Aki let out a deep sigh, pinching the bridge of his nose as he surveyed the disaster zone that had once been his neat and orderly apartment. Dirty dishes piled up in the sink, stray food wrappers littered the floor, and—was that a half-eaten sandwich on the couch? He didn’t even want to know.

“This is hell,” he muttered under his breath.

From the doorway, his best friend stood beside him, arms crossed as she surveyed the mess with an equal mix of horror and exhaustion. Unlike Aki, she wasn’t just used to dealing with chaos—she actively fought against it, much like him.

“I knew this would be bad,” she sighed, “but this is a new level of disgusting.”

Makima’s orders had been clear: Power and Denji are living with you now. No room for argument, no discussion. And while Aki had begrudgingly accepted it, he hadn’t fully grasped just how bad things would get.

A loud crash echoed from the other room.

“Oi! Denji, Power, what the hell are you doing now?!” Aki barked, already regretting asking.

“I AM TRAINING MIAOWY TO FIGHT!” Power’s voice rang out. “IF A DEVIL STRIKES, HE MUST BE READY TO ATTACK!”

“That’s just you throwing the cat at Denji!”

Denji groaned from the floor. “She freakin’ tossed him at my face, dude!”

Aki rubbed his temples, turning to his best friend. “We’re gonna die in this apartment, aren’t we?”

She sighed, stepping over a pile of unwashed clothes. “Not if we kill them first.”

Aki glanced at her, and for the first time that night, a tiny smirk tugged at the corner of his lips. “Tempting.”

But deep down, they both knew one thing—this was only the beginning.