"Miss Makima."
"Mhm?"
"A suspected illegal devil contract user has been located."
"Where?"
"Shibuya."
"I see… Inform Squad 2 to follow me to Shibuya."
"Yes, Ms. Makima!"
Shibuya, 14:08, May 7th, 1995
Makima stepped into the courtroom.
Blood soaked the floor, spreading in every direction, yet there were no bodies.
Where the judge's seat should have been, there was a bathtub. It was filled with crystal-clear water, and within it lay a young man. Black hair, a slightly prominent nose, and lifeless yet strangely judgmental eyes.
"You must be the contractor," Makima said calmly. "Or should I call you Hiromi-kun?"
The moment she finished speaking, a gavel came hurtling toward her head.
Makima didn't move. There was no need. She wouldn't take damage, and even if she did, it wouldn't kill her.
But the instant the gavel struck, something unexpected rippled through her body.
She felt it.
The force behind it was overwhelming.
Her head exploded.
"Don't ever call me by my first name."
Higuruma Hiromi, the man who had been stabbed to death in an alley on his way home, was alive.
He had woken up in that same alley, confused. At first, he couldn't understand why he was still breathing. He checked his body. His suit was still soaked in blood, torn open where the blade had pierced him.
But there was no wound.
No pain.
It didn't make sense.
As he continued examining himself, he felt something else.
A sensation.
Not physical. Not mental.
Something wrong.
It was powerful. Sinister, but not entirely so. It felt more like something sinister had brushed against it, leaving a lingering trace.
Then came the restlessness.
It started in his legs. At first, it felt like the usual urge to move, but it wasn't aimless.
It had direction.
He didn't just want to move.
He wanted to go somewhere.
Higuruma returned to the courthouse.
He stood outside, his bloodstained clothes clinging to him, a strange glint in his eyes.
As he entered, guards immediately stopped him.
"Sir, are you okay?"
"I have never felt better," Higuruma replied with a genuine smile.
"Sir, I'm sorry, but you're covered in blood and appear unstable. I can't let you in."
"Ah, I see." He tilted his head slightly. "Have you ever done anything illegal?"
"What?"
Before the guard could react, Higuruma's hand was already wrapped around his throat.
"I asked, have you ever done anything illegal?"
The guard struggled in his grip.
"N-no! I've never done anything illegal!"
"That's a lie," Higuruma said calmly. "I can see it, smell it, taste it, hear it, feel it. Every sense I have tells me you're lying."
"W-well, maybe jaywalking or something small, you know…"
"That is true."
Higuruma smiled faintly and released him.
The guard exhaled in relief.
Then the pressure returned instantly, tighter than before.
"Have you ever committed anything beyond a minor crime?"
The smile was gone.
"N-no! Never!"
"Why are you still lying?"
"I'm not!"
"Was it murder?"
"N-no…"
"Why lie, if you know I can sense the truth?"
Realizing he couldn't talk his way out, the guard began thrashing wildly. The commotion drew attention from the surrounding people.
Other guards rushed forward.
"I invoke the Law of Hammurabi."
As they reached him, the guard in Higuruma's grasp suddenly jerked.
A wound appeared in his stomach.
A bullet wound.
Higuruma released him.
The man collapsed, screaming and clutching his abdomen.
The other guards froze.
In that moment, they understood.
This man had made a contract with a devil.
Hello author here. Uhh so I have been gone for a while. Mainly because I lost inspiration and it showed in my writing. I started to rely more and more on ai to edit my text and direction of the story.
But I'm back. Hopefully writing better than before.
and yes that does mean all and I mean all other stories will be dropped. I might rewrite some but not right now.
Anyway question about the story.
Do you guys want an explanation of Higurumas ability's. Or should I reveal them as the story goes on in a story way or in an explanation at the end of the chapter?