk to myself about personal matters without having to think too much about what I want to say.

It's highly likely that Himeno is asking him for help, wanting to protect Hayakawa Aki.

Thinking of this, Yan Liang immediately made a plan.

This is a good opportunity.

Before this, Hayakawa Aki had already become half of his private soldiers.

Just as he had thought, as long as he firmly held onto Hayakawa Aki, Himeno, who regarded Hayakawa Aki as everything, would also willingly step in.

Moreover, the timing is very clever.

According to the original story, the next day is the attack by the Demon of the Sword.

In that incident, Hayakawa Aki will be seriously injured, and Himeno will sacrifice everything to save Aki, ultimately dying herself.

If I can use tonight's conversation to make arrangements in advance, and then rescue the two of them later...

After that, Hayakawa Aki and Himeno should be able to be completely at his beck and call.

Having figured all this out, the coldness in Yan Liang's eyes melted away, and his tone softened considerably.

"...Okay, I understand."

"Back to reality," Yan Liang said. He didn't even use any force; he simply flipped his wrist and broke free from Ji Ye's grip.

Looking at Hime, his tone remained calm, but his words revealed a completely different attitude:

Where should we talk?

Hearing Yan Liang finally agree, Ji Ye's tense body seemed to have all her strength drained away. She breathed a sigh of relief and forced a smile that was hard to tell whether it was relief or bitterness.

"Thank you... thank you, Captain."

Hime said softly, "Can we go to my house? My house is nearby, not far."

Yan Liang neither agreed nor disagreed, but in any case, he did not refuse.

He then turned his head and looked at Higashiyama Kokoro, who had been huddled to the side.

"Dongshan Xiaohong".

"Yes, yes!!" Xiao Hong, whose name was called, stood up straight.

"Go home first," Yan Liang said, his expression returning to its usual blank look. "Be careful on the road."

"Huh? But..."

Xiao Hong glanced timidly at Yan Liang, then turned to look at Senior Ji Ye, who was leaning against the wall and seemed somewhat different from usual.

Although she didn't know what they were going to talk about, she was still self-aware enough to know that whatever they talked about was Yan Liang's business, and the captain's affairs were none of her concern...

Thinking of this, Xiao Hong nodded and quickly agreed:

"I-I understand! Thank you for your hard work, Captain! Thank you for your hard work, Himeno-senpai!"

Chapter 111 The Real Hime

After crossing two streets, Yan Liang followed Ji Ye to an apartment building that looked quite old.

"crunch-"

Hime took out her key and opened the door to her studio apartment.

I casually pressed the switch on the wall, and the dim light illuminated the room.

"Excuse me," Yan Liang said casually, and followed him inside.

He looked around the room.

This is a typical Japanese-style studio apartment.

Several pairs of high heels and leather boots were scattered haphazardly in the entryway. On the low table in the center of the living room, there were some empty wine bottles and an ashtray filled with cigarette butts.

On the sofa were some of Hime's personal clothing that she had casually tossed aside.

At the same time, the room was inevitably filled with the smell of tobacco and alcohol.

Perhaps because Himeno is a woman, although the place looks a bit messy, it still maintains a minimum level of cleanliness.

"Haha... It's a little messy, please excuse me, Captain."

Ji Ye also noticed the disgust on Yan Liang's face. She scratched her hair awkwardly and then smelled her collar.

She had vomited at the izakaya earlier. Although she didn't vomit on herself, she still picked up some of the smell. Combined with the dozen or so beers she had drunk, she felt filthy just from the smell.

To be serious, this image is clearly very disrespectful.

"Um... Captain, why don't you find somewhere to sit for a while?"

"Don't be shy, make yourself at home."

Thinking of this, Hime took off her coat, pointed to the single sofa that was still barely big enough for her to sit on, and said:

"I'm going to take a shower first, I'll be done soon."

Yan Liang glanced at the sofa piled with clothes, but made no intention of sitting down.

In places like this, who knows if you might accidentally sit down on something filthy...

Yan Liang stood still and nodded:

"Go."

Having received permission, Hime hurriedly ran into the bathroom. Soon after, the sound of running water could be heard from inside.

Yan Liang did not touch anything in the room.

About ten minutes later.

"Click".

The bathroom door was pushed open, and a warm, white mist billowed out.

