"You can control other people's dreams?"
Aki Hayakawa suddenly sounded curious.
"That's right. Got something in mind? Don't tell me you want to get all lovey-dovey with Miss Makima in a dream?"
"I'm not that shallow."
"Forget it. That would only make me feel guiltier."
Aki Hayakawa leaned back against the seat and kept smoking.
Perhaps he thought Meng Fan was unreliable.
Or perhaps he didn't dare face certain things again.
"So apart from curing insomnia, controlling dreams doesn't sound all that impressive. Miss Makima said you were much stronger than us."
"Easy there, Miss Pheasant. I wasn't finished."
Their car followed the one ahead around a turn and onto a tree-lined lane.
It instantly became much cooler inside.
"It's Miss Himeno. You finally show some respect, and you still get my name wrong."
Himeno clenched her little fist and gave Meng Fan a light punch on the shoulder.
Meng Fan smiled and continued, "I can send not only humans into dreams, but devils too. There is a condition, though."
"A condition? What condition?"
"Since you're so curious, Miss Himeno, how about we go to your place tonight and take our time talking?"
"Stop changing the subject. Spit it out."
"The condition is that the devil has to kill me. Once it kills me, it'll fall asleep immediately, and I can keep fighting it in the dream. I might not be strong in reality, but in a dream, I'm basically Satoru Gojo reborn."
"Who's Satoru Gojo?"
"If it kills you, how do you come back to life?"
"We're here, Miss Himeno. If you want to keep asking questions, get some drinks ready tonight, and we can take our time."
The car slowly came to a stop outside the Tokyo Public Safety Devil Hunters Headquarters.
When they got out, Himeno looked as though she still wanted more.
Clearly, Meng Fan had thoroughly piqued her curiosity.
She walked around to him and linked her arm through his. "Then come to my place tonight. We'll pick up where we left off."
"I was just joking. You actually took me seriously?"
"I don't care. If you don't come tonight, I'll tell Miss Makima what you just said."
"You're ruthless!"
"Master!" Just then, Denji came walking toward them.
"Hello, my horny apprentice. How did your chat with Miss Makima in the car go?"
Denji hurriedly pulled Meng Fan aside and whispered, "Makima's amazing. She's soft-spoken and really thoughtful. Most importantly, they're huge."
"Huge, my ass. Stop staring at that stuff all the time." Meng Fan smacked Denji on the head, sounding exasperated with his hopeless pupil, but immediately followed up with, "How did it feel?"
"It felt..."
Denji's face flushed bright red, as though he were reliving the experience.
"What are you two doing? Get inside already." Aki Hayakawa's shout interrupted Denji's fond recollections.
"Let's go in first."
They stopped talking and entered the Public Safety Bureau together.
They were directed to an office to fill out their personal information.
Denji couldn't read, and Meng Fan didn't want to write.
Both handed in blank forms.
A short while later, Himeno came out.
"How are the forms coming along?"
She picked up Meng Fan's form and looked it over. Sure enough, he hadn't written a single word.
"Don't miss out on a paying job just because you won't fill out some forms."
"There are over a thousand government and private Devil Hunters in Tokyo, but Public Safety Devil Hunters get plenty of paid leave, and their benefits and health insurance are first-rate. They only select a handful each year."
"No amount of talking will change anything. We're just an experimental team. If we don't qualify for permanent positions, we'll be disposed of as devils, won't we?"
"How did you know that?"
"Denji heard it from Makima."
"Me?" Denji looked puzzled, as though he were about to say he'd never heard Makima mention it.
"Whatever the case, you've already taken the first step. As long as you perform well, you'll naturally receive the same treatment as full-fledged Public Safety Devil Hunters."
While Himeno was diligently explaining things to them, the office door opened.
Someone pushed the office door open.
Aki Hayakawa walked in and said coldly, "A Fly Devil has appeared in a deli. We need to leave immediately."
"Then you can head out."
"Goodbye, Miss Himeno."
"Goodbye, Miss Pheasant."
Meng Fan and Denji each offered a farewell as they left the office.
Himeno was left standing in the doorway, yelling, "It's not Pheasant! And don't forget to come to my place tonight!"
"Master, aren't you moving a little too fast? You've only just met, and a woman's already inviting you home."
"The greater your abilities, the greater your popularity. Miss Himeno doesn't just admire my strength; she also knows I used to be a hero. As long as you're strong and do plenty of good deeds, I'm sure you'll surpass your master. Maybe Makima will even invite you over one night to see a dog that can do backflips."
"Makima would invite me over!" Denji couldn't hide the excitement on his face.
"Oh, right, Aki."
"What?"
"Miss Makima doesn't have a boyfriend, does she?"
"You're here to hunt devils, not make a move on Makima. If you dare try anything with Miss Makima, I'll make sure you die horribly."
"Tch. I bet you've got a crush on Miss Makima too."
"Where's the police car that's supposed to pick us up?" Meng Fan looked around from the entrance but saw no police car waiting for them.
"A Dung Beetle Devil suddenly appeared on a street in the southern district. All the police cars went over to provide support."
"So you're saying we're taking my car?"
"Don't worry. We'll cover your gas and give you an allowance for wear and tear."
"So I'm just here to be your damn driver."
With that, he got into the car first.
Aki Hayakawa sat in the back, while Denji took the passenger seat.
A little over ten minutes later, they reached a roadblock.
The car was stopped by a barricade.
Several police officers approached.
"There's a devil up ahead. You can't get through. Please take another route."
As the officer spoke, Aki Hayakawa opened the door and got out.
The two officers immediately greeted him with smiles when they recognized him.
"Oh, Mr. Hayakawa! You're here."
"Take me to the devil."
"Thank you for coming. I'll take you there right away."
"Hey, wait! There's us two as well."
"Who are these two?"
"New recruits," Aki Hayakawa said without emotion.
"Oh, new recruits. We thought you'd shared a ride with someone."
The police soon led them to the entrance of a large deli.
The deli's doors were shut tight, with a few officers guarding the entrance.
"We've trapped the Fly Devil inside, but there are hostages in there too."
"Understood."
Aki Hayakawa acknowledged the report.
The officers guarding the entrance saw that their savior had arrived.
They instantly relaxed.
"Quick, open the door for Mr. Hayakawa."
"Yes, sir."
An officer hurried to the deli entrance and pulled the door open.
The stench of rotting flesh hit them in the face.
Immediately afterward, a mass of flies swarming around a skinless corpse flew out from inside.
Before you continue