"Cael, I'm here to help you!"
Asa Mitaka appeared, wearing a thin white sweater. The composite bow in her hands faintly resembled her coat, shaped with careful precision.
Yoru raised an eyebrow, looking at the improvised weapon. "Turning clothes into a bow? Not bad, but the guilt tied to clothes is low. I doubt it can pierce the Leech Devil's defenses."
"And besides, can Asa even shoot? Let me handle it," Yoru added, voice dripping with detached critique.
Asa didn't respond. She stood tall, drew a deep breath, and raised the bow. Nocking an arrow, she aimed carefully at the Leech Devil.
Whoosh.
Boom.
The impact exceeded expectations. The arrow cut a bloody gash straight through the Leech Devil's body, slicing deep.
Yoru blinked. She hadn't realized. This bow — this coat — had been a birthday gift from Asa's late mother. The guilt tied to it was strong. The arrow carried that weight, and it was enough.
"Gah!" the Leech Devil shrieked. "Sneak-attacking me? Despicable humans!"
It had already been humiliated by Cael, and now this? It collapsed to the ground, weakened beyond recovery.
Cael's eyes flicked to the source of the shot. "Asa?"
A hundred meters away, the girl stood, bow in hand, looking poised. Cael's mind raced. He had always known Asa wasn't ordinary, but her precision and power surpassed even his expectations. Had that arrow hit him directly, he might have had trouble surviving.
Their eyes met. Asa waved. Cael gave a slight nod, then turned back to the Leech Devil, his expression flat.
"You still can't satisfy me, small-fry devil," he muttered, watching the black hole in his hand slowly drift toward the creature. Its cold corpse would soon become his attribute points.
Then, suddenly, a massive fox claw appeared out of thin air, smashing into the Leech Devil and reducing it to a cloud of blood mist.
Cael paused, confused. "Wait… who the hell just—?"
Pop. The claw vanished.
Three people in Public Safety uniforms emerged from the smoke. The leader was unmistakable: Himeno, whom Cael had met before.
"Ara ara, Leech Devil confirmed eliminated. Good job, Arai. That's some skill with the Fox Devil," Himeno said, voice calm, hands on her hips.
"Se… Senior, you're overpraising me!" Arai, a tall, upright young man, nearly bounced on his heels with excitement.
Himeno glanced at the mess of destruction and issued commands. "Akai, you're responsible for checking for survivors and guiding them to evacuate."
"Y-Yes!" The young girl with a hairpin nodded nervously, voice firm but tinged with uncertainty.
She then turned her attention to Cael, placing a hand on his shoulder. "You worked very hard, Cael, the temporary worker."
Cael gave a dry smile. "Would you believe me if I said I just came here to play?"
"Regardless, you did an excellent job," Himeno replied, valuing results above all.
Nearby, Hayakawa Aki opened her eyes, wincing as she held the back of her head. She glanced at Power, lying weak from blood loss. Power didn't dare meet her gaze, shifting just in time to see Nyan-ko perched on Asa's shoulder.
A small smile crossed Power's lips. "Hey, Braid Girl… if you end up killing me, I won't mind, just promise me you'll take care of Nyan-ko…"
Himeno's expression hardened. "Aki, explain the situation with the Fiend."
Hayakawa Aki hesitated, eyes flicking away. "It's nothing. I wasn't strong enough and got ambushed by the Bat Devil. The Fiend… is always a handful, needs strict supervision."
Power blinked in disbelief, tears forming. "Braid Girl… you bastard. I'm almost moved to tears."
"Really?" Himeno asked skeptically.
"It's true," Power said softly.
"After all this, Aki, you and the Blood Fiend will give your statement once you've been treated," Himeno instructed.
"No problem," Aki agreed.
Cael shrugged. He had no interest in their personal issues.
Just as he started walking toward Asa, a tall, excited young man blocked his path. He gave a perfect ninety-degree bow.
"You must be Cael, the temporary worker Senior Himeno mentioned! That fight was incredible! I'm Arai, please, teach me!"
Cael scratched his head, bemused. "Was that Fox Devil just now yours?"
"Yes!" Arai proudly displayed a fresh wound on his arm, proof of using the Fox Devil's power. "It's my first time using it! Thanks to Senior Cael putting the Leech Devil on the ropes, I was able to finish it!"
Cael sighed internally. Kill-stealing on a first attempt. Bold move.
He still smiled, patting Arai's shoulder. "Good job. Next time, leave it to me. You won't pay such a high price for using your devil powers."
"I understand!" Arai beamed.
Nearby, Asa watched Cael casually laughing with the Public Safety team. Were these his friends? Maybe that story about having no friends was just to comfort her.
A bitter taste rose in Asa's mouth. She was alone.
Two women in the group drew her eyes: Himeno with her eyepatch, and the cold, elegant Hayakawa Aki. Even she, Asa Mitaka, had to admit they were stunning.
And Cael… still seemed more interested in them.
A small sigh escaped her lips. Maybe Yoru was right.
"Um…"
A timid voice broke her thoughts.
Asa turned. A shy, young girl in a Public Safety uniform stood nearby. About her age.
Heavens. So cute. Could someone like this be Cael's friend too?
Asa's confidence faltered.
"Is there something?" she asked, tone tinged with disappointment.
"Eek!" The girl, Kobeni Higashiyama, stammered, bowing deeply. "I'm new to Public Safety, and I… I don't know the rules yet! The scene is almost cleared, so… I wanted to… ask you to evacuate!"
____
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