French Kiss

As the team nears the hotel, Denji and Power needle Aki until he buys their silence with gum. Wary of the pair, Arai voices his doubts, but Aki promises they are only along to help kill the Devil and will be put down the moment they misbehave. When Aki and Denji slip back into squabbling, Himeno cools things off by pledging a kiss on the cheek to whoever slays the Devil. Denji initially passes, picturing Makima and arguing that intimacy only matters when feeling is mutual, until Himeno upgrades the reward to a French kiss and his enthusiasm flips instantly.

Moving through the halls, Denji and Arai keep at each other while Aki and Himeno talk over the rest of the team and the strong odds that some of them will not survive. Himeno tells Aki plainly not to die. A flashback then carries readers to the day Aki was paired with Himeno, beside the headstone of her former partner. She recounts that six partners before him had already perished and orders him not to join them. Back in the present, Himeno picks up on something close by. A door swings open, and a small demonic figure steps into the corridor.

This Eternity Devil arc chapter sits in Volume 2 and was released on March 18, 2019 in issue 2019-16. Its Japanese title Erokisu nods to the racy kiss wager that fuels the team's banter. The chapter was later adapted into Episode 5 of the anime, and Himeno's backstory here foreshadows the danger waiting inside the looping hotel.