Line 40

Ask the Dark is the third chapter of the eighth volume of the Devils' Line manga series and the fortieth chapter.

Summary
Anzai wakes up in the devil wing of the Shirase Hospital. He is getting a blood transfusion. He tries to leave, but finds he's handcuffed to the bed. His doctor, Feng Jing, comes in to tell him about his condition. Anzai isn't interested in that and immediately asks about Tsukasa. She tells him she is in a stable condition in the human wing and she knows that she had Anzai bite her on purpose. Hearing that, Anzai suddenly remembers the incident and it hits him hard. Feng insists that he would have died if she hadn't given him her blood. As Feng exits the room, she looks over a confidential document given to doctors in cases of blood drinking, but she already knows about the healing effects of human blood from Lee.

Dr. Kanou makes a call to Midori Anzai from the hospital.

Sawazaki and Ishimaru present the list of CCC members they got from the raid to Senior Superintendent Shizuka Machida. One of the names is Naoya Ushio, who is listed as a director of a company with no activity, most likely only created to help cover for the CCC. The CCC attempted to kill Ushio, so the police have put him into hiding. It is reported that Zero Four was shot and killed in jail after he stole a gun from Officer Yoshiyuki Uno and tried to escape. Uno was also killed. They suspect that Zero Four acted on Kikuhara's orders. They also plan to move Zero Nine from jail and into hiding. Machida announces that F Squad is no more and that he hopes Anzai will resign. With no F Squad, other squads will cover their area.

Sawazaki and Ishimaru leave the room and let Asami know the details. They have all been suspended for twenty days. The case will be temporarily suspended, but the search for former CCC members is ongoing. Since they haven't found Makimura's body, he is presumed alive. Ishimaru will go back to General Affairs and Asami will go back to Investigation 1. Sawazaki will be transferred to Division 5, Section 1 which handles "miscellaneous" cases. Jill will go to Y Squad and Yanagi back to his hospital. Sawazaki and Ishimaru head to the hospital as a final action for the squad.

Tsukasa wakes up screaming Anzai's name. Her friend Miwako is there with a change of clothes. Ishimaru comes in right after she wakes up and talks to her privately. He tells her that Anzai is fine, but that he's in shock. He thanks her for saving Anzai's life. Tsukasa feels guilty about breaking her promise and giving Anzai her blood. She understands why he's so afraid. She would feel the same way if she were him, but she is determined to convince him to stay with her.

Sawazaki goes to visit Anzai, who Dr. Feng took on a walk to the roof. He is tormented and wallowing in self pity. He's sure that he'll kill Tsukasa the next time and is questioning if devils should even be allowed to live alongside humans. Sawazaki says he wants to live alongside him.

Sawazaki and Ishimaru tell Anzai and Tsukasa respectively about the deliberation about their blood drinking case that will start the next day. Since Anzai drank her blood, he will need to be monitored for signs of addiction and there will be a restraining order against him for about three months. Sawazaki urges Anzai to meet with her today because it is his last chance until the deliberation is over.

Dr. Kanou comes up to the roof and hands Anzai his phone. On the other side is someone with experience with what he's going through: a human who fell in love with a devil and had a child - his mother.

Chapter Notes

 * Dr. Feng tell Anzai that Tsukasa saved his life by giving him her blood.
 * F Squad presents the list of CCC members to their superiors.
 * F Squad is dissolved and all members are transferred to new or former positions.
 * Zero Four and Yoshiyuki Uno kill each other in an escape attempt by Zero Four.
 * Ishimaru and Sawazaki tell Tsukasa and Anzai that there will be a deliberation about Anzai's blood drinking and Anzai will be under a restraining order for the next three months.
 * Anzai is tormented about what he's done and Kanou gives him the chance to talk to Midori Anzai to help him sort things out.

Characters

 * Yuuki Anzai
 * Feng Jing
 * Akio Kanou
 * Takashi Sawazaki
 * Megumi Ishimaru
 * Shizuka Machida
 * Yousuke Asami
 * Tsukasa Taira
 * Miwako Todo