"Ahaha, did I?"
Su Tang chuckled and let his gaze drift. "Ms. Makima, you're probably being too sensitive. In truth I just… mm, noticed how beautiful your outfit is today, so all my attention got pulled there, that's all."
"Oh, this one?" Makima glanced down at her white shirt, smiling-not-smiling. "By the way, this is the very shirt you washed for me yesterday, Su Tang-kun. There's still a little of Mr. Su Tang's scent on it."
Bullshit.
This woman can spin it the moment she opens her mouth.
Though he couldn't tell if it was the piece he'd sent over, he knew the washing had been done by a Shadow Ninja, and Angel Devil had delivered it. Where would his "scent" come from?
But pleasantries are pleasantries.
Su Tang could play too!
"So Ms. Makima changed clothes and I didn't even notice—must be because the person is so lovely that everything looks equally beautiful."
He grinned.
Makima smiled lightly, looking at him.
Su Tang gave her no chance to lock eyes.
Kidding—if the Holy Lord had warned him of something right before sleeping, there had to be a reason.
He could use fire-qi to rinse his eyes and dispel the discomfort, but until he found the Sheep Talisman he wasn't taking that risk.
"Fine. Let's skip that question then." With a soft sigh, Makima leaned forward onto her desk, cheek on her forearm, as if tired.
"Since Su Tang-kun is now off-roll personnel, you're half one of us."
She lifted his registration form and blinked. "Can you tell me what devil you're actually contracted with? By regulation, it has to be truthfully filled."
"Ninja…" He blurted it out, but before he finished Makima raised a slender index finger to her lips and breathed a soft "Shh." "That line won't fool me, Su Tang-kun. No ninja turns into what you were this morning."
Mm… fair.
Su Tang rubbed his chin, thinking.
He couldn't say the Holy Lord's name. As the big bad spanning all of Jackie Chan Adventures, he had no idea whether this world recorded those ancient legends—what if she'd read some Pure Energy scripture?
Ah—got it!
He put on a troubled look, as if truly reluctant, then, glancing at Makima, he "steeled himself." "All right! Seems I can't hide it. I'm contracted with two devils—in addition to the Ninja Devil, there's the Dragon Devil."
He had no idea about his acting, but this was for Makima to "read."
"Dragon Devil?" Makima lifted her head a touch.
"Right! The ability is that I can transform into that half-dragon form from this morning." He nodded.
Makima tapped the desktop, thoughtful.
She murmured, almost to herself, "I recall that Guangxi—the first devil hunter—had a vassal who was a 'Dragon Fiend,' didn't he?"
Huh? Someone took the title first?
Wasn't the Holy Lord the only true dragon left in this world? How was there another "dragon"?
He probed the mindscape for the Holy Lord. No response—still asleep, then.
So he had to cover himself. "You understand, Ms. Makima—dragons aren't just one kind. The one I'm contracted with is the Eastern Dragon Devil. That fiend was likely a Western Dragon Fiend. They're not the same."
He wasn't entirely making it up.
By setting, the Holy Lord is an Eastern dragon, not a winged reptile like Western ones. If the revived form in the cartoon looked Western, it was probably for visual punch—to let viewers feel the Holy Lord's power (muscles) more directly.
Makima nodded—who knew whether she believed him.
She didn't press. After a few more pleasantries, Su Tang excused himself. Unlike him, the head of Division 4 had plenty to handle daily.
After he left, a subordinate entered Makima's office.
"Have the press bureau put out a response: the black-clad rescuer of hundreds this morning was Public Safety's off-roll personnel. He's not a 'hero,' he's a Public Safety hunter steadfastly fulfilling his duty. There are many such hunters in Tokyo; they quietly safeguard the public."
She paused, then added,
"Right, and note that the black-clad man is contracted with the 'Dragon Devil.'"
"This is my new clinic?"
Led by Angel Devil, Su Tang reached the place he'd work and live.
Not far from Public Safety HQ—a few minutes' walk. Convenient.
Inside, all the furniture was furnished; as for specialized medical equipment, he'd make the calls and purchase.
While he happily took in the new home, Angel Devil stood quietly at the side, seemingly thinking.
Then: "Su Tang, do you need a security guard at your clinic?"
"Huh? A guard?" He looked at her, puzzled.
This close to Public Safety, and a Public Safety partner—he needed a guard?
"Mm." Angel nodded; the halo above her head bobbed up and down. "I want to apply to be your guard."
"After all, your place counts as Public Safety. It's basically a transfer."
He kneaded his brow.
He didn't need her to say it to know why: she wanted to slack off.
Skipping fifty years of detours, huh.
He sighed. "Fine. I'll speak to Ms. Makima in the next few days. Whether she lets you go, I don't know."
Angel seemed pleased—though her tone remained flat:
"Yay."
"Yay!"
Denji-ko bounced up, looking between the furniture and Su Tang, excited. "We get to live together with Mr. Su Tang again!"
"And Power."
Su Tang carried out the last dish from the kitchen and reminded her.
"Boo—why does that crappy woman get to tag along?!" Denji-ko yanked out a chair and plopped down, glaring at Power, who was teasing Meowy across the table. "Cling-on!"
"Heh-heh, foolish human." Power slung a leg up on the table, flashing a swath of white, and laughed. "What, don't want me to make good on my promise?!"
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Thank you so much for reading until the end.
If you'd like to read more, you can Joining to my Patreon.
My Patreon: p*treon*com/Hydran_Tea
Chainsaw Man: The Covenant of Flame Demon [ 125 Chapter ]
Uma Musume: Wait—you want me to pop my Christmas Hat Ultimate? [ 114 Chapter ]