"What the hell is that thing?"
"Looks like a person." Aki Hayakawa crouched down to examine the charred corpse. "If I'm not mistaken, you just killed your master."
"What!!" Denji's eyes widened as he stared at the blackened body on the ground. He hadn't recognized it as Arata at all. "This guy is so burnt even his own mother wouldn't recognize him. How could you tell?"
"Height, build, and the smell of gas. Besides your master, there was no one else in this deli who could end up completely charred and still be jumping around," Aki explained.
"No way! Master didn't get blown up, but got sawed in half by me instead. I didn't do it on purpose, Aki, you gotta testify for me. I thought the Fly Devil suddenly popped out, so I attacked." Denji hurriedly reverted to his normal human form. Looking at Arata's corpse, he felt both guilty and terrified.
"Didn't you just say your master is a devil and can revive?" Aki asked.
"I think so. I've seen it once before, but last time he was shot to death. This time he got sawed in half by a chainsaw, so I don't know if he can revive again."
"A gun?" Aki froze. This word struck a major taboo. Ever since the appearance of the world boss, the Gun Devil, guns had been universally banned across the globe. Even Public Safety Devil Hunters weren't allowed to carry firearms. It was impossible for an ordinary person to just casually have one.
"Are you sure he was shot to death?" Aki shifted his focus from the corpse to Denji's face.
"Yeah, saw it with my own eyes. There were like ten guns back there."
"Ten!!" Aki was shocked. If what Denji said was true, the source of those firearms was a massive problem. It also signaled that the Gun Devil could return at any moment.
Aki understood the terror of the Gun Devil all too well. Every time it appeared, it brought catastrophic mass casualties. In its very first landing, it killed over 1.2 million people in just five minutes. Aki's family had died under the Gun Devil's onslaught. Because of that, he dreamed of killing the Gun Devil to avenge his family. That was his original motive for joining the Public Safety Devil Hunters, and eradicating the Gun Devil was also Public Safety's ultimate goal.
"What are you guys doing?" A familiar voice suddenly broke Aki's deep train of thought.
Denji whipped his head around, his face bursting into a huge smile. "Master!!"
He quickly ran over to Arata and inspected him closely. "You're not dead! So the guy I just killed wasn't you."
"Who else could it be but me? You think the Fly Devil would jump out and yell surprise?" Arata retorted.
"Surprise? What does that mean?" Denji asked.
"It means exactly what it sounds like. That corpse was definitely me, but luckily, your master can revive."
"How did you revive?" Aki stood up and asked, putting the Gun Devil issue aside for now. Thinking too much about it wouldn't help anyway; it would only drag down his mood prematurely.
"How did I revive? I bought a revival token in advance, obviously," Arata said.
"A revival token! I want one too!!" Denji suddenly shouted.
"Are you really stupid or just pretending? I was just joking." Arata rolled his eyes.
"You guys are alright, thank goodness!!" Just then, a police officer ran into the deli, sweating profusely. "Is the Fly Devil taken care of?"
"It's been dealt with," Aki replied first. He then walked into the powered-down cold storage to confirm. Aside from the smell of burnt meat and roasted flies scattered on the floor, there was nothing else to see.
"Master, how did you beat the Fly Devil?" Denji asked.
"A simple Great Flame Command was all it took. Even the corpse was reduced to ash."
"Great Flame Command? Can I learn that??"
"You should just stick to practicing your Three-Sword Chainsaw Style. Whenever I have some free time, I'll help you train your moves."
"Hell yeah!!" Denji cheered.
"Um... could you guys come take a look? I don't know what happened to Kenta. He suddenly fell dead asleep and his body keeps violently struggling. Could the Fly Devil have flown into his stomach?" the police officer asked anxiously. He hadn't run in just to check on their safety; he was looking for help.
"Relax, he's fine. I needed to revive, so I made him have a nightmare," Arata explained.
"A nightmare? Then when will he wake up?"
"He's already awake."
"Thank you." The officer expressed his gratitude and quickly left.
"Reviving even comes with a fresh set of clothes?" Aki felt like Arata was shrouded in a massive pile of mysteries.
Right then, Aki's phone buzzed. The caller ID showed Himeno-senpai.
"Hey, Aki, how did it go? Did you guys take out the Fly Devil?"
"Himeno-senpai, the Fly Devil has already been exterminated."
"That was fast. I guess a three-man team really is more efficient."
"We'll be heading back soon then."
"No need. It's rare to finish a job this fast. You can show them around the area. I'll let you know when another devil appears," Himeno said.
"Understood, Himeno-senpai." Aki hung up the phone, put it in his pocket, and turned to the other two. "Should we go grab lunch first?"
"I was just thinking that. And speaking of which, you still owe me a meal. Lunch is on you," Denji said.
"No problem, but I'm not familiar with the city," Aki replied.
"A new miso ramen place just opened up recently. We could go try that," Arata suggested.
The three of them easily agreed and walked out of the deli. But as soon as they stepped outside, they ran into another group of Public Safety Devil Hunters.
"Hello, you must be Aki, right?" The man leading the group had slicked-back hair, wore gold-rimmed glasses, and looked quite refined.
"And you are?" Aki asked.
"I'm Noriyuki Natsume, Captain of the Logistics Special Operations Unit. We handle the aftermath. In other words, we're the personnel who come to collect the devil corpses and inspect the scene."
"I see. Then we'll be leaving if there's nothing else." Aki and Denji walked ahead.
But Arata was suddenly grabbed by Noriyuki Natsume, who whispered, "When are you going to pay back the money you owe me?"
"I went to the casino to find you the other night, but you weren't there. The money is in the car, I don't have it on me right now."
"With interest, it's 3 million yen!!"
"It's that much already?"
"If my superiors find out about what I covered up for you, they'll absolutely string me up naked."
"Thanks for the hard work. Once I steal the money from my apprentice, I'll pay you back all at once. After all, we're going to be working together long-term," Arata said.
"Alright." Natsume smiled, let go of Arata, and patted his arm. "By the way, how did you end up joining Division 4?"
"Master!! What are you doing???" Denji, having walked a dozen meters away, finally noticed Arata was still standing back there.
"Sorry, my apprentice is calling me. Let's chat next time." With that, Arata jogged over to catch up with them.
Aki had a bunch of new questions regarding Arata hanging back. "You know him?"
"Nope. I was just telling him the corpse inside is already gone."
Aki knew he wouldn't get a straight answer, so he didn't press the issue.
Soon, the three of them arrived at the newly opened miso ramen shop. A large crowd was gathered in front of the entrance.
"There's quite a lot of people. The food must be pretty good," Denji remarked.
"Yeah, I've eaten here once. It really is delicious," Aki said.
"But with this many people, how long are we gonna have to wait?"
"You probably won't be eating here today," Arata said.
"Why not?"
"Those people are huddled together but they aren't lining up. They're spectating. That means something definitely happened inside the ramen shop."