"Noble horse drives out all foreign matter from the body."
That's how Old Man in the cartoon described the Horse Talisman's power.
So if this permanent sleep is a kind of curse, waking Himeno shouldn't be hard.
But Su Tang only lets the thought pass in his heart. He doesn't say it.
The Horse Talisman is a long way off. Telling Aki this now only gives him a hollow hope.
A hope with no footing, no future—driftwood without roots.
A different kind of torment.
So he only sighs and says, "Miss Himeno is only in a sleep—it isn't certain there's no way to wake her. In the end, it's only a devil's power. There must be other devils whose abilities can lift it. Mm… say, a 'Clear-Head Devil' or the like."
"Thank you."
Aki ties back his loose hair with both hands behind his head.
Then, head down, he looks at the sheets before him.
His voice is not loud—light, but firm.
As if speaking to himself—or to Su Tang:
"I will find a way to wake Senior Himeno."
"I will."
Watching Aki's vital spirit come back, Su Tang keeps quiet.
He knows that from now on this self-described "boring" man has one more reason to live.
Besides revenge, there is the other eternal topic in this world.
Love. And responsibility.
Knock, knock, knock.
While Su Tang is thinking, there's a knock outside—and then the door opens.
"Hello, sorry to intrude…"
A man and a woman step in—and mid-sentence, spot Aki's lowered head and the tear-marked pages on the bed.
"Mm… sorry. Is this a bad time?"
The man halts awkwardly at the door.
Aki looks up, frowning at them.
"You are…?"
"Oh—Kurose Yutaro. This is my partner, Michiko Tendo."
He gestures to the woman beside him.
"We came from Kyoto at Miss Makima's invitation to give guidance to Tokyo's Division 4."
The woman—Tendo—speaks.
Guidance?
Su Tang arches a brow.
He studies the man and woman who barged in—and notes the horizontal scars on both their faces.
"What do you mean by guidance?" Aki asks first.
Tendo and Kurose trade a look. Rather than answer, they ask, "Mr. Aki Hayakawa, can you still summon the Fox Devil right now?"
Aki hesitates.
He puts thumb and index finger together in a ring and whispers:
"Knock."
One second. Two…
Wind passes.
The room is silent.
"As we thought." Kurose leans on the doorframe, hands in his pockets, and shakes his head. "The Fox Devil's true body in Kyoto was hurt. It's very displeased about yesterday morning. Looks like it's taken a dislike to you, Aki."
Ah…
That Fox Devil that the Snake Devil swallowed in a gulp.
Standing aside, Su Tang watches the wind lift Aki's bangs.
Aki is silent. He reaches for the katana by his side.
Tendo notices and sighs. "That's the sword for the Curse Devil contract, yes? I don't need to say it—Mr. Hayakawa knows. How many uses are left?"
"…"
"So this is your guidance?" Aki's voice scrapes a little dry.
"Mm… it may sound harsh—but it is." Kurose lifts his shoulders and spreads his hands. "In his state, Aki isn't suited for first-line devil hunting in Public Safety anymore."
"In fact, we came this time to give career counseling to hunters like Mr. Hayakawa." Tendo nods. "Public Safety will give you a well-provided, comfortable retirement."
"The other option?" Aki's hand tightens on the sword. Voice parched and low: "Besides counseling, you must have another route for people like me."
Tendo opens her mouth.
She sighs.
Arms crossed, after a silence she says, "Though I do think retirement is the better choice… if Mr. Hayakawa insists, we can provide other devils within Tokyo that cooperate with Public Safety. You can choose one to contract with."
"Other devils?"
Su Tang asks, curious.
What kind of devils win recognition from a professional department like Public Safety?
Surely they're not all slackers like the Angel, with a chronic layabout streak.
"I don't know Tokyo's roster either. If Mr. Hayakawa chooses that route, we'll need to file and seek approval."
Tendo shakes her head—then looks to Su Tang, hesitating. "And this is…?"
"Su Tang. An utterly ordinary psychiatrist." he says.
"Oh! I know you!" Kurose's head pops around, eyes shining. "You're the real Tokyo hero—the Black-Cloaked Man! Your name's already reached Kyoto! Plenty of people are talking about you!"
"What?" Su Tang tilts his head, baffled. "Why would I…"
"Because heroes are rare in this world!" Kurose cuts him off, thumb up, thrilled. "If Miss Makima hadn't said your identity can't be spread, you'd already be Japan's hottest star."
"Uh…"
Su Tang blinks.
It was just one front-page headline. Is it really worth this much buzz?
Seeing his disbelief, Kurose anxiously scans the room—eyes lighting when he spots today's paper on the table.
The headline is still the shooting and the Black-Cloaked Man.
Kurose clears his throat and, with ceremony, straightens his tie. Then he reads: "According to an insider, during his battle with the shooters the Black-Cloaked Man personally asked, 'Who is the true great hero of Tokyo City,' and received the shooter's affirmative recognition…"
Su Tang's eyes widen.
Mentioned like this, the shameful scene surges back.
No—that line was spoken by Evil Su Tang. What's that got to do with me?!
I've long since outgrown my chūnibyō!
Eh… wait.
A thought strikes him. He frowns. "I already dispersed all onlookers then—no bystanders were there to hear it… which means this 'insider' was likely the shooter who escaped!"
