At Himeno's place, Denji didn't receive any good advice.
But he didn't give up and continued to ask for opinions from other members of the Anti-Devil Division who were on patrol, including Hayakawa Aki, Power, and others.
For the question of which Yamai should remain, everyone had different opinions, and the reasons given were all over the place.
In the end, after asking all of his colleagues, Denji still hadn't made a final decision.
Time passed quickly, and night soon arrived.
Just as he sat on the sofa in the villa, his mind blank, staring at the ceiling, the familiar bickering voices appeared at the door.
Denji's heart sank, and he stiffly turned his head to look at the door.
As the door lock clicked open, the Yamai sisters appeared in his view.
"Oh? I thought we'd definitely be the first ones back," Kaguya Yamai said in surprise when she saw Denji on the sofa. "Why do you look so out of it? Did something bad happen during your patrol today?"
"Surprise, Yuzuru actually saw the word 'melancholy' on Denji's face, something completely unrelated to him," Yuzuru Yamai added, looking at him, sizing him up before speaking. "It looks like something serious must have happened. Did you get rejected after confessing to Makima?"
"Why does everyone think I'm feeling melancholy because I got rejected by Makima-sama?!" Denji couldn't help but roll his eyes. "Is that the image you all have of me?"
"Aside from that, we honestly can't think of anything else that would make you feel melancholic," Kaguya Yamai teased.
"Agreed, everyone knows Denji is Makima's dog, and the only thing he cares about is Makima," Yuzuru Yamai added.
With that, the Yamai sisters moved to Denji's side.
They sat on either side of him, both girls eyeing him curiously.
"If it's not because of a rejection from Makima, then what is it?" Kaguya Yamai asked.
"Curiosity, I also want to know," Yuzuru Yamai chimed in.
Now back on the topic, Denji's mood soured again.
He wasn't sure whether he should tell the Yamai sisters about this matter.
But he couldn't resist their persistent questioning, and in a moment of giving up, he muttered, "It's about the evaluation! Your final scores!"
"Oh? Today's the day for the evaluation?" Kaguya Yamai responded with a hint of surprise.
"Annoyed, Yuzuru actually forgot," Yuzuru Yamai remarked.
"Hey, hey... something this important, and you both forgot about it?" Denji's lips twitched. "Wasn't this the reason you joined the Public Security? Makes it seem like I care more than you do!"
"Cough, cough. We've been eliminating Devils every day recently. How could we have the time to count the days?" Kaguya Yamai awkwardly coughed twice before asking, a little excited, "So, who got the higher score?"
"Self-satisfaction, why even ask about something like that?" Yuzuru Yamai proudly puffed out her chest, her calm tone rising just slightly. "The final score, of course, goes to Yuzuru, the considerate big sister of the Anti-Devil Division. Don't you know that the members of the Anti-Devil Division all prefer Yuzuru over Kaguya?"
"Tch, tch, tch, it's just that you're a little more popular with the others! That's not the only criterion for the evaluation!" Kaguya Yamai pouted in displeasure. "I've eliminated four more Devils than you this month. Don't think just having good relationships with others will win you the evaluation. It's all about raw strength!"
"Agreed, since Kaguya is thinking like this, the raw strength of Yuzuru, who defeated the Sword Devil and captured the gang leader, must surely be greater."
"Stop joking! It's just because you got lucky and ran into them. If it were me, I'd have taken care of them the same way!"
"Correction, luck is also a part of strength, but I'm glad you understand that your bad luck is well known to you," Yuzuru Yamai responded calmly.
"Hah? You really dare to say that?" Kaguya Yamai retorted. "By the way, we haven't had a proper competition on luck yet. How about we play Pachinko tonight to settle it?"
"Agreed, if you want to lose miserably, then I'll accompany you to the end," Yuzuru Yamai replied.
Saying this, both girls stood up simultaneously, looking as though they were about to leave.
Denji was completely lost trying to keep up with their rapid topic changes.
Before he could even process what had happened, the fast-moving Yamai sisters had already disappeared into the villa.
"So, do these two really not care about their scores?" Denji sat on the sofa, utterly confused, and after a long while, he snapped out of it, giving a bitter laugh.
"Forget it, them leaving is probably for the best. At least it gives me more time."
Time passed.
The Yamai sisters flew out of the villa.
In the blink of an eye, they had reached the clouds.
Confirming that they had reached an altitude unreachable by ordinary living creatures, they looked around and found no signs of animals. They then let out a sigh of relief.
For a while, Makima had never stopped monitoring them.
As the Devil of Control, she could control any animal and make it her eyes.
Therefore, even though no one was around, the Yamai sisters couldn't stop pretending.
But today, they had to talk.
"It seems Makima is planning to use us as appetizers," Yuzuru Yamai said helplessly. "I had been wondering why she placed us by Denji's side. Looks like that was her plan all along."
As travelers from another world, they naturally understood Makima's ambitions.
Although it sounded unbelievable, the reality was that Makima, as the Devil of Control, wanted to create a world where everyone was equal.
And in a world where Devils existed, this wasn't as far-fetched as it seemed.
Although Devils from the human world would reincarnate in Hell and Devils from Hell would reincarnate on Earth, Devils born from concepts were, in some sense, immortal. However, there was a way to eradicate them.
That method was for the Chainsaw Devil to consume them.
When a Devil was consumed by the Chainsaw Devil, not only did it cease to exist, but the concept it was born from also vanished.
And now, the Chainsaw Devil lay dormant within Denji's body, bound by some kind of contract with him.
Makima's goal was to awaken the dormant Chainsaw Devil, control it, and then use its power to devour other Devils.
The War Devil, the Hunger Devil, the Disease Devil...
Eventually, even the Devil of Control herself.
After consuming all the Devils, true peace would be achieved... or at least, that's how Makima envisioned it.
To do this, she needed to make Denji feel pain and stop wanting to live so that he would willingly sever his contract with the Chainsaw Devil.
Her method was to surround Denji with companions, letting him feel happiness and joy.
Then, one by one, she would take those people away from him.
And with the appearance of the Yamai sisters, coupled with the fact that only one of them could remain, Makima used this to her advantage, handing the decision to Denji and initiating the first step of her plan.
When the Yamai sisters saw Denji's lifeless expression upon entering, and when he mentioned the evaluation, they immediately realized Makima's plan.
This was bad news not just for Denji, but for them as well.
"If the final score is that you or I win, it doesn't matter. A tie is fine too. We just need to follow the original plan," Kaguya Yamai said, her expression conflicted as she scratched her head. "But she chose to make Denji decide who wins and who loses. What should we do?"
"What else can we do?" Yuzuru Yamai sighed deeply.
"We'll do what the original Yamai would have done. Whatever happens in the original story, we'll follow."