Tenshi changed into fresh clothes after waking up —
from a plain white T-shirt, soft black shorts —
to his uniform a white shirt with a tie which he prefer to fold the sleeve
and a black dress pant
then folded the blanket he slept on.
He didn't want Asahi to scold him again later.
But the apartment felt strange today.
Quiet.
Too quiet.
Asahi wasn't there.
A note lay on the kitchen counter, written in Asahi's neat handwriting:
"Urgent internal meeting.
Go to the HQ today.
Himari will assign someone to watch you.
Don't go anywhere alone."
Tenshi stared at the paper for a long moment.
Someone else?
He didn't like the sound of that.
When Tenshi arrived at headquarters, Himari was waiting near the front desk, tapping her heel lightly against the floor. Her short white hair shone under the fluorescent lights, red eyes calm and unreadable.
"Tenshi," she said, gentle as always. "Asahi is unavailable today. So I prepared a replacement."
Tenshi tilted his head. "Who…?"
Himari didn't answer immediately.
Her eyelids lowered, almost like she regretted what she was about to say.
"…Follow me."
Tenshi did.
She led him to a side room — a lounging area with a sofa, vending machine, and a TV that nobody ever used. Tenshi expected a tall, serious man in a suit, or maybe some strict senior officer.
Instead…
There was a guy sitting cross-legged on the couch.
Shirtless.
Covered in scattered crumbs from the chips he was eating straight out of the bag.
His body was lean but toned, warm-looking skin, a faint sheen of sweat like he'd run here. Messy dark-brown hair fell over his forehead, and bright reddish-brown eyes snapped up the moment Tenshi walked in.
He grinned — wide, sharp teeth, dangerous.
"OH! You're Tenshi!"
Tenshi froze. "Uh… yeah…?"
The guy dropped the chips immediately (they exploded all over the floor), jumped up, and ran toward Tenshi like a loyal dog spotting its owner.
He skidded to a stop right in front of him.
"WOW! You're so small! I thought you'd be taller! I love it!"
Tenshi took half a step back.
Himari pinched the bridge of her nose.
"This," she said quietly, "is Kaito Moro. Your temporary partner for today."
Kaito grabbed Tenshi's arm enthusiastically.
"I'm twenty! I fight devils! I like blood! Let's be friends forever!"
Tenshi blinked repeatedly, overwhelmed.
"…F-friends…?"
"Yes!" Kaito declared proudly, flexing lightly. "You're cute!"
Tenshi's brain almost shut down.
Himari coughed, forcing Kaito to stop talking.
"Kaito," she said sharply, "put on your shirt. Now."
"Oh! Right, right!"
Kaito ran to grab the white dress shirt from the back of the sofa. He shoved it on without buttoning half the buttons and didn't tuck it in. He looked worse than Tenshi on his worst day.
Himari sighed. "Good enough."
Then she turned to Tenshi, voice softening.
"You and Kaito will handle a minor investigation today. Nothing dangerous. Just follow his lead."
Tenshi nodded nervously.
He could feel Kaito's stare burning into his side.
"And," Himari added, glancing at Kaito with clear warning,
"Do not let him out of your sight.
For your own safety."
Kaito beamed.
"For HIS safety? But I'm the one with the dinosaur heart—"
"Kaito."
Himari's tone dropped.
He shut up instantly.
Tenshi looked between them, confused.
"…Dinosaur… heart…?"
Kaito leaned down, smiling like he was sharing a secret.
"I'll tell you everything while we work together, Tenshiii!"
He slung an arm around Tenshi's shoulders.
Tenshi stiffened.
Himari watched with the calm expression of someone who had lost control of the situation long ago.
"Well," she said softly, "I wish you the best, Tenshi."
That was never a good sign.
Before Tenshi could protest, Kaito was already dragging him down the hallway, laughing loudly, shirt still half undone.
"COME ON, TENSHI! LET'S GO FIGHT SOMETHING!"
"W-Wait—! Kaito—! Slow down!"
Their voices faded into the corridor.
Himari stood alone, exhaling a long breath.
"…Asahi better come back quickly," she muttered.
Tenshi walked with one hand on the hilt of his katana, the other gripping the mission file Himari gave him. The deeper they entered the quiet Tokyo backstreet, the heavier the air seemed to get.
Kaito walked ahead, humming loudly, swinging his arms like he was warming up for a marathon. His white shirt wasn't buttoned evenly, the left side slightly crooked. Tenshi kept staring at the misaligned button, unsure why it bothered him so much.
"You nervous?" Kaito asked suddenly.
Tenshi nearly jumped.
"N-no… maybe a little."
Kaito grinned with all his teeth.
"GOOD! Nervous means you'll move fast. I like that."
Tenshi did NOT like that logic.
⸻
The mission area was a tight alley behind several restaurants. Metal shutters rolled halfway open, workers preparing food inside. The smell of frying oil mixed with something… wrong. A low, scraping echo bounced off the walls.
Kaito inhaled deeply through his nose.
"OHHH. That's the smell of TIME FEAR. Spicy."
"Time… fear?" Tenshi whispered.
"YUP! Scary clock devil type. Strong enough to crack some bones."
Tenshi swallowed hard.
That wasn't comforting.
They walked further.
The sound got louder.
Tick–
Tick—
Tick-tick-tick—
Like a broken watch being shaken by something angry.
