In the deep of the night, everything was silent.
The cold moonlight spilled down from the fragmented moon, bringing a slight brightness to the world, accompanied by the sparse stars.
At this quiet hour, when everyone should be asleep, Denji, who would usually be sound asleep, was strangely standing on the balcony, gazing into the distance.
He was holding a cigarette, one he had borrowed from Hayakawa Aki, seemingly trying to mimic others by smoking when feeling melancholic, to dull the sadness.
But being a first-timer at smoking, he couldn't handle the harsh taste, and after a few coughs, he threw the cigarette off the balcony.
"Yo, you're still awake?"
A light breeze brushed his face.
Along with the energetic voice of a girl, Denji turned his head slightly and saw Kaguya Yamai floating in midair, appearing on the balcony without him noticing.
"Did you two finish playing Pachinko?" Denji asked lazily. "Who won in the end?"
"Haha! Of course, I did!" Kaguya Yamai struck a triumphant pose, hands on her hips. "That idiot Yuzuru kept saying I was unlucky, but I won by an overwhelming victory. She's sulking somewhere right now, probably venting her frustration!"
"That's great."
"So, you still seem to be in a bad mood?"
"I'm not."
"You clearly are."
Kaguya Yamai floated in the air, hanging upside down to look directly at Denji. "Is it because Makima gave you the final say?"
Upon hearing this, Denji's eyes widened slightly.
His heartbeat quickened, as if something had caught in his throat.
"How... how do you know about that?" His voice was dry. "Did someone tell you?"
"You said today was the evaluation day, and I'm not stupid. It was easy to guess," Yuzuru Yamai, who had been hiding in the background, giggled. "Heh, didn't think Yuzuru and I would matter so much to you. Usually, you don't even share your pudding with me, but now you're so melancholy because of us?"
"Can you shut up for a second?" Denji's face turned red with a wave of embarrassment as he gave Kaguya Yamai the middle finger.
But Kaguya Yamai wasn't angry. Instead, she burst into laughter.
"Don't let the Devil sleep!"
At that moment, the light in Power's room suddenly turned on.
Her face, with a pair of bright red horns on her forehead, appeared through the window, glaring at the two of them.
"Why are you making so much noise at this hour? I can't stand rude people!"
"No one who doesn't flush after taking a shit has the right to talk about manners!" Kaguya Yamai shouted back.
"What do you know? I'm saving water for humanity," Power snorted.
She then pulled her head back into her room. "Go chat somewhere else. Don't disturb my sleep!"
Denji raised an eyebrow, ready to crawl over to her window and argue with Power again.
But his sleeve was tugged by Kaguya Yamai.
"She's right, it's getting late."
"True..."
Just as Denji thought Kaguya Yamai was going to bed, the perspective before him suddenly changed.
He felt his body lift as a gust of wind surrounded him, making him weightless and floating in the air.
"Let's just listen to her. Let's go somewhere else to talk!" Kaguya Yamai pointed to the sky, the wind swirling around her.
Then, with a sudden increase in speed, the gust of wind blew against Denji's face, making his eyes squint. His thin clothes rustled in the strong wind.
He didn't know how long it had been, but when he felt them stop moving, he opened his eyes again.
Before him was the city, shrouded in the night.
But the city wasn't dark; instead, it radiated with colorful neon lights, exuding a different kind of beauty.
For the first time, Denji was at such a height, able to take in the whole city beneath him. The sight left even him, who knew nothing about art or beauty, in awe.
Though Denji didn't understand beauty, this scene was one that anyone, no matter who, would feel something for.
"How is it? Beautiful, right?" Kaguya Yamai asked with a smile. "I've been to every corner of the world and seen many different landscapes, but this unique human landscape is my favorite."
After speaking, her eyes held a bit of serenity, and she murmured, "I really hope I can continue to appreciate it."
The faint good mood that Denji had just started to feel was quickly dispelled.
He had probably already guessed why Kaguya Yamai had brought him here to talk tonight.
But it didn't surprise him.
After all, from the beginning, he had known that everyone in the Anti-Devil Division knew the ultimate goal of the Yamai sisters: to devour each other and become the only Wind Spirit.
Everything they had done up until now had been to achieve that goal.
"Denji, I have a request," Kaguya Yamai said after a long silence, her tone turning serious.
She even dropped her usual self-referential language that added to her sense of authority and dignity.
"Mm, go ahead."
Although Denji had already guessed what the request might be, he nodded, signaling for her to continue.
To be honest, he was mentally and physically exhausted.
He had always been a bit of a fool, and thinking was never his strength.
Just thinking through today's matters had already been enough to make his brain work harder than it had in a year.
If Kaguya Yamai wanted him to speak well of her in front of Makima so that she would be the one to win, Denji would do it.
He wouldn't think of it as anything underhanded.
After all, their relationship had always been about mutual competition, a rivalry where they both wanted to devour the other.
This was just the natural order of things.
Maybe, like Himeno said, he had been deceived by their acting and forgotten about their nature as Devils. It was only when Makima entrusted him with such a big decision that he started to feel troubled.
"About the evaluation," Kaguya Yamai continued, "Yuzuru and I are tied, right?"
"Yes, Makima-sama gave me the final say."
"Great! Since you have the final say, I'll be direct!"
Kaguya Yamai cleared her throat, a flush appearing on her face.
It was as though she was preparing to bribe the judge, and the request was hard for her to vocalize.
Denji remained calm, quietly waiting for her next words.
But when Kaguya Yamai's request finally reached his ears, his pupils slightly contracted.
His expression became one of disbelief, as though he had heard something incomprehensible.
It was so unbelievable that he wondered if he had misheard.
"What... what did you just say?" he asked dazedly. "You want me to choose who?"
"Don't zone out, I was just saying something really important!" Kaguya Yamai slapped his shoulder and repeated, "Tomorrow, tell Makima that your final choice is Yuzuru!"