Japan had only just begun to recover from the chaos brought by the Falling Devil.
The damage had been severe, but the country endured.
Then, a month ago, the Gun Devil appeared again.
Two minutes.
That was all it took.
In that short span, entire regions were devastated. The destruction was more localized compared to the Falling Devil's rampage, but far more brutal. Nearly four hundred thousand people died, and millions were injured.
It was not just Japan that felt the shock.
The Soviet Union, X Country, and the United States all reacted at once.
None of them cared about Japan itself. If the entire country vanished overnight, they would not lose sleep over it.
What mattered was something else.
The Gun Devil fragments.
The pieces they had spent years collecting had suddenly vanished.
And the last known location of those fragments was Japan.
Now, the entire world had its eyes locked on the country.
Kyoto.
The phone of Japan's new Prime Minister, Yuki Tomoda, rang nonstop.
He was drenched in sweat.
The moment he ended one call, another came in.
"Hello, this is Prime Minister Tomoda speaking."
He forced a polite tone, bowing instinctively even though the caller could not see him.
"Yes, yes… we understand your concern…"
His face stiffened as he listened.
"Your country's Gun Devil fragments disappeared? We deeply regret that, but we have no information on it either. This incident is not something we can confirm on our end."
He wiped his forehead, panic creeping into his voice.
"Japan suffered greatly as well. Please understand that."
More words came from the other side.
Tomoda bowed again, lower this time.
"There must be some misunderstanding. We sincerely apologize."
His voice grew weaker with every sentence.
"Yes, once we complete our investigation, we will contact your diplomatic office immediately. Please rest assured."
The call ended.
He stayed frozen for a moment, still bent forward, before finally straightening up.
If this had been face to face, he would have been kneeling on the floor by now.
The truth was simple.
He had no idea what had happened.
After Asa Mitaka obtained all the Gun Devil fragments, Makima ensured that no information could leak.
She altered the perception of every high-ranking official in Japan.
No one would speak of Asa.
No one would even think to.
Makima had her reasons.
She liked Cael.
And because she liked him, she would protect what belonged to him.
Asa was his lover.
She was even carrying his child.
There was no way Makima would allow the entire world to target a pregnant woman.
Cael would hate that.
And Makima had no intention of making Cael's life harder.
The plan was not perfect. Information always found a way to leak.
But it would buy time.
And if anyone came knocking with bad intentions, she would deal with them personally.
In the end, all that mattered was that the four of them could live peacefully.
Sumida Ward.
The ruins of the Tokyo Skytree stood surrounded by construction.
Workers moved nonstop, pouring concrete and rebuilding what had been destroyed.
The original tower, once standing at 634 meters, was gone.
This time, they aimed higher.
Over a thousand meters.
Not just for pride, but for function. With so many high-rise buildings in Tokyo, signal transmission required something taller, something dominant.
Nearby, a man sat on a bench, watching the scene with a relaxed smile.
He held a can of coffee, his posture lazy.
He was tall, well-built, dressed in a white shirt and black overalls. A vintage camera hung around his neck.
His long black hair was tied into a ponytail, his features sharp and composed.
He looked like a tourist.
"Alright, folks," he muttered to himself, lifting his camera. "Welcome to the future tallest tower in the world, Tokyo Skytree."
He snapped a few photos, even catching a couple of workers slacking off.
"Beautiful," he added with a grin.
A sanitation worker approached him.
The man wore a faded uniform with orange stripes, carrying a bag and cleaning tools. His face was tired, but he smiled politely.
"Excuse me, young man… could I have that can?"
The young man raised a brow.
He shook the crushed can in his hand.
Liquid sloshed inside.
"There's still half left," he said in slightly rough Japanese.
The worker scratched his head, embarrassed.
"Ah… sorry, I thought it was empty."
The young man laughed.
"No problem. I'll finish it and give it to you."
The worker waved his hands quickly.
"No, no, that's not necessary…"
But the man tilted the can anyway.
Splash.
The remaining coffee spilled onto the ground, spreading into a dark stain.
"There," he said with a wide grin. "Now it's empty."
He handed the can over.
The sanitation worker's expression stiffened.
"…Young man, I didn't ask you to do that. You're just making more work for me."
The man blinked, then tilted his head as if confused.
"What are you talking about?"
He stepped closer.
"I just made your job more meaningful."
"…What?"
The can dropped into the plastic bag with a metallic clink.
"If people didn't litter, what would you even do?" he continued casually. "Same goes for everyone else."
He pointed toward the construction site.
"Those guys only have work because something got destroyed. No devils, no damage, no jobs."
He smirked.
"Dirty environments create cleaners. Illness creates doctors. Crime creates Public Safety. Devils create Devil Hunters."
His grin widened.
"It's a perfect system."
The worker's face flushed with anger.
"That's twisted logic!"
The man stood up slowly.
His height alone was enough to cast a shadow over the worker.
"What did you say?" he asked, voice calm but heavy.
The worker immediately shrank back.
"…Nothing."
The tension broke just as quickly as it formed.
The man suddenly laughed.
Then he stretched out his hand.
"Nice to meet you," he said brightly. "I'm Bridge. What's your name?"
The worker hesitated, then wiped his hand nervously on his clothes before reaching out.
"My name is Kitano…"
Before their hands could meet, Kitano screamed.
"Ahh!"
He clutched his face, staggering back.
Blood poured from his nose.
Bridge stood there, grinning.
Instead of a handshake, he had shoved two fingers straight into the man's nostrils.
"Ahahaha!"
He pulled his hand back, holding up his bloodied fingers in a peace sign, laughing so hard he bent forward.
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