Kaito raised a hand abruptly.
Tenshi froze.
A tall, twisted silhouette stepped out from behind the dumpster.
A full Clock Devil.
It stood at least two meters tall, bent backward like its spine was broken. Four arms scraped along the ground, long and thin like stretched metal wires.
Its head was a spinning clock face—no numbers, only shifting lines glowing faintly blue.
The ticking grew louder.
Faster.
When it spoke, the sound vibrated the bones in Tenshi's chest:
TIIIICK— TOOOCK— YOUR TIME— FALLS APART—
Tenshi gripped his katana tighter.
Kaito cracked his neck lazily.
"Nice. A talker."
The devil moved first.
A wave of invisible force shot outward, warping the air like heat haze. Tenshi only had seconds to react—he ducked, but the blast still grazed his shoulder, throwing him back into a stack of metal crates. Pain shot down his arm, and his ears rang.
"Tenshi!!" Kaito shouted.
Tenshi groaned, rolling to his feet. "I'm okay!"
But the devil wasn't done.
It raised two arms high, joints bending like wet rubber, and brought them crashing down. The concrete cracked under the blow.
Kaito rushed in before the second strike.
He leapt, twisting mid-air, and kicked the devil straight in the chest. The impact sent shockwaves rippling through the alley.
The Clock Devil slid back but didn't fall.
Kaito grinned wider.
"That's what I like!"
The devil lunged again, faster. Its limbs spun like rotating gears, slashing through the air. Kaito ducked, weaved, blocked with his forearms, sparks flying where bone met metal.
"Tenshi, LEFT!" he shouted.
Tenshi moved—instinct, fear, training—all mixed.
He slashed his katana sideways.
Steel met devil flesh.
A long gash opened across the Clock Devil's left arm, black smoke pouring out.
The devil screeched, spinning its head faster.
The alley warped.
Time bent.
Objects vibrated violently.
Tenshi felt the weight of seconds stretching and collapsing around him, like the world itself was stuttering.
"Kaito—what is it doing—!?"
"Time distortion! Don't think about it—just move!"
Easy for him to say.
Kaito charged again, but this time the devil anticipated it. Two arms extended at impossible angles and grabbed his wrists, pinning him against the wall.
The clock face rotated rapidly—
Then unleashed a sonic shockwave straight into Kaito's chest.
BAAAM—
Kaito coughed blood.
But he was smiling.
"Ohh… that's a good one…!"
His skin flushed red.
Veins tightened.
Heat radiated off him like a wild animal ready to pounce.
His heart beat fast—so fast Tenshi could feel the vibrations against the ground.
"Kaito… your heart—"
"YEAH!" Kaito shouted, eyes wild. "LET'S GET PRIMAL!"
He jerked his arms free with a violent twist.
The devil staggered.
Kaito blurred forward, grabbing the Clock Devil by its middle and slamming it into the wall hard enough to leave a crater.
"COME ON! FIGHT ME MORE!!"
The Clock Devil screeched, releasing dozens of razor-sharp time shards—glowing blue spikes that sliced the air with ear-splitting whistles. They swarmed toward Kaito like a storm.
Kaito twisted his body, dodging three, punching five, letting two stab into his shoulder without reacting.
Tenshi gasped, swinging his katana to deflect the ones flying toward him.
Clang—clang—clang—
Metal screams echoed in the alley.
"Kaito!! Behind you!!"
Kaito spun—too late.
A spinning limb slammed into his ribs, launching him across the alley. He hit a dumpster hard enough to dent the metal.
He slumped down, coughing.
Tenshi panicked.
"Kaito—Kaito—!"
Kaito grinned through blood.
"Don't worry… I… takes more than that…"
Then he stood.
Not slowly.
Instantly.
Like a switch flipped.
Steam rolled off his shoulders.
His pupils narrowed like a reptile.
His breathing deepened, loud and sharp.
The Clock Devil swung its full body weight at him—
Kaito disappeared.
He reappeared behind the devil, claw buried into its spine. The crack echoed down the alley.
The devil shrieked.
Kaito grabbed its clock-face head and slammed it to the ground once—twice—three times—each impact shattering the concrete.
"TIME'S UP!!"
The devil thrashed wildly.
Two limbs extended toward Tenshi again—sharp and fast.
Tenshi reacted on instinct.
He leapt up and sliced through both limbs in one clean stroke.
Black blood splattered across the wall.
Kaito grabbed the devil's clock-head, twisted, and tore it off.
The devil dissolved into smoke, its screech fading into silence.
Finally, it vanished completely.
Kaito dropped the broken clock head with a sigh.
"Man, that was FUN."
Tenshi stood with his katana in trembling hands, breathing fast.
"That was… terrifying…"
Kaito wiped devil blood from his jaw.
"I know, right? Let's get food! You hungry? I'm starving!"
Tenshi opened his mouth to argue—
but his stomach growled loudly.
Kaito lit up like a kid.
"SEE? YOU'RE HUNGRY! LET'S GO!! RAMEN!! EXTRA MEAT!!"
He threw an arm around Tenshi's shoulder, pulling him toward the street.
Tenshi let out a shaky breath.
Maybe he wasn't used to Kaito yet.
Maybe he never would be.
But…
He didn't feel alone.
Not today.