"Sorry to keep you waiting, Captain."

Yan Liang looked in the direction of the sound and saw that Ji Ye, who had just been like a drunkard, was now completely transformed.

She had clearly only rinsed off quickly; her hair was still wet, with water droplets dripping down her strands.

Hime finally changed out of the plain white yukata she had worn in Mizukage Village. Having just taken a bath, Hime was not wearing anything else except a black camisole.

The close-fitting fabric accentuated her full curves, a feature unique to mature women, and large expanses of her snow-white skin glowed with a slight redness from just having showered under the light.

Hime casually dried her dripping short hair with a white bath towel as she walked barefoot back to the living room.

After taking a cold shower, she seemed completely awake. Her eyes were incredibly clear, but there was no trace of her usual frivolity; she was simply calm and collected.

In Yan Liang's opinion, Ji Ye could finally be considered a normal person at this moment.

"Captain, don't stand, sit down."

Hanging the towel for drying her hair around her neck, Hime pointed to the cushion opposite the low table.

Yan Liang then bent his knees and sat cross-legged on the cushion.

Upon seeing Yan Liang sit down, Ji Ye seemed to have triggered muscle memory and walked towards the small refrigerator next to him.

She opened the refrigerator door and took out two cans of chilled beer.

Working in the public security bureau, Ji Ye hears news of his colleagues' deaths every day, accumulating immense mental stress.

When alone at home, Hime would only numb herself with tobacco and alcohol. On the rare occasions she would host guests at home, it was always for a large drinking party.

However, when she was about to hand the two cans of beer to Yan Liang, she stopped in her tracks.

She then realized that Yan Liang, sitting across the low table, was staring at her with the look of someone who was looking at an idiot.

"Uh……"

Hime's expression froze, and she chuckled twice.

She suddenly remembered that Yan Liang hadn't drunk much alcohol at the party just now; he had only taken a few sips of barley tea to fit in with the atmosphere.

"Haha... I forgot, Captain, you don't drink much..." Ji Ye turned around sheepishly like a child who had done something wrong, and stuffed the two cans of beer back into the refrigerator untouched.

Ji Ye walked to the low table and sat down opposite Yan Liang.

The atmosphere fell silent again.

Hime felt unsure what to do with her hands, because she knew what she was about to say.

The thought of exposing her deepest fears to others made her feel extremely uneasy.

Almost unconsciously, her hand reached for the cigarette box on the low table again.

"Clap."

Hime skillfully pulled out a cigarette and put it in her mouth. She picked up a metal lighter and pressed her thumb on the flint wheel, ready to light it.

However, before the lighter flame could even ignite, Hime's heart skipped a beat.

She looked up, and Yan Liang's gaze remained emotionless.

Ji Ye suddenly remembered that Yan Liang had a very low opinion of smokers. How could he possibly allow someone to smoke in front of him?

What am I doing? I'm asking for help, but I keep making mistakes...

"Clap."

Ji Ye's hand trembled, and the unlit cigarette slipped from his mouth and fell onto the table.

She hurriedly threw the lighter aside and nervously rubbed her hands together on her knees.

Although she seemed to be older than Yan Liang, sitting across from Yan Liang, Ji Ye felt that Yan Liang was like a stern teacher, while she herself was like a student who had made a mistake.

To be honest, Ji Ye has been a little afraid of Yan Liang ever since they first met.

However, she usually concealed it very well, so the other party did not notice.

The reason is simple: when they first met, Yan Liang glanced at her.

At that time, Hime had a feeling.

Even though it was their first time meeting, Yan Liang seemed to see right through her, seeing through her feigned frivolity and her true nature.

Now, without alcohol and nicotine to mask her anxiety, Ji Ye felt as if she had shed all her armor, completely exposing her most vulnerable side to Yan Liang.

Seeing her helpless expression, Yan Liang sighed and tapped his fingers lightly on the table twice, not making things too difficult for Ji Ye.

"okay."

“I can’t accept talking to me face-to-face, or smoking or anything like that.”

"But judging from your condition, we can't get down to business without drinking."

"You can drink if you want, just don't give me any."

Chapter 112 Just a Tool

Hearing Yan Liang's words, Ji Ye finally felt relieved. She eagerly opened the refrigerator door, took out the two cans of beer from earlier, and also grabbed a few more cans.