( Please note : This is a translation done by using text extractors

and DeepL machine translations. It is not a proper replacement

for real translations done by fangroups or official sources. The
goal of this doc is to supply the novel in an at least somewhat
readable form until there are better translations out there. While
I’m doing these translations, f you wish to get in contact with me
over them, whether it’s to help or offer more resources you can
contact me here on my discord ; ACCEL#5454 )
*This work is fictional. It is not related to any real person, organization, or incident.
 Denji
A boy who is "Chainsaw Man" with his partner, Pochita, in his body. He is honest about his
desires. He likes Makima, who treated him like a human being for the first time.

Pochita
The "Chainsaw Devil". He gives Denji his heart and becomes a part of his body.
Makima:
A mysterious woman who runs the Anti-Demonic Division of the Public Security Bureau. She
can detect the scent of demons.

Aki:
A loyal servant of Makima. He is three years Denji's senior, and is appointed as a chaperone.

Power:
She is a blood fiend. She is selfish and tends to run wild. Her only friend is her cat, Nyakko.

Himeno:
She works as a buddy with her junior colleague Aki. She has made a contract with the "Ghost
Devil.”

Quanxi:
An assassin from China who wants to kill Denji. She is Kishibe's former buddy and is said to be
the strongest human in the world.

Kishibe:

He is the strongest devil hunter in the world and a teacher of Power and Denji.

Story :

Denji, a boy who lives as a devil hunter with the devil Pochita: He is killed in a betrayal while
spending his days at the bottom of the pyramid being used to pay off debts. But Pochita brings
Denji back to life as the "ChainsawDevil" in exchange for his life! After killing all his enemies,
Denji is picked up by Makima and becomes a devil hunter for the Public Safety Bureau.

In the Public Safety Bureau, Denji is assigned to the squad of Makima's subordinate Aki
Hayakawa, and is buddied up with Power, the "Blood fiend”.
Normally, Denji and Power live together at Aki's house and go about their mission of
exterminating devils.

After undergoing hellish training by the most powerful Devil Hunter, Kishibe, Denji improves his
power and fights off the demon’s, and Devil Hunters that attack him one after another, but one
by one his friends die in the fierce competition.

Eventually, Denji comes face to face with the strongest Devil of all, the "Gun Devil," who is the
killer of Aki's family and has been missing, but this is only part of the conspiracy that is targeting
Denji...
Chapter 1 : Detective Power and Her Assistant Denji

Chapter 2 : The Taste of Nine Years

Chapter 3 : The Day We Became Buddies

Chapter 4 : Island of Dreams

Chapter 1 : Detective Power and Her Assistant
Denji
It was an old theater that was no longer open for business.
Eight spectators were gathered in the dimly lit space, looking around anxiously
from their seats in the front row. The next moment, a dazzling spotlight
illuminated the stage. “Thank you for coming today. I see you've received your
invitation.”
With a resounding voice, a man in a tuxedo and a silk hat emerged from the light
with a resonant voice, smiling at the aghast audience and said, "I'm about to
show you something special. Please enjoy the show until the end. Assistant, the
video!”

“Yes, leave it to me."

A boy in short pants standing at the very back of the theater operated the
projector. As the image appeared on the screen, the man held out his hands in
an exaggerated manner. “This is a video of "The Last Man Standing," in which
you were cast. In the middle of a group drama in which masked characters are
disappearing one by one, a single person has really disappeared without a trace.
It was a case of human body disappearance. It was a very puzzling mystery,
even for me.”
The man suddenly stopped, and this time took out a magnifying glass from his
pocket. “The stage was filled with the smell of mystery. But every trick has its
seeds. The key is observation. Observation is the only door to the truth.”
With that, he turned the lens of his magnifying glass toward the audience. The
man smiled thinly and picked up a piece of string.
A large knot can be seen in the center of the cord.
“The mysterious knot has now been untied.”
As he slowly pulled the ends of the cord from side to side, the tightly knotted
mass unraveled cleanly and disappeared. The man threw the cord straight up as
the sound of someone gasping escaped. In an instant, it was transformed into a
walking stick, which he caught without difficulty and pointed the spun tip at a
certain person.
“The culprit is you.”

"...... Hey.”
“......”
"Hey, Power."
"......"
“Hey!”

Power, which was sitting on the TV, was grabbed from behind.
She turned to see a thuggish-looking man with dull blond hair looking down at me
with his mouth in a pout. Power furrowed her thin eyebrows and pointed a pair of
crimson horns protruding from her head menacingly at her opponent.

“What's the matter, Denji? I'm in the middle of something.”

“You're in my way. Get away from the TV. I wanna use the remote.”
“Nah.”
She turned her face to the TV again and he grabbed her shoulder once again.
“I said no!”
“Get out of my way, I've got something to watch too!”
“What do you wanna watch?
“The News.”
“The News .......”
Power huffs. “It's not a funny joke to be on the news with that face.”
“Shut up. There's a woman with a cute face on the news.”
“Oh. ...... That woman looks a little like Makima. That's bullshit. I don't even want
to look at that disgusting thing!”
When she speaks her mind, Denji gets upset and retaliates.
“Then what is it you're looking at?”
“Don't you know? I'm a magician.”
“Magician?”
“That's right. The magician detective is a great detective who can solve any
mystery.”
The Magician Detective! It's a TV anime that airs in the evenings. It's about a
detective who solves various mysteries as an ordinary high school student who is
actually a very skilled magician.
Power’s not interested in solving riddles, but she is interested in solving cases
and blackmailing people.
He always solves the case brilliantly and gets everyone's attention.

Power was pleasantly surprised by the applause and respect he received from
the audience, and it has become one of her favorite programs recently. Attention.
Applause. Respect. Those are all things that Power is looking for. Power stood
up slowly and looked around the room with a mysterious look on her face.

“The culprit is in here.”

“......In here?"
The lifted index finger passed over the curled up Meowy on the shelf and pointed
straight at Denji.
“The mysterious knot has just been untied. The culprit is you, Denji.”
“Oh, ...... Why am I the culprit?”
“...... I don’t know?”
“I don't know?”
“No, I remember now. You ate the ice cream in the freezer!”
“You ate that yesterday.”

“How about ......? I didn't eat it.”

"Pfft!"
Denji took a step back and suddenly burst out laughing, holding his stomach. “I'm
not sure what you mean by "magician detective." That's just a cartoon for kids!”
“What the hell!? Don't mock the magician detective!”
Power grabbed Denji as if he were going to burst. The two of them were very
similar in their instincts. The curtains were torn from the rails and the condiments
from the counter were splattered all over the floor. They plunged into the dining
table in a tangle.
"Hey! I'm on the phone! I'm on the phone!"
A dark-haired man in the back of the room shouted while holding the receiver's
mouth with his hand. “...... He's the loudest one of all.”
“You should think about your neighbors a little bit, Top-knot.”
Denji and Power blurted out at the same time as they grabbed each other by the
collar. Aki hung up the phone and stood in front of them with a deep crease in his
brow.
“Shut up. Don't talk back to me. This is my apartment. Sit there quietly.”
"...... Yeah, yeah.”
“...... You're annoying.”
Denji and Power looked at each other and reluctantly sat down on the spot.
"First of all, don't go crazy in the house. And use honorifics with me. When are
you going to learn that?”
“Huh~? What's the benefit of using honorifics with you?"
"You're too rude to be demanding things like that, top-knot!”
Aki stared bitterly at the seasoning spread out on the floor and mumbled in
disappointment. “Okay. ...... Then I guess Denji’s skipping dinner.”
“Hey, what the hell is that!?"
"Gah-hah-hah, don’t make fun of the magician detective!"
“And, Power’s menu is carrot and burdock salad.”
“What!?”
Hunger was Denji's natural enemy, and vegetables were the natural enemy of
Power. The master of the house knows exactly what he’s doing.
“Hayakawa-senpai......”
"Senpai......"
As they sat up straight, Aki sighed heavily.
“I'm going to the public safety office now. I'm sure Makima-san would like to see
you.”

+++
Devils - beings that are born from a name and terrorize people. The head office
of anti-devils in the Public Security Police (Public Safety Agency, Tokyo
Metropolitan Police Department) which aims to exterminate them, is the Public
Safety Anti-Devil Division, to which Denji and Power belong to.
In a room with a cool, tense atmosphere, red-colored sunlight was streaming in
at an angle. In the room, a woman with a pretty face sitting in the back opens her
mouth. "It's been ten days since Power-chan started living at the Hayakawa
household, are you all getting along?"
The tone of her voice was plain, but it seemed to penetrate deep into Power’s
heart. It was Makima, Denji and the others' superior, the Devil Hunter, who
reported directly to the Chief Cabinet Secretary. The unfathomable pressure and
the all-seeing gaze. A strange chill came over Power as if her heart was being
touched directly, and her body naturally stiffened. “Yes, we are. We're getting
along great." She nodded exaggeratedly while looking away, and Denji next to
her pointed at her with a carefree face.
"Makima-san, please listen to me. This girl doesn't take a bath at all!”
“Well, I go in at least once every three days these days!”
“You don't flush your shit.”
“I flush my shit at least once every two days!”
“You should flush all the time!”
“May I speak?”
Makima broke into the conversation, and Power's back arched reflexively. “I've
been asked by Public Safety to do a devil extermination. I'm going to ask you two
to do it.”
“Oh~ I have an urgent meeting to attend to that day…..”
"I haven't explained anything yet, Power." Makima smiled thinly and took out a
document from an envelope. “The client is a businessman who runs a lodging
business. One of his properties is located deep in the mountains. It appears
there's been an incident where a customer disappeared.”
"People are disappearing ......?"
Denji raised his right hand in the air beside Power, who mumbled. "You mean a
devil did it?"
“Yes. I think it's very likely. It's just that there are no clear sightings, which is a
mystery.”
“A mystery…….” Once again, Power made small movements with her mouth.
Makima propped her elbows on the desk and brought her hands together in front
of her face in a meaningful way. “I've told you several times before that the Public
Safety Anti-Devil Section 4 is an experimental unit. If we don't produce results,
the higher-ups may dismiss us immediately. As for me, I'd like to see more of the
two of you in action. ...... Can you show me what you can do?" Denji pounded on
his chest and let out a squeal.
“Leave it to me! I'll do my best and solve the mystery with a bang!”
“I'm counting on you, Denji. What about you, Power?” Makima's eyes looked
straight at Power.
“... I'll do it. I'll do it too.”
Power was kind of reluctant to do it, partly because she was summoned so
suddenly, but she changed her mind when she heard what she said. Power thrust
her hands up into the air and shouted. “The human body disappeared. It's a
mystery! This is a case worthy of Magic Detective Power!”
“ ......?”
When Makima tilted her head, Denji said with a dumbfounded look.
“She's addicted to a kid's cartoon called ‘The Magician Detective’.”
“The Magician Detective ...... Ah, it's a show that airs in the evening. I wonder if
Power-chan will be able to solve this case in a brilliant way like the Magician
Detective.”
“Oh, ohh!” Power's cheeks flushed and she nodded her head repeatedly. In her
mind, she could already see herself solving the riddle on the glittering stage, and
she could hear the praise pouring in. As she was about to leave the room,
Makima reminded her. “Ah, yes. It looks like the civilian Devil Hunters have been
invited this time, so make sure you get along.”

+++
Two hours by train from the city center. An hour and a half by bus. Then, they
transferred to another bus for another hour. From there, it was a thirty-minute
climb up the mountain road. The building they wanted was located deep in the
mountains in the middle of nowhere.
"Wow, we're finally here....."
"Who would come to stay at a place like this…?”
It was three days after being summoned by Makima. Denji and Power sat in the
grass, breathing heavily, as they arrived for their devil extermination job.
"Well, I'm leaving, but make sure you don't do anything stupid like run away. You
know what they'll do to you." Denji and Power glared at their guardian. “I know
what I'm doing, so shut up. I promised Makima-san that I would be useful. I'm not
gonna run away.”
"Top-knot is a poor man at heart if he is unable to trust his own roommates."
“If you want me to trust you, you need to change your behavior. I'm sure you'll do
well. Don't smear the name of the Department of Public Safety.” Aki retorted, and
went down the mountain path.

“He's so fucking annoying.”

“I think he's sick.” After a few words about Aki, Power felt a little better and turned
her gaze towards the building. Compared to the city, the wind blows much better
here. The smell of grass and soil, familiar from the time she and Meowy had lived
in the mountains, slipped through her nostrils. The Western-style house they
were looking for stood on the other side of the massive ivy-covered gate. Against
the background of the dense, dark forest, the pure white exterior walls stood out
beautifully, like a painting. She felt that the stage was being set in a very
appropriate way. It was as if the stage had been prepared for the genius
detective Power.
"Hmm, so that's what you call a house where the guests disappear."
"The human body disappeared. Mysterious. Tis the perfect stage for me!" When
she raised her voice in a good mood, Denji gave her a suspicious look. “I've been
wonderin’ about ...... what you're wearing since we left home.” Power happily
lifted the small silk hat on her head and twirled it around on the spot.
"How do you like it? I bought it from Top-knot on the condition that I clean the
bathrooms for a month.”
“Huh? Seriously?”
“Gahahaha! I have no intention of cleaning bathrooms or doing any other servant
work. Just gotta beat the devil and we'll be on our way!”
“So you're going to take on the devil in that thing?”
“Makima said that since it was outside the patrol area, tis perfect for hiding my
horns.”
“...... Not like I care.”
While Denji sat on the ground and sighed, Power raised her fist to the blue sky.
"Ga-ha-ha! Case! Detective! Assistant! Spectators! We've got everything we
need."
“I don't care about the case or detective, but where is the assistant?”
“Of course it’s you, Denji.”
“What?”
“And there's the crowd that worships me," Power pointed to the gate of the
mansion. A dozen or so men were hanging out in front of it.
They were probably the civilian devil hunters Makima had mentioned, but for
Power, their role was to witness a brilliant case solution and heap praise on the
famous detective.
One of the Devil Hunters in front of the group approached with a grim face.
He was dressed lightly in a jersey and was holding a long Japanese sword in his
hand. “Hey. My name’s Kenzo, I don't think I've ever seen you guys before, are
you Devil Hunters too?"
Putting her hands on her hips, Power answered with a great deal of pride.
"Indeed. I'm The Great Detective Power!”
“...What?”
“And this is my assistant, Denji.”
“Why do I have to be your assistant?"
The man’s face twisted at Denji's protest. "You've gotta be kidding me. They're
like kids. What can they do?" Denji then stood up and glared at the man.
“I don't know who you are, but I'm serious about my work, don't worry old man.”
“That's right, old man!”
“Hey, I’m only twenty-five!” The man who called himself Kenzo shook his fist.
"Look. This isn’t a playground for kids. If you drag me down, I won't forgive you."
The man said as if spitting the words at them and stomped away.
"What's with him......?"
“That's audience member number one. Leave him alone.”
As they were exchanging such conversation, the iron gate of the mansion
creaked open slowly. The high-pitched sound of the gate opening was like a
fanfare announcing the opening of an action play, and Power's spirits were lifted.
However, what stood there was the exact opposite of their inflated expectations,
a gaunt, elderly man. The man bowed deeply to the Devil Hunters.
“Thank you for traveling so far. Please lend us your help.”
 +++

