Prologue

Devil Never Cry, also known as "Demons Never Cry" or "Demons Have No Tears."

But compared to the first two, someone preferred the interpretation "Demons Don't Believe in Tears."

Though it sounded a little like the name of a tavern at first, it was actually an agency.

The agency traveled all over the world, taking on all kinds of commissions. Gradually, it made a name for itself and became quite a "well-known" agency.

How well-known?

Well... probably only well-known enough for the owner himself to know about it.

Inside the dimly lit building, the chandelier, deprived of power, was shrouded in shadow, and the dust-covered ceiling fan had long since stopped turning. Only the neglected wooden floor occasionally let out a piercing creak beneath footsteps.

A shirtless boy with wet hair pushed open the shower room door and entered the lobby. Looking at the large blue-black bird huddled on the old sofa, he asked, "Griffon, what's going on? Why's the water out again? Did a pipe burst somewhere?"

"No, buddy," Griffon replied. "I think you just didn't pay the water bill."

"The water bill? Didn't I pay it three months ago?" Yuri asked, puzzled.

"So you do know it was three months ago..." Griffon shot him a speechless glance. "Besides the water bill, we haven't paid the electric bill in nearly half a year. And there's the rent. The landlord said he'd kick us out if we don't pay this month."

"The electric bill? Why pay for that when we've got you, our power-generating chicken?" Yuri shrugged as if it were obvious and kicked a chair that had fallen on its side. It somersaulted through the air a few times before landing firmly on its legs. "As for the rent... whatever. We've stayed here long enough anyway. It's time to move somewhere else."

"All right, you little rascal. I knew you'd say that." Without batting an eye, Griffon struck back at Yuri for giving him a nickname.

"Doesn't that mean we're getting more in sync? Just like how you've started ordering pizza on your own now. You never used to touch the stuff." Yuri leaned back in the chair, took a still-steaming slice of pizza from the desk in front of him, and propped his legs up on it.

"No, even now I don't want to touch that stuff at all. Though if you put some flies or mice or something on it, I might be willing to give it a try... Speaking of which, where did this pizza come from?" As he spoke, Griffon suddenly realized something was wrong.

"Huh... didn't you order it?" Yuri, pulling a string of cheese from the pizza, looked at Griffon in confusion.

"You're the only one here who likes that stuff..." Griffon gave Yuri, who was still happily stuffing himself, an annoyed look. "You even dare eat something when you don't know where it came from. Aren't you afraid someone poisoned it?"

Yuri waved a hand dismissively. "Who cares? Can't let it go to waste."

"Oh! Let's hope the toilet can survive what you put it through." Griffon couldn't help covering his face with a wing, though he had no intention of stopping him.

Yuri quickly devoured the pizza on the desk. Only when he picked up the last slice from the box did he notice a thin envelope at the bottom.

"Hmm?"

The envelope had been wedged beneath the pizza. One side was covered in grease stains, while the other clearly bore the recipient's name, address, and other information.

Yuri spotted his own name on it, and it immediately caught his attention.

So, holding the pizza in his left hand, he sucked on the fingers of his right, then opened the envelope with his greasy hand.

The envelope was made of good material, probably cowhide or sheepskin or something. The paper inside hadn't been soaked through with grease, leaving the contents blurred.

Still, it was anyone's guess what the sender had been thinking, choosing to hide the letter beneath a pizza.

Though in a sense this was a fairly confidential way to send a letter, no matter how one looked at it, one couldn't help wanting to complain.

Griffon, who hadn't heard Yuri make a sound for a while, turned around in puzzlement. Seeing him holding a letter, he flew over, landed on the long table, and tilted his head curiously. "What does it say?"

"The money to get our next journey started, plus rent, water and electricity, and all that." Yuri looked up from the letter, the corners of his mouth curling as he met Griffon's eyes.

"Does that include your daily pizza and strawberry sundaes?"

"Of course."

"Oh! Sounds like a big job." Griffon flapped his wings excitedly.

"Come on, buddy. Time to go." Yuri wiped his hands, took his coat from the coat rack nearby, and casually tucked the letter inside it. "There's a grand party waiting for us to get it started."

Seeing how eager Yuri looked, Griffon flew circles around him and teased, "You look excited, Yuri. Let me guess... a pretty girl?"

"If by 'girl' you mean a strawberry sundae, then I sure am." Yuri replied without looking back and walked straight into the back room.

Griffon followed close behind, chattering away in his ear.

After the man and bird left, the lobby fell silent, with only the opened envelope left on the desk.

Aside from the various details in the corner, two words stood out in the most prominent spot: commission request.