In Aki's mind, Chiya's strength was unfathomable.
Especially after witnessing his performance against the Toad Devil today, Aki felt that Chiya's abilities were truly inscrutable.
If he could partner with Chiya, that would be ideal.
On the other hand, Aki also realized his own shortcomings—he was overly reliant on the Curse Devil.
Relying solely on the Curse Devil's power was not sustainable. He might run out of lifespan before he even found the Gun Devil.
Once he joined Tokyo Public Safety, he planned to apply to make a contract with one of the devils under Public Safety's control.
It was said that Public Safety across Japan had captured many devils. Some had surrendered after being defeated, while others had willingly allied with humans. These devils specifically made contracts with Public Safety devil hunters.
"Just call me when the time comes." Chiya said.
"Oh, right."
He suddenly remembered something. "The team in Public Safety is called the Devil Extermination Division, right? Are there any other divisions besides that?"
When he heard about the interview and assessment, he recalled that in the original story, joining Tokyo Public Safety didn't seem to be such a hassle.
This was because Makima had established the Special Division for Unusual Powers (also known as the Special Division for Devil Extermination or "Special Division 5"), which specifically recruited "abnormal" individuals. The focus was on being "abnormal," not necessarily on strength.
These individuals could be abnormal humans, devils, fiends, or weapon humans.
Of course, the entire Special Division for Unusual Powers was just a chess piece in Makima's game.
Chiya wondered if Makima hadn't descended into the human world yet. If it was just the normal Extermination Division, the requirements might indeed be very high.
"Not that I know of. I've only heard of the Extermination Division."
Aki replied.
He had already done his research on Tokyo Public Safety, making thorough preparations for his revenge against the Gun Devil.
"I see." Chiya nodded slightly.
It seemed that at this point in time, Makima most likely hadn't arrived in the human world yet.
This was good news for him.
Because he hoped Makima could become Nayuta, not the villainess she was in the original story.
The key point was that he had to find Makima before the Cabinet did.
The reasoning was simple: the Control Devil's nature was unchanging. A Makima who hadn't had her mindset twisted would be no different from Nayuta.
However, it was still too early fo Chiya to think about this. He didn't know when Makima would arrive in the human world or where she would appear.
Afterward, Chiya chatted with Hayakawa Aki for a while longer before leaving the civilian outpost.
When they walked all the way to the apartment building together, Hayakawa Aki finally realized something was off.
"So… you live in this building too?" Aki couldn't help but ask.
"Yeah, I just rented a place here yesterday. It's on the fourth floor." Chiya nodded.
"No wonder I hadn't seen you before." Aki said.
As the elevator approached the fourth floor, Hayakawa Aki bid farewell to Otonashi Chiya. "See you in a few days. Once you've rested, we'll go to Tokyo Public Safety."
Chiya stepped out of the elevator. "Okay, see you."
...
It felt like a lot had happened today, but in reality, only a morning had passed.
When Chiya returned home, it was only a little past 11 AM.
He lightly knocked on the door and called out, "Denji, Pochita, I'm back."
Hearing Chiya-nii's voice, Denji immediately ran out of the room. The pants she was wearing were too long, and she almost tripped over the hem.
Pochita also ran out with her.
"Welcome back!"
Denji opened the door with a smile.
The scene felt very much like a family.
Chiya smiled slightly.
He then changed into his indoor slippers.
Since he hadn't bought slippers for Denji yet, she was barefoot. But the floor was clean, and her small, delicate feet were still as white as jade.
"Chiya-nii, you got back from work so early?" Denji asked curiously.
She had thought Chiya-nii would come back very late. She had even prepared to make lunch and dinner herself, planning to have a portion ready for him when he returned in the evening.
She hadn't expected him to come back so early—it wasn't even noon yet.
Back when her father was still alive and working, he would come home very late every day, often drunk. If he was in a bad mood, he would hit or scold her.
"Yeah, it's called going to work, but it's really just going to the civilian outpost to take on a commission. After hunting the devil, I came back." Chiya explained.
"Ohhh, no wonder I smell a bit of blood."
Denji noticed that Chiya-nii's outer coat was missing, and there were some bloodstains on his pants.
Chiya had thrown the coat away. It was covered in the Toad Devil's blood and wasn't worth keeping. No matter how many times he washed it, the smell and stains would probably remain.
"You must be a bit hungry by now, right? I'll start preparing lunch."
Chiya put on an apron and went to the kitchen. He had already prepared the ingredients in the fridge, so he didn't need to go out and buy anything.
"Okay~"
Denji felt a slight regret in her heart. She had wanted to prepare a meal for Chiya-niichan when he returned.
Now she didn't have a good reason to do so, as she was worried her cooking skills weren't good enough. Without a proper reason, she felt too embarrassed to let Chiya-nii taste her cooking.
In his previous life, Chiya had often tried cooking by following online tutorials, so his culinary skills were decent.
Now, with the Mangekyō Sharingan, he found that his eyes gave him a significant boost in cooking, taking his skills to the next level.
Chiya started by cooking the rice, then prepared a plate of braised beef and a plate of steamed fish. He had also set a pot of chicken soup to simmer before leaving in the morning, which was now ready and kept warm.
Lunch was pretty much set. Making too much would just lead to waste.
"The chicken soup is here."
Chiya brought out a pot of chicken soup first. "Your body is still growing, so you need to eat more nutritious food."
As soon as Denji smelled the aroma, she felt it was incredibly fragrant and couldn't wait to try it. She scooped a bowl and took a sip. The sweet and savory flavor of the chicken soup immediately hit her taste buds. "Mmm! It's delicious!!"
She had never eaten anything so delicious in her life. Even when her father was alive, she often went hungry. If she did get to eat, it was usually leftovers from her father, and they weren't tasty. After her father passed away, she was just happy to have a slice of bread.
Chiya prepared a small bowl for Pochita, filling it with chicken soup and meat, and placed it on the floor.
"Woof~"
Pochita wagged his tail and started eating.
After the first bite, his tail wagged even more excitedly.
[Ding! Host has unlocked the achievement "Pochita's Favor (Lv. 2)." Attribute points gained: 4!]