“This used to be the vacation home of a wealthy family, but I bought it after it had
been abandoned for a long time and renovated it as a lodging facility for
experiencing the mountain forest.” They followed the client, who called himself
"Kanbayashi," through the gates.
As they entered the gates, Kanbayashi led the way with a heavy gait, explaining
in an exhausted voice what had happened.
“However, there was an incident where guests who stayed at the pre-opening
had disappeared in the morning. Not only that, but all the employees we hired
were also gone.”
In the group walking behind them, a civilian devil hunter raised his hand above
his head and said, "Just to be sure, they didn't all run away at night, did they?” It
was the same man named Kenzo who got involved with Power and Denji earlier.
“It's unlikely," he said. “To get to the city, you need to take a bus from the bus
station at the foot of the mountain, but there's no sign that they used it at all.”
The owner replied in a mysterious tone, and Kenzo snorted.
“I see. If so, there is a good chance that a devil is involved then.”
“Yes. If this continues, our company will lose a lot of money. We need you to help
us solve these disappearances, please…”
"GAHAHAHA! In the hands of Detective Power, this knot of mystery will be
unraveled in no time at all! Assistant!”
“I ain’t your assistant.”
The pair of a woman in a silk hat and a young thug-like man attracted strange
looks from everyone, but Power's brain automatically converted them into looks
of respect.
The owner pushed open the thick front door, revealing a spacious hall. There
was a carved wooden reception counter in front of them, and as they turned
around, they could see the afternoon sunlight streaming in through the two high
windows. The counter had not been cleaned properly since the disappearance,
and there was a thick layer of dust on it.

“The house is shaped like a cross when viewed from above, and the entrance is
located at the top of the cross," the owner explained, holding up a drawing.
Stepping on the red carpet, they came to a crossroads, the intersection of the
crosses. On the left is the guest area, and on the right is the staff area. In the
staff area, which had already been cleared out, there was a kitchen as well as an
office and storage room, and in the back there was a food pantry stacked with
bags of bread and instant foods.
“Food!
“Yes, food.” Denji and Power jumped at the opportunity, and the owner chuckled
and provided an explanation.”We have enough food to last for a few days, so feel
free to eat as you wish.”
The group returned to the crossroads, this time stepping into the main hallway
with their backs to the entrance. This is the lower area of the cross. After a short
walk, Kenzo pointed to a small door on the wall of the corridor. "Hey, owner.
What’s that place?"
“Oh, that's the power room, sir.”
Inside was a small, dimly lit room with countless pipes and wires strung intricately
around it. In the center of the room sat a large machine that appeared to be a
generator, and the room was filled with a low motor sound that sounded like the
rumbling of the earth.
“This is an expensive piece of machinery, so please do not enter this area if you
can.”
The owner said and urged us onward. After walking down a long straight corridor,
we suddenly found ourselves in an open space. The ceiling was so high that it
looked like it could host a small sporting event. There was a bar counter and a
chatting area at the front of the spacious room, and a billiards table, ping-pong
table, and darts table at the back. In the back, there was an entertainment area
with a billiard table, ping-pong table, and darts.
“This is the stage for me, the great detective!"
“No, it's for concerts and entertainment, and the whole room is soundproof so
that even if you make a lot of noise at night, the sound won't leak into the guest
room.”
Denji pointed with a gleeful expression to the back of the room next to the owner,
who modestly denied Power's words. "Hey, Power! Isn't that a pool table? Let's
try it later!”
“...... Hmph, you're like a little kid, getting excited over a game of pool.”
Power was a tad bit grumpy at being interrupted.
“You've never played it before, have you?”
“Of course I have!”
“You're totally lying.”
“I'm not lying! I've beaten a pro in a professional match once, in fact.”
“That’s a total lie, I knew it!”
“Hey, shut up you guys! Do they really know how to kill devils?”
Another Devil Hunter lightly tapped Kenzo on the shoulder, a pale streak
appearing on his forehead.
“I'm sure they'll be fine. The contract this time is for incentives based on
performance, not just the base salary. In fact, the more useless some of them
are, the more money you’ll get.”
"Well, yeah, but ......" Kenzo clicks his tongue with a bitter expression and turns
his attention to the other side of the entertainment area.
“So, what's in the back?”
“Oh, that's an area that hasn't been renovated yet......”

The group followed the owner as he walked out and stepped into the last area.
Behind the door was a narrow, dimly lit passage. Soon there was a turn, and
following the wall, they came upon another turn. It could be called a corridor, but
it was quite complicated and winding. It felt like a maze, but there was only one
path and no branches. The lights were sparse and the air was damp and
stagnant.
“What the hell is this place?”
“That's what I don't understand either. Was he trying to build some kind of
playground? ...... The owners of the house have changed so many times that the
original documents aren’t even available anymore.”
The owner replied to Kenzo's question by shaking his head, not even he knew.
In the end, they made it to the end of the hall, only to arrive at the back of the
house at the kitchen door.
After returning to the entertainment hall, the owner handed each group a key to
their room, told them he would come back the next day to check on them, and
left the house. The sound of the front door closing signaled the start of the work
day, and the somewhat relaxed atmosphere instantly tightened up.
A total of sixteen Devil Hunters were about to take on the mystery of the human
disappearances.
“Gahaha! ‘Tis about to begin!”
For Power, it was an extremely easy case. With her genius mind, she could solve
a case like this any time she wanted. So, she decided to play a little billiards first
instead.
“Everybody listen up for a sec.”
It was Kenzo who raised his hands and beckoned to the others. It's been seven
years since he became a Devil Hunter. In those seven years years, he has been
steadily building up his track record with his diligent work. He was also proud of
the fact that he had passed through a certain amount of rough patches in his time
working. He was enthusiastic about this large project, in which many devil
hunters would be participating as it would be a good opportunity to make a name
for himself.
“I have a proposal. The enemy this time is unknown. Why don't we all work
together here?”
“Work together?” Kenzo continued as another Devil Hunter crossed his arms in
response.
“That's right. If the disappearance is the work of a devil, where the hell is it
hiding? That should be the first question."
“Where? I mean, isn't it somewhere in the compound?”
“Yeah, going forward from the entrance hall, crossroads, guest rooms and staff
area on the left and right. There are rooms and staff areas on the left and right,
and an entertainment area at the end of the hallway. Further on, there is a
mysterious corridor and a kitchen door. The structure of the house is simple, but
including the guest rooms, there are quite a few rooms. But that's not all..."
As if following Kenzo's fingertips, everyone's gaze went to the wall.
“We can't rule out the possibility that it's outside. It could well be that the demon
is somewhere in the forest and attacked from the outside.”
“I see, it makes sense….” They all nodded deeply in agreement.
“That's why we need to cooperate. It's not very efficient to search such a vast
area in isolation. Each team should be divided into groups and assigned an area.
We'll work together to gradually narrow down the search area. Of course, we'll
split the credit. First, we'll set up our headquarters here in the entertainment
room–”

“Hey! Power! You just moved the ball with your hand!”
As if to interrupt Kenzo, an angry voice sounded from the billiard table in the
back.
“‘Tis a false accusation! Do you really think I’d do such a thing!?”
“Yeah, you would. Totally.”
"Hey, hey, over there, you two!"
Kenzo raised his voice involuntarily. He’d worked with many different Devil
Hunters and had learned how to work with them. But these two were completely
beyond his understanding. First of all, they lacked basic manners, they didn't
seem to be cooperative, he didn’t know why the woman was wearing a silk hat,
and he didn’t know how they can be so carefree playing billiards in the middle of
a devil extermination.
“What the hell, old man?”
“Shut the hell up, old man!”
“I am not an old man! You guys come over here and join the conversation. We're
talking about something important right now.”
Denji and Power looked at each other.
“Hell no.”
“What!?”
“I promised Makima-san I'd be useful and that I’d do my best. I'm not gonna split
the credit with you all buddy-buddy like. My normal life depends on it.”
"That's right. Don't worry, the case will be solved by me, the magician detective!
I'm a genius, so you idiots don't have to do anything.”
"So what are you saying ......?" Kenzo raised his eyebrows and then opened his
mouth in astonishment. “Wait, wait, wait. Did you just say "Makima”? That's ......
the devil hunter who reports directly to the Chief Cabinet Secretary. Are you guys
Public Safety?”
"Hmm? Yeah, yeah.” At Denji's reply, the surrounding Devil Hunters began to
buzz. The Public Safety Anti-Devil Division is an elite group that is at the forefront
of demon extermination. They are highly regarded in the industry as a group of
skilled people who exterminate even the most vicious devils that can’t be handled
by the civilian sector.

"What the hell are those guys doing here ......?" As Kenzo mumbled in disbelief,
another Devil Hunter spoke from the side. “You didn't make it to Public Safety, did
you?”
“Shut up. I'm not as skilled as you.”
In the past, Kenzo had tried to take the public safety recruitment test and had
been rejected. Seeing Kenzo grasping the hilt of the Japanese sword, the other
man raised his hands and stepped back.
“I'm sorry, but they do have a point.This is a contract where incentives are paid
based on credit. We’re also business rivals, and a bad collaboration could be
fatal for us.”
“Uh, but…”
The Devil Hunters scattered away from the scene, despite Kenzo's efforts to stop
them. Behind Kenzo, who was now standing alone, two people playing billiards
shouted loudly in the background.
“I’m done playing pool.”
"Hey, my balls were just about to go in! Why are you stopping now!?"
“I'm here to work, not play. I can't keep playing around with you here.”
"Well, well, well. You're just like a little kid, getting worked up over a ball game!"
“Huh? Who's getting worked up here!?”
The two of them were arguing, and Kenzo watched in disbelief as his fists
clenched.
“There’s no way that I’m going to accept that they're public security…”
...... No. After mumbling that much, Kenzo suddenly looked up. Is it really true? It
seemed hard to believe that such a person with no sense of intelligence or
cooperation can belong to the Public Safety Bureau, an elite agency against
devils. There must be some other purpose behind their wild behavior. Maybe......I
should take a closer look. Kenzo reconsidered and decided to observe the two
public security officers.

“Now that the workout is over, we’ve got some work to do, Assistant!" Power put
her hands on her hips and declared triumphantly.
“I ain't your assistant. I'm gonna take a little break.” Denji shrugged his shoulders
in exasperation and plopped down on the stool in front of the bar counter.
“Ugh, you're useless." Power grumbled and reached into her pocket for the
magnifying glass that Aki had bought her along with her hat. She approached the
wall of the entertainment room with a hurried step and pointed the lens.
Observation is the only door to the truth, as the magician detective said.
Incidentally, there was no deep reason why she chose the wall. It was just there
in front of her.

"Is there a problem with that wall?" Power was gazing at the magnified white wall
through the lens when Kenzo asked her from behind. Power turned around with a
strange look on her face.
“I smell it. There's a mysterious scent in the air.”
“Mysterious scent ......?" Kenzo sniffed at the wall. "...... I don't understand. Is
there something only you can smell?"
"Yes! It's a clue only a brilliant detective could find!”
Holding the magnifying glass in her hand, Power moved to the hallway leading to
the front door. Suddenly, she started crawling onto the red carpet in the aisle and
inspected the fur silently. Power seemed to have had some idea why she had set
her sights on the carpet. Kenzo was following her from behind.
“Is there something on the floor?”
“Yeah, it's a mysterious smell…”
“There's a mysterious smell in there too ......?” Kenzo bent down and stared at
the red carpet. “I don't know, is it the Public Security Bureau's style to examine
every detail so thoroughly?”
"Of course. Observation is the only door to the truth.”
“I…see.” At Kenzo's admiring nod, Power became even more enthusiastic.
“It's a mystery. I can smell the mystery!”
“Oh.”
“I'm a great detective. This house is fraught with mysteries!”
“I see.”
“Observation. Observation is the door to truth…”
“I get it.”
With Kenzo looking on in amazement, Power got into a groove and, pointing her
magnifying glass at random walls and floors, made her way to the entrance.
Several Devil Hunters were hanging out in the entrance hall. Kenzo approached
and called out to them.

“Hey, what's going on?”

“Well, I was going to check outside, but the door wouldn't open.”
“The door…..?”
Kenzo, wading through the men, grabbed the iron handle and shook it.
“The owner must have accidentally locked the door when he left. He said he'd
come back tomorrow to check on us, so we might have to wait."
“Damn, I guess we have no choice. ......" They shrugged their shoulders and
attempted to move away from the scene.
“No, there's a window there. I smell a mystery!”
Power pointed her magnifying glass at the two light windows above the front
door. But unlike Kenzo, the departing men showed no interest.
“There's a mysterious smell ......hmm…oi…” Power glared at the unresponsive
men in frustration.
“So where are we going to look next?”
"I'm done investigating."
Her motivation waned, so she decided to cut it short and head for her assigned
room. However, Kenzo seemed to have a different take on the matter.
“You’re done......? No way, you've already outlined something."
Power stopped abruptly. She slowly turned around and replied with unclouded
eyes. “
“Of course not. The knot of mystery has long since been untied.”
“What the hell…”

Power, feeling a little refreshed by the sight of Kenzo standing there in a daze,
made her way over to the guest room area with a light step. When she entered
the room, Denji was already lying on the bed, breathing soundly asleep.
“Hey, assistant! What are you doing sleeping while the detective is doing all the
work?”
When she hit him on the head, he opened one eye and let out a big yawn.
“Nnn..? It's fine. If the devil comes, I'll do my job, but if it isn’t here, there's
nothing I can do.These beds are pretty great Power. You should try sleeping in
it.”
Power was silent for a moment, then crossed her arms and nodded.
“...... Yeah, that's true, too. I was thinking the same thing.”
They were both very similar in being true to their desires.
"What the hell is Public Security looking for ......?”
Meanwhile, in the next room, Kenzo mumbled to himself with his ear to the wall.
In the end, they went through the entire building, but came up empty-handed.
The other Devil Hunters were the same way, and everyone seemed to be having
a hard time thinking of a way to attack and find the devil.
At this time, he was rather curious about the intentions of the public security
officials who had retreated to their rooms early. As they happened to be in the
next room, Kenzo decided to spy on them from his room. They had been talking
earlier, but there had been no noticeable noise for the past ten minutes
afterwards. Rather, the gentle sounds of sleep reached his ears against the wall.
“They aren’t sleeping on the job, are they......?”
Kenzo stared into the wall in disbelief. “No. ...... Maybe I’m just mistaken?”

