Half a month had passed since the Falling Devil appeared in the world.
Morning.
At the Hayakawa residence, Hayakawa Aki had already changed into her sharp Public Safety uniform. The Curse Devil's nail sword and the Lifespan Sword were strapped to her back. She leaned against the balcony railing, smoking quietly.
Her gaze drifted toward the construction crews working in the distance.
Because of the abnormal gravity from that day, large parts of the city had been destroyed. Fortunately, her house had survived the disaster.
Senior Himeno had not been so lucky.
Not only had her apartment collapsed, she had also fractured her arm while rescuing someone.
Still, Himeno remained as optimistic as ever.
Carrying bags and suitcases, she had moved into the Hayakawa residence with a cheerful attitude.
The house had become much livelier since then.
There was a rude fiend and a boss who had absolutely no drinking etiquette.
Meow.
A cat's cry sounded from behind.
Nyan-ko crawled out of the bathroom, pawed at Aki's pant leg, then climbed up her body in a few quick steps. The cat settled comfortably on top of Aki's head, basking in the morning sun.
"Right... and a stupid cat that treats my head like a nest."
With a cigarette still in her mouth, Aki reached into her pocket and pulled out a dried small fish. She tossed it gently upward.
Nyan-ko caught it perfectly.
The sound of quiet crunching echoed above her head.
For some reason, the moment felt peaceful.
"So this is what home feels like..."
"Hiss."
Aki suddenly flinched.
The cigarette burned her finger, and the butt slipped from her hand, falling down past the balcony.
She glanced at the empty cigarette pack.
"Second cigarette finished. Time to go see Miss Makima."
Aki picked Nyan-ko up and brushed the fish crumbs from her hair before heading back inside.
She placed the cat back in her little bed.
Power was still snoring loudly on the sofa, sprawled across it like she owned the place. Aki quietly pulled a blanket over her.
Then she tiptoed toward the door.
Creak.
As soon as the door opened, Aki saw Himeno returning from grocery shopping.
"Oh? Aki, heading out?"
Himeno's right arm was wrapped in thick bandages and secured in a heavy cast.
Aki frowned.
"You should have asked Power to handle the shopping. Your arm still needs rest, Senior."
"Hehe."
Himeno gave a silly, lovestruck grin and slipped through the doorway.
"Is Aki worried about me?"
"Don't worry. Even with a fractured arm, I can still use the Ghost Devil's hand."
Aki sighed and took the grocery bags from her.
"I seriously don't know what to do with you."
Himeno changed her shoes at the entrance and asked casually, "So, going out dressed like that?"
"Yeah. Miss Makima finally finished dealing with her work. She said she has time to see me today."
"I see..."
For a brief moment, Himeno's eyes dimmed.
"Aki, you haven't eaten yet, right? Why not have breakfast before you go?"
Aki paused.
"Alright."
The two of them entered the living room.
"Powa, Powa, time to eat," Himeno said with a grin as she shook Power awake.
"Aaah!"
Power exploded awake with her usual terrible morning mood.
"Vomit eyepatch woman! If you are living in my house, behave like a proper lady, you croissant!"
"Yeah, yeah, I hear you. Blehh."
After teasing Power, Himeno headed into the kitchen and tied on an apron.
Aki tried to help, but an invisible hand suddenly lifted her off the floor.
The Ghost Devil.
"Aki just needs to sit there with little Power and wait with your bowls," Himeno said proudly. "Senior is going to show off her cooking skills."
With the Ghost Devil assisting her, Himeno's movements were barely hindered by the injury.
Not long after, breakfast was ready.
Ding.
The toaster popped.
A plate of fried eggs, a stack of slightly burnt toast, and three glasses of hot milk were placed on the table.
Aki and Himeno ate quietly.
The atmosphere felt calm.
Only the faint clink of forks against plates could be heard.
Power's eyebrows were twisted together in disgust as she stared at the milk.
"Hot milk stinks. It smells like cow crap. Disgusting. I need to drink some blood to rinse my mouth."
Neither Himeno nor Aki reacted.
Power always complained about something while eating.
"By the way," Himeno said after finishing her milk in one gulp, "what day is it since Akai resigned? Aki, do you remember?"
Aki thought for a moment.
"Probably five or six days."
Himeno nodded.
"Well, Akai is finally free."
"Honestly, I was surprised when she insisted on resigning a few days ago."
"Why?" Aki asked while finishing her fried egg.
"Because if she had just stayed one more week, she could have received her one million yen quarterly bonus."
Himeno sighed.
"But I get it. When the Falling Devil appeared, Akai was right at the center of that devil's domain. She must have been terrified."
Thinking about that night, when the sky itself seemed to collapse, Aki suddenly felt a heavy pressure in her chest.
"For the first time, I realized that besides the Gun Devil, there are devils that terrifying in this world."
"If our positions had been swapped with Akai's, we probably wouldn't have survived."
"Tell me about it."
Click.
Himeno lit a cigarette and leaned back in her chair.
"Akai is our benefactor. Without her, you and I would have been digested by that snake bastard."
"True," Aki replied.
Himeno smiled faintly and stretched.
"So I've been clocking in for Akai these past few days. I'm counting her work hours until tomorrow."
"That way she can still get the quarterly bonus."
Seeing Himeno smoking made Aki want one too.
She lit a cigarette.
"Yeah. You're right, Senior."
Himeno exhaled a long stream of smoke.
Then she suddenly asked, "Aki, are you going to talk to Makima about the Gun Devil expedition team?"
"Yeah. Miss Makima said the day to subjugate the Gun Devil is coming soon."
"Heh. Miss Makima, huh..."
Himeno's smile looked slightly bitter.
"Speaking of that, Aki... you like Makima, don't you?"
"But I don't understand. Why do you like her?"
"Huh?"
Aki froze.
That simple question instantly made cold sweat break out across her back.
"Senior, what are you talking about? What do you mean, why do I like Miss Makima..."
"But there has to be a reason for liking someone, right?" Himeno said, spreading her hands. "Aki is her own person, not her puppet."
"A reason..."
Aki murmured the words quietly.
Many images flashed through her mind.
Power yelling in the living room.
Himeno laughing with a cigarette in her mouth.
Nyan-ko sleeping peacefully on the couch.
Everyone living together under the same roof.
But strangely enough, Makima was not in any of those images.
Crack.
A strange sound echoed in her mind.
It felt like something had broken.
Aki's consciousness suddenly felt clearer, as if a thin membrane had been torn away.
"Yeah..."
"Why do I like Makima?"
"Maybe..."
"Maybe I actually prefer living like this instead."
Tokyo Devil Hunter Headquarters.
Makima's office.
Knock. Knock. Knock.
"Come in."
The door creaked open.
Aki stepped inside.
Makima sat behind her desk, wearing a white shirt. Sunlight filtered through the Venetian blinds, scattering stripes of light across the quiet office.
"Miss Makima. I'm here."
"Mhm."
Makima raised an eyebrow slightly.
She looked surprised.
The control chains she had planted inside Hayakawa Aki had actually broken.
Interesting.
Did Aki break free on her own?
Reattaching the chains would be extremely easy.
But Makima had no intention of doing that.
During the time she controlled Aki, she had already obtained the abilities of the Curse Devil and the Future Devil.
Her objective had already been achieved.
"Miss Makima, I..."
Aki hesitated.
For some reason, Makima felt completely different today.
Strange.
She had never felt this way before.
Aki took a deep breath and steadied herself.
"I request to be assigned to the Gun Devil expedition team."
===
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