Chapter 96

This Kind of Taste (こんな味, Kon'na aji) is the 96th Chapter of the Chainsaw Man Manga.

Summary
Makima walks through the graveyard, stepping through the various bodies of deceased Public Safety members as she reaches down and picks up a pack of cigarettes from the inside of one's suit jacket. She takes one out of the pack and lights it, sitting back against one of the grave markers and inhaling the cigarette, causing her to cough several times. She presses the lit end of the cigarette against the ground, putting it out before picking up Pochita and telling him that it was now the second time she had ever defeated him, and that he now belonged to her. She tells him that they'd be together forever, and that they'd eat a lot together, sleep together, and live a happy life together.

Several feet behind Makima, Denji slowly stands up from amongst a pile of corpses, donning an oversized Public Safety uniform. He walks over to Makima, and as she notices him, takes out a chainsaw and slices her down the chest. Makima gasps, confused and shocked as blood spews from her torso, falling to her knees as Denji stands above her. Denji exclaims that Makima had finally let her guard down, and tells her that he would be taking back Pochita. He reaches down, picking up Pochita as he says that what he just did was dangerous, and that he had used up all of the blood Power had given him from their contract. Makima, now bleeding from her mouth and nose asks how Denji was alive, to which Denji responds that she had actually been fighting Pochita the entire time, and that he had a vague memory of being able to fight like Pochita just had.

As Makima continues to bleed, Denji tells her that the chainsaw he had cut her with was made out of the blood he got from Power, and he was making it "run amok" inside her. Makima says 'This is hardly enough to...', to which Denji says that he didn't believe he could truly kill her with such a cheap trick. A van pulls up behind Denji, leading him to happily exclaim that Kishibe was there to pick them up. He tells Makima he's sorry before pointing the chainsaw at her.

A shot of Tokyo is shown, various citizens shown to be going about their day as they normally would as two young kids, several adults on a subway, and several citizens walking down a street are shown. The scene transitions to night and the exterior of a rundown apartment building with Kishibe's van parked outside is shown. Kishibe complains that his back hurt before asking Denji if he was ready, the two standing within one of the one-room apartments as Denji says that he was, and that he was beat. Kishibe tells Denji that from there on forward, it was all personally up to him. He tells him that innocent people were dying as they spoke, and that it would be best if Denji could finish as quickly as possible, even though it wasn't really a process that could be sped up. Denji says that he'd be going at his own pace. Kishibe then tells him one last thing; He didn't believe that what Denji was about to do would truly kill Makima, and that he should be prepared for failure and death. Denji tells him that he himself was the one who came up with the idea, so he was already prepared. Kishibe leaves as he tells Denji that he'd be back by again if he was alive, and tells him to not die as out of everyone he'd ever met, Denji was the most suited for being a Devil Hunter.

The door to the apartment closes as Denji talks to himself, asking what Kishibe had just said before sighing and walking to the refrigerator, mumbling that he was hungry. He pulls a small box out of the fridge, the fridge itself shown filled with various boxes tied shut as Denji says that even after everything that happened, he still liked Makima. He begins to cook, chopping up an onion and frying the pieces, saying that he couldn't forgive Makima after everyone she'd killed. He says that because of that, he'd share the burden of her sins with her, and asks himself how he would truly do that. He toys with the idea of latching onto her with a bomb and performing a double-suicide before countering it with the fact that attacks had no effect on her, but says that that fact is what led him to realize how to beat her and become one with her. Denji finishes preparing his meal, which consists of a small bowl of white rice, miso soup, and a ginger-fried meat and onions dish. Denji performs Itadakimasu before taking a sip of the miso soup and noting that it was pretty good. He takes a bite of the ginger-fried meat and onions and says that it tasted alright. He begins to take a bite of the rice as he notes that what he was tasting was what Makima tasted like.

Characters

 * Makima
 * Pochita
 * Denji
 * Kishibe
 * Power (Mentioned)