Chapter 33: The Inner Voice of the Wrath Devil
There is basically only one way for a human to travel to Hell—at least, only one way that Otonashi Chiya knew of. That was to sign a contract with the Hell Devil and have it transport them there.
He was also well aware of who held contracts with the Hell Devil. Kishibe was one, and another was the German bounty hunter "Santa Claus"—or rather, the beautiful "Master." However, the price for a contract with the Hell Devil was brutal, often requiring three or four human lives as a sacrifice.
For Chiya, the biggest hurdle was still his own strength. Hell was the headquarters and birthplace of all devils; even the Primal Fears resided there. The prerequisite for going to Hell was having enough strength to survive; otherwise, he'd be finished before he even found Makima.
With my current strength, I'm far from ready to wander around in Hell. I'll develop myself in Tokyo Public Safety for a while first. When the time is right, I'll see whether to ask Kishibe or "Master" for help... Chiya thought to himself.
Unless he could build a solid relationship with Kishibe, he felt that seeking out "Master" might be more reliable. Since her profession was a bounty hunter, she would accept a commission as long as the payment was right. In the original story, she was even willing to take a contract to kill Makima; by comparison, a request to simply send someone to Hell was a minor affair.
Chiya's obsession with Makima ran deep because she had caused so many tragedies in the original story—tragedies that could have been avoided, including her own. She could have been like Nayuta from the start, but instead, she ended up as a plate of "Ginger Pork"...
Next, Chiya went to the second floor to collect his work credentials. The ID clearly stated his position: Vice Captain of Special Division 1. He happened to run into Himeno and Hayakawa Aki there.
"Otonashi-kun! How did it go? You're finished talking with Mr. Yoshimura, right?" Himeno asked curiously.
"Yeah. He just talked to me about work arrangements; nothing else besides that," Chiya replied.
Himeno immediately turned to Aki. "See, Aki-kun? I told you, right? Mr. Yoshimura is very easy to talk to. He definitely wouldn't make things difficult for Otonashi-kun."
"Mm," Aki gave a short response, realizing he had overthought things.
"Looking at this, Otonashi-kun is now the Vice Captain of Special Division 1." Himeno gave him a big thumbs-up. "Impressive! These days, there's not much difference between the Vice Captain and the Captain of Division 1. It looks like the higher-ups have already designated you as Captain Kishibe's successor."
The Vice Captain of Special Division 1 was a unique role; in terms of status, it was actually slightly higher than the Captains of other divisions. Before Chiya, this seat had remained vacant because it was reserved specifically for Kishibe's heir.
"Successor...?" Chiya couldn't help but ask.
"That's right. But don't worry, it doesn't mean you have to be Captain Kishibe's disciple. It just means you'll eventually take over his position," Himeno explained. "And that position, naturally, is the title of Japan's Strongest Devil Hunter."
In the original story, Kishibe claimed to be the strongest devil hunter. If one didn't account for other species, that claim had a bit of hyperbole since many devils, fiends, and weapon humans were also in the business. But if limited to humans, the claim was flawless. At least in Japan, it was undisputed; the rising star "Octopus Boy" Yoshida Hirofumi hadn't grown into his prime yet.
As for Chiya, he didn't care much for titles like "The Strongest."
"I see."
Otonashi Chiya nodded slightly.
"Then let's go on patrol together today. As it happens, the three of us have been assigned to the same district!" Himeno said. "By the way, if you want to get to know your teammates, you can head to the corresponding training base after work. Most people have a habit of training their martial arts there after their shifts."
Each Special Division in Tokyo Public Safety had its own dedicated training base located in different areas; they weren't all clustered next to the headquarters. Public Safety devil hunters usually spent their time either training at these bases or out on patrol; they actually didn't spend much time inside the main headquarters building itself.
Next, Chiya set out on patrol with Aki and Himeno.
Patrolling was quite tedious. Unless a devil appeared nearby and hadn't been spotted by civilian hunters first, it was essentially just wandering the streets.
"Your name is Otonashi Chiya, right?"
As Chiya was lost in boredom, the voice of the Wrath Devil suddenly echoed in his ear. However, Aki and Himeno beside him couldn't hear a thing. It seemed he and the Wrath Devil were capable of "mental communication," ensuring no third party could overhear their conversation.
"Yes. Is something wrong?" Chiya asked, his tone curious. This was the first time the Wrath Devil had spoken since taking up residence in the palm of his right hand.
"I cannot understand it. I can sense almost no anger within you, yet your eyes are the personification of ultimate rage." From the moment she possessed Chiya until now, the Wrath Devil had been observing him, unable to resolve the confusion in her mind.
"I don't know how to answer that. I can only say that's just how it is," Chiya replied, steadfast in hiding the truth.
The Wrath Devil, unable to figure it out, finally shifted her attention slightly away from Chiya himself. She had been "contained" by Kyoto Public Safety for many years, with very few hunters ever contracting with her; it had been a long time since she had seen human society. It seemed a bit more developed than the last time she had witnessed it with her own eyes.
"Human society has become more advanced. Logically, life should be better, but the anger radiating from the humans around us hasn't changed at all compared to what I saw years ago," the Wrath Devil suddenly lamented. "If only everyone could suppress their rage like you do... then everyone in the world would be happier and safer."
"..."
Hearing the Wrath Devil's words, Chiya suddenly realized something. Could it be that the Wrath Devil's dream was just as paradoxical as the Control Devil's?
The Control Devil, who symbolized "control," dreamed of having a family of equals. And the Wrath Devil, who symbolized "anger," dreamed of a world where people had no anger?
"You are the Wrath Devil, yet you don't want humans to feel anger?" Chiya couldn't help but ask.
"Essentially, yes. If anger didn't exist in the first place, that would be for the best," the Wrath Devil said bluntly.
"But if that were the case, you would disappear. It is precisely because humans possess the emotion of anger that you, the Wrath Devil, were born. Are you really okay with that?" Chiya asked, his words sharp.