Twilight colored the sky as he looked out the latticed window. If the devil lurking
somewhere were to make a move, it would be during the hours of darkness.
Thinking about it, ever since he arrived at the mansion, he’d been feeling tense
about the unseen enemy. The other devil hunters were probably the same.
However, he wondered if he would be able to hold this level of tension through
the night. In a battle against a devil, a moment's lapse in concentration can be
fatal.
“...... Well, I don't know if they've got anything, but they're trying to get some rest
now so they can prepare for the night attack. It's a bold but smart strategy. That's
what public safety is all about after all.”
I can't afford to lose. I'll have to follow the Public Security's strategy.
Kenzo set the alarm with a smile on his face and went to bed.
It was three hours later, when the clock struck twenty-one when he woke up. It
was dark outside. Only the sound of the ticking second hand echoed loudly in the
silence. Thanks to the sleep he had gotten, Kenzo’s body felt much lighter and he
became aware of the correctness of the decision. Listening into the next room,
he could faintly hear two people snoring through the wall.
He wondered when the police were going to make their move. They must be on
to something. I can't afford to be outdone.
"Come on, whenever you're ready. I'll be right behind you."
Kenzo prepared his mind and waited for the right moment, breathing heavily.

When the door to the next room opened, the crisp morning sun and the chirping
of birds had completely filled the room.
“...... No way! They slept until morning......!"
Grasping a Japanese sword, Kenzo, sitting in the middle of the room with his
ears against the wall, opened his bloodshot eyes. 'It's ...... I can't. I don't
understand. Public Safety and I must see things differently. ......"
Kenzo’s mind was foggy due to the fact that he had fallen asleep in the middle of
the night listening in. It's not an exaggeration to say that he was now in the worst
condition ever.
As he ran out of the room, he saw the two public security members. The two of
them were stretching out with a pair of refreshing faces, the exact opposite of
Kenzo’s.
"Mmm, a pleasant morning."
“I slept a lot. I knew an expensive bed would be totally different!”
Denji's outstretched hand suddenly touches his neck.
“...... Hmm? Hey, Power! You've been sucking my blood again, haven’t you?”
“What? I didn't suck your blood.” Power replied with a straight face and wiped her
mouth away.
"Hey. You guys, what are you planning to do? Why did you go to sleep until
morning…..?”
“Hm-?”
“What?”
“No. nevermind......."
He tried to speak, but Kenzo put his hand down. There was no way he could tell
her that he had been sitting in the next room all night listening to them.

“Hey, where did you get all the bread? There's only supposed to be five of them!”
“Gahhaha, the fastest one wins!”
While the two of them were making noise in the kitchen, the other Devil Hunters
were gathering in droves. They all looked strained and tired.
“In the end, nothing happened. Is there really a devil in the first place?"
“There are so many devil hunters here. Maybe it just tucked its tail and ran
away?”
“Hey, hey, that's not good. That's not good! We'll lose our reward!”
They rubbed their sleepy eyes and muttered lightly to each other. As they all
moved to the entertainment area, a Devil Hunter came sprinting in with a pale
face.
"...... Hey, we lost some people. Our numbers are down!"
The incident happened before they knew it, and then half the Devil Hunters had
disappeared.

+++
“I went through all the rooms just to make sure," The Devil Hunter, surrounded by
everyone, said with a faint tremble in his voice. “Sixteen people entered the
house in total, but there are only eight people here. I went around the rooms,
wondering where the rest of them were and what they were doing, but all the
rooms were empty.
“Maybe they're not in the room, but they're hanging around somewhere else?”
“That's what I thought. I went around the house, but I couldn't find them
anywhere.”
“Well, maybe they're outside?”
“The front door's still locked. And the back kitchen door at the end of the corridor
is also locked.” The windows were all fitted and lined with metal bars, so even if
you broke them, you couldn't get out. The lighted window in the entrance hall did
not have any grating, but it was very high up and hard to reach.
"So, just like we’ve heard, people have disappeared......”
Suddenly, a heavy silence fell over the entertainment room. The devil had crept
in unknowingly and wiped out half of the people here, giving everyone a cold
shiver. Kenzo looked at the clock on the wall and spoke. “It's about time the client
came to check on us. It might be better to go outside the house and regroup
when he gets here.”

Afterwards, the remaining members of the team made another round of the
compound, but were unable to find the hunters that went missing. There was
nothing. The devil was still out of sight.
The time passed with an indescribable sense of tension in the air. And then…

“Hey, what's going on here?”

“He's not coming at all!"
The remaining devil hunters suddenly began to make a ruckus. It was long past
the appointed time, and even though it was evening, the owner still hadn’t shown
up.
“Was it some kind of miscommunication or an accident? With no way of
communicating with people all the way out here in the mountains, it looks like
we'll have to spend another night in the mansion.” Kenzo's words made the men
look faintly uneasy. In the midst of all this, there was one person who sounded
out of place with a high-pitched laugh.
"Gahahahahahahaaaa! I knew this was going to happen. I knew it all from the
start!” Crossing her arms, Power opened her mouth as if she were in a good
mood. The detective, her assistant, and the crowd are all here. But Kenzo wasn't
in the mood for it. What was important, he realized now, was the incident in front
of him. Kenzo approached her with a somewhat vexed look on his face.
“You're on to something after all, aren't you?”
“Yeah. Exactly so.”
“Please. ...... It's time you tell me. I’m ashamed that I have to ask you for help as
a professional, but the circumstances are what they are. What we can't see, you
in the public safety services can.”
Power nodded along generously, feeling more and more upbeat.
"Hehehe. You really want to hear the reasoning of the genius Power-sama? If
you ask me so sincerely, I have no choice!”
“Hey, guys. She's full of shit, so be careful listening to her.”
“No way. I'm the world's leading public safety devil hunter, so don't pay attention
to my assistant's nonsense.”
“I told you I'm not your assistant.” Ignoring Denji's dumbfounded face, Power
walked slowly up to the platform by the back wall.

The crowd watches with bated breath. All eyes are on her. The view down from
the stage was extraordinary. Power nodded in satisfaction as she got what she
was looking for, then held the edge of her silk hat and coughed.
“It's the case of the disappearing human bodies that happened in this mansion. It
was a very puzzling mystery." She turned her head deliberately and began to
walk along the stage. The sound of her footsteps reverberated in the silence of
the room.
“Mysteries - yes, this house smelled of mysteries. But every magic trick has a
secret. The key is observation. Observation is the only door to the truth.”
“The culprit is in here.”
“–!”
The air was filled with a cold tension. Amidst the murmurs, Power then reached
into her pocket and pulled out a knotted cord. It was something she had prepared
at home for this very moment.
"And now the mysterious knot is untied–”
But it won't untie. She pulled with all her might, but unlike in the Magician
Detective's anime, the knot only got tighter and tighter.
Power looked as if she were getting impatient, and Kenzo opened his mouth with
a pale expression.
"The culprit is in here...... You mean there's a devil among us?"
“.....What?”
Power blinked her eyes as she grasped both ends of the string.
“Oh. ...... Yeah, that's right. That's what I meant.”
A wave of unrest spread throughout the Devil Hunters.
"Seriously? That's why we couldn't find the enemy."
“Maybe they’re the one who locked the front door.”
"A devil that turns into a human. Was it in the mix from the start? Or did it switch
places halfway through?” Kenzo said, stepping forward in front of everyone.
"Sure, that would explain the current strange situation. So, who the hell is this
devil?"

“I can't tell you that yet.”

"Why not? That's the most important thing we need to know!"
The Devil Hunters were beginning to crowd the stage, but Kenzo stopped them
with his right hand. “Wait. It's okay to make observations, but if you're wrong, we
could all be lynching innocent people here. Until we have solid evidence, we
should avoid saying anything rash.”
"...... Yeah, something like that, that’s what I’m saying.”
Power nodded her head heavily.
“Damn it, who the fuck are you!?”
One Devil Hunter took out a thick-bladed knife from his pocket and looked
around him.
“Calm down! The sooner you panic, the sooner the devil will have its way. If you
come at anyone, I’ll have to deal with you myself.”
Kenzo says calmly, and puts his hand on the hilt of his Japanese sword. It's a
deadly situation. The air in the room was filled with tingling thorns. After a brief
exchange of glances, the man with the knife in his hand clicks his tongue and
calms down.
"Shit. I'm going back to my room. If you're going to attack me, come on. I’ll strike
right back at you!"
The men, gripped by doubt and fear, returned to their rooms, firing off murderous
vibes at each other. Denji and Power were the only ones left in the entertainment
room.

“You don’t even know. You're just saying random things. You were just saying the
same things from that anime you were watching!”
"Why is that not appropriate? I think I'm more suited to being a great detective
than a devil hunter. When I close my business as a devil hunter, I'll start being a
detective in earnest. Gahahahaha!”
“We'll be public security until we die.”
"You're a dreamless man. I was going to hire you as my assistant.”
"I'll think about it if you give me bread with jam on it."
Denji looked up at the high ceiling of the deserted entertainment room and
muttered to himself.
“Hmm, but where is this devil bastard anyway?"

And the next day, the number of people had been further reduced by half.

+++

Four people, including Denji, Power, and Kenzo, were gathered at the
entertainment room.
“Hey, who's doing this? Who the hell did this!? Who's the devil!?"
The other remaining Devil Hunter, with a pale face, pointed his knife around him.
This isn’t good, Kenzo thought.
The man's eyes were bloodshot and he looked as if he were about to explode.
It was in situations like this that they had to maintain a sense of normalcy.
But for some reason, the public security woman suddenly blew up and poured oil
onto the fire that was the man's anger without a care in the world.
"Gahhahahahahaha, that frantic face ......! Gahahaha~!"
"What are you laughing at!?”
"Hey, relax! The least I can say is I’m not a devil." Kenzo kept the man with the
knife in check as he turned his attention back to him.
“Are you serious? Then answer the question! If you are real, you should be able
to answer!”
“Alright, fine.”
“You and I have been involved in business before. What kind of devil was it?"
“It was the sea cucumber devil. We evacuated the people and set up a siege, but
some random person came down from above and snatched our prey.”
“...Bingo."
The man then pointed his knife at Denji and Power. “Then it's one of you! Ask
them questions about themselves and each other.”
Denji and Power both looked at eachother.
"Yeah, I don't wanna. It's a pain in the ass."
“Just ask the question.”
Denji glared lightly at the man who was approaching him with the tip of his blade,
and sighed.
"Power. What do you like?"
“Meowy. I hate vegetables and people. What does Unu like?"
“Makima-san.”
They both pointed at each other. “Power.” “That’s Denji.”
The man with the knife backed away, his mouth twisted.
"Damn it, where the hell are you!?"
The number of people kept slowly dwindling, and there is still no sign of the devil.
No one came for them, and the windows were barred with heavy-duty bars when
they tried to escape. And neither the front door nor the kitchen door at the end of
the corridor faltered. Kenzo felt a dull sense of frustration, as if his neck was
being slowly tightened with cotton wool.

"Yeah. We’d better plan for a long haul and manage our food too."
Kenzo went to the kitchen, but soon returned in a bloody hurry.
“Oh god. We're running out of food!”
The pantry was almost completely empty. There should have been enough for a
few more days.
“Ah, ahhh, what are we going to do? What are we going to do!?”
The other devil hunter shouted in a tearful voice.
“It's the devil's work. I won't forgive it!" Denji said, narrowing his eyes at Power
with his raised fist.
"...... What? Power. You’ve got some crumbs on your clothes?"
"...... You’re seeing things."
Power brushed off the crumbs from her clothes with an unconcerned expression.
“Did you eat the rest of the food?”
“What are you talking about? I've never eaten any bread in my life.”
“I’ve seen you! That’s a lie!”
“Hey,chick! Is it true that you ate the food?”
“What the fuck is wrong with you?”
When the three of them confronted her, Power’s face twisted and she backed
away.
“N-No! No No! He’s lying! He's the one who's lying!”
Power pointed straight at Denji. “Well, he’s actually the devil lurking in the
mansion! He's lying and trying to frame me for a crime I didn't commit!"
“What the fuck?”
“He’s the devil that killed all those people?”
The sharp gazes of the two civilian Devil Hunters turned to Denji this time.
"Huh? What are you talking about? You said I was real when we were asked
those questions!”
“I didn't say that. I never said that.”
“You’re horrible! Hey, you guys heard that, right?”
However, Kenzo and the other man still had a look of suspicion on their faces
towards Denji.
“But ...... You're the one who first dismissed my suggestion that we all work
together."
“Oh, yeah, that's right. That's how we ended up with so few people!”
“No! Don’t be a dick! It's not me!”
"It's him. He's the evil devil. I'm a great detective, so I'm sure of it.”
"You know I won't forgive you if you screw around with me too much."
When Denji tried to grab Power, Kenzo pointed his japanese sword at him.
“Hey! Don’t move, or I'll cut you.”
“Oh yeah? Go ahead, try it.”
“I said don't move. Unless you want to be suspected.”
“...”
Denji gave him a dubious look as he balled up his fists. Kenzo slowly lowered
the tip of his sword. Don't be in a hurry. Keep a leveled head. Kenzo told himself.
“You are certainly suspicious, but there’s no clear evidence. So if you say it's not
true, you have to prove it yourself.”
“What? How am I gonna do that?”
“I'm sorry, but I'm going to have to tie your hands and feet and keep you under
surveillance until they come for you. If the disappearance still happens, we'll
know it wasn't you."
"Huh? So what if nothing happens?"
"That's a good thing. As soon as they pick us up, we can contact the public
safety department and have them investigate further. If you're really innocent, I'm
sure they can prove it.”
“No way. I don't know when they'll come to pick me up. I can't just wait around
tied up.”
Then, beside Kenzo, the other Devil Hunter said in a pleading voice.
“I understand. Just one day, then. We'll let you go in the morning. How about
that?"
“I’m not even a devil in the first place!”
Denji's hands, which were about to go wild, suddenly stopped.
"Well...... Makima-san told me to get along with you guys ......"
Denji seemed to remember something and mumbled in frustration, forcing his
other hand to restrain his swinging fist.
“......That’s it. Just one day.”
“Alright, we have a deal.”
Denji's hands and feet were tied with ropes from a storage room in the staff area,
and he was seated while tied to a pillar. In the midst of the tension, the time
passed in a moist and sweaty atmosphere, and the sun was swallowed up by the
mountains to the west.
The third night was about to begin in the Western-style house where the devil
lived.

