Snow blanketed Tokyo, soft and unbroken. The sun shone, yet it could not pierce the chill in the air.
Hayakawa Aki, smeared with blood, sat on the snow-covered steps, staring blankly at the clear sky while humming a foreign tune.
"Sun, Sun, please tell me, why, oh why, are there so many regrets…"
"What are you singing?" Angel brushed the snow from his coat. "The melody's actually quite nice."
Unlike Aki, Angel remained almost spotless, save for a few scattered flakes. Being partnered with him was a stroke of bad luck for Aki. A master of slacking off, Angel never put in real effort. Fortunately, the devil they were subjugating wasn't particularly troublesome.
Click.
An orange-red flame flickered as Aki lit a cigarette.
"It's a recent pop song. Quite popular."
Angel sat two paces away, handing over a towel. "Then can you sing the whole thing? You have a pretty good voice."
"I can't," Aki shook his head. "I'm not from there. I only know that one line."
"I see…"
"Yeah, that's it."
A moment of silence passed.
"If you only know one line, does it hold some special meaning?" Angel asked.
Aki inhaled to the filter in one breath, accidentally burning his finger. "I suppose so. My younger brother was named Taiyo. If he were alive, he'd be about your age."
A flash of sorrow crossed Angel's face. "Was it the Gun Devil that killed him?"
"Yeah." Aki nodded, scooping up a handful of snow and hurling it at a nearby utility pole. "It was a snowy day like this. We were playing snowball fights when the Gun Devil passed by. Taiyo had gone home to get his gloves. I was the only one who survived…"
Angel silently made the sign of the cross. "May he rest in peace."
"Thanks, but words are useless," Aki's eyes hardened with ruthlessness. "I only want the Gun Devil to go to heaven to keep Taiyang company."
Angel frowned. "Did you pass the selection for the Gun Devil Expeditionary Force?"
"Yes. Miss Makima confirmed I meet the requirements."
"However…"
"There have been personnel changes in the Kyoto Cabinet. As a Devil Hunter under the Cabinet, Miss Makima's attention is delayed. Once she returns from Kyoto, she'll enlist me into the expeditionary force immediately."
Angel exhaled. "Makima…"
The name carried weight. Every time he heard it, a shiver ran down his spine. But looking at Aki, driven by revenge, Angel felt helpless.
"Hayakawa Aki, there's something important I need to tell you."
"What is it?"
"About whether the Gun Devil can be killed."
Aki's brows furrowed. "What do you mean?"
Angel lowered his wings to block the snow. "Don't tell anyone else what I'm about to say."
"Okay."
He spoke slowly. "As a Devil Hunter, you know devils are born from fear. Even if a devil is turned to ash, as long as people fear its name, it can be reincarnated—though as a different entity."
Aki fell silent, absorbing a truth both unexpected and logical.
"The one who killed Taiyo is at least this current Gun Devil," Aki murmured, using the explanation to numb himself. To truly eliminate guns, humanity's fear of them would have to vanish. Nearly impossible.
Angel smiled wryly. "You already know devils are born from fear. Now for the main point."
"Go ahead. I can handle even the harshest truth."
"This is a secret I know because I am a devil. If a devil is killed in the human world, they aren't reincarnated here, but in—Hell."
"Hell?" Aki shivered. "You mean real Hell, not a religious metaphor?"
"It's real," Angel said, serious.
He paused, then continued. "Here's a conjecture. If fear persists, when a devil dies in the human world, they are reincarnated in Hell. If they die in Hell, they return to the human world. They cycle endlessly."
Aki admitted, grudgingly impressed. "In other words, killing the Gun Devil will only send it to Hell."
"Exactly. It won't be in this world while in Hell."
"But…" Angel shrugged, "devils in Hell are far worse. Even the Gun Devil might be instantly killed there."
Aki asked, "Then what is Hell like?"
"I don't know," Angel admitted.
"You don't know? Angel, you've probably been there before."
"I am a new individual," he replied. "Do you remember anything from your mother's womb?"
"Understood."
---
Kyoto.
Dessert shop.
With the Cabinet reshuffled, Makima felt relaxed. The newly appointed officials were obedient, and even if they weren't, she could purge them. Plenty of people desired those positions. Why had she feared the old scumbags before? It must be… the power of love.
There's a saying: love can bridge mountains and seas. Makima's feelings for Cael were no mere crush; they were powerful enough to slaughter any obstacle for him.
"I'll have strawberry jam toast. Pochita, same as me?" Makima asked.
"Woof," Pochita nodded.
"Waitress, two orders of strawberry jam toast, a glass of wine, and a banana milkshake." Pochita preferred milkshakes to alcohol.
Scribble, scribble. The waitress finished writing quickly.
A young woman with scale earrings sat across from Makima and Pochita. Hunger Demon Fami. She picked up the menu.
"Honey toast, strawberry parfait, stone-baked pancakes, chocolate cake, vanilla ice cream, seasonal fruit platter—seven orders of each."
Scribble, scribble. The waitress, already flustered, tried to protest.
"Ma'am, isn't seven orders too—"
"No," Fami interrupted. "Seven is barely enough. If I'm still hungry, I'll order more."
The waitress nodded with a wry smile and left.
Fami tilted her head lazily. "Little sister, Hero of Hell, you don't mind if I join your table, do you?"
---