22 Chapter 22

Sam was taken aback by Makima's sudden offer. The Control Devil was offering him a deal that would guarantee him power, and by that, he didn't think of the hot blonde demon that lived with him.

"You know what kind of devil I am," Makima said. "I'm the Control Devil. I can control you if I want. But you're willingly letting me do that. So here's my deal. Since you are willing to give your life away, I'll offer you the power to control your heartbeat. The more you increase it, the more powerful you become. However, that will shorten your lifespan. The more you use it, the more power, and the more you will burn from your lifespan."

Without the slightest hesitation, Sam said, "I'm in."

The power she just offered him reminded him of a technique called 'Advance' from Kengan Ashura.

Sam suddenly felt that he could sense his heartbeat, like he could breathe. Taken by this new feeling, he focused on his beat and decided to increase it. He looked at his arm. His veins became more apparent. He then increased it more and more until his skin became red. He suddenly felt refreshed, high, and more alive.

[-10 HP]

"If you don't want to risk getting a heart attack, I advise you to slow down. There's a limit before you die instantly."

"Thank you." Sam controlled his heartbeat to the normal level.

She waved her hand at him.

Smiling, he looked at Makima, opened his arms, and said, "I love you, boss." He then stood up and approached her, stretching his lips to kiss her cheek.

Makima, however, put her finger on his chin, pushing him away. She said, "I appreciate your feelings. But I'm not in the mood."

Blushing, he faked a cough and took a step back. "Then I'll leave if you don't need anything else."

"Dismissed," Makima said.

Sighing in disappointment, Sam got out of the door and closed it behind him.

Although he got a great deal of power today, he was rejected. Rejected!

'But I leveled up 4 levels in a row. So nothing can ruin my mood.' Sam smiled, held his head up high, and walked out of the building. Now, it was time for a long nap.

-x-X-x-

Sam took his leave and reached his house, holding a box of condoms in his hand. The first one to welcome him was the white cat, Meowy. She was just looking at his hand to see if he grabbed any food. After seeing that he got nothing to feed her, she turned and walked away.

Other than that, he found that Power was already there, standing in front of the fridge.

"What are you doing?" he asked her. Sam had to wonder if he would ever get used to her quirks. Well, she's cute. So on the scale of crazy-hot, she is tolerable.

"I'm protecting it from Himeno," Power said. "She came here with a bunch of beers and opened the fridge. Since she's a meat lover, I had to stand here to make sure she didn't eat any sausage. By the way, when are you going to cook my steak?"

"Now," Sam sighed. It seemed that Power wouldn't stop nagging him until she got what she wanted. "Just stop hugging the fridge."

"Oy, Sam. You're here. I have been waiting for you," Himeno's voice echoed. Sam turned and saw her standing in front of his room, not wearing her pants. Her legs were long and nice. Just as he walked, Power stood in his way.

"I thought you were going to take a nap," Sam said. "It was quite an exhausting mission."

"I know. But I need to cuddle someone to rest better," she said, turning a bit.

"Just let me deal with this little tigress," Sam put his hand on Power's head. "Until then, hold this for me." He then threw her the box he was holding. Himeno caught it.

Smiling, she replied. "Wow. To be responsible, what happened to you."

"I just remembered on my way," Sam smiled. Truth be told, Makima was the one to remind him to buy condoms.

"I'll be waiting for you," Himeno turned and swayed her hips as she got into his room.

"Man. She's annoying," Power scoffed as Sam started to work on her food.

"That's rich, coming from you." Sam laughed a bit.

"Yo. Listen. If you throw her away, Power will let you play with her instead, got it," Power said. "You're just a dude, right? So as long as you get your sausage cooked, you're fine."

Sam almost laughed. Making a stoic expression, he shook his head a bit. "I'll consider your offer. For now, there is no way I'd let you come between our friendship."

"What about ours!?"

"Nothing can stand between us, okay."

"Okay," he exhaled.

After some time, Sam pulled the steak out of the oven, and he said. "Wait about 10-20 minutes and then start eating."

"Good human." She thumbed him up.

Sam shrugged as he threw the kitchen stuff and went to his room, finding Himeno about to sleep. Finally. Something good to finish his day with.

"Oh. You're here. I thought you're planning to bore me to sleep," Himeno yawned.

"How about I make it up for you?" Sam put his hands next to her face and leaned in, his face getting closer.

"What do you have in mind?"

"I'll keep you up until you close your eyes," he replied.

She wrapped her arms around his neck and flipped him. "Mmm… Get over here."

-x-X-x-

It was the middle of the night when Sam's phone rang. He opened his eyes. Himeno's face was pushing against his as she hugged him, her hair was getting into his ear. He pushed her away and picked up the phone.

"Do you know what time it is?"

"It's K."

Sam opened his eyes widely. The sleepiness was washed away.

"Oh. K. It's you."

"I've found the man you were looking for."