“Let's take a break. Two of us will keep an eye on him just in case, and the
remaining one will get some sleep, but who’ll sleep first?”
“Me! I'm so sleepy!"
At Kenzo's suggestion, Power raised her hand vigorously.
"Okay. The sun will be up in about six hours. Come back for your shift in two
hours."
“Okaaay.”
“Power. You'll have to remember that later.”
“Ugh, the devil is staring at me. I'm scared. ......” Power turned away from Denji
and hurried out of the entertainment venue.
The two civilian Devil Hunters are left with Denji, who is tied up, in a large space.
"In the end, they didn't pick us up again today. I'll never be able to get out of this
house......" The man with the knife in his hand was mumbling and looking at the
dull, gleaming blade. His cheeks were puffy and dark circles had formed under
his eyes. He seemed to be nearing his limit.
“It's not possible. Even if something happened to the owner, if nearly twenty Devil
Hunters didn't return for a week, someone would certainly come looking for
them.”
Kenzo attempted to encourage them, and the bound Denji opened his mouth.
"Shut uuuup, can you be quiet? I can’t sleep.”
“Are you going to sleep in that position?”
“It's already night. If I don't sleep, I'll have a hard time tomorrow.”
"I see. No matter what the situation is, sleep when you can. That's the Public
Safety way of working. ...... What, you went to bed already ......?"
Denji was leaning against a pillar and had begun to sleep soundly.

More than three hours had passed since then. The night in the mansion, far away
from the hustle and bustle of the city, was so silent that it was as if sound itself
had vanished.
“What the hell is going on? I told you we'd have a two-hour shift, and you haven't
gotten up at all." Kenzo looks at his watch, annoyed that Power doesn't seem to
be coming back to the entertainment room at all, and then at Denji, who is
drooling fast asleep.
“This guy has been asleep for a long time. You have to have nerves like this to be
a public safety official.”
“ ...... You don't even know if he's really public safety.”
The man next to him, who was playing with a knife, said in a low voice.
“Oh, yeah, right.”
“Kenzo. I'll keep an eye on things here, so you can go get the girl."
“Yeah, alright. I’ll do that.”
He was a little worried because he was mumbling to himself from time to time,
but Kenzo was somewhat relieved by the man's calm suggestion. He seemed to
still be able to keep his spirits up. Kenzo walked through the door of the
entertainment room and headed toward the guest room.
“....You’ve done it.”
Making sure the door was closed, the man left behind slowly approached the
sleeping Denji. Kenzo had misjudged the man. The man's calmness was not a
sign of serenity, but a sign of extreme agitation. His black eyes were unfocused,
and his fingertips were trembling slightly.
"...... Hey, you're the devil, aren't you? While you’re alive, I can't even sleep
peacefully. I'm not as patient as that Kenzo guy."
The door of the entertainment room is completely soundproof. Now, even if they
were to scream, no one would notice. Worst-case scenario, even if it's wrong, he
can make it the work of the devil. The man looked down at Denji, who had fallen
asleep, and slowly raised the knife he was holding.
“Hey, will you die?”

+++

“Mmm..?”
Power sat up in bed in her room. She thought she heard Denji's voice, but she
couldn't be sure if she was dreaming it or not.
“I’m hungry…..”
Power’s stomach made little screams of hunger. She had eaten all that was left in
the pantry and hadn't had anything but water since noon.
“Denji, blood……”
She jumped into the bed next to her, only to be pushed back by the soft elasticity
of the mattress. Under the quilt, there was no sign of her buddy.
“Hmm….?”
“Hey, wake up! It’s time to change the guard.”
The door to the room was being slammed into hard. The rumbling vibrations
finally brought Power’s hazy consciousness into focus.
“...... Oh, that's right, yeah.”
Come to think of it, Denji had been into being the devil and was being held in the
entertainment room.
“Hey, come on! Answer me!”
“Shut up! I know!”
Power put on the silk hat under her pillow and opened the door, rubbing her
sleepy eyes. Kenzo was standing there in the pale light of the induction lamp and
let out a sigh of relief.
“You're alive. When you didn't answer, I thought you'd been erased too.”
“Where is Denji…?”
“He’s sleeping peacefully in the entertainment room. For now.”
Kenzo said with a grim look on his face as he walked beside Power.
"Hey, are you sure he's been replaced by the devil? The way he's acting, I'm
starting to doubt it.”
“Denji's not the culprit.”
“He isn’t? You're the one who said he was the devil.”
“What? I didn't say that.”
"What? Huh......?"
Kenzo grunted in confusion as Power answered with a straight face. It's time to
save Denji. I'm going to help Denji, and he's going to let me suck his blood in
return, Power thought.
"Wait a minute. If he's not the devil, then what the hell have I done?"
"What an outrageous thing to tie up an innocent man. You're such an idiot!"
“Ughh…..”
However, when they opened the door to the amusement park, they stood there in
silence. There was no one inside.

+++
"What? He was here just a moment ago!"
Kenzo shouted in frustration and rushed out to the place where Denji had been
tied up. Denji, the man who had been tied up, and the man who had been
watching him, all disappeared without a trace. Did they escape? No... although I
don't know why, the ropes he had been tied with have disappeared as well. The
human body disappearance incident occurs again, and the sixteen Devil Hunters
are now only two.
"Kuku kuku ......."
Suddenly, Power, who was standing behind him, began to chuckle.
"Kuhuhuhuhuhu, hahahahahahahahahaha!"
"W-What's going on?" ...... You can't be serious, can you?”
Kenzo opened his mouth in astonishment at Power's triumphant expression.
When he began to think about it, he’d been pushed around by this woman since
the beginning. If the devil was pretending to be someone else, he would not have
wasted his time on such a conspicuous act. Kenzo had that preconceived notion
before he knew it.
—-I've been tricked ...... This is the devil ......! But she didn't pay attention to
Kenzo, who backed away involuntarily as she ran up to the stage. She reached
into her pocket and pulled out a knotted cord.
“The mysterious knot has just been untied!”
“What?”
Wait, I'm not sure what she’s talking about.
Power pulls the string hard from both sides, but the knot is still there, just as
before.
“Urrrrgh!! Dammit, damn!!”
With a bright blue streak on her forehead, she pulled as hard as she could, and
the knot finally broke with a resounding snap.
Power swung the split cord in front of her face with pride.
“The mysterious knot has just been untied!”
“.....”

Kenzo didn't know how to react and just looked up at the stage in a daze.
“There is a devil lurking in this house that makes people disappear. One person
disappears, two people disappear, three people disappear, and only you and I
remain. And I am not the culprit. So that means—"
Power turned her palm upward with a smug look on her face. The blood that
spurted from her wrist transformed into the shape of a scythe in midair.
“The devil is yoooou!”
“Eee!?”
Kenzo managed to catch the blow of the scythe that was swung from the stage
with his Japanese sword. However, the intensity of the momentum from the blow
pushed him over and he lost his grip on his sword.
“Die, devil, die!”
“What!? I thought you were the devil!”
"I'm a great detective!”
Turning his back on Power, who was raising her scythe like the Grim Reaper,
Kenzo ran out of the area. He didn't know what was going on, but he had to get
away now.
“Shit!”
A crimson blade with a thick gust of wind came at him, and the tip of the blade
grazed his calf.
–What do I do? The door is locked, so I can't get out. Should I run to the corridor
at the back of the game room? No, it's a straight path and they'll eventually catch
up with me. Hide in guest rooms or staff areas? No. As long as you've left your
weapon behind, she’ll find you and kill you.
“That's right!”
What Kenzo dove head first into was a small room on the way to the entrance
hall. The power room was off-limits. The inside was dimly lit and intricately lined
with pipes and wires. A large generator in the center of the room was roaring low.
He was planning to hold his breath and let his opponent pass, and then return to
the entertainment room to retrieve his sword. That was the plan—
“It’s in here!”
The door was kicked down loudly from outside, and the woman carrying a scythe
on her shoulder appeared in a flash.
“What? How..!?”
"I smelled blood. Did you think you could escape from Detective Power? You
devil!"
Kenzo recalled that he had injured his calf and was bleeding.
“Wait, wait, wait. I'm not the devil! I mean, who the hell are you?"
"I already told you many times that I am the genius detective Power of public
safety."
"What kind of detective comes to a murder scene carrying a bloodstained
scythe?”
Power was closing in with a furious dash. Kenzo backs away. His back hits the
generator, stopping him in his tracks.
"Wait, wait! The owner says this is an expensive machine here!”
“Dieeee!”
“You aren’t listening!!”
As soon as Kenzo bent down, the tip of the giant scythe stabbed into the
generator behind him.
“What the…?” Power blinked her eyes, and with a bang, electricity sparked from
the machine. Immediately after, SPURRRRRRRTTT!!!
A massive amount of liquid spurted out like a fountain from the crack where the
sickle had pierced.
“What the fuck!?”
“Whoa, whoooooah!?”
They were tossed about by the overflowing murky water, and were pushed back
to the game room, tumbling about. Perhaps because of the damage to the power
source, the lights in the room were flickering violently. The two bodies that
emerged from the flashing lights were stained red.
“Is this…?”
“It’s…blood?”
Power licked her fingertips and spoke. "Hey, why is there blood coming from the
generator ......? Whoa!"
The bloodstained carpet suddenly began to move in an undulating motion, and
Kenzo was tripped up in front of it.

Rrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr…—
A low moan roared throughout the entire compound.
“You can't be serious. ...... What the hell?”
A huge spray of water fell from the ceiling right next to Kenzo, who was knocked
off his feet. It bounced off the floor, and the spray burned Kenzo's skin. He looked
up, his face contorted, and saw countless droplets of water seeping down the
walls and ceiling.
"Hmm? Just what is going on here?"
Kenzo pointed at the ceiling and shouted at Power who was still carrying a
crimson scythe.
"Watch out! It's acid….!”
“Acid?
“It’ll melt you!”
“Huh?” As soon as Power looked up, droplets of water began to pour on them.
The two of them struggled to avoid the acid bombardment.
"Hey, what the hell?"
"I see......! I didn't think this was possible!” Kenzo kept himself low and raised
his voice.
“It's not that the devil can't be seen. It's been there all along, right in front of our
faces.”
“Yeah!”
Power’s scythe changes shape into that of a giant umbrella. Kenzo jumps under
it with her.
“This entire mansion is a devil!”

+++

"The entire mansion?" At Kenzo's cry, Power furrowed his brow and looked
around. The floor and walls were indeed writhing like living things, and the acid
rain was gaining more momentum. Kenzo answered quickly.
"Ah, now I get it! When you look at the house from above, it's shaped like a
cross, but think of it as a person. The entrance where we entered is the head.
The corridors on either side where the rooms and staff areas are located are the
arms. And this large space further on from the crossroads is probably the
stomach.”
“Stomach…..?”
“See, that’s stomach acid coming down. I'm sure that's what dissolved all those
people before."
“Huh.”
“I don't know if they were trying to have a strategy meeting here at night or if they
were called in by some noise, but the door to the game room is completely
soundproof. Their dying screams wouldn’t have reached the guest rooms. The
reason for the gradual reduction in the number of people was to instill fear in
those who remained!”
“Well, devils love human fear.”
“I finally understand the meaning of the mysterious corridor at the end of the
stomach. The reason it was so convoluted and straightforward was probably
because that was the intestines.”
“Uh-huh…”
“And what looked like a generator in the power room was the most important
organ. That room was by the crossroads.Given its location, it was the heart of the
house devil you coincidentally destroyed.”
Power suddenly bellowed, "There is no such thing as coincidences!”
“...... Heart. Yes, the heart. Detective Power had it all figured out from the start!
I’m a genius. The Nobel Prize is mine!”
Wow, you're amazing!... As expected of a genius detective, Power.......!
Power felt that the storm of praise pouring in from all over the world had reached
her ears.
“No. ...... That's a coincidence, right? I mean, you told me to die and tried to kill
me.”
“That's what I told the devil in the house.”
“You're the one who attacked me!”
"What are you talking about......? I've never attacked you before, have I?”
“Jeez, you’re horrible.”

—Clurr…Clurr…clurr.. .......

The walls and floor twisted and turned violently, and the vindictive voices of the
devil in the building reverberated over and over. The amount of acid was
increasing, pouring down like a torrential downpour.
“This isn’t good. The blood umbrella is about to give out.”
There was a lot of blood in the game room from the heart of the mansion, but
Power was not so good with blood other than her own.
“So you're a devil, huh? I've heard rumors that there are devils in Public Safety
Division 4.”
"Yes, I am Master Power, Public Security Fiend Detective."
"Okay, okay. Just head for the hallway by the front door. If we leave the stomach
and head towards the esophagus, we should be able to avoid the acid."
They slowly approached the door of the entertainment room. However, the door
would not open, as if it were locked by the devil of the building.
"Damn it, it doesn't work. It won't budge!"
"Leave it to a great detective. In times like these, use your head!”
Power kicked the door as hard as she could with the sole of her foot.
“That's not using your head!
“Damn, it's harder than I thought.”
Feeling dizzy, Power clicked her tongue. She had increased the size of her blood
umbrella in order to protect herself from the acid storm. Her body felt anemic and
weak. She was drinking the demon's blood, but the acid was eroding too fast for
her to keep up.
 "Damn it, are we all going to be wiped out in the end!?" Kenzo shouted with his
head in his hands.
“....Hmm?”
Power looked back at him.
"What's wrong?"
"...... What happened to Denji?”
“The ropes that bound him were gone, along with the remaining Devil Hunter,
who was probably dissolved by the acid.”
“What happens to the melted material?”
“It should flow towards the corridor behind the door on the other side. What about
it?"
“...”
Power listened in silence. She thought she heard some other tone mixed in with
the roar of the blasting acid and the roar of the devil.
"When was the last time you saw Denji?"
“Right before I went to wake you up. He was asleep and tied up at the time."
“That means Denji is still in the gut.”
“Yes, but what about it?”

