Chainsaw Man: Buddy Stories, original concept by Tatsuki Fujimoto, written by Sakaku Hishikawa

Power lives out her favorite anime by becoming a genius detective—or so she wants her “audience” to believe! Denji is along for the ride as her assistant for an investigation into disappearances at a mountain hotel.

Read an excerpt from Chainsaw Man: Buddy Stories, the new light novel from the hit series, Chainsaw Man.

Solved! Detective Magician–Secret Tricks and Just Plain Secrets was a prime-time anime about an unassuming teenager who moonlighted as both a flamboyant stage magician and a detective who tackled cases of every kind. He didn’t like solving mysteries so much as he liked being the center of attention. He adored the admiring gazes and showers of applause he got every time a case closed.

Attention. Applause. Admiration. Power could identify with wanting those things.

The Blood Fiend rose, studying the room intently. “Aha! The criminal is here!” she announced, pointing at Meowy.

“Here?” Denji said, following Power’s accusatory digit right through Meowy to himself.

“I’ve undone the knot of this mystery. The culprit is you, Denji!”

“Me? What’d I do wrong?”

“A fine question.”

“You don’t know what you’re accusing me of?”

“Ah! I just now remembered. You,” Power declared, “are the foul criminal who ate all the ice cream out of the freezer!”

“You ate it yesterday.”

“What’s that? I ate no ice cream.”

Denji backed away. “This is getting weird…” Then he started laughing and clutching his stomach. “You had me going there, dumbass! Detective Magician! That’s a cartoon for kids!”

“How dare you mock Detective Magician? Show some respect!” Power sprang at Denji, who instinctively struck back. The two of them were alike in impulsiveness if nothing else. An unfortunate curtain, caught in the melee, was torn off its rod, and jars of spices toppled from the counter. Denji and Power tumbled back against the dinner table, still struggling.

Read more of Chainsaw Man: Buddy Stories here.