Tokyo Public Safety

"By the way, Aki Hayakawa, have you ever used that sword?"

Asaba Kotone suddenly asked.

By "that sword," he naturally meant the Curse Devil's weapon.

Aki Hayakawa's expression shifted slightly at Asaba Kotone's sudden question.

"...Not yet. Why?"

"I see. It's nothing. I was just asking."

Asaba Kotone had no intention of saying that he knew it was the Curse Devil's weapon. He only wanted to know whether Aki Hayakawa had used it.

Knowing that he had not used it yet put him somewhat at ease. It meant there was nothing wrong with Aki Hayakawa's lifespan for now.

In the original story, Aki Hayakawa had certainly used the Curse Devil's power more than once, though probably only a few times at most. After his fight against Katana, he had only two years left to live.

Although Asaba Kotone said nothing more, Aki Hayakawa was no fool. The fact that he had asked that question made it obvious enough. He probably already knew about his contract with the Curse Devil.

"What's this? Is there something special about that sword?"

Their conversation immediately piqued Himeno's curiosity. "Come to think of it, Aki does carry that sword on his back every day. It's probably not an ordinary sword, right?"

Asaba Kotone noticed that, in just a few days, Himeno had gone from calling him Hayakawa to calling him Aki.

"It's a weapon I received after making a contract with the Curse Devil."

Aki Hayakawa did not hide it. He told her outright.

After all, Asaba Kotone already knew, and Himeno was his senior and partner. Partners ought to know which devils the other had contracts with.

For instance, he already knew that Himeno had a contract with the Ghost Devil, including the specifics of her abilities.

"The Curse Devil? That's a pretty rare devil."

Himeno was immediately surprised.

Most ordinary people knew nothing about the Curse Devil. Only Public Safety Devil Hunters tended to know much about it, and few people could make a contract with it.

"But if I remember right, using the Curse Devil's power costs you part of your lifespan, doesn't it?"

Himeno's tone gradually changed.

"That's right."

Aki Hayakawa answered.

"You can't go using that sword carelessly, Aki. Ideally, you should never use it at all."

Himeno stressed the point.

"Of course I won't use it unless I have no other choice."

Aki Hayakawa nodded.

"You can't use it even if you have no other choice."

Himeno immediately added.

"..."

Aki Hayakawa fell silent.

Asaba Kotone did not interrupt, but he did not want Aki Hayakawa to use the Curse Devil's power either.

"Oh, right. Why did you decide to join Tokyo Public Safety too, Asaba? The higher-ups at Chiba Public Safety must be pretty upset. We snatched such an incredible prodigy away from them. Hahaha..."

Himeno suddenly remembered this and asked.

Although Tokyo Public Safety was indeed stronger overall than Chiba Public Safety and offered better benefits, she had noticed that Asaba Kotone seemed never to have considered Chiba Public Safety at all.

Then Himeno voiced her guess. "Are you like Aki? Are you here to get revenge on the Gun Devil?"

If she had to name the biggest difference between Tokyo Public Safety and Chiba Public Safety, it would be their approach to the Gun Devil. Tokyo Public Safety placed particular importance on it.

That was why she suspected Asaba was like Aki. In fact, most of Tokyo Public Safety's Devil Hunters had joined Public Safety to take revenge on the Gun Devil.

Asaba Kotone shook his head slightly. "Although I am somewhat interested in the Gun Devil, it wasn't why I joined Tokyo Public Safety."

"Oh, I see."

Clearly, Asaba did not want to reveal his real reason, so Himeno did not press him.

At last, the three arrived at Tokyo Public Safety.

The Tokyo Public Safety headquarters stood before them.

"The higher-ups have already assigned you to Special Division 2, the same as Aki and me. Since there's no one available to be your partner right now, the captain plans to have you work with us."

As they walked into the Public Safety building, Himeno gave Asaba Kotone a general rundown of the situation.

"Sure."

Asaba Kotone had no objections.

If anything, it was exactly what he wanted: being able to work with Aki Hayakawa and Himeno.

"Great, as long as you don't mind. Having such a capable partner will make things easier for Aki and me too. Hehe."

Himeno spoke in a joking tone.

Although Aki Hayakawa felt a little speechless, there was nothing particularly wrong with what Himeno had said.

With Asaba Kotone's strength, even if they had to eliminate a devil that possessed Gun Devil Flesh, the pressure on them would drop dramatically. Asaba Kotone might even handle it all by himself.

"Everyone's already out on patrol at this hour. Let's have a welcome dinner for the newcomers when we get a chance. That'll help you get to know your coworkers, Asaba. You too, Aki. You've been with Public Safety this long, but you still barely know anyone."

Himeno made the suggestion.

And without bothering to ask whether Asaba Kotone and Aki agreed, she decided on it herself.

"You just want to drink, don't you?"

"You just want to drink, don't you?"

Asaba Kotone and Aki Hayakawa said nearly the exact same thing in unison.

Himeno froze, her eyes filling with surprise.

"Asaba... how did you know?"

If someone she knew well had said that, she would have found it perfectly normal and simply laughed it off.

Aki, for example, already knew her fairly well.

But Asaba had only met her twice in total. How did he know she liked drinking?

Beside them, Aki Hayakawa also found it a little strange. Asaba Kotone seemed to know Himeno fairly well too, but hadn't these two only just met?

"..."

Oh, crap, Asaba Kotone thought.

He had blurted out that quip without thinking, forgetting that he had only just met Himeno.

Fortunately, he had excellent control over his expression. Without the slightest flicker of emotion on his face, he explained calmly, "My eyes are a little unusual. I can see the alcohol lingering around you, so I could tell at a glance that you really like drinking."

"Wow, you can even see that? Still, your eyes do look pretty unusual."

Himeno did not doubt him.

Aki Hayakawa believed him too.

For one thing, devil powers came in all shapes and forms. Being able to see traces of alcohol was hardly that unusual. Besides, from what the two knew of Asaba Kotone, his other abilities, such as his body's Intangibility, were far stranger.

For another, Asaba Kotone's expression and tone were almost flawless. There was no sign at all that he was making it up.

"All right, let's get down to business. I'll take you to meet the boss first, Asaba. They specifically told me they wanted to meet you."

For once, Himeno's tone turned serious.

Asaba Kotone nodded. He was rather curious about who was in charge of the Devil Extermination Division.

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