–Vrrmm…

Power looked at the undulating, peristaltic floor of the game room. The devil
blood overflowing from the heart was flowing into the back of the doorway
leading to the opposite corridor.

–Vroom, vroom, vroom .......

It was like the roar of a monster echoing from the depths of hell...

"What’s that sound?"

Kenzo craned his neck with a curious look on his face. Denji should’ve been
dissolved in acid and passed away into the intestines.
That's where the massive supply of devil blood is now coming from.

–VRRRRRRRRM, RRRRRRRMM, BRRRRRRMM…

“It’s getting closer…?”

–VRRRRMMMMM VRRRRRRMMM VRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRM!!!

“What is that? Something’s coming…”

–VRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRMMMMM!!!!!

Power stared in the direction of the sound as Kenzo covered his ears, his face
contorted.
“Come on, buddy.”

A moment later with an explosion, the door opposite of them blew to pieces.
A strange looking man was standing there. A dull-colored chainsaw protruded
from his head and hands, its fierce blade like the fangs of a wild beast spinning in
circles at high speed. The sound of the engine tearing through the air stirred
Kenzo’s head into chaos.
“What the hell is that? Seriously, what the hell is that!?”
The man with the chainsaw slowly turned his head to Kenzo, who was holding
his ear and screaming. A quivering wall. The acid blowing in the air. He looked at
the hellish space and said a few words.
"Hmm? What the hell is going on? I woke up and now I’m suddenly in this whole
mess.”
“Denji! Over here!”
When Power raised her voice, Kenzo said in surprise. "What? He's from the
Public Security Bureau? What kind of place is the Public Security Bureau!?”
"Oh, yeah, Power! You sold me out!”
When Denji suddenly realized what was happening and started running, acid rain
poured down on him without mercy.
"Ugh, geez, what the hell!?"
But even as he melts and crumbles, the chainsaw man rushes forward with
mouthfuls of blood filling the floor. He then thrusts his right hand into Power's
neck.
“Power! That wasn’t a funny joke, y’know!”
"I realize that, but let's not talk about it until we get out of here! If we don't, we're
all going to die."
“Huh?”
Denji turned around. A rain of acid was blowing in all directions in the
entertainment room.
“What are we supposed to do?"
“Escape. But the door won't open.”
"What? Just use your head to open the door!"
Denji swung his head and broke through the middle of the door with the
chainsaw on his head.
“That's not what I meant by "use your head." ......”
With Kenzo's grunts in their ears, first Denji and then Power ran out into the
hallway. Iron doors sprouted from the floor and ceiling one after another, blocking
their escape.
“Get out of the waaay!”
The first one, Denji, cut through the steel door and ran through the undulating
passage. Glob. There was an unpleasant sound, and Kenzo, who was in last
place, looked back.
"Hey, there's acid coming at us!”
A wave of acid attacked from the game room like a rush of stomach juices.
“Run, run, run!”
The entrance hall was right in front of them. But–
"Gah!?"
The chainsaw's blow was stopped when it impaled itself on the front door.
"Oh no, the front door is the teeth part of the mouth! It's stronger than the others!”
Kenzo shouted in an impatient voice.
"The teeth?"
As soon as he pulled the chainsaw out of the door, Denji ran up the wall
vertically with the small chainsaw he had grown on his foot.
“The window above is an eye, isn't it? You can't protect your eyes, can you!?”
“Oh, he's using his head…..”
About five meters above the door, Denji broke through the two side by side hall
lighting windows.
Gaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!
With a scream that roared throughout the mansion, the front door opened up
without hesitation. At that moment, Power and Kenzo jumped out through the
front door.
"We’re outside!"
The sky was dark. The bottom of the sky was beginning to fade. Dawn was about
to break.
“POWER!”
Denji jumped out of the window and landed boldly on the ground, pointing his
chainsaw at the power.
“Hey, don’t be so mad! I’ll let you rub my breasts as an apology.”
“......Uh.”
Denji stopped moving for a moment and shook his head.
“Nah, I don’t need it. I love Makima-san–”
Suddenly, Denji's body was pierced by the iron fence that extended from the
entrance.
The devil of the mansion was trying to pull the captured Denji into its body as a
last stand.
"Gaaah!?"
The front door opened vertically and Denji was skewered and swallowed deep
into the house.
“Hey, hey. He got swallowed!”
“It swallowed him…”
Power and Kenzo stood there helplessly.
In the end, they ran out of energy, and with a high-pitched scream in the
mountains, pieces of reddish-black flesh peeled off from the devil house.
In the pale morning sun, only a decaying, ivy-covered ruin remained.

"So you're saying it's a devil that possesses old houses and assimilates them?”
Someone was talking from the mountain path.
"Yes, it seems so. The client was acting strangely, so I asked him about it, and it
seems that the devil from the mansion that possessed the property had
threatened him to send devil hunters as food.”
It was Aki and Makima who showed up.
“It’s…”
Power's spine straightened up. She turned.
“Even so, Makima-san didn't have to come all the way to pick them up......."
“I'm going to be busy next week on a business trip to Kyoto. I thought a hike in
the mountains would be nice before that. I wonder, Hayakawa-kun, do you not
want me to be with you?"
“No, no. It’s fine. Not at all.” As Aki hurriedly waved his hand, Makima turned her
attention to the decaying mansion.
“Oh, it's you, Power.”
She recognized Power standing upright near the doorway and moved closer to
her side.
“I came all this way, but it looks like it's over.”
"U-uh, yeah. Detective Power solved the whole case!"
Kenzo, who was standing next to Power, frowned.
"...... No, you almost killed me.”
“What….? I'm not sure exactly what you mean by that. You're such an idiot!”
“Whaaat!?”
"It's useless. This girl falsifies her memories to suit herself."
Aki said off to the side while he lit a cigarette.
"So, where's Denji?"
Power shook her head and shrugged her shoulders.
“My assistant Denji was eaten by the mansion. It was a spectacular end!”
“Are you serious?”
“Can you tell me more about it?”
When Makima nodded her head, Power spoke while using all sorts of gestures.
“He was melting in the belly of the house. That's where I came in with my mighty
efforts!”
Kenzo, who was standing beside them, explained instead, since the story was so
incomprehensible.
“I see…”
After hearing the story, Makima went around to the back of the house. All of us
who followed gasped at the sight before us. By the kitchen door, there were
several dead bodies lying haphazardly. There was Denji, the right half of his body
melted.
"Makima-san!" Denji waved his remaining left hand happily.
"Good work, Denji. Looks like you got your work done.”
"Of course. I did my best and solved it as quickly as I could.”
As Makima crouched down, Denji made a peace sign.
“You say that, but it’s not very convincing when you’re half melted. ...... But how
did you know he was here?"
Makima answered Aki's question while brushing up her hair.
“The entertainment room is the stomach, and the corridor beyond that is the
intestines. If that's the case, I wondered if the dissolved persons would end up at
the exit at the end of the intestinal corridor.”
“So you're saying that the kitchen door is the anus?”
Power suddenly explodes into a fit of laughter.
"Hahahaha! It’s shit! It's the feces of Detective Power and her assistant!”
“Shut up. What kind of detective shouts about shit?"
“.......”
A little farther away, Kenzo silently watched the commotion of the public security.
There was a woman with a tendency to talk nonsense who suddenly attacked
him, a chainsaw man who was half melted alive, and two people who were
watching the scene without a care in the world.
“Man...... I'm glad I failed to get into public safety ......"
As Kenzo trudged away, Denji's hateful words and Power's piercing laughter
echoed high above him.
 Chapter 2 : The Taste of Nine Years

The future is dark. Because of the image of darkness, it is often used to express
that a bad future awaits us right under our noses, but the correct meaning of the
proverb is that we cannot foresee anything, good or bad. However, in this field,
the former misinterpretation is more correct. That's what Kishibe thought. The job
of a public security devil hunter is one where the promising newcomer, the
battle-hardened strongman, suddenly loses his life one day as if he were caught
in a pit. On the front lines of such devil extermination, he had avoided the gaping
"doorway" to the abyss for years and years. Was it good luck that God smiled
upon him? Or was it bad luck that even the Grim Reaper abandoned him? No,
there is no God or Reaper. The only things that are always by his side are
alcohol, cigarettes, and the devil. And only an unsociable buddy.

The sound of the jazz piano soaked into the space lit by the pale indirect lighting.
It was a bar on the top floor of a luxury hotel. The light which fills the sky is
distant. A dark sky of inorganic skyscrapers stretched out in front of him. As he
gazed blankly at the darkness ahead, Kishibe opened his mouth.

"Quanxi. It's been almost nine years since I started working with you.”
There is an old scar on the edge of his lip that looks like it has been split open.
"...... Nine years. Is that right?"
The woman sitting next to him with an eye patch over her right eye takes a sip of
wine and replies nonchalantly. She is a beautiful woman, but she looks
somewhat dour and lacks expression.
Kishibe held up the glass in his hand to Quanxi.
“Well? Are you interested in going out with me yet?”
“No.”
“Don't raise your fist in the air, please. We're in a restaurant.”
When Kishibe lightly stepped aside and spoke, Quanxi lowered her hand with a
look of disappointment. He had been hitting on her since the first day he met her,
but she usually rejects him by hitting him every time, saying, ‘I can't, I don't want
to, no, I'm picky.’
“How can you keep asking that for nine years?"
"Well, yeah. That's just how strong my feelings are for....... Are you listening?"
Quanxi’s gaze followed the waitress serving in the back. When she finally looked
at Kishibe, he shrugged his shoulders and downed his drink in one gulp.
“You reek of alcohol even more than usual. How much did you drink before I got
here?"
“Not much, really."
"Oh, right. A new recruit died yesterday, didn't they? Whenever a newcomer dies,
the amount of alcohol that you drink tends to increase.”
“......”
Kishibe didn't respond to that, instead ordering a whiskey on the rocks. He stares
at the amber liquid shimmering in the glass with vacant eyes.
"It's a twelve-year-old Macallan. Whiskey takes a long time to mature. In barrels.
After many years of patience, it finally becomes a decent drink."
“....... What are you trying to say?”
"Public Safety is a one year job. Whether you think you're strong or not, in a year
you'll be dead or in the civilian world. There's nothing like aging in this job. I don't
think of it as raising a human being, because I know these things. It's just dog
training. But even dogs have feelings.”
“.....”
“Five people have died in the past month. So I told my superiors to put an
unbreakable toy under me, neither human nor dog.”
"Unbreakable toy," huh?”
"I'm going to drink more because the person I feel for is going to die. If that's the
case, it's better to have someone you can't have feelings for."
Kishibe let out a damp breath and brought the whiskey to his mouth.
“They told me there were no such toys.”
“I bet.”
“Instead, they're not going to put a new recruit under me for a while."
"That's good, actually. You've had a little too much to drink."
“Are you worried about me?"
“I can't be bothered to get drunk and involved." Quanxi looked down at the wine
filling her glass. The blood-red color of the wine was blurred by the shimmering
figure of the woman with the eye patch.
“Oh, by the way, I'm taking care of a new recruit.”
“You are?”
“They said it was an appointment from the other party. They really want me to be
their instructor."
“That's unusual. Is that a man?"
"No, it's a woman. I've seen her picture on her resume, and she's got a pretty
face."
“You seem pretty happy.”
“Oh, do I….?”
Quanxi blinked and gave a slight tilt of her head. Kishibe put his hand into his
pocket and placed the room key on the counter.
“By the way, I've got a room at the hotel downstairs, maybe we can grab a
second drink afterwards?”
"It's not my job as a buddy to take care of drunks."
Quanxi drank all the wine, put the bills on the counter, and left. Even though they
had crossed many deadly lines together, Kishibe raised the corner of his mouth
faintly at the unchanging, casual manner in which they had met.
"...... Nine years old buddy, huh?”
As he slowly turned the glass in his hand, the water in it made a light clinking
sound.

+++

Two days later. An apprentice devil hunter arrived at Quanxi and Kishibe's office.
“Good morning, I'm Nakano Minami. I'm looking forward to working with you from
now on!"
Petite, baby-faced. Short cut with black hair. Her eyes are like those of a puppy.
“Quanxi-san. I'm honored that you've agreed to be my instructor.”
The girl, who introduced herself as Minami, squeezed Quanxi’s hand in
admiration.
"......"
Kishibe raised one of his hands in the air as Quanxi gazed at the hand in hers.
“It's nice to meet you. I'm her buddy, Kishibe.”
“Long time no see, Kishibe-san!”
"...... Do I know you?”
"Oh, no. I just saw you in the distance at the joint welcome party for newcomers. I
remembered that you introduced yourself by saying that your favorite things were
drinking, women and killing devils.”
“Uh, ...... Sorry about that. You must be a little disappointed."
“I think that helped ease everyone's nerves."
Kishibe rubbed his chin at the positive newcomer and pointed his thumb at
Quanxi next to him.
“I'm not sure why you'd want to ask her to train you. There are even people in
public security who are afraid to go near her.”
“I'm a little nervous, but I'm not afraid, I admire her. Ms.Quanxi is so strong and
beautiful."
“Seems like you’ve got an admirer.”
Kishibe looks at Quanxi beside him. Quanxi fell silent for a moment and then
opened her mouth to confirm.
“Nakano, or should I say Minami?”
“Yes. Please call me Minami."
“...... Okay, Minami. Which devil are you under contract with?”
“No contract yet. I'm thinking of making one after I've trained a little more."
"That’s good. Those who can't even move well and try to make do with just their
devil’s power usually don't last long. You should brush up on your fundamental
physical skills first."
“Yes!”
“Are you strong?”
“I’m not very strong….but I’m willing to do anything.”
Quanxi nodded and motioned for Minami to follow her.
“Let's start with your current physical capabilities. Come with me to the training
room."
“Understood, Quanxi-san.”
The two headed for the Public Safety Training Room. Kishibe followed behind
them.Quanxi, who had let Minami go first, looked back at him in annoyance.
“Kishibe. Why are you even following me?"
“I've got some free time on my hands.”
“So why don't you just go out for a smoke or a drink or crash at a woman's house
like you always do?”
“That's not very nice. You're the only woman I got— whoops.”
Kishibe ducked out of the way of Quanxi's fist in the nick of time. The wind
whistled by his ears. It was a blow that would have killed him instantly if he were
a normal person, but after nine years of being her buddy, he could avoid it
somewhat. Kishibe kept his distance and raised his hands.
"It's an order from the top. They want me to watch over you as a buddy, just in
case."
"Oh. The mad dog Kishibe is at the mercy of his superiors. I'll educate her. You
stay out of it.”
“I get it. I'm taking a break from dog training for a while. But it's not the new kid
they want me to watch over. Rather, it's you."
In the past, a few newcomers have come under Quanxi’s supervision, but due to
the severity of the conditions, all of them were forced into early retirement without
fail.
“...... Have it your way."