"We thought the same reading it—and went to the paper at once." Kurose shrugs. "But the editors said the note with the tip suddenly appeared at the front door. The cameras caught nothing."
…Fine.
Su Tang is a hundred percent sure—the "insider" was Katana Man.
What a snake. Can't beat me on the field, so you play mind games.
Working the psyche.
"Plenty of people have that line on their lips now—especially the young." Kurose even mimics it, excited: "I, the Black-Cloaked Man, am the tru—"
"Ahem."
Tendo coughs twice and cuts him off.
She turns to the somewhat-embarrassed Su Tang. "If it's Mr. Su Tang, this is just right. Miss Makima asked us to tell you she's back. She's waiting in her office."
"Eh? Waiting for me?" The news surprises him—and yet not. He nods. "Okay. Did she say when?"
"Mm…"
Her expression turns odd—like someone aching to gossip, yet thinking it too absurd.
"Miss Makima already predicted you'd ask that. She said she'll be in her office at all times, waiting for you, whenever you come."
"…All right."
He hadn't expected that answer.
He glances at Aki on the bed, then at the Kyoto pair. "I'll head over. You continue."
"Okay." Tendo nods—only to be waved off by a beaming Kurose:
"Next time, please sign something for me! Eh—Mr. Su Tang, why are you walking so fast…"
Knock, knock, knock.
Su Tang climbs to the second floor of Public Safety and raps on a familiar door.
A familiar voice answers inside.
"Come in."
He opens it—first sight: the familiar window and the familiar back.
"Su Tang-kun. Long time no see."
Makima turns, a smile at her lips.
"Ah, long time no see."
He closes the door and, practiced as ever, pulls out a chair and sits at the desk.
Since they parted last Friday night, they haven't met. Four days. You could call that… "long."
As ever, a cup of tea; as ever, the gentle "What will you drink?"
Su Tang blows across the surface and narrows his eyes. "I haven't congratulated Miss Makima on her promotion."
He'd heard it downstairs.
Because of the mass shooting, Divisions 1, 2, 3, and 4 were all heavily understrength, so they were merged into a new Special Division 4—with Makima still as chief.
Which means: same title, different weight. She's effectively the current head of Tokyo Public Safety.
In a disaster where all of Public Safety suffered, Makima was not only unscathed—she was promoted.
All he can say is: fate plays strange games.
"Su Tang-kun's information is truly well-informed." Makima pours herself tea and lifts it. "This attack is unprecedented. Those above are furious. The first task of the new Special Division 4 is to find the shooters and eradicate them."
"The shooters…"
Su Tang frowns. "Any leads?"
"Some. Needs further digging." She sips and shakes her head. "Even if we find their hideout, our current manpower and combat strength are insufficient."
She sets down her cup and pulls a folder from a drawer.
"The casualty report is out. By the count, injuries and disabilities among Tokyo Public Safety in this incident reached eighty-nine percent. Of those, fifty-six percent are fatalities. Which is to say… in a single morning yesterday, Public Safety lost one hundred twenty-three people."
Makima reads the numbers quietly—calm, flat, neither sad nor joyful.
"Some of them are people you know." She slides the file to him, golden eyes on his face. "Aki lost his contracted devil and is gravely wounded; Himeno fell into a sleep and will be on nutrition in the hospital long-term; and Hirokazu Arai… died."
Su Tang's hand trembles.
He stares at the casualty sheet. Every black character is a life gone.
How many of them were someone's child, someone's parent, someone's other half?
Will the shattered families—wrapped in hate—walk the same road and hunt devils?
And then the cycle without end.
How cruel.
"The world is always like this." Makima breaks the silence. "Devils and humans. Humans and humans… unending killing and war."
"Yeah."
He puts the file down—he can't bear to look more.
"What can we do…"
"Perhaps something." Makima says.
He looks up.
A breeze stirs the hair by her ear. Her breath stirs her long lashes.
"What if we can change the world?"
"Change this reality full of struggle. Build a world where everyone is equal and at peace, like a family."
As she says the two lines, her pace doesn't speed up or slow down.
She states "change the world" plainly—as if it were not a world-shaking matter but a question of lunch.
She looks at him with gold irises and murmurs:
"Su Tang-kun wants to see such a world too, doesn't he."
Silence.
Honestly, it's his first time hearing this woman speak words like "grand ambition."
He recalls seeing Makima thinking by the window, and guessing what she pondered.
Perhaps… it was this.
A sentence others would call childish—yet spoken by Makima with earnest seriousness.
It really is…
Enough to set blood boiling.
Su Tang chuckles. "If there really is a way…"
He moves his fire chi, looks out at the sky, then back at Makima.
Meeting those resplendent, mysterious golden irises, he nods and smiles:
"I'm willing to be together with Miss Makima—"
"—to change this world."
Synopsis:
Qiu Xue is brought to the East (Japan) by his uncle to study. At first, because he looks like Rikka Takarada, he draws attention.
Later, because of his cold exterior and warm heart, and his virtuous, helpful nature, many pursue him.
Whether "she" or "he," even an older sister with no blood relation—their growing possessiveness leaves him mentally and physically exhausted.
Oh right—he's a guy.
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