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TIMELINE

(This chapter is an "analysis" chapter, where I try to put together the bits and pieces of Himeno, her relationship to others, and what she means to the overall story of Chainsaw Man. This one is just a general timeline that occurs before and during the events of part 1. No manga spoilers, but this chapter does contain spoilers for the "Chainsaw Man: Buddy Stories" light novel!)

♡Five years before the events of the story, Himeno joins Public Safety, presumably to pay the cost of her father's medical treatment from an unknown illness. She should be around 20 years old at this time.*

♡She is assigned to her first buddy (forgot his name lol.)

♡Over the course of 2 years**, her buddies meet their grisly ends per the course of devil hunting. This causes her to develop depression and survivor's guilt from being unable to save them, possibly bearing firsthand witness to the carnage. Her cigarette addiction likely starts at this time as a way to cope (probably from Kishibe xD).

♡Her last buddy, Sahara (the bf of the girl who slaps her later) is presumably killed on their mission to take down the Ghost Devil. Himeno breaks her arm in the process, but because she doesn't feel fear, the Ghost Devil cannot sense her, so she makes a contract with it for its powers in exchange for her eye.

♡A short while after that, she meets Aki at the cemetary, and though at first she is distant towards him, she warms up into a bubbly, almost careless mentor. This gets on the boy's nerves until Chapter 3 of "Buddy Stories", where he seems saddened by a drunken Himeno's confession that she feels she is bad luck to every partner she has coupled with. She passes out before he can apologize for his behavior, and soon after they face on the Loneliness Fiend, with Aki taking the arrow to the chest to save Himeno. He survives with no casualties as his heart was more closed off than hers, the scene thereafter shows the first time Himeno asked Aki to smoke in the balcony (in the anime it's the part where the sky is dusk), confirming she now sees him as a buddy and does not want him to die.

♡The events from the anime happen in this order, with a week at most likely being between them: Himeno gets slapped which causes Aki to get easy revenge on the girl who hit her, she takes him to the restaurant and tries to get him to smoke though lays off because he is underage (19, you have to be 20 to smoke/drink in Japan), and lastly she visits the grave of her buddies for the final time after her discussion with Kishibe, determined to never let Aki become one of the bodies beneath her feet. (Note that the last event may take a few months to a year after what happens at the restaurant, my evidence being her hair is cute and her face has started to develop a stronger chin/larger face that she sports when she's older compared to her more ovular, younger look.)

♡After a year, Aki is able to legally smoke, and does so to cope with the death of the rookies around him. He cries often during this time, though he tries to hide it. Himeno finds this funny at first (tf bbygirl??) yet after a certain point she starts to fall in love with this side of Aki, appreciating that he, unlike many other people in the profession, still has tears to cry. The codependent side of their relationship starts here, with the duo relying on cigarettes and drinks to cope with their depression, guilt, and possible other side-effects of trauma (Himeno's desperation for intimacy, Aki's desperation to separate himself from his emotions, and of course their mutual death-wishes that are, unknowingly, entwined with one another.)

♡Over the course of these months, Himeno's affection for Aki grows, though she likely masks her want to make romantic advances behind friendly teasing/her typical drunken clinginess.

♡Oh also she kisses Aki at a bar sometime at this point lol.

♡After 2 years, Aki has solidified a contract with Kon, the Fox Devil, and the unnamed Curse Devil. Himeno is adamantly against him using the latter, and he respects her judgement/trusts her enough to only use it if she allows him to (which is never Aki quit trying to die). Aki and Himeno continue about their devil-hunting duties, with Aki proving himself to be a cut above Division 4, causing Makima to keep promoting him until he eventually reaches captain. Though it is gradual, he starts spending less time with Himeno and more time with Makima/going on missions to earn a higher title, which makes Himeno suspicious of the woman's intentions with Aki--granted she is largely jealous of her, but her concern over Aki's death-wish being enabled through this path is another reason she is so distrustful. She likely starts asking Aki to quit to the private sector with her around this time, sending distraught letters to her sister when this doesn't work.

♡Around 2 years and six months*** after they first meet, Aki and Himeno drink at her her place for the last time****, where she cuts off his topknot and keeps it as a "heirloom". 

♡3 years after they've first met, and 5 years since she had initially joined, Himeno comes along with her rookies Kobeni and Arai to backup Aki after Denji has taken out the Bat/Leech Devil, and the rest is history (sorry i had to >w<).

(explanations under the cut!!)

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*I believe Himeno has only been a devil hunter for five years because I just do not think she looks a day over mid-twenties lol, plus her surviving any longer would be like. Astounding by Devil Hunting standards. I choose 20 here because her father suddenly becoming sick only a little after she's finished high school would be a huge incentive to join the quickest means at a huge salary aka Devil Hunting.

**While I at first thought Himeno lost one buddy every year, meaning she had been a Devil Hunter for 5 years until she met Aki, I figured her losing them in such a short time would explain her survivor's guilt better. Plus the light novel includes the detail of Aki thinking lowly of Himeno because she lost 5 partners, which would hammer in his doubt more if it was 5 over 2 years instead of 5 over 5 years.

***When they're at the bar in episode 7, Aki tells Fushi it has been six months since he's last been out drinking.

****Again, per Aki's words and the fact that Himeno would have to train Arai/Kobeni while Aki was likely dealing with the his newfound responsibilities as Captain of the New Division Four, they didn't get the chance to have drinks with just the two of them, especially since Himeno died only six months later...