Quanxi grumbled and turned her back on Kishibe. After moving to the training
room, Minami started running along the walls in the vast room under Quanxi’s
direction. It was fast enough to have passed the recruitment test. However,
among the Public Safety Devil Hunters, she was only adequate. After running
about ten laps, she started to gasp for air.
“That’s enough.”
“Wait, I can still keep going!”
As Minami answered while breathing heavily on her back, Quanxi crossed her
arms and replied.
"There's no need to push yourself too hard right off the bat. It will affect your
training later."
“Understood…..”
Minami stood up and took a deep breath. Kishibe, standing beside Quanxi,
puffed on his cigarette and remarked.
“You've got a very different attitude.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Six years ago, when you got a male recruit, you would have made him puke
eight times to get him to keep running."
“The man had a lot of energy left in him.”
“If I recall, he was rushed to the ER shortly afterwards.”
"You've had enough booze in your brain for your memory to be worthless."
“I can’t argue with that.”
Quanxi took off her jacket and put on a black tank top.
"Let's do kumite 1next. I don't care how you do it, just come at me."
“Y-yes, of course.”
Minami looked nervous and took a half-hearted stance. She shouted and kicked
aggressively at her opponent. But–
“Whoa, whoa–!”

1
Meaning a freestyle form of karate used as a form of sparring.
She was lightly kicked and rolled over.
“Again.”
“Yes!”
Minami gets up again and tries to stand up to Quanxi. However, no matter how
many times she tried, she was rolled to the floor in an instant. Minami sat up and
exhaled roughly.
“Oh, God. ...... I can't do anything about it......"
"Let's take a break. Go get some water."
“Yes, ma’am.”
Quanxi watches Minami silently as she runs out of the training room. Kishibe
picked up the jacket that Quanxi had taken off and called out to her from behind.
“Your attitude is quite different after all."
“What’s that?”
“You know what I’m talking about. Kumite nowadays is like a child's game. I can’t
believe it's being taught by a woman who’d win first place in a competition where
all of humanity gathers to beat each other with their bare hands.”
“No such competition exists. There's no way I'm going to suddenly crush a
rookie."
"As I recall, three years ago, when a male recruit came under your command,
you shattered his ribs with the first blow.”
“I don't remember that. Looks like you've been drinking too much and it’s fucked
with your head.”
“Well, sorry about that.”
"Excuse me. Sorry to keep you waiting."
After rehydrating, Minami returned to the training room. Quanxi looked back at
Kishibe as she rubbed her shoulders.
“It's the first day, so we're just going through the motions. I don't need you to
worry about me, I'm going to build up my strength.”
“By the way, don’t train in Newaza2.”
“.....Why?”
“What good is Newaza training if you're about to take on a devil? Are you
stupid?"
“I'm not going to deny that. Well, that’s fine….”
Kishibe shrugged his shoulders, and Quanxi and Minami started their kumite
again.

2
Grappling techniques in martial arts.
As far as he can see, unlike the previous men, Quanxi doesn't appear to be
worried about pushing the newcomer too hard. Rather, it seems that Quanxi is
beginning to like Minami and is becoming protective of her.
Perhaps Minami is Quanxi’s type–
Those wandering glances she’s been giving her…
In the training room, where Minami's shrill cry echoed, Kishibe watched them
absentmindedly and let out a puff of vapor.

Two weeks had passed since then. At night, after training, the three of them were
seated in a tavern in a bar area. Quanxi turned to Kishibe beside her with a cold
expression, which was the opposite of the smiles on the faces of the customers,
who were filled with a sense of freedom after a hard days work.
"Why are you following me? Minami is my student. You're in the way."
"I'm your buddy. It's no surprise I’m here."
Kishibe looked at the menu on the wall and ordered a draft beer. The chilled
carbonation and alcohol washed down his throat, and the clamor and the sound
of the kitchen cooking buzzed his eardrums. The stench of cigarettes seeping
through the walls of the room was refreshing to his senses, and the stagnant
heat clung to his skin.
In the midst of my daily life where my colleagues are dying as a matter of course,
these moments suddenly remind me that I am still alive.
“Oh, I'm sorry! I asked Mr. Kishibe to come with me. I mean, I'm still nervous
about having a drink alone with Ms.Quanxi......"
“.....”
When Minami replied with a bit of embarrassment, Quanxi let out a silent, small
huff.
"Speaking of which, how long have you two been buddies?"
“Hm……I forgot.”
“Nine years. Remember?”
Minami watches the exchange between Quanxi and Kishibe as she bites into her
fruit. She looks like a squirrel chewing on a nut.
“Nine years is quite a long time, isn’t it?”
“In public safety, I'd say that's a pretty long time."
Kishibe nodded lightly, tipping his mug back and poured the beer down his gullet.
“Is there a reason why you've been able to do this for so long?”
"It's just that Kishibe doesn't die easily."
“Don't talk about me as if you want me to die soon.”
As usual, Quanxi’s answer was curt, prompting Kishibe to nonchalantly butt in,
then went on to pour himself a second beer. These kinds of exchanges have
been going on for nine years now. Minami smiled wryly, then suddenly mumbled
something as if she remembered something.
"Um…..speaking of which, isn't it about time......?"
Her usual composed expression was tinged with a hint of nervousness.
“What do you mean ‘about time’?”
Quanxi, sitting in front of her, questioned without a change to her expression.
“The devil extermination.”
“Yeah, I guess it’s about time then.”
Kishibe picked up two slices of sea bream sashimi at the same time and brought
them to his mouth.
During devil extermination, new recruits are also supposed to be dispatched
alongside their educators. The last two weeks have been unusual in that there
have been no orders to deploy, but it seemed that time was now.
”To tell you the truth, I'm still not sure how well I can fight devils. I'm still no match
for Miss Quanxi….”
”If a rookie could have a decent go at Quanxi in just two weeks, we'd be all out of
a job.”
“I suppose you’re right.”
“Besides, you're the only one who lasted two weeks under Quanxi.”
“Yeah, that’s true…!”
The energy in Minami's voice returned. Although, the way Quanxi treats the
other men who have been under her in the past is clearly different. The contrast
between the two is truly hell and heaven. In front of a male recruit, she is like a
cold-hearted demon, but in front of Minami, she is a gentle angel. But he wouldn't
dare mention that.
"However, as devil hunters, it's not our job to worry about whether we can fight or
not. We just kill the devils in front of us."
“...Right.”
"If you're worried, you can always quit early. Being a devil hunter isn't the only
way to live."
 “Oh, e-excuse me.......”
She looked down for a moment and then raised her head as if she had regained
her composure.
"Well, do you have any tips on how to prepare yourself to fight a devil?”
“Hit it as hard as you can.”
After taking a sip of water, Quanxi looked into the empty sky and answered.
"Alright, I'll hit it as hard as I can.......!"
“What kind of teaching is that? She's the only one who does that, so don't take it
too seriously.”
“What about you, Kishibe-san?”
“Hmm….”
Kishibe stroked the stubble on his chin with the palm of his hand.
“Loosen the screws in your head."
"Screws in your head ...... What’s that mean?”
“Yeah. The more sane you are, the more you fear the devil’s attacks. And fear
gives the devil's power. So, unscrew the screws and throw away the sane. Even
devils are afraid of what they don't understand.”
“Abandoning your sanity...... Is that it?”
Kishibe picked up a skewer of grilled chicken that had been brought over and
pointed it at Minami as if it were a microphone.
“And by the way, why did you apply for Public Safety?”
“Because of……”
After receiving the skewer, Minami faltered a bit, then continued.
“When I was a student, I was attacked by a devil and was saved by a devil
hunter. That's when I realized that I wanted to be like them.”
“In other words, admiration. That's one of the three most common reasons for
applying.”
“What are the other two?”
“A sense of duty and a hatred of the devil. The runner-up was the generous
benefits package."
“Is that a bad thing?”
“No, it's not. But it's sane."
“....”
Minami puffed out her cheeks faintly, as if she was not satisfied. She tried to turn
the skewer she held sideways at an angle, and spun it around.
“But how do I loosen the screws in my head?"
“In my case, it's this one here.....”
As Kishibe pointed to the beer in front of him, Quanxi beside him let out a shallow
breath.
"Don't worry about Kishibe, Minami. It may sound reasonable enough, but this
guy's just got a screw loose in his head as a result of his alcohol addiction.”
“You know exactly what I'm talking about.”
When Kishibe chuckled, Quanxi took another sip of water and remarked.
"Don't think too much, Minami. Ignorance and stupidity are the best ways to live a
happy life. Live simply."
"The point is, you need to loosen the screws inside your head and become
stupid."
“Don't get mixed up with drunks.”
“...”
Minami grabbed a skewer of yakitori and stared at the exchange between the
two. Then she suddenly rose to her feet, lifted the beer in front of Kishibe and
took a swig.
“Ah, hey!”
Despite Kishibe's attempts to stop her, Minami gulped all of the liquid down and
placed the now empty mug on the table.
“Kishibe-san! I-I’m actually not very g-good at drinking. But this will help me get
the screws in my head loosen a little–”
After saying that much, Minami slowly collapsed on the spot.

The neon lights of the night glided past the windows of a cab on the main street.
In the car, filled with the smell of alcohol, Quanxi who was seated in the back
seat grumbled.
“......Kishibe. Do you know what I'm thinking right now?"
Minami's head was resting on Quanxi's lap, breathing soundly in her sleep.
Kishibe, in the passenger seat, answered with his eyes looking out the window.
“Well, I haven’t the faintest idea."
"That's what I get for being a buddy for so many years?"
“Don't misunderstand me. I know what you're thinking. It's about time you
decided to go out with me."
“If I didn't have Minami on my lap, I'd rip your head off from behind and throw it
out the window."
“You're not kidding. That's scary.”
“What I'm trying to figure out is why you're in the cab that's taking Minami home.”
The low, inexpressive voice was laced with a hint of pressure. Leaning his back
against the seat, Kishibe shifted his eyes to the rearview mirror.
“It's my fault that Minami went under because I was the one who encouraged
her.”
"Don't get involved with my pupils in any funny way. What's sane? You think
you've taught her that this job doesn't suit her?”
"At this rate, she'll be dead in six months. You know that, don't you?"
“....”
Quanxi fell silent. Although the last chug was a bit of a surprise, Minami was
basically perfectly normal. She didn’t have the physical abilities to make up for it,
and it’s questionable whether she is ready to make a pact with a powerful devil.
Kishibe felt as if she is an example of how not to live long in this job, but for some
reason, there are always a few new recruits like her every year. Quanxi lightly
strokes the hair on Minami's head as she sighs peacefully into her lap.
“I won’t let her die.”
"That's encouraging. But she’s not going to be under your thumb forever."
“You've been talking a lot today. I thought you weren't going to be involved in dog
training for a while?”
“That’s the plan. Though even the death of my Buddy's dog isn’t pleasant for
me.”
“....”
"Quanxi, do you know what I'm thinking right now despite everything?"
“I don’t even want to know.”
“We’ve been Buddies for so long and that’s what I get? Brings tears to my eyes.”
“Ha. Your tears have long since dried up.”
Kishibe faintly raised the edge of his mouth. The longer he continued to be a
Devil Hunter in the Public Security Department, the more death piled up around
him. Seniors are dying, classmates are dying, juniors are disappearing. The dogs
we raised are dying one after another. At the same time, he himself is gradually
losing the human part of himself because of his contract with a devil. Thus,
Kishibe occasionally wondered what would be left in the end. At such times, he
drank like a drunkard. So he wouldn’t have to think about anything else.
Living in ignorance and stupidity - in a way, Quanxi's way of life might be the
same. Kishibe took out a portable whiskey bottle from his pocket and poured it
down his throat.
"What I'm thinking about, Quanxi. I'm trying to figure out how you know where
Minami is staying.”
Instead of the smashed Minami, it was Quanxi who gave the address to the
driver.
“I told you I looked at her resume before.”
“Do they even remember where I live?”
“What are you trying to say?”
“Nothing…”
Apparently, Quanxi liked Minami even more than Kishibe thought she did. As the
subtle silence continued, the cab drove for about twenty minutes and stopped in
front of a low-rise apartment building. Quanxi, with Minami on her back, twisted
the knob and the door creaked open with an unpleasant cracking sound.
"...... It's open. That's careless."
“You're the only bandit I know who can make a break-in like that."
He turned on the lights and stepped into the room. The room was a studio
apartment with a small cactus and a picture frame on the table. The picture on
the table seems to have been taken with her family.
“....”
Kishibe silently put it down. There's not a single good thing about knowing too
much about a dog's background. Quanxi, who had laid Minami down on the bed,
turned around.
“I'll take care of the rest. You can go home now."
“I mean, that's what I'm going to do, but I'm not sure if that's the right thing for my
Buddy."
“What's that supposed to mean?”
"Quanxi. Do you know the phrase "wolf in sheep's clothing"?
“Tell me what this is about.”
“Nah…”
It would be a mistake to think that no matter how much Minami was Quanxi's
type, she wouldn't make a sudden move on a new recruit. The people who have
been working as devil hunters for years in the Anti-Devil Special Division of the
Public Security Department are all people who have lost touch with common
sense. Including Kishibe himself, of course. He thought for a moment about how
he should approach the situation–
"Mmm, ah ......."
Minami, who was lying on her back on the bed, moaned softly.
“Mm...... Oh......What's going......?"
When Minami opened her eyes, she seemed to be unable to comprehend the
situation. She finally seemed to recognize that she was home and apologized to
her in a fearful manner.
“Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to cause you any trouble.......!”
Quanxi sat down on the bed and spoke in a calm voice.
"Don't worry about it. It's all Kishibe’s fault you ended up like this. You should go
take a shower or something."
“Ah, okay…”
Minami staggered upwards to her feet.
“You’re wobbling. Let me help you.”
“You hold on.”
Kishibe clutched Quanxi’s arm as she headed for the bathroom, supporting
Minami. Quanxi looked back at him with narrowed eyes.
"...... Why are you stopping me?”
“I just have a gut feeling.”
"What's wrong with me helping Minami with her shower? It's none of your
business anyway."
“Maybe it isn't, maybe it is."
“Get your hands off me.”
Just as Quanxi was about to shake his arm off, a ringing sound came from
Kishibe's pocket. Putting the radio to his ear, Kishibe muttered a few words.
“Yeah.” He replied, putting the device back in his pocket.
"Devil’s on the loose. Let's move out."

