Chapter 18: A Heart-to-Heart with Hayakawa Aki
"Me too! I can never repay you for saving my life!"
Nomura Shiro bowed deeply toward Otonashi Chiya. Recalling how he had acted at the beginning, he went as far as performing a "dogeza"—kneeling on the ground with his head touching the floor—to apologize. "Also, I am so sorry for being such an arrogant prick earlier!"
"..." Chiya was a bit speechless at the display. He gave a slightly awkward smile and said, "It's not a big deal. Let's just let the past be the past."
"Yes, sir!" Nomura stood up. "I've made up my mind. I'm quitting as a devil hunter once I get back. I should still have a chance to return to school."
The events of today had hit him like a freight train. He finally understood how weak he truly was and how suicidal the devil hunter profession could be. He felt that if he kept going like this, he wouldn't live much longer; going back to his books was the smartest move.
"As long as you've thought it through for yourself." Chiya felt a sense of relief seeing a delinquent suffering from chunibyo return to the right path. It wasn't that he thought school was the only way to succeed, but dropping out just to be a devil hunter was simply unwise for someone like Nomura. Whether the kid would actually study well back at school was another story, but at least he wouldn't be facing death every day.
Hearing Nomura, Kinoshita Tsuki also began to reconsider her future. "I probably won't be a devil hunter anymore either. I'll look for another part-time job tomorrow."
She felt even more ill-suited for the job than Nomura. She was too timid, prone to freezing up at critical moments, and her healing ability was quite limited. Against a monster as strong as the Toad Devil, people died instantly; there was no time for her to heal them. While devil hunting paid well, she wanted to stay alive. She could make ends meet with other jobs.
"By the way, Otonashi-kun, are you going to be a full-time devil hunter instead of going to school?" Kinoshita asked.
"Maybe. I'm not sure yet." Chiya hadn't given much thought to school for himself. He had been a high schooler before he transmigrated, so if he wanted to, he could easily enroll in a Japanese high school later.
The police arrived quickly, and the four survivors were taken back to the civilian base in a patrol car.
"The devil's remains are in transit. We have the Gun Devil fragment with us; we didn't feel safe leaving it, so we brought it back personally to hand over," Chiya said as he gave the fragment to the waitress.
"Understood. Please wait a moment." The waitress needed to wait for the remains to be verified before releasing the reward. Though she noticed one person was missing—likely killed—she didn't bat an eye. Death on the job was common for civilian hunters.
In fact, she was surprised they had actually succeeded. The target was a high-tier devil enhanced by Gun Devil flesh; normally, civilians couldn't handle those and had to leave them to Public Safety.
While waiting, Nomura and Kinoshita quietly slipped away. They felt they hadn't contributed at all—if anything, they were a hindrance—and didn't have the face to stay for a share of the reward.
A short while later, the base confirmed the Toad Devil's remains were in order. Chiya's reward was wired to his bank card, while Aki took his in cash. Aki decided he should get a bank card soon too, as carrying that much cash was inconvenient.
Suddenly, Aki looked at Chiya and asked, "Are you a devil hunter to get revenge on the Gun Devil, too?"
"Oh? What makes you say that?" Chiya countered.
"Why else wouldn't you be in school? With your strength, you could easily be a part-timer. I doubt you have a childish reason like Nomura's," Aki explained his reasoning.
"..." Chiya feigned silence for a moment before speaking. "You guessed right. I do want revenge. My family was also killed by the Gun Devil."
His background in this world stated his parents died during the Gun Devil's disaster, so it was best to keep his words consistent with his history.
Aki's eyes flickered with a shared understanding. "So we are the same... care to talk?"
"I'd be happy to."
Aki found a quiet corner for them to sit. "Waitress, two juices, please."
Chiya noted that Aki hadn't started drinking yet. He likely wouldn't start until Himeno introduced him to alcohol and cigarettes later. For now, Aki was quite straight-laced—a non-smoker and non-drinker. Besides, Japanese law was very strict regarding minors and alcohol.
"My family was killed by the Gun Devil. I have no dreams left other than revenge," Aki said tonelessly.
"So, you plan to join Tokyo Public Safety next?" Chiya asked.
"Exactly. With the record of killing the Toad Devil, I can try to apply," Aki nodded. Public Safety hunters were government employees with high standards; not just anyone could join. Their job was to handle the threats civilians couldn't.
"So," Aki looked at Chiya, "are you coming too?"
"Of course," Chiya replied.
Joining Public Safety meant more opportunities to hunt powerful devils, which meant more attribute points.
"Good. Then let's go to the Tokyo Public Safety interview and assessment together," Aki said, clearly pleased. He hoped to enter the Bureau with Chiya so they could be partners.
[Ding! Host has activated the achievement 'Hayakawa Aki's Affinity (Lv.1)'. Gained 2 Attribute Points!]