Aki shines in this volume. I need to figure out exactly what's going on in that hospital room scene that leaves me so certain he's determined to bring the best out in Denji but there's just something about that scene... I love how Aki is drawn as well, his eyes look so empty and sad. Denji and Power are really funny in this volume, kind of like siblings fighting and squabbling all the time and Aki's the parent bribing them with gum. Makima totally has Denji under her thumb, to the extent that he just doesn't think about why she wants him to fight the gun devil or what that would mean for his future, he's just kind of enslaved to this need, which right now is boobs lol but I guess that's going to deepen into emotional intimacy and eventually love because that's what he's missed out on all his life, despite giving it to Pochita, he needs someone to "mother" him, so I'm immensely interested in whether we'll find out more about his mother or younger childhood.