+++

The scene was an abandoned factory in the suburbs. The slate exterior walls,
illuminated by the moonlight, seemed to have been abandoned for a long time.
More than half of the building had been destroyed by the lukewarm erosion of
wind and rain. A mild breeze blew, causing the overgrown weeds within the
building to rustle and sway.
“What kind of devil is it?”
The sound of Minami's throat choking could be heard. Her large eyes were
shaking unsteadily, not because of the alcohol, but because she was anxious and
filled with nervous energy.
"It was reported by some students who came to test their courage, they weren’t
able to make it out clearly because it was dark. But they heard voices that didn't
sound human."
Kishibe said as he slowly looked around.
“I'll do my best to show you a good performance!"
With a rigid voice, Minami grasped the hilt of the sword at her waist. Quanxi
placed a hand lightly on her shoulder.
"Relax. There's no need to push yourself today."
“But….”
Kishibe took a bottle of whiskey out of his pocket and pointed it at Minami.
"Take it easy. You want another one to get you going?"
“No, no, I’m fine sir.”
"Kishibe. You wouldn't want to lose your life over a joke."
“Don't you think it softened the mood?"
Kishibe shrugged at Quanxi and sipped from his whiskey bottle.
"Minami. You know the most important thing for a rookie to do going into their first
devil extermination?"
"...... You mean to kill it properly?”
“No. It’s not dying.”
"When you're dealing with a devil for the first time, it's easy to panic. You cower
in fear. Tense and rigid. You won’t be able to do what you were able to do in
training. But if you don't die, there's always next time.”
“Next time…..”
In other words, there was a good chance that there would be no next time.
Minami nodded her head in acknowledgement of this obvious fact. After passing
through two tilted doors, she found herself in a large space that appeared to be a
workshop. The roof was barely visible, and the moonlight shone through the gaps
in the bare steel frame. In that space they all stopped to catch their breath at the
sight that appeared before them. Mannequins. Countless abandoned
mannequins were lying haphazardly on the floor like the carcasses of a large
number of dead fish on the beach. There were several small piles of mannequins
piled high in the back. One without arms. One without legs. Faceless. Covered in
dirt and dust, the remains of those who failed to become human beings are
screaming silently under the moonlight.
"A mannequin factory ....... Ah, so then the Devil is......?"
Minami's head whipped around as she continued on her trembling feet. At her
feet, a shadow stirred just slightly. One of the mannequins lying on the floor was
slowly reaching out its hand to grasp the new devil hunter's ankle.
Just as Kishibe was about to open his mouth to issue a warning, Quanxi’s voice
sounded first.
“Down, Minami.”
“Whoa!?”
As soon as the mannequin's fingertips touched her feet, Minami swung the sword
she had pulled from her waist. The tip of the blade dug into the mannequin's
shoulder and separated the arm from the body. The dry sound of the blade hitting
the floor echoed in the silence, and the mannequin stopped moving like a puppet
with its strings cut.
“I-I got it…”
Minami looks back at the shore and at Quanxi, and then jumps up slightly.
“I did it!”
Oh– The mannequin, which had stopped moving, suddenly woke up abruptly.
What was surprising was that its appearance had completely changed. The
cracked limbs of reinforced plastic had become smooth skin, dull eyes twinkle in
its face, and a head full of short-cut black hair sprouts. Except for the missing
arm that had been dropped earlier, it was turning into Minami Nakano herself.
“Huh!?”
A blast of air ripped through the air near Minami, who had fallen on her rear.
Immediately afterwards, the mannequin that resembled Minami was blown
backwards, shattering. In front of the crumbling wreckage, Quanxhi stands with a
calm face, fists clenched.
“Are you alright?”
“Y-yes, I’m fine….”
She stood up with a sluggish gait as Quanxi took her by the hand.
"Oh, um, you didn't really beat it already, did you?"
“Ah. That's how you beat the devil, Minami."
“Ah, yeah…”
“Hit it as hard as you can.”
“Yes, ma’am.....!”
“You probably didn’t notice this, Quanxi.”
Taking a glance at his Buddies supple back, Kishibe observes the myriad of
mannequins scattered about one by one. Kishibe stopped and hunched over
slightly.
"What's the matter, Kishibe-san....?"
Not immediately responding to Minami's words, Kishibe kept his attention on his
surroundings. It was a hunch.
“......If Quanxi's fist can blow through one in a second, that’s fine. But is that really
the enemy's main body?"
“What’s the difference?”
“Never know. Remember this, Minami. When it comes to devils, it never hurts to
assume the worst. After all, one mistake and it's game over. And there are no
do-overs.”
“....”
It wasn't over yet. The scent of the malice of something inhuman was wafting
through the air like cigarette smoke. Kishibe’s intuition he had gained over years
of being a devil hunter told him so. Quanxi folded her arms and creaked her
shoulders.
“All this worrying is making you lose your hair.”
“Well it’s not growing. I don't have the same reflexes as you do, you know. I have
to use some of my alcohol-ridden brain to make up for it.”
Kishibe considered a few scenarios. For example, the enemy is a type of devil
that possesses and manipulates mannequins, and the moment it is struck by
Quanxi, it already moves to another mannequin and blends in with this large
forest of mannequins. The devil can change the mannequin into the same form
as the person it once touched. He’d heard that there is an assassin in the world
who turns people into puppets, but this devil can do the opposite, transforming
mannequins into a human-like appearance.
“..... It doesn’t matter.”
It's not a big deal to just imitate a figure. One of the piles of mannequins piled
high in the back of the room burst into flames, and a black shadow rushed
forward in a straight line through the countless mannequins that had flown up.
“Ggh!?”
Approach. Collision. Impact. Kishibe crossed his arms and immediately blocked
the enemy's fist that was thrust out. Fast, strong, and heavy. The enemy's face,
seen through his crossed arms, was expressionless, and he wore an eye patch
over his right eye. --This is the worst possible scenario. It was the very image of
his buddy.
Quanxi touched the mannequin when she punched it earlier. And the devil can
change the mannequin into the form of anything it touches. The worst part is that
the enemy may be able to mimic not only their appearance, but also their
physical abilities.
The bones in his arms creaked. Kishibe, tangled up with the Quanxi mannequin,
plunged through a group of rebar propped up against the wall.

."Kishibe-san!"
Minami yelped and turned her anxious expression to her educator.
“...... Looks like today is one of those days when Kishibe's fears come true."
“Kishibe-san, are you alright?!"
Minami let out an uneasy squeak and turned her head in the direction where
Kishibe had disappeared. Then, from the darkness at the back of the room, the
person in question appeared with a staggering gait.
“Ah….I’m surprised you managed to beat it!”
“Thank god…”
Minami let out a breath of relief and scuttled over to the side of Kishibe. Moments
later. Quanxi's sharp voice flew from behind her.
“Wait, get away from him, Minami.”
“Huh?”
It was at the same time that the figure in front of her, in the form of Kishibe, thrust
a knife into Minami's stomach and Quanxi's fist caught him in the face. The
enemy can change the mannequin into the form of anyone they touch. And just
now, Kishibe had come into contact with the mannequin that had taken the form
of Quanxi. As she watched in slow motion as Kishibe’s form collapsed back into a
mannequin, Minami felt her consciousness fading away.
“Ahahaha, ahahaha, ahaha–" a mechanical voice echoed through the factory.
“I'm stuck. I'm stuck."
"She's so naive. Easy to fool."
The devil seemed to be talking while switching from one mannequin to another.
The words coming from all directions were interfering with each other and
reverberating unpleasantly.

"Mannequins are scary." "They have no expression." "But we want to change,

too." "We can change." "Yes, we will change.” We'll be replacing anyone who
touches us." "It's not just looks. We can read your thoughts, too."
“Thoughts too……..?”
Kishibe furrowed his brow.
“A woman with an eye patch. A man with a beard. Strong. Crazy. I can't read
what you're thinking.”
“But the young woman, she's weak. Straightforward. Easy to read her thoughts."
—One of the mannequins points to Minami, who is being held by Quanxi, and
points its finger over to Kishibe.
“She likes the man with the beard.”
“...What?”
Kishibe couldn't help but let out a strange sound. The mannequins continued to
talk, unconcerned.
"A long time ago, I was attacked by a devil. A man with a beard saved me. It was
love at first sight."
“I want to see you again. I can't sleep at night. I thought about joining the public
security service. I worked hard. I got in."
“I wanted to be put at the top with you, but they told me you weren’t teaching at
the moment. So I thought I’d have the woman in the eye-patch be my teacher
instead.”
“Your buddy, so I could see the man with the beard a lot more.”
"So, in the form of the man with the beard, I'm caught off guard. I can be easily
fooled. So easy to fool."
“Honest. Straightforward. Easy to understand. Easy to kill."
“....”
Minami had said that her motivation for joining the Public Security Bureau was
because she was once saved by a Devil Hunter.

—Is that me? I hadn't noticed that at all.

He had been battling devils all year round, so he couldn't remember every single
face of the people he had saved. The alcohol had made his memory fuzzy. He
remembered that when they met, Minami said it had been a long time. The
unexpected revelation stopped him in his tracks for a moment. In short, Quanxi
has feelings for Minami, but Minami actually has feelings for Kishibe. And Kishibe
has been hitting on Quanxi since they first met. A triangle was formed between
the buddy and the teacher. Kishibe silently locked eyes with Quanxi. An
indescribable air flowed between the two of them.
“Well, I mean, what can I say….Don’t let it get you down.”
“....”
Quanxi remained silent and slowly placed Minami on the floor. Ugh… Minami
moaned, and her thin eyes fluttered open. She seemed to be regaining
consciousness. It might have been lucky for her that she didn't know about the
unexpected revelation of her secret to everyone.
“Oh, I failed to kill her. I’ll do it properly this time.”
“I think it’s time we ended this. Let’s go.”
“The woman with the eyepatch. Her body is weird. Hard to use."
“Let's take the guy with the beard. Let’s do it.”
“Let’s all move together.”
“ –We’ll move together.”
“You’ve got bad taste….”
Kishibe opened his mouth. He wasn’t sure if the devil could only move one
mannequin while possessing it, or if it could take over multiple mannequins at the
same time, but the answer came in the form of the countless mannequins lying
around like wreckage slowly growing black hair and a stubble, transforming
themselves into the figure of Kishibe. They raised themselves up at the same
time, even the wounds on their mouths had been carefully reproduced. The sight
of hundreds of self-same objects wriggling around as if they were struggling was
far from a pleasant sight to see.

“Drop dead!”
“I want you dead!”
“I want all of you dead!”
The chorus of mannequins, whose voices had become identical to Kishibe's,
rang out in Minami’s eardrums. Minami awakened from the noise and chokes out
a scream at the sight of her own red blood soaking her shirt and the horrible
scene in front of her.
DIE, DIE, DIE, DIE, DIE, DIE, DIE, DIE, DIE, DIE–
Countless forms of Kishibe rushed at them, spouting out those words as if they
were a curse. In the midst of the murderous fury that poured down on them like
the whirling sounds of cicadas, Quanxi murmured with her usual blank
expression.
“....What a nightmare. Even one Kishibe is bad enough, now there are one too
many.”
“Huh?”
With graceful movements, Quanxi bent down slightly and grasped the hilt of the
sword hanging at her waist.
“You’re gonna stop us?”
“It’s pointless.”
“The woman with the eyepatch, she's strong. But it’s impossible."
“Because there are so many of us."
“Because there are so many of us.”
“If.”
“Just in case–”
“Even if it means taking us all down.”
“Is that really safe?”
“You may just kill the real one by mistake.”
Certainly, Kishibe thought. The place was filled with mannequins that looked just
like Kishibe. If Quanxi attacked indiscriminately, she might even kill the real
Kishibe by accident. So, no matter how much Quanxi attacks, she couldn’t be too
reckless. But Kishibe knew that it’s a big mistake to assume that this is the case.
The moment she quickly held up the knife, Quanxi's figure disappeared. No, it
wasn’t that she disappeared, it was that no one could perceive her.
Black afterimages raced across the space, leaving even sound behind. The floor
and walls caving in in the shape of her feet were the only signs of her immediate
whereabouts, followed by the sound and then the tsunami-like wind pressure.
And the winner was decided. Flying in the air were the countless heads of
Kishibe. The headless mannequins, who had been standing there dumbfounded,
not even realizing that they had been cut, fell to the floor at once with the
understanding that had finally caught up with them. The only people standing
safely were the real Quanxi and the real Kishibe. Kishibe exhaled deeply and
wiped the sweat from his forehead.
“H-How did you do that?”
Quanxi's fingertips were picking something that looked like a small winged insect.
A worn-out, hand-sewn doll with a pair of black wings. This must’ve been the
body of the devil.
“How did you know which one was the real one?”
“There’s nothing to tell them apart!”
In response to the devil’s question, Quanxi answered in an indifferent manner.

“I just slashed them with the intention of killing them all."

“That’s impossible…”
“It is, isn’t it? That’s the kind of person my buddy is.”
Kishibe cocked his head and looked at the knife in his hand. Quanxi would do it.
He’d known that for nine years now. That's why Kishibe's first priority when
Quanxi prepared to attack him was to protect himself. In fact, Kishibe's knife had
a deep crack on it from the attack he had received from his buddy.
“If he was the kind of man who would die from this, he wouldn't have been my
buddy for nine years."
Quanxi mumbled indifferently and twisted the plucked devil with her fingertips.
The final scream of the devil, like the buzzing of a mosquito, signaled the end of
the battle, and finally there was nothingness and silence.

“Can you stand, Minami?”

