[Lifespan: 3 Days]
Futoshi jolted awake from the cold.
"Why have I been having the same dream these past few days..." he muttered.
Unconsciously, he pressed down on the lighter in his hand. The darkness split open like thick cloth tearing apart.
In the flickering halo of light, three or four steps away, a naked girl on the verge of tears held a dagger up in front of her face, trembling violently.
"Kobeni Higashiyama?!" Hoshino's eyes widened, all drowsiness vanishing instantly.
"Eeeyaaaaaaah!!" Kobeni screamed and charged forward.
Just as Hoshino was about to dodge, Kobeni suddenly went airborne, her expression shifting to horror.
In the blink of an eye, someone landed in Hoshino's arms. The dagger clattered against the ground several times before stopping at a distance.
"..."
The cave fell silent once more.
"Did you trip over your own feet?" Hoshino couldn't believe it.
"Waaaaaahhh!!" Kobeni finally burst into tears. "Even as a Devil Hunter... I've never done that kind of thing... waaah~"
Her words were incoherent, and Hoshino couldn't make them out at all. His chest, which had just dried a bit, was getting wet and warm again.
"Don't get my clothes dirty!"
"Huh? You're terrible... after doing that, that kind of thing, you're treating me like this..."
Her crying quieted down considerably.
Kobeni struggled to crawl a few times, moving her face from Hoshino's chest to press against the ground, her body still draped across his waist.
She covered her face, and her sobs filled the cave once more.
Hoshino rolled his eyes and opened his backpack, shoving rice balls into his mouth.
Once Kobeni had exhausted herself and her crying weakened, Hoshino posed the ultimate question: "Aren't you cold? Aren't you hungry?"
The crying stopped immediately, followed by three sneezes in rapid succession.
"Achoo! Achoo! Achoo!"
In the darkness, Kobeni sat up, both hands protecting her chest.
Hoshino could vaguely make out a slender silhouette.
He pulled out several pieces of outer clothing and pants from his bag, then tossed over her backpack. "There are only three left in the bag... well, see for yourself."
Rustling sounds.
"Sob... huh, huh—what?? My bra... Achoo! At least my money's still here—choo!"
"Just put your clothes on already!"
While Kobeni got dressed, Hoshino explained the situation and learned why she'd tried to kill him.
"Apologize to me." Hoshino's face was expressionless.
"No!" Kobeni sobbed. "If it weren't for you, I wouldn't be working in such a dangerous place!"
"Apologize to me."
"No, no! Any girl would think that way when she wakes up without any clothes on!"
"Apologize to me."
"You, you made me lose all my clothes..."
"Say you're sorry."
"I'm sorry."
Hoshino nodded and pulled out a rice ball from his backpack, extending it toward the darkness. Faint chewing sounds began.
"There's an old saying: 'Those who understand the times are true heroes.' Right now, the clothes you're wearing and the food you're eating are provided by me. I saved your life too. From now on, you have to listen to everything I say."
"Huh—what??"
"Got a problem with that?"
"Everything is... too, too bold!" Kobeni's face flushed bright red. She hunched her shoulders and added in an extremely small voice: "As long as it doesn't include H stuff..."
"What?"
"Nothing."
"Right, I have two questions for you now." Hoshino asked, "How old are you?"
"Twenty."
"A twenty-year-old girl who gets lost just following someone, trips over herself during an assassination attempt, and nearly died before even encountering a Devil on her first mission."
Hoshino continued, "I really don't get it. Why'd you go against your family wisdom and choose to become a Devil Hunter? Did your ex-boyfriend cheat on you and turn into a Devil?"
"That's not it! Half of it was because I was forced to." Kobeni said miserably, "I have nine siblings at home. My parents wanted my more talented older brother to go to college, so I came out to work."
As she spoke, her voice took on a tearful tone again. "I wanted to go to college too. Besides the sex industry and Devil Hunting, there weren't any other options. I, I don't want to die either! I'm sorry, waaah~"
"Pfft—hahaha... ahem, sorry."
Everything else was fine, but nine siblings was genuinely absurd.
"Tell you what, I'll help you achieve your dream." Hoshino patted his chest.
"Achoo! Sniff~" Kobeni looked embarrassed and shy. "Being, being a kept woman is absolutely not okay! Even though I really want tuition money..."
Her little head shook like a rattle drum. "I didn't say anything!"
Heh, keep you? In your dreams!
Having already given all his assets to his sister-in-law and niece and advanced a month's salary, Hoshino sneered inwardly.
"I mean, I'll go to college in your place and fulfill your dream."
"Huh?"
"I'll enjoy college life beautifully in your stead, write every little detail in a diary, and burn it for you. Your sacrifice as my teammate won't be in vain."
"What???"
This wasn't a joke. Hoshino had known the risks of being a Devil Hunter from the very beginning.
He wasn't blind.
0.1% to 500%.
The system's clearly marked rewards spanned a 5000-fold range.
That alone proved that while they were all called Devils, fundamentally they weren't creatures of the same dimension.
Not everyone could earn this "dead man's money."
With Kobeni's personality and habits, even if she signed a contract with the most powerful Devil, sooner or later she'd lose her life due to carelessness.
"Are you done getting dressed?"
The wind and snow outside were gradually dying down. Hoshino planned to leave, but first wanted to check if anything had been left behind.
"Yeah."
Click-click. The lighter ignited again.
In the orange glow, several damp women's garments lay on the ground.
Kobeni wore clothes obviously several sizes too big, sitting on her knees with lowered eyes and bowed head.
Like a timid little deer, she would occasionally glance up to size up this boy who was younger than her yet already a Devil Hunter.
Hoshino blinked, then suddenly stepped forward and examined her with his head tilted for a moment, his hand on his chin as he mused aloud, "Looking all pitiful like that, you're unexpectedly kind of cute."
How come I didn't notice before? Could it be that a full stomach really does lead to lustful thoughts?
Under his curious gaze, Kobeni shrank back, terrified.
I knew it!
I knew he saw my body and became infatuated with me...
Scary!
Scary, scary!
A frivolous younger guy, so scary!
Thinking about how someone like this had not only saved her life but also controlled the food, water, and clothing, Kobeni's already pale face turned even whiter.
If this continued, who knew what the "frivolous guy" would blackmail her into doing with all this.
"Can't get through to Himeno. Let's head to the shrine to find her first." Hoshino withdrew his gaze, ready to leave.
Kobeni didn't respond. Her pale little face rapidly turned bright red, steam practically rising from the top of her head.
She gritted her teeth and suddenly yanked something from her pocket, stuffing it into Hoshino's backpack at lightning speed before he could zip it up.
"Now I don't owe you anything!!" the girl shouted shyly and bolted toward the cave entrance like a rabbit.
Hoshino was baffled. While following her, he fished out a piece of soft fabric from his backpack.
He kicked aside the two small trees blocking the cave entrance—Kobeni had already squeezed through the gap.
A cool breeze lifted the hair on Hoshino's forehead as he squinted to adjust to the daylight.
Sunlight poured over the snow-covered world, gold streaking across the white like melted foil.
"Help~ help~"
Not far away on the snowy surface, Kobeni's head poked out slightly, her arms waving back and forth like windshield wipers.
Figures. Brain function really does correlate with underwear design.
Hoshino grimaced, shoved the blue-and-white panties back into his bag, and leapt into the snow to pull her out.