The manner of Yusaku's death was indeed quite ridiculous, but within the Public Security Bureau, he was ultimately just a minor figure.
So in the end, this incident was nothing more than fodder for idle chatter among the officers… or, when they remembered it, a joke to tell their colleagues.
That said, his death was, in some ways, a good thing.
At least the position of reasoning consultant was now vacant, allowing his son to seamlessly step into it.
Apart from losing both legs, Shinichi's other bodily functions had mostly recovered. He no longer had to spend his days and nights running to the hospital for checkups and medication like before.
The financial burden on Yukiko had also lightened considerably.
Logically speaking, under these circumstances, she could have completely cut ties with Makoto.
Yet, quite the opposite happened.
She actually started meeting Makoto for their liaisons more and more frequently.
There were many times when Makoto felt like telling this lady to tone it down a bit, lest Makima notice something was off.
Not long after Yusaku's death, another event occurred… the Public Security Bureau welcomed a new member, Hayakawa Aki.
When he saw this person, Yu was momentarily stunned. It took him a moment to recall that this was the kid they had encountered shortly after first crossing over ten years ago.
He hadn't expected him to have grown up so much.
Yu couldn't help but sigh at how quickly time passed.
"It's been a long time, Mr. Nishikawa, and you, sir..."
"Ishigami Yu."
Yu stated his name.
Aki nodded. "And Mr. Ishigami, it's been a long time."
He had seen many reports about Makoto and Yu on TV as well.
However, the reason he decided to join the Public Security Bureau wasn't because of these two… he had intended to work here from the very beginning.
Because joining the Bureau meant having a better chance of encountering the Gun Devil and avenging his parents.
Makoto noticed that Aki wasn't carrying the nail-studded sword he had at the start of the original story and asked, "Who is your contracted Devil?"
Even within the Bureau, whether civilian or public security Devil Hunters, they only revealed their contracted Devils to a very small circle of trusted individuals.
Aki wasn't very familiar with Makoto and the others, but thinking back to how his younger brother had survived because of Makoto's warning ten years ago, he obediently answered, "It's the Fox Devil."
"Oh, the Fox Devil~"
Yu scratched his head. "Since the Fox Devil is relatively friendly towards humans, quite a few people in the Bureau have contracts with it."
"However, it only allows handsome men to use its head, while ordinary contractors can only use its limbs or other parts. They asked me before if I wanted to contract with it too, but after thinking it over, I declined."
Hearing this, Makoto couldn't help but smile.
Ishigami had also matured considerably over the past ten years. With his hairstyle that covered one eye, he had a bit of a watered-down Sasuke vibe. It wasn't surprising that the Fox Devil had taken an interest in him.
"The Fox Devil is enough. There's no need to contract with other Devils."
Makoto patted Aki on the shoulder and left with Yu.
At the beginning of the manga, besides the Fox Devil, Aki had also contracted with the Curse Devil.
But honestly, the Curse Devil's abilities were really hard to evaluate—
The cost was enormous, yet the effect was so mediocre.
Aki watched the two figures walking away and asked, "Do you have a mission?"
"Yeah. To catch some Pokémon."
Makoto replied.
Aki: "???"
Suddenly, Aki noticed a teddy bear dog following at Makoto's feet. As it exited the Bureau's main gate, it even lifted its leg to pee on the doorstep!
'What an ill-mannered dog!'
"Foreign Teacher, are all your shady friends in Japan?"
Makoto asked the Teddy Bear Devil trotting beside him.
It really was fate. Because of Makima, Pochita was now mostly staying inside Makoto's body and couldn't walk by his side anymore. Yet before long, he had gained a new dog.
Incidentally, 'Foreign Teacher' was the nickname Makoto had just given the Teddy Bear Devil.
"Of course, Boss. After all, everyone knows Japan is a country of perverts. Where else is this fun?"
The Teddy Bear Devil said with a mad grin.
After officially joining, this guy had recommended a bunch of his shady Devil friends to Makoto.
They were the Dolphin Devil, the Rabbit Devil, and the Gorilla Devil.
Good grief.
All of them were among the few animals in nature that copulated not just for reproduction but also to satisfy their own desires.
A veritable gathering of kindred spirits.
With these characters staying in Japan, Makoto could understand why.
With the Teddy Bear Devil acting as a go-between, Makoto quickly found these three.
They didn't even put up much of a fight. Simply revealing his identity as the Chainsaw Devil was enough to make them submit obediently.
Makoto promptly gave this group a name… the Four Gay Bros.
While Makoto was acquiring his new Pokémon, Aki, just like in the original work, formed a new partnership with Himeno.
This was Himeno's sixth partner.
Makoto suddenly realized it had been a while since he last checked on Denji. He wondered how that kid was doing.
So he bought a boxed lunch from a convenience store and made a rare visit to that rundown shack on the outskirts of Tokyo.
As he arrived, he noticed a white sedan parked next to the shack.
Walking over, he saw Denji standing beside the car, a somewhat crude grave mound already piled up in front of him.
Inside the car, an old man with a white beard and black-rimmed glasses glanced indifferently at Denji outside the window and said flatly, "You haven't even finished paying this month's interest, yet you go and kill yourself. Kid, whether you beg or sell your body, have 700,000 yen ready for me tomorrow. Otherwise, I'll cut you up and sell your parts~"
"When a father dies in debt, if he doesn't leave an inheritance to his son, the son isn't obligated to repay it. Haven't you studied the law?"
Just as the old man was about to step on the gas and leave, Makoto strolled over and asked with a light laugh.
"Big Brother God?"
Denji, who had been staring at his father's grave with a complicated expression, turned his head excitedly toward the direction of the voice.
"You are?!"
Seeing Makoto, the old man was startled.
'The Devil Hunter who had recently gone on a killing spree in America and was now at the height of his fame after joining the Public Security Bureau.'
'What was he doing here?'
As a yakuza boss, the old man certainly didn't want to run into Makoto.
And seeing his half-smiling expression, he instinctively sensed a strong sense of crisis.
The old man floored the accelerator and spun the steering wheel to flee.
But Makoto suddenly raised his hand to his collar and made a pulling motion.
Vroom!
Instantly, the flesh on Makoto's right arm split open, and an oversized chainsaw over thirty meters long emerged from it.
With a swing of Makoto's arm-
The sedan, which had already driven ten meters away, was instantly sliced in two.
Denji could even clearly see the yakuza boss, also cut in half.
Boom!
The next second, the bisected car exploded, taking the old man's corpse with it.
"B-Big Brother God, w-why are you here?"
Denji didn't feel any fear at the old man's death.
He had always lived in hellish conditions anyway.
"I've told you many times not to call me that."
Makoto handed the boxed lunch to him.
"Thank you!"
Denji quickly bowed his head in thanks.
Though he had gotten used to being fed by the other over the years, he never took it for granted and always expressed his gratitude sincerely.