Quanxi reached her hand out to Minami, who was slumped down on the floor and
speechless. However, her fingertips wandered in the air for a while, and then she
lowered them.
“Kishibe. Take Minami to the hospital.”
“Ah…?”
“And you'll have to pay for the key to the apartment you broke into.”
“It wasn’t me who broke into it.”
Kishibe helped Minami stand herself up and lent her his shoulder.”
“I…um…uh…”
“Don’t worry. That much blood loss won’t kill you, but we can’t just leave it like
that either.”
Kishibe called out to his buddy's supple back as he turned to leave.
“Hey, Quanxi.”
“What?”
“You actually knew which one was the real me, didn’t you?”
“....”
She was going to kill them all. He was sure she meant it, but it still felt like she
took it easy on the real Kishibe. He was prepared for at least an arm or a leg, but
the fact that he only got a crack in the knife was proof of that. Quanxi looked
back at him for a moment with an annoyed look on her face.
“When that devil comes back from hell, tell him. If you’re going to imitate Kishibe,
make sure you imitate his alcohol smelling breath too.”
Then, with a languid gait, she disappeared into the darkness outside.
“Quanxi-san….she knew, didn’t she?”
“Yeah. In fact, she knew and she still came right at me.”
She was the craziest buddy he had. Maybe it was a way for her to let off some
steam after she learned Minami had a thing for Kishibe and not her.
“I can’t compete with her.”
Minami chuckled bitterly.
“That’s right. There aren’t many people who can match her.”
“No, it’s not that—”
Minami's hand is not on her wounded belly, but on her own chest.
“I was easily fooled by the Kishibe mannequin. Quanxi-san found the real you out
of hundreds of them…”
“....”
The small declaration of defeat melted into the moonlight and disappeared.

+++

“Minami left Public Security.”

Three days later. At the bar located on the top floor of a luxury hotel, Quanxi said
in a calm voice. Kishibe, who sat down next to her, replied while looking out the
window at the night view.
“That’s a wise decision. That thing would’ve killed me. I don’t want any more
alcohol in my system.”
“...”
With her hand on a glass of whine, Quanxi opened her mouth.
“Minami wanted you, didn’t she? Why didn’t you go after her?”
“I already have a woman in my heart, you know. Wait, don’t hit me–”
When she was preempted, Quanxi reluctantly lowered her raised fist.
“How can you keep this up for nine years?”
“I think about that myself.”
“Then why me?”
“Because I’m in love with you.”
Kishibe looked down at the distilled whiskey in his hand beside Quanxi, who
remained silent.
“And ......You won’t die so easily."
His buddy's eyepatched eye turned toward him. As he swirled his glass filled with
twelve-year-old Macallan, the sweet, rich aroma of the sherry-aged alcohol rose
to the surface.
“The more you get involved with people, the more you feel for them. But the devil
hunters of the public safety department evaporate and disappear in the blink of
an eye. The guy who was next to you yesterday is a different guy today. Each
time, the amount of alcohol increases. Eventually, you hesitate to get deeply
involved with people.
“...”
"Quanxi. You won’t die. You will never change. So I can love you without worrying
about you, I’ll always have peace of mind."
“....Seems like a dumb reason.”
“I guess we’re both dumb.”
Somehow, the alcohol is running strong today.
Kishibe plopped down on the counter and gave his buddy a feverish look.
“....I love you.”
A confession can only be made when both parties are still alive. With nine years'
worth of feelings on board, Kishibe is making another attempt at seduction today.
Today, they are still able to speak. They are both alive today.
“Recently, I realized that….”
After a few moments of silence, Quanxi announced with her usual blank
expression.
“I think….that I like women.”
Kishibe exhaled with a chuckle and poured the amber liquid down his throat.
“....Yeah, I know.”
We have crossed many deadly lines together, and yet it has not grown thicker or
deeper. And it's not even a little bit sweeter. I felt strangely comfortable with that
unassuming taste that hadn't changed since nine years ago.
 Chapter 3 : The Day We Became Buddies

The window was filled with a silvery white world. The endless rain from the
leaden sky was covering the land in all directions. The bare black earth. The
cracked asphalt. Even the grass swayed weakly in the wind. Snow paints
everything that exists on the earth an unblemished white. As I gazed at the
white-washed scene, it seemed as if the heavens were trying to make a clean
slate out of this error-filled world.
Still, the memory of the tragic past of losing my family all at once, no matter how
deep it was buried in the snow, left a certain dull pain in my heart.
“...”
Aki let out a small sigh and shifted his gaze from the window of the inn to the
room. Denji was sprawled out on the futon. Power stuck out from the futon and
put her foot on Denji. The assassins who came from all over the world to kill
Denji had somehow been taken care of, and they came to visit the graves in
Hokkaido, which has become an annual event. It was a very noisy trip. They
screamed on the bullet train, threw up on the boat, played with the straps on the
bus, and ate offerings at the graves without permission. As a guardian, he had no
time to rest and no time to give respects to the graves. His eyebrows furrowed
lightly as the two snored in perfect harmony, and he looked out the window once
more.
“Visiting the grave, or…”
I used to dread visiting my family's graves because it reminded me of all the bad
things that happened to me, but this year I didn't have time for that because of
the noise Denji and Power were making. Now that I’ve caught my breath, what
comes to my mind instead is my late buddy. I met her at the cemetery, come to
think of it.
As he looked out at the white landscape, Aki thought back to the day of his first
mission as a Public Safety Devil Hunter.

+++

“Himeno….this is your new buddy.”

After completing my initial training as a Devil Hunter, Kishibe brought me to the
cemetery. Crosses as far as the eye could see. The cawing of the crows circling
above me seemed awfully loud.
A bouquet of flowers was placed on one of the countless crosses, and the
woman who was to be my buddy stood in front of it. A bandage was wrapped
around her head and her right eye. Her right arm seemed to be injured as well,
and was hung up with a triangular bandage. The woman, who was called
Himeno, was looking down at the cross in front of her with empty eyes in a sorry
state covered in wounds. My honest impression at that moment might have been
disappointment. To be injured so badly in a fight with a devil, you must not be
very good or at the very least an amateur. I wondered if my buddy would be able
to handle this kind of situation, considering that I had joined the Public Safety
Department to kill the Gun Devil.
“I’m Aki. Nice to meet you.”
It wasn't because I felt that way, but my first greeting was just a slight inclination
of my head next to Himeno's, who was standing still. Oh well. I’ll kill the Gun
Devil with my own power. I'm not going to get along with anyone from the start
anyway. That's what I was really thinking.
"I did raise him to be rude but a little useful. Make it work."
When Kishibe told her this, Himeno spoke as she looked down at the grave.
“Are you useful?”
“Well…sure…”
Of course I’m confident that I can do it to a certain extent, but I didn’t expect to be
asked so suddenly.
When I answered vaguely, Himeno continued.
“You're the sixth one of my buddies. They're all dead. They're all dead because
they were useless mutts."
“.....”
Her voice was low and cold, as if all emotion had left her. I stared at Himeno's
profile in silence, and her vacant eyes finally turned to look at me.
“Don’t you dare die, Aki-kun.”

+++
Our first mission was exactly two weeks after our encounter.
“Hey, where are we going?”
In the car driven by Himeno, I open my mouth in the passenger's seat. When I
arrived for work at the Public Security Bureau, she said, "Okay, let's go," and
suddenly put me in a car. However, since Himeno had been silent since our
departure, I had no idea what was going on and finally became impatient and
decided to ask her. Himeno, who was holding the steering wheel, turned her
gaze to the road ahead of her and replied matter-of-factly.
“Hmmm, a crime scene.”
“Crime scene? You think a devil came out?”
“Maybe not a devil, but a fiend.”
“I didn’t hear anything about this.”
“Didn’t I tell you?”
“No, you didn’t.”
“Ah, well, that’s fine. You’re still just a rookie after all, and I know what I’m doing.”
“You don’t know me.”
"Oh, that’s a great ramen shop we just passed."
“Hey, listen to me.”
“But it's not the ramen that's good, it's the fried rice. The ramen is really bad.
That's why all the customers order only fried rice and leave. I think it would be
better to make it a fried rice specialty restaurant, but they are so stubborn about
it.”
Himeno, who wore a black eye patch that covered her right eye, said in a
carefree tone. It's been like this for the past two weeks. The soul-deprived
atmosphere I felt when I first met her has disappeared, but instead we have
fruitless conversations about what we ate yesterday, where to find a good waffle
store, and the rest is just paperwork. Thanks to this, I still don't feel like I've
become a devil hunter. It was my first mission as a devil hunter, and they didn't
even bother to explain the details.
“...”
No, I know the truth.
Perhaps they were not yet recognized as buddies. Before working with Aki,
HIMENO said she had lost five buddies. She didn't want a useless rookie.
Perfect. The injuries to her head and right arm seem to be mostly healed, but I
don't need a partner who blunders in a fight with a devil either.
I would like to say as much, but I know that as a newcomer, I have no right to
choose my partner. Since public security is based on "buddy" activities, I need to
at least make this woman recognize me in order to get to the gun devil.
I glared at Himeno with a sideways glance.
“...Don’t lump me with those useless mooks.”
“Hmm? Did you say something?”
“No, I’m gonna open a window.”
“Nope, it’s too cold.”
“It reeks of smoke in here.”
Her left hand gripped the steering wheel and her right hand held a lit cigarette.
The smell of cigarette smoke was filling the car.
“Eh? Aki, have you never smoked before?”
“Why does it matter if I’ve never smoked?”
“Nothing. But for a cheeky guy, you're surprisingly childish–...... You really
opened the window. Hey, your senior said it's cold!"
“I don't consider someone who's only been around for a few years to be my
senior."
“In other words….you’re saying you don’t accept me?”
“Right.”
“Well then, I guess the feeling is mutual.”
“...”
The sound of dry wind and the cold winter air infiltrated the silenced car. The
purple smoke crawling out of the window crevices stretched long into the sky.
“When we get there, I’ll talk to the client Aki. You just stand off to the side and
watch in silence.”
“....”
The first words I was told upon arrival at the site were these. ‘Rookies are to be
quiet and observe.’ When I got out of the car, I saw a large apartment complex in
front of me. It was old in its own way, but the futons lined up on the balcony and
the laundry swaying in the wind told us that the building was still in use. An
elderly man, who appeared to be the client, stood at the entrance.
“You must be the devil hunter from the Public Safety Department. Thank you for
coming.”
The man's business card listed his title as the head of the administrative
corporation responsible for managing the complex. We moved straight to the
superintendent's office, and the conversation began immediately.
“In the past week, several tenants have been attacked by a fiend. This has led to
cancellations by prospective tenants and an increase in the number of tenants
moving out. If the damage spreads any further, we won't be able to run our
business at that point.”
The man spoke bitterly with a somber look on his face. I recalled that there were
indeed a few empty rooms without curtains, even when I looked at them from the
outside.
“Can you be a little more specific about the situation here and the attacks?”
Himeno asked a question to the client, which she was accustomed to doing.
“Well, the fiend appears sometime around the evening and nighttime hours.
Three families have been attacked so far when their front door intercom was
pushed and they answered.”
“What do they look like?”
“They said he was wearing a hood that obscured his face, but he had several
sharp fangs in his mouth."
“Hmmm. Well, it would certainly seem to be a fiend then."
A fiend is a devil that has taken over a human corpse, and its head and face
begin to show characteristics different from those of a normal human being. Their
personalities are those of the devils, but some of them sometimes inherit human
memories from the corpse.
“I'm also told that they carried small bows and arrows - like crossbows."
“Crossbows…?”
Himeno stroked her chin with her finger, then looked up.
“I'd like to see them for myself, so if you have any security camera footage, I'd
like to see it."
“The building is quite old so we don’t have any sort of things like that.”
“Then how did you know it’s a fiend? Did the superintendent witness it or
something?"
“The superintendent isn’t a permanent resident, and we haven't really heard
anything about it."
“Then who sighted it?”
I had the same question. The client then gave a somewhat surprising answer.
“Actually, it's information from the victim. Among those attacked by the fiend,
there were a few who survived.”
“...”
Himeno’s gaze and mine crossed slightly.
“This is Sato from room 101....”
The next person to appear in the superintendent's office was a middle-aged
woman with a stout figure. However, she was scruffy and looked as if she might
collapse at any moment.
“I was attacked five days ago. I had just finished preparing dinner when I heard
the intercom ring.”
After sitting down in a steel frame chair, the woman began to talk about the
incident pensively.
“I think it was a man wearing a black hood. But he was facing down, so I couldn't
see his face clearly through the peephole in the door. As soon as I opened the
door, I was immediately confronted by his crossbow. They pointed an arrow at
me....."
The woman cut off her words and paused for a moment.
“The arrow missed me, but I was so shocked that I just passed out. When I came
to, I think about 15 minutes had passed. I was worried about my family, so I went
to the living room and found ......."
She recalled that an arrow had pierced the chests of her elderly mother, her
husband, and their two children, who live with her. When she spoke up to that
point, the woman began to wail.
After she had calmed down, she bowed and left the room. Himeno leaned back
in her chair and spoke.
“Aki? Are you alright?”
“What?”
“Your face is getting pretty tense.”
“...”
“If you get too emotionally involved with the victim, you won’t last much longer
here.”
“I know.”
I didn't feel sorry for her because she lost her family all at once, just like me. I
wouldn't just cry and be done with it. I would definitely find the Gun Devil and kill
him. I just reaffirmed my thoughts.

“This is Shinohara from room 202.”

The next person to enter the room was a man in his thirties wearing glasses. He
had a soft and honest appearance, but his shoulders were slumped.
“The intercom rang three days ago, just as dinner was being prepared. It was my
wife who answered. Oh, because I always cook the meals by the way. Then right
away I heard a scream coming from the front door....."
The man clasped his hands tightly in his lap.
“When I rushed toward the door, I found my wife lying on the floor. A man
wearing a black hood was standing in front of her. I think he had something like
fangs growing out of his mouth. Before I could run away, he pointed a crossbow
at me and I fainted.”
As if to calm his mind, the man took a deep breath and sipped the tea in front of
him.
“Maybe I… I think I regained consciousness in about fifteen minutes. The arrow
he fired at me seemed to have luckily missed me, but when I ran up to my wife
who had fallen onto the floor, I found an arrow lodged deeply in her chest.”
The man, who said he had just finished his wife's funeral, pouted in frustration.
He spoke about how he and his wife had no children and lived happily together
alone. The man lifted his glasses and wiped both eyes.
“There was a notice to be on the lookout for suspicious hooded individuals
before that, but my wife tends to be away on business and didn't see it. If I had
looked through the door scope first, she would never have opened the door. ......
No, I should have warned her first.....!”