Kobeni Higashiyama

The girl had medium-length bangs on the right side of her face, two red hair clips on the left, and her hair tied in a short ponytail. Kobeni Higashiyama was only sixteen now, but her hairstyle and hair clips were almost identical to those she wore four years later in the original story.

Her features were delicate and cute, with four beauty marks on her face. Right now, however, she looked close to breaking down, her face covered in sweat and tears. The Bookshelf Devil had clearly given her quite a scare.

She wore a standard Japanese high school girl's uniform.

Since Kobeni Higashiyama had been facing away from Asaba Kotone, he hadn't recognized her at first. Now that he could see her face, he knew who she was.

[Character entry unlocked: Kobeni Higashiyama]

[Reward received: Constitution +1]

[Current affection: 0%]

Perhaps Kobeni Higashiyama still hadn't recovered from the fright. Even though Asaba Kotone had saved her, her affection hadn't increased at all.

"It's all right now. This place is safe."

Asaba Kotone removed the hand he had placed on Kobeni Higashiyama's shoulder.

He suspected that even if he hadn't intervened, Kobeni Higashiyama might have suddenly unleashed her strength and killed the Bookshelf Devil in an instant. She might have been timid and meek in the original story, but when it really mattered, she could carry the whole fight. The upper limit of her strength was still unknown.

Judging by what had just happened, Kobeni Higashiyama might already have possessed that astonishing strength at only sixteen. Otherwise, Aki Hayakawa might not have been able to save her in time under those circumstances, and she would have suddenly unleashed her strength at the crucial moment and instantly killed the Bookshelf Devil.

"Ah... ah..."

Only then did Kobeni Higashiyama come to her senses.

But when she turned around and saw Asaba Kotone's eyes and Pochita, she got another fright and landed on her backside. "Ow... sob..."

"Don't be scared. I'm a Devil Hunter, and this is my partner, Pochita. Pochita won't hurt you."

Asaba Kotone picked Pochita up as he spoke to Kobeni Higashiyama.

Seeing the gentle smile on the boy's face and Pochita's cute appearance, without a trace of menace, Kobeni Higashiyama gradually stopped feeling afraid.

"W-were you the one who saved me just now?"

Kobeni Higashiyama asked timidly in a quiet voice.

"Yes. Hayakawa and I saved you together. He already took care of that Bookshelf Devil using a devil's power."

Asaba Kotone pointed at Aki Hayakawa, who was walking toward them from a short distance away.

Kobeni Higashiyama looked at Aki Hayakawa, then back at Asaba Kotone.

"Th-thank you both..."

She vaguely remembered someone placing a hand on her shoulder just as the devil was about to eat her. Then she had miraculously broken free of the Bookshelf Devil's restraints. That hand must have belonged to the boy in front of her.

[Kobeni Higashiyama's affection +10%]

[Kobeni Higashiyama's affection has reached 10%. Achievement reward received: Constitution +1]

Just then, Aki Hayakawa came over and said to Asaba Kotone, "I had the Fox Devil swallow the Bookshelf Devil. If you need that money, I can reimburse you."

"It doesn't really matter. Let it swallow the thing. You don't need to pay me back."

Asaba Kotone waved a hand dismissively.

"All right. She should be okay, right? If she's fine, we can head back."

Aki Hayakawa didn't seem to want to linger, like a worker with no emotional investment in the job. Once the devil was dead, it was time to clock out.

"She doesn't seem to have any physical injuries, but she looks pretty shaken up. Why don't you head back first, Hayakawa?"

"Yeah. Take care of yourself."

With that, Aki Hayakawa left.

Asaba Kotone stayed behind. After thinking for a moment, he said to Kobeni Higashiyama, "Hmm... let's get something tasty to eat. That should help you recover from the scare."

"Huh?... Something tasty? Um... I don't have any money..."

Although eating delicious food was Kobeni Higashiyama's favorite pastime, she didn't have a penny on her and couldn't afford anything.

"My treat, of course. Just tell me what you'd like."

"H-huh? I couldn't possibly..."

Kobeni Higashiyama felt awkward accepting.

"It's fine. Just think of it as me doing my job."

"O-okay!"

In the end, Kobeni Higashiyama couldn't resist the lure of good food. She picked up a book from the floor and returned it to a nearby shelf, then picked up her schoolbag and followed Asaba Kotone.

"By the way, judging by your uniform, you go to Chiba Rissei High School, right?"

Asaba Kotone seemed to be asking something he already knew, but he was just trying to make conversation.

Kobeni Higashiyama nodded. "Mm-hmm... I was reading here earlier, and then a devil suddenly appeared..."

"I see."

Asaba Kotone acknowledged her answer.

It was already past five in the afternoon, which was indeed after high school let out. Kobeni Higashiyama had probably used the little stretch of time between school and going home to read for free at the library.

When they walked out of the library, the police had already cordoned off the area to keep unsuspecting people from approaching and prevent the devil from escaping the building.

The officers had probably arrived just after Aki Hayakawa left and didn't know the Bookshelf Devil had already been dealt with.

"I'm the Devil Hunter assigned to this mission. The Bookshelf Devil has been successfully eliminated."

Asaba Kotone showed his identification and explained the situation to the officers.

"You've already eliminated it? Thank you for your hard work."

Once Asaba Kotone and Kobeni Higashiyama had gone, the officers prepared to enter the library and deal with the scene.

"That Devil Hunter looked like he was still in high school. I didn't expect him to be so capable. We only just got the report and rushed over, and he'd already dealt with the Bookshelf Devil."

"With it handled that quickly, the casualties shouldn't be too severe. Let's hope nobody died this time..."

"There really are more and more capable young people these days. I hear there's another one named Aki Hayakawa who's pretty impressive too."

The officers entered the library as they talked.

Only Kobeni Higashiyama had been attacked by the Bookshelf Devil. Everyone else had been injured by falling or getting trampled while fleeing, but all in all, it was good news that no one had died.

Asaba Kotone, Pochita, and Kobeni Higashiyama were now walking down the street. Kobeni Higashiyama looked somewhat distracted, clearly still frightened by her encounter with the Bookshelf Devil.

Asaba Kotone noticed this too, but there was nothing he could do about it. That was just how Kobeni was. She was clearly very strong, yet far too timid and meek.

Just then, he spotted a large ice cream truck a short distance ahead.

He immediately remembered that Kobeni Higashiyama loved ice cream.

"Let me buy you an ice cream."

At the words "ice cream," Kobeni Higashiyama immediately perked up.

"Huh?! R-really?!"