"Mr. Su Tang."
Looking up, he immediately saw the man standing beneath the neon sign.
Melancholy gaze, deep pupils, a long, lean frame, crisp uniform—
and that signature short topknot.
"Hayakawa-kun," Su Tang greeted him with a smile. "Why are you standing at the door? Not going in?"
"I was waiting for you." Aki Hayakawa's gaze swept past him, paused, and said, "Could we have a word—just us?"
"…All right."
Though he wondered what was so secret, he nodded and told Power and Denko behind him, "You two go in first. Remember: eat properly; no acting up."
"Yay!"
Both of them shot past him like arrows, faces bright with excitement as they slipped inside. Clearly they'd only heard his first sentence, not the last.
As for why Hayakawa stopped Mr. Su Tang…
No idea. Probably grown-up stuff.
"Whew."
Turning his back to Su Tang, Aki exhaled a thin veil of smoke, glanced around, then stepped to Su Tang's side.
"Do you remember the Eternal Devil's demand during the last operation?"
"I do," Su Tang nodded. "It wanted Denko's heart."
"Mm." Pinching the cigarette between index and middle fingers, Aki watched the ember glow and dim in the night wind and said gravely:
"I checked all Public Safety devil-hunting records from the past ten years—nothing like Denko's case. The only mention of 'chainsaw' comes from a fragmentary statement recorded from an incoherent devil—just those two words."
"As for older records—when I tried to access them, I got a permissions error. As far as I know, in Tokyo Division 4 the only person with higher clearance than me is…"
"Miss Makima."
He paused, as if to give Su Tang time to think.
Good grief—every devil-hunting record from the past decade? Straight to heavy-duty work right out of the hospital?
Su Tang still remembered how weak the man had looked when he crawled out of the Eternity Devil.
Guessing what Aki was getting at, Su Tang shook his head. "I asked Miss Makima that very day."
"What did she say?"
"She said she didn't know—and that she'd go to Kyoto next week to consult materials."
"Doesn't know?"
That seemed to surprise Aki; his stone face finally creased, and he drew hard on the cigarette. "Impossible. How could she not know…"
"No—she definitely knows."
Exhaling the last smoke ring, he crushed the butt out in his palm. "At the table… let's play it by ear."
"Hey, Su Tang—long time no see."
Seeing the two come in one after the other, Himeno's usually narrow eyes opened wide; she waved and called loudly, "Thanks for bringing my Aki back."
He looked over and smiled, nodding to her.
"Mr. Su Tang—mm—come here! I saved you something tasty!"
With a drumstick in her mouth, Denko grabbed a platter of barbecue that Power had dragged to her, lifted it, and waved. "Sit next to me, sir!"
"Human brat! Damn it—those are mine—mmph!"
Power lunged, but the girl—ready for her—stuffed a handful of cilantro straight into her mouth.
"Peh—peh-peh!" Power collapsed as if poisoned, flopping right between Su Tang and Denko. Clutching her belly, she howled, "Damn it! I was attacked by the Cilantro Devil! Is there any devil more terrifying than the Cilantro Devil!"
Su Tang watched her roll around on the floor—thank goodness for a private room, or they'd have drawn a crowd.
In fact, they had already drawn the attention of several Division 4 members at the table.
"Mr. Hayakawa, I really envy you—your squad's fiend is so rational you can bring her out without worry."
"Oh? Mr. Fushi's fiend still not doing well?"
"Mm. Letting it cool down at HQ for now—we'll see."
Seated, the middle-aged man beside Aki spoke with some envy.
His name was Mr. Fushi—Su Tang knew him. A Division 4 squad leader on par with Aki; some of the rookies had just done psych screenings under him a few days back.
The man and woman beside Mr. Fushi were also squad leaders.
Ignoring Power's antics, Su Tang stepped over her in one long stride and took his seat.
The red-horned fiend's eyes widened as his crotch flashed past her face—then she realized what had just happened.
"Ahhhh—this great me wants a hundred roast drumsticks—one hundred braised meatballs!"
After another half minute of shrieking, she saw no one was paying attention, pouted, and sprang up—sitting back down as if nothing had happened.
Amused, Su Tang picked a rib for her—then, under Denko's resentful stare, picked one for Denko too.
One had to admit—Public Safety work was grueling, tiring, and dangerous—but the benefits were excellent. Even a department meal out meant first-rate dishes.
Just then, a breeze brushed by—and a breathless, delicate voice came with it.
"Sorry… everyone. I'm late."
Kobeni Higashiyama.
Tonight she wore a preppy, mixed JK outfit; paired with those obviously nervous, nowhere-to-put hands and that delicate face, she looked especially cute.
"Kobeni, over here," the only woman among the four squad leaders called to her.
Kobeni dashed over. She snuck a look at Su Tang; when she saw him looking back, her gaze skittered away, guilty.
