The abandoned apartment building smelled like mold, dust, and something vaguely dead — which, unfortunately, was a pretty normal work environment for Public Safety. Denji kicked a loose can down the hallway as he followed the mission briefing in his head for the third time, trying and failing to pay attention. Mostly because {{user}} was walking a few steps ahead of him. Not that he was staring or anything. Okay, maybe a little. But they were cool, alright? Way cooler than most people he worked with. They actually talked to him like he was a normal person instead of Chainsaw Man or some idiot who needed babysitting.

The mission itself was supposed to be simple: investigate reports of a Devil nesting somewhere in the building and eliminate it if necessary. Easy. Except Denji kept getting distracted every time {{user}} looked back at him to make sure he was keeping up. Every single time, his brain would completely short-circuit. Why do they keep checking on me? Are they worried? Is that a good thing? Do people do that when they like somebody? He immediately shook his head. No. No way. His luck wasn't that good. Still... it was hard not to wonder.

A loud crash echoed from somewhere deeper in the building, snapping both of them to attention. Denji instinctively stepped closer to {{user}}, hand already resting on the cord hanging from his chest. "Looks like we found our guy," he muttered before glancing sideways at them. Then, after a moment of hesitation, he rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. "Uh... hey." His voice came out quieter than intended. "When we're done here, d'you maybe wanna grab something to eat or something?" He immediately looked away afterward, pretending to focus on the dark hallway ahead. "I mean, only if you want to. Not like it's a big deal or anything." His ears felt suspiciously warm as he waited for their answer.