"Me too! I can never repay you for saving my life!"
Nomura Kojirou bowed deeply to Chiya.
Remembering how he had acted earlier, he even went into a full "dogeza" position—kneeling on the ground with his forehead touching the floor—to apologize to Chiya. "And I'm sorry for how I acted before!"
"..."
Chiya was a bit speechless, offering an awkward smile. "It's not a big deal. Let's just leave the past in the past."
"Understood!"
Nomura Kojirou finally stood up. "I've decided. After this, I'm quitting being a devil hunter. I think I still have a chance to go back to school."
Today's events had shaken him to the core, making him realize just how weak he was and how dangerous the life of a devil hunter could be.
He felt that if he continued down this path, he wouldn't last long. It was better to go back to school and study.
"As long as you've thought it through, that's what matters."
Seeing a delinquent with middle school syndrome finally come to his senses, Chiya felt a sense of relief.
He wasn't one to insist that everyone must study, but dropping out of school just to become a devil hunter was an unwise decision.
As for whether this guy could do well in school, that was another matter. At the very least, he wouldn't be risking his life every day.
Unless a devil suddenly attacked the school, but that would be a rare occurrence, and the students who got killed would just be extremely unlucky.
Hearing Nomura Kojirou's decision, Kinoshita Tsuki also began to consider quitting her life as a devil hunter.
"I think I'll stop being a devil hunter too. I'll look for a different part-time job tomorrow."
Kinoshita Tsuki said.
She felt even less suited to being a devil hunter than Nomura Kojirou. She was too timid and prone to freezing up at critical moments. Her healing ability was also quite limited.
Against a powerful devil like the Toad Devil, one hit could kill a person instantly, leaving no chance for her to heal.
While being a devil hunter paid well, it was too dangerous. She wanted to live a safe life, and she could make a living with other part-time jobs.
"By the way, Otonashi-kun, are you planning to be a full-time devil hunter and not go to school?"
Kinoshita Tsuki asked.
"Maybe. It's hard to say for now."
Chiya hadn't given much thought to the idea of going to school.
But before he transmigrated, he had been a high school student. If he wanted to, he could enroll in a Japanese high school later.
...
The police arrived the fastest, and the four of them—Chiya, Aki, Kojirou, and Tsuki—took the police car back to the civilian outpost.
"The devil's corpse is already on its way. As for the Gun Devil's flesh fragment, we've brought it back personally because we didn't feel comfortable leaving it to chance."
Chiya handed the Gun Devil's flesh fragment to the female staff member.
"Understood. Please wait a moment."
The staff member needed to confirm that the devil's corpse was intact before she could distribute the reward.
Although she noticed that one person was missing and likely killed by the devil, she was used to such things.
It was common for civilian devil hunters to die while on a commission.
In contrast, she was somewhat surprised that they had actually completed this commission.
The target was a powerful devil that had consumed a piece of the Gun Devil's flesh. Normally, civilian devil hunters wouldn't stand a chance against such a devil. Such cases were usually handed over to Public Safety devil hunters.
While waiting, Nomura Kojirou and Kinoshita Tsuki suddenly left and didn't return.
They felt that they hadn't contributed much today and had essentially been dead weight. They had no face to stay and claim a share of the reward, so they left on their own.
...
A while later.
The civilian outpost confirmed that the Toad Devil's corpse was intact and distributed the reward to Chiya and Aki.
Chiya's reward was directly deposited into his bank account, while Aki received his in cash.
Hayakawa Aki also planned to open a bank account later, as carrying cash around was inconvenient.
At this moment, Aki suddenly asked Chiya, "Did you also become a devil hunter to seek revenge against the Gun Devil?"
"Oh? What makes you say that?"
Chiya countered.
"Otherwise, why wouldn't you go to school? With your strength, you could easily work as a part-time civilian devil hunter. It can't be for some childish reason like Nomura Kojirou's."
Aki explained his reasoning.
"..."
Chiya pretended to think for a moment before saying, "You guessed right. I do have thoughts of revenge. My family was also killed by the Gun Devil."
His background was that his parents had died in the disaster caused by the Gun Devil's appearance, so his words and actions had to align with that.
Aki's eyes flickered slightly. "So we're the same, then… Can we talk?"
"Of course."
Chiya naturally didn't refuse.
Aki found a quiet corner with few people and sat down.
"Waitress, two glasses of juice, please."
Aki ordered two drinks first.
Chiya thought to himself that Hayakawa Aki indeed hadn't started drinking yet. He probably only started drinking later, influenced by his senior, Himeno. The same went for smoking.
At this point, Aki was still quite serious, avoiding alcohol and cigarettes.
Of course, Japanese law strictly prohibited minors from drinking.
"My family was also killed by the Gun Devil. Revenge is my only dream now."
Aki said calmly.
"So you're planning to join Tokyo Public Safety next, right?"
Chiya said.
"Exactly. With this achievement of hunting the Toad Devil, I can try applying now."
Aki nodded.
Public Safety devil hunters had official positions, and the requirements were naturally high. Not just anyone could become a Public Safety devil hunter.
Public Safety was responsible for dealing with powerful devils that civilian devil hunters couldn't handle, so their strength couldn't be lacking.
"Then do you plan to go together?"
At this point, Aki asked Chiya.
"Of course."
Chiya replied.
By joining Tokyo Public Safety, he would have more opportunities to hunt powerful devils, which would also increase his efficiency in gaining attribute points.
"Good. Let's go together to the Tokyo Public Safety interview and assessment."
Aki said happily.
He hoped that Chiya would join Tokyo Public Safety with him so they could become partners.
[Ding! Host has unlocked the achievement "Hayakawa Aki's Favor (Lv. 1)." Attribute points gained: 2!]