Still hung up on that previous matter, huh.
He smiled and shook his head. He'd planned to tell her after the party he'd take her to buy a new phone—fulfilling the promise he'd made at the inn. But it didn't seem the right time—give it a few days.
With Kobeni's arrival, the room became noticeably livelier.
Almost everyone was here.
The welcome party was mainly to greet the rookies and get everyone together.
Speaking of rookies—
Su Tang glanced at Arai Hirokazu across from him—eating diligently, not obsessing over his crush on Himeno.
Huh… Although the knot should be untied by the one who tied it, Himeno's efficiency was too good.
All the better—less likely the party would get messy.
"By the way, the rookies haven't introduced themselves yet, have they?" Mr. Fushi smiled. "By tradition, you need to tell us your name, hobbies, and contracted devil."
"Don't listen to him. Contract devils are classified—how could you disclose them in public," Aki added at once.
"Ah, still so strict, Hayakawa," said the younger of the squad leaders with a wave and a grin. "It's just to help with teamwork on the job later."
"All right, I'll go first!"
Denko wiped her greasy mouth with her sleeve, then her greasy hands, and chirped, "I'm Denko! Sixteen! My contracted devil is Pochita! My hobby is… Mr. Su Tang!"
Huh?
The first parts were normal—what was that last one?
Curious eyes turned to Su Tang—who said helplessly, "She means she 'loves the food I cook.' The kid has a habit of speaking in half-sentences."
Denko giggled and kept eating.
"Eh? My turn?" Power raised her chin and brandished her half-eaten drumstick. "This great me is Power! A noble Blood Fiend! Likes cats and meat! Hates vegetables! Hates vegetables! Hates vegetables!"
"But Su Tang uses the Vegetable Devil to torture me every day! Damn it! Aren't fiend lives lives too!"
Still, no one humored her.
All eyes shifted to Arai Hirokazu.
Sweat dotted the brow of the man whose face always radiated righteousness. Back straight, he declared loudly, "I'm Arai Hirokazu, 22! My contracted devil is the Fox! My hobby—my hobby is writing haiku!"
"I… I'm Kobeni Higashiyama, 20. My contracted devil… is a secret. Um, my hobby is… eating good food."
Shy-faced, Kobeni stood and introduced herself.
"Kobeni, your outfit is adorable," the female squad leader praised.
"I—it's my sister's old clothes…"
"Ah, I heard—Kobeni has nine sisters."
"So is it just our rookies here? What about Mr. Fushi's?"
"Sigh—unfortunately, he was killed on patrol yesterday."
"What, so soon?"
"Can't be helped. The devils civilians can't handle are handed to Public Safety."
"…"
They chatted, lamenting the job's risk.
Su Tang listened quietly. He hadn't expected the rookie who'd come to him for screening two days ago to be gone today.
Truly…
Huh?
As he sighed, something felt off.
Not outside—inside his body.
He focused slightly—and realized he could circulate his fiery chi.
Which meant…
Looking left and right, he quietly released the chopsticks in his hand.
They should have fallen without support—but the bamboo chopsticks hung in the air!
Sure enough—the Rooster Talisman—levitation—credited!
Delighted, he guided the chopsticks up and down over his palm—no obvious drag.
They called it levitation, but as a kid he'd loved calling it telekinesis. After all, you lift things and move them freely—"telekinesis" sounded grander than "levitation."
As for what was halved in this weakened version of the Rooster Talisman, he hadn't tested it yet. He figured it would limit the weight he could lift—or the types of objects.
Speed shouldn't be cut further.
Everyone knew the chicken's speed—without pairing it with the rabbit to reach "flight," it was slow indeed.
He was just about to try a glass when a voice sounded at his ear.
"What are you thinking, Su Tang-kun?"
Clack.
The chopsticks fell.
He bent to pick them up, then turned with composure and smiled. "I was just thinking how Miss Makima hadn't come yet—and then I heard your voice."
"Sorry—held up by something on the way."
Makima smiled faintly and took the head seat.
"Waiter, a draft beer, please."
She slipped off her black coat and ordered a large beer right away.
The air went a bit stiff.
Even Power slowed her eating.
Aki and Himeno exchanged a glance, then looked at Su Tang.
He gave Aki a subtle shake of the head.
After a beat, Su Tang clapped his hands to draw everyone's attention and smiled. "Folks, a welcome party that's just eating and drinking is a bit dull. How about a game?"
"Oh? What game?" Aki set him up.
Makima glanced at Aki.
"Ever played Truth or Dare?" Su Tang's eyes lit as he spotted an empty beer bottle. He picked it up. "We'll spin this. Whoever it points to must choose between 'truth' and 'dare' and take the penalty."
"You can't pick the same option twice in a row. If the previous person chose 'truth,' the next one must pick 'dare.'"
